Bistro Bella Vita Review

Three out of the four of us got sick after eating here. Sad was one of our favorite places for years.

Staff very nice and accommodating, reservation process good and efficient, wonderful ambience, but food was a bit bland and uninteresting and pricey.

Parking is not the best.
Food is average. Staff is nice and friendly.

Recently had dinner and wine here and just as always the experience was excellent. We ordered several appetizers and entrees and each one was perfect. If you want flawlessly executed Italian fare Bistro should definitely be on your list if options.

My newly fiance and I went right after I popped the question. It is a beautiful restaurant and they made the night even more special for us.

A great dinning experience. The roasted duck is superb and the waiters are attentive. The drinks are hit or miss

Best resturant in Grand Rapids in my opinion. I had the prime ribeye recently and it was outstanding. My experience is always very memorable.

My second time dinning here. Jessica was are waitress and we couldn't have been more pleased with her service! The appetizers, main course and deserts were fantastic.. We liked the decor and ambiance as well. Bathrooms super clean (I'm picky about the restrooms.) We'll definitely be dinning here again next time we're in Grand Rapids.

Not my first time! I am a frequent customer, first time reviewer. Great service with Elizabeth. Loved the chef's special and the entire experience!

Great restaurant! Food is awesome. They messed up a bit with our reservation but ordered complimentary appetizers for us to make up for the mess up. Didn't even have to complain. That's great service!

Great interior design, the menu has a good variety of staple Italian dishes as well as some house specialties. The wine list is something to behold, but the cocktail and beer selection isn't to bring overlooked either. A great choice for a special occasion.

Proposal was a success at The Bistro Bella Vita. The lamb and pork were delicious .The service was excellent. We went for dinner that night and it was very romantic.
All we had were great memories. Thanks!

The food, service and atmosphere are top notch. Bistro Bella Vita never disappoints! Our server, Leah, made our engagement celebration evening extra-special!

Everything made from scratch. They can customize if GF or vegan.

I had the beef brisket and a nice stout. I would definitely visit again.

You can tell the Chefs love their job. I Always go here on special occasions. Such great food, and an upscale atmosphere.

Service was nice, friendly, and prompt.
The pizza was excellent, the frites were amazing. The Brisket... was fine (I wouldn't get it again), and don't bother ordering a half salad (both salads we got were great)-- just get the whole salad for $2 more. The ravioli I'm told was also quite tasty.

Bistro is fabulous in every way a truly good restaurant should be. Great wine list, delicious food, awesome service. The setting is trendy and upscale. The old fashion was complex and perfect. A wonderful glass of merlot that complimented everything from the appetizer to the dessert. Several of us shared main course and desserts, everything was fantastic. Stand outs were the Lamb curry and the fusilli pecorino. 3 shared desserts each better than the last, blood orange sherbet, tiramisu, and grapefruit meringue. Yum!!

The food was absolutely delicious. The Persian Gnocchi is a seafood lover's dream.

Great lunch!! Had the strawberry poppyseed salad and it was so flavorful! Loved it!

The Bistro always has amazing food and the best coffee in town! Everything about it is top notch. And the desserts! Oh, the desserts!

Everything was great! Food, atmosphere and service. The portions were also good, where other slightly more pricey restaurants leave you wanting more.

Bistro Bella Vita is my husband's favorite restaurant. The food is always great. This is our first choice when entertaining because we never have to worry about the food and service. It's always exceptional.

Pretty cool spot. Fairly upscale. Nice. Pretty chill.

Matt P was our waiter and what a Great waiter! He is one of the most personable people we have ever met! The food was awesome as always. If you are visiting Grand Rapids or if you have never been to Bistro Bella Vita I highly recommend that you dine here!

Wonderful food, excellent service, and reasonable prices.

Food was excellent and waiter very attentive. However, check you bank statement against your receipt.... we had a meal for four and left a 20% tip yet they felt it was ok to take even more!!! Overcharged our card!!! Not ok!!

Ordered the brisket but looked and tasted like pot roast. Maybe I didn't read description well enough.

This is my favorite restaurant for birthdays and anniversaries. Obviously more expensive but cooked perfectly with a seasonal menu and a nice atmosphere. Ask about the private reservation spaces available! I had a great birthday with a really private table in the wine cellar area. Still waiting for my chance to try a chef s table!

This place is fantastic. My wife and I have came here probably close to 10 times. They have a semi-private room available that is great to use (we used it for a small wedding-related event). Friendly and knowledgeable staff with great food and drinks. Food is more expensive than your average restaurant but definitely well worth it. There isnt a massive menu but the multiple dishes I have tried have always been great. Highly recommend.

Excellent food , very creative, this Place is a great example of what farm to table should be. Great service to match.

Great service and amazing food! We loved it. Everyone in the family was thrilled with their choices. Fantastic decor with lots of unique seating options.

The food (Bella Vita pizza, cherry soda and caesar salad) that I ordered was decent. I'd give the salad a 3/5 and pizza 4/5. It took quite a while to get the food after it was ordered. I got a cherry soda to drink and was told it is made locally. I am not sure where it came from but it was lacking in fizz and flavor. It reminded me of a watered down flavored water. Be mindful of the parking situation should you go here. You could try to find a parking space on the street (it was full the night we went) or pay $12 for valet parking.

Portions are ample but price leans to the high side, especially for appetizers, roasted asparagus had only 4-5 Spears. Our server was not very attentive either

Warm industrial upscale atmosphere. Good service. Handicap accessible ramp needed for 93 mother using walker was not shovelled well. Food is very good for most part w/occasional uneven quality.

Gnocchi & Saffron Risotto were tasty dishes--and filling. Server was both attentive & knowledgeable. Wine was a wee overpriced for the selection.

Delivered here but never ate here. Looks clean though

We came here for dinner for my sisters wedding after the ceremony and the food was delicious. Service was good as well. Only complaint is that I feel like a lot of items on the menu seem a little bit overpriced

I was pretty disappointed with how the service and food was here. Our food came very late and was missing different ingredients that the menu promised, antipasto plate was $20 or more and hardly had any food. Or food in general that I could pile on a plate at home. The only good plate I really tried was the duck. It seemed other tables would get much better service even though we requested a private cellar room.

Bistro Bella Vita is one of our favorite restaurants. The food is good, ambiance is lovely, and service is good.

Only. Down side is their. Prices. Other than that Amazing!

I truly enjoy the Bistro. Shocked at how much of the restaurant/bar is resevered under reservations. Was bummed the last time I was there. 5 PM, half the place is empty but under reservations.

One of my favorite restaurants in Grand Rapids. Located in the brew district.

Connor was an amazing waiter
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The 2 way pork chop was very tender!

Fantastic food. Great ambience. Service could have been a little better, but it wasn't terrible. Would still definitely recommend this place for Italian food!

Great food, great drinks, great service. It was perfect all around.

Cool atmosphere and great food. Can handle larger groups too.

The food was pricey and didn't live up-to my expectations

Service was good. Food was also good. Went with my wife on a date. We had the brussels as an app., they were tasty and the red bell peppers were a nice touch. She had the arugula salad and I had the beet salad they were both very nice. My wife picked the cassulet for her entree. Their version of cassulet was good but not great, it reminded me of pork and beans with some duck...the version I had in Toulouse France was def better. I chose the beef brisket and it was better in every way, more fat than I like but the flavor was fantastic. The creme brulee was velvety smooth (near perfect) and the cappuccino was good as well. This was my first time here and I would come again.

We were there for our Anniversary and it was awesome in every way. We were there with another couple and each of us fully enjoyed our entrees, appetizers, drinks, and desserts!

The food here has always been excellent. Whenever I can get an entree featuring duck it's my go to. The staff cooks it perfectly. I've also been here a few times with larger groups in the back room and have had wonderful service.

Great as always, service second to none as was the food!

Hand made pasta. Fresh local produce. Great service.

Been going here since it opened. Always great service nice looking and clean. Best martinis for years now getting more competition from new places. Great place for a date. Big City feel to impress out of towners.

We were there last night with eight people all of which were family members. The staff was beautifully trained in how to keep things clean and safe and the food was absolutely spectacular! The beef carpaccio appetizer followed by duck three ways and lemon olive oil torte couldn't be topped! Mary, our server was a wonderful and treated us all like family. We can t wait to return.

This is our yearly work Christmas party. The entire staff is great, it's always a fantastic time, everything is clean and very sleek looking, the entire kitchen is an open design with a gorgeous stone oven, food is to die for, and the drinks are superb. If only I could give 6 stars.

Beautiful decor and lighting, with a modern French /Italian menu.

We had the three course pasta meal with the wine pairing. This is on the Sunday menu. The potato gnocchi with beef brisket melted in my mouth.

They kept my mouth and my glass full the whole time. Very coordinated team. Everything was delicious

This is my granddaughter s new favorite restaurant. She has good taste

The staff is very inconsistent and some are not very knowledgeable. Not once...but multiple occasions

This is hands down my favorite restaurant in Grand Rapids. Their menu is so fresh and delicious. The daily specials are amazing. The Parisian gnocchi is a great. We always order it when we eat here! Their cocktails are great too!

Simple, elegant dining experience... great entrees.

Intensely flavorful dinner with terrific service. We had the Beef Brisket Bourguignon and the Parisian Gnocchi. Mmmm.

A little pricey, bartender was very nice. Strange smell for a restaurant....kind of like a old folks home