Bella ‘Mbriana

I really enjoy this place. I think it is a great addition to the Chase Park Neighborhood. I’ve been for dinner twice and for gelato /​coffee a few times. The gelato is really the best part of it all. The food is also really good. I gave 4 starts, and not 5, because I think sometimes the food is overpriced for what you get. BUT for some reason the gelato is $ 3 for a medium and you really cant beat those prices anywhere in Chicago! I will go back again and again since we live close by!

Great coffee and incredible gelato.

Great food! Had the beef stew and very tasty. Atmosphere is casual and bright. Wait staff terrific and friendly. Will come again.

Charming addition to the neighborhood.
I came by for lunch and had a great experience. I got the S&F Panini, which was really good. My wife and I also shared a piece of the lasagna, which we liked a lot.
I’ll have to go back for breakfast, they have a nice menu of coffee, pastries, and other stuff.
The interior is well designed, the walls are orange and it has a nice, relaxing vibe. Easy to get to, the 22 Bus stops right in front of the place, there’s a Divvy station across the street at Chase Park, and the Brown and Red Lines aren’t far. Also, Union Pacific North stops at Lawrence and Ravenswood. Very convenient location.
Oh yeah, the smell radiating from here is incredible. I imagine it’s tough to drop in for a cup of coffee and not order some food as well. Must be nice to live in the apartments above this place.

My son goes to daycare in this shopping center. I was exhausted from the week and couldn’t even deal with the thought of «whats for dinner?» I decided to take a peek at menu to see what they had to offer. Happy I did! Grabbed a couple paninis to go. My son inhaled his and I wish I had more. Delicious! Ingredients super fresh and they have a ton of choices. Can’t wait to try the salads!

Stop in to check out this great café. Had a delicious prosciutto sandwich for just 7 dollars! Great neighborhood addition

Good prices. Great service! Above and beyond. This review is too short, so bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb.

My wife and I came in on a weekend afternoon for quick sandwich while running errands with my son. The staff was very nice but we left generally unimpressed. We ordered two paninis, both came out after a long wait and looking like they hadn’t spent much time in the press. Can’t comment on either the coffee or gelato as they were having issues their steamer and there was no gelato in the freezer.

I’m not a family member or a friend of the owners and I must say that I LOVE this place! The food is delicious and fresh and contradictory to my first statement, they treat me like a friend or family member. Give this café a try and take my advice — ask for a suggestion of what to eat from an owner — you will get a traditional Italian dish that is utterly AMAZING! I can’t wait to try more!

A worthy successor to Cha’va Café. Similar vibe with a distinctive Italian flair. (Not to toot my own banana, but this monkey has been to Italy more than a few times.)
Having tried multiple soup and panini for lunches, the quality has always been high and reminiscent of authentic Italian Café fare.
Now, if they just introduced aperitivo – between here and the nearby Spacca Napoli, I could get my Italian fix anytime.

I’m pretty sure the people who write these reviews are friends and family of the owners because my experience was mediocre at best. Getting a waiter to talk to us was like pulling teeth. And any time he came by he was impatient with us, even after we asked what he recommends since we had never been there before. My fiancé ordered a coffee and when he brought it to the table we asked for cream and sugar, and were brought one of each. One cream, one sugar. I got up to find more and he looked at me, clearly looking for something but said nothing. We got paninis and they were fine but we already had a bad taste in our mouth. Initially I wanted gelato but we opted for gelato from Mariano’s freezer section just so we could get out of there. It’s a bummer because we live about a block away but we won’t be back.

I really missed Ch’ava after they left this space, and was so happy to see another café type operation pop up in it’s place. The décor is similar, but improved and the offerings are far expanded than what it’s predecessor offered. Coffee and pastries are great, so it’s back to being my #1 coffee place in the neighborhood.

Lovely Italian café with authentic food. Great customer service, yummy soup, eggplant and pound cake:)))

Delicious! My wife and I thought this was a coffee shop/​gelateria and it turns out it is that and so much more. We visited today for the first time and had dinner — antipasta, pasta, secondi, and dessert — and everything was delicious. The place has a cozy, family vibe (it is in fact family-​owned and –operated). They’re supposed to have their liquor license soon, but for now it is BYOB which is an added bonus in our book. Homemade pasta was fantastic, coffee was superb, homemade meatballs were excellent, service was very friendly. We weren’t in any hurry, so the pace of the meal was perfect for us. We also saw folks there for a coffee and snack working on their laptop, and this place seems to accommodate both our seated meal with full service and this counter service, «coffee shop» vibe perfectly at the same time. So great that this neighborhood now has a solid Italian restaurant!

Last Saturday evening, 10 of us were there for a birthday dinner. I met with Nick beforehand to schedule and plan the menu. A four course meal was arranged. Everyone raved about the quality and amount of food, as well as the congeniality of the owners and servers. The style of food and ambiance of the restaurant reminded one of the attendees of his 4 years lived in Italy. It was truly a fun, relaxing evening. No where else in Chicago could one get an authentic Italian meal for such a reasonable price.
This was my 4^th meal there. My friends and I will continue going back.

I’m very happy to have this family run restaurant down the block. My husband and I tried it for the first time this weekend and had a great meal. We went for dinner, and when we arrived there were two very large parties that had for the most taken over the space. We were happy to be able to still find a table for two and ordered a caprese salad, gnocchi, pasta dish, and dessert. Everything was very good — with emphasis on the gnocchi and sauces on the pasta. This is a family run place and everyone was very nice and wanted to make sure we were enjoying our meal. They still seem to be working out the kinks, but I’m sure in another few weeks they will have found their rhythm. I’m looking forward to going back soon and trying some new dishes.

Went to the café twice in the New Year. First for gelato, giraffa (Italian doughnut) and a latte. Wonderful, authentic and the coffee was amazingly smooth. The owner gave us a sample of an expresso drink that was also wonderful. We are from Seattle and loved the coffee!
We went back for sandwiches for our trip back to Seattle. I loved LOVED the caprese sandwich. So simple and fresh. My wife also loved her sandwich. Our kids loved the atmosphere and the gelato. All in all this place is a wonderful neighborhood café.

This is my favorite coffee shop, lunch spot and dinner date place. I absolutely love their dark and bold espresso on top of their HOMEMADE GELATO! I also love their homemade pizza bread. It makes for the perfect panino! I recommend trying the TONNO PANINO because the pesto is perfect. I also love the PARMIGIANA I never knew I liked eggplant until I tried this dish. Overall though I cannot stop coming in for the dinner selection. The pastas are incredible. My favorite is the GENOVESE! It is beefy, favorable, and the perfect meal for the snowy weather.

I was hesitant to come in because I didn’t understand the concept. Is this a coffee shop or an Italian restaurant? I bit the bullet and entered and I’m glad I did. Now I get it. It’s a laid back Italian concept café where couples eat plates of (delicious) pasta alongside people on laptops sipping cappuccino. Order at the counter and plates are delivered to your table. My gnocchi was piping hot and very flavorful. The finishing olive oil was to die for. Affordable enough to come in and have a panini and do work but can also see myself meeting friends here for a full Italian meal.

The best neapolitan caffe that I tried in Chicago. Wonderful atmosphera and the best italian food in Chicago. I ate «spaghetti allo scarpariello» and this was DELICIOUS. I’ll stop here any time I can!
Five stars arent enough!
I love this place!!!

Came here reluctantly after Café Chava closed as I know Eddie and Rich. Felt like cheating. But I have to say it isn’t a bad place.
I’ve been here twice and I’ve gotten a Panini and a latte. Both great. I had the Napoli and the Eggplant Parmigiana. Both of them great. I hop on my laptop and do some work.
The décor is nice they use the some of the same furniture as Chava but I like the new colors. It’s nice and welcoming. So far they’ve done a great job. Hope they keep up the great work.

I have been to Bella Mbriana a number of times now.
This is a great addition to the neighborhood and a substantial upgrade from Cha’va (In my opinion). The staff is very friendly, the food is outstanding, and reasonably priced.
I can see this place during very well… especially in the summer time with the combination of outdoor seating and homemade gelato — can’t beat that!

Easily five stars. Great staff, unhurried preparation which results in amazing presentation, coffee is wonderful, relaxing atmosphere. Best eggplant I’ve ever had.
But really, this place takes a focused concept and nails the hell out of it. I’ve never been to Italy, but I like to think I’ve experienced a bit of it here.

This place is a bit of a walk from my house, but it is definitely worth it. Friendly staff, delicious coffee (imported from Naples, Italy) and a great selection of food. The coffee is really fantastic. Seriously.

Great addition to the neighborhood; fast and friendly service. The Italian menu is pretty tasty too, and rises above your normal coffee shop style menu. Definitely will be one of my new go-​tos.

Everyone here has done a good job of describing the experience at Bella ‘Mbriana, so I’ll chime in briefly. It’s a simple place, with tables parallel to the front counter and a few more in the room to the side. If you knew Cha’va Café (the old business in this location), you’ll understand the layout. For the daytime hours, the concept is casual Italian, ordering food at the counter and eating at one of the tables. We haven’t been for dinner yet, but it appears the dinner service may be a little more formal, with a fixed price, multi-​course meal on the menu.
For our first visit, we had breakfast, consuming some delicious pastries (excellent Italian ‘donuts’ fried right before your eyes, a pastry similar to a brioche, and an amazing biscotto) along with even better coffee. The coffee is sourced from Italy (Caffe Moreno) and is excellent. Service was also outstanding. Highly recommended, and we look forward to going back to explore more of the menu.

Comfortable, clean, welcoming café across the street from Chase park. Great place to study, work, or get together with a friend for coffee and treats. Prices are reasonable. Kid-​friendly, free Wifi, and best of all, the owners are nice and treat you like family. A great addition to the neighborhood; outdoor seating in the summer with homemade gelato!

I just went back to try their non-​sandwich menu. I got the gnocchi alla genovese. It was even better than the sandwiches. Full rich flavor at a reasonable price. Again, this place is the real thing.

Cute café. Just opened, but a nice vibe. Friendly staff. Definitely a place to repeat.

My boyfriend and I came in late afternoon on a Sunday to give this place a try. We had a latte, a cappuccino (with almond milk) and two paninis.
Everything was outstanding. The sandwiches were delicious and not overly heavy. The menu had a lot of great food options.
The coffee products are great. We are a little high maintenance (I wanted mine iced and my boyfriend wanted almond milk) and they accommodated us with a smile.
The atmosphere was very clean and contemporary. The family who owns the store was super friendly and neighborly. We chatted with them for a while about their family, their inspiration and their food. I was super impressed and we will definitely be back.