The Place
This week I will begin my blog post on brunch spots in Bellevue. Bellevue is a lovely up & coming part of Northern Kentucky. It is located right across the river from Cincy and neighbors the city of Newport. Downtown Bellevue offers many original options for dining. You can find everything in Bellevue from pizza to tavern-style fare and of course my fav breakfast and brunch spots. Chain restaurants are at a minimum here, each eatery offers it's own original spin on their menu. First up for review is Bellevue Bistro.
Location & Parking
The bistro is located on Fairfield Avenue, which is the main road that runs through downtown Bellevue. Bellevue is super easy to get to it is off the Newport/Bellevue exit on 471. There is free on street parking up and down Fairfield Avenue and neighboring side streets. I arrived around 9AM, on street parking was ample. Just a sidenote, a lot of homes in Bellevue do not have driveways or garages. Many Bellevue residents utilize on street parking as well. This may potentially lead to dicey parking situations if there is a special event going on or during busy lunch and dinner hours. Reservations are not accepted.
Atmosphere
Bellevue Bistro is located inside an old brick building that offers indoor and outdoor seating. The inside is small and quaint with a great vintage feel. The floor is lined with mini hexagonal tile, I counted four glass tables with four wooden chairs a piece and booth/table style seating located to the right of the dining room. There is a checkout counter along the back wall of the restaurant where you pay at the end of your meal. Seating is limited, I would suggest arriving early and keeping your party small. There is outdoor dining located in front of the restaurant. If you are interested in eating outside you have to come in and place your order at the counter and they will bring it out to the table. The staff were super friendly and welcoming. It was 9AM and the restaurant was already full. I was dining solo this morning and felt guilty for sitting at a table for four by myself. It's time for cocktails! I asked my server if they had a mimosa. She informed me that their mimosa consisted of orange juice mixed with Rhinegeist Bubbles. I must say it was amazing! I loved this local twist on the traditional mimosa. You can also get this mimosa made with peach, apple, or cranberry juice. This is one of those pleasant surprises I would gladly order again. I placed my brunch order and was informed shortly after that they only had one cook in the kitchen and that once the cook was done cooking the large order for the group of six that was seated in the booth/table seating along the wall, my order would be made next. I will say this lead to slow service but do appreciate the upfront honesty and the server came by several times to check on me and provide updates.
Order-Up
Bellevue Hot Brown
I love finding new dishes to write about. Their menu is small but offers unique menu items. I was immediately drawn to a whole section dedicated to hot browns and benedicts. I decided to go with the Bellevue Hot Brown. This was a fresh and delicious dish. It was served sizzling hot on a fajita-style skillet dish. The brown consisted of bacon, ham, onions, tomatoes, banana peppers, Swiss and mozzarella cheese served on top of two biscuits topped with two fried eggs and pepper jelly. The tomatoes were blistered to perfection and the pepper jelly contrasted well with the savory pork elements of the dish. This was nothing short of divine!
Overall Experience
The overall experience at the Bellevue Bistro was pleasant. This would be a great place to visit on a whim for a good quality breakfast dish. Staff was more than congenial and the only downside was the slow service. Anticipate spending anywhere from ten to twenty dollars here.
Rating ⭐⭐⭐
Bellevue Bistro receives three out of four stars. One star for each of the following categories: Atmosphere, Cocktail, and Plate. They did not receive a star for Service because it was extremely slow for such a small place. I would definitely come back for another delicious brown or to try another menu item however, I would make sure it was on a day where I was not in a rush.
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