FANTASTIC! Delicious food, great portions. My boyfriend and I split the the arugula salad, vegetarian lasagna with meat sauce and olives. I couldn't believe how good everything was! I highly recommend this spot if you're in TorC. It's a nice way to round out the evening after a day of soaking.
Review Source:My fiancé and I love Bella luca and make sure to stop here on each T or C visit. I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because I think it's a tad overpriced given the location and also the up charges are pretty pinche. $3 to split? $2 for more bread? .50 cents for to go? If you're paying almost $40 bones for a steak you'd think you could be a little less chinch on the small extras.
In any event food is delicious, wine list is great and service is also fantastic,
We will be back and suggest this would suggest this place to friends.
By fare the best pizza in the state of New Mexico, and a top contender for the world. The crust tastes like it was made by tiny Angeles and gently placed in a stone oven to be cooked to perfection. There were three of us there and we all ordered different pizza's. We all greatly enjoined the spectacular deliciousness of our selections. I highly recommend this fine establishment if you want some good beer and pizza. They also have other Italion food selections and sandwiches.
Review Source:We went to this restaurant totally based on the reviews!!! I must disagree with the star rating entirely!
Nice open kitchen with a very impressive menu, considering the size of the town and location! First  impressions were just OK, but we have been surprised before when first entering  a restaurant! I believe it was listed as , An elegant ambience ???? Not really!!! Our waiter started out OK but he totally lost it! He served the wrong meal to myself and the next table! Didn't have answers to the questions I asked about the menu! Didn't seem to care about our questions,seemed in a rush, brought the appetizer and salad at the same time!The calamari was good but not as good as reviews I had read! Had an overpowering  pepper taste! We had the Wedge salad which was the best part of our meal! I ordered the lasagne with a few side meatballs;my husband ordered the rigatoni with meat sauce! His meal came, mine was not what I ordered, so we were not in sync! He had to wait until my meal arrived!!! My lasagne was good but not """ the best I,ve ever had""" as previously rated!!! Once I unearthed it from the way too much ,sour, bitter sauce, it was pretty tasty!!!  The sauce tasted old!!!!My husbands dinner was very meatless for a bolognese sauce and much to creamy!!! Over all we were very disappointed ! Would not recommend this place if you know GOOD Italian cooking !
Excellent Italian restaurant just off the main drag. The Napa pizza was one of the lightest, most flavorful pizzas I've ever had! My husband loved the grownup grilled cheese, and my mother-in-law adored the deconstructed sandwich.
If you're on the road to Albuquerque or Santa Fe, this is definitely worth a stop to have such a gourmet, satisfying meal at very reasonable prices.
Having read many reviews about this venue, we decided to try it, fully expecting to wait a while. We were pleasantly surprised though. Our water arrived very quickly, and our drink order were taken and delivered within less than five minutes. For dinner, we had the wild salmon and the Piedmont pizza, both of which were very good. Our waitress and the kitchen were very accommodating to some food allergies I have. We were very impressed with the venue, and did not experience any problems or delays.
Review Source:Considering it's TorC and the other options available, BellaLuca is a delightful surprise - friends of ours initially recommended it to us. Â We've actually now been numerous times over the years and I must admit, the service can be hit or miss. Â Sometimes it's spot on, and sometimes you feel like you're being ignored. . . I know it can be difficult to keep good staff in a small town (like TorC), but it should be consistently spot on. Â The food is typically very good, we love the shrimp arrabiata - nice spice and beautifully grilled, large, tiger shrimp. Â The wine has also been hit or miss at times, I'm not sure the storage temps are always right - we've had turned bottles (and not just once). Â All in all, BellaLuca is the place we like to go when we visit TorC, and we've tried most of the other noteworthy places in the area. Â Even though the service and wine quality have been somewhat inconsistent, we still enjoy it overall and plan to return when in town.
Review Source:This is a great place. We walked here from Sierra Grande Lodge - just a few blocks away. Nice selection of pastas and pizza as well as beer and wine. They had a selection of 'reserve' beers on the menu. I had a Steelhead Double IPA. Â We almost came here both nights we were in T or C.
Review Source:The seafood stew (not cioppino, forgot the name of it) was superb. It had a lot of seafood with a light essence of anchovies. VERY tasty. (I know- seafood in New Mexico? But most of the seafood we get anymore is frozen and it what the chef does with it.. which was GOOD.) The barbara was very good. On the other hand the pizza was middle of the road. It would have been better if the goat cheese was the only cheese on the pizza. Excellent service- very knowledgeable, Â good ambiance (thought the light was low and I didn't bring my glasses which made it hard to read).
Review Source:I live in town and have become addicted to their pizza and Calzones......one can get creative and choose from an array of ingredients to build your own pizza. They have the best pizza crust I have ever eaten! They make their own pasta and sauces like tomato or basil pesto sauces or Alfredo and all ingredients are fresh and tasty. Their salads are wonderful and their dressings home made and so scrumpteous. You can take home sauces, pasta, dressings, and other deli meats and cheeses from their own take out DELI. I work at a local hotel and recommend them to all the guests
Review Source:This place was a real winner, I was surprised to find such good Italian food and in such an upscale setting. I had the beans and greens pasta and it was really tasty (although the pasta was a bit too al dente). My partner had the eggplant Parmesan pasta (same, too al dente) which he also enjoyed. The service was very kind and helpful and our waitress was The same gal that served us at passion pie. Â The prices were fairly reasonable and I would definitely go again.
Review Source:We stopped at the Cafe BellaLuca on our way home from attending the 2012 Festival of the Cranes. Â Our dinner experience was an excellent one. Â Our service was very good and our food was delicious. Â We shared a Roman pizza and each had a side salad. Â The pizza had plenty of cheese and ample toppings. Â Would definitely return.
Review Source:The best place to eat in this dusty little town, it is open on Sunday too, a real bonus as the only other place seemed to be a drive through!  I ate on the patio the first night and service was slow, I think they forgot I was out there, so the second night I ate inside and service was excellent.  The food is exceptional, great wines, the Creme brûlée was to die for!  What a treat!
Review Source:Delicious food, attractive interior. Â The only bad part was the service, which was AWFUL! We waited forever for our food because they were so understaffed. They had signs on the door with open positions, and boy do they need to get those positions filled. I will return because the food is excellent, but don't come if you are in a hurry unless they are up to speed on staffing.
Review Source:We unfortunately discovered this place on our way OUT of town.. the night before, Sierra Grande Lodge had recommended Los Arcos and we were sorely disappointed. Â The next day, we walked through town and found BellaLuca. Â Now why hadn't they mentioned this place?? When we saw the Godfather pizza on the menu (pizza with asparagus, arugula, a butterflied ribeye steak, and a whole bunch of other stuff), we whole-heartedly agreed we would've gotten that the night before and it would've most likely kicked the butt of the Los Arcos steak we had.
We sat outside on the patio with our dog, and our server was awesome!! Â I ordered the chicken melt (grilled chicken breast with dill havarti, roasted red peppers, pesto, and avocado on focaccia) and C ordered the meatball hoagie. Â The bread was incredible-- I meant to ask if they made it in house but we were in kind of a hurry to get back on the road. Â They MUST-- both my focaccia and his baguette were perfectly crispy and chewy in all the right places. Â The fries they came with were tasty too, but could've been a tad bit crispier. Â The meatballs were shockingly delicious!!! Â (I'm from Jersey, c'mon!)
I was really surprised to happen upon this place in small-town T or C! It definitely has a bigger-city feel to it, right down to the spacious interior and high, tiled ceilings. Â Next time we're in town, i know where we're coming for dinner!
I ate at BellaLuca on my way to Silver City, NM in April. Â I had the finest pizza I can ever remember eating. Â I still think of it and recommend the establishment to friends as a "must eat here" opportunity. Â Not only did I take a picture of it and send it to my wife with exclamation points, but I look forward to another opportunity to pass through just to eat there.
It was a Sunday afternoon; it was perfect temperature to sit outside. Â Yes, though there were only 2 other parties at the restaurant it took a while for the food to arrive, but the waitress was friendly and customer-oriented.
Don't miss the mushroom pizza here!
I wish I could give Bella Luca 0 stars but thier drinks deserve 1 star I guess. Â Waited 15 minutes to get waters and menus after asking the hostess for waters. Â Finally our spacey server arrived and told me thy were out of any flavor pelligrino, I got a delicious rasberry italian soda. Â My girlfriend got the blueberry sangria which was also delicious. Â The calamari was
good and the side salad was pathetic. Â Additional salad dressing and marinara for calamari will cost you extra by the way...
Chicken for alfredo was overcooked and dried out, roman pizza was so greasy it makes me sick to think about. Â Thank goodness the "to go" box soaked up the grease and made it edible. Â Chefs got too crazy with the toppings on that, there was some sort of pork that was so salty I almost spit it out. Â Another server saw how peeved I was after being ignored by our server for at least 30 minutes that she asked if I needed anything, at which point we got boxes. Â
I could go on about how bad the service was, but the real kicker was that the restaurant was never more than half full, and our server only had 2 other small tables besides ours.
Dont fall victim to thinking Bella Luca is the only restaurant in T or C. Â I wish we could redo the night and had fun and good food at Groovy Grits and paid a quarter of the price.
There are two things worth doing in T or C. One of them is bathing in hot springs; the other is eating at this restaurant.
Yelp, this is legit Italian food in the middle of nowhere with a world-class wine and beer menu. Yes yes, it is expensive and service can be slow. Nobody cares when the food and drinks are this good.
My favorite dishes are whatever special ravioli they have that night, or the calabasitas fettuccine, or basically any pizza. And a glass of wine, or a cold glass of peach lambic beer. They also have the best balsamic reduction ever, which makes bread disappear and transforms an already delicious caprese salad into something straight from heaven. And how could I forget the creme brulee with a glass of raspberry port...
But my personal entree preferences don't mean anything. You have to experience this restaurant for yourself. So remember, if you ever find yourself in the middle of nowhere NM, life just got so very much more delicious. You're welcome.
Stellar - food, wine, and service
I was trying to avoid eating wheat, not easy in a italian restaurant, and the waitress mentions that they have gluten free pasta!!!! GF people - eat here! Â It was DELICIOUS. Everything was, and so beautifully prepared. Plus a killer wine selection. You can not go wrong here. It is a hidden gem.
This is tricky. I would love to warn you off this place, but I cant. First impressions were rotten for me as i was neglected at the front door for 5 minutes or more as the owner and chef? Sat out front and had a cigarette. The warehouse bistro style allowed the entire dining room to watch me wait. Â Just as i tried to leave a table hailed the not-so-busy waitress to come notice me.. Which she didn't seem too thrilled to do. I honestly cant believe i stayed. The service was so rotten. I watched another table come in only to be ignored for a couple minutes.
But, considering I'm in T or C... I take a chance on perhaps having a nice meal. Which was delicious. Cannelini beans and greens (chard) over penne with garlic white wine sauce was just what I needed  Baby green salad with homemade balsamic barely dressing was quite fine and half the price of all other salads?
The beer selection is impressive. The wine selection i found to be not so. If you want a bottle, you re in business, but by the glass is weighted heavily in Merlot and sangiovese. Lacking many varietals i would've chosen. Strange that, considering the manager was only dealing with wine inventory instead of noticing her dining room at 8 pm.
Many many service points were overlooked, but this is t or c's best restaurant Id dare say.
Big fish/Small pond
One night after soaking in the springs we got some food to go and it was ok. I highly recommend the flan but the shrimp risotto was pretty heavy and rich for my taste. I could only eat a little bit before my mouth and stomach needed a break. But when we stopped in the atmosphere looked nice and romantic, so maybe if we had stayed we would have enjoyed our food more...
Review Source:What a pleasant surprise this place is!
We came here for the tour in Spaceport America, looking for some quality food after. Big dining hall with good selection of wine and nice atmpsphere.I think it might be a little pricey for the area. Â But definitely suggested if you are just visiting
Nice decor but in a weird area, right across the street from the "pink apartment complex." That's your view out the floor to ceiling windows.
They do have private outdoor seating that is fenced off so you don't have a view of the parking lot.
We were seated right away. They served bread, with 4 large (tasty) olives and some oil with only one drop of balsamic vinegar. Like the other reviewer, one more drop won't break the bank and will add a bit more flavor! Â No bread plates, which was a litte odd and a little messy. Â What do you do, push the bread crumbs to the center of the table or swipe them onto the floor?
I ordered the SCALLOPS WITH ASPARAGUS RISOTTO. It was very very good. The risotto was perfectly cooked and not dry at all. The generous amount of asparagus was cut up in small pieces so it blended in nicely. Five large scallops adorned the meal and were perfectly cooked. My husband had the PORTABELLA MUSHROOM and CALZONE. He said both were very good.
We ordered a red wine from Argentina that was very tasty.
SERVICE was excellent. No DESERT. We were too full.
Highly recommend Cafe BellaLuca.
Good food in T or C with great ambience. We had calzones that were tasty for a very good price--the house-made gelatto (I had the fig) and sorbet is really good too.
The only downside with this place is the slow service. It took over 2 hours from start to finish. Not a big deal if you aren't in a hurry, but I would choose something else if you are on a schedule.
I really wanted to like this place. My husband and I were looking for a romantic place to celebrate our anniversary weekend in T or C. The atmosphere is very nice and modern, upscale and romantic. The food however was just not as nice as the decor would lead you to believe.
I ordered a caesar salad to split with my husband before our entree. What we got was romaine lettuce saturated (and I do mean DRENCHED) with what tasted like mayonnaise. An anchovy floated in the sea of the mystery mayonnaise sauce and what appeared to be a roasted red tomato, but I was not about to eat that since it was bathing in mayo with the anchovy. Gross.
Our entree was better, but not the best I've ever had. I had fettucini alfredo and my husband had spaghetti. It was just okay. I've had better, but it was not completely unpleasant.
The olive oil and bread were also just okay. I've had way better and it appeared that there was a lone drop of balsamic vinegar in the olive oil. Perhaps they intended it this way, but I will never know because the menu is not descriptive or helpful in anyway.
My husband and i were seated near the bathroom and we observed an employee leaving the restroom tucking his shirt into his pants as he walked back to the kitchen. I found him sticking his hand in his pants while exiting the bathroom to be repulsive. Our waitress was nice enough I suppose, but I wouldn't describe her as friendly. She just did her job and that was it. There was another woman filling up our waters and she seemed very nice as she always responded to us when we said thank you and she always kept our glasses filled with water.
I probably will not go back to this place next time I come to T or C.
Free-range eggs. Fresh produce. Fine olive oil. And they graciously cater to selective eaters such as myself who order an omlette at brunch, with selective veggie pickings. This kind of order most definitely racks a fairly high bill in the end. I wish it was more "organic" as in choosing mainly GMO-free and non-pesticide for veggies. It seems like a place that would lean in this direction, so perhaps in reality they do?
Clean establishment. Semi-open kitchen. Friendly staff.
I have to agree with Jon - this would be a great restaurant anywhere, but the fact that it's in Truth or Consequences is phenomenal! Â The food was excellent, the staff very courteous and attentive, and for extra bonus points we got to watch the local entertainment of someone being placed in handcuffs across the street! Â A great restaurant and very reasonably priced. Â If we ever make our way back here we'll definitely be back!
Review Source:For a smallish town, Cafe BellaLuca is a star. I had three meals there during my recent weekend stay in Truth or Consequences. Everything I ordered was stellar.
BellaLuca is located in the old 'downtown' area of TorC - which has a number of funky old shops and hot spring hotels. I was surprised to find a place like BellaLuca in this town - which has just a few restaurants - but given the influx of artists and other people fleeing larger cities it made sense.
Based on the recommendation of my server, Jacklyn, I tried the risotto with scallops (I had mine with grilled shrimp) which was very, very good. Most restaurants don't cook the rice long enough to avoid a kind of pastiness. BellaLuca's risotto was superb - soft Arborio rice stewed in a rich broth with 5 large, fresh Gulf shrimp) and better than similar dishes I've had in DC or Boston. I had the restaurant's Capri salad which was made with fresh organic tomatoes, a rich balsamic vinegar and mozzarella. Delish. The pizza didn't disappoint - I tried it with a grilled crust which was a bit like a cracker. The only disappointment was the chicken marsala which was a bit overcooked but still full o flava. Desserts include truffles made in house in addition to the usual stuff (tiramisu, flourless chocolate cake...).
The decor is modern - almost industrial - which is a relief from the typical NM style. It does get a bit loud due to the hard surface areas. Give BellaLuca a try if you visit Truth or Consequences. It is a wonderful place.
I cannot fault Cafe BellaLuca; the food was exquisite, the service exceptional, the beer selection brilliant, space inside and out was fabulous and the price was very reasonable. If I ate at a place like this in any big city I'd be really very pleased but this is Truth or Consequences in NM, that fact alone could make this place awesome but the truth is it is a truly exceptional place whether it is in the middle of nowhere or the middle of a big city.
We are both vegetarian and while the menu looked pretty meat orientated we were told just about anything on it could be done for us too. The two of us both had pasta: a lasagne and a canolini and greens in a white wine sauce, one desert and a load of beers; it all came to only $50.
I originally wrote this review on HaochiDC, a food blog for the region I write.
Unfortunately, I am in the desert. And its March. So when I ordered the Bruchetta at Cafe BellaLuca in Truth or Consequences, I shouldn't have expected the 'perfect' celebration of the tomato I so love. What drove me to order something so obviously out of season? Perhaps the hot spring water I soaked in for an hour before dinner got to me.
When a plate of toasted bread heaping with not-so-ripe looking tomatoes and a bunch of other stuff, to include olive oil, balsamic, mozzerellla, basil, lettuce, and at least 2-3 other things was presented, I shouldn't have been surprised. I was decidedly unhopeful for my dinner, but given that I didn't want Mexican or Dairy Queen and am in the middle of nowhere, I was happy to find somewhere that even made a go at Italian food.
The amazing thing? It was DELICIOUS. Its all about the vinegar. It was just pungent enough to compensate for the lack of taste inherent in tomatoes out of season, and they were cautious enough with its application not to overpower the good-quality cheese. I was taken aback. I am going to return home, reexamine all of my fresh tomato-based dishes that I normally file away until June, and see what may be salvageable with the application of some fine vinegar (although I too have a tendency to overdo a good thing, and ruin it when it comes to vinegar; I think I would drink the stuff directly out of the bottle were no one looking).
I was suddenly very optimistic for the whole meal! Unfortunately, nothing else lived up to this early creative and well-executed dish. I got the lasagna, which I think used canned or frozen spinach. Now if there is a single ingredient for which there is no equivalent non-fresh version, it's spinach. You can taste the bitterness of frozen/canned immediately, and it completely overpowers a dish. Add large pieces of obviously canned tomatoes (or maybe just the bruchetta's more tasteless cousins), and it was not good. Even more painful was the $14 price tag for a small dish. For a small meatless pasta dish, made with primarily non-fresh ingredients, this was outrageous. There were a variety of other pastas, pizza, and a few steak/seafood options. Maybe I just choose poorly, but given the quality control on what I did get, I am not hopeful.
I hope dessert would redeem, and perhaps the lasagna was a one-off bad choice, but alas, the cannoli, for which I was initially excited as it was not covered in pistachios like most, was dry and tasteless. Now I like a cannoli that is a little sour on the inside with a sweet crunchy shell, or a shell that is flaky and strong-tasting with a sweet creamy filling, but these were the unfortunate combination of a sour filling with a bland dry shell. I didn't even finish them. Me. I didn't finish my dessert. Unheard of. Add the fact the expresso machine was broken, and the second two-thirds of this meal were profoundly disappointing. I should have tried the Gelato. Other deserts were your typical Olive Garden variety, although I imagine at least homemade- Tiramisu, Creme Brulee, molten chocolate cake. I was reluctant to go for them as the presence of all three made it seem a bit too chain-Italian generic. If only one were on the menu, and a few other more unique options, I would have felt more confident.
Now perhaps I am being judgy, given where BellaLuca is located. I am only here a night, but I get the distinct sense that Truth or Consequences is not brimming with culinary masterpieces. Given the choices, it seems like a pretty good option. The interior is warm, open, and inviting, , the initially overly cheesy aggressive approach of the waiter, once it was clear I just wanted to read in by the window and not make lame jokes the service was polite, effective and excellent. It took a long time to get my food, but I was there early, so it could have just been that the pan of lasagna wasn't ready yet. Fresh beats quick, and it wasn't too long (about 20 min).
Worth going, if you are in T or C, but mostly beacuse there are few other options. Even the attempt to have something nice and interesting is commendable here- I hope the chef keeps trying, and works on every dish count. For now, just order two plates of Bruchetta, and get some ice cream at Dairy Queen!
I went mid-afternoon, neither lunch nor dinner- they serve pizza and calzone only from about 3-5 (estimated). The pizza was quite tasty and well priced, the menu looked great, I really wish I had been able to eat there for more meals! Possibly closed Mondays. The space is really lovely too. I think it was the best T or C meal I had :)
Review Source:One of the few reliably yummy places to eat in town.
They like to use locally grown, organic produce. Their vanilla creme brule is outstanding, outstanding, outstanding. I like sitting in the booths -- like most everything else, they're stylishingly-decorated and provide very nice ambiance!
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