The most significant restaurant of Bellingham, Giuseppe’s Al Porto Ristorante Italiano is closing its doors permanently on 30^th July 2019.  The landmark Bellingham’s restaurant serviced its community with delicious food and other services for nearly 17 years.

Al Porto Ristorante Italiano announced the news of shutting down on its Facebook page on Thursday, 27^th June.

Guiseppe Mauro owner mentioned he would take retirement and hence sell the business.

“We have shared great food, delicious wine, wonderful people, fun times and hard work, I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported me, and I hope to see you before we close our doors on Tuesday, July 30^th, 2019. I have great pride in how Giuseppe’s has served the Bellingham community,” Mauro stated in the Facebook post.

Lombardi’s Italian restaurant to acquire the restaurant

Bellingham’s landmark restaurant will be acquired by another restaurant ‘Lombardi’s Italian Restaurant.’ It has its business across Mill Creek and Everett Marina, website mentions. The Italian restaurant of Lombardi was established in 1987, and the aim was to offer new seasonal food dishes and flavors motivated by Diane Symms’ a restaurateur.

 Symms informed a source that we are happy Giuseppe agreed to our proposal. The restaurant is amazing, and people like it. Whenever you talk to people across Bellingham of the restaurant, they know about it, and they like to visit it. We believe this is important, and we will continue to satisfy the needs of Bellingham’s community.

Symms mentioned Lombardi’s Italian Restaurant is expected to open by September 2019.

Ahead of this opening, she stated, the restaurant is collaborating with local sellers to enhance the area of 21 Bellwether Way by opening new entry, arranging the private dining space and covering it with glass so that customers will have the perfect view of the Squalicum Harbor waterfront. They are also extending the bar size, getting new furniture, modifying kitchen, painting and changing the curtains.

 Symms told we believe the restaurant is really strong with good bones.

Symms stated,

We liked the potential of Bellingham. We looked at the Granary Building, but it wasn’t quite ready, and it’s harder to open a brand new space and build clientele rather than purchase something that fits your sense of the market.

Symms mentioned the plan of having a third restaurant started when she traveled to Italy for two weeks along with her management team, in last spring.

The team was really interested in the search for a location similar to Everett on the waterfront.

Lombardi’s will utilize the private dining room business of Giuseppe and also its holiday services. We will even provide pizza.

She informed source, we are delighted to follow the footsteps of Giuseppe with eye-catching waterfront place.

On Thursday, in Bellingham Mauro revealed his retirement plans to Giuseppe’s employees, Symms and her staff members also present at the event. Later she and her team members said they are planning to recruit maximum outstanding employees of Giuseppe for its restaurant and most of them showed a willingness to return once Lombardi’s starts.