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Billy McHale's Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants American (Traditional) Restaurants Steakhouses American (Traditional), Steakhouses [Edit]
4301 Meridian StBellingham, WA 98226
(360) 647-7763
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
22 reviews for Billy McHale's Restaurant
Review Highlights
22 reviews in English
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Review from Bill B.
Bellingham, WA
11/13/2011
I've been coming to this restaurant since I was a baby. It's my favorite American restaurant in Bellingham. Bar food at its best.
I order their top sirloin almost every time I come here. It's the BEST steak in Bellingham, in my opinion. Even better than Anthony's. It's got a delicious charred flavor and it comes with garlic butter for dipping. Never thought of dipping my steak in butter before coming here, but it is to die for. Their dinner salads are good, too.
The decor is fun. A toy train travels through the restaurant with birthday wishes. :) -
Review from Tawny K.
Bellingham, WA
1/22/2012
The food was pretty good. Just like an Applebee's, but a better atmosphere. I had a GREAT server that makes me want to go back just for the service!
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Review from marlen h.
Bellingham, WA
1/28/2012
Rib dinner was fair, not the best but fairly good. Has a good selection of beer.
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Review from Laura C.
Bellingham, WA
7/14/2011
Billy McHale's is an interesting family restaurant. It's a great place for kids because it's rarely quiet and any noise your kids make will be drown out by all the other families dining.
Most seats in the restaurant have a view of the overhead train. The closer we sit to it, the more quiet and mesmerized our children are, which allows us more time to complete our meal. We enjoy looking at all the old signs, photographs and various vintage memorabilia that adorn the walls.
The menu at Billy's is varied. For under $10 you can get staples like burgers and fries. If you want to spend more, their steaks are well-cooked and the ribs are tender and the sauce is tasty.
Yes, some of their meals are greasy, but their menu is big enough that even health conscious diners can find something to enjoy. The salmon and steamed veggies is a pretty safe bet and they have a whole salad section on their menu.
For adults only, Billy's has a full bar and has sports games playing on the TVs.
One interesting thing to note - we have had some of our best waitresses from any restaurant at Billy's. They seem to hire some really great people.
For those seeking a deal: Billy's has an Early Bird special from 4-6pm that saves you several bucks on many entrees, and it includes your choice of one of their delicious desserts. Additionally, at the restaurant, you can ask to sign up for their email club and you'll get a free meal coupon on your birthday. -
Review from Edwin P.
Seattle, WA
This place was about average imo. The atmosphere of the restaurant was ok. It seemed rather dark inside to me. Like other reviewers have stated it felt like a chain restaurant.
The waitress was nice, the beer was cold and tasty for what they had on tap, and the food was tasty. There wasn't any thing overly exciting about this place. We went there on a Wednesday which was a steak / ribs special night. So the price was a little bit cheaper than on most nights.
If you're looking for a nice place to come for some cheap happy hour beers and slightly expensive but all right food, then stop on by the Billy McHales in Bellingham. -
Review from B. D.
Bellingham, WA
12/28/2011
LOVE them! They have been great to our family for over 14 years and counting!!!
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Review from Chad F.
Corvallis, OR
12/12/2011
Awesome service. Friendly. Decent setting for a beer and a burger. Forgettable salad.
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Review from Robert S.
Washington, DC
9/17/2010
Grease, grease, grease, and cheese just about sums up Billy McHale's.
The food is not terrible, but it's not good, either. It's somewhere on the lower rungs of mediocre, and will probably leave you thinking "that other" restaurant you passed on the way to Billy McHale's would have been a better choice.
That said, it's not bad if you're drinking beer and are primarily there for that purpose, and have a side of bar food - which makes up most of the menu, but in lunch/dinner size portions.
Fried Onion Loaf with Honey Mustard - excellent
Coconut Shrimp - meh - didn't get much "coconut" out of it, but the accompanying baked potato was good, the vegetables not so much.
My best friend seemed annoyed by his Fish & Chips, but we're like rabid animals when it comes to food, so I didn't snatch any off his plate to nibble on.
The interior is pretty cute. A lot of kitsch, cartoon characters, old ads, old time relics strewn about, a choo choo train making its way on an elevated track, some neon lights, a lot of dark wood, and ceiling tiles make up the interior.
Overall, it's an okay place. The staff is incredibly friendly. The wait for the food is a bit long, but it's not a big deal. -
Review from Nicola F.
7/3/2010
Yes, this place is your typical steak dinner restaurant. Yes, it plays country music and has a choo choo train running around. But, Billy McHales has good food and really excellent down home customer service. Our waitress was so fantastic and the wait for our great food was quick considering what needed to be cooked.
I had their wild salmon, rice, and veggies. The wild salmon was a fair size and was grilled nicely. The rice wasn't amazing. The veggies were steamed with butter (mmm butter). My fiance had some delicious tender ribs and he even shared with me. They were yummy.
Because we got the early bird special, we got free dessert. Now I know better than to get dessert but I did it anyway. My rocky road cheese cake was so good I ate it all. I'm going to have to exercise from now until eternity to make up this bad.
Our bill was fair. All in all I think this is a place worth coming back to. -
Review from Inga K.
5/16/2009
I really like Billy McHale's. In particular my kids like it, and there is a great set of choices for them. The servers are always nice and very efficient which is hard to come by. The train going around keeps my 5 year old boy and my husband mesmerized, which helps.
Food is ok and plentiful, the combinations are interesting byt we are not talking gourmet here folks, just a decent family meal. It doesn't hurt that it is located right in the Costco parking lot so shopping and an easy lunch or dinner out makes things simple. -
Review from Jeffery S.
La Grange Park, IL
7/13/2010
A place that has a chain like feel to it but is not a chain, that's Billy McHale. We were talking to our waitress and according to her, there were several Billy McHale's across the state but not anymore, this is the last of it's kind. The white buffalo of franchise sports bars.
But in spite of the chain feel, Billy McHales isn't a bad place. Decor was a bit kitschky but still had some originality. Menu was 90% typical bar food but had some interesting items. Nice selection of beers on draft. But the best thing about Billy McHales is the wait staff, nice personable young ladies with a good sense of humor.
My partner had the Halibut and Chips. I had the Halibut Tacos. Both were excellent, firm flesh. The chips I had with the tacos were pretty standard. My partner had fries and they were pretty good fries. For an appetizer, we had a dozen shrimp, a half dozen coconut shrimp and a half dozen bacon wrapped shrimp, Shrimp were just excellent and they were the highlight of the meal. They came with three different sauces and I stuck with the traditional cocktail sauce. Just a touch on the pricey side as an appetizer, two entree's and two beers a peice came out to 60 bucks.
Didn't get to see the infamous train but the food and service was fine. If you're nearby, well worth a stop. -
Review from Cristen T.
Hillsboro, OR
12/21/2008
Billy's is a great place to go for a great time. The decor is lively and eye-catching with a locomotive cruising around the ceiling wishing people a happy birthday.
It is a great place for all occasions. I've gone here with friends, family, new acquaintances, and with my boyfriend. Being here I've done everything from celebrate birthdays, partake in happy hour, or to watch World Series game.
They offer fun, fruity mixed drinks and have a huge selection of margarita flavors. Their burgers are a great size for the price and they come with unlimited fries! When I wasn't a vegetarian I loved their mushroom burger. They have a mind-blowing artichoke dip.
A few years ago my New Year's resolution was to forsake Billy McHale's awesome fries for an entire 365 days! I made it and the following New Year's Day, a plate of their fries is all I ordered! These fries are the quintessential steak fries. They are my second favorite fries of all-time. And you can have as many as you can eat!Listed in: Best French Fries
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Review from Janell D.
San Francisco, CA
9/20/2009
First of all- the food is very "chain" like. I wouldn't really expect anything more being that it is on a chain level.
I won't complain about the food as we knew what we were getting in to prior to choosing this place; it was just a great place for a large/noisy group.
The service? The service was outstanding. I have to give a double thumbs up to Jenni. J who served our blonde headed family with a huge smile and she really indulged the kids in the group.
I wish I could give 5 stars for service alone and not rate the food at all.
Jenni- thank you and good luck in February! -
Review from Dealer O.
Bellingham, WA
4/10/2011
Friendly service, good beer selection and delicious food. The prices were a little on the high side for some of the dinner plates, but the happy hour menu has some deals. The bar area has a big screen TV which I liked and the steaks and ribs are my favorite items they serve. I will definitely return back there to try the burgers which I heard are also very good. I did not give 5 stars because nothing stood out as being extraordinarily unique. But its a good place.
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Review from Megan V.
Lynnwood, WA
3/5/2007
This place used to be where it was at back in the mid-late 90's.
it is not where it is at anymore. -
Review from Sean M.
Edmonds, WA
12/19/2006 1 Check-in Here
If a Red Robin restaurant and a Black Angus restaurant had a love child it would be Billy McHale's. Its basically a state chain restaurant with the burger/bar theme. They do have a train the runs through the restaurant and you can have them put messages on it like happy birthday.
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Review from Tom K.
Bellingham, WA
10/4/2006
I have never been the biggest burger fan, but this place has great choices. They put a lot more than just meat on their buns. Cost around $8 for a burger and fries and they have drink specials all the time. The atmosphere is entertaining, your eyes won't get bored Only down side is it can be pretty noisy in there at times, try not to go doing peak hours.
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Review from Traci M.
Harrisburg, PA
4/1/2008
We got the name of this place from our hotel. We were looking for a good burger place. Well This place certainly fit the bill. The staff was great. The decor was cheesy, but I loved it. The food was excellent! They have some really good burgers. And according to my companions the ribs were good too.
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Review from Nick D.
Puyallup, WA
4/11/2006
For a steakhouse this place is actually very good. They have an awesome selection of steaks and burgers and even some vegetarian options as well- which is pretty rare for a steakhouse restaurant. Their mashed potatoes are some of the best to have ever graced my tongue. The only thing that bugged me was the model train tracks that run all throughout this place. Every 5 minutes a miniature train whistles past your head on the ceiling-mounted tracks. Other than that it's not a bad option if you're looking for some steak in the 'Ham.
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Review from Katie K.
Kalamazoo, MI
1/4/2009
My favorite things about this place is the atmosphere with stuff all over the walls and a train running through and the garlic mashed potatoes. The servers here are always friendly and seem like they like their jobs.
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Review from Lauren H.
Bellingham, WA
4/4/2010
Onion loaf. If you decide to hit this place up, order half an onion loaf. So totally messy and artery clogging, but so magically satisfying and delicious.
Besides that... I sent my food back because it was pretty icky. I got a chicken taco salad. It was HUGE and kind of unmanageable. The flavors weren't to my liking and the waitress took it away no problem and it was comped. My boyfriend really liked his burger however. Service was kind of slow and sporadic considering it wasn't that busy.
The interior is really cool. Lots of stuff on the walls, but stuff of actual interest (not just pictures).
Overall not too shabby, but will definitely order something different next time. -
Review from J. M.
Bellingham, WA
12/30/2009
Like Red Robin, but the food's not as good. Not great specials either.
