My wife and I saw this while cruising 5th Ave S and saw that they served tapas. We stopped in the next night for her birthday and really enjoyed it (BTW, the desert-something turnover--was outstanding!). The paella del mar was excellent and the atmosphere was friendly.

While visiting Naples for the first time we were delighted to find The Bella Maria Café.
We would recommend this restaurant to anyone and found the food, service and welcoming atmosphere a must for anyone strolling 5th Avenue. Not slick but charming, we had a leisurely cafe lunch on a sun drenched February day. We were a party of five seated outside on the patio. There were many little inviting shops nearby to explore after our meal. The owner was clearly busy but kind in offering to snap a family photo of us before we ordered. We just had simple lunches, chicken salad, a wonderful eggplant dish, and sandwiches but we felt they did a great job with our choices. The food was fabulous and we found the fresh homemade pastries to be outstanding! We ordered fruit tarts, a cannoli and Napoleons to pass around the table and all were delicious. Our only regret was when we realized we were flying home the next day and wouldn’t have time to come back to try their tapas dishes.
It’s difficult finding the perfect little lunch on vacation but The Bella Maria Café was the perfect choice.

We drove by Tommy Bahama's and the line was out the door. We actually walked by Bella Maria due to it's non-descript exterior before it dawned on me that it was on our list of places to try. After seeing the line at T Bahama's, I was surprised to see that we were one of only two tables seated at Bella for lunch. I was put at ease once our food arrived. I ordered a shrimp and garlic tapas along with a side of saffron rice. My wife ordered a huge salad. My shrimp was extremely tasty, the saffron rice was outstanding and my wife said her salad was the best she had ever had. I believe it even had hearts of palm as one of the ingredients. I had read that the place was owned by a Chilean pastry chef so we had to try one of the desserts. We wanted to go for something we were familiar with but the waiter highly recommended a pear and chocolate tart. Boy was he right, it was outstanding. We wound up buying a dessert tray to give to my Aunt and Uncle as a gift on the trip. Service was excellent, and I believe the majority of the staff were all family. Felt kind of sorry for them that they don't get the exposure that the chains get, but the food and service were both terrific. Drove by at night and did notice that they looked full for dinner though, thank goodness. Highly recommended!

My wife and I eat here at least once a month. It' family run and they are great...they make you feel like one of their own.

It's small enough to not be overbearing or loud and nestled in the middle of Fifth Ave so a nice walk or shopping afterwards is easy.

Parking is not usually a problem like it often can be in Dwtn Naples.

Have fun and eat well!