Bella’s Bakery & Bistro

What a fantastic place to enjoy a scenic and relaxing Sunday brunch! Great food, great service, reasonable prices, and an unbeatable view of the water from their patio. We had corned beef hash and Bella’s Famous French Toast and neither of us were disappointed. They have several types of coffee and we walked out with a pound to take home. I can’t wait to go back!

One of the many great shops in Clayton. They offered a wonderful breakfast menu and a specials menu. We sat out on the deck that overlooked the river. And if it was too chilly, there were small throw blankets/​shawls on the chairs. The wait staff were very friendly. Definitely recommend tourists to stop by.

Come for the view! We stopped here for brunch over Memorial Day weekend. The weather was perfect and made for great patio sitting.
The outdoor space is expansive and was busy — most of the tables were full since it was such a beautiful day, but there wasn’t a wait. There’s a covered area with about 10 tables (4 tops) and down the stairs there’s a larger open patio with several more tables shaded by a few trees. There’s a nice breeze coming off the river and they place blankets on the backs of the chairs in case you need to warm up. A nice touch!
I had the lemon ricotta French toast with a wild blueberry reduction. It was good, very filling. The wild blueberry reduction was a smidge runny as if they didn’t reduce it long enough to get a more syrupy texture and flavor. The lemon ricotta filling was light and delicious. That lemon zest upped the dish — such a nice rounded out citrus flavor.
You can order items a la carte, which is what my boyfriend did. Although, it all came on separate plates, which was unusual especially because his eggs came out last. They could have thrown it all on a plate together to ensure he got his meal as one and would have made for a nicer presentation.
My friends had the corned beef hash and the make-​your-​own omelet. The hash is a specialty and fan fave here. Worth getting it, especially since the corned beef is real/​homemade — tasted like braised short ribs and was topped with two runny yolk eggs, mmm! The omelet was American diner-​style: thin and the stuffing added to the middle versus mixed into the eggs and fluffier. My friend finished the whole thing. It comes with homemade cheddar bread (I stole a slice — delish!)
Water and coffee are self-​serve near the entrance. The water was filled with fresh lemons and limes. There was regular coffee and a couple flavored options too.
Don’t forget to grab a few baked goods on the way out! Their turnovers and muffins are wonderful. My bf was excited about the gluten free scones and brownies. Something for everyone here.

Live in Clayton went for lunch for the first time last weekend. Husband and I were there during the lunch rush, front of house is unorganized. No one seating people during the rush, people gathered around enterance not knowing if people where being seated or what. No sign stating seat yourself. Nothing. It was take a menu from the counter and seat wherever. As a person in the culinary industry this is poor front of house. Waitress were running around, with no seat rotation, and people sitting where ever some sections were filled others had just a 4 top.
Food was good, maybe not worth the 10 $ for a panini and side salad. Haven’t had any of there other food or bakery items.

Service was a little goofy. Food was delicious and quick for breakfast. I had the spinach, swiss, and mushroom quiche and was impressed by the superior quality of the mushrooms. I’d do it again but I won’t make the newbie mistake of not knowing to take a menu if I want to be seated. Made me feel like a dope when they said I needed one. How would I have known?

This place is ridiculous bad and every way, a bakery and they don’t know how to make a macchiato, please close the doors.
Customer service is very, very, very bad

One of the best places to eat in Clayton. Beautiful patio on the water with tasty cocktails, a nice beer selection, and some great sandwiches. The bakery and coffee are great — don’t skip the half moons. Clayton is really up and coming and this is a lovely addition.

Clayton is a small, rapidly gentrifying town along the St. Lawrence. Bella’s has a great view of the water, several elevations of outdoor dining. Fortunately we were in a covered section, as the weather soon turned on us. Overall atmosphere was really excellent.
The food was excellent, the Crab Cake BLT was outstanding, hot, lightly toasted exterior, lots and lots of crab meat, and the bacon added a wonderful flavor. The Chicken Panini was also very good, although very similar to other panini that I’ve had.
The service, however, was lacking throughout the experience. Hostess was polite enough, but distracted and didn’t seem to be paying much attention. When she told me the table was ready she immediately turned and walked away, without looking to see if we were all there. By the time I caught up with her to tell her we had a handicapped person with us, she was in the middle of the restaurant. She quickly found us another table, but I felt like I had to chase her down.
Our server was either «in the weeds» or just not very good – took him a while to arrive, took a while for drinks, took a while for food, and he didn’t check back after he dropped the food until we were done. A brief mention of dessert, and then here’s the check. Must have been ready to go home.
Overall, a nice experience, the food was worth the moderate pricing, hopefully the service was an aberration.

Simply put, lunch: yes, dinner: not so much if it’s the weekend. We went on a Thursday night
and our delightful server told us they only serve from the lunch menu on weeknights. We enjoyed a great meal, wonderful, friendly service and the killer view so much we came back for dinner Friday. Dinner menu was a disappointment and the service — while still good –was a little harried.

One word: Overrated. The one good thing about this place is the view. Food options are limited, and overpriced for what you get. And the service is mediocre. I was so excited about visiting this place with my husband but we left highly dissapointed.

People love this place, it’s always packed, but personally I’ve found it to be hit or miss. Their jet teas (frozen greenteas with fruit) are amazing. I crave them all summer long, and their lunch is great too. They have honey wheat bread that is absolutely incredible. But service is not always the best. The girls can be rude and not efficient (they don’t follow up with you) Counter service (takeout) is usually great, it’s dining in that’s the issue. They used to be across the street and that’s when it was my favorite. It was small and perfect every time. She’s gotten big and it is waterfront now which is great for all of us but some things unfortunately go unnoticed. And with it being peak season and the town so busy (there aren’t very many dining options in Clayton) people/​tables often slip through the cracks.

We enjoyed our first dinner on the back deck at Bella’s tonight, it was fabulous. We ordered crab cakes, flat iron steak, mushroom risotto and salmon with black rice. What a perfect night on in the St. Lawrence with great food and family.
Great staff and atmosphere too, a must for dining in Clayton — 5 stars all the way!!!

Very clean restaurant, great staff, exellent food. Nice view of the St. Lawrence River. The only reason for the 4 star rating was the girl at the bakery counter seemed like she needs to check her attitude.

This is the best place to eat in the area! Everything is fresh and based on premises! The lunches are delicious as are the dinners and baked goods! Wherever you’re staying in the thousand Islands be sure to check Bella’s out!

Right on the mighty st. Lawrence river is a quaint little restaurant that is a «must stop» if you find yourself in Clayton NY. Bella’s sits about 50 with views of the river. Great lunch varieties, prices and selections.

First time visiting Clayton, first day got take out muffins and macaroons, delicious. Returned next day for a late lunch. What a treat, sat on the warm enclosed porch overlooking the St Lawrence River, beautiful.
Staff very friendly, all smiles, especially the manager, wait staff well trained.
The Lobster Bisque was tasty, the Crab cake BLT was unique, generous size crab portion. The sides were nice. The bakery aroma was inviting, dragged us in from the street. Prices moderate, food quality and service were worth the cost. We will make a point to return again and again.

My Husband and I first time here. Great food, and even better service. Not to mention a beautiful patio in the rear of the café over looking the river. A must try, looking forward to coming back.
Food portions are generous.

Very Very good we had one of each Dinner Entrees and not one problem ! Staff was very nice Excellent place with a priceless view !!!

We decided to have one nice meal while we were up in the area and we settled on Bella’s — I say settled because we were having a hard time deciding what to eat, even though we were just walking around Clayton. (It’s a small place.)
First and foremost, the views are great and that’s what you’re paying for. The ambiance is quite nice. We came for dinner and it was really beautiful that night. The only thing I would suggest is possibly having back cushions for the chairs or getting the outdoor ones because otherwise the chairs are uncomfortable. They had ones on the seat portion but not for the back.
We started with drinks and their bread. The bread was good and my sangria, though tasty, was pretty full of ice and it made it difficult to drink. The server was on point and very knowledgeable. Upon reading the other reviews, I guess it’s hit or miss — that night, the servers appeared very knowledgeable and totally on the ball.
While we waited for our meals, the server even brought out a little sample of the soup. It was REALLY good. The meals were good — one was excellent and the other (chicken) I thought was just good. We followed up with dessert. The chocolate was too rich for me but the crème brûlée was REALLY delicious.
We had a very pleasant experience and if we were in the area again, we would return.

I’m teetering between 3 and 4 stars. I’m going with 3 because 3 stars = «A-​Ok» and that’s what our dining experience amounted to.
This is a nice little restaurant/​bakery type place with an EXCELLENT view of the river.
I think the service could’ve been better. It took awhile for anyone to notice we were seated.
We had lunch, and there was a nice selection of sandwiches, soups, and salads. All three of us had a sandwich, and they were good, but nothing extraordinary.
Overall, we weren’t disappointed, we loved the atmosphere and the view, the food was okay, and the service was a tad sluggish.