Bela — Restaurant in Northampton

I am deeply disappointed May 2024 • Family Last week we went to this restaurant, after we checked online that it was vegan. The website was very clear about "cash or check only." There is no other detail to be aware of before visiting the place. We arrived, went inside, looked around, read the menu on the wall, and waited. After a reasonable amount of time waiting and noticing that there was a table empty for the 4 of us, I approached the staff. The response was very rude and I was told I had to wait. Ironically, she walked to the door, where my other family members were standing, and greeted a person who just came in, sat the person, and took the order. Finally, we sat at the table. We were looking at the menu in our hands when suddenly the chef at Bela restaurant in Northampton, Massachusetts, literally thru us out of the restaurant. The chef came out of the kitchen, walked to our table, and told us that we were not going to be served. The chef added that we were wearing perfume and "I am not dealing with this tonight." After a quick moment of shock, we got up and started walking out. The one staff on the floor noticed we were leaving and acknowledged that the chef told us to leave but asked if we wanted to order to go. Obviously, no. If the chef has issues with perfume, this should be noted in a very clear and obvious way, online, in person, and by the staff. Let's keep in mind that none of us were wearing perfume or cologne. One of us had just put some moisturizer that was vegan, no harmful, artificial, or chemical add ons. If we had known, we would've made another decision. Instead, the chef decided to humiliate us and discriminate against a frail elder, a person with brain nerve disability and a retired veteran. I have to give this restaurant -5 stars. Also, be aware that it is not handicap accessible. Even the bathroom is down in...

Amazing little place! Staff were friendly, food comes out steaming hot, and I loved the quaintness of the setup. (Also I can totally sympathize with the cook's sensitivity to perfume, can't stand synthetic smells either)

Its probably not the best vegetarianism food I've ever had (that would be my own, jk) but the chef can definitely cook vegetables and potatoes really well. Perfect level of not too mushy and not undercooked. Almost like master level crazy how good the texture on those potatoes were... (TELL ME YOUR SECRETS!!!1!)

Into the specific dishes: The miso was simple and not super flavorful. Potentially slightly under-salted for summer where people are going to be loosing salt through sweat, but understandable). It warmed me up in the possibly too chilly restaurant nonetheless :) For the vege slider thing, the potatoes were legendary, and the carrots were cooked really well too. Even though I'm not a huge fan of plain carrots, I enjoyed them just fine. The patty was interesting. Definitely homemade as I would describe it more as a nut patty than something trying to actually replicate meat... good but could use some more umami. The gravy was the best part though and brought the whole dish together (could have used a tad more flavor there as well) Pasta dish was alright, but the mushrooms were a little juicy for my taste. I expected them to be watery but they had more flavor than I was expecting so good job on that. Cakes were good (presentation amazing) but I forgot that I really don't have a sweet tooth. The other person I was with seemed to enjoy them very much however.

Overall 5/5 will likely come again, although its probably a little above my preferred price point given the portion sizes. Thanks...

Heads up--this is based on customer service only.

Really wanted to try this restaurant. We were short on time so I hoped we could call in an order and make it work. Unfortunately, they said there was a big order ahead, so I decided to skip the order and just wait to try another time. Not a huge deal..it’s a weekend and it was busy so I totally get it.

A few minutes later, I decided, what the hell, its worth the wait! So I called back & said we really wanted to try it and we were going to wait. The owner (who is also the cook) answered and said “I can’t snap my fingers and make your food for you immediately. It’s going to be 25 min and you’ll need to wait”

I was super caught off guard. I was able to talk with the owner in person and expressed that I did not appreciate her response because I was really excited to try the food, but was met with attitude. She denied her attitude, but said “sometimes I say things in a harsh tone.” She kept saying that they were busy and that she thought I wanted the order now which I told her again, that we wanted to wait and it was not urgent. After all this, I was not able to try the food because of that interaction, which is a shame.

I think it was just a miscommunication but I really wish the customer service and resolution skills of the owner were better. There were never any bad intentions or requests of urgency so I hope moving forward, the owner can see this and reflect on how to handle interactions better...