Bella Vita Coffee & Cream — Restaurant in West Whiteland Township

Working my way through their selections and today I tried their coconut stick. If you get it, I recommend using a knife and fork, because while it's delicious as is, it's worth it to try the components on their own. The pastry strikes just the right balance between soft and flaky, the icing is creamy and sweet without being cloying, and the coconut flakes are a little crunchy, a little chewy, and just sweet enough to delight the taste buds.

Also not to be missed are their gelatos. So far I've tried Cookie Butter, which satisfies sweet and salty cravings, and The Barn, with peanut butter and caramel surrounded by rich chocolate.

I think it removed my original review, so in summary...Calm and relaxing environment, great and friendly staff, delicious chocolate croissant, and today...loved the parmesan leek croissant.

Black Sesame ice cream: not a combination I would have imagined, but it works. The initial flavor is a little earthy, but it mellows out to kind of a nutty taste enhanced by vanilla.

Egg and cheese breakfast sandwich: done to perfection on a brioche bun.

Chocolate chip cookie: very large, but surprisingly light and delicate for its size, and thoroughly satisfying. The consistency hits the sweet spot between cake and cookie, with enough chips to appease your taste for chocolate, while not overwhelming the salty-buttery goodness.

First visit of the new month. Today I tried a latte and cherry Danish. The latte was masterfully crafted, complete with a design on top. Satisfyingly smooth and creamy from start to finish. The Danish had a good amount of cherry. That and the glaze blended in well with the pastry--sometimes the icing can flake off and the filling be inadequate, but neither was the case here, and it was just the softness I like it at.

Tried the blueberry Danish today. So, everything I said above for cherry, but with blueberry.

Also tried the ube ice cream, which derives from south Asian yams. Not quite sure how to assess it. Didn't dislike it. Very creamy and dense. Slight vanilla flavor; each bite is a little different, with occasional hints of berry flavor. So, hard to classify, but certainly not bad.

Lastly, had the salted caramel ice cream, which was a flavorful sensation with its ribbons of homemade caramel.

Couple of repeats today--latte and warmed chocolate croissant. Both excellent. Also, I will note that the croissant warmed is tender enough to be cut with a fork.

Just tried one of the brownies. The best way I can describe it is--imagine the best hot chocolate you've ever had, baked and concentrated into the most delectable bite of cake you've ever eaten.

Today's taste sensation--the croissant donut, or cronut. I've heard of these for a long time, but never found a place that sold them. But I assure you, it was worth the wait. Pretty much like it sounds, layers of croissant pastry in a doughnut shape, but denser than a regular croissant, and topped with a tempting glaze. I recommend having it warmed up.

Indecisive today, so I gave the server four ice cream flavors and he picked two to put into a small serving. Those two were:

Bordeaux Cherry Chip: normally not a fan of fruit and chocolate, but the cherry flavor is very strong, so the chocolate chips add more texture than flavor, which made for a great combo; very good.

Mounds: intense coconut flavor, but in this case, you could really taste the chocolate chips too. A delicious tropical taste on a chilly winter day.

So, great picks by the server and his coworker, who also gave his input.

Today's new try was the chocolate chocolate muffin. Had it warmed up, and since it's gluten-free, you feel like you can eat 10, which you'll want to after one bite, which reveals luscious chunks of melted chocolate within.

Also tried the butter pecan ice cream. Very dense and rich. Notes of caramel are enhanced by a slight astringency provided by the pecan chunks and halves.

Avocado toast: avocado tops the whole grain toast, along with goat cheese, arugula, and a balsamic...

I want to give 5 stars overall so badly. My fiancé and I have been regulars at Bella Vita since shortly after they opened. I love the atmosphere, the friendliness of the staff, and the WiFi making it a welcoming place to sit and do some work.

Both of us love the ice cream and pastries. I haven’t had a single flavor of ice cream that disappointed me yet (except for the vegan mint chip, it was weird… but I’m not vegan, so it doesn’t affect me.) The seasonal varieties and the year round staples are fantastic. I love the Barn and the Mounds, and I wish Rocky Road was year round! And if anyone reading this hasn’t tried an affogato, do yourself a favor and get it. They serve them on the nicest little trays and it makes for a lovely experience.

The pastries are yummy. The chocolate chip cookies can vary pretty widely from one visit to the next if they’re crunchy or soft and gooey. I’m personally not huge on most of the macarons but that’s just me, my fiancé loves them. They are quite pricey though. The muffins that have rotated through are also delicious.

They have a small selection of sandwiches, and I’m a sucker for the egg and cheese. There was an issue when I first tried them where the middle of the sandwich was cold (I assume they’re chilled or frozen ingredients that are warmed up upon ordering), but I haven’t had that problem for a while. The brioche buns just hit different! I haven’t tried any of the other sandwich options.

Now we get to the part that dropped Bella Vita down to 4/5 stars: the lattes. I have not tried their drip coffees or cold brews so I won’t speak to those, but I am an espresso lover. I’ve tried to love BV’s lattes, but for some reason I can’t. There is a weird, bitter but also overly sweet taste to them that makes some of the flavors hard to distinguish. I’ve tried several of their holiday flavors and run into the same issue every time. I don’t know if it’s the espresso beans they use, or the way they pull the shots, or the syrups… but it just doesn’t taste good. The last few times I’ve gotten lattes I haven’t even finished them. I tossed most of my 12 oz sugar cookie latte the other day and felt awful about it (I hate wasting food/drinks). The hours are super convenient, making it one of my favorite places to grab a treat before I work night shift, but I usually also need a coffee or latte for said shift, and BV isn’t hitting the mark for me at the moment. As others have mentioned, they are also pricey, coming out to an easy $7 or so.

I love supporting the small businesses in this area and I want to see Bella Vita stick around for a long time. But with so many options for specialty coffee drinks in the area that don’t leave me wondering “what’s that taste?” I think I’ll stick to the ice creams and treats for now. Overall, I do recommend it as a nice place to get some work done or enjoy a treat with family or friends, but I’m less keen to recommend the espresso drinks at the moment.

Edit 1/27: the thoughtful and detailed reply from Bella Vita shows that they truly do care about their customers and their craft. I am absolutely looking forward to stopping by and giving their new offerings a try! I briefly worked as a barista at a café that made syrups in house and dialed in the espresso machines every morning, so while I’m no expert on the art of espresso by any means I’m always eager to learn more about it and would love to see what goes on behind the bar....

I was very much looking forward to enjoying a cup of coffee and reading a book while my wife did a little shopping, but my enthusiasm faded in the 5 minutes of being ignored by all 3 staff members behind the counter. There wasn't a huge rush at this time, so I'm not sure why the service was so abysmal. When someone finally approached us to help sample some ice cream, we were again ignored and another customer skipped the line and was helped before us as we continued to wait. The staff members also allowed this customer to hold an empty ice cream bowl in her hands (to figure out the sizing), which she then placed back with the other bowls. Gross. What a disappointing outing.

Edit: response to the owner. I wanted to respond to the owner of this establishment. First of all, I acknowledge that situations can arise that may delay service. And to the credit of the young lady at the register, my wife and I were welcomed with a large smile. I will even excuse not being served even though my wife and I were the only customers in line, standing on the mat in front of the ice cream display, waiting for someone to assist us (including the nice young woman at the register who unfortunately continued to stand there and not approach us). But, this doesn't explain why a woman who entered the establishment after us was served before us. She came in to order some ice cream and was approached by a staff member who decided to not serve the two people already standing in front of the ice cream. The area was not busy. It was literally my wife, myself, and another customer who arrived after us.

Additionally, had the owner instead carefully read my review instead of calling my own true and lived experience a fiction, the owner would have noticed that I mentioned that the staff member "allowed this customer to hold an empty ice cream bowl in her hands." This absolutely happened. The customer reached over the glass, grabbed a bowl, held it in her hands and placed it back. The staff member did not stop this customer from doing this. The staff member did not throw away the bowl after the customer placed it back. So even if the staff member did not give the patron a bowl to hold, I stand behind my original wording that she "allowed" this customer to do so.

I am disappointed with the owner's response. This was my personal account of the events, and I would have appreciated the owner taking some responsibility for the training and behavior of their staff rather than taking their extremely defensive stance and calling their would-be customer a liar. I truly wanted to enjoy your establishment. I truly wanted to experience your coffee and read quietly for a few minutes at this cafe. Instead, I was disgusted and...