I've been to Bella's so many time that I order the same thing on repeat with my husband with no issue . This particular day the service was a bit slow which is ok but my food I was very disappointed! Our food was not the same as it normally was and instead of the waiter saying sorry let me take it back he simply didn't care. We just took two bite of our meal and paid the bill. If we based off the experience of today I would give it a 3, but because we usually have a great experience I pushed it to 4. When we come back again, if the food is the same like we experience in possibly going to have to close this chapter with Bella. Not sure if the chef has changed but it was great while it lasted. read more

Holy overpriced!! They price gouge because they see all of New Haven doing it!!! But the quality is not even there! I paid $20 for a chicken salad sandwich!! The waitress who was super nice is the reason they got 2 stars told me it was delicious but I guess she doesn't know delicious ‍The bread was soooo greasy soaked in butter I got a stomach ache and mire mayonaise then chicken!! Cheap cutting corners...then it had some weird type of gel on it oozing out..no clue what that was supposed to be but wasnt in the description...the inside of the restaurant was freezing! People eating with coats on..another sign of cheap...dont waste your time waaaay better places in New Haven and for your buck like the diner! read more

Bella's Cafe - Weird gel on sandwich - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Huge portions, but I thought the food was just alright. And the service was slow (we came here on a Tuesday for brunch). It was slow to order, get water refilled, and get the check. It seemed like the waitress forgot about us towards the end of our meal. She wasn't busy, but she didn't make eye contact or look in the direction of our table when we were hoping she would to ask her for more water and the check. We had to get up ourselves to finally pay. The waitresses were nice though -- just not too attentive towards the end. The food was just okay. The potatoes on the side of the farm fresh eggs were undercooked. The Challah French Toast was good though -- it was super chewy and soft. Although the food didn't stand out to me, I'd recommend this place to those who are really hungry because they serve really large portions here. read more

Bella's Cafe - Challah French Toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

See all

Been here a couple of times. Delicious food I have had the blueberry pancakes almost everytime I go there. The service is great and fast. No issues ever here. read more

On my bucket list for two reasons. First, the rave reviews from the inspiring Marie R, and also featured w/I the past few months on WFSB (Hartford CBS affiliate), by news correspondent Roger Susanin. On the TV segment, Roger sampled shrimp and grits and Bella Benedict. Today, my best friend, Pots & Pans, and I paid a visit. Free parking on the street, but good luck finding a spot. Luck was with us as we found a spot RIGHT IN FRONT. The interior is split into two sections, and is warm, homey, comfortable, and inviting. We were seated and then greeted by Mike, who was capable, affable, just plain able. Very friendly and accommodating. Pots ordered the fried chicken and challah French toast, which came w 2 eggs and maple syrup. I had Bella's Corned Beef Hash....comes w 2 eggs any style, choice of toast, and choice of potatoes or grits. Mike suggested the grits, as he mentioned they were made w real cream (and, duh, therefore very creamy). BTW, Bella ascribes to the famous line from My Cousin Vinny re: grits (google it). We both had coffee (choice of med or dark roast). Couple things to mention about my food...the grits were unbelievably scrumptious, and the CBH is in my top 10 all-time (and I've literally had CBH from all over the country). Pots? He kept making groaning noises while he was eating, and I suggested he get a room with his food. And look at the "before" and "after" pix of our plates which tell two thousand + words. Overall, we agreed. One of the best breakfasts we've ever had. 5 star PS - I want Roger Susanin's job when he moves on! read more

See all

The food is great, like homemade. I would definitely go again. The service and ambiance were great.

We went here on a busy Sunday morning and put our names in then then text you when your tables ready, parking was a bit simpler as the bank next door is closed on Sundays and you can park behind the restaurant. Our waiter was so upbeat and pleasant he was 100 why I'd return besides the food. I had the fry bread minus the chorizo to make it vegetarian, it was still kickass, esp the parm fries w it, my hubs had the Italian bread French toast and a side of home fries he loved his, I had a nice pot of hot tea and that was great too, plus they only serve REAL maple syrup ! read more

Bella's Cafe - French toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

See all

A hidden gem located in New Haven that offers the best orange juice I have ever tasted. I was in the area and needed a quick breakfast bite and when I google restaurants nearby the pictures of the food from Bellas Cafe caught my attention. I walked up and there was a long line outside waiting to be seated. I thought this place must be very popular I went inside to seek information if I was able to place a take-out order. The lady at the front desk advised me that they were too busy to do take out which was a bummer. I asked how long until a table is available, and her response was about half an hour to 45 minutes. She then went on and ask how many were in my party, I said just me, and she told me I could be seated at the bar. I was hungry so this was perfect. Inside the restaurant was beautifully decorated with a wide variety of art pieces on the wall. Even though it was packed with people it was not too loud. My order was taken a few minutes after I sat down and I could not resist the freshly squeezed orange juice that was being served. There is a machine over the counter that oranges are placed in and the machine juices them to provide freshly made orange juice. It was so delicious I have to take one to go. I ordered the challah French roast with scrambled eggs and bacon and it was delicious. The French toast pieces were huge I was able to eat and have left over for lunch. An overall great experience and if I am ever back in New Haven, I will definitely be back at Bella's Cafe. read more

See all

Seated immediately at the counter on a Friday morning. Friendly and attentive staff. Food was absolutely delicious. The scrambled eggs are fluffy, bacon was crispy without asking for it to be extra crisp, and the potatoes are well-seasoned. The vibe is very much that of an East coast small town cafe-- cozy, no frills, and strong coffee. read more

Bella's Cafe - Counter - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

See all

If there is such a thing as gourmet breakfast food Bellas Cafe certainly serves it. Besides serving excellent food they do a great job with their presentation of their meals. I had their Banana Foster French Toast, Challah French toast (3 large pieces) topped with bananas, dark rum, (Yes dark rum), brown sugar, almonds, and whip cream. OMG it was so delicious. I was in heaven on my first bite. My friend had a Tuscan Omelette with grilled eggplant, masted peppers, fried onions, squash, portobello mushrooms, with asiago cheese. The home fries were well seasoned, nice and crispy. Service was excellent, their staff is very friendly, and I like the way they all work together as a team. Oh yes I will definitely be returning. read more

See all

Please bring the chicken salad sandwich back as a special!!!! Don't forget to include the potato salad or even the coleslaw! I miss that delicious entree. read more

Food is solid, but the service is truly horrible. It's one of those places where they feel they are doing you a favor by serving you. They clearly don't have any professional staff here that know or care about running a restaurant. I will certainly not be coming back. read more

Our waitress could have cared less about us which made for a bad experience. The food was good but the service left little to be desired. It's a shame when a place has so much potential and decent reviews and then the service is lack luster. Our coffee wasn't refilled, water seemed like it was a burden and checking back to see how our breakfast was never once crossed our server's mind. read more

See all

Food is good but barely got to taste anything. Asked if the food I ordered had any dairy and was told by the server "no". Food came out with toast covered in butter. When I asked for nom buttered toast, server asked why. I told her butter is dairy. Asked if any of the food was cooked with butter and was told yes... instead of kindness I was met with "next time tell us if you have a dairy allergy". Paid full for my meal. Staff are short tempered. Will talk shit about Customers, which can be heard when you sit at the bar. read more

Great food and service! We've tried several breakfast places is New Haven, and Bella's is by far the best.

Food and drinks were delicious! Honestly I had such a hard time deciding what to eat because everything sounded amazing. We came for brunch on Friday and it did not disappoint. Service was excellent and I definitely plan to return to try other things. Only downside is parking. Street parking and some spots behind the bank. read more

Classic breakfast/brunch in Westville. I stopped by on a Tuesday right after work for breakfast after a long string of night shifts, and Bella's hit the spot! I ordered the omelet du jour (happened to be the crab and shrimp omelet) on the specials menu, which comes with toast and pan grilled potatoes. The omelet was stuffed with crab, shrimp, goat cheese, and veggies. The home fries were seasoned well but I would've preferred them a bit crispier. Overall great place for standard breakfast/brunch fare. I would definitely try to find a weekday to go since the wait can get incredibly long on the weekends! read more

Bella's Cafe - Crab and shrimp omelet (on the specials menu) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

We went for brunch with a little one in tow (3 yrs). The staff was friendly. They were packed. The food was excellent. The menu offers a lot to choose from. Definitely on my New Haven favorites list. read more

I haven't been to Bella's in over 3 years and after my last two experiences there, I was really hesitant to go but, my professor suggested it to so I obliged. I was running 5 minutes behind and they wouldn't sit her until I got there which really annoys me, but whatever. The host was pleasant and seated us across from the bar. The seating is so tight in there and I sat right under the air. Why was the air on? You tell me. Anyways, I ordered the veggie omelette, which came with home fries and toast (gluten free). Our food took 50 minutes, yes, 50 minutes and despite it being good, there's no food on earth worth almost an hour wait. So safe to say I won't be back to Bella's, ever. While this experience was better than 3 years ago, I've learned my lesson overall. No thank you! read more

Bella's Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

It would have been five stars but for the very tough lady at the door. There are ways to let people know that you can't come into the restaurant until everyone was there. I was ordered to wait in a vestibule which had been built for this purpose. It had a heater but I was still cold plus there were very few people inside. So I moved my chair under the heater and she came out and ordered me to put it back. Ordered me! Never a smile. Never I'm so sorry but I'm required to do this. I told her I was 85. This mean person couldn't care less. She's got to go. Not good for business. Meal was excellent and so was our waitress. read more

Still salivating.... Hubs took me out to a perfect Valentine's Day brunch! We haven't been to Bella's in quite some time, but boyyy am I happy we went! The bananas fosters French toast is honestly in my top five "last request meals". From the perfectly browned extra thick challah bread, to the rich cinnamon vanilla flavored fosters pan syrup, to the fresh and perfectly sweetened sliced bananas down to the homemade whipped cream, Damn, What a TREAT! Of course I had to get my all-time favorite, the shrimp and grits with the homemade, extra fluffy biscuit! I don't know what kind of sauce that is in the shrimp and grits, but I would dip damn near anything in it and eat it, lol! I'm not a huge fan of the sausage, but I think it does add great flavor to the dish. The restaurant itself was not too crowded and had a good lunch vibe going in there. My server was a female, whose name I can't remember, however, she was very pleasant! If you haven't been to Bella's and you are down for a treat, do yourself a favor! You will spend a little bit more than your typical Diner, but it's worth every penny! read more

Bella's Cafe - Bananas foster French toast! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

See all

This is my second time eating on this place. We went there Saturday for brunch and there was 30 minutes waiting. We decided to wait. It took about 20 minutes when they called us and we were seated at the bar. There was not table available. It was ok for us to seat at the bar. We ordered some coffees and Mango mimosa. Coffee was fresh and strong. Mango mimosa wasn't good. I was expecting more mango flavor. It was a little pricey. That's why I gave them 4 stars today. The food was amazing. I ordered fried chicken with challah French toast. It was delicious. Chicken was juicy and tender, and the challah French toast were delicious too. Also we ordered the Palermo omelet and it was delicious too. Overall the food and coffees were great just the mimosa was not good to give them 5 stars. read more

See all

It's the best for breakfast! Food well prepared & creative Hate the lines- it's so difficult to find a time when it's not crowded. read more

First off make sure everyone is on time or better yet go in the same car. They will NOT seat you until your party is all there. They do not take reservations, we had a party of possibly 8 and we are aware that the restaurant is pretty small and would be hard to fit a table of that size depending on time. So we tried to let them be aware and it didn't matter they don't take reservations. So when we arrived I was asked if we would be okay with being split up. No we wouldn't that is why we tried to make a reservation. Thank god it was a nice day to wait outside. I almost texted a few of the people to suggest going somewhere else but you never know who may just show up to join so we waited. Now mind you had we been seated there was a very good chance that most of us would have had a couple more mimosas or martinis. But that is money that they did not get from us. Oh well guess they aren't in the business to make money. Oh wait yes they are, they over charge for everything in the menu. If you ask to add Baileys in your espresso martini they charge you 4 dollars more 19$ now for an espresso martini seriously??? Your not giving me anymore than will fit in the glass just put less kahlua. I had the shrimp and grits. It's served in a skillet but the skillet is cold. Why even bother. And it was just okay. Not very flavorful at all. And take the rails off the shrimp. Who wants to dig through the grits and pull off the tails. The French toast looked amazing, nice thick challah bread with almond butter and a syrup with berries. My friend said the Bella's Benedict was very good so much so he brought an order home. All in all the food was good, not worth the price. And if you want to sit and linger or gather while waiting for everyone over a cup of coffee or mimosas this is not the place for you. For 2 of us with one martini, a glass of orange juice, shrimp and grits, and 2 eggs with bacon and English muffin it cost us with tax and tip 75$. Out group will definitely be choosing a different place for our group breakfast next time read more

See all

I'm always happy when I get exactly what I want. Especially when a server puts my order in such a way as to save me money. Thank You I ordered deconstructed eggs Florentine without bread. And as you can see, that's what I got. The other people in my party were just as happy as I. I was passing through and got very lucky based on other reviews. Get there early on a Sunday so you don't have to wait too long. read more

Bella's Cafe - Spinach, poached eggs, lox - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Stopped here for brunch on our way to Cape Cod. We were here before they opened and so we were able to be seated right away. It was jam packed by the time we were leaving. Ordered a cappuccino to start and it was great. For our main dishes, my husband got the corned beef has and I got the Kentucky hot brown special. Wow! Food was absolutely incredible. We loved every bite. So flavorful and great portion sizes. Our waitress was great too. Overall, we had a great experience at Bella's. Food was incredible and we can't wait to go back! read more

See all

Owner would not let us even sit outside - claimed did not want any dogs on the premises. I understand dogs being allowed inside but outside on the side walk? We waited over 30 minutes for a table then were told we had to leave. read more

Absolutely ATROCIOUS service!! We walked in the door FIFTY minutes before closing (with plenty of tables finishing up) and were told they couldn't seat us bc they were closing. We're two people, we would have easily been done in plenty of time. The hostess/owner was absolutely NASTY about it too... told her we had tried calling to check before driving an HOUR across town and she said "Um, yea we're obviously too busy to answer the phone." (There wasn't even a line, they weren't that busy). So now they'll be too "busy" to EVER get another dime from us. Went across the street to Camacho Garage... the food (and service!) are WAY better anyway. In this economy, you should be treating your customers like gold. SMH! read more

I really enjoyed my experience at Bella's Cafe. I'm a new customer and felt the food was great, but service was great. There was a male busboy who cleaned our table today went above and beyond to ensure we had a clean and comfortable experience. I'll be coming back again just based on the busboy alone, the food was tremendous. Thanks for the great experience Bella's, you got a returning customer! read more

My favorite brunch spot! The one thing that has always stood out to me about this place is the effort they put into everything they serve. The quality of their food is so genuine, I feel I've been robbed everywhere else I've had breakfast prior. When you go to a regular breakfast spot, you get what you get: if you order french toast, youll get french toast. If you go to Bella's, if you order french toast, not only will you have different options for french toast (challah, italian bread, cinnamon raisin, etc), but they're gonna go all out for you (fruits, good quality syrup, whipped cream, garnishes, special creams/butter cream/etc). It's just so special. Every weekend, they have a changing brunch menu. The items are usually extravagant and unique. Like, I didn't even know what a Dutch Baby was until I started coming here. This week, they had a cinnamon roll skillet french toast (multiple cinnamon rolls french toast style in this huge skillet, topped with cream cheese buttercream, berries, and whipped cream with bourbon maple syrup on the side). Good God. You don't see things like that at regular restaurants (and if you do, damn let me know!!). It's more than worth their prices, which aren't even outlandish to begin with. Just looking at some of the reviews that say they're costly: if you're buying multiple drinks or multiple meals per person, then it's gonna add up (as it would anywhere else). Off the top of my head, when I took my mom here, two meals and two drinks was $35. If you want inexpensive food, go to a low quality diner and enjoy rubbery eggs and microwaved bacon idk. There's also always a wait on the weekends, so go early (no reservations). There are a lot of places hyped up by social media because of the instagrammable photo opportunities, that are overpriced and put most emphasis into making the place look nice while the food/drinks aren't even good (Place 2 Be). Bella's is NOT one of those places. read more

Bella's Cafe - Cinnamon roll skillet french toast god damn - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Ordered biscuit with eggs. After almost finished with eggs, biscuits came out 15 minutes late. After this inconvenience, I asked respectively for cafe to make some consideration to bill. They refused. I asked to speak to manager and was told that was not possible because he was in kitchen cooking. I will not come back here again and recommend other places to go for breakfast. read more

The staff is amazing. I always enjoy their friendliness and attention to detail. The food is great, however I wish the home fries were crispier. The coffee is good. And my friend enjoys her fried chicken with French toast. It's a great little spot with good off the street parking near by. read more

See all

Okay if you love French toast or a sweet breakfast, look no further. The portion sizes are massive and it's basically like dessert for breakfast! Pair it with a delicious espresso or latte that they offer and you have the perfect breakfast. It's a very cute little breakfast spot with great servers and incredible food. A must try! read more

Bella's Cafe - Banana foster French toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Whenever I'm in New Haven Bella's Cafe is always a Top Choice never disappointed love the atmosphere good jazz in the background Professional Service a bit pricey but I can honestly say you get what you pay for just a tip on coffee I always get the dark roast coffee and it's dark roast it's not for everybody but a favorite of mine read more

Bella's Cafe - Highly recommended the fresh juice orange machine - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

See all

Amazing food! Service is always quick and to the point, very cute vibe very cute for a little date spot or casual brunch/breakfast.

Amazing hash. Friendly staff. Great story behind the owner. Been here 24yrs so clearly doing the right thing. Love it here. To bad its 90min from home. Lol read more

See all

This was the second time I've visited Bella's within the past couple of years and my expectations were definitely succeeded. I was a lil worried that it would be super busy for Saturday breakfast, but we actually didn't wait at all. We came at the perfect time! My sister and I ordered the Wild Mushroom Omelette, The Navajo, and the Apple Fritter French Toast. The staff were super friendly and gracious. When our food came to our table, we were amazed at the portion size. We immedately knew that we were going to have to get to go boxes at the end. The Apple Fritter French Toast was super yummy and not too sweet. There was also brie in it which was a nice touch. The omelette was good, but wouldn't order again since there was goat cheese in it. My sister really enjoyed the Navajo which was fry bread topped with chorizo chili, monterey jack and cheddar cheese, smashed avocado, fried egg and crema with cilantro citrus parmesan fries. Overall, we had a good time and you get your money's worth here! read more

Bella's Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Always good food and a great time with friends! Service is friendly and a great atmosphere!

The food at Bella's was phenomenal ! I enjoyed the corned beef hash and I must say it is the best I've ever eaten !! It was freshly made and seasoned very well. The potatoes were also incredible along with the delicious cranberry toast. The decor in this restaurant was also very cute. It was decorated for the holidays and the vibes were so nice. The service was amazing. Our waiter was super kind and he definitely worked with urgency . I will be retuning! read more

See all

The carrot cake pancakes were fabulous! Nice strong coffee and the atmosphere was festive. Service was fast and pleasurable.