J. Bella's Pizzeria — Restaurant in Kentucky

Life is short... eat more pizza.

This philosophy is incredibly sound - and it makes perfect sense to anyone who experiences J. Bella's Pizzeria. I had heard of this place from a couple of friends who stopped in after visiting Paducah for whatever reason. They ranted and raved, so when we noticed we were going to be passing through pretty close to dinner time, we made it a point to stop in.

The pizza is phenomenal. The crust has a flaky, buttery snap to it. Perfectly crispy without being burned as the case often seems to be at thin crust joints. The cheese was gooey and melty without leaving lakes of grease and shine across the pie. We ordered two - the pepperoni (the standard-bearer by which I judge and compare all pizza I have ever imbibed), which was exceptional. It seemed to have different kinds of pepperoni on it, and it was covered in the topping, but not in an over-indulging sense. I experienced no single bite that didn't include pepperoni. The other pizza we got was the "Kitchen Sink" - and it is justly named.

That pizza was topped with pepperoni, sausage, ham, banana peppers, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and both olives - but again, it was not overdone. The pizza chefs here understand the basic balances of the galaxy-at-large as the toppings were spread across the pizza so every piece had a brilliant symphony of flavors - and each piece brought a different composition and harmony which made it seem like it was every pizza, all at once; yet no piece was without each independent flavor.

A lot of places do a supreme, or super supreme, or some pie similar to this Kitchen Sink they are serving up at J Bellas - and a lot of places could send some employees to J Bellas to learn a thing or two.

Aside from the pizza, the experience was premium. The place was clean - but not so clean you felt like you were intruding; it has a "lived-in" vibe, meaning that it is closer to feeling like you are at home (or at someone's home) than being a sterile, clean, sparsely decorated restaurant. The service was remarkable. We were greeted promptly, the server knew the menu and was able to make recommendations based on preferred flavor pallets as well as by what is popular and/or unique. They made sure our drinks stayed fresh and full.

When it was time to settle, there was no "sticker shock" - the prices are all clearly posted, there isn't nickle-and-diming, and for the size of the giant pizzas we got and the quality of not only the food but the experience, I would say we got a great value!

I now understand why the first thing my friend described of their trip was his stop at J. Bella's! This is certainly on my list of places...

I went with a friend, both our first time there. I had found a flyer advertising it, the staff was very nice and we met the owner and talked to him and he was awesome! The pizza was very good, both me And my friend ended up putting their tiger sauce and red pepper flakes on our pizza and we swear it enhanced the flavor. We had a fresh out of the oven cinnamon roll on the house curtisy of the owner, which was amazing you had to eat it with a fork and knife. It was perfect all in all, I would rather go there again a million times over especially since it's a local business it's way better. An incredible experience for a first time, highly recommend going and me and my friend will be...

Loved it. The food was great. Served faster than expected and the people were extremely friendly. Next time we are in Paducah we will be eating there again. The Price range per person I selected was because we ordered a large for 3 people. Chicken strip appetizers with ranch and honey mustard sauce. So delicious. Chicken was freshly cooked and super hot when served. Big Thanks to the staff there that made us feel welcome being from out of town visiting our daughter. Sorry I can't remember their names. Big guy with a beard (who I think owned the place) and a pretty young blonde who served us. Great folks. ...