Bellini’s Café and Pizza

Great little place. Outside is no comparison to inside. This was a five star experience for a two star price. My lasagna was incredible. My friend is super picky about Alfredo and this place may be his new favorite. Can’t say enough about this place. Thank you Bellini’s.

Just had dinner at Bellini’s and it was excellent. It is a great neighborhood find. It is in a strip shopping area but ignore that and enter the restaurant. You will find great staff, the feel of an authentic Italian family owned restaurant like we’ve eaten in when in Italy, and very good food! The bread is outstanding. Great sauces on food. Big portions. Home made desserts. Great wait staff — very friendly. And reasonable prices. We will be back!

Family owned joint with the best fettuccini Alfredo I’ve found in Dallas. I live close so I usually get it to go, and they always pack a ton of homemade bread with it. They also drop in some olive oil with toasted garlic. Very consistent quality, this is my Italian go-​to.

Always great food. The bread is awesome as is the chicken parm. The décor is crazy 70s Italian chic

I really like the ambience and music at this place. It has a romantic feel. The dressing for the spinach salad was pretty good, but I loved the red sauce. It’s delicious. It’s great that they serve a large piece or two of very soft warm bread. Blackened shrimp were also good and not overcooked like at many places.

Great Italian food for a great price. Service is excellent too and the waiter recommended a great pasta dish as well.
The ambiance was also amazing for a restaurant that is in a strip mall.

Another great meal at Bellini’s Café‘ We stopped by on 1÷22÷16 around 6:30pm it was busy Friday night but the wait wasn’t too bad. We ordered the Lasagna and the Chicken Eggplant over Linguini. Everything was perfect. The exterior as many have noted is very unassuming but the food; the food is excellent. We’ll have to try dessert next time.

Sunday February 7 2016 @ 7:30 Pm the place is closed. According to Unilocal
they are supposed to be open until 10 PM
Was Bellinis closed because of the football game… not good!

Wonderful Italian restaurant, looks like a hole in the wall from the outside, but seems like you are in Italy (and I have been several times) on the inside! Great service and ambiance and the food was delicious and very reasonable compared to most restaurants in the area. Great place for a date, highly recommend and I will be back.
We were here on a Wednesday night and it was not busy, I read some of the previous reviews about bad service and did not experience that at all, food was fast and better than expected and our server was very knowledgable and led us to order the exact things we wanted.

I was on a business trip; the last 2 nights we had eaten Mexican. I was hungry, patience was running thin, and someone searched «Italian restaurants» on Google maps and found this place. Oy…
Let’s cover the obvious. Everyone is right about the exterior. I honestly didn’t think much of it either way considering the parking lot was very crowded. Investing in some lights outside would probably be a good idea. Upon first glance the restaurant isn’t what you’d think a ‘café and pizza’ place would look like inside. There is a bar immediately in front of you upon entering, and interesting interior decorating. Definitely a European vibe with the decorating, but a bit over the top with the roses lining the bar. A bit too overdone for me. Definitely something to ‘ooh and ahh’ though.
We were seated quickly, but the good service stops there. Although the bread and oil arrived quickly, nothing else went right from that point forward. It’s a good thing the bread was fresh and tasty, because it is all I nibbled on for a long time that evening.
I decided to order the spinach salad as my entrée and a caprese salad to start. Others at my table were ordering dinners that were accompanied by salads and I wanted to eat the caprese as they had their salads. I said to the waitress, «Can you bring out the caprese with their starter salads. We understand that one may be ready before the other, but if you could bring them out at once, that would be great.» Well this was for some reason, not easily understood by the waitress. My partner and I repeated what we were asking her to do. She finally walked away nodding, although I suspected this was going to be a very long night. It was.
The house salads came out with no caprese. Mind you I’m starving and my friends and partner have salads in front of them and they don’t want to be rude and start eating without me. I insisted they eat, but one needed black pepper, which took at least 10 minutes to arrive. When the black pepper arrived, I inquired as to why I still had not received my caprese salad (which was now 10 min late). The waitress looked at me with confusion. I said, «forget the salad, as the whole point in having it was to eat it with my friends, not with my meal.» The whole point of an appetizer is to eat it BEFORE your meal. She got a bit attitudy when I told her to cancel the caprese. She also confirmed, «So you don’t want the caprese?» NO! How hard is it to understand? You screwed up.
The meals finally arrived and low and behold, my spinach salad did not have walnuts or dressing on it. I wasn’t looking for things to make a fuss over, all I wanted was a decent meal after a full day of meetings. Yet what was I supposed to do? I inquired to the waitress as to where the walnuts and dressing were. How was I supposed to eat the salad with no dressing? She said the dressing is coming (why didn’t you tell me?). She brought the dressing and informed me that there were no walnuts. This I have a problem with. For a cafeteria-​ish salad that had minimal ingredients in the first place, cutting one out (one that is more filling, being a nut that is oil-​based), I was pissed. Nobody else ordered anything with walnuts? How come it was obvious to me that ingredients were missing, but when she picked up the salad from the kitchen, it wasn’t to her.
With all this fuss and commotion, I put my fork into the chicken (it was cold), and some of the salad flips toward me into my lap. Yes, the chicken was rubbery. I’m picky about chicken, but even if I wasn’t, this was bad. The texture was tough.
There was minimal cheese on the salad, so little in fact that I had to add parmesan cheese to it. I didn’t care for the dressing either. It had an ‘interesting’ (in a bad way) texture that made me think something else got mixed into it. The mushrooms didn’t go well with the salad-​they were just raw mushrooms, something I could have put on my salad in a cafeteria.
Overall, I was not happy at all. The waitress was frazzled, when I looked toward the kitchen, it continuously appeared that there was chaos back there, and the food was not good. I will not be back.
Note: Someone mentioned that the bar was empty. It was on this past Saturday night as well. Odd…
Someone else noted the Elvis walking around. I saw him, too, but he didn’t come to apologize to our table once despite the problems we encountered. The waitress is partially to blame for not informing him. Show some common courtesy and apologize for not having the ingredients to make a dish particularly when the dish comes out without any and the customer is left to eat it as is. Or at least offer a substitute ingredient.
Take a look at my salad pic from D’Italia’s. This is the type of salad I was hoping for. Unfortunately, a lot was left on the table, literally and figuratively.

My husband, 3 sons and I were driving around looking for a dinner spot. We happened to drive by Bellinis and decided to give it a try. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal. The bread with olive oil and garlic was delicious, the entrees were equally satisfying and we ended our meal with a decadent chocolate cake. The servers were very friendly and attentive. We are from California and have eaten at many Italian restaurants and this one did not disappoint.

The food is delicious, we had been there few times and always have a great waitress or waiter… BUT, the HOST/​MANAGER of this establishment is EXTREMELY RUDE, WITH ARROGANT ATTITUDE and NO CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS at all. We’d tried to talk to him about a situation, he had gotten mad at my husband and didn’t let my husband finishing talking and in a very Disrespectful manner walked away. We had already had a glass of wine and order our food, unfortunately we’d walked away without eating.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND this type of service at all.
Downtown Dallas has many, many other restaurants which the service is a lot better than this whole on a corner.

Sent by my concierge… they were very nice and gracious, however the food was average at best. I am biased since I have Italina experience. I was disappointed but if all else fails it is OK to go…

Please read carefully. This place only gets passing remarks because of its décor and bread. When it comes to the food, which is the most important factor for a restaurant, it needs major improvement.
Ambiance: 4.5 stars. As others have noted, the restaurant doesn’t look like much from the outside, but once you walk in, the décor and atmosphere are quaint and charming. The lighting, the paintings, the layout, everything about this place makes you feel like you’re in the middle of Italy. Very well done.
Food: Came here on NYE, and we were given a paper menu. The menu didn’t seem as extensive as what I read online, so I suspect this menu was for NYE only. As we waited for our food, we were brought out some fresh bread. The bread is served with a little bowl of olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, and garlic. The bread had some Italian seasoning on it, was crispy on the outside, and deliciously soft/​chewy on the inside. Along with the dipping oil, it was phenomenal.
So far so good… until we get to the entrées. I got the Chicken Parmesan and my girlfriend got the Lobster Ravioli. While well presented, the my dish disappointedly lacked in flavor. For me, a good chicken parm has a nice crust from being fried, but is still tender to be able to cut with a fork. While still tender, the dish lacked that crispiness I was craving. The sauce to me also lacked in flavor, and I thought it could have used more cheese. The vegetables it was served with just tasted like butter, so I couldn’t taste anything else. For the Lobster Ravioli, the raviolis didn’t have the flavor we normally look for, and the sauce was kind of runny. At other restaurants where we’ve had this dish, the sauce is usually thick, rich, and creamy. At Bellini’s, all 3 were missing
Value: Again, it looked like we got NYE menus, so I could not tell if these prices were standard, or if it was just for the night. Both of our dishes were $ 17.95. From what I read online, the dishes were normally $ 12.95, so $ 5 hike on the same dish seems kind of steep. That, combined with the fact that we were both disappointed with our dishes means we will more than likely not be back.

Me and some girlfriends from out of town met up on a Friday after market hall. Maybe we picked an evening when staff called in sick because the place was overwhelmed. We just weren’t impressed with food or service or cocktails. Full bar is misleading. Well, the bar was full of bottles but not knowledgeably tended, and the hopping busy host tried to fill in. We might try again and I really hope the place lives up to its potential.

Friends and neighbors… as a fellow Dallas-​an (or Dallas-​ite?) who has lived in almost all quadrants of our fair berg, there’s 2 places I claim for legitimate Italian: Sali’s in Garland for pizza by the slice, and Bellini’s for the authentic pasta and bread.
There’s no need to dilute this review by being wordy so I’ll sum up my first visit quickly. Lobster ravioli was bomb biggity thanks to the pink sauce and generous lobster serving stuffed in the shell. That sauce makes it. The girl ordered the penne which I finished since she got full due to the wonderful complimentary bread. Y’all. That penne. Magnifico. There’s so much more I’m ready to go back and try. I know because I’m always that creepy guy walking by your table checking out your plate. So I can attest, people go to Bellini’s for the pastas and moderate prices, which has become a rarity these days in Dallas. I’ll see y’all there!

Bellini’s is this inconspicuous hole in the wall that doesn’t seem to get as much traction as the fancier smancier places get. But it is DELIGHTFUL. It is a hidden gem that wouldn’t normally get your attention at first glance. However, once you step indoors, it’s a completely different story.
This is the ideal place for an intimate romantic meal. Dim lighting, cozy seats and currently adorable Christmas décor. Their menu isn’t obscenely excessive — there’s a set list of pastas, personal and group sized pizzas, appetizers, etc. There is also a pretty big wine list of course.
The service here is fantastic. As we sat down, fresh baked bread quickly came our way along with olive oil and balsamic oil — they also gave us a bowl of parmesan (not sure exactly why but I definitely abused it). We each got our own loaf which we all scarfed down and it was simple but very tasty. I ordered the stromboli and my friends all ordered pasta (unfortunately I can’t recall exactly what they all ordered because I was too enamored with my own dish).
The stromboli was FANTASTIC. It was delicious and a hefty portion. The interior of the stromboli mixed with cheese, fresh grilled veggies and pepperoni, ah, it was tasty! I couldn’t finish the dish and had to have my fellow diners help me out. Everyone else raved about their dishes.
This is an incredibly little place. I love how homey it feels. This would be a FANTASTIC place for dates (ahem, for any guys who come across this before going on a date with me).
I’ll definitely be back, date or not.

From the outside and location, we nearly turned around but once we got inside, it’s nicer than we expected. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not super fancy but it’s nicer… And a bit cheesy. There’s fake birds in the rafters and a fedora on some decorative wine bottles! I kind of felt like a cartoon mafia/​italian owned restaurant.
The food was about average. The bread is amazing! The entrées we had were just fine, not bad just nothing that stands out from the rest. That bread though, it makes it worth it!

Went with a co-​worker for lunch. A little higher priced for lunch, but the portion is big enough for left-​overs. The food is SO good. You can tell it is all handmade. Both me and my co-​worker loved what we ordered. Also the fresh bread they bring out is to die for. This place may not look it form the outside, but is really nice on the inside. And would be great for a romantic date night.

This is a great, friendly neighborhood Italian place. You can stop here (with no reservations required) and enjoy a quiet meal with a date. Or sit solo at the bar & get great service from Lorenzo, the Proprieter. All are treated as old friends. Tonight I asked for a vegetarian option & he whipped up a delicious selection of vegetables with a small side of pasta with marinara. After I asked for fruit; he hesitated then presented a beautiful fresh sliced apple dessert. Great place to unwind & enjoy friendly service & good food.

Rude waiters and food is worse. The bar must be good because they get business from somewhere.
I wanted to like it, someone enlighten me on what is good.

The best part was the live musician. We ate on a Friday night, the restaurant was crowded but we were sat quickly. The owner sat us and he was the only person to come by and check on us so he was our waiter by default.
The food was okay but extremely overpriced and considering we literally had no service it was disappointing.
The air conditioning was not effective and added to the experience.
The only enjoyable part was listening to the older gentleman musician who played continuously but he could sing! He had a synthesizer, flute, keyboard, saxophone and some kazoo handheld keyboard. Hits from the 90s like Sting and Steely Dan. If you closed your eyes you could think Sting was in the room serenading you and add the jazz flute to boot!
I would go back to sit at the bar and listen to the musician, we tipped him more than our «server».

Ate here Sunday evening around 8pm the place was pretty empty maybe 2 or three couples was inside. I sat outside and had the chicken Alfredo with broccoli. The food was ok not the best Alfredo I had but not the worst. I give it a 3 ½ stars. But for 15.00 for Alfredo it was just ok. But what I loved about the place is the atmosphere it’s very old like Italian style wine and champagne glasses. Really awesome for a date this would be very romantic. The waiter was great and nice he didn’t keep me waiting at all and the food came out quick. I will be returning just because I love chicken Alfredo I’m going to give them a chance to turn that 3 ½ stars to something better.

We stopped by Bellini’s on 5÷1÷15. The place is nothing to look at from the outside and the owner was patrolling the parking lot (to keep people from blocking the entry onto the parking lot) which we found odd yet amusing). Crab Cakes for an app were great. we also had a glass of wine each with salads. They «force» you to eat these huge delicious blocks of fresh bread and olive oil. For entrees we had the Veal Florentine and the Spaghetti with Sausage. Everything was perfect .Goes to show you really can’t judge a place from the outside.

The TWO or FOUR star ranks of food, service, and price point put this establishment at a collective average of three stars; yet no single factor is average. Each aspect of this restaurant becons your approval or hastens your scrutiny. If you write or read many restaurant reviews, you know when you find a restaurant like this… It’s just an average restaurant that people like to write a whole lot about. Nothing horrible, but nothing extraordinary.
It’s like this place was run by middle children. All of them.
Everyday moderate negatives: unappealing exterior, dark entryway, sometimes you smell bleach when you arrive, no one ever sits at their beautiful bar, the servers have few tables yet aren’t attentive.
Today’s moderate negatives: the Stromboli doesn’t have enough meat, meat portions are slightly small, the garlic tastes a little bitter (usually from being crushed instead of chopped), the dinner bread is more plain than the really good bread that we got right after we sat down, the dinner salad was limp, and the cream sauces aren’t creamy enough.
Everyday moderate positives: the bread and garlic-​herb oil is delicious, the presentation is somewhat fancy, the veal is savory and velvety, silverware and plates are plain yet elegant, everything tastes good, it’s open very late, the prices are mostly fair, it’s sensibly clean, and it’s going to be at least favorable to at least half of your dinner companions.
Today’s moderate positives: the two new guests I brought had much better (veal) dishes than mine (chicken), it was mostly a calm and quiet dinner with pleasant music playing, the other patrons were attractive and enjoying themselves, and the cooking aromas were noticeably adding to my experience.
This place is collectively average, but can’t fairly be called average. Always nice enough, but always a little off. To be a little more fair, and to be specific… this place is ALMOST slightly above average, most (if not all) of the time. Dining here becomes an intellectual exercise in breaking down vagueness, if you’re the kind of person who notices details.

Bellini’s is a magical little restaurant tucked away in Oak Lawn. It doesn’t look like much on the outside, but opening the doors is like walking into the secret wardrobe that transports you to Narnia. Because inside Bellini’s is nothing short of a Little Italy, from the décor, to the staff and to the food. As far as an authentic Italian experience goes, this is it.
When you first get inside, you immediately notice the décor. From the columns to the lighting and the paintings on the wall, it almost feels like you came just for the ambience. It’s almost like you’re there for a show. And in a way, you kind of are.
The staff are all very friendly and genuine. Our waittress in particular was especially crafty and joked with us all night long, (at one point we were actually questioning how the name «Bellini’s» was pronounced). And if the service was just the opening act, then the food carries you to the finish.
You open with some freshly baked bread and some oil and vinegar. I ordered the lobster ravioli which came with a very rich sauce that I ended up finishing with the leftover bread (I almost couldn’t walk out of the place). The filling was cooked well to a point where it was rich and full of flavor without being overbearing. I won’t say everything about the meal was perfect, but it satisfied a craving that Buca Di Beppo had failed to fulfill (but that’s a whole other story). All in all, I was thoroughly satisfied by the end.
If you’re looking for a great Italian place, I cannot recommend Bellini’s enough if you’re in the area. My biggest problem was the portion size, if you were to base it off the ravioli alone in my instance, but the sauce + bread combination was more than enough to say it was a great value.
— Twin Dragons

Fantastic quirky Italian restaurant. Friendly folks, great food.
The bread and oil and spices was fantastic.

Came here for lunch today with a coworker. The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming.
First thing you notice about this place is the décor. Everything has that gaudy Italian look to it and theres Italian music playing over the speakers. There was no way you could mistake this place for being something other than an Italian restaurant!
First you start off with bread and salad. They had the most amazing bread! It’s chewy with crispy and flaky edges. Definitely the best bread I’ve ever had!
I ordered the chicken Marsala. It was a tasty and flavorful dish. Chicken was cooked perfectly, but the dish could have had a better presentation. It just looked like mush on my plate. My friend ordered the chicken and eggplant and that was awesome too. I would probably order that the next time we come here. Overall, really tasty food!
When we were leaving, my waitress accidentally took away my plate while another server was getting me a box. It wasn’t a big deal, but they were so sweet and made me another plate to go. Great service!

I’ve been meaning to try out Bellini’s for quite some time, as I love love loveeee pasta and Italian food in general. From the outside, the place may seem like a dump or hole in the wall place, but boy was I wrong. When I walked in, it was very nice inside– really dim lighted place so the ambiance seemed more intimate.
It was like a monsoon outside in Dallas yesterday, so we just picked our food up and took it home. I had just the typical fettuccine alfredo with chicken. It was pretty good, not too too heavy for alfredo sauce, it was just perfect. The right amount of creaminess and cheesiness. The fettuccine was cooked perfect, not overly al dente, and not undercooked — just right! It was delicious, and the portion size was great! They didn’t skimp out on the chicken either like most pasta/​italian places do, so that was great. It was the perfect ratio of pasta to chicken :)!
My partner on the other hand just got something different — angel hair pasta with olive oil and garlic dressing; and instead of chicken or shrimp, he opted for meatballs. I thought that was an odd combination — but nope, it was delicious! His was great tasting, and the meatballs were seasoned so good, they were huge!
I really liked how even though we ordered our food for take out, we still got our own mini «loaf» of bread — with their olive oil mixed with garlic and herbs! Oh my, the oil infused with herbs and garlic was DELICIOUS! One of the best bread and oil combo’s ever.
I can’t wait to come back and try some of their other dishes! I really enjoyed this place, as the price wasn’t bad and the portion and quality of food was great.