Benvenuta, Bella 'Mbriana!

If you've been mourning the lack of good coffee and pastries at Leland and Clark since Cafe Ch'ava closed, you'll be happy to know that the long-awaited opening of Bella 'Mbriana Italian cafe has occurred. There's a lot more than coffee and pastries being served!

It's very much a work in progress at the moment, with the soft opening taking place just last Thursday. The servers are acting as the "menu" until the new flyers get delivered. They haven't decided on definite hours yet (although they're open early in the morning); instead, they're taking the pulse of the neighborhood before making those decisions.

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We very much enjoyed our experiences there on Saturday.  Our group had the cotoletta breaded chicken breast panini and a dessert that was like a flaky lemon pie (sorry, we forgot the name). The latte, espresso and caffe were good enough to please even the coffee connoisseurs amongst us. Everything is made in-house, even the gelato, and the pastries looked extremely tempting. We'll definitely be back for more.

Graffa, described as Italian donuts or beignets, come filled with Nutella or "as is"

The service is friendly, with everyone on the staff taking the time to explain the menu items and eager to show off the place. (If you're looking for a job, according to the website, they're looking for baristas.)

Prices are reasonable, and everything we had was worth what we paid. Good food, great service, a welcoming atmosphere. The article in DNAinfo says they have free wi-fi, but we didn't have a chance to give it a try.

They open around 8am on Sunday, and 7am weekdays, at least for now, so if you're in the area and are interested in a new experience, we'd recommend giving Bella 'Mbriana a try.

Remember that it's a soft opening while they get everything running smoothly.  We didn't run into any speed bumps, but they've only been open for three days, so be patient if you do.

Bella's website is here and its Facebook page is here. We're glad to welcome them to Uptown, and look forward to trying out more of the menu.