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One rule of Fort Worth dining:
Know your Bellas.
Cafe Bella is a 27-year favorite in the TCU neighborhood, known for simple dishes and BYOB dining.
It’s not moving.
That’s Bella Italia, a different restaurant on Camp Bowie Boulevard.
Ever since Bella Italia announced its move, Cafe Bella owner Eli Golemi has had to explain that they’re not related.
“People tell me, ‘I heard you’re selling’ — I tell them I’m not going anywhere!” said Golemi, a native of Ioannina, Greece.
She started as a server at Cafe Bella and now owns the cafe, 3548 South Hills Ave.
“Ladies are shaking my hand, saying, ‘I’m so happy for you getting divorced,’ “ she said — “I am not getting a divorce!
“”I have never been to that other restaurant! This is my only restaurant!”
The confusion started in 1999. That’s when the prolific Kaba restaurant family opened a small restaurant on Blue Bonnet Circle named Bella Pizza and Pasta.
Across town, chef Carlo Croci had already opened Bella Italia West on Camp Bowie Boulevard.
That should have untangled in 2004, when the Kabas and Golemi moved their restaurant to the Westcliff Shopping Center as Cafe Bella.
Now that Bella Italia is moving to 6115 Camp Bowie Blvd., some customers and social media commenters are confused all over again.
Golemi just upgraded Cafe Bella. She redecorated and dialed the decor up a notch, adding softer lighting, tablecloths and nicer dinnerware, giving it the feel of a night-out restaurant at a BYOB price.
“I grew up with my customers, and I wanted to give them a nicer experience,” she said.
Cafe Bella has always been known for basic dishes such as chicken Marsala or baked ziti. Customers like the salmon piccata or Golemi’s salmon special from her mother’s kitchen, she said.
“We buy vegetables from the farmers’ market and we use organic chicken,” she said. “We grate the garlic fresh. Everything is a better quality,” she said.
“i just want the people to feel at home.”
Cafe Bella is open for dinner weeknights and Saturdays and for lunch Wednesdays through Fridays; 817-922-9500, cafebellaftw.com..
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Bud Kennedy
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