Caffe Bello

Yes, it looks indeed like Bello has closed for good. I am sad but not surprised. Every time I went in I asked «how’s business?» only to receive a less than positive reply. However they do have a larger sister Café on Montana, Spazio Café (
) — I think it’s around 16^th and Montana, and that one IS busy, so that’s good. Go give them a try; it’s the same quality drinks and the atmosphere is like you could find in a hip café in Italy or France.

***CLOSED***
Went by today and the place was cleared out and everything gone.

Terrible … The espresso they use is not a good quality! The sandwich was not fresh either … Old bread! Disappointed!

Like the coffee and the barista! Easy and hassle free café. Been a regular Sunday visitor since it opened. Their cookies are nice as well.

Love their hot chocolate — got the whiskey flavor but did not taste the whisky — it’s ok though cause I love the hot chocolate — it was not too sweet either just perfect. They have a hot chocolate booklet with categories of flavors — fruit flavors such as banana, crema with egg such as chocolate and pear cream, and aromatic flavor such as orange. Will be coming back for different flavors. Similar to Spazio Caffé.

It’s Sunday and their pastry case is totally empty!
The new foreign girl running the show on weekends is not very friendly…
Coffee is good but pricey, think I will drive to Coffee Bean where they are forced to be customer friendly and i know they have good bites to eat…
I support small businesses but really? drive me back to the chains…
— need more coffee

Service was okay, although barista was somewhat nice she was slow. I got a white chocolate latte wasn’t all that.

White chocolate latte, yum! I’ve been here twice, and both times, the woman (owner?) was really nice and patient. There’s a variety of lattes (and other coffee drinks) and a whole menu of teas, all of which she makes with friendliness and care. The café is intimate, quiet, and well-​kept, with several tables indoors and a few outdoors. If you check in on Unilocal,you can get an Italian hot chocolate for $ 2.50!

I wish the ambiance in this place was more cozy and had couches or something. The Italian hot chocolate which is discounted here with a Unilocal check in is AMAZING. It is so rich and flavorful. I got the citrus one which was delicious and subtle. They have 18 different flavors to choose from.
The service was very nice. They have free wifi and there is a corner table next to 4 different outlets which is enough for this small place. I think they serve limited amount of food. They seem to have a good selection of coffees and espressos as well.
I would come back to try more flavors of the hot chocolate and would definitely do work here but once again, it lacks a cute coffee shop ambiance and I wouldn’t stay here for more than 1 – 2 hours to work.
Additionally, there is no parking lot so it is just street metered parking

Walking in I was right away treated with a scowl. The woman behind the counter gave me a look like she wanted me out of the shop ASAP so she could go back to sleeping and tapping away at her laptop. Before you say anything about me being racist, we were white, she was white, and we are both clean cut, well dressed individuals if not wearing the most expensive clothes. Regardless, we were treated like transients. Knocking two stars off.
Second, coffee was fine. Didn’t try the espresso so I can’t judge the barista skils and I neglected to take a look at the type of equipment they were using. Friend got the green iced tea which was…
F-​cking China Mist tea, the same stuff you see at Panda Express. Fancy, real nice. They were even promoting this shit on the board like it was one of their specials. That’s enough to knock another star off.
The interior is quaint and small which is nice for a neighborhood gathering. It’s clean and bright. I’ll give it a star for that, and another because I haven’t tried the espresso or anything else.
Been to hundreds of coffee shops across the U.S. and this is one you don’t want to just drop by if you are not living in the neighborhood and regular and dressed in your most expensive 3^rd street bought duds.

This is a great place to kill time if all you need are WiFi and some mediocre food and coffee. The coffee here gets banged out quick but nothing fancy or precise like an artisanal coffee shop.

I’m giving this café 5 stars based on the supremely delicious customized espresso drink that was made with care exactly to my order (double espresso with a shot of chocolate and soy milk).
It was a real treat for me. I got it to-​go, so can’t express an opinion on what it is like to work or relax there, but I plan on going back.
If you like your coffee Euro-​style, try this place.

Love. This place is actually near one of the places I work and I decided to come here instead of Starbucks. What a cute surprise. It’s really small but is run by a single guy who’s extremely efficient, nice, and knows how to make good coffee drinks.
I got the Italian hot chocolate, which is one of the discounted items on Unilocal when you check in. I asked him how it was different from regular hot chocolate. Apparently regular is cocoa powder with water. Italian is real chocolate with whole milk. And boy do they taste different. I absolutely loved the hot chocolate. A must get. I also tried my friend’s caramel latte, which was amazing.
The place also has a small selection of pastries. I had the chocolate croissant which was delicious. Overall super impressed with this place. Definitely worth checking out.
I would do work here although I didn’t this time.

I was in the neighborhood, just looking for a café to stop and do a little bit of work before heading off to a late meeting. I consider myself an easy-​going person and it really takes a lot for me to dislike someone. I give this place one star for the awful service that Stephen C also talked about on 10/​20/​2013. The place has potential, but the blond Hungarian woman was very rude with absolutely no customer service.
Conclusion: Don’t come here.

I’m going to be frequenting this café a lot! I love the customer service and coffee, tea and hot chocolate selection. Also, easy parking and wifi and nice tables to get work done on :)
So many drinks caught my eye. Hazelnut flavored hot chocolate, almond flavored, coffee flavored, banana flavored. I literally stood at the counter asking the owner a million questions. Finally I chose the coffee flavored hot chocolate with soy milk.
Ohh it was soo good. Thick, chocolatey and creamy but not overly heavy. On a slightly cold Sunday morning it just hit the spot :)

Came here on a late Sunday afternoon.
Nice ambiance with breezy laid back vibe.
Too bad the service was awful.
Really put off by the manager (blond Hungarian lady) who was curt and unfriendly.
Besides her brisk demeanor, just because it was near closing she wouldn’t bother changing the tv station to watch the football game (30′ till closing). Then she quickly turned away this young family who parked and locked their bikes only to be told they closed down and weren’t serving anymore.
Definitely not coming back here again. First and last time. Too bad too — was hoping to support a local business. Back to Starbucks or Coffee Bean.
Oh they just turned down another couple just now who biked from Santa Monica.
Just lazy and/​or bad service. Fail.

Espresso is strong and the Italian owner knows how to make a good Americano.
Environment: This shop is right next to my apartment building, which makes it extra convenient. The shop is very small, maybe 4 tables inside along the wall, and about 5 tables outside (with umbrellas, which is nice). I believe there is free wifi, and the owner has a big screen always playing something, and lots of magazines for you to skim while you sip on your latte. The owner is a doll. Sometimes the cc machine doesn’t work and he’ll let me pay him next time.
Coffee/​Food: But besides convenience, this place has great espresso, you want coffee? you’re getting and Americano. I love knowing that the coffee I am drinking in the morning is freshly ground right out of the espresso machine as compared to a lonely lame coffee pot/​thermos. They will always make it exactly as you please, and will even warm milk to pour in your Americano if you’d like. I haven’t ate the food except for a baked good, but I know they have bagels, cookies, croissants, etc.

Iced Americano was A-​OK. The lady that ordered a latte looked delicious. …the latte that is.
Like I have mentioned in other reviews regarding caffeine, if you are not Starbucks I really like to see a wow factor and this place did not do it for me. Their store front on Unilocal was more impressive than the storefront in person, the worker inside was blah, their offerings were great, albeit generic.
I love when coffee shops have a personality, and this one was by no means boring, but not something I’d be eager to hang out with again.
The verdict? Give it a try, I think 3 stars is as low as I could rate this and I can see many people really liking and loving this place!
Cheers!

This is a nice café that locals visit if you’re looking for that kind of feel. The menus here were obviously made for use in Europe because prices have the euro designation it (which has been translated into dollars). They’d run out of my first two choices (iced black tea and fresh-​squeezed OJ), so I got the Orangina and pain au chocolate, which was flaky and delicious.
The lady behind the counter was nice enough, too. I came in on a Saturday afternoon and was pretty much the only one inside for the next few hours. They were playing songs from the 90’s and I only realized the irony of singing along to Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely near the end of the song. Regardless I think it’d be a nice place to study or work!

Came here looking for something warm to study with. Came across Caffe Bello with a check-​in offer for discount on the italian hot chocolate. They also have lots of other coffee and tea options as well as delicious pastries. The restaurant is posed for an Italian feel but the owner is actually Hungarian. But all that doesnt matter as long as has the yummies, as well as a great study atmosphere. Will be by again :)
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1 star — «will be telling everyone to stay away» bad
2 stars — it’s okay, i won’t return
3 stars — it’s okay, i’ll come back
4 stars — it’s pretty good, i’ll come by again!
5 stars — it’s really good, my go-​to places!