Belly General Store

01/28/10

Super-Casual North Highland Eatery a Neighborhood Staple

by ryansims

The casual "General Store" vibe is perfect for ambiance but lacks in practicality. However, the restaurant portion of the store delivers with hot dishes like warm, fluffy bagels topped with lox, cream cheese and capers or paninis oozing with mozzarella, tomato, and basil. Other deli offerings like roast beef sandwiches or cold dishes like potato salad or hummus are also doled out in brown bags. The food is easy to grab and run, or to stay and eat on rustic, wooden community tables. Italian lemonade sodas and bottled Coca Cola are found in the refrigerated case, though scalding hot coffee is available behind the counter. The line to order feels like it creeps by slower than a caterpillar, but if you have the patience, it can be worth the wait.

• Pros: Great bagels, sandwiches, and fresh coffee.
• Cons: Slow service, a bit pricey, irrelevant "general store"

10/01/09

Great Bagels, but service is sorely lacking

by JMunchkinDina

I would have given Belly five stars, but the service is so poor! The bagels are wonderful (though they are quite different from New York City bagels), and the coffee is excellent (they serve Batdorf & Bronson coffee, a local Atlantan coffee roaster), but the service is slow and the employees are not very helpful. The sign inside clearly reads that bagels are served all day, but I have taken the trip there on several occassions around 11 am when I've been told that the bagels have sold out (???). The worst part about it is that the employees aren't even apologetic about it, they could care less. On the rare occassion that you can enjoy a bagel and a coffee on a weekend day (and find a seat!) Belly is definitely worth a shot.

• Pros: Bagels
• Cons: Service

09/17/09

Why is this here

by then

I truly don't understand the listing on some of the hot spots, but to each their own. I see there is a much more realistic view here from the actual customers versus the advertisers

I have walked into this palce mnay times as it is on my path, but each time an di thas been many, I am put off by the many flies hovering around the open food. I just don't get it.

I have tried the bagels and beg to differ. They are not nyc bagels or anywhere close.

when I read the reference to my hometown of ny bagels, I felt moved to comment

Get real people, this place is here because of the location

I agree with the above, it is also here due to the likes of Suzy, and all of the other leftover yups that have the cash to burn, on useless, poor quality stuff.

Sorry, but too many great local places to have this one on one of the top 10

Auroa rules in coffee and still have not found any great bagels in the city,

• Pros: location
• Cons: food, cleanliness

01/03/09

Objective Observance...

by theflyonthewall

Belly is a great little atmospheric place in the highlands. When it's raining outside, it's a nice and sunny place inside. They provide delicious sandwiches, salads at a reasonable price, including baked goods, empanadas, bagels and delicious coffee too. However, if all you want is a cup of coffee, it can be quite irritating when you've got Suzie Indecision in front of you wanting to know how much everything from muffins to bagels cost when it is clearly on the chalk board menu right in front of her face....or when Holly Housewife and Dennis Dogood want to sample every damn thing in the chef's case. All I want is a cup of coffee people. Can SOMEONE please step aside so I can pay my $2 and be on my merry way? Another thing....I went for a refill one day, something I rarely do, because usually one cup is enough, however on this particular day, a second cup was called for. So I go up to the counter with roughly 50 cents in dimes, nickels and pennies and the charge for a refill is $1.35??!?!?!?!?!? WTF? A REFILL people is supposed to be much less to encourage people to stay in your establishment and to reuse their cups. What a ripoff.

The people who work there are pleasant enough, however, a little sense of urgency would be nice to see. Maybe during high traffic times there could be a line for only coffee so that the Suzie Indecision's of the world can take their precious sweet time and not drive other guests away....I'm just sayin. I've left and gone to another coffee shop because of this factor. Am I the only one who feels this way? You tell me.

12/14/08

Sadly, it's really gone downhill....

by swixie

I used to love going to Belly but now something's happened and it has really gone downhill. Their bagels are still good (thought they are left out uncovered) but the rest of the food does seem like it's been left out to long, has flies hovering around, and is sorely lacking in taste. Last time I went I watched someone drop a customer's food on the ground (wrapped, but not well wrapped) and just pick it up and place it back in their bag... Also, the wonderful doo-dads, jams, and toys are all gone. Looks sparse and like a shell of it's former self. So sad!

• Pros: ...
• Cons: unappetizing, possible contaminated food