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    Bess

    4.3 (77 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 10:30 PM
    Updated 2 weeks ago

    Bess Photos

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    Recommended Reviews - Bess

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    Wine Menu
    Todd J.

    At Bess, the night unfolded with quiet elegance house salad, olives, a beautiful cheese platter, and a crisp glass of pinot grigio. The room carried a soft, intimate glow, and the service matched it graceful, attentive, never intrusive. But she was the evening. The way she introduced me to her friends throughout the evening, the thought she put into every detail, the way she made me feel seen and completely taken care of it stayed with me more than anything on the table. There's something rare about her warmth, effortless and genuine, that turns a simple dinner into something unforgettable. A truly romantic night, because of her.

    Steak and eggs
    Irene B.

    Great vibes with great food. Came here for Sunday brunch with my husband and we were seated immediately by the window bar area. We ordered the steak and eggs, Italian baked eggs, bucatini carbonara, lasagna, and coffee cake. My favorite was the Italian baked eggs-- I'm probably biased bc I really like shakshuka and this dish is basically an Italian version of that. It comes with focaccia and is the perfect bread for dipping. Steak and eggs is.. exactly what it sounds like, not bad but nothing particularly special. The bucatini carbonara also delicious but definitely on the heavy side. I like how they used lemon ricotta in the lasagna-- provided some depth of flavor. My husband and I really enjoyed the coffee cake. Overall I would recommend checking this place out. It's in a such a walkable, nice place in downtown sierra madre.

    bucatini
    Erin K.

    (Would give it a 3.5-3.8) We ordered the chicken parmesan, bucatini, caesar salad, and tiramisu. The caesar salad was yummy! Liked the dressing, it was light and had a lot of parmesan on it. The bucatini was probably the worst thing we tried. Although the sauce was super good, I thought the noodles were a bit undercooked. The chicken parmesan was good, although it does not come with noodles (everything is ala carte). Also, the portion was a lot for one person but not enough for 2 people to share. The tiramisu was sooo good, I loved how it was a little salty and was not too sweet. But, I wish the portion was bigger since it is $14. (definitely the best thing we tried) The service was ok, our hostess was super nice but the hot food took awhile to come out so we were waiting after we had finished out salad. The layout of the restaurant is a little weird, you have to walk through the kitchen to get to the back. But the ambiance was good, we liked the songs playing as well. We also loved the photo booth in the back! Overall would go back to try the lasagna and the foccacia (saw other images and those looks good), and it is a super cute spot for a date night.

    Key lime pie --so rich and packed with flavor in every bite
    Arda S.

    The food was packed with flavor, staff were insanely attentive and had great energy, the ambiance was homey, cozy, curated with love and intent. There was something really whimsical about the layout and lighting. The hostess was so sweet and accommodating. Our server Erika is truly a professional. Chicken parm, Cesar, mushroom pasta dish, wine, key lime pie... & a Photo Booth!!??!?? BOOM!! The bessssss time at Bess xo

    Foccacia
    Angela K.

    The service was great. Super friendly and accommodating. If you are really hungry this place is not it because of how small their portions are. However, this is a perfect place for a fancy night for just the vibes and some drinks. When you first enter the place it's quite small, but there is more seating in the back and outside. In the back there is also a cute photo booth which I really enjoyed! As for the food, their menu is kinda small and half the items are vegetarian and gluten free. So a plus for people who are vegetarian. I feel like they should try expanding their menu for more food options though. Foccacia - 6/10 Meatballs - 9/10 Super flavorful, the sauce and the meatballs tasted so good together Pesto Orecchiette - 7/10 Lacking the pesto flavor I was expecting, the walnuts were a nice touch.

    Chicken parm, lasagna, broccolini and meatballs
    Flo R.

    Happy I was able to make a Resy reservation on their website. The restaurant has a chic interior and had more seating in the back. From the hostess to the servers, everyone greeted us politely and very attentive. So charming that they have a photobooth which is located in the back. $5.55 for 2 strips (3 pictures per strip with pretty good lighting) which was a lot of fun! There were 5 of us and we opted to do family style to try more of the dishes. We ordered meatballs, broccolini, chicken Parmesan and lasagna. We underestimated our hunger so we ended up ordering another lasagna and chicken Parm. The meatballs were small but flavorful. I felt like it was more sauce than meatballs, I had to remove some sauce to taste the meat. The chicken Parmesan was a good portion, chicken was flavorful. I enjoyed the lasagna and broccolini. The house sauce was delicious but it was refreshing to have the freshness of the broccolini cut through the acid from the tomato sauce. Dessert didn't disappoint. The chocolate cake slice was surprisingly refreshing and light. It looks really dense by it had a beautiful orangey taste from the zest. The tiramisu had a great balance of boozy and espresso taste. Would definitely come back for that. Overall it was a beautiful dinner experience. They have a variety of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. I got a mocktail, the Phony Espresso Negronis which I highly recommend! It was lighter than I expected and had a beautiful espresso flavor.

    Bucatini
    Marcela L.

    Bess is a gem in Sierra Madre with great service and great food. I was able to verify that they use aged Parmesan which my lactose intolerant self can enjoy and let them go wild with it which made the food even tastier. I really enjoyed their meatballs and bucatini. They offer their Pinot Noir in 1/2 a liter which is great to share with three people when we each only want one glass. The ambiance is great in the front part of the restaurant. There's an old school Photo Booth in the back for $5! I highly suggest making a reservation as this place is small and does get busy.

    Alison B.

    Bess has great ambience and great service. The food is good but the serving sizes are small. We had the cesar salad, meatballs, bucatini, and mushroom cavatappi for dinner. The cesar salad was our favorite of the night. The vibe was nice for date night and we enjoyed taking pictures in the photo booth at the end of the night. Still felt like picking up mcdonald's chicken nuggets on the way home lol

    The vibe
    Karen L.

    Solid neighborhood spot for Italian. They are a wine bar but serve pretty solid food. Came in on a Friday night and they were gracious in offering a frozen sangria and seems like they are experimenting with frozen rose for Saturdays at the moment. Food-wise we had: + Tinned fish: The smoked trout was nice but I'm gonna put a pass for now. I didn't take off points for this because the concept and ingredients were solid, but I find it hard to share and eat with the thin crackers. I badly wished this was a dip rather than the way it was presented. + Bucatini: This was my favorite. I appreciate that they can offer you up a side of meatballs to add in here versus ordering the full 6 meatball dish. Flavorful and can't go wrong. + Pesto Orecchiette: Very earthy pesto and has a nice crunch with the walnuts. Tomatoes are very fresh. We were pretty stuffed so skipped dessert but it looked great on paper. Might be my reason to be back next time. Ample free parking in the lot near the back of this strip of businesses. Plus the neighbors are a pretty cool bookstore worth stopping by!

    Linda N.

    I don't know where to start. The moment we walked in and experienced the best hospitality that I've had in a long while or the food that we ate. We had reservations at 5 and we were sat immediately. We ordered the meatballs and focaccia to start and those meatballs were soooooo good they melted in our mouths so we had to order another one. Ordered the Cesar, broccolini, two chicken Parm's and the lasagna. All were incredible. The chicken parm was soooooo good and delicate. It wasn't too heavy. The lasagna was decent but it was still pretty good. The service. I can't say anything bad about it and they made our evening holding our cake and bringing it out to us where most places would charge a cutting fee. I am definitely coming back. Thank you Bess for the food and most importantly the service. You guys made us feel like we were at Moms Restaurant.

    Mushroom Cavatappi
    Jackie D.

    The service was so kind and quick. And the ambiance was great for a nice dinner date or catching up with a friend. The food was just alright and I think the portion size was perfect for 2! I wish the sauce in the mushroom cavatappi was more creamy! Overall solid place.

    Mushroom Cavatappi
    Danielle G.

    I thought the food was just ok. We got the caesar salad and mushroom cavatappi. The caesar salad was anchovy heavy for me and the mushroom pasta was ok. I would still go back because some of the other items looked delicious. I did get a rose Italian soda which was amazing! The ambiance is very cute. They have a front and back room. Don't forget their photo booth--it was a cute addition. The parking is great. There is street parking and also a huge lot behind the restaurant.

    Jessica C.

    A really cool little Italian spot. Foods delicious and ambiance is fantastic! Don't forget to hit up the Photo Booth before you leave!

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    1 month ago

    As a local in Sierra Madre, so glad to have a banging brunch spot! Coffeecake is naughty delicious and eggs have dark yellow yolks!

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    10 days ago

    Food is delicious and the staff is amazing, friendly and made us feel welcomed! Had a great time both times we dined there!

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    2 months ago

    Love this cute little Italian place in Sierra Madre. Finally a great neighborhood place with great food and service!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Bess

    Do you have a happy hour?

    Hi Kim. We open at 5p Thursday - Sunday. We do not have a Happy Hour menu as of yet.

    Does Bess have gluten free options?

    Yes. We have many gluten free options all across our menu including our pastas, meatballs and desserts.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    W BAR by WHF - Cheers friends.

    W BAR by WHF

    4.6(17 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    There was a time when you could shop at Wing Hop Fung and pop in here to relax and have a glass of…read morewine & some nibbles. However, after the pandemic this space is now used for private events. I do believe that you can purchase a bottle of wine or liquor and enjoy it at the bar. I came here for a special champagne tasting featuring Cristal & Louis Roederer. I was impressed with the bar area. It's spacious with an outdoor patio, and there is a huge wine cellar. The staff were all fantastic and made me feel welcomed and told me to save the date for their Holiday Party. Louis Roederer is one of the leading champagne houses, so I was excited for this tasting. Champagne specialist Naureen Lyon described each vintage. The selections were: Roederer Estate Clark Road Single Vineyard 2020, Louis Roederer Blanc de Blanc 2014, Louis Roederer Collection 242, Louis Roederer Brut Nature Rosé 2015, & Cristal 2015. Each one was exquisite, and I enjoyed them all! Attendees also received a discount on bottles purchased. *Ample parking in the lot.

    This is my favorite go to for all things wine...and booze for that matter. They have a serious wine…read morecollection here, whether you're looking for a two-buck-chuck or your high-end fancy schmancy stuff. The staff, Liz and Kang, are super friendly and knowledgeable. Don't hesitate to ask for help. They helped me find a beer that was almost impossible to find, and even ordered me a case! Talk about service! One last really good thing about W Bar...if you want food from EMC, you can have the food walked over to you at the bar. Good food, amazing wine...who could ask for more?!

    Photos
    W BAR by WHF - Special Champagne tasting event.

    Special Champagne tasting event.

    W BAR by WHF - Great space for private events.

    Great space for private events.

    W BAR by WHF - Roederer Estate Clark Road Single Vineyard 2020.

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    Roederer Estate Clark Road Single Vineyard 2020.

    Knight Cap - Garlic fries - YUM!!

    Knight Cap

    4.6(156 reviews)
    3.2 mi

    Hands down, the best thing on the menu has to be the buffalo fries. I ordered them with both meats,…read moreal pastor and asada, and they were amazing. The bowl was very filling with all the fries and meat, and the toppings and sauce were a great combo. I would definitely go back just for that. The chips and salsa were also good. The salsa had just the right amount of mild heat with a fresh taste. The beer battered avocado tacos were decent, but in hindsight we should have gone with a protein style taco instead. With the deep fried avocado, it was a bit overpowering, and I noticed a slight aftertaste. It was a little disappointing that the horchata tasted watered down and more like a powdered mix rather than freshly made, but we understand that is not the main attraction. The environment is more for those who enjoy the bar life, so it can get pretty noisy. The food was good, just not our style.

    Food: A-. Super glad I only ordered the rice and beans because it was the perfect amount. L-O-V-E…read morethat they have a special menu for Sunday brunch. Service: B. Really attentive at the beginning maybe died off a bit when I changed from alcohol to water. They were really flexible with me changing my order last minute without any complaints which I appreciate. Ambiance: A-. Started off calmer with rad music from the 90's R & B sounds then the football crowd filed in more and more as they woke up. This livened the bar up 10 fold and it was a blast. It helped that there was crazy endings to the Rams @ Eagles game.

    Photos
    Knight Cap - You can watch them cooking up your tacos!

    You can watch them cooking up your tacos!

    Knight Cap - Shrimp Ceviche Tostada (happy hour menu) - sooo fresh and so good!!

    Shrimp Ceviche Tostada (happy hour menu) - sooo fresh and so good!!

    Knight Cap - Blueberry Lemon Drop, Cadillac Margarita and a cucumber margarita

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    Blueberry Lemon Drop, Cadillac Margarita and a cucumber margarita

    Bess - wine_bars - Updated May 2026

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