My husband & I have been frequent goers at Bella Bru for the last year since we moved near by. We do a lot of to-go dinners & probably go to breakfast once a month. Usually the food & service is pretty good. We have had a few uncomfortable situations but overall it's decent. This morning we went for breakfast & unfortunately had a very disappointing experience. After getting seated, our server took our drink order (2 soda waters with lemon) & almost 15 minutes passed before our drinks were brought out. She finally took out food order & when our food was brought out my order was wrong and my husbands order was incomplete. My food was taken back to be corrected. After 15+ minutes of waiting, while my husbands food was getting cold, my food was brought out. I got a vegetable quiche & it was basically raw. The egg was undercooked & the crust was mushy dough. I had also ordered two poached eggs on the side which were literally served to me in a bowl of water...... all this time we never saw our server once. She finally came over after 10+ minutes later & I let her know the issues with our orders. She was apologetic & said she would have the manager come over right away. After another 10+ minutes we finally saw our server again & said "I am having my manager come over but I don't know where he is...". Finally the manager came over with very little concern or professionalism. "I heard we have a problem" he said. I told him what happened & said said "let me see what we can do" & walked away..... A few minutes later our server brings the bill. Thankfully my order was taken off. We paid the bill & left. I am mostly disappointed in the lack of communication, unprofessionalism, & a bit of laziness on the staffs part. I am not sure we will be back anytime soon. read more

Went for dinner, nice patio, dog friendly, spicy good drinks, and chicken sandwich was great.

They don't follow CDC guidelines for covid 19. Coffee is just ok as well as pastries. They charged me for a splash of almond milk in my americano! Convenient location. read more

Just came in for an online order pick up. Grabbed my food and came home to eat it and as I got home realized there was no toast for either of the 2 breakfast meals I ordered. Kinda disappointed we didn't get our toast with our breakfast. Breakfast was good which is why I still gave 3 stars read more

Stopped with some friends at lunchtime, hoping to sit outside. I didn't know they became a dog park. Loose dog walking around the Luna Lounge patio. We decided to leave. read more

Very poor customer service. Ordered an omelet and returned it because there was barely a spoonful of cheese inside. Cheese was also not melted, still fully grated. The staff person said "I see cheese". When they brought it back out, rather than making a new omelet they put the old one back together and melted a glob of cheese on top. They even left my old fork on top. Now my potatoes and toast are cold but I see cheese! A respectable establishment would remake the meal. So we asked for a refund, which they did, but refused to refund the coffee too. I guess customer service is not their priority. read more

Had a great experience here, decor inside is great and the food was tasty. Most importantly, I have a lot of eating restrictions due to some recent health issues and the staff worked with me without any hesitation to make the menu item I could *almost* eat totally safe for me. It's been such a pain to eat at restaurants recently because I feel so bad inconveniencing the staff, I just really appreciate it when it seems like it's not too much trouble to them. Love the place, will definitely come back again when I'm in the area. read more

I feel so sad giving this place a 2-star review! It's the kind of place I really want to love, but I don't. I've even come back multiple times to make sure...but always leave totally disappointed. Let's assume we start at a 5-star rating, which is what I'd like to give it. So let's give it 5 stars, and start subtracting for the things that make it a solid shitty 2. Oh, this makes me so sad. But here we go. First off, and this may not matter to most, but there is no wifi. I find this dumb because the place is totally set up like a cafe to work out of! The super casual atmosphere, the order line...but there's no wifi! There goes 1 star. We're down to 4. Second, the coffee is weak. It just is. It's weak and their mugs look like nice big mugs, but they're actually thick and heavy, therefore minimizing the total liquid volume. Sure, it's all you can drink coffee (assuming you can flag down a waiter), but now you know why... we're down to 3 stars. Last, the food is just totally unremarkable. Don't get me wrong; their menu looks incredible! That's one reason I keep giving this place chances. I keep trying new things. But all the food is just ok. It's bland, perfectly like 1 point below average. So there we have it: 2 stars. I'm sorry, Bella Bru, you almost gave Carmichael something worth going back for. :-( read more

Awesome place, the owners are super nice and friendly, great atmosphere and the food is super yummy. I had the Nashville burger and Tuna melt today and it was delicious. Great place for date nights as well. Try it out, I highly recommend the Tuna melt, so yummy. Mr Mishler, Thank you for the delicious cookies for Dr (M's) office, (my work), appreciate it. Cant wait to visit this awesome place again. read more

I went out with two of my girlfriends and I have to say I truly enjoyed this place. We went there towards the evening on a Monday and it was very nice and quiet and had a very chill vibe. I got their Prosciutto di Parma pizza and it was DELICIOUS! Get the small one for $16. You get like 7-9 pieces. It was my first time here and I will be returning. read more

Bella Bru Cafe - Pizza! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Carmichael, California

Just had a burger a very nice juicy burger at this location and I have to say it was absolutely delicious

This place is fantastic. I came in for something to drink. The service is great, I was greeted on entry, had bread and water immediately after sitting down, server asked what I wanted without rushing. I will definitely return when I am near here again. read more

I am a long time customer of Bella Bru. I really do love your burger and fries. So good. But please, please, please bring back the filet mignon and chicken piccata!!!! read more

Why should Bella Bru be famous for their pastrami sandwich? Maybe it is because it is so bad that they should be in the Guiness Book of World Records for the world's worst pastrami sandwich. A minute sandwich consisting of a half ounce of low grade pastrami, on a dry white roll with a pickle smashed in it. All right, I should be happy that it came with a side salad consisting of nothing but lettuce. I am sorry but I do not find any humor in this, especially after waiting a half hour for it. Maybe it was because they only charged me $10.00 for this meager, ridiculously lacking meal that they thought they did not owe me much. The sandwich was smaller than what I could get in a Vietnamese place for under three dollars. However, I must admit the frozen coffee concoctions I had with it was pretty tasty. I have wanted to try Bella Bru for a number of years and I finally made it. Now I know I have not been missing anything. read more

Thanks so much for the canker sores. I told you I had a real problem with walnuts but they were still on a very expensive pizza. I said to replace them with pecans "no problem"! I found a few pecans which made me feel safe to eat but then I realized there were walnuts too! read more

See all

I frequent this location in Carmichael and on two occasions my credit card charges when posted is higher than what the actual charge should be. I usually place $ in the tip jar rather than include in my card. The 2 times I did not ask for my receipt, the posted amount came in much higher. I reached out to management for an explanation but did not hear back from anyone. So either pay cash or ask for your receipt !!! read more

This restaurant has great food! I would go every day ... however the manager has no manners, its always rude and the last time they even hung up on me. I have make several complains about her behavior but the owner doesn't seen to care as she continues to behave in a terrible manner. 4 stars for the food and zero for customer service read more

Hamburger was great, however, the service was horrible. We went in looking to have a late lunch on Sunday after getting work done. Opted for table service thinking it would be best for a group of three who are hungry, thirsty and tired. Ended up waiting a long time to turn our order in. Also waited long enough to get beverages offered at the table....so went into the bar to get some water. Needless to say it was no the pleasant experience we were hoping for....true table service. Had to ask for the check and then the server was too busy to come back and close it out. Will think twice before going back and spending our dining out dollars at BB Cafe. read more

Went to a 2K dog walking event at the Sheriff's K9 center which is close by. Needed to find a dog friendly spot for breakfast. This place was perfect. Large patio with umbrellas. There was even a communal dog dish which I filled with fresh water. The line was long on a Saturday morning but efficient. The regulars seemed well cared for. Lots of smiles. Breakfast was fine not great but hit the spot and enough to share with my big Black Russian Terrier. read more

Ordered a margarita pizza thought it wouldn't be that hard to mess up but it was simply disgusting. the cheese was almost watery with unripe tomato slices on top and whole garlic gloves. The bottom of the crust was wet and soggy.they also didnt give me a plate so I was forced to eat over the whole pizza. read more

REVIEW FOR TAKE OUT ONLY. I'm sad I have to write this review but the time has come. I live a few minutes from Bella Bru and have been going there several times a week for the last seven years. The struggle is real. We know every employee, they are nice, they know us, we are nice. But they just can't get out order right. Ever. We have them read back the order every time, they can get that right but from there I can't explain what happens. Today was a typical example: Phone in order: breakfast bagel w cheese, breakfast bagel w cheese & bacon & breakfast burrito w chorizo. We were charged for and given two burritos and one bagel. On top of getting the order wrong (even though the gal on the phone read it back to me perfect) this is what the burritos looked like on the inside, supposedly the same burrito. Inexplicable. read more

Bella Bru Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Carmichael, California

first time coming in after not coming in for a little while.. this experience was mediocre at best, the food was forgettable, and i miss when they had good service!! will not be coming back read more

Tonight I gave them another chance by visiting the place for desert only. When she gave me the coffee I express that the coffee is not warm she said "there is a microwave on the side if you want to heat it up". I was shocked are you serious. Really this is your customer service? Labeled Mediterranean place may be you should visit Mediterranean to learn service from them. I won't stop here my complain will reach the owner until you shape up and learn how customer service works in USA. read more

Worst experience in California so far! Brunt fries and onions, restaurant food and cargo delivery all went through our table. We celebrated Bday and asked to be reseated with no response from the staff. Will recommend my friends to avoid. read more

This my first time here. The place looks great but unfortunately I actually left and just payed for my soda with no order. I would agree with the other one stars. Customer service was bad. I waited to order and realized I dont want to wait this long. It's not busy, so why am I waiting 10mins? Why are th 5 to 8 employers busy filling salt containers and chatting instead of helping me...When I requested to the check to just pay for the soda and left. $2.31 for an unfinished cola. No apology, no request to make it right. I really dont think the business cares. read more

I wanted to give this review 0 stars. Here's why. I just ordered a Mighty Chicken Salad from this place. This is what the menu claims the salad has: Rotisserie chicken, dried dates,toasted walnuts, goat cheese, tomatoes, croutons, mesclun greens, champagne vinaigrette - $11.95 This is what I got: 1. 4 small pieces of dry chicken 2. NO dried dates at all. 3. ONE cherry tomato cut in half. ONE. Cherry Tomato (that's the really small one). 4. About 4 crumbs of goat cheese. I literally counted the crumbs. 1 -2-3-4 crumbs. 5. Tons of walnuts. Literally each bite was greens and walnuts. This has got to be the absolute worst attempt at a salad that I have ever come across in my life. $12 for this??! Unfortunately, I got this to go or else I would have returned it and probably caused a scene. This place used to be pretty good a few years back, but it just gets worse every time I go there. I don't even Yelp often but I felt the need to let people know that their money is better spent somewhere else. Needless to say, I'll never be back here again. read more

Consistently going down hill, especially since expansions. Tiny portions, don't get the sliver of quiche for $10+. Way too noisy. Service slow. Bar staff rude. All comments have been consistently experienced over the past few years. Kept frequenting this location but can no longer do so. read more

We had breakfast here on Sunday and while the food is not horrible, it's really not worth returning for. Add to this mix that fact that it's completely chaotic and noisy, you have what is easily the least relaxing dining experience that we've had in months. The staff are pleasant if forgetful at times (not shocking considering the noise level and people wandering and standing all over the place). The food: The ham "steak" and eggs tasted fine, but in my book a ham steak is a big ol' slab o' ham with the bone in it, not half a thin slice of limp, watery ham. A stingy portion of country potatoes and virtually un-toasted toast rounded out this "dishappointment". My wife's eggs Benedict was OK, mainly due to the stellar bacon they used, but as is her wont, she ordered her Bennie on sourdough toast instead of English muffin and she had the same problem - slightly warmed bread being passed off as toast. I love their baked goods and breads, which I have frequently purchased at Corti Brothers and other stores, but the establishment itself has little to offer if you want a pleasant weekend breakfast. read more

How many orders does it take to get a breakfast burrito with no meat? If you're eating at Bella Bru, the answer is "more than 2". The actual answer is unknown, since I didn't give them a third chance to force me into eating bacon. So, though I've only tried to eat there once, I will never be back. If you've never been, don't bother. If a kitchen is that incompetent, and service is that bad, why not avoid them and go somewhere reliably good. Ask yourself that question before giving these buffoons penny one. read more

Do not buy gift cards from Bella Bru! I just tried to use my gift card that i had gotten a few years ago and found that they are no longer accepted at Bella Bru! " They are too old" i was told! I thought gift cards don't expire unless the establishment goes away! Attempt at supporting local business certainly backfired in this instance! Very sad that they would do this for customers without warnings. read more

So sad that this place has deteriorated so far. The noise, the crowds, the new employees with no training, the menu changes that don't make sense. I am a regular and this used to be my go-to place for breakfast. Today there was MAJOR CONSTRUCTION going on in the restaurant during the breakfast/brunch rush. Waiter delivered something to me that I didn't order...and it was raw. I had ordered eggs Benedict. What I got was wet, almost raw eggs on top of "focaccia" that had already fallen apart, 1 slice of bacon, and 1/2 of an unripe avocado. I was told they "didn't have Canadian bacon," although I regularly order this item. Sorry, I am no longer a patron. read more

First, I live at Fair Oaks and Arden, so I would love a good restaurant that is walkable, plus there's not much in the area. However, Bella Bru is not that. It's overpriced for what you get; my friend loves this place so I said why not join her (this past Friday, 12/5/14). First, I'm vegetarian so not a lot of choices; I had a vegetable panini. I expected it to be hot, but the vegetables were cold and the bread ungrilled and it was $11. On another note, my friend had salmon, which she was happy with and was well presented, but her bill was over $23. On a positive note, I've had their Eggs Benedict (without bacon) and it was exceptional and if I remember correctly it was right around $10. Back to my analysis, for the what you pay you'd expect a little more. The restaurant is furnished with what I would compare to lawn furniture; one of the booths even had splits in the upholstery. Lastly, the restaurant doesn't even have table service; you have to order at the register and then a "server" brings it to you. They had only 2 "servers", so when my friend wanted more water we had to wait over 10 minutes. I don't know why anyone would come here when there are great restaurants like Danielle's at Fair Oaks and Watt. I wouldn't have given any stars, but that is not permissible with yelp. read more

I've been eating at this cafe since the 90s when my office was located nearby. I had a friend who thought himself a specialist in market niches. He said this place would never make it after the seed money was gone. I disagreed. The food was good then, and its still good. Last night I went to "the lounge" for a glass of wine while I was killing time and had a beet salad. The salad was fabulous, fresh with roasted kale, yummy. Great presentation. It took a little while to come out, but that was ok. Here's why I am writing the review: I was at that awkward moment where my wine glass is almost empty. I just got my food, but I only have about fifteen minutes before I have to leave. The bartender graciously TOPPED OFF giving me like 1/3 of a glass FREE - exactly the right amount to finish my meal, not spend another $8 (why is cheap wine so expensive? thats another rant). In all my years of dining out, I have never had a bartender do that for me. It cost the restaurant a dollar to do that, and made me a fan for life! read more

Chef David Boswell may be the best kept secret in Sacramento County. Week after week he's been producing classic yet creative bistro cooking at the Carmichael Bella Bru/Luna lounge. Chef Boswell, former Marine and Alaska guide, came to the food industry the old fashioned way: dedicated hard work. His cooking is forthright, creative, and informed. On a recent evening I took advantage of his house made duck confit. The dish was executed perfectly, the duck meat rich and falling off the bone, the skin crispy and delectable, presented with braised beet greens and lentils. I squinted my eyes, thought of diesel fumes, and imagined I was in Paris. Adventurous eaters will be well pleased by ordering whatever Chef Boswell is recommending. On Tuesday night, May 18, I was lucky enough to be able to attend one of Bella Bru's wine dinners upstairs in their intimate private dining space. The featured wines were from Lodi based Draconis, and set Chef Boswell a real challenge- an all red wine evening. Matt Powell, Draconis owner and winemaker, provided wonderfully detailed and humorous descriptions of his Zinfandels and Syrahs. The menu took risks and made a statement: creative cooking overcomes outmoded assumptions every time. The star pairing was salmon and Zinfandel, not often thought of as a match made in heaven. But Chef Boswell found the twist, topping the salmon with a chorizo brioche butter. Each element helped the dish stand up to the Zinfandel; the spice of the chorizo, the richness of the butter and the brioche atop the perfectly executed salmon. Wine and food were each better for having the other, what more could one ask? There is always a danger in trying to be all things to all people. The uneven, sometimes odd, reviews here on Yelp about Bella Bru in Carmichael point this up clearly. Patron expectations play hugely into patron satisfaction. Bella Bru is trying to keep it's coffee house patrons happy while continuing to become a classic French bistro. It isn't easy, but everyone in the neighborhood should be rooting for them. read more

I was killing some time before an appointment and wanted to park myself somewhere other than Starbucks and maybe hijack some free Wi-Fi and so I ended up here. It was around 8:45am on a Friday morning and all the old pretentious gang were here. The American River bicyclists were hanging out before their ride in the full Tour de France gear, the doctors wives without their husbands planning their tennis dates, the dads with their young kids before dropping them off at school, the retired with time and money along with the ever present Rio kids doing their homework before class. I ordered a coffee and hesitantly ordered a scone for breakfast and was pleasantly surprised that is was delicious and did not have that hard dry chalky in the mouth feel I get with the Starbucks scones. The only downside of my experience here is that unlike the Bay Area where it seems almost everyone has their laptop out at Peets, I was conspicuously the only one with a laptop here. I opened mine and tried to see if there was any Wi-Fi but no networks were easily identifiable except for Willie's across the street. It wasn't that important anyway so I discretely closed my laptop and proceeded to flash my Blackberry to pretend that maybe I was part of the leisure class too. read more

If I'm in the area............. I'll drive a mile to go somewhere else. Service is good 'cause you do it yourself, though you might not like waiting in line. (all the charm of a fast food joint, without the fast and without the cheap) I don't like the coffee (personal opinion) i.e., Why bother. read more

Sometimes I do stupid things and I am not really sure why. Been to Bella Bru in the past for breakfast and was always satisfied with my meal. Lunch is a different story however. Stopped in here and didn't see any salads that sounded good to me. So in keeping up with my current sandwich kick, I browsed the sandwich selections. Turkey........eh boring, BLT.......not trying to get salmonella, Croque Monsieur.........good idea. Never had it, but remember seeing it in my French books from high school. Why not? Might as well give it a shot right? WRONG. It was gross. They put this creamy brownish/whitish sauce all over it. I have no idea what to compare it to. I don't remember seeing that in the pictures of my French book. I tried to scrape the most off of it so I could at least eat the rest but it was a false hope. The side salad with vinaigrette was good though. Basically, go to Bella Bru for breakfast, but if you go for lunch DO NOT wear your Bad Idea Jeans. read more

I had my wedding rehearsal luncheon here following the rehearsal at nearby Arden Hills Resort (literally two minutes down the same street into the next shopping center.) It was an excellent alternative to rehearsal lunch since I was able to coordinate with Alisha Drennon, the catering manager, I had been coordinating this lunch since February 2014 for a June 2014 lunch. Who knew that these things needed so much time to plan. I worked well with Alisha since she answered all my questions within a timely manner.She is truly an excellent catering manager. I was also provided with different menu selections based on the price I was comfortable paying ---this was 5 stars alone since most places have a set per person rate. I reserved the private upstairs room above the Luna Lounge for my lunch. I originally planned for an event of 50 or less. However, all my extended family and my now husband's extended family came to the rehearsal and made the lunch to about 60. The room could only hold 50 so about 10 more people sat downstairs in the Luna Lounge. The staff was able to accommodate to my requests. Chairs and tables were setup long style and people were having fun and mingling. I had a private no-host bar set up which had a selection of wine, beers, soda, fruity drinks, and fresh lemonade infused with fruits that was constantly refilled. I was also set up with a gift table for all my wedding party gifts and I was provided a sound system to play music from my Samsung note. However, the microphone didn't pick up my voice so I ended up just speaking to the group for speeches. The food was set up buffet style and the food was to die for. Everyone truly enjoyed the selections. We had Mac and Cheese, Grilled Salman, Grilled Rosemary Chicken, Salad, fresh bread from the bakery and a selection of cookies, tarts and fruit bars. I had so much left over desserts that they boxed it up and I was able to have it in my hotel room for that night and the next day. Everyone was raving about the food and I was glad because it took a lot of coordination. I recommend Bella Bru for all catering. However, I'd keep the group to 50 or less. Their staff is excellent. Everyone was friendly and helpful for my private event. Some of the staff even helped me carry items from my car to set up the room. **I also ordered to-go catering for the next day (my wedding) for bridesmaid brunch. I ordered a fresh fruit platter and a mixed sandwich platter. It was delivered to my hotel on time and everything was super delish. They also provided plates, plastic silverware and napkins. read more

My only real complaint about this place is the location. It's way out of town in the suburbs, but reasonably convenient if you're out that way making a Whole Foods run. Otherwise, I'm pretty pleased. The parking was good (roomy lot with tons of open spaces), and there were tons of meat-free options on the menu. On my most recent visit, I had their garden burger with fries, and it was surprisingly good. My dining companion had a veggie sandwich, which looked pretty good but kind of naked once he removed the sprouts and tomatoes. Desserts here were so-so in my experience, but they have quite a few selections so it's possible I just haven't had the right one yet. I would definitely come back, but I wouldn't drive all the way out there JUST to go to Bella Bru. read more

Bella Blu has been a dependable lunch for a few years. I enjoy the Bella Blu Club, the Cobb Salad and the Roasted Vegetable Quiche. But about a month ago the quiche took an unexpected turn for the worst, was mushy and cold inside, and it appeared to be yesterday's special and then reheated. Rather than saying anything, I considered it a kitchen faux pas. Today I again ordered the quiche and it was prepared to my standards. This restaurant usually gets it right. One bad quiche, one less star. read more