expensive / veal taste like pork
Spent some time in Hot Springs this past spring. Ate at most Italian restaurants in town. This one is a tourist trap and is arogant to top it off.    [25 Jan 2003 15:02:11]

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Recommended Dishes: stay away from the veal

     ­Anonymous   

RUDE
Prices high, food O.K.. Service good because the employees are afraid of the boss. I was sitting having dinner when this man starts to yell and push his employee around. It was very disturbing. I asked what was that about. "Oh it's just the owner. He is always going off like that". Well I will not go there again.    [13 Nov 2003 10:14:46]

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Recommended Dishes: none

     ­George, Little Rock   

Not as good as before.
Only the name is the same. I ate here 5 years ago and it was great! Now it sucks! New Owner must not have got the recipes with the shop. Too Bad.    [14 Jan 2004 18:38:05]

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     ­Vistor on vacation   

EXCELLENT
The dining experience at Belle Arti was wonderful - We would choose to eat there again and again. While waiting for the salads, one is served fresh warm bread with an olive compote - a refreshing twist to the usual oil dipping sauce most Italian restaurants provide. The Insalata di Zorba was a fresh (very) mix of tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions, Greek olives and feta cheese dressed with oil and vinegar. The Insalata di Spinaci was a delicious mix of fresh spinach, mushrooms and bacon chunks dressed with orange vinaigrette.
The Ravioli alla Boscaiola was a stellar dish of beef filled ravioli in cream sauce with pancetta, mushrooms and diced onions. For those liking a bit of spice, the Gamberi fra Diavola was outstanding. Made with a generous portion of large sauteed shrimp in a spicy tomato sauce (fresh tomatoes) and served on linguine, this dish was also outstanding. Desserts were also very fine. The cannoli was freshly made with the proper cheese filling - not overly sweet. The raspberry ramekin with the carmelized whipped topping was the perfect ending for anyone liking fresh fruit. The wait staff was impeccable. Very attentive without being bothersome. The ambiance is very lovely and with the piano lightly playing in the dining room, the Belle Arti is wonderful for special occasions or for a Thursday evenings supper as we had.    [03 May 2004 13:55:14]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Ravioli alla Boscaiola and Gamberi fra Diavola

     ­Donna, NY , Association of Concert Bands   

Food was awful
My wife, my 17 year-old daughter, and I were visiting Hot Springs and were told by some friends to stop here and eat because the food is great. Well, I ordered a filet mignon that I had to chew 3 forevers to swallow and my wife agreed after I sawed her off a slice. My new potatoes had to be cut up with a knife because they were so undercooked. My wife got a lobster stuffed ravioli that tasted fresh from the freezer and heated in the microwave. My daughter got something simple like manicotti which tasted good but again I could have bought this in the freezer section of Kroger. On top of it all, we each ordered salads with our meals and salads are not part of the meal apparently because they added an extra $ 7.95 for each salad. Must be easy to convince local Arkansans this is good Italian food.    [25 Feb 2005 08:44:50]

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     ­calicorkication   calicorkication at gmail dot com

Consistently Wonderful!
I stumbled onto this site and am amazed to find some negative reviews of Belle Arti. Possibly I’ve been terribly lucky during my visits to this restaurant……of course, I eat there on a fairly regular basis, so I find that implausible. The food is wonderful (unless you somehow believe that Pizza Hut is ‘fine Italian dining’), with the Ravioli alla Boscaiola being a personal favorite of mine, the atmosphere is warm and elegant, and the service is experience and prompt. If anything, the service can be a bit too present, but if you prefer more privacy with fewer interruptions, just be clear in your direction to your waiter/waitress. Obviously, their goal is to not neglect the patrons (all to uncommon today, !sigh! ). To have found such a consistently terrific, authentic Italian restaurant in the middle of Arkansas (and I don’t mean to be a snob, but around here splurging for dinner out apparently is normally only interrupted by someone asking if you’d ‘like fries with that’) is amazing. One suggestion, make reservations….they’ll work you in if you don’t, but it may take a while. I like the piano bar in the back, but it may not be everyone’s favorite place to kill an hour waiting on a table if you don’t call ahead!    [23 Sep 2005 05:38:36]

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Recommended Dishes: Every entree I've tries has been superb.....same for appetizers. Deserts, well I don't know....I've always been stuffed and only had coffee or a after-dinner drink.

     ­J. D.    

GREAT PIANIST
NOT ONLY IS THE FOOD GOOD THE MUSIC AND VIEW ARE NICE AS WE ALL LOVE YA PATRICK    [04 Oct 2005 16:31:21]

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     ­BETHANY, DERIDDER LA   arwyn_86 at yahoo dot com

AWSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!I Loved the hamburgers! And the French Fries were Great! Chef, don't listen to all those people saying your food is not up to par! They're just jealous!    [03 Jan 2007 20:50:00]

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Recommended Dishes: Hamburger and French Fries

     ­Christian Figuccia, Bologna   ruggi90 at libero dot it