Bella Blu – Restaurant Review

Having lived on the Upper East Side for 10 years, I’ve passed by Bella Blu a number of times during my frequent leisurely strolls around the neighborhood. I finally had a dinner reservation there earlier this week, and I wanted to share my dining experience with you here.

My husband and I were seated at the front of the restaurant near the window, and the warm candle in the corner helped set the mood for a cozy, Sunday evening dinner. I must admit that it was refreshing to see a physical menu at the table in lieu of the QR codes that most restaurants now opt for instead. After looking through their regular menu, I noticed a few dishes on the ‘Special of the Day’ sheet that piqued my interest.

For our appetizers, we ordered the Crab Meat Salad with Frisee Avocado and Mango and the Burrata with San Daniele Proscuitto and Tomatoes. The Burrata was a solid portion size to share for two people, and it was a great way to start off the meal. The Crab Meat Salad was very fresh and definitely my favorite appetizer! There was a really good amount of crab meat included here, which differs from comparable restaurants I’ve been to that only include a few pieces here and there.

I’m not usually one to order seafood at an Italian restaurant, but I really wanted to try the Spaghetti Whole Lobster in a Lightly Spicy Tomato Sauce for my entree. I am so glad that I went with my instincts and chose this off the specials menu. I was a bit hesitant at the thought of a lightly spicy tomato sauce since I don’t have a high tolerance for spice, but the sauce was an excellent complement to the spaghetti and lobster. I loved the combination of everything and was pleasantly surprised at how much lobster they included too! This dish was fantastic, and I even had leftovers to take home.

My husband ordered the Margherita Pizza with Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, and Basil for his entree. This fresh, brick-oven pizza was a nice treat for us since we typically only eat casual NY-style pizza, and my husband said the mozzarella tasted very fresh.

Finally, we ordered the Tortino Mele and Tiramisu for dessert. My husband ate the Tortino Mele since he likes apple tart and vanilla ice cream, so this was the perfect dessert for him.

If you’ve read any of my other reviews, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of Tiramisu and like to order this to compare among all the restaurants I dine at. Made with mascarpone cheese and espresso, Bella Blu’s Tiramisu also came with cookies on the side! The cake was light and airy, so it was a great way to end off a filling meal.

All in all, I enjoyed my dinner with Bella Blu. The service was quick despite them being fairly busy for a Sunday evening, and the servers came to refill our water glasses four times. I was also very pleased with the amount of seafood included in both the Crab Meat Salad and Spaghetti Whole Lobster. If you choose to dine here, I would highly recommend ordering one of their seafood dishes, a Margherita pizza, and a tiramisu!

You can view Bella Blu’s menu here and make a reservation by calling them at the number on their website here.