MORNING REVIEW ONLY - There is a lot to love about this place, but -- WARNING -- the coffee is consistently disgusting. The kids working there have no idea how to pull a decent shot and keep it from turning bitter. Owners: Train them! It's not that difficult. Seriously, I go there all the time because I like (some of) the food, the vibe and the atmosphere and I want to like the coffee, but it's terrible. The lattes, anything with espresso in it -- YUCK. There is no wireless signal because they don't want people camping out on their laptops, but I take mine in anyway with my handy-dandy Sprint USB Internet thingy and it works just fine. So there. Great bartender next door at the Luna Lounge, BTW. He really rocks! read more

Always one of my top choices for coffee, pastries, lunch or a light flavorful dinner! Bella Bru is full most of the weekend. I finally figured out that they had internet, and was one of the only people working on my computer during the week, which was nice since no one else was slowing the internet connection. Coffee is always great, and so is the staff. Friendly and helpful, they always smile and do a great job making you feel like your in your own living room. For other girls who get cold like me! Bring an extra sweater, even in summer, the air is on full blast! Try their salads. All are amazing. read more

Ugh. Yep, that's my review of this place. I lived in the area (Near Bella Bru) for about 5 years before moving to Midtown, I always saw it but I never went in. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because Yelp is basically my bible (the written word) for food/entertainment/drinks, etc. and this place holds 3 stars (which let's be honest, isn't great). I don't normally give one star to places, however; if I hadn't been with good company who happened to like some of their food that day, this place would be taking a one-star ding. Let's start with the experience from the beginning. We walked in at about 10:55 on a Monday, however, it was New Year's Day (so let's treat it like it was a Sunday). It took us a minute (our group of 6) to figure out exactly where to go. This place has multiple entrances with different names of entrances, why places think this is a good marketing strategy is beyond me. You can wait in line to order your food on one side or be seated on a patio outdoors on the other. We were hungover (to say the least) and wanting to relax and eat our food, so we opted for the outdoors. When we finally sat down we were told we couldn't order breakfast anymore because it ended at 11:00. 1 minute prior to this conversation. Normally, I wouldn't think twice about this, but COME ON people, it's New Year's Day and you KNOW people are going to be hungover. After the server told us about no breakfast and asked us if we wanted anything to drink (we ordered drinks) it was 10-15 minutes before we saw anyone again. Because I was so hungover, when I got my Iced tea, I decided I wanted a Diet Coke. The iced tea was pretty awful but more so I just wanted caffeine, sugar, and Carbonation to aid my awful decisions from the night before. Unfortunately, it was another 15 minutes with no server after the drinks were dropped off. Someone comes back, I ask for a diet coke, another 10 minutes and no one... so my boyfriend goes inside with the Iced Tea and asks if we can have a diet coke instead. They tell him they'll be right out. One of two servers we've seen now comes out with TWO diet cokes. Gives me one of them and asks who the other is for. We try to explain that we only ordered one but it took so long that someone came in to ask for it again. He was still confused and walks away with the second diet coke. Finally, he comes back to take our order. Everyone orders (our two friends who got breakfast burritos before the cutoff are nearly done with their food by now as it's been over 30 minutes before we got to order). I order (very clearly) The Burger with no mayo and no onions with a side of fries. I make sure to say no onions twice as the guy taking our order has a tendency to get confused. Everyone else orders and another 30 minutes goes by. We get our food. My burger has onions on it. Not just raw onions you can take off, slimy, sautéed, caramelized onions that have soaked into the bun on both sides. So ten mins later the server comes back and I let her know to please just bring me a new bun. I don't need a whole new plate, just want a fresh bun. Another 15 mins and nothing. So my friend goes inside to ask for a new bun and they bring one out 5-10 mins later. At this point my meal is cold and everyone is done eating. I let the server know I don't want it anymore and hand him my full plate. He looks confused. Doesn't ever apologize for the mistakes until I've had enough and give him my plate. The girl helping was clueless. We also overheard the table of 5 across the patio complaining about the girl not knowing what she's doing and taking 30 minutes to refill their water. Let me clarify this as well, this place was NEARLY empty. It was just us and one other group on their patio. We had 3 servers helping our table at one time, none of them communicating with each other. They were NOT understaffed, they were not busy, they just have seriously low standards for customer service. Needless to say, I'm not even giving this place a second chance. They get 2 stars instead of 1 because my friends liked their breakfast burritos. WOMP WOMP. Thanks, Bella Bru for being my first bad experience of 2018! read more

After trekking out to Natomas a couple of times and loving it, the husband and I decided to try this location because it's a wee bit closer to our house. What a mistake. The eggs benedict was the special, and sounded promising (EB is my favorite!) and we both ordered that for breakfast and took a seat. It was pretty crowded as to be expected at 9ish on Sunday morning. Our breakfast arrived and right away I noticed that they had (apparently) not cooked enough potatoes for two portions as I had a small (but fine for me) amount, while my husband had about 10 pieces of potato on his plate. Looked pretty skimpy and I have a hard time believing that wasn't obvious to the chef, the server, and anyone else who might have looked at the plate prior to it reaching our table. I put my fork on my egg, and realized my eggs were over cooked. WAY overcooked. Basically hard boiled. My husband had one egg that was sort of soft, but the other one was the same as mine. There was no one around to tell except the person taking orders, and with 10+ people in line I didn't want to wait and we had an appointment at 11. So I ate it anyway. Major bummer about the eggs, because the rest of the dish was pretty good. Then just as we were finishing a woman came in with her full grown lab. Now, I'm a dog lover, but it is REALLY inapporpriate for someone to bring their huge dog into a restaurant like that. I mean, there is an outdoor seating area and large bowls of water outside for your fluffy kids. My husband asked if it was a service animal and was completely ignored, which we took as a no. It is SO, SO worth the extra 5 minutes to drive to Natomas. That place over there is amazing. This place, not so much. read more

Bella Bru used to be the spot to hang out. The demographic is now..shall we say...middle aged and spandex wearing cyclists who can apparently afford to pay 10 bucks for crap on a plate? Maybe they just don't need to try that hard because of their convenient location at the crossroads of upper middle class suburbia and the American River Bike Trail, but wow. I paid 10 dollars for a large coffee, two eggs, a literal handful of unseasoned potatoes and (the saving grace) 3 slices of bacon. The eggs were supposed to be over medium and they were slimy. Inedible. I was still hungry when I left. You have such great potential! Be better! read more

This is my go-to spot for breakfast on the weekends. They have a good variety of food to choose from and everything is always fresh and delicious. My favorites are their veggie omelet and bacon and egg breakfast bagel. The soy chai latte is also a favorite of mine. Service can be a little hit or miss, especially on busy weekend mornings, but I've never had any major issues. read more

The food is delicious and specific inside the variety of California cuisine. The owner has executed a stunning job in the decor of the vicinity - the issue is that it's far one huge room so can be very, very loud. i've friends who like it due to that. We move right here for the food at some stage in off hours or sit down at the patio to avoid all the noise. A superb area to devour. read more

Came here for DINNER on a Friday night after a walk along the river. PROs -Dog friendly patio -Pretty nice dining area overall -Service was attentive CONs -Food was just okay for the price. Nothing to rave about. They had a happy hour with some discounts on wine, although we weren't there at the right time for that. ____ Came for BREAKFAST on a week day + Good breakfast for the price. _____ I would definitely come back to enjoy a breakfast meal here, but will probably not be back for dinner. Main draw here is that I can bring my dog along. read more

Had a expensive super chicken salad that didn't fill me up. The champagne vinaigrette was also a little on the acidic side. Samples of the french toast and breakfast burrito seemed pretty tasty though. read more

I enjoyed my stop at Bella Bru. It's in the middle of suburbia and stuck in a strip mall next to a gym, but once inside you can easily forget about that. I was meeting a friend for coffee and the first to arrive. Having just come in from the 100° heat I stood in line at the counter, melting. When it was my turn to order I noticed the cashier/barista looked like he was melting, too. That didn't stop him from being friendly, polite, and helpful, though. I ordered a special mocha they had on the menu that came with almond flavoring and topped with shaved almonds - iced. Looking around I spotted a booth and sat down to wait for my friend. While nibbling the yummy little slices of almonds I enjoyed the AC and took in my surroundings. There were a lot of older people - seniors sipping wine and eating cake, middle aged couples having what looked like boring conversations in low tones over salads and coffee, and random men and women on laptops or with file folders spread out before them. I could see there was a hallway leading to a bar (Luna Lounge?) which seemed to be the place for cougars to prowl (nothing wrong with cougars - you go, Ms Thang!). Behind the counter I could see what looked to be quite a selection of wine, and if I read the menu board correctly eight beers on tap. I also noticed the many salads and other dishes on the board. There was a dessert case with cakes, pies, cookies, etc. I was still full from lunch, though, and managed to avoid temptation. My friend arrived and we chatted, sipped our drinks, and had some laughs for about an hour. It was pretty relaxed and no one gave us the stink eye. I noticed they started prepping the room for dinner at around 5pm. Judging by the cloth napkins and silverware they were putting on the tables I assumed evening meant it went from typical cafe to wait-service restaurant. Time for us to go. I doubt I will come back to meet a group, or bring one of my brothers here, but it's a nice place to relax and have a quiet drink with a friend. read more

Ordered 2 pizzas to-go. NOT impressed. The pizza dough was very tough and both pizzas had an odd taste. Wont order pizza here again. I have ordered other menu items multiple times and they were very good. Maybe pizza isn't their thing. read more

Well, I kept getting Facebook pictures of their dinners and one stood out to me, the Wagu Beef Ribs. Turns out it is wonderful and served with corn and if you don't like coleslaw, you can get something else. So tender and juicy! And they had our favorite beer, Anderson Valley Bourbon Barrel Stout. Trentin gave us excellent service...wonderful experience! read more

I love this place! Everything is so good. From the fresh baked sweets from their own bakery, to the delicious food I just love it! They have changed chefs a few times in the past few years, but now that they have David Boswell there as their chef, the food has become top notch. Have you tried their soup? I come here as often as I can just for that! Well, not just for that, but I always look forward to seeing what soup the chef has for the day, since it changes almost daily. And is always something AMAZING!!! Last time I had the spring garlic soup. It was a puree, so soft and creamy. Maybe you'll get lucky and he'll have the fennel puree soup. The menu prices are unbeatable for the quality and flavors of the food, and by this I mean DINNER!!! You must try any of the specials that are always changing. Risotto with short ribs for like $12. And not skimpy on the portions either. I love the Pinot Grigio Braised Chicken with orchiette pasta. And the handmade Polpetini with white beans. And even though I don't like clams, I do like the Cherrystone Clams dish. You can eat the clams, and I'll have the broth that they reside in when served mixed with chorizo, tomatoes, toasted garlic, basil and accompanied with bread. So good!!! I have been a fan of Boswell's cooking since he was the executive chef and original creator of the menu at Lounge on20 when they first opened and he opened their kitchen. So I was excited to learn he came here to do his magic once again and make the food awesome!. And rumor has it that he plans on starting a charcuterie program in the near future, with house cured meats. Yummy! The breakfast and lunch menus here have not changed too much since the regulars that have come here for years like the breakfast and lunch options., but again, TRY THE SPECIALS!!! If you want to eat here for a memorable meal, or haven't already tried the new dinner choices, have dinner. Your pallet will thank you. Or if not hungry for dinner, have cocktails in the Luna Lounge and order something delicious off the small plates menu. read more

What happened to customer service? My husband and I decided to go to breakfast and decided on Bella Bru. It was actually pretty packed, but not a full house. No one acknowledged us as we stood and waited to be seated. No "We'll be right with you" from the 2-3 staff who walked by. After five minutes of being ignored, we decided to leave. Apparently, they had enough business to not be concerned with losing ours. We've experienced this before and let time pass before we give it another go and each time Bella Bru disappoints us. There are so many breakfast options downtown, but since we live in Natomas, we tend to want to contribute to our local businesses. I shared my experience on Nextdoor and surprisingly, many of my fellow neighbors experienced the same poor service and described the quality of food as mediocre at best. I've given Bella Bru a fair chance and this was my last attempt. read more

This place has a nice ambiance but food is ok usually, except for the last time I came in. Unfortunately, that will probably be my last time here. Why? Bugs in the food. I bought a meal and cookie here on 9/26/19. When I received the cookie from the cashier, multiple BUGS came crawling out of the cookie. It looked like a flying insect (fly? Larger than a gnat) had laid its eggs in the cookie and they had recently hatched. She saw them too and apologized. Surprisingly, I had to tell her I didn't want the cookie and ask for a refund. I think this should be the automatic response. I still paid full price for the rest of my meal but had a very hard time enjoying it. I think the staff could have done more to make things right. read more

How have I never written you up until now? Bella Bru, you have been a staple in my life. You are literally around the corner from my house and during my high school years and even now when I come home to visit my family, I know you will always be there offering some pretty good coffee and some pretty tasty food too. They have their outdoor tables and tons of tables inside too, and all of their food is made fresh and for some reason it seems so relaxing to just come here and hang out with friends either just for some coffee or a glass of wine, or to share some of their sandwiches or breakfast items. Mmmm Bella Bru is always a good way to start your day or week, and they stay open late enough too for you night owls out there like myself who truly enjoy a late night cup of joe. I sincerely hope that Bella Bru is always in this location forever, because I think without out, my little neighborhood wouldn't be the same. It is always packed with customers, so clearly a lot of people in this area have great taste. So hats off to you Bella Bru, for your amazing bacon, tasty coffee, cheesy flatbreads, fresh sandwiches, and of course those random glasses of wine that seem to find their way to my table. read more

This place is around the corner from my in-law's and sometimes my husband and I don't want to make breakfast, so we grab a bite here. The staff is always nice (he seems to know everyone since he grew up in the area) and I like how low key it is. Order at the counter and sit anywhere. Their breakfast is good, I usually just get the basic bacon and eggs and they know how to do that right so I can't complain. read more

This makes me sad. I like Bella Bru..I really do. I have received bad service here when I was sitting down having a meal...twice in a row. I was ignored the first time and had bread and water thrown on the table and was ignored most of the time after that. I had to get up and go to the counter to have my water and ice tea refilled. The gal at the counter didn't even bother to ask me why I would be doing that myself. I am not a fancy person so maybe the staff is wowed by the fancy clientele? Anyways, it sure didn't feel good to be treated like that. I have to say the food is what saved them for me. The Mahi-Mahi and Tuna/Avacado sandwiches were sooo good!! Ironically I met the chef guy at a Yelp Elite event and he was really nice. I have stopped by other times for some to-go fare, and things were ok so I would like to try the sit down service maybe again. Update to follow... read more

I've never had a bad meal here! We come a lot- breakfast, lunch, and dinner- and are always impressed. My go-to is the bacon avocado omelette and the Cobb salad. Both very delicious! read more

Coffees good but their opening time is misleading. They open early but coffee and pastry only. Breakfast isn't until 7. Kind of a bummer when you arrive at 5:45 am. read more

Excellent!!! The staff was so friendly and the manager, Theresa, had great costumer service skills. Also, the food was really good. I had the spinach mushroom omelette with pesto hollandaise which was delicious. I will definitely be coming back! read more

Awesome selection of sandwiches and drinks This Bella Bru has a fantastic outdoor patio for you and your friends to enjoy. The breakfast and lunch is really good and has lots of healthy and tasty options for foodies. I loved the salmon salad with the salmon cooked perfectly to my liking. The cookies were delightful and the iced soy chai latte was not too sweet, just perfectly spiced. Also, bonus points for super clean bathrooms! Love! read more

Disappointing that the menu is different here than at the Natomas location. Just a heads up, they also don't have wait service at this location. Was craving the awesome Cuban nachos (Natomas) and since they didn't have that as a menu option, went with the veggie pizza. It was ok. Not a ton of flavor, and very VERY greasy. Would hate to see how greasy the pizza would be if it had meat on it. Pretty bummed considering this one is so much closer. Well worth the drive to Natomas though. read more

I came here for lunch and had their Turkey Tuscano. It was greasy. Greasy. They butter their bread prior to toasting to add flavour but I didn't feel as though it added anything to the sandwich other than leaving my fingers with a coating of butter. The sandwich itself was okay but the pesto mayo seemed to be all mayo. It was underwhelming. My husband had the club sandwich which also came on the greasy side but he liked it nonetheless. He had it paired with the chicken vegetable soup, which we both liked. Overall this place was okay but I would try another cafe next time. read more

I thought I had eaten here, but not so - for the same reasons I should have given it a pass today! You know you made a bad decision when you are mentally composing a negative Yelp review WHILE you're choking down the food! First the ambience - or lack thereof! Feels like eating in a warehouse! I've been in quieter end more conducive-to-digestion grade school cafeterias! And it really would not take many more people to turn this into a restaurant, rather than a mess of counter service! I ordered coffee - you have to listen for someone to scream your name over the roar. I went to pick mine up and just shook my head - there was no way I, and elderly person with unreliable motor skills, could carry it! The only saving grace for this place is the personnel - they are all friendly, helpful, and outgoing - the barista carried it for me. The food itself was somewhere between boring and bad! I ordered a side of biscuits and gravy (not on the menu, but again, the friendly people made it happen!) But there was so little gravy that it was dry and hard to swallow. My omelet - bacon and avocado - has a stingy slice of avocado on top, a mess of crumbled bacon - if there was cheese, there was so little it did nothing to make the omelet less dry! And someone should tell the cooks to beat the eggs - the omelet was flat! I will not go there again. read more

Amazing bread! And the food is good too. I can't comment on the service as I just get take out, but no complaints there. I will drive out of my way every time I want good bread, it's the best. read more

First and foremost they are pet friendly. 100 brownie pts for that. Coffee is very good, better than Starbucks IMO. I had the tuna melt and it comes with a green salad that really I wasn't crazy about buy hey I got to have my furry companion sit with me. Mind you they aren't allowed inside though. We always like going here and so far have not been disappointed. read more

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It's an ok cafe I was there on Sunday was pretty crowded had to wait forever, the cake tasted old. Food is just ok and overpriced, relaxing atmosphere but no waiter had to look for someone to get service. What I liked is they have wine delicious coffee. read more

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

Stopped by at 8:55 p.m. (hours say close at 9) doors locked. So go into sister restaurant (Luna Lounge) next door and the bartender there so kindly assisted me with two pieces of cheesecake to go. Sad to say, the cheesecake was really bad. Tasteless and I could have bought much better cheesecake from the Whole Foods down the road and saved $! Anyway, my experiences with Bella Bru have been very up and down to say the least. read more

The iced coffee is hard to beat. Plenty of seating available and a clean, accessible bathroom. Conveniently located on a street corner with lots of parking. read more

If your looking for great food and a super comfy and relaxing environment then look no further. BB is the one and only place to go in Carmichael. Luna Lounge the bar is awesome as well and you have to try the Meza plate. Mmmmm my favorite. read more

Bella Bru Cafe - Walkway in front of restaurant. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Carmichael, California

I love this restaurant!! I've been a favorite for many years, and I still love it My fiancé and I will go for brunch about once a month, and it's always a delight to see the friendly staff and grab a delicious bite to eat. My preferred brunch dish is the smoked salmon benedict- absolutely delicious! If you're really concerned about COVID precautions then wear your mask or get take out. My waiter/waitress has always worn a mask. This is a Carmichael staple and I look forward to dining here for years to come! read more

I love coming here, especially after a nice morning run on the American River trail. My fave is the breakfast bagel with cheese & veggies. It is HUGE too, so it's very satisfying after a long run. read more

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

I love this place... My friends and I comes here every Saturday morning for brunch. The people that work here are very friendly and food is great. Would be really nice if there's a FREE wifi. With that being said, I'll give it an A- read more

I hadn't been to this place for many years and today I was reminded why. My Cesar salad had actual 4 inch long sardines mixed in it. I have never in my life seen this in the many Cesar salads i have ordered-in my lifetime. (I know often time sardines are blended into the dressing). The croutons were so hard and stale i thought my tooth cracked. I waited for over 20 minutes to have my plate cleared and another 20 minutes to receive the bill. Our water was never refilled and our waiter never stopped by to ask how the food was or if we needed anything. Ugh. Very disappointing. read more

Been going here since the owner first opened. This morning, the girl who was working the counter was very rude. Very snobby and no smile at all. It's sad that someone like that can damper a person's breakfast. Otherwise food here is great as always. Tried looking to see if I could complain on the company's website but there didn't seem to be. They should have some thing as a survey instead of me going to Yelp... read more

Decided to try a new place for breakfast so we headed to Bella Bru. It was really crowded on a Friday morning, but it was New Year's Eve. It's super casual, seat yourself, and you have to order at the counter. Their breakfast selection is pretty standard, omelets, french toast, pastries. I got a bagel with eggs, cheese, and bacon and a white mocha. My parents got a couple of the specials, mom got the chicken apple scramble, and dad got the Greek omelet. My bagel was really good, nice and toasty on the outside and soft on the inside. The cheese was nice and melty. The mocha was super delicious. Dad's omelet looked good, but I didn't try it, I'm not a fan of feta cheese and tomatoes. Mom's scramble and potatoes had good flavor, but everything was stone cold. Not ok, plus it took forever to get the food in the first place, hence the three stars. Their pastries and cakes looked good and there were some interesting things on their lunch menu, so will probably go back eventually for lunch. read more

'Bout time I wrote a review for such a favorite place as this is. Husband and I enjoyed their flatbread pizzas today, for a little Father's Day celebration. Asparagus and Artichoke with leeks and cheese is smooth and fresh-tasting with the veggies. Wild Mushroom and Pancetta is rich and smoky. Both are luscious. Both are huge - guess you know what we are having for dinner tonight! We splurged, calorically speaking, on cake. The carrot cake is served as a pretty big slice, and it is chock-full of nuts, coconut, and raisins. It is NOT heavy on icing, but it has enough to finish every bite. I find many Red Velvet cakes to be too dry. Bella Bru's is delightfully the most moist version that I can remember in a long time. This place is a winner every time! read more

Ah, yes, there is way too much spandex here, but don't take it out on the star review of the restaurant; just judge them secretly in your head. Besides at least they're trying to be healthy. We used to go here often for mochas before they expanded, but my waistline also started expanding so we stopped for a while. Several years ago we discovered they had added a dinner menu with delicious fine dining plates. Who would have guessed that one of the best steaks in town could be had at a coffee shop? They also make a perfectly cooked pan fried chicken. The menu changes with the seasons so the side dishes vary, but they are always really well prepared. The charcuterie plate is also good as are the salads. I still love their coffee and they have a good selection of desserts my favorites being the chocolate cream cheese brownie and the cake that I think is called chocolate decadance. If you want a fine dining meal but don't want to get all gussied up, this is a good choice. But you can also just come for morning coffee, treats, or a quick lunch, which is not the fine dining style, but is still pretty tasty. read more

I was hesitant to come here for lunch after reading some dubious reviews, but having enjoyed meals at Bella Bru before, decided to give it a try. All staff were wearing masks, as well as customers inside placing or picking up orders, and I saw staff cleaning tables between customers. I asked the order taker about the cobb salad after reading poor reviews; she assured me it was good and promised that all ingredients would be included. It was delivered to my table promptly along with my mango ice tea, and was perfect. Ample turkey, tomatoes, bacon, avocado, a sliced egg, and bleu cheese crumbles (which I asked for), pleasantly arranged on a bed of lettuce. My friend ordered the grilled cheese, which comes with avocado (she isn't a fan of avocado, so I got hers - bonus yum!). Tables were socially distanced. I hope they can stay in business during this difficult time as I enjoyed my time there. read more