Bistro Bella Vita Reviews

Super yummy cocktails and entrees. Could have more vegetarian/vegan options.

Had the pizza on special for an appetizer, the salmon for my entree and the sorbet for dessert along with numerous cocktails. Food & drink were 10/10. Atmosphere was 10/10. Serving staff were 10/10. Go eat here.

Food was good and drinks were awesome but it was a bit pricey.

Our #1 choice in classy dining for years. This is where you take out of towners.

Food was amazing and the wine list was fantastic. Definitely recommend.

Very tastefully decorated, amazing brick fire oven, great bartending staff, I had a couple of apps as meals,bruschetta good but too elaborate (my personal taste), frites yummy fresh and hot !

The food was delicious, didn't have to wait long for it to come out, and a nice beer selection to tip everything off

Great service and food. Worth a visit if in Grand Rapids

Excellent staff. The food and atmosphere here is always impeccable.

Wonderful. Start to finish the food is so good... The service was phenomenal. I cannot wait to return.

Wow. First class food and relaxed but enjoyable service.

I would suggest going during their lunch menu vs. their dinner. You get the same food for slightly smaller but much cheaper pricing.

This place is beyond amazing. They go above and beyond for EVERY customer. I have been coming to Bistro for years but this experience today really hit home for me. I called asking for a breakfast pizza, they DO NOT have one on the menu but the chef SO KINDLY whipped one up, from what seemed like, thin air! Without exaggeration the absolute best breakfast pizza I have ever had. I love Terras breakfast pizza but Bistro needs to put this on the menu! Thank you so much for always providing a spectacular dining experience!

I went here with my work team for a holiday lunch. We arrived with a reservation about 1 PM on the Thursday before Christmas, and there was a good deal of activity. The atmosphere was lively but our table was cozy. The food was fantastic. We shared a meat and cheese plate and a bread course for an appetizer - the capicola, prosciutto, and goat cheese were all standouts, but all of it was great. I had the Parisian Gnocchi as an entree, which was better than I can adequately describe; the pork ragout was tender, savory and delicious and the pecorino gnocchi melt-in-your-mouth good. Nothing but positives to say about our visit.

We came for a family dinner and thoroughly enjoyed our time here. The menu includes a variety of Mediterranean inspired dishes, including pastas and pizza, beef and chicken entrees. I had a delicious Poulet de Provence, moist and tender enough to fall off the bone. The peach cobbler desert was the perfect finish to a tasty meal. Service was excellent with attentive and helpful staff.

Delicious food, maybe just a little too expensive for the quality.

Excellent food and drinks. The service and atmosphere is always high class.

Blaise was our server, and he was phenomenal. Even though he was obviously busy, he took his time to ensure that every delicious course was perfectly paired with an equally tasty wine. We'll be back!

The Old Fashioned is the best! Service was amazing. We made reservations and there were parking issues that developed in the area. So they called us and let us know ahead of time. I have never experienced that. Wow! Great job!

Best food I've had in months. Seriously tasty and the drinks were phenomenal

Upscale with some creative food options and great drinks. On the pricy side, but you get what you pay for. Highly recommend for special occasions and the like.

The decor is really nice, the parking always has space, the prices are good and the food is delicious!

Great Italian place in the heart of downtown. Good ambience, great service, slightly pricey but worth it

Wow. This place is worth it. Amazing service, ambiance & cuisine. Our service and server was perfect, we even came back the next day for a work dinner. They have a great drink and wine menu and their flavors and dish variety were on point. Highly recommend if you are in the area. Must visit!

Spent $200 tonight for dinner for 4. The Bistro is beautifully decorated, offers a popular "warehouse revision" theme, and is very very noisy. I carry a sound meter app on my phone and the ambient noise level ranged from 88 dB to 94 dB. This is a sound level at which OSHA would require hearing protection.

If you are looking for a quite intimate dinner with your significant other - the Bistro is not it.

I made online dinner reservations, and requested a booth. When we arrived we were greeted politely and promptly lead to our seats right at our reservation time. We followed a nicely dressed young lady to a spot across the floor where she placed our menus on a table at the intersection of two aisles. I noticed there was a row of unoccupied booths adjacent to the table and asked her if we could have one of those instead. She glared at me, picked up the menus, and tossed them on the booth table and walked away without a further word or glance in our direction. I found this to be very annoying, but perhaps that is just me.

Our server arrived promptly to take drink orders and explain the menu. Overall, the service was very good. Our server was there when we needed him but did not hang over us. Perfect.

I had the antipasto appetizer, which was very good. In fact, all of the salads and appetizers ordered by our party were excellent.

I ordered the rib eye steak, which was over $30.00. I have to say when it arrived I was surprised to discover that the steak was between 3/8 and 1/2 inch thick. This is something I would expect to see at Denny's, not an upscale bistro. My steak was plated next to a brussel sprout mixture, and the entire plate was covered in french fries. Not the most appealing presentation I must say.
My son had the duck, which was cold, but had excellent flavor.
My wife had the pork loin which she enjoyed completely.
My daughter ordered chicken pizza. It arrived and we discovered it was covered with onions. My daughter is allergic to onions, and we asked if they could make another one without the onions. It turned out that the onions were part of a previously prepared sauce and could not be separated. The staff was very polite and professional, and simply asked my daughter to pick out something else. She did and they had it ready in no time. I give full marks for how the staff reacted to our mistake, and made it right (we were not charged for the pizza). Class all the way.

I had an after dinner cappuccino, which was good, and we shared the gelato sampler, which was fabulous.

Pros:
Good sized servings
Excellent food quality
Excellent table-side service
Good wine list

Cons:
Ambiance - our waiter had to lean across me to hear my wife over the noise. 90+ dB.
Food value - tell me that a 3/8 thick steak is worth over $30.00
Attitude? - there were no condiments on the table. You eat what they bring the way they season it.

Would I take my family there again? No. But the place was absolutely crawling with people, so clearly my opinion is not a commonly shared one.

Great atmosphere and service. Have recommended others checking them out for dinners by times. One of my favorite places to go for a warm meal in winter.

10 STARS!! My all time favorite Grand Rapids place to eat. It's one those few places that "everything" on the menu is fantastic, prepared to perfection. Their beef bourguignon will bring you to your knees. Wait staff...cute and very professional. Prices are what you would expect from a great eatery. Do yourself a favor.

Definitely have a reservation! Good a atmosphere, good service, good food. Don't have a full meal in the bar as it is not conducive for it.

A-freaking-mazing. The essence group knows how to do it right. Blaise is one hell of a server. You must try this place.

Great food. I enjoyed the wine selection and the waitress was perfect.

I was speaking at a conference in Grand Rapids and staying at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. The Concierge recommended this restaurant and they were right on target! It is a short walk from the hotel to the restaurant and it was well worth it! The meatball appetizer was amazing and so was the pork chop. They also have an extensive wine list by the glass or bottle!

Long wait for walk-ins -- be sure to get a reservation! Great food :)

Prime rib and pork fat potato's.....need I say more?

Although Leo's is thought of as primarily a fish restaurant, it has also won well deserved awards for their steak. We had a large family holiday dinner here which the server handled efficiently and with good humor. She was very knowledgeable about the menu and the wine list.

An amazing restaurant with fantastic food and service!

Really , really good. Paella is the best in the world. Great service. And they have a great wine list, including Parraduxx from Duckhorn, at Fair prices.
Nice place.

Great menu and beverage selection, and a wait staff that may have saved my marriage. Long story.

HAVE THE BRISKET! It's legitmently to die for. Melts in your mouth. Falls apart off your fork. Also they make a great ameretto sours! Call for reservations and ask for a private setting you'll be off to the side, more romantic, great date night pick! Two eat and drink for under 100$

It was very nice.... hadn't been there in years and the staff is still awesome. Thanks for making my friends wedding reception a beautiful event.

Food is always great! Service good. One of our favorites for special occasions!

This is a hidden gem in Grand Rapids, Great food for a reasonable price!! We have eaten here twice, we will be back!!

The food was delicious. The service was fantastic . Waitress was very attentive and helpful.

Everything we got was amazing. The service was fast and friendly. The butterscotch dessert was really really good!

I have been meaning to get here for a long time but just hadn't done it. Well with COVID and Stay Home, small gatherings and Christmas being so very different we decided to order the Holiday Feast. Oh my goodness what a great choice from the appetizers, the Waldorf Salad, the ham and it's glaze to the amazing (better than mine) Pecan Pie the meal was a huge success. The curbside pickup was smooth, the carry out person friendly and the heat and serve directions spot on. The only mildly disappointing thing was the Parker House Rolls, I would have perfect something a little denser and yeasty. Anyways I can't wait until Covid restrictions are lifted because I am definitely going to make reservations and dine in.

You can taste delicious beer brewed in Lake Michigan, pasta and pizza. You can take what you have left.

Was great, as always. We go here for special occasions and have never been disappointed.

Definitely has some exceptional dishes. A bit on the expensive side, but definitely a place I would recommend for a good dinner

Great food. Great service. Very comfortable and spacious. Reservations suggested. Lots of parking nearby

I'd give more stars if I could! I planned my son's wedding rehearsal dinner from a distance (we live in California) and had never taken a bite of BBV's food. After reading reviews about BBV, I contacted their special events people, Alanna and Elizabeth. They were top notch to communicate with from my very first inquiry and made everything so easy for me. They assisted me in planning THE BEST family style vegetarian meal, and the private dining room was set up beautifully and worked perfectly for more than 50 of us! THE FOOD WAS INCREDIBLE - bread, salads, pasta, pizza, dessert assortment - every bite was wonderful!! Everything is made from scratch (including the pasta) - truly amazing and so flavorful. We had so many compliments by our guests, both on the food and the setting. Thank you, Alanna, Elizabeth, and the entire BBV staff for facilitating a perfect kick-off for wedding weekend!

Very nice atmosphere and great drinks. Wish they changed their menu more frequently.

Great food and great service! Samantha was an awesome server!

Always a great dining experience. The staff's amazing as well.

Incredible food, great service, and whiskey to die for

Food is well conceived and prepared and locally sourced, as much as possible. I don't believe you can help but find items you will love on their creatively delicious menu. I can even find low carb options, which isn't easy in an Italian restaurant.

Great food and great service. Nor really much more to say (and thats a good thing)

A friend suggested my husband and I give this place a try but we were not impressed. We ordered carryout so the staff I did interact with were pleasantly friendly. Our spaghetti carbonara however wasnt worth the price for the small portions and the quality. Im sorry to say but it tasted as if it were reheated in the microwave. I gave two stars due to the friendly staff and we also ordered the prosciutto pineapple pizza which we did enjoy.

Great food and service! Always a favorite for dinner, drinks and dessert.

Bistro is consistently good. When I'm entertaining out of town guests I often take them here. The atmosphere is great, the service is great, and the food is always great. If anything goes wrong, they immediately fix it and then go way above and beyond to make your evening fabulous. There is such a good variety of meals to choose from that anyone can find something they love. I like to choose one of their specials because they are always creative and tasty.

A bit overpriced for what it is. It's Italian food done well. The good part is that the menu has a lot of options and the food isn't drowned in cheese like any run of the mill family stile Italian restaurant. This place feels more like a hotel restaurant. The service is on point and the food is really good.