We came to Bistro Bella Vita for our anniversary. The food was delicious. We loved the pesto rotini pasta best. Was quite noisy with large parties seated next to us- that was the only negative. read more

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Our server was excellent, very attentive. Every food item was delicious. Cute outdoor seating space. Would definitely come back if I was in town! read more

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Food was amazing ! Service was quick and accurate Was very zen feeling & clean Parking was easy Reservations are recommended read more

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Excellent service! Plus the food was awesome, especially the special Strawberry Salad and the Tilefish. We sat outside on a beautiful June night before a concert. It wasn't too noisy and sitting close to the wall kept the sun off us. read more

Bistro Bella Vita - Outdoor seating - Italian Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Very informative staff. Food was made fresh so it took a little longer coming out but it's worth the wait. We split a Caesar salad & a Margherita pizza. Best anchovies I've ever had in a Caesar. Can't wait to come back! read more

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All around a 5 star experience! Great service, ambiance and food! See you again soon.

The atmosphere here is very welcoming. It's hard to place a finger on the exact style, but it's upscale and well lit. It felt a little retro upscale too. I ordered the Spicy Pork Meatballs ($16) as an appetizer. They were excellent. Not mind blowing unique, but done to a high standard. I came for the Beef Brisket Bourguignon ($36). I had heard they had a real good pot roast. Well it wasn't just really good. It was spectacular! Probably the best I've had. So tender and flavorful. The sauce with it is excellent and perfectly emphasizes the beef. The potatoes and veggies with it are all perfectly cooked also. I finished with their Chocolate Tart ($13). It was fantastic! It is chocolate to the nines. However it doesn't cross the line of being too much. The chocolate is extremely high quality and super tasty. The service was fantastic. It was super friendly and knowledgeable. Attentive without being too much. Shout out to Harrison, he was awesome. Overall one of the easiest 5 star reviews I've ever done. They are now in my top 5 places in Grand Rapids. Would I return? Lol, duh! read more

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Pre-concert dinner at this lively bistro that serves up great cocktails and food. This bistro has a large space indoors and a nice outdoor patio. Ashley was our server and she was sweet, engaging and provided good service. We started out with cocktails. Hubby had an old-fashioned, and I had a bees knees. We didn't order an appetizer or salad because we wanted to get to a concert on time and not overeat as well. My husband had the beef brisket bourguignon. He loved this dish and said it was tender and full of flavor. I had the bucatini amatriciana. My dish had pancetta and pecorino and was delish. We also had an espresso and a cappuccino at the end of the meal. The portion sizes are generous. I'd return here when in town again. read more

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Never disappoints! Great attention to allergens and dietary needs. I've been here three times over the summer. A business meeting, dinner with a friend, and for date night. Also great for groups. The food and service are fantastic. Great location before a show at Van Andel Arena - make a reservation. Outside patio seating with umbrellas, lots of seating inside near the bar with TVs or the other side for table/booth seating with view of the pizza oven. I usually get the Beet Salad with Grilled Salmon. The salmon is PERFECTLY cooked and crisp. I love the red and golden beets with orange and blueberries and a light goat cheese. (NA)torious is a nice non-alcoholic / spirit-free drink if you like something citrusy and less sweet. read more

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Amazing food and service. This is the perfect spot for an anniversary dinner, date night, or birthday dinner. The martinis are always amazing. read more

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I had my mom's 70th surprise dinner here. I'll start with service. We had a large group and our waitress (Kyrie I believe) was on it! All of our meals even came out at the same time. She checked in on us and was friendly. Our orders and checks came out correctly. A thoughtful and nice addition (that I didn't know was happening) was the specialized menus they printed that said Happy 70th Birthday with my mom's name. Ambiance is modern/fancy, but not pretentious. Onto the food. I got the black pasta with shrimp again. Last time it was cool when I got it; his time it was hot! It definitely made it a 5 star dish. I also got the Frites and calamari for an app. The fries were the perfect texture and the garlic sauce flavorful. The calamari was bland, I wasn't a fan. A few got burgers and said they were delicious. Kids pizza was big enough for an adult. I tried the Saffron Risotto, it was delicious. I also got a rum based drink and it was delicious. Everyone enjoyed their food, which says a lot when dining with a group. read more

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Lovely restaurant for a quick lunch. Here on a weekday and received great service. Drinks were very good as well as the food. No complaints, we were a fan of the food and atmosphere and would gladly return when in the area. read more

A beautiful Italian restaurant with impeccable service and interesting menu. Salads, pizzas, pastas, and mains. Beet salad was tasty. I had a gnocchi dish that flavor wise was excellent, but it had these seeds in it (my fault not for asking what it was - I thought the word was a type of cheese), but they were hard/crunchy and bitter and made the dish completely inedible for me. I didn't say anything to the server (who was lovely) because it was my fault for not clarifying what it was. Pricy for Italian but overall a decent meal and experience. read more

We went for lunch. The Caesar salad and Bolognese were excellent! Perhaps a bit understaffed but it was midday.

Amazing meal! We got bruschetta to start. It was a bit non traditional- with a pesto base, but it was delicious. I got the Carbonara, which had a perfect sauce and crispy pancetta. The chocolate torte with salted caramel sauce was one of the best desserts I've had in a while. Great service and ambience as well. read more

Really nice Italian place. We had a big group and were seated around a booth round table. We ordered the meatballs and calamari to start. And then most of us ended up getting the black spaghetti. And it did not disappoint. The crab was abundant and I got it with extra shrimp which was perfectly cooked. Atmosphere was nice and upscale, and overall a great time! read more

Bistro Bella Vita - Black spaghetti - Italian Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

We stopped here to grab a cocktail and sit outside since it was so nice out. We were greeted quickly and our server with the beautiful curly hair was really friendly. She helped my sister pick out a cocktail based on her preferences and gave us some recommendations. We didn't eat any food because we just had lunch but I've heard their martinis were good so we wanted to come check it out. Both our drinks were delicious! I'm a sucker for a drink with a house made shrub! We gotta come back next time to try their food! read more

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First time back at Bistro Bella Vita since COVID. They have such a nice intimate atmosphere, never too loud. Our server was prompt and friendly. Food was still delicious. They also have wonderful drinks and a pretty robust wine list. Always a downtown favorite! read more

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The food was AMAZING. We got the bolognese and beef brisket, both were so delicious and when we said we wanted to split them, they did it automatically for us. Service was great and quick. Chairs were also comfy and had no arms, which is preferred! read more

The pear and Prosciutto pizza will change your life. The arugula salad isn't bad either especially with smear goat cheese under the yummy lettuce . We travel from Troy to go here! read more

My boyfriend and I celebrated our anniversary at Bistro Bella Vita and it was such a special experience from start to finish. When we sat down, they had a customized menu that said "Happy Anniversary," which made the night feel so thoughtful and personal. The atmosphere is beautiful exposed brick, warm lighting, and a cozy but upscale vibe. It's romantic without feeling stuffy. Perfect for a date night downtown. The food was absolutely delicious. Everything tasted fresh and flavorful, and you can tell they really care about quality and presentation. To top it off, they surprised us with a complimentary dessert for our anniversary, which was such a sweet touch (literally and figuratively). It made the whole experience feel even more celebratory. The staff was attentive and welcoming the entire night. If you're looking for a romantic spot in Grand Rapids for an anniversary or special occasion, I highly recommend Bistro Bella Vita. We'll definitely be back! read more

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Similar rating, same verdict. Really great space, great vibe and typically good service. Some of the menu items are great, and some suck. I have been in the process of trying every burger in the Grand Rapids area, and was told the burgers here are worth trying. I visited with my family for dinner recently and it was extremely busy, even at 5:00 pm. I ended up getting the burger as did my oldest son. My youngest got the Four Cheese Ravioli while my wife got the salmon. We also got a Rustica Pizza for the table to share. The pizza was good (good, not great), my wife loved her salmon and my youngest enjoyed his ravioli. The burgers were straight-up terrible. They were overcooked, tough, and the caramelized onions smelled off/bad and completely ruined my meal. My oldest was polite and said nothing at the time, but I noticed he didn't eat half of his burger and had scraped the onions off of it (he loves caramelized onions.) When I asked him later, he said his burger was awful too. Anyway, this remains a cool space with hit-or-miss food, but nothing I'd wait in line for. read more

Bistro Bella Vita - The Four Cheese Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Had a great time at Bistro Bella Vita! We went here to celebrate my birthday and made a reservation for 5:15. We were seated quickly and loved the personalized menus that said happy birthday. Our waiter was very attentive and very friendly. The food came out quickly and was delicious and the portion sizing was good for the price. I got the filet mignon and it was cooked to perfection! There was lots of seating and it was a little loud with the amount people, but not too hard to have a conversation since there was no music. We also got to choose a free dessert, which was a great way to end the meal. Will definitely be back again! read more

Bistro Bella Vita - Vanilla Creme Brûlée - Italian Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Some of the best food in Grand Rapids. All of the pasta is incredible. The staff always makes us feel right at home.

Delicious! Fried carrots were perfectly cooked, delicious seasoning. Black spaghetti was full of flavor and perfect pasta texture. Now the brown butter bread pudding was dry. Even with the caramel sauce and ice cream; screamed for moisture! Service was great! Matt was super helpful, super nice and made the experience even better. Ambiance was cool, nothing exciting. read more

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The WORST SERVICE EVER!! Kyle was our server and we ended up walking out because we waited 25 mins and he never came to take our order. For a higher end restaurant this was unacceptable. If I owned this restaurant I would fire a server who treated customers like this. read more

Stopped in for our Valentine's Day dinner and had a really nice time. We made a reservation so were seated promptly. Was super busy, but were greeted immediately by our waitress who guided us through the specials menu and was super helpful. Shared a bottle of wine and had the calamari and caesar salad for an appetizer, which were a great way to start the meal. They also split the salad for us, which was very nice. For entrees the rigatoni and black spaghetti were great. We preferred the black spaghetti which was awesome, one of the best pastas I've had in GR. Overall very cozy vibe and they even put a rose on all the tables which was very sweet. We will definitely be back! read more

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My husband and I walked in on a Friday night at 645 and were able to get a seat right away. We had considered making a reservation but wanted to test our luck out. We had a fantastic server that helped with our indecisiveness and was very attentive. We started with the moules and burrata. The moules were mussels in a curry type sauce. If you had to get any appetizer, definitely get this. The sauce is AMAZING. So flavorful but also light. When we go next, I'll order the homemade focaccia to dip in the sauce too. The burrata was pretty typical to what any burrata would be. It is good but does not stand out. Our entrees were the Parisian gnocchi and bucatini. The gnocchi was very light and fluffy but also quite filling - I barely ate half of the dish. It had spaghetti squash noodles that make you actually want to eat spaghetti squash. I don't know what they did but I want to try to make that myself. The bucatini is a pretty classic pasta dish- well cooked noodles and a basic but good red sauce. Also nothing to write home about but would be good for a picky eater. The dessert- chocolate mousse tarte was DELISH. The caramelized hazelnuts were so crunchy and I could not stop eating them. The mousse had a center of caramel and the tarte shell was well constructed. I always hate when the tarte shell is so thick you need a knife to break it, but this one was perfectly easy to eat with just a fork. Also for the drinks- the Nebbiolo red wine is a must. I asked the server for a recommendation and the wine was so good I googled it and am going to total wine to get my own bottle! read more

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Bistro is a romantic, classic spot for dinner. The service feels old school in the best way, the staff is so attentive and always has added extra "pizazz" to my experiences. The birthday card signed by staff, complimentary creme brûlée dessert and table-side shaken martini's, it's just exudes fine dining without being pretentious. Photos are from a visit over a year ago, I will equate this specific visit to my partner (now ex) rekindling our relationship at the time. Without that romantic dinner, we may not have made it another 4 months...literally . The love for my ex may be long gone, but I will forever love bistro. Such a GR staple. read more

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Loved our experience here. It was my birthday and they had special menus that said "happy 34th birthday" and they also provided a complimentary dessert. We split the Cesar salad and bread which were both delicious. My husband ordered the pasta bolognese and I had the chicken rotini. Both were amazing but I had slight order envy because the bolognese was absolutely delicious. The tiramisu was also delicious and not too filling. Large portions big enough to split, I barely ate half of my pasta. Staff was extremely nice and prompt. Pretty laid back, you could go here for any occasion! Overall 10/10! read more

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Saffron risotto was fantastic. Would get again. Was i between this and the biscotti. 10/10 recommend!

This place was pretty good. The food was filling and delicious! I got the Black Spaghetti which had a light but rich seafood taste to it. I'm not usually a seafood person, but I'd totally order that dish again. Our server was great and very nice with helping answering any questions we had. The ambiance was nice. It was a step up from an Olive Garden where you can dress up, but also not so fancy that families with little kids couldn't go. I mention this since there was a baby right behind me at the time I was eating there and it looked like a lot of the high schoolers going to homecoming were there too. read more

Bistro Bella Vita - Italian Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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First of all let me say that I've dined here numerous times over the years. The food and service in all of their properties is typically top notch. What was disappointing on this visit had nothing to do with the food or service but more with the value equation. I had asked for a smaller salad portion and was expecting basically 1/2 the salad for half the cost. I've had the normal size and this serving was maybe 1/3 the size for $11.00. When I can buy a whole baguette for $4.00 and you charge $2.00 for 2 pieces, I can't help but feel that I've been taken. Lastly, it appears we were charged $4.00 for a large ice cube in a cocktail! Again food and service always excellent but turned off by these up charges. Also was the processing fee the result of using a credit card? That would be nice to know if cash is the preferred payment. I'm sure I'll be back, but more likely for Happy Hour. read more

OMG seriously one of the best meals ever. My ravioli reminded me of this meal I had years ago before I had my son at this amazing, Michelin rated NYC restaurant. I never thought I'd be reminded of such a meal on vacation in Michigan. Ambiance was perfect, my mocktail was amazing, service was great, and for some reason my son really loved their bar. No idea why but he kept wanting to go to their bar lol. Calamari was beyond amazing too. read more

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I just made reservations for someone this Friday that I needed help with and was helped by Sarah. She was very helpful and made me feel at ease that things would go smoothly (I am from out of town). I have eaten at this restaurant in the past while visiting Grand Rapids and the food was wonderful and the service is also A+. Thank you Sarah read more

Love Bistro Bella Vita! This restaurant is perfect for a romantic date night or celebrating special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. I started with the mussels as an appetizer, and as someone who's very particular about mussels, I was impressed--they were flavorful and absolutely hit the spot. For my entrée, I took a chance on the black spaghetti with crab, and it did not disappoint! The dish was incredibly delicious, with just the right amount of spice. If you love crab or enjoy bold pasta dishes, this one is a must-try. The service was outstanding, even with our large party of nearly 15 people celebrating a friend's birthday. Our server handled everything flawlessly, ensuring we had everything we needed in a timely manner and even offering to take photos for us. I absolutely love this restaurant and can't wait to come back again and again! read more

Bistro Bella Vita - Black Spaghetti - Italian Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

I've only been here a few times, but it has been a good experience each time. My husband and I really like coming here for celebratory meals, too. They have really nice cocktails, and an ok beer selection. Parking can be tricky if there is a hockey game or a concert at Van Andel, but we've never had longer than maybe a 5 minute walk. On our most recent visit my husband ordered the filet mignon and I had the Faroe Islands salmon. Both were cooked well, and were filling portions. The sides that come with each are really tasty, and really highlight the protein. I've also had the pizzas before, and have no complaints! Overall I think it's a nice date place or celebratory spot. If you want somewhere you can get a bit dressier and have some really good food they are definitely one to check out! There are a bunch of other entrees on the menu that I'm looking forward to trying, so I can't wait to go back soon! read more

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First time here and I loved the great service! We booked a reservation for our group and got a room all to ourselves. The service was impeccable, whenever my glass of water got low, someone would refill it without me even asking and they got our food out in a good time frame. My only thing is I would probably only go here for special occasions because it's sooo expensive. Everything except a bowl of soup is $20 or more.... I wish they had a menu with cheaper prices so I just went with a bowl of tomato - basil bisque. My friends got black spaghetti and rotini con pollo. They said the black spaghetti was good, but the rotini con pollo could have been better. They weren't expecting the chicken to be shredded and felt like grilled chicken strips would've been better. read more

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Quick shoutout to Bistro because they made my birthday dinner with friends SO special. From the manager working hard to get through a reservation mishap, to our server Lisa who went above and beyond to make sure we were ALL taken care of (and there were a lot of us), everything down to the tiniest detail was perfect (Including the menu saying, "Happy Birthday!") I tried so many foods and so many cocktails I can hardly review them all, but everything was amazing! My entree was the saffron risotto, and it was perfect. (What I expect Sookie's Famous Risotto tasted like, for all my Gilmore Girls out there ). I also loved the rigatoni, and will probably order that the next time I come! My favorite cocktail was the It's Britney, Spritz, which I could've drank all night if I wasn't on a mission to try new things. For appetizers, we got both the burrata and calamari, and I truly couldn't pick a favorite. This whole place was perfect. It was decently busy, but still felt intimate, even though the space itself is pretty large. There was a mix of people enjoying quiet dinners with family, people celebrating, people who looked like they were there on business. With its location right next to the Van Andel, this would be the perfect place to make a reservation before any event you're attending! read more

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This place was absolutely amazing! My mother and I came in before a concert and needed to eat but didn't want to leave anything since we couldn't bring it.... Our server Alecia ended up putting in a request to have our items split between the two of us! Which was so sweet and 5 stars in details! The Bruschetta was perfection! The Beet Salad was perfection and the Ravioli was perfection! I highly recommend this restaurant! Also the Spiced Peach Old Fashion(seasonal) was a 10000/10! Lemon drop martini also a 10000/10 read more

Bistro Bella Vita - Spiced Peach Old Fashioned (Seasonal) Lemon drop Martini - Italian Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan