Terra Bella Bistro

We had the most delicious prime rib dinner in town on Friday night. Over an inch thick topped with crisp green asparagus and a sinfully delicious horseradish sauce. Pared perfectly with a French red send served in a very elegant, quiet and unhurried atmosphere… Terre Bella Bistro is my new favorite place in Anchorage!

Has this place changed hands? Have been here several times, it always has been very good with great service. Today however was greatly dissapointing. we sttod and waited to be seated although there were only 3 tables 2 of which looked to be finished with their meal. Was seated and husband ordered a coffe and the lunch wrap turkey, bacon, avocado lettuce and tomato with soup. I ordered the blackened chicken wrap, which i had before and was very good. We waited for a good 10 mins then asked waiter for my husbands coffee again which he final brought after another few minutes. After about 20 mins after we ordered we were served our food. My husbands wrap was hot. Served on a plate to hot to touch as if it had sat under heat lamp for awhile. But the inside was hot also. Mushy hot avacado, tomato and hot wilted lettuce. Disgusting! We returned it to the other server, my husband asked for just a side of pasta salad to go with his cup of soup. He never got it. My wrap which was very good on previous occasion was dry and bland. The pasta salad was the only decent thing. Got the ck our waiter did take off husbands wrap after we told him we returned it. But charged us for the side of pasta salad that was never gotten. Very dissapointed

We picked up coffee and breakfast wraps on our way to Homer, they were delish, the cooks even put nice fruit garnishes in our to go boxes, we were so impressed with our organic, fair trade coffee we visited their bean roasters at KBay in homer. We love our KBay coffee!

My, my, what a pleasant surprise.
Located in an unsuspecting strip mall (why do I keep saying this line when it applies to 95% of Anchorage businesses? I don’t know), this place is surprisingly good.
Ambiance features not one, but TWO fireplaces!
You can either get a coffee to go, coffeeshop-​style, or you can sit down and get table service.
(I did the latter)
The menu is what I feel like I have been looking for in an Anchorage breakfast spot for ages: fresh, unique, and with great veggie-​options. It’s what I always imagined Middle Way would be like… but never quite was.
My food came out quickly, and it was delicious. The home fries were some of the best in town and it came with *FRUIT* something we get far far far too little of in Alaska!
I was running late so I had to really wolf-​down my meal. The waitress sensed this, rushed my credit card, and even asked if I wanted a coffee to go! YES, yes I do!
I was beginning to get burnt out on the Anchorage weekday breakfast scene, this place is a much-​needed breath of fresh air!
Now if only there were a location close to home/​work…

Terra Bella Bistro is one of those places I want to rate five stars but unfortunately at the moment I am on the fence about it. And as a result I can in all honesty rate it no higher than 3 stars.
I happened to decide to stop by Terra Bella one afternoon when I had the day off and have a nice pleasant lunch. After all my previous experiences here would have easily garnered Terra Bella a four star. This was my first time visiting Terra Bella since they remodeled and started serving dinner and brunch. I walked in and noticed a few changes to the place. Mostly the window that used to exist and look in the kitchen has been covered with decorative glass boasting their logo and restaurant name.
Previously one used to place their order at the counter and then was given a number and your order would be brought to your table. Those days are past now as Terra Bella has now moved into table service. «Please wait to be seated» the sign said. So I waited. On that particular day there was a steady stream of traffic at the tables but I wouldn’t say it was overly bustling. I continued to wait and noted that there was a younger blonde with short hair at the front counter who turned around and made eye contact with me and then proceeded to turn her back to me and then disappeared into the kitchen. Never sending anyone out to seat me, despite the fact I know she saw me.
A few minutes later a gentleman came out to seat me at the nearby table. Since I was a sole diner that day he wanted to stick me at one of the smaller tables in the back room. Which I wasn’t going for. Sometimes I think it seems like solo diners are punished by restaurants and a lot of the time those seating us want to stick us at the crappiest table. However luckily this afternoon he noted my hesitation and the person cleaning one of the larger tables notes she was done and so I was sat there. Pretty close to the fireplace. The ambiance of Terra Bella is quite warm and inviting with vibrant earth tones and deep reds abound. I sat down and began to peruse the menu deciding on a soda that was listed as a house special — lavender. Which was nothing like I have had before and so decided to order that and Tuscan Chicken Melt which is herb roasted chicken, red bell peppers, carmelized onions and garlic with melted mozzarella and served with grilled bread with basil pesto. Now I remember having this previously and back at that time it was served on a artisan type nuttier bread that I raved about.
A server greeted me a few minutes later and I placed my order for the house soda. And then she proceeded to disappear and my drink wasn’t delivered for about another 15 minutes. She came back and explained that they were training on how to do receiving in the back room. My soda appeared and then I placed my order. It was about 25 minutes later that it was delivered to my table.
Plated the sandwich is quite pretty. I noted that they had grilled parts of parmesan that came artfully decorated against the bread. However I don’t know if it was the change in bread or what but after taking a bite the biggest difference from previous occasions was the sandwich was now quite bland. When the server came back and asked how it was I simply said it was okay.
All in all my visit there took well over an hour. Closer to an hour and 15 minutes and then I had to wait a bit for my bill and cashing out. I’m actually glad I did have the day off because I never would have been able to make it there and back to work in time for an hour lunch. So as a result Terra Bella has moved out of my somewhat regular rotation and earned itself a spot on my back burner for one of those places I will go when I have time. I’m still not willing to give up on Terra Bella. My previous experiences there have been great. So maybe it was an off day?
I will be headed back sometime in the near future to try the breakfast /​brunch. But in the meantime I would say that Terra Bella is just okay.

Service was pretty slow, but the brunch was delicious.

Last nights meal was one of the finest meals I’ve had in Anchorage in years. I don’t know who it is, but the chef is incredible. The scallop appetizer is heavenly, and the duck main course was better than any duck I’ve had in town. I also appreciated the moderate pricing on the wine, which includes a really good Cabernet called Chloe. I saw a review that said the service was slow, but that was not our experience at all. What a great addition to the Anchorage dining scene.

I recently went here the other day after a long break. The last time I was there it was small, and always busy. This time they have expanded, and they have a menu, and serve food like a regular restaurant!
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The interior is warm, inviting, peaceful and calm. It has a lot of great little corner areas for folks that like a little less exposure, or want to talk more privately. I ordered breakfast the day I went. The reindeer sausage and eggs. It came with home fries and toast. To drink I ordered the Fireside Mocha which is a bit spicy with some chili added to it, It’s my favorite there. The mocha came right away, and the food followed shortly there after. It was all very tasty, and just the right amount. I ordered my eggs «over medium» and they were actually closer to well done, but overall the food was good, and I didn’t really mind. I will definitely be going back here again. I would like to try some of their lunch specials and dinner as well. What a hidden gem this place is, and I love that its nearby.

Came here for dinner. The food is great. Our server took great care of us and the atmosphere is calm and relaxing. A perfect place to enjoy dinner with friends.

They have the best coffee in town along with Middle Way, they use KBay!, but the service is always quite slow. I have waited 20 or more minutes to get a coffee to go when they are not busy. But I don’t like crappy coffee so I have to make it myself or come here or MWC. They have some good dishes and some not so good dishes. Miss their pastries in the glass since they have redone the front. They has great cream puffs and cupcakes, now it’s just bread and cookies. I think they are between a sit down restaurant and stand and order café, but aren’t quite pulling off either. If it’s a stand and order you should have menus up front for those doing to go orders and make coffee to go in less than 5 minutes. If you don’t want to be stand and order than just have sit down and order service but be attentive, and have a plan for to go orders.

Had a bite to eat here the other day. My toast was cold and I mentioned it to the server. She wanted to make a whole new plate of food, that I refused due to the fact everything else was fine. When the bill came they deducted my meal. I will return!

Stepped in, nice crowd here, happy conversations, they brought my cocoa to my table — free wifi — cool art mounting system (fishing line up to a ledger board allows the artists to position the pictures any way they want)

CONGRATULATIONS LINDA & THE ENTIRE TERRA BELLA TEAM! I was there for your first Champagne brunch yesterday and it was better than all expectations — and my expectations were high! The food was out of this world good — and that is not an exaggeration. I had the Bella Oatmeal, my daughter the Huevos Rancheros… honestly, both were like no other. The service was great — the place was nearly full. It was a FABULAOUS experience all around. To everyone who has not been to Terra Bella for a while… it is amazing. They have worked REALLY hard to transition from a café to a bistro. and they have finally arrived! Terra Bella Café has grown up and is NOT TO BE MISSED! I’ll be back and continue referring you.

Definitely try the Lavender Latte, it’s heaven in a cup. Your mouth and mind will love you ten zillion times more after you try it for yourself. It’s a very cozy environment and they have excellent service!

I’ve been here twice now. The first time I walked in, was not greeted, awkwardly grabbed my own menu and waited to be sat. I was in a rush and hadn’t been greeted at my table and had not been given water. I ordered a quiche, chai la coco, and a yogurt parfait. The quiche was delicious, very interesting texture, the parfait was good, and the chai la coco was absolutely delicious! I came back a second time because they mentioned they were in transition and getting things together, but Geesh! Still so bad. Greeted sort of rudely upon entrance, was recommended a pumpkin scone so I ordered it. Yuck. Dry and chewy. I returned it and the young girl was very nice about it! Also ordered another chai la coco and it tasted completely different and nowhere near as good. When I ordered the drink the waitress lady snatched the menu out of my hand and said «okay I’ll have to figure this out» uhh, why doesn’t she know how to make drinks off the menu. And that’s not what you say to a customer! I was trying to relax and read a book and really couldn’t… Won’t be coming back for a long while :(

Was just in and had a unsatisfactory visit. 3 chai lattes and kids steamer. To start the experience off the cashier was rude to me when I changed my order from a regular chai to a spicier chai. After 20 mins our chai’s were served lukewarm and our kids steamer scolding hot. This was the first time I wanted to ask for my money back. I will be back but please try to do better.

Awful.
Their coffee was bitter and the muffin was dry and turned into a pile of crumbs. Very stuck up barista and the bathroom was filthy.
To top it all off, it was way over priced.

This place is ssslllooowwwwwww, the staff isn’t friendly, and the prices are ridiculous.
I just stood in line for 15 minutes with one patron in front of me. Wasn’t even acknowledged. Walked out.

My reasons for giving 5 stars:
1) it’s always clean. The staff does a great job of bussing and keeping areas near and tidy.
2) it’s quiet: the ambiance is peaceful and warm and I can hear myself think. Also, I can hear my girlfriends when we come together.
3) great food: I love the quiche, the desserts, the salads and the sandwiches. Not all the gluten free pastries rock, but that doesn’t detract from the main menu.
4) incredible coffee: yes, great coffee takes longer than the drive through at Starbucks but my goodness … The flavor! This place does it right.
5) price is right: this is not an expensive place to eat or grab coffee. The quality is completely in line with the price list.

I don’t drink coffee, so I can’t speak to that aspect of the business (though my hubby seems to prefer their coffee above all other local stuff when he buys bulk beans, and he always likes stopping here on errand days for an afternoon pick-​up). I stick to tea, hot chocolate, and little noshes.
They have a nice selection of teas. They serve the hot cocoa with milk, and they don’t skimp on the chocolate. The noshes vary. They have good regular sweet items, like the honey almond scone and their Danishes. Some of the sweet stuff, like the lemon bar, is almost too sweet, which isn’t something I say often. I sometimes feel a cloying residue on my tongue afterward.
As for their gluten-​free desserts, they have many choices. However, I haven’t tried them because they’re not my thing. In my experience dessert — gluten = ugh. But I can see how that would be a draw for people who need it.
The one savory item I tried was the little turnover thing they keep in the front cold case, filled with ham and cheese. Not that good. Kind of greasy on the outside and very little filling. But they do have an attractive-​looking lunch menu I might try someday.
The space is cute, decorated with warm inviting colors. I like the local artist exhibits they keep. Unfortunately, the chairs aren’t particularly comfy. Basically, patio furniture – hard angles and metal backs. It’s not ideal for long work or hanging out, but there’s usually free seating, so that’s a plus. They have this little nook by one of the fireplaces if you like seclusion in your hangout, which I do, but for me, it’s too tiny and makes me feel cramped when I work there. Also, because it’s small, it gets loud, so it’s not ideal if your work there requires deep focus, like mine does. So, I don’t work there often.
I can see the appeal for gluten free eaters and people who like things close, but there are other places I prefer for the afternoon lunch/​work hang, my primary reason for going to little shops.