Red Star Taco Bar's downtown Bellingham location permanently closed Friday, September 25, 2026. Its owners plan to keep operating Sweet Bay Café in the same State Street space, consolidating the two restaurants rather than ending their Bellingham operations. Red Star also has locations in Seattle and Tacoma.
According to the Bellingham Herald, the owners will continue to operate Sweet Bay Café in the same restaurant space at 1327 N. State St. after Red Star closed for good. Padraic Markle, an owner-operator of both restaurants, said the two concepts have already been sharing the building in a limited way, with Sweet Bay occasionally using the Red Star side as overflow seating during busy weekends. Sweet Bay has also operated during hours that alternate with Red Star's schedule, according to the Herald.
Markle told the Herald the owners chose to focus on Sweet Bay Café rather than divide their resources between two concepts. He said they have undisclosed future plans for the space and expect to share updates on Instagram.
Two Years of Running Two Kitchens
Markle told the Herald that operating two full-service restaurants had strained the team. A September 4 Facebook post from the business said there wasn't a single trigger behind the closure: “There are a number of factors that contribute to this decision, not one single cause.”
Markle also pointed to industrywide economic pressures, saying thinner margins, rising costs and customers pulling back on discretionary spending contributed to the decision. Bellingham Metro News reported that the restaurants had different busy periods, with Sweet Bay drawing crowds in the morning and daytime and Red Star later in the evening.
What Changes on State Street
Before its final night, Red Star Taco Bar kept relatively limited hours, open from 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 4 p.m. to midnight on Fridays. Sweet Bay Café, meanwhile, is regularly open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and Bellingham Metro News reports it will keep serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and coffee from the same building going forward.
Published accounts give different opening dates for the Bellingham Red Star. The Herald reported that the location opened October 15, 2025, while Bellingham Metro News said it opened October 15, 2024, alongside the brand's Seattle and Tacoma locations. The State Street address previously housed Jack's BBQ, which opened in April 2022 and closed in December 2023, according to Bellingham Metro News.
Part of a Bigger Shakeup on State Street
Red Star's closure adds to a string of departures along the same downtown corridor. Cascadia Daily News reported that Rock and Rye Oyster House, open at 1145 N. State St. since 2014, planned to close permanently in early autumn 2026 after hosting a final birthday celebration in June. That closure marked the third business in the Herald Building to shut down this year, according to the outlet.
What broader downtown data show
Downtown vacancy figures offer context for the corridor, but they do not establish why Red Star is closing. Cascadia Daily News reported that a city report put overall downtown vacancy at 10%, compared with more than 14% in the smaller pedestrian core—different geographic areas. For employment context, Washington’s Employment Security Department reports Whatcom County averaged 8,347 covered jobs in accommodation and food services in 2024. That broad sector count is not restaurant-specific and does not explain Red Star’s decision.
Red Star's scheduled closing date at 1327 N. State St. was Friday, September 25. Sweet Bay plans to continue serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and coffee there; the broader downtown figures do not explain the owners' decision to close Red Star.
