Belle's Delicatessen & Bar — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I was very excited to try Belle's. A nice bagelry, tied to (or at least inspired by) Langer's is the dream lunch spot on a lazy summer afternoon. 0But I must say I was pretty underwhelmed by the food overall. Just about everything tasted like it was devoid of both salt and sugar, most of all the pickles. They tasted like someone might have forgotten a cucumber in some slightly salty water overnight, which is a shame because they looked great. The Loxsmith bagel was a somewhat similar story. Incredible presentation, but somehow everything just tasted grey and unseasoned. The mountain of dill on top, despite being a vibrant, fresh green, barely contributed anything. The best part was the smoked salmon, which was actually really pleasant. It had the tenderness and buttery mildness of sashimi. I also got to try the Leo breakfast bagel, which surprisingly was really good. It was richly flavored and was stuffed with salmon and egg. It's cute and unique too that they use fennel seeds on their everything bagels, which you could definitely taste. I also wanted to try the latke, but they never brought ours out. We asked about it as we finished the meal, and the waitress was apologetic and offered to bring it to us with a refund, which was more than kind enough. We took it to go though so I have not had the chance to try it yet. I was just really baffled by how bland everything tasted. It's not that anything was bad -- in fact, supposing everything was cranked up, I could imagine it would have been a wonderful meal. I'd also imagine I would enjoy getting fresh bagels and lox here. But if I'm looking for that fancy Jewish delicatessen experience, I'd probably stick to Langer's. Update: I opened up the latke and it was inexplicably burned to a crisp... maybe that had to do with how long it to come out? haha The applesauce was delicious though, I think they mix a bit of...

Ever wanted to feel like a guest and a hostage simultaneously? To be magically whisked away to a place where you can buy two bagels and cup of water for $43? If the DMV and a Hollywood movie set diner had a baby, you’d get Belle’s Bagels on York.

We are spoiled in Los Angeles with an overwhelming selection of amazing food and beverage establishments. The buzz around Belle’s is real. Especially for a resident in Highland Park. I was never interested in giving them a shot until their grand reopening. The renovation is very impressive. But what had always turned me off was the line. This Sunday, my wife and I braved it.

We waited for about 15-20 mins to order. That was to be expected. What wasn’t expected was witnessing social unraveling. People shouting they had been waiting on their food for over an hour. Dozens of people standing by the register waiting to be seated. The one and only host working the room, doing his best to explain the confused system they have for table priority. Amidst all these high emotions, I couldn’t help but wonder, is this an off day? Maybe we’re unlucky? Or is this everyone’s first time here too? Who on earth would come back to an experience like this?

45 mins after placing our order, the bagels arrived. They were indeed delicious. What was even more satisfying was stepping out of that bad energy cloud. I can confidently say I will not be returning. Praying for the poor souls on the front lines of Belle’s. Sending well wishes and...

First, the positives: The bartender and the woman at the counter were nice, and the food was quite good.

However, our experience was overshadowed by the behavior of a staff member with dark hair working the floor. She was extremely rude to us over confusion about their seating system, scolding us loudly in front of other customers. We were instructed by the woman at the counter that we could sit at the bar after ordering, but this apparently caused a mix-up that delayed our food order by more than 45 minutes. The woman with dark hair told me twice, quite nastily, that our order had been put in, and when we realized (on our third inquiry!) that the order had actually never been placed, it became pretty obvious that she did it on purpose, out of spite. We are patient, polite customers, and there was no reason for her to react like this other than bad attitude and pettiness.

While mistakes happen, the hostility we experienced was completely unwarranted and left a bad impression. Unfortunately, this interaction has deterred us from returning to Belle’s, despite the good food and service from other staff members. Based on this experience, I cannot recommend the restaurant.

If I were Belle’s, I’d take note of the repeated complaints about the unclear, backward seating system and hostile waitstaff and give serious thought to restructuring their system and retraining staff. It really sucks that this is what passes for a restaurant dining...