Bella’s Bistro

My wife and i had dinner there saturday evening and had a great experience the food was fabulous and the service was great they where very busy but managed to get are food in a timely manner we would highly recommend this restaurant the bolognese an short ribs were a ten we will be going back soon!!!

One of the best meals we have had in a long time. The meatball our daughter ordered was huge, and delicious. Our son’s chicken parm was perfect. We ordered the burratta caprese for an app and it was perfect. My chef husband ordered the roasted sea bass sandwich and said it was the best fish sandwich he’s ever had and I ordered the hog wing plate which was exactly what I wanted. Our waitress was attentive but gave us our space, which we like. Overall we had a great meal and will be back again soon. Thanks!

Wow… Amazing and as soon as we took our first bite, we already couldn’t wait to go back! Delicious pizza loaded with flavor, great sizes, too. Fun atmosphere, too! Can’t wait to go back for the al fresco dining!

This is the hands-​down best restaurant in the Quiet Corner of Connecticut. They treat you like family, even better! I have been going here with my family for years and years and the creativity of Allen, the Italian-​trained Master Chef never disappoints. Co-​owner Carolyn is as friendly as can be and the staff is always so happy to see their guests.

I stopped here after lunch by myself. Service was great, and Putnam is one of those cute little picturesque NE towns that immediately gives every restaurant a quaint feel.
Iced tea was some of the best I’ve ever had. I got the sea bass sandwich, which was just epic as far as freshness and flavor. Nice fresh, soft ciabatta bread with roasted sea bass, proccuito, tomato, mozarella and basil, finished with balsamic mayo. Wow, what an explosion of fresh flavor, and the fish was cooked perfectly.
Then…THE FRIES. Rosemary parmesan fries should be served everywhere. They were delicious, fried crisp and the perfect companion to my sandwich.
Go here if you are in Putnam.

You should make a reservation before you go because it can get packed. Even though it was packed we were seated within 5 minutes. The downside was that we were seated right next to the kitchen and it was noisy (we should’ve waited for another table). However, our waitress was attentive and the food was great. I recommend the pizzas because they are enough for 2 – 3 people. I loved the downtown location and there is an outdoor seating area. This is a great place to bring a group of people out to eat. I will be returning !

A lot of negatives, little else.
Very noisy and unpleasant dining room. Inattentive wait staff, boisterous annoying kitchen.

We waited 30 minutes to place entrée order, another 40 minutes to receive it.
Calamari was bland. Rosemary bread was very good. Surf & Turf filet was very good, but there was only a hint of ‘surf’ — a few small pieces of shrimp and lobster, the accompanying ravioli was thick dough and mostly tasteless. The Zuppa (someone’s idea of Cioppino??) was terrible. 90% clams and mussels, two scallops, two shrimp and a small fish fillet. Both entrées were expensive.
As a dinner restaurant, Bella’s Bistro is a place to avoid. Their pizza’s (at nearby tables) looked pretty good, so maybe if you need a pizza in Putnam, CT its OK for that.

I randomly picked this place off the route 395 exit because my girlfriend and I were hungry. We sat down and weren’t approached for the next ten minutes, while I then realized the spaghetti and meatballs were $ 18. Then it clicked that the entire limited menu was double what I would ever pay. Then I left… The End.

My boyfriend’s birthday was just over a month ago. We go out to eat often, so when I asked him where he’d like to eat for his birthday, he mentioned Bella’s, where we had not eaten together. I had been a few times before. I called and made a 7:00 reservation for the Friday night right before his birthday. We arrived at about five minutes to and we’re not seated until 7:25.
The food at Bella’s is good. I have never had a bad meal there. However, I find the menu to be too creative. I understand the desire to differentiate from other Italian restaurants, but with half of their dishes, I just wasn’t sure what I would get.
When Bella’s first opened, I liked it a lot, and swore that it would be a place I visited regularly. However, for me it has lost the charms it once had.

Actually not bad. I have very low expectations of restaurants in towns where there are more antique stores than actual residents. But we were pleasantly surprised by a delicious Italian-​style bistro right by the main parking lot.
I had a spaghetti with meatballs (what can I say, I have the brain and a tummy of an eight-​year old) and my partner had the soup and sandwich combo. Both were perfectly sized and priced for lunch and quite good to boot. The soup was on the salty side but not nearly as salt-​laden as many other places.
Three small negatives:
* What’s with the constant Italian opera in the background? I know that they are going for an Italian vibe, but it made me feel like I was stuck in a never-​ending Goodfella’s episode.
* Sitting down, I brushed against Christmas lights (in April) that caused one of their signs to fall down on me. No permanent damage to me (although I did have a bump on my head for the next few days, I don’t know about the signs). Except for the waitress (who was nice but not very attentive), the managers didn’t seem to care about this.
* The bathroom is located in the mall next door so it takes some navigating to go there. Best to go before you eat.
Otherwise, it’s an A-​OK place. Good food, good prices.

Great food, but slow terrible service.
Try this place out, but order it to go. We’ve been a few times and have always been happy with the food. However, the only time we had decent service was when they were dead slow.
So if there’s a crowd, expect to be waiting a long time for everything. From waiting for your server to waiting for your check.
Shame. The food really is pretty good. But when you’re so frustrated from waiting by the time you actually get the food, what’s the point?

Very good food! There were four of us & we all loved our apps & meals. We all shared the antipasto which was beautiful as well as delicious. We also had the calamari & rice balls — both perfect. All entrees were cooked perfectly & wonderful. I had the veal & peas which was served with risotto — I would recommend. Everyone else had steaks & loved them. We will be back.

The calamari was good and the fowl dish with cherries was also yummy. I also ordered a lemon drop martini, which was delicious.

Very good food
I got soup and a sandwich for 10 bucks
Good service
Clean
Nice place

We had a great dinner last night.
My husband had the special I asked for a healthy version of the salmon and vegetables and they were very accommodating Everything was fresh and delicious. There was also a great singer Lori for pleasant background music. Can’t wait to go back. Highly recommend

Had a very good lunch here
Spaghetti and meatball
Very good… Gods and generous wine pour
Décor is warm, cozy
Waiter was very good
Looking forward to returning for dinner

Going down hill fast! Another place getting worse by the day; I’ve eaten here countless times; started out as a super place;
now instead of flavoring their food, they have taken the task of serving you salt with what ever you have ordered; every main course has salt as the main ingredient;
The latest shabby sheik item now promulgated at this establishment is serving you water in small mason jars; I should of asked the waitress if the cover was available;
Something has changed with the calamari, it has become flavorless and gummy.
I prefer to eat outside but no tables were available tonight, so inside we went; I am so over the open kitchen concept; upon leaving tonight, my entire body smelled like burned toast and grease;
I suppose if you can charge 20 – 30 a plate people think it is okay to get burned sweet potato skins; they keep coming in.
What’s not to love: an over priced, noisy, super salty food establishment and with a bonus of getting to take some home with you in the form of your skin smelling like grease!

The food here was awesome! The service was slow, but I don’t even care — that’s how good the food was. My husband had the mussels appetizer and it was super fresh and tasty. I had the soup and sandwich. A homemade tomato bisque– like soup with a veggie sandwich stuffed with grilled Bella’s, zucchini, onions, goat cheese and pesto. Omg the bread is was on was so crusty but soft and fresh at the same time.
Outdoor seating was perfect. Loved it and wish we lived closer.

My friend and I stopped in for some authentic Italian food and, well, I’m canceling my trip to Italy!
I ordered a seafood plate called: «Martinez Caramelized Seafood» which had a variety of shellfish and calamari and all on top of spaghetti noodles… It was… Way beyond my expectations! I am always hoping for an experience like this but often am disappointed. I was blown away! It wasn’t good… It was great!
This restaurant has great ambiance and is located in the midst of the downtown Putnam area where there are several options for a complete day or night of fun. Outside they have tables which are shaded by real trees. Very nice. Bravo!

Bella’s is the best restaurant in Putnam, way better then 85 Main and The Courthouse. They have a pretty large menu but not one thing is overlooked, they pay special attention to detail on EVERY dish, not just the most expensive ones, this is, in my opinion an extremely important part of Italian cuisine and it’s nice to see people doing that. Everything is fresh and not much of it is frozen.
Food is delicious and the chefs he has cooking there are fantastic. It is small but the food is just as good downstairs and I think they’re remodeling to make it larger.
Quiet and formal upstairs, and downstairs the Martini bar is louder and more causal.
THIS PLACE IS THE BEST FOR LUNCH !! Go there for lunch !!
Of course I love that this place has a sign for gluten free and veggie heads, but the food there is to die for all tastebuds.
If you want to sit upstairs DEFINITELY make a reservation because they are usually packed.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND, BEST PLACE FOR DINNER IN NORTHEASTERN CORNER!