Bellini Bistro & Bar

My friend and I had lunch plans elsewhere but I suggested we go to Bellini Bistro & Bar. Unfortunately, Bellini was a crowning disappointment and quite the embarrassment as what appears to still be a business lunch venue-​in-​training. «Restaurant: Impossible» could very well use Bellini as one of their reality show case studies. I should have taken it as a sign when I arrived and there was only one other table occupied. Perhaps they were family members. I wasted my energy worrying that I was walking in without a reservation…
First, the frozen bread helped to set the stage of disaster. You know it’s frozen when it’s warm on the outside and crumbly on the inside. That is no sign of freshness. Not even the butter warmed up to it.
Then there was the waiter. He seemed terribly inexperienced. He couldn’t pronounce «monchong», the fish of the day. My friend ordered the eggplant parmesan sandwich with dipping sauce $ 12 and I ordered fresh fish of the day with marinara sauce and linguini $ 17. His dyslexia must have been in full swing, because he thought I ordered a fish sandwich while my friend had eggplant parmesan with a side of linguini. While friendly, he was really off, and the bill was wrong. What was shocking was that this guy was or is a regular at the owner’s other restaurant, Maile Thai. What explains why the guy is still employed: he’s the owner’s son.
The one star for this Review is for the scallop salad $ 22. Tasty scallop was sautéed with olive oil and garlic nestled atop mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, pickled vegetables and balsamic vinaigrette dressing, and the restaurant presplit it for me and my friend.
From there, the food went downhill… as in, alpine-​ski downhill.
The fish linguini I got was so smothered in sauce, the taste of the fish was completely masked. They need to know that sometimes, less is more. The sauce was actually bland. The sprinkled cheese was a cheap variety, definitely not the real deal.
My Italian dining companion couldn’t even touch her eggplant parmesan dish. It was over breaded, underfilled, mushy without a layer of sauce in the eggplant filling, with «dipping sauce» she described as «Ragu-​like». She was so disappointed, she was inclined to later prepare a proper eggplant parmesan dish just for the chef, to show him how it’s supposed to be done! The restaurant did take it back and didn’t charge us for it. But by then, my friend had lost so much confidence in the cooking and wait staff, she did not order a different dish as that may have prolonged her agony.
Now this isn’t the first time I’ve been here. Not even the second, or third. All those times the experiences were much more favorable, better service, the standard of quality much higher. Not quite five star then, but definitely not as bad as it was on this visit. I don’t know what happened, but it won’t be a place I’d recommend to a friend again.
Finally, before we left, we pointed out to one of the assistant managers, Lee, about our experience. We really wanted to provide some constructive feedback, and even considered returning again, but now, we don’t think so, because we thought at minimum as a goodwill gesture, they would have offered us a dessert, even if we declined it. That would have certainly sweetened things up a bit given the circumstances, but instead, they were perfectly content to allow our experience to end on a sour note.

We got there for a late lunch and were pleasantly surprised with the food, ambience and service.
I had a cup of minestroni with a seafood
salad, which were both beautifully seasoned.
My hubby had sausage and pasta which was excellent.
We were both so pleased that a return visit to Bellini’s is a must.

You know you’re in for a great and relaxing night when it begins with you letting the waiter (Eric, also known affectionately as Bubu) that the rest of your party is on the way and he replies with a «no worry sis, Hakuna Matata!» Lol…
This was my second go round to Bellini Bistro & Bar and just like my first visit, it doesn’t disappoint. Although the restaurant’s inside is trendy, my favorite is actually to sit outside on the sidewalk under the black umbrellas and bulb lights. While the street is fairly busy and while people walk past, you don’t really notice anything and it’s actually kinda fun to make conversation with the people looking over to see what you’re eating!
The drinks (many of them specially handcrafted by the owner) are delicious and enticing. Even for a light weight like me, it’s hard to have just one. If you don’t know what to have, just ask because the staff are knowledgeable without being pushy. Upon recommendation from Bubu, I had a Sage and «something» drink (sorry, it was so yummy, before I knew it, it was gone. poof)! My friend had their limoncello (she actually returned for another taste of this enticing cocktail… Yes please, she’ll have another).
If you visit, I recommend the ridiculously huge Pan Grilled Jumbo Shrimp or Scallops Salad. While I’m not a huge salad fan (when I have other choices, sorry I’m a carnivore at heart) but this salad would make me do a double take. You can choose from either the Jumbo Shrimp or the Scallops, OR they give you the chance to have both (BINGO)! Other favorites I recommend and enjoy are Bellini Sampler Platter to share (unless you’re like me and have a hard time sharing food)…The Fresh Clams Bellini (make sure you have your basket of extra bread ready to go with this)…The Polo Alla Aglio Soia (yum) & The Osso Bucco! (Ah heck, while you’re at it, you might as well eat your way through the whole menu because it’s seriously that good!)
While you’re there, make sure you get to meet Bellini’s owner, Maile. She’s not only incredibly versed in the restaurant business (she also is the proprietor of Maile’s Thai Bistro) but her effervescent personality makes you feel like you’ve known her for years. She makes everyone feel at home, Plus she’s extra Gorgeous! Oh, and ask for Eric too, he’ll have you cracking up all evening and feeling like family!
Two thumbs up to Bellini Bistro & Bar! I can’t wait to go back for round 3! DING! DING!

Best Bar and Bartenders anyone could ask for in the neighborhood. Can we saw skilled! Yes we can. Can we say friendly and attentive, Yep. It’s my new local happy hour hangout and then stay for dinner spot. High Five to my peeps

After reading reviews I was a little weary on how dinner would be but I was pleasantly surprised.
We came as a large group for a birthday and all of the staff was friendly and attentive. Even the manager came by multiple times to make sure things were going well during the dinner.
Food recommendations: Prosciutto wrapped melon was delicious! I am used to seeing Cantaloupe used and they had honey dew but it was the perfect sweet and salty combo.
Tomato caprese salad was fantastic! Fresh tasting and firm yellow and red tomatoes. Whatever they sprinkle on top makes it perfect!
The chicken saltimbocca was amazing!!! With extra !!! Chicken was moist on the inside and lightly crispy on the outside. They offer different pasta sides and I chose the fettuccini. They have some sort of sauce which is savory and perfect with the main dish!
Presently surprised with the overall food and staff. Will definitely recommend and come back again.

Bellini is located in the Ward Center, street-​level on Auahi Street, across of Nordstrom Rack and TJ Maxx. I really loved the trendy décor of this place! The ambience is casual, yet classy, a very beautiful place. I really loved the vibe of this place! Whether you are spending a night with that special someone or a group of friends, Bellini offers a nice, intimate setting. Bellini has a nice bar area if you are dining alone or having cocktails.
There are ample parking in the Ward
Center, either valet or self-​park. Bellini offers both indoor and outdoor seating with umbrellas.
The presentation of the dishes that were served to our group were artistically prepared and amazing. This place did not disappoint. The menu offers a nice selection of Italian delicacy. The oysters were to die for. They also offer a nice selection of spirits and cocktails for your drinking pleasure.
Special props to Janel, the manager, Dave, the head chef and Lee, our server!!! They were very welcoming and accommodating to our group. It was crowded when we arrived but they were very warm and inviting! Thank you for taking good care of us! We will definitely be back! If you are ever at the Ward Center, be sure to check out Bellini’s. :)

Went here for lunch on a Sunday. It was kind of empty at 12pm. Prices for appetizers and entrees ranged from $ 8 – 25. It was kind of pricey there but at least the food was good. The dinner menu looks delicious too, but quite pricey. We started with the steak tartar which was tasty. The sauce that went with the dish accompanied the steak nicely. The house bread is actually really good too. Came to us piping hot and soft. I ended up ordering the carbonara. It was a good sized plate. Nice and creamy like carbonara should be and a healthy serving of bacon. I couldn’t finish the whole thing and ended up packing the rest.
Service was pretty good. They were welcoming and nice. We sat quickly and got our drinks and food pretty quickly.
The ambiance was nice and upscale. It was a little warm in there since they had it open to the outside. But it was an overall muggy day to begin with. You can bring your dog there and eat in their outdoor seating.
It’s a nice quaint place that we might come back to.

Made a 430pm reservation for 4 this past Sunday. We arrived a little early due to a previous engagement finishing ahead of schedule. Hostess was welcoming & seated us promptly. It was a cool & breezy afternoon so the outdoor seating was nice.
Things to work on:
— Seating outside is kind of tight. Our backs felt like we were up against the person behind us.
— We were brought drinks & appetizers, at least 3 separate times, that belonged to the table next to us.
— We had to ask for utensils.
Good things:
— Everyone was pleasant
— All of us enjoyed our entrees
We all agreed that it was a nice place & would go back again.

I really wanted to love this place purely because of their ambiance (1 star)… firstly clean your menus they look worn, one star for the staff they were pleasant (1 star) how train them better, a server brought us the wrong food 4 times… the drinks were strong one was enough and the bread was fresh (1 star). Now on to dinner the portion sizes were great however my chicken saltimbocca needed salt and it was really something I could have made at home, it needed more prosciutto and spinach it just looked like a big piece of chicken breast fried with layered toppings, not impressed, pasta was cooked fine however it was bland. My friend had the scallop and shrimp scampi it was over salted. The bruschetta happy hour special $ 7 for 5 small pieces of bread with a few tomatoes on top, definitely not worth the $

So many mixed feelings about this place, but ultimately, «Meh. I’ve (DEFINITELY) experienced better.»
This past Saturday hubby and I were in search of a new dinner spot so I suggested we finally give Bellini a shot. I should probably stop suggesting dinner spots.
I want to point out that everyone (except for our waiter, Pedro) was very friendly here. The host, the bus boy, the woman who went around to tables to greet customers, the guy who saw us leaving and said «Aloha!» while throwing up a shaka… everyone was awesome. The one glaring problem here was our waiter, Pedro.
Pedro, Pedro, Pedro… Pedro single handedly drove this review down to two stars. He was rude and short with us from the moment we sat down. They weren’t busy and we were seated immediately, so I can’t even give him the benefit of the doubt that they were busy. I honestly debated asking for a new server, that’s how rude this guy was.
Now the food, I didn’t love my meal (chicken parmesan) but hubby thoroughly enjoyed his steak and commented that the bread was good. We both agreed that the appetizer of calamari was a bit chewy and my chicken parmesan was a bit bland.
As much as I wouldn’t go back here for food, I would’ve went back here for drinks and appetizers because the location is cute and they have outdoor seating. Thanks to Pedro, I will now be going back for neither. I was so turned off by his attitude toward us. I hope management takes a close look at his customer service skills because it’s a shame when you sit down for a nice evening with your husband and have to deal with a waiter who is so outwardly annoyed by your being there.

I was invited to dine here for my sisters bachelorette dinner. Bellini is located in the new and upcoming ward village district (near Ginza Sushi). There is ample parking in the structure and it’s a quick walk to the street where the restaurant is located.
Very strange that they do not have set hours of operation-​not even on their website.
We had reservations for a private dining room for 5 at 9pm on a Friday evening. When we arrived promptly at 9pm, we were asked to wait as they set up our table. We were notified that our table was ready and it was outdoor seating which is not what we reserved + it was very humid. The manager was called and apologized for the confusion as a party was given the private dining room. We were offered a corner table inside but had to wait 15 more minutes to be seated. So much for reservations.
The manager provided us complimentary cocktails for the trouble which was appreciated. Our server did an excellent job at explaining the menu and ensuring our drinks and bread were always filled. The bread was too doughy, like under cooked but it was warm which allowed the butter to melt on each slice. I would give it a ³⁄₅. I ordered the Vegetable pasta in garlic sauce with penne pasta. Our food arrived within a reasonable time and we dug in. I appreciated my dish though for $ 24 it was just okay. One of the people in my party ordered the oxtail which was stuck to the bone. The server kindly replaced her entrée and instead she opted for the veal which she said she enjoyed. The server noted that the «kitchen would close soon» around 10pm, so that may be their last call, though as I stated previously, they do not have set times.
The server brought my sister a complimentary bachelorette shot which was very generous of Bellini.
The restaurant seems to turn into a bar as people began getting rowdy and stood around the bar area which fronts their entrance. This surprised me as Bellini’s classy Italian theme doesn’t suit a bar but I guess this is their late night hour crowd (they may or may not provide food dishes at this time since the kitchen closes around 10pm?!)
Before we left, I ordered a Lilikoi Cheesecake to take home for my husband. He enjoyed the flavor but did not like the doughy (under cooked) crust as he described it. They may want to cook their food more throughly.

Although I heard mixed reviews about this place, I wanted to try it out for myself. The place itself is nice and good for a romantic date or just dinner with family or friends. The menu reminded me very much of Assagios. When we asked the waiter if they were associated to Assagios, it was almost as if we were insulting him. And no they are not affiliated. FYI Asaagios is one my fav Italian restaurants.
I could not get over our waiter’s awkward and nonchalant attitude. Every question we asked seemed very hard for him to answer. Not sure if he was new? Even if he was, he seemed to not care.
Food wise, wasn’t bad. Actually it was decent but for the price it seemed like you would expect something more. Like as in taste wise. My Pollo Allo Aglia Soia was pan fried chicken in garlic and olive oil. It was pretty tasty and I liked that I could order it with mixed veggies. Portions were very generous. The French bread I could not get enough of. I have a thing for bread!
The tiramisu we had for dessert was not the best I’ve had. Could of done without it. Overall, Bellini was okay. Might give it another chance to try it out again.

Service: Not very good, and it wasn’t like there were many people in the resturant. They just stood there talking to the bartender. NOT good.
Food: Presentation wise, it was great. Taste wise it was average to dissapointing, especially for the price.

*2.5 — 3 star rating*
Ever since I saw the sign that Bellini, a new restaurant, would be coming to Ward I was excited to see what it was all about. I didn’t want to go right when it opened so that it could work out its kinks, but I finally got to try it recently!
We arrived at around 4:45pm and were delighted to know that we were the first ones there; talk about exclusivity! We sat inside right by the window and as we perused the menu we were told that only the HH menu would be available and the regular menu would start at 6:00pm. I was a little bummed since I was eying some other apps on the regular menu, but we decided to go with the chicken meatball sliders, eggplant Milanese, and the mozzarella carrozza. $ 7 seems to be the magic number on this HH menu as all drinks except one are $ 7 and all the food except for the fries and a cup of soup are also $ 7.
When our food started to arrive our server also served us fresh hot bread with butter, as well as oil and balsamic vinegar. The mozzarella carrozza is basically mozz sticks… but who doesn’t like ooey gooey goodness. There were four to an order and they were really thick in size. The homemade marinara sauce that accompanied it was amazing! There were three chicken meatball sliders served on King’s Hawaiian sweetbread and marinara sauce served on the side. The eggplant Milanese came with three pieces and were breaded, fried, and served with a lemon wedge.
As I mentioned, I loved their homemade marinara sauce. It went well with everything! The chicken meatball sliders were my favorite, the only thing I wish was that there was a little more meatball. They halved the meatball so with only a total of 1.5 pieces total for three pieces of sweetbread for $ 7 I wish there was a bit more… especially since the meatball was awesome! My least favorite was the eggplant Milanese, but only because it was only served with a lemon wedge. We ended up asking for more of that delicious marinara to dip with it, but I think that dish was missing an element to pull it all together.
The one thing that kind of killed the ambiance (and can I just say, the ambiance is amazing as this restaurant is decorated beautifully) was that even though we had the entire restaurant to ourselves it was overshadowed by all the servers and bartender standing by the bar and just chatting away (loudly) about sports, their day, etc. It didn’t seem professional and when I was in the industry I remember we always had to be doing something (side work, cleaning… anything to keep busy). Even when we first entered the restaurant there was a server just sitting at the bar talking to the bartender. But, this was just a minor nuance in the big scheme of things.
I’m excited to go back and try their regular menu as some of their pastas and salads sound amazing!

Came here on a whim with a friend. We were looking for a place to grab some dinner before heading out, and stumbled upon Bellini Bistro & Bar. No reservations, but they gladly seated us outside in their patio area. The weather was nice that night, too, so we got real lucky.
Our waiter was very attentive, even the hostess came by to chit chat a little before heading back to the front. The entire staff was nice, actually. Ambience was nice, relaxed. Seems kind of romantic, if you were to bring a date here. Establishment was clean, which is always a good thing!
I ordered the pan seared scallops with steamed veggies — it was delicious! I love scallops, and they seared it just right that night. Entrees run around $ 20, plus or minus a few dollars, depending on what you order. Drinks run around $ 10. So I’d say it’s a bit pricey, but with the location, I guess it’s the norm.
Bellini is located at Ward Center, across from Nordstrom Rack. It’s in the same complex as Ginza Sushi, Crazy Shirts, and Agu Ramen. There is a lot of parking in the structure, and also valet service. But if you come at peak times, expect to park on the higher floors or spend some extra time looking for parking!
I’d come back here to try out their other menu items.
Enjoy!

Quaint little bistro near Ward theaters. We sat outside on a beautiful evening. Very friendly staff from the hostess to waiter. Great service throughout the meal. Food also very good. My fave was the Oxtail Ossu Bucco. Oxtail seasoned then simmered with onions, carrots and celery then slow cooked in seasoned tomatoes. The oxtail was tender and flavorful. The sauce complex with a a nice consistency. The steamed clams stood out with a very unique spicy broth of cayenne, white wine, paprika, butter white wine and mushrooms. The Pollo Alla Aglio Soia also stood out. Chicken thighs sautéed in garlic, olive oil and anchovies. The chicken cooked to a perfect crisp. The pasta cooked to a nice al dente with a mild garlic flavor.
They also have a small bar with a big screen tv.
Will definitely comeback.

F O O D /​D R I N K S:
This place serves Italian food in a bistro style/​setting. Hence the name lol. I thought both the food and drinks here were excellent, both in presentation and taste! The food was flavorful and the drinks were not skimpy (at least what I ordered). It is a bit pricey, but I didn’t feel cheated at all, esp since my meal was so good.
RECOMMENDED:
— Pollo Alla Piccata: So flavorful! You get a ton of chicken breast and a generous helping of pasta. You can choose between pasta, potatoes, or veggies to accompany the protein! I loved the chicken; it was crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. The sauce was indulgent but not too buttery, and the capers and lemon added that kick to balance out the butter-​y taste. If you do not like capers, do not get this dish. If you love capers, like myself, you have to try this at least once (or three times).
GRADE = A
A M B I A N C E:
So cute! I love the feel of this place. It is definitely perfect for a girls’ night out or a romantic date. It certainly has a bistro feel, and it does have a dash of fancy thrown in. The tablecloths are black, which add to the fancy factor. The décor is also a little darker on the inside, but the outside tables tend towards a more casual feel.
GRADE = A
S E R V I C E:
The service was pretty good! Nothing spectacular once we were seated, but our servers definitely took good care of us. I didn’t feel that anyone was particularly sweet (except for the greeter at the front door), but it’s okay.
GRADE = B+
RECOMMENDED? YES! I would totally recommend this for a brunch date with the girls or a girls night out. It’s also a really sweet place to take a date! :) So head on down; you won’t be disappointed.

I came here on 8÷21÷15 for happy hour with a bunch of friends. Happy Hour is from 3 to 6 PM where certain flavored bellinis and sangrias are $ 7 each. I had a peach Bellini and a blueberry Bellini during happy hour, both which were good but not too sweet. We were given fresh, hot bread which was awesome. For happy hour food, we shared prosciutto and melon, fried calamari, bruschetta (all $ 7 during happy hour) & fries ($ 5 during happy hour). I wanted to try the happy hour eggplant Milanese ($ 7) but were too many non-​eggplant eaters in our group (boo). The happy hour food was ok but wasn’t that memorable.
We opted to try some entrée items & ordered pork in honey whiskey sauce with mixed vegetables and traditional osso bucco. These entrées were much better than the happy hour items. The pork was tender & the whiskey sauce was perfect. We asked for the kitchen to slice the pork which they were nice enough to accommodate. The traditional osso bucco was tender, moist and flavorful & comes with your choice of of pasta, mixed vegetables or salad and we chose the pasta, which went well with the osso bucco.
Happy hour ends promptly at 6 PM so I tried a non-​happy hour cocktail called the frozen coconut Bellini ($ 14), which was pretty good but pricey at $ 14. Pay attention to the time that happy hour ends if your server doesn’t remind you because ours didn’t do a last call for happy hour.
Our group loves dessert and we shared Butterfinger cheesecake, pistachio gelato & pineapple sorbet. All desserts were yummy.
As others have mentioned, service needs some improvement. Some of the servers are friendly and helpful while others are not. Overall 3.5 stars.

I believe this restaurant recently opened. My friend and I were looking for a place to grab some lunch. Tango had a 25 minute wait and so we walked a bit and Bellini had opened tables. We were sat in a matter of minutes and given a menu. The restaurant had a nice and clean vibe to it. I noticed that it was spacious with a nice selection of liquor at the bar section.
A fresh loaf of bread was put at our table with some butter. I looked at the menu and selected a shrimp salad with lime vinaigrette while she opted for a Caesar. We were going to catch a flick so lunch was going to be light and fast. About 25 minutes later our waitress arrived with our food. Unfortunately, she must have misheard and ended up with two Caesars instead of one and a shrimp salad. It took another 5 – 10 minutes till she arrived with the correct order.
My salad was delicious. The colors on the plate were bright, invigorating, and aromatic. The lime vinaigrette was amazing, but I do wish there was more then three pieces of shrimp in my salad. I thoroughly enjoyed the flavors in my mouth.
I felt that service was slow and our water was never refilled. The restaurant was not packed nor busy. I’m not exactly sure why there was such a delay in getting the check as well? I might return to give it another try though

3^rd Star for Effort by Owner and Management
Service= With the exception of the Owner and Upper Management, the service was substandard and needs lots of work to correct the basic errors. Many waiters and bus people walking around doing nothing. One waiter grumbling to the bartender about management in front of guests (like me). We had to ask for forks, spoons, and the list goes on. Hopefully, they are working on fixing this.
Food= taste of almost all dishes were on the sweet side.
Ambiance and size= definitely bistro style; open air patio seating on Auahi. Inside seating available. I’m guessing around 24, not more than 30 seats indoor plus 5 bar seats and 10 seats in an area they refer to as their «private dining» area.
My meal:
Bellini Sampler appetizer was nothing more than deli items from the deli; nothing made in their kitchen.
Clams Casino appetizer was more on the sweet side; covered with garlic and sautéed in wine and butter.
Osso buco was my entrée with the bone marrow. Sadly, the marrow had a burnt taste and the meat was smothered in a sweet tomato purée type sauce,
Tri-​flavored sorbet= interesting enough, I had this exact dessert the night before at another restaurant. The only difference was Bellini’s presentation had fresh fruit.
Final thoughts: parking available, pricey for the quality and service but the jury is still out. While Bellini is the new kid on the block, Maile is not new to the restaurant business so hopefully, Bellini will improve with time