The Orion is known for their eccentric artworks and creative house cocktails. When you first walk in, the dark atmosphere hits you and takes you up to space. It‘s hard to imagine anything could compare to the game tables and free birthday shot, but as you walk farther back in the building, you enter a time warp.
The Odd Fellows Temple Room opened on December 15, 2023, adding a calm atmosphere to the bustling Orion. Owner Jonny McIntyre spent the last two years hand-crafting the large room, which was previously used by the Odd Fellows, an international fraternal order, from the 1940s to 1970s. McIntyre even found the original Odd Fellows sign, now placed on the stage.
“I wanted to make it more simplistic and more just like: enjoy your space, enjoy your time, come and get a good quality cocktail,” McIntyre says.
Photograph by Briana Tuvey
Whether it’s a busy Saturday night or a chill Wednesday evening, the Temple Room has what you need. There’s live jazz on Saturdays and acoustic sounds on Monday nights, both from 8–10 p.m. Whether you want to try something new or stick to a classic, the menu has six house cocktails and even more fun riffs on classics. Don’t want to drink or you plan to drive? There are creative mocktails and non-alcoholic beers to try.
“I just wanted it to be like, a comfortable community-based cocktail bar, that’s just chill,” McIntyre says. “I built it for Bellingham.”
The room is open Monday through Thursday from 7 p.m. to midnight and Friday to Saturday from 7 p.m.–2 a.m. 311 E. Holly St., Bellingham 360.306.8485, facebook.com/theorionbar
