Caffe Adagio

Dianna Del Giorgio opened Caffe Adagio in 2006 and has stood behind the same counter for twenty years, which in a college town with a high turnover of small businesses is the fact that matters most. Continuity like that is not a marketing angle, it is why regulars keep a favorite order here.

The kitchen is a genuine one. Sandwiches are built on focaccia baked in the shop, and there are real soups and salads rather than a pastry case standing in for lunch. That makes Adagio a place you can actually eat at, which narrows the field considerably among Bellingham cafes.

The drink people come back for is the Mayan hot chocolate, made with chili and nutmeg. It is an unusual thing to build a following on and it has held one for years, which is the best evidence a recipe can offer.

Two scheduling notes that matter more here than elsewhere. Adagio is closed on Sundays, so it is out for a weekend morning, and that is worth planning around because Sunday is when the farmers market brings people downtown. But it stays open until 4pm, and that is the useful half. Bellingham coffee closes early almost everywhere: Camber at two, Cafe Blue around two, Lettered Streets and Hammerhead at three. Arrive at half past three wanting somewhere to sit on Railroad Avenue and Adagio is one of the few doors still open.