Bellingham’s food scene is increasingly diverse, but one cuisine has remained absent: dim sum. Soho Bellingham Asian Kitchen & Bar, opening in early April, is about to fill that void.
Soho is the brainchild of Surachai (Alex) Teachaakarakasem and his wife, Thanisara Tantraporn, who also own Wanida Thai. Their new restaurant is located at 202 E. Holly St., Suite 101 and will serve not just dim sum but Chinese dishes like mapo tofu and Szechuan chicken. The menu also features a few Thai options.
“No Chinese restaurant [in Bellingham] served dim sum before,” Teachaakarakasem said. “To eat dim sum, I don’t want to go down to Seattle, across the border to Vancouver. [We] just want to have something new to downtown Bellingham.”
Thailand has one of largest overseas Chinese communities in the world, and the diaspora’s influence is reflected in the popularity of dishes like dim sum. Soho’s chefs, Thanatchai Sriyam and Sarayooth Thodklang, have decades of experience cooking at dim sum restaurants in Bangkok hotels.
“We set out to create a restaurant that blends the best of both worlds — offering dim sum, Thai cuisine and other Asian-inspired dishes in a dynamic fusion,” Soho’s website states.
Dim sum lovers can expect everything from pork and chicken shu mai to shrimp har gow, fried taro, bao and fresh rice rolls. The menu also includes sections for noodle dishes, stir fries, Thai specialties and even dessert like Thai-style roti and Thai tea floats.
“We make everything from scratch,” Teachaakarakasem added.
Soho is located in the former K-Pop Chicken & Beer space, which closed in September 2024. Its owners remodeled the dining room’s interior, and Teachaakarakasem described its new aesthetic as “modern Chinese.” The renovation also includes a second-floor bar.
Soho officially opens Tuesday, April 1 according to a countdown on its website. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday–Saturday. Follow @sohobellingham on social media for updates. Info: sohobellingham.com.
Cocoa Laney is CDN’s lifestyle editor; reach her at cocoalaney@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 128.
