Bella Bistro — Restaurant in Ontario

My wife and I tried this place because we heard good things about it and we were not disappointed at all. We first visited this little bistro in September 2020 for dinner on a warm summer evening on the patio. We ordered the Calamari Friti and the Beet Salad for appetizers and they were both delicious! Freshly fried baby squids with the tentacles (meaning they did not just get store bought squid rings) perfectly crispy with the excess oil drained to not give it that greasy feeling after eating it and the lemon aioli sauce that went with it was fantastic. The beet salad was very fresh and my son that didn't like the earth taste of beets when we first gave it to him enjoyed the beets here. For our mains, we ordered the Carbonara and the Thai Coconut Chicken Red Curry. This has to be one of the top Carbonaras that I have had! They didn't just use bacon but actual pancetta like its supposed to (some places even use ham which is terrible) and they fried the pancetta to a nice crisp to release all that lovely flavor from it "chefs kiss". My wife had the Thai Coconut Chicken curry and it was probably one of the best Thai curries that I have had in Kingston proper. The flavors were much more authentic and although the chef did put his own twist on the dish, it kept the soul of the dish without Westernizing the dish too much. Rice was cooked to perfection and they used a nice fragrant Thai rice from what I could tell. To finish we shared a delicious Pana Cotta with berries, it was up to par but I would have liked to see the vanilla seeds in it. The service was fantastic, food presentation was amazing, decor is hard to judge as we ate on the patio.

UPDATE: We went back for a second round and ate in the dining room this time. We tried the Arancine Balls and they were alright (I am not a big fan of carbs inside of carbs but it was a good experience and they were tasty). For our mains we ordered the Steak Frites and the Slow Cooked Pork Ribs. They were good, I really enjoyed the ribs but the steak was a skirt steam and it was cooked to my desired wellness but it was a tough cut of meat (almost like a skirt steak) and the portion was small so I was a bit disappointed, the fries were great and complimented the meat well. We decided not to have dessert this time. I have yet to try their pizza but so far I have been very happy with...

What an absolute gem, hole in the wall, gotta try it of a Restaurant Bistro and Bar.

Friendly staff, Emma was our waitress and she helped us with our orders. She was friendly and fully dedicated to Bella Bistro's impeccable quality in service and food.

The fact that the restaurant also kept everyone working during COVID, proves the importance of keeping a great workers relationship and happiness with the business.

The food didn't take long to cook, started off with a nice B52 coffee, being an Italian special Bistro, coffee is very important and it was perfect.

Ordered porc shirt rib starter and a homemade bred plate with homemade butter. As well as a plate of eggplant salad. All was very fresh, hot and delicious.

As for the main course, I had the beef short rib with potatoes and a red sauce, melt in your mouth meats and the sauce was rich and a hint of sweet.

We've also ordered a quarter lemon chicken, that sits on potatoes and covered with a cheese base white sauce. All in all, an absolute pleasure of a soirée.

Be mindful, the plates and meals are no slouch either, large portions on the entrées and main course meals. We didn't have enough space left for cakes....and there's so many choices for desserts.

I would recommend Bella Bistro for everyone, would also recommend you'd need to reserve ahead to ensure your seating, it gets very busy.

Parking is fairly large, but be mindful that you'll lose some space during winter.

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Bellas has been our family go-to restaurant for the last 6yrs. Close by, reasonably priced and local food. The place our kids (4 &6) choose to go to on their birthdays. Our kids would enjoy a pizza or chicken fingers, train-watching and of course the highlight- a milkshake ... all for around $9. The last few times we have went they have specified that a milkshake will be an extra $8. The kids meal is supposed to come with milk(white or chocolate) their choice of meal and then ice cream. We have always got a milkshake instead. I understand that it takes time for someone to prepare these but i would think for a family restaurant this wouldnt be a big deal. When we were there this week my son wanted to substitute the reg fries for sweet potato fries. When we got our bill we were charged $9.50 for chicken fingers and fries + $3.50 for sweet potato fries and $8 for a milkshake. $21 for a 4 yr old! To top it off all of our food was undercooked, pizza crust was still soft. The service has always been mediocre, the staff never seem overly happy, but we always ended up enjoying ourselves. We are disappointed to say that we will not be returning. We will choose to drive a little further to another local restaurant such as Harpers where they can enjoy a milkshake , their choice of meal and ice cream for $7.50. Profitting off childrens meals just doesnt seem like the right...