Bella Blu Reviews

We returned to Bella Blu for the 1st time in 18 months. A very good meal and good & friendly service. One of the top choices in UES

Restaurant is very crowded and noisy, with tables crammed together. They make you feel like they are doing you a favor when they give you a table. Wait staff is extremely rude. Food is mediocre and very over-priced.

Very attractive restaurant. Only takes reservations for three or more. My daughter and I were told to come early around 7:30 to get seated which we did . We started with 2 salads the Caesar and the Di Campo both good. We then had the crab appetizer which was very good. Our main dishes were the glutton free pizza and the Branzino special again very good dishes. Large wine selection. Our server Marcelo was very attentive and knowledgeable of the menu. My only concern is that It was in my opinion somewhat on the expense side for the meal .

The salad and one pasta were good, the other pasta was ok and the dessert was quite mediocre. Our waiter was friendly and nice, but some other staff members didnt really speak any English and must've been new: pouring tap water into our glasses with sparkling water(repeatedly) was just one example of their poor training. And the prices are high, pastas start at $32, mains at $50. I go out often and know that the prices at NYC restaurants skyrocketed, but there are still plenty of places at this price point that are better quality and plenty of places with comparable quality at a lower price point. Ok experience overall, but no desire to come back.

What can I say !. The soup @ Bella Blu is phenomenal. Maybe because it’s made with organic items. But if you get a chance, start your day / night with the soup. I had lunch today Pasta is excellent too. Marco is friendly and is a great host , makes you feel great. My pleasure and I’ll be back for more. Greg

Worst service ever! Never go there if you are looking to be treated honestly and with respect. They lied about taking reservations for two. They do for some, but not everyone. And when the manager and owner were called out on this inconsistent “policy”, we were told by the manager that he hoped he’d never see us again. How’s that for professional?

Very nice place, we were there on two occasions, the first night I ate one of the best Parmesan eggplant of my life, the second night an exceptional Margherita pizza, highly recommended! The staff was friendly and courteous.

I have been to Bella Blu on several visits, and consistently excellent. It has an interesting menu with a full selection of Italian dishes. The service is friendly and attentive. Many of the clients seem to be locals from the Upper East Side, but visitors to the city are made to feel at home as well. Highly recommend.

Local elegant maitre d'hall welcoming and very kind makes you feel comfortable and advises you at best. Thoughtful and friendly waitstaff, elegant and well-kept mise en place. Great food and excellent quality. Recommended..!!

On Thursday 10/14 I walked over to Bella Blu and made a reservation for an outdoor table for the following evening. I received a confirmation from Open Table. When I got to the restaurant with my guests they had no record of the reservation and were unable to rectify the situation. We went elsewhere.

Pasta was under cooked, and yes I know what "al dente" is, Veal tough, flavorless and over cooked. I am unimpressed and do not think it is value added to have waiters shouting in Italian and saying "bella" to everything. I want good, flavorful, fairly priced food. In short, at least just get the food right at these prices. My husband was seated in an aisle and bumped by passing waiters about 20 times. Yes this is crowded city dining but have never been bashed like that in the tightest of seating situations elsewhere.

We ate here years ago and were recently delighted to find that the food and service are still friendly and quite good. The restaurant itself is atmospheric and comfortable, Everything from the wood fired pizzas to the ravioli stuffed with spinach and the many desserts were delicious. Wines are decent pours and the cocktails were well made. Prices are reasonable, Fabio T , our server, was very helpful.

My friends recommended we go here for dinner. They've been dining there for years and I learned why. The food and atmosphere were amazing. Great bar too. Not on the menu Spaghetti Carbonara is what I chose and it was decadent. It will be one i frequent on my trips to the city. WE overdid it with appetizers of shrimp and calamari, salads, and branzini. We finished off with 4 deserts to share. Workouts ensued!

This is clearly a popular local restaurant in a very expensive neighbourhood. I thought that my pasta was a little underdone and the sauce was just OK nothing special. Service was good and I enjoyed the atmosphere.

I feel mixed about this restaurant because the food generally is very good, The best part from my perspective are the pastas. They taste homemade and I prepared perfectly al dente. A very authentic experience similar to what one might have in Italy. The salads are also superb. Then the atmosphere is lively although it can be a bit loud. Our server was delightful and excellent. Very responsive and attentive. All that said, our bill was about $330 before tip, so almost $400 for three people. Are we had a couple of cocktails, three glasses of wine and three appetizers and entrées with no dessert, +2 coffees. The shocker was the two specials we ordered. None of the specials had prices listed nor did our server mention them. For me this is an absolute no no at a restaurant, Especially when it turned out that the veal chop was… Wait for it… $82! And my pasta special was $39! I did not notice anything on the regular menu that was remotely in that vicinity. And my “special” pasta dish turned out to be OK but nothing special. Bucatini with pistachios, razor clams and lemon zest. As I mentioned, the pasta itself was terrific. However the dish was overly salted, the razor clams were ordinary, I detected no lemon zest or pistachio flavor and there were certainly no crushed pistachios in evidence,. although the dish came with a half lemon. Overall a disappointment and for the price that was undisclosed until the bill very irritating. My overall verdict is that it’s a mixed bag it and that there are many better choices in New York City at this price point.