Bella Vita Bistro

Always a wonderful place to go for special occasion or just a nice dinner out! The atmosphere is great, the service and food are always amazing! It's a bit pricey, but we'll be worth it and definitely one of Wichitas' hidden gems! 💎 Highly recommended and, of course, 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A must visit for all food lovers!

Bella Vita is such a great place to have a nice dinner. The area is on the outdated side. But don’t let that fool you! This place is nice and quaint inside. The service was phenomenal. From when you walk into the door, to the girl refilling your water, to the server being on top of it all night, this place exceeded expectations. The brioche was absolutely amazing. Try that as an appetizer and you won’t be disappointed. Food is definitely homemade and had a great home taste to it. Lasagna was great and made with a local white sauce. Reservations are recommended, so feel free to give them a call and get booked! Enjoy a great homemade Italian deal!

This is one of our favorite places in town. Authentic and excellent Italian food and reasonably priced. I normally insist on butter on my bread, but their specialty oil & balsamic vinegar is so amazing that we bought some to take home. Make a reservation in advance. You can't go wrong. Great espresso martinis too!

Decided to check this place out on our anniversary. We loved the warm, cozy feeling. The food was wonderful and the presentation shows how much the chef really loves cooking and preparing food. We have been there a couple of times and took our friends back the second time. Definitely a place to check out. We will be back.

Atmosphere is amazing! My havarti bake with tortellini was delicious definitely getting that again. Service was nice shout out to my server who helped me with all my questions! It’s a little on the pricier side but it’s worth every penny!!

Ordered lobster bisque, beef welington (medium rare), and lemoncello cake to go. Bisque had two or three huge chunks of lobster in it. Meat was a bit tough/stringy like it was cooked and frozen a few times. Beef welington was a little difficult to cut through with plastic to-go knife, but it was tender enough when chewing. Lemoncello cake was good. Person taking my phone order recommended it over the tiramisu. They also sent me home with a serving of bread with a substantial amount of cheese with two small to-go sauce containers with balsamic vinegrette and olive oil to dip the bread in.

During our first visit to the area we came across this wonderful place to eat! Every part of our meal was delicious and the owner was a delight! Would highly recommend this restaurant and will plan to visit again soon.

5 Stars (and a Rocket to Flavor Town) Strap in and secure your taste buds, because I'm about to launch you into the stratosphere with a review of Bella Vita Bistro, where culinary dreams do come true, especially if those dreams involve eating your way through a menu so delightful that you might start questioning your reality. Yeah, it's that good. First up, the appetizers. We dove into the sweet and sour calamari which, let me tell you, was like tasting the sea if the sea had a PhD in deliciousness. Then came the bacon-wrapped figs, and folks, these aren't your grandma's figs. No sir, these are figs that went to culinary school and graduated summa cum laude in flavor. Now, the main event. My wife had a leg of lamb resting on a bed of risotto like it owned the place—cooked to perfection, like the chef whispered sweet nothings to it while it roasted. As for me, I tried the beef Wellington for the first time. This wasn't just food; it was a masterpiece wrapped in pastry. It's the kind of dish where you take a bite and the heavens part, angels sing, and you realize every beef Wellington you haven't eaten here was just a sad, pastry-wrapped impostor. Let's not forget the soups and sweets. The French onion soup had more layers than a plot twist in a spy novel. And dessert? The tiramisu was so airy, it was practically floating, and my lemon birthday cake? Decorated with more flair than a Broadway show's opening night. And the service—oh, the service! Top-notch, unparalleled, could give a five-star hotel a run for its money. It was like every server graduated from the Harvard of hospitality. In conclusion, Bella Vita Bistro didn't just serve dinner, they served a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event that happened to take place on a plate. If you haven't been here, I only have one question: Why hate joy?

Food was AMAZING Staff was excellent starting with the hostess Ambience was a little less romantic than anticipated but still great!

A very quiet restaurant for a casual lunch. The owner was very friendly and greeted us as we entered. Our server was great: very friendly and efficient. The food itself deviated between really delicious and alright. Most of the food was well seasoned and cooked (the pizza, mozzarella sticks, and complimentary bread). I, personally, would skip the white wine ravioli. Nevertheless, I recommend stopping by.

Stopped here for a Saturday night meal while in town. We took an Uber over from our hotel and pulled up a few minutes before our reservation time. We were sat and placed our drink order. Our waitress was nice - she said it was her first night waiting tables without a trainer - but she was nice and attentive. We ordered bruschetta and fried curds as appetizers just to get a feel and have a backup plan if one wasn't as expected. Bruschetta was solid, the curds were as expected though the presentation was more brew pub than Italian restaurant. The bread and oil was good too - though it was a yeast overload with ordering bruschetta as well. I ordered the chicken parm which was very average. The pasta was cooked al dente but wasn't anything over the top to push this to an outstanding performance. We passed on dessert and settled up our debts. Good overall.

We ate here tonight. This has been one of our favs. We had to wait over 15 minutes for the server to even acknowledge we were there. However we had to wait an hour and 15 minutes for the food to be served. Absolutely terrible. When we received our order it was wrong! We voiced our concerns and were offered only to comp one glass of wine. It will be a long time IF we ever return. This place has gone way down hill

Nice place, but wow - I had zero time to digest. They were fast - which is nomrllay a good thing but holy cow I was eating one thing and the next thing came out. The servers were SO nice! I don't want to take away from that. Seems like a family owned business and they had their own thing going on which I also appreciate - I would say what I got was great but IMO it was not vodka sauce - it tasted like a cheesy bacon carbonara sauce to me - I am used to carrot based orange-y vodka sauce. Still was good, just not what I expected.

Everything tastes fresh and homemade. They serve their homemade bread with aged balsamic vinegar and olive oil which tastes amazing. I've had their pasta and pizza and both reminded me of our trip to Italy. Very authentic!

Went there for my husbands birthday and we all loved the food. I had the filet and my husband has the parmigiana chicken with fettuccine. Got the tiramisu to go and all were top notch! The severs were so nice and attentive.

Foot and people were pleasant . Being from out of state. It was a great place for Italian food

Just happened to find this restaurant on yelp as we were driving through Kansas and I'm so glad we did. After a long day on the road we just wanted a quiet place with good food and wine and we found it here. We were greeted warmly right when we walked in and seated right away. Our server Steve was friendly and attentive the entire time we were there. In fact, all of the staff were friendly and attentive. Our glasses were always full and anything we needed was gotten quickly. We started with the garlic knot bruschetta which was delicious but honestly the complimentary house bread and oil and balsamic dipping sauce was really good. We both had the special which was the 5oz fillet with asparagus and mashed potatoes. The fillet was cooked perfectly and the black truffle demiglace was delicious. We finished the meal with the chocolate mousse cake and it was divine. We aren't big cake people but the cake to mousse ratio was perfect. We enjoyed all of this with a nice bottle of Chianti. If are are ever back in the area we will definitely be back!

This place is my favorite restaurant in Wichita. It's a great family owned place with charming ambiance and super delicious Italian food. It's the perfect Italian restaurant in the Midwest.

Food was absolutely amazing. Very romantic dimly lit place. My boyfriend took me here for a date and we were both very happy with the food, service, and ambiance. I got the crab Alfredo and he got the chicken tortellini and both very amazing. Also their homemade bread and dipping oil is A+. We will definitely be back.

Amazing food and classy atmosphere. Great for anniversary, birthdays and special occasions.

Those five star reviews are justified! Located at the end of a strip of mall, this quaint little family run business has been serving amazing Italian food for the last 14 years. I was visiting Wichita & decided to try it. The food: All guests are treated to freshly baked bread with olive oil, seasoned balsamic vinegar, and freshly ground Parmesan Reggiano cheese. The soup du jour was a smoked Gouda bisque. It was even better than I expected. And I expected a lot. A complex marriage of flavors were met perfect seasoning and served at the perfect temperature. I chose the chicken piccata for my entrée, and was equally delighted. An extremely tender chicken breast was graced with a smooth sauce, filled with subtle but complex levels of flavors. A few capers and a couple pieces of fresh artichoke hearts topped the chicken. I also thought the pasta had an extremely good flavor. Of course, it was served at the right temp and cooked perfectly, but the flavor was just really good. I respect places that only offer what they can do well. This is one of those places - the menu is not huge. But in the hands of their skilled and capable chef, I suspect everything offered is delicious. The service... I think servers fall into 4 categories: 1. Those who view it as a job, and may generally try to do what the customer needs, but nothing more. 2, The well intentioned & competent person who usually tries but is either distracted & overwhelmed, but still manages to give guests a passable experience. 3. The norm. They do really good job. They are pretty well trained and they try to notice when their guests need something. They are pleasant and friendly. They strive to maintain eye contact, make a few menu recommendations, and check on their customers at least once during the meal to make sure everything is okay. Entrees may still arrive too soon and checks will still be left on the table halfway through the meal with the assurance that there is 'no rush.' 4. The "Steve's" Every once in a great while, one will come across a true professional. Usually found at restaurants with a $75+ a person prices, these people are the real deal. They are professionals. They are well trained, intuitive, devoted to excellence, and have a desire to serve their guests. These are the folks who manage to rise above whatever bad day they may have had and distractions there may be going on. They are well-versed in the culinary arts and experienced. They have an intuition that cannot be trained. They would never interrupt a conversation. They know when a customer needs something by merely making eye contact, and they pay attention to where the customer is his or her meal. Entrées would never be delivered before the first course is finished. Checks would never be put on the table until, at least, the very end of the meal. Guest are engaged in conversation. Recommendations are made. I should add that if they make a wine recommendation, the guest might do well to heed it. Overall, guests know they are in the hands of a true professional. Most of us relish and appreciate that expertise. I recommend this place without hesitation and look forward to returning next time I'm in Wichita.

Amazing food and a surprisingly awesome atmosphere! The service was fantastic and we really enjoyed having Anthony as our server. Super sweet hidden gem: 5 stars.

The food was just ok, the service was cool but the ambiance is in need of help. The main issue is how small the location is along with just ok food.

We felt welcome the minute we walked in the door. We did have reservations and were certainly glad we did, as the place is packed and now we know why. The booths have high backs which created a private, intimate setting. The lighting is dark which we did not mind. We started off with bruschetta and, stop. me. right. now. Amazing! The bread was soft and warm and there were plenty of toppings. It came with four slices which was perfect for our dinner party. One of our party ordered the french onion soup and I'm glad she did. My mouth was watering just hoping she would offer us a bite. Molto bene! The entees at the table were Spaghetti and Meatballs, and Penne Ala Vodka, one with shrimp. I would give a 4.5 star if I could--ONLY because my husband ordered Fettucini Alfredo and ended up with Penna Ala Vodka as well, but he was completely okay and delighted with the mistake. We were too full for dessert but will make room next time. I would suggest sharing so you can enjoy the full gammet.

Tucked away in the corner of a small strip mall....What an amazing little find! Wonderful ambience, great service, and food to die for. My friend and I were the first to order the Lobster Havarti dish. It was beyond delicious! I highly recommend it. Will be my go to for Italian any time I'm in Wichita!!

Wow, delicious is an understatement. Excellent service and the food "oh wow"! A must visit !!!!

Food was great, service not so much. Older gentleman waited on us and was subpar. Observed the rest of servers providing excellent service, so I think it was just this particular individual.

Fabulous new menu. Serve is top notch as always. Get here quick for some seasonal morels

Visited Bella Vita after reading the mixed reviews in Yelp. My husband and I just showed up not long after they opened one evening. We did not have reservations but I'm guessing that because it was early, we were accommodated. Within a half hour, though, customers kept filing in. By the time we left, the restaurant was quite busy. The service was quite good. Although we did realize in overhearing another waitress tell her table about the specials, our waiter never mentioned them. Oh, well, we did find things on the menu that we enjoyed. The portions are reasonable, food was delicious and the ambiance is very lovely. I loved that we were asked several times, how we were doing, food tasting good, if we needed anything, etc. Absolutely loved the bread with the oil and vinegar and parmesan cheese on the side. The cheese is an option, be sure to say yes to that. Pasta was cooked well. I had potatoes and green beans with my chicken Francese. This could have been more lemony for me. This was a first visit for us. Will definitely be back. May even be able to order one of the specials, next time.

The best little Italian restaurant in the Midwest! Family owned and operated, it's such a hidden gem.

Great service by Anthony. Lasagna and Scampi were both excellent dishes. Love the bread with fresh Parmesan. Well worth it

Great place to take your other half on a date. Great people, excellent food. A hidden gem in Wichita

Honestly it was okay. Felt like it was a little better than what I would get from Olive Garden, except prices were higher. Bread was the best part honestly. I don't think I would come again.

Good food, would like to see the prices lower .service was above average, did not care for questioning why I didn't order a alcohol drink,

Overall it was a ok dining experience. So many hiccups with service and organization. Took forever to get our drinks. Waiter came back twice to ask our drink order before finally getting our drinks. It was a party of two and we ordered the Calamari appetizer. Came out with almost a candy glaze Wasn't very tasty, more bready than anything. Wasn't appealing hence no picture. For the main course, I ordered the ANGEL HAIR AGLIO E OLIO with veal. It came out with chicken instead. The other person in our party ordered the Prime Rib Wellington, which came out at the wrong temperature. Their after dinner drink selection is not very extensive and very limited.

Delicious Food, Great Service and a wonderful atmosphere. A hidden gem! Don't let the strip mall location fool you. Amazing!

The gentleman serving us was amazing and attentive. The bruschetta was out of this world and worth the drive for sure. The restaurant looked like a quaint Italian restaurant.

After seeing good reviews we stopped in for dinner on a Friday night. We didn't have a reservation, but they got us right in. We took a bit to decide what to order, but the service was slow. Our meal took quite a while to arrive (longer than some tables around us that ordered after us), which surprised us because they didn't appear busy. We got the tortellini with a side salad, and the crab crusted seabass. The salad was overdressed and the tortellini was over cooked. The crab tasted great but the seabass was pretty bland. After declining dessert it took a while to get our check, and while waiting our entire table was bussed. The overall experience was subpar compared to the price.

Wish Yelp had a review for UNLIMITED STARS! Sooo good; every aspect! The service was prompt but not over bearing. The food was delicious and good serving sized. Everything was fresh and properly made! Save room for dessert. Thank me later. I did the lemonchello and he did the tiramisu. Pictured below.

Bella Vita Bistro--11/27/21 Case summary: An unassuming Italian/French inspired restaurant that would make for a perfect date night. Fairly relaxed and cozy and will make for a quiet evening out. Just make sure to call to make a reservation! Ambience 3.5/5 Food 4.5/5 Service 5/5 Overall 4/5 Ambience 3.5/5 Bella Vita Bistro is located in a strip mall with a dimly lit parking lot with a small sign above it. Once inside you have two main dining areas and a bar section off to the left. The décor is somewhat outdated with mirrors adorning most of the seated booths as well as a mini French curtains along the edges. The dining room itself is fairly dark and could use a bit of a modern update/twist. Food 4.5/5 We started out the evening with an order of the garlic calamari served with an herb sauce as well as a marinara sauce. The calamari itself was fairly light, not overly greasy with a slight chew to them. The dipping sauces were good, but otherwise unremarkable. This dish was good although at $10.95 I feel that the portion size could have been a bit more generous. Take into consideration this dish presented only the calamari rings and not the tentacles themselves. At the same time the appetizer was brought out, the table was given a complementary basket of bread accompanied by house made balsamic, freshly grated parmesan cheese and olive oil. The bread was fresh and hot out of the oven and served a perfect vessel for the next dish that came out. I also ordered the Tuscany onion soup which was divine. The soup was served piping hot and topped with melted cheese. Onions were sweet and that table bread made for a perfect dipping companion. Honestly, I don't know the difference between "Tuscany onion soup" and "French onion soup", but I would say if you enjoy the latter, get the former! Moving onto the entrée and for this evening I ordered the shrimp fettuccine alfredo. In summary, it was delicious. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and the Alfredo itself was excellent. It was rich, creamy and had the perfect amount of saltiness from the cheese roux. The noodles were perfectly al dente and hugged the sauce perfectly. If you asked me where to get the best fettuccine alfredo in town, I would say Bella Vita Bistro without hesitation. For dessert we ended with a triple layer chocolate cheesecake topped with a raspberry and house poured sugar tuile. Although from the photograph it appears dense, it was quite airy and had three distinct sections. The drizzle sauce was a combination of raspberry and eggnog which although good, kind of an odd pairing with the cheesecake. I would say if you have a thing for chocolate, this would be the route to go. Please note that Bella Vita Bistro often rotates their desserts on a weekly basis so your visit may serve different options. Service and Overall thoughts 4/5 Service during this outing was excellent. Anthony did an excellent job answering any questions we had about the menu, presented the specials appropriately and gave suggestions for accompanying wine pairings. He was quick to address any concerns and was just attentive enough to provide us with a relaxed dining experience. One caveat I want to make here is there is a distinguished looking gentleman that is also a server at Bella Vita Bistro. He has a bit of an odd humor and I once was lectured on the difference between "eating and dining". During a prior visit total time spent at the restaurant was 3 hours as there was a 1.5 hour span of time between appetizers and entrées. It was then another 20 or 25 minute interim between getting the check paid for and our party out the door. When I asked the waiter if there was some sort of hang up in the back of house that evening, he went into a spiel about the difference "eating and dining". It was quite odd to say the least. Overall Bella Vita Bistro isn't a modern Italian restaurant like Napoli or an elegant French restaurant like Georges, but it definitely has its place in Wichita. I would highly encourage giving it a try and of course keeping in mind the difference between "eating and dining".

Good food and decent service. I probably waited almost ten minutes before my waiter came to my table. (Monday. Corona virus. Not busy yet he seems to be the only wait staff. So I guess he is busy!) I ordered the filet mignon, which happened to be on special tonight so saved $10 I ordered the French onion soup sans bread... it was fabulous! I'm gluten free and my waiter was very cognizant of that fact and I'm grateful. My suggestions for improvement are the following: 1st, the cappuccino. My capp came in a cup bigger than my French onion soup. One mark of an Italian cappuccino is its size. Bigger is not better. 2nd, my waiter didn't introduce himself so I don't know who to give the credit to. 3rd, whatever wine he served me as my Cab, has turned / corked. I definitely would've told him ... had he asked "how's the wine?". Why four instead of five stars?!? The above plus I had to ask where's the restroom (by standing and seeking someone out). Once I paid my check, my waiter didn't look my way again. As an ex waitress (and a very good one) being ignored after paying does kinda bug me. Overall though, the service was really good between my waiter, the hostess and the bus girl. The food was really good except for the cappuccino and the cab, yet I'll be back!!!

Incredible food and service as always... My favorite is the bread and it is a French onion soup

Class in Italian dining. Service, meals, cleanliness High end in excellence!!

A hidden gem for sure. Great food with a nice atmosphere. Our waiter was exceptional and made good recommendations.

Food was à la cart. Prices were high for what you got. My husband got ravioli bolgnese. He said it was fair. The oil and vinegar served with bread was way too much vinegar. I've never had it served with so much vinegar. I had Sal Timbocca. Was explained as veal Marcela. It was so salty I couldn't eat it all. The green beans were good. I didnt complain while there because we were with a large group. The total came to $60.62. Went home hungry.

Best Italian in town. Service was awesome, dinner was even more amazing than we expected and the atmosphere was perfect.

Great! I had a house salad and the lasagna. The lasagna was great! The bread comes with oil and vinegar to dip in. It was very good! Service was great.

Ordered: Manhattan Chowder & Vodka Tortellini with Chicken House-made Olive Oil Balsamic Vinaigrette w/ fresh Parmesan Small charming and intimate restaurant with beautifully decorated walls. The dimly lit room creates a very relaxing and romantic atmosphere. Service was quick and my waitress Tylor was fantastic. Each dish provided a kaleidoscope of rich flavors that had me salivating all night. The chowder had a thickness to it, hearty and clean. The vinaigrette combo and bread were amazing, I could eat it all night. By recommendation, I had the tortellini and told Taylor to surprise me on the meat being grilled or fried. It was fried and I was not disappointed. Everything was delicious. This is definitely one of Wichita's best Italian restaurant and worth trying.

The food and service are fantastic me and my husband love the bruschetta. Its a great place for a first date.

Food was okay, service was meh, environment was really pretty and aesthetically pleasing. Would be a better review if our server didn't judge us for going to eat in our work clothes.

Outstanding service wonderful food, dependable service. Easy parking terrific menu and cozy ambiance

One of the few places me and my partner enjoy going to for a date. The ambiance is romantic, quaint, and elegant. The food is next level good and adequately priced. I highly recommend starting out your meal with one of their soups. The service is amazing as well! They are quick to refill bread and water and everyone on their staff has a passion for making your experience special.

OMG this place is awesome! Food, service and the lemoncello martini and lemoncello cake outstanding. Busy busy busy but they smile all the way they it! A Wichita gem!!!!

these people are a special kind of stupid! they mess up our order, have to remake it, and say, "since you didn't leave the restaurant, there was no mistake??? wtf!!! i have a delay in my supper, but no mistake huh??? spent many hundreds of dollars there!!!! never another dime f those a.. holes

Amazing food and staff. Highly recommend. My wife and I have been several times and have yet to be disappointed. The last time we ate there it was for work and they ensured we received amazing service even though we kept them late.

Good Italian food. Not the best Italian food in town but a great option. Old school vibes.

I really love the food, the service is fairly good. It's a great place to enjoy visiting with your group.