La Bellavia in Flagstaff, Arizona: Restaurant Review

On our last trip to Arizona, we fell in love with a little breakfast place called La Bellavia. While small, this clean, down-home feeling restaurant left us in awe and coming back fr breakfast the three days we were in Flagstaff. La Bellavia is owned by a husband and wife team, Ed and Brandy Wojciak and opened in 1976. La Bellavia serves homemade hearty and wholesome food. Starting at 6:30 am, diners can get a great cup of coffee or cappuccino from their full service espresso/cappuccino bar with interesting flavors such as Café Aloha (made with coconut milk),Baja Mocha (Mexican chocolate and spices and steamed milk), Chai, white chocolate mocha or caramel vanilla latte.

Perhaps best known for its eggs benedict dishes, La Bellavia offers 11 different options from the California Benedict (avocado and smoked turkey), the eggs DaVini (roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts) or the eggs Jose (green chiles, tomatoes and muenster cheese). Omelets served all day are the other well-known and revered breakfast item, and my personal favorite at La Bellavia. Diners have the option of selecting their choice of cheese (swiss, muenster or cheddar) and two fillers, such as asparagus, spinach, green chiles, black olives, onion, bell peppers, ham, crab or chorizo to name a few. The omelet is topped with a homemade Hollandaise sauce and served with an English muffin and pancake or potatoes. Eggs any way with an English muffin and pancake or potatoes can also be ordered with ham, Canadian bacon or turkey sausage

The asparagus and spinach with swiss omelet was excellent. I enjoyed the unique flavors inside my omelet along with the flavorful sauce. The omelets are cooked to perfection, without being over or under cooked, and I was delighted to discover they were fluffy and packed full of the fresh vegetables. La Bellavia does not skimp out in any way! The country potatoes are flavorful, cooked perfectly and served with sautéed onions and the right amount of seasoning. The English muffin was also a good choice, but it truly was a ton of food to eat an omelet, pancake and English muffin.

Other unique items from the menu at La Bellavia include fruit topped pancakes, health nut french toast with strawberry butter, oat and buttermilk pancakes served with hot cinnamon apples and a local favorite, pan fried trout with two eggs (a whole trout) served with your choice of an english muffin and potatoes or a pancake. The pancakes and French toast are humongous and extremely hearty, sure to satisfy the most voracious eater. La Bellavia also makes their own bagels and a variety of pastries. The pancakes and French toast were also excellent and I found the heartiness of the whole grains to be particularly satisfying. The strawberry butter added an extra special touch.

While we did not eat there for lunch, La Bellavia has several dining options for those who get there before 2:30, when it closes. A turkey club with Canadian bacon, smoked turkey and avocado, grilled portabello mushroom, tuna melt and an East Side Hoagie (roast beef with red wine grilled onions on a baguette) are some of the many unique sandwiches for lunch at La Bellavia. Burgers, grilled chicken breasts and other, more vegetarian friendly options, such as the black bean burger, seven different types of salad, quiche, omelets all day and grilled cheese are also available for lunch.

Not only is the food at La Bellavia satisfying and wholesome, but it is also extremely affordable and you can eat an excellent meal for less than ten dollars. If you live or are vacationing in the Arizona area, definitely try La Bellavia. Service is excellent, wait staff are friendly, the food is affordable, made from scratch with fresh and wholesome ingredients and it will be one of the best breakfasts you have ever had. We have yet to have breakfast anywhere else, either during our travels or at home that comes close to La Bellavia.