Bela Vegetarian Restaurant

Everything was delicious.
Small setting, a very homely feel. Service was great (as was the food).
Ordered the veggie cutlet, veggie medley and lemon cookies for dessert. Everything was cooked perfectly, probably the best vegetarian gravy I ever had.
FYI the restaurant is cash only

I wanted to like this place but it is only so so. Not bad at all — but that is not really good enough in a competitive restaurant environment. I did not have a bad meal but it was totally unspectacular. I am not a vegetarian but my daughter is and I was eating with her. We have frequented other vegetarian places together and I like them. Anyway, the thing with Bela is that nothing they served was something that I/​we did not think we could do the same or better. They were out of a few items on the menu and we had not gone in late. Service was fine, food was fine, value fine … but fine is not good enough. There are plenty of other vegetarian option in Noho, in fact … almost every restaurant in town is vegetarian friendly.

It is always hard to give anything but great reviews for family-​owned businesses. That being said, I’m so confused about this place. I love vegetarian cooking and thought this would be great. It does seem like there is a pretty loyal following. The service was really, really slow (maybe more than one waiter is necessary on busy nights) and the food was bland. It hovered around ok. We waited a month and forced ourselves to go again. Surely, we just got two dishes that weren’t our favorites or went on an off-​night; that happens. Again, we weren’t impressed or really enjoyed our food. I’m just confused about the loyal following or is this an emperors-​new-​clothes situation? I’m appreciate places that foster local community, but for me, it just felt like an episode of Portlandia.

Hands-​down, the best vegetarian restaurant in the area. Every day the menu is different based on in season ingredients.

Bela is standard vegetarian fare served with a healthy dose of attitude. Their menu hasn’t changed in years, and the specials are all versions of the same basic dish. They often run out of items, especially desserts. There are better options in town, specifically Haymarket, Vegan Palate, and Café Evolution in Florence, 5 minutes away. Those restaurants offer a much more varied menu, and dishes are served sans attitude. Heads up on cash only policies… same holds @ Café Evolution, but the other places accept credit cards.

I wouldn’t believe this happened had it not been that it happened to me. I’m a tofu-​hating vegan, so I questioned the server about the burger which has a long list of ingredients ending with tofu. I said tofu is fine as long as it’s not a ton of it and it’s smushed up with all those other things. She said definitely, it’s not a lot of tofu in the burger. OK, the cook brings a plate out and I’m immediately like, Nope, I can’t eat that. But he’s already turned away and gone. The burger had HUGE white chunks of tofu all over the place. My friend reached over and broke off a chunk to confirm, and said «oh yea, that is tofu.» At this point, I got the server to notice me and she and the chef are standing there and she argues that she didn’t say what she said. I look at my friend who tells her she definitely said there was barely any tofu in the burger. The chef then snatches the plate out of my hand and heads for the kitchen, but WAIT FOR IT – he then turns around and gives the plate to the guy behind us who apparently ordered the same thing. The server, I swear, never came back to the table to ask what I wanted instead. The chef dropped my friend’s plate in front of her and just ignored us beyond that. We were dumbfounded; it was almost comical in its unbelievable rudeness and – oh yea, violation of health laws. We put down enough cash to just cover friend’s lunch and walked out with one hell of a story.

Simple, enjoyable, well-​prepared food and a comfortable, homey atmosphere — what more could you want? Just remember to bring cash and don’t douse yourself in perfume beforehand!

Lovely find for this out of town vegan! The food is unpretentious but impeccably prepared. Best tempeh I’ve ever had! Ambiance is cozy and down to earth. Service is warm and friendly. I can only wish this restaurant was closer to home!

I have been a vegetarian since I was a teenager and was pleased to find this little place via Unilocal when I was last in NoHo. However, after we sat down we saw a sign that said cash only… Come now Bela, this is not 1985; I don’t even know anyone who carries cash anymore. If the owners decide to change their no cash policy, I will re-​visit the restaurant and change my rating based on food quality and service.

My girlfriend took me here as one stop for a surprise weekend she planned for me! I was very excited to show up at this place because it is a restaurant that is vegetarian friendly. We both tend to have a hard time finding places that have food for vegetarians but it was nice for her to find this place!
The place is pretty cozy inside. There were probably about 10 – 12 tables and it was packed when we got there. We waited for about 15 – 20 minutes but it was WORTH the wait. They have their main menu written out on the chalk board so you can look at what is offered while you wait. They had a great selection on the board and when we were seated they gave us a menu as well. The menu had a few more items but not many which was fine because they had so many delicious plates that it took us a while to decide on what we wanted. I ended up getting the Tofu, rice noodles and mixed veggies and peanut satay sauce and my girlfriend got the mixed veggies with lo mein. We ended up sharing each dish and when I say the mean was perfect, it TRULY WAS AMAZING! We left satisfied in a very good way!
The customer service here was phenomenal as well. There were only 2 wait staff and they did a great job managing the floor. They immediately gave us water once we sat and asked us how we were doing and what brought us in tonight.
This place gets an A+!!!

I’ve started to go here a lot. My boyfriend is Vegan and it’s great to go to a place where he gets to consider a wide (and rotating) range of delicious offerings, including very luxurious desserts. Seriously, if you are courting a vegan (or even a vegetarian) and they miraculously don’t know about Bela, you will hit it out of the park by taking them here. I’m not vegetarian, and even without the bf in tow, this is one of my favorite places to eat in Northampton.
Having lived near a sort of famous vegetarian restaurant in upstate NY for several years, I can say that Bela is consistently better. The food is really hearty and filling.
The salads are really terrific, and everything feels satisfying, healthy and delicious. The service is like you are eating at a very generous friend’s house: casual, comfortable, sincere and helpful.
Tips now that Winter is coming: recently, I had the best tomato soup of my life here (it had blue cheese in it). Also, I love the miso soup here.

This is my Grandmommy’s favorite place in Northampton. I always want to go here when I visit. Simple, good, real food! They make me delicious broccoli and pasta and let me sprinkle on my own parmesan cheese. Tonight, «it was the best ever.» The blue plates were cool and stuff too.

Although I am not Vegetarian, when I am craving fresh local veggies and tofu or tempeh, this is my favorite spot in the area. It’s a little quirky with signs for no strong perfumes or scents allowed and menu written on a chalk board that isn’t visible from all the tables. However, if you can get past the funky ambiance, you will find a delicious vegan or vegetarian meal. The menu always changes since they use local, fresh ingredients. The wait staff is very friendly but can sometimes be a little slow if they get a sudden rush. Overall, a great healthy meatless option. Ohh and don’t forget to brink a bottle of your favorite Chardonnay from home to pair with the nice spicy food since its BYOB.

I’m not sure what happened but I am sad to report Bela has gone downhill. Its not that it is bad, if you get whatever special they have that day with garlic sauce the meal will be super tasty, it’s just boring. Vegetarian food can be fun and delicious but its becoming a one note type of restaurant. I would be fine throwing together these dishes in my own kitchen, but not going out to pay for them. I hope they come back bigger and better with new dishes or ideas.

Bela has everything I look for in a local restaurant. First and foremost, the food is always fresh and consistently delicious. Everything is vegetarian or vegan with ramped up Mediterranean or Asian flavors. The soups are truly outstanding, particularly the Tomato Corn Chowder. The salads are always refreshing with AMAZING homemade dressings atop the perfectly balanced salads with baby greens, chickpeas, and pea sprouts. There are excellent specials, and I particularly enjoy the butter sauces. The stir fry entrees can be served with rice, rice noodles, pasta or lo mein noodles. Even with a long list of specials, I often decide on the Vegetable Medley, which is perfect every time. And, the desserts are to die for. In fact, I chose to order cakes from Bela for my wedding last year.
Not only is the food excellent, but the waitstaff is sweet and attentive. The staff have all been working at Bela for years and it’s been great to get to know them.
And, of course, we appreciate that the food is very reasonably priced. Bela is an excellent value and a fine choice when in Northampton!

Bela is everything a good vegetarian restaurant should be. Small, unassuming, but distinct both in flavor and atmosphere. With a small dining room, you know each plate matters and that translates to a meaningful meal. It can only be compared to the renowned Red Lentil in Watertown, but stands as a somewhat more «traditionalist» vegetarian offering with Tofu Stir-​frys, a house veggie patty, veggie cutlet, and fresh vegetables as the emphasis in each meal. While diners might complain about the restrictions on substitution or perfume within the restaurant but the food needs to modification and atmosphere no scents other than those of the delicious food. The Veggie cutlet is complex and dressed by the best veggie gravy I’ve tasted. The specials board offers wonderful options such as a well braised Seitan and chard dish dressed with a port butter sauce and served beside Brown Rice; a crisp seitan exterior and salty-​sweet sauce, it was an example of why vegetarian doesn’t omit from the diet meaty satisfying meals. Bela is a vegetarian Mecca, simply said.

What a pleasant discovery! This has to be one of the best vegan/​vegetarian restaurants I’ve been to in this part of the country. The place is casual and they have a wide variety or entrees to choose from. I had a very delicious dish with teriyaki infused setan mixed with greens and brown rice. Also had a very delicious chocolate almond pie with coconut shreds. Our waitress couldn’t have been nicer. My only slight complaint is that the drinking water they served us was room temperature (given that we went during the summer, it would have been nice if the water was cold). Overall though, outstanding place and I will be back!

Be warned the cook has a strong aversion to anything with a scent and you may be asked to leave. (We are talking the smell of hand lotion not a drenching of perfume.)
The place smelled amazing though, just wish I could have eaten here.

We went here on a Saturday night and had to wait which was awkward as there’s not a lot of space. We were sent to stand outside in the cold, but the waitstaff was nice and pretty quick to seat us shortly after. They were also apologetic for the wait. We did go right after Christmas, so they were busy.
The service was exceptional, the waitress was really nice and helpful. They were out of most things (again, right after Christmas), but the food we got was good. I had the burger which was a bit bland, but with a few condiments it was delicious! I’d definitely recommend it and would visit here again.

Hands down, most delicious, most wonderful, most flavorful, most lovely food ever, and clearly made with such care.
Great portions.
LOvely servers, and cooks.
Only give it 4 stars because they could SO easily be 100% cruelty free and ditch the dairy and eggs, and I truly cannot see why they don’t, when like 95% of their food is vegan anyhow. JUST DO IT already!!!