Bella Vista Coffee Shop and Latin Brunch — Restaurant in Smyrna

My wife and I went after a thorough workout Saturday morning. We were greeted as soon as we walked through the door by a very friendly staff. The menu boards were nicely designed and easy to understand and follow. I ordered a cubano and chicken Arepa sand my wife ordered a red velvet latte and shredded beef burrito. We promptly received our drinks. My cubano was not as strong as I was expecting, I mistakenly ordered a latte, which was very good, but not as strong as I thought. My wife's red velvet latte was so good, creamy and nicely appointed cocoa notes. She was also very pleased that it had a heart in the foam. I was not expecting my arepas to be so big when they arrived and the taste was as big as the sandwiches. The plantain crusts were very crispy and easy to chew through the sweetened plantain in the middle was the ultimate touch on this savory sandwich. My wife's burrito was so fat that she couldn't eat it all even though she wanted to. We grabbed two empanadas for our son who couldn't join us and a Jamaica tea for the road. Our son said they were the best empanadas that he'd had in a long time. This will not be our last trip to Bella Vista. Thank you all for making us feel welcome and blessed to have enjoyed your...

We purchased a strawberry latte summer drink special, Loaded Tacos, Yuca Fries and two flavors of empanadas (chicken and mashed potatoes & queso). Food was very flavorful and the sauces served with each dish were unique and house-made - they really made the dishes more special. Items were made to order and served at the right temperature. Our favs were the mashed potato empanada (soooo yummy), yuca fries and the sauces!

You order at the counter where they have menus in both english and Spanish and then they will bring your order to your table. You bus your own tables, so we did find the table we wanted to used had to be wiped down. This was easy to do with a napkin and wasn’t a huge deal to us. The woman who took our order was friendly and efficient.

The vibe is relaxing and laid back. I loved the vibrant and interesting decor and giant wall mural! We also enjoyed and used several of the games they have available for patrons to play and read the local Smyrna book they had available where Bella Vista’s owner told the story behind her labor of love in opening the cafe and immigration to the US and making Middle Tennessee home.

(Jayden...

The coffee is truly delicious, and the food is good, but honestly, I don’t think I’ll be coming back. I’ve visited the place several times, and there is always a girl with glasses serving with an unfriendly attitude and an unwelcoming expression.

I don’t like leaving comments like this because I was a waitress for many years and also worked in a coffee shop, so I understand that not every day is a good day. However, today my experience was especially uncomfortable. The way she treated me was so rude that it made me feel like it was personal.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time I’ve had this experience here. I’ve tried giving the place multiple chances, but the service attitude remains the same. Because of this, I don’t feel comfortable returning to a place where I’m treated this way.

I love visiting coffee shops every day—it’s something I truly enjoy—and this is the only coffee shop in all of Nashville where I have felt this way. I don’t mean for this comment to be taken negatively, but rather as constructive feedback. This is a great coffee shop, and I believe improving this aspect of the service could make the experience...