Bellavitae

Like most of the reviewers, we loved this little place tucked in the little street Minetta Lane.
Loved all the little stuzzichinni (appetizers), fried meatballs, prosciutto was unreal, mozzarella flown in from Italy. Wonderful salads and pastas. Lovely, friendly Italian servers… so does anyone know why the closed?
Boo hoo.

Love this place. The food is terrific, always fresh and well prepared, and good for sharing family style if that’s how you roll. The service is always friendly and flexible. (For example, they always make me a half-​order of chicken liver crostini since the husband won’t eat his half.)
My only negative observation is that there’s something about the look of the place that’s a bit of a buzz kill. We sit in the back near the open kitchen, but the front part of the restaurant is dark, long, and narrow and a bit depressing for reasons I’ve never been able to articulate.

Thanks Unilocal,for this one.
Came with my lover for a late dinner after an off-​Broadway show. The soft lights and music were a welcome respite from the busy streets.
Attentive service and a decent wine list told me we were in the right place. The menu offered tasty, healthy and varied choices, with lots for vegetarians.
My favorites: Arugula salad with roasted pine nuts and shaved parmesan (very generous portion, enough to share). Spaghetti with gorgonzola. Warm spiced olives. But the very best dish was the grilled baby octopus — a crispy, salty mouth-​treat not to be missed!

The food at Bellavitae is quite tasty. My friend and I shared the prosciutto and fried ricotta balls. A perfect combination of creamy, salty and saltier. Being flown in from Italy that day, the ricotta was very fresh. And delicious.
Following recommendations from other reviews, I had the octopus, which was a wise choice. My friend had the pork with wild cherry preserves; another tasty and well prepared dish. I’d recommend both.
We finished our meal with cappuccinos and gelato. The gelato was awesome — creamy and very addictive.
We had so much fun enjoying our food– we were the last people to leave. Must go to this cute place hidden on Minetta.

We went on a Sunday evening at 6.15pm
Pro: very fresh, try the specials-​they are fresh
Con: not big servings-​prob appropriately sized. I’d compare the sizing of the pasta dishes to «Otto»

Meh. I was underwhelmed, becuase it was overpriced for what I got. The food was good, don’t get me wrong, but there are other places in the Village that are just as good, if not better, and cheaper. Like Po or Malatesta. That said, there are some pluses– big space, not packed in like most Manhattan restaurants, and the service was unobtrusive. The fried risotto, fusili with marinated zuchini and fried calamari were excellent, even if the pasta was a little undercooked. The cauliflower appetizer was oily and the fava bean ap a little bland. Wine list is short and overpriced for what they offered.

3.5 stars
I really liked eating here. Food is very good, space is very cute and service was friendly and prompt.
I had a couple of small issues, that were at least in part my fault, so its my review is probably not the usual experience that a more attentive diner would have.
Started out with a nice bread service and a nice quarter of wine The waiter described the apps~I asked for the WONDERFUL chicken liver crostini. It was delish. They also brought me out a little plate with some little Parmesan balls and, since it was so small, I thought it was a little amuse bouche or something. After reflecting later, I realized that the server had brought me an actual app meant for the table next to me! Now they didnt charge me, but I would have been not pleased to have paid an app price for that small plate. Totally not in the same league as the chicken liver pâté at all. Not exactly sure how to critique something I ate by accident, but there you go!
I then had a cheese plate, very well presented with a solid variety of cheeses and condiments. Liked it very much.
Now the second odd service issue was that I asked for the pear tart and got the panna cotta. Due to being terribly distracted, I spooned into it before I realized that I had the wrong dessert~and would have felt silly sending it back. It was perfectly good panna cotta, just not the pear tart I was looking forward to!
So, although the service was friend and prompt, and the food was really great for the most part, it was a bit of an interesting experience.
I should have been paying more attention, because I am sure had I realized I had the wrong things, they would have been quick to fix it.
I will definitely go back for the chick livers and cheese!

Had grilled octopus… yum– which from what I’m told is very hard to do right…
Really Great date spot.
SERVICE DESERVES 6 stars…
Parmesan and 15yr old balsamic is delish!
Must check it out.
So close to subways too.

I loved this space from the first second that I walked in! I loved the Tuscan rustic feel, the oven and more. As each dish came out, I was even more impressed. For appetizers, we had the Chicken Liver Crostinis (personally I’m not a fan but I can see that if you love the taste of chicken livers, you would love it as a spread) and the Gargonzola and Chestnut Honey Crostinis (yum). For a main, I had the Spaghetti with Pepperocini, Roe and olive oil — I loved every bite and my boyfriend had the tiny chicken. We shared Broccoli Rabe which was amazing. For dessert I had the vanilla gelato with Espresso and he had the Pana Cota cheesecake.
Our drinks were perfect as I enjoyed the Manhattan and my boyfriend loved the Gimlet. This is the perfect restaurant for a date, friends, birthdays and more. The staff was super friendly and a nice way to spend a Sat evening!

Yep, I have to concur with everyone else — get the balls.
My lovely girlfriend and I have a weekly date night in which we do lovely relationshipish things, so last night we went to Bellavitae to have some Italian food and casually discuss topics of the day.
We started off with the fried meatballs and the risotto balls and both were very good. I was more fond of the meatballs (although that’s like saying I’m more fond of getting $ 10MM than $ 9.9MM) and she the risotto balls, but again, both were great.
She had the spinach and ricotta ravioli with sage, which she thought was excellent, and I had the steak tagliata, which was very good but not excellent — flavorful, robust, but not quite a home run. Hard to pinpoint what could have pushed it over the top though.
Service was quite good, the drinks were quickly taken and received, and generally it was a pleasant evening for what I thought was a very fair price given the quality of food. Enjoy yo’ self.

The meatballs, the eggplant dish (straight out of the brick oven), the pastas and the grilled octopus are my FAVORITE dishes. Actually — I enjoy almost all of the dishes I order from this place, without fail. What I love about this place is that their dishes are extremely consistent — it makes you thinking that each dish is a «bellavite signature». They also have a fantastic wine list. You have to get the barolo — ask them to decant it for you and you’ll be in heaven!
The service is friendly, helpful and consistent, no matter who you talk to. The atmosphere is calm yet lively. And it’s NOT pretentious — two thumbs up. I’m really tired of pretentious NYC spots. *gag* I have no desire to sit pretty while eating my pasta — I want to DEVOUR deliciousness!

My main take away from this restaurant was the simplicity of the food. The plates we ordered (cheese, risotto, ravioli, octopus, swordfish) were all singularly exquisite, without extra ingrediants masking the brilliance of the main food itself.
This meal was lovely. 4 women (two discerning women and their two 20 something year old daughters) went out for a delish meal with great wine, where we wouldn’t be rushed. The service was intelligent and not distracting. The ambiance was reserved and warm. I just wanted to write this review to make the point that the chefs really let the simple ingredients shine, and I thank them for that. Our whole meal was fantastic and we’ll love to go back.

One of my favorite Italian restaurants in the city, espically in the Winter.
Ask for a seat at the ‘bar’ in the back where you can chat with the chef making your apps and dinner in the brick oven. Cozy, quaint, delicious. Great date place.

This restaurant took me about thirty minutes to find and let me be the first one to tell you it’s well worth the search. I walked in this place to be honest not expecting too much and was utterly blown away. The décor is rustic with a nice touch of class. Love the brick oven and the open kitchen. Major points. Small and comfy. Not overly crowded like the surrounding might lead you to believe. This part of Manhattan is not my favorite but love the fact that this place is off the beaten path.
I started with the prosciutto de parma with the fried bread is delish. For my entre I had the papedelle pasta witch was lovely. I’m pretty sure all the pasta made here is home made witch adds to the authenticity of this great restaurant. Their wine list is extensive with ton’s to choose from ranging from your super Tuscan all the way to some decent domestic that wont make your stomach turn when they bring you the bill. The wait staff is super attentive and informative. All they are not all up in your grill as some maybe, but also they do not neglect you. Perfect balance. Truly a great find, and seriously one of my favorite Italian places. No muss no fluff just down home delicious, and perfectly executed comfort Italian food.

Okay, they fly in the mozzarella from Italy people. And it’s seriously insane – both I and a friend were falling out of our chairs. So, so good.
The spaghetti cacio e pepe was good, but almost a bit too cheesy for me (something I didn’t know was possible) – a little less might actually have been better. The lamb ragu was highly praised though.
Wine list is also v. praised by friends in the know. Didn’t have wine, but the pomegranate martinis were delicious (though 3 on no food but coffee and sugar for the day was, umm, perhaps a bit over the top? *laugh*)
And the ricotta cheesecake was almost criminal, or at least deliciously sinful.

Location = awesome.
Food = tasty.
Fried meat balls = to die for.
Wine list = monstrous/​on the expensive side.
So why 4 stars? Well, first off, it’s very difficult to get a 5-​star rating out of me. I’m stubborn. Sue me (please wait until after I finish my degree though…).
Some little things annoyed me like the additional 15 minute wait to get to a table after our reservation time (and we even showed up a little early so they knew we were there). There was also quite the wait to get the check, but I will assume that was caused by the full house that our waiter was dealing with. Finally, the table we ended up waiting an extra 15 minutes for past our reservation time was actually in a back corner of the restaurant and when I saw it I wished we’d just taken the tables that were open at the front because we could at least see something besides a wall and a plastic-​covered window.
However, the fried meatballs were just amazingly good. I was not really in a wine mood by the time we got to this restaurant (mainly because I’d already had some earlier that day), but I did taste the glass my girlfriend had and it was quite good. Not amazing, but good.
The food, on the other hand, was simply fantastic and I ate everything on my plate (those that are familiar with my appetite of «eat many times but can’t eat that much at one time» are surprised whenever I do).
The lighting and the ambiance (what we could see of it anyway) are perfect for a romantic date, and the interior of the restaurant is nice and traditional and, well, Italian…

I absolutely love the location of this restaurant. It’s on a lovely, quiet street and away from the crowds. Their arancini (risotto balls) are to die for– I have them every time I go! Their fried risotto is also delicious. This is a great place to come with your friends to enjoy good food and good service.

3.5 stars really.
Went here on a Friday night to have an early dinner with friends. I was able to call that night and make a reservation, and they were definitely booked up.
While I’ve had some fantastic Italian food around town, this was the first time I felt that I was in a real Italian restaurant. Not because of the food, although the menu is more rustic and authentic. More because the décor was cute and felt like a neighborhood fave and the entire staff spoke Italian to each other. Not sure that I’ve ever noticed that before at some other Italian places… slowly finding more places like this one.

I’ve found my fav NY Italian restaurant — Bellavitae.
It’s on par with Babbo (my other fav) in terms of quality, but a more low-​key atmosphere (comparatively), and takes a different approach — a small-​plates/​tapas approach.
My friend and I were raving the entire time about the fresh quality of the ingredients — they don’t skimp on any of their ingredients, and it shows.
The meatball small plate was very meaty — without any overpowering seasonings, etc.
The cauliflower dish was also amazing.
And the fried risotto — going back for more!

There aren’t a ton of veggie options here, but it doesn’t matter because they’re all good. Each dish highlights a particular ingredient — a particular olive oil, a certain cheese — so if you’re a lover of Italian ingredients this is the place for you.
Get a pasta dish, share one or two small plates with a friend, finish up with a baked pear if they’re in season, and you’re good to go.