This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

Bella Napoli is a family-owned Italian grocery, deli, pizzeria and full-service restaurant in Kansas City’s Brookside neighborhood, opened by Jake Imperiale in 2001 and built around imported Italian goods and Imperiale family recipes.

Description

Bella Napoli is an Italian market and restaurant in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri, combining several concepts under one roof: an imported-goods grocery and market, a deli, a pizzeria, a coffee shop, and a full-service restaurant. The market side stocks Italian deli meats, cheeses, imported wines, olive oil, vinegar, pastas, olives and other specialty goods, with products hand-selected by the owner and sourced from Italy.

The restaurant and pizzeria serve traditional Italian dishes and sandwiches in a setting the business describes as the ambiance of a true Italian ristorante. The concept grew over time from its original grocery-and-deli footprint into the broader market-plus-restaurant operation it runs today.

Bella Napoli has operated in Brookside since April 2001 and is regularly cited in KC dining coverage as one of the metro’s go-to spots for Italian groceries and prepared food.

Ownership and history

Bella Napoli was founded in 2001 by Jake Imperiale, who opened the business under the guidance of his Italian-native mother and after extensive travels throughout Italy. The business presents itself explicitly through the lens of the Imperiale family: it honors “Imperiale family recipes” and a family ethos summarized in the motto “In the Bella family, food is love.”

The operation began as an Italian grocery and market (with a coffee shop). According to KC dining coverage, Imperiale added a full-service restaurant in 2006, expanding the original grocery-and-deli concept into the combined market/deli/pizzeria/restaurant it is known for today.

The founder’s mother is described as an Italian native; whether the family are first-generation Italian immigrants to the U.S. is not definitively established in available sources.

Last verified: 2026-08-14 · Source: Bella Napoli official Summer 2026 Lunch PDF + Dinner PDF (first-party, linked from /restaurant/) + official Deli page + Feast Magazine · URL(s): https://kcbellanapoli.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Bella-Lunch-Summer-2026.pdf · https://kcbellanapoli.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Bella-Dinner-Summer-2026.pdf · https://kcbellanapoli.com/deli/ · Confidence: High for items in the Summer 2026 Lunch PDF (item name + description + price all first-party). Medium for Dinner Secondi (PDF text extraction was partially garbled but Secondi block came through cleanly). Prices below reflect the current first-party Summer 2026 menus and replace the earlier Yelp lunch-menu figures.

Antipasti1

  • Arancini — risotto balls, beef, mozzarella, peas, $111
  • Salumi e Formaggi — assorted imported meats & cheeses, $11 / $171
  • Bruschetta — tomato, basil, olive oil, $111
  • Misto Italiano — prosciutto, grilled vegetables, mozzarella, olives, $151
  • Caprese — mozzarella, heirloom tomato, basil, $141
  • Crostino — prosciutto, mozzarella, basil, toasted bread, $121

Insalate e Zuppe1

  • Casa — mixed greens, tomato, kalamata olive, balsamic vinaigrette, $61
  • Italiana — arugula, cipollini, artichoke, kalamata olive, shaved parmesan, olive oil, balsamic glaze, $71
  • Caprino — arugula, wine-soaked figs, walnuts, goat cheese, fig vinaigrette, $71
  • Insalate di Pinoli — arugula, pine nuts, pecorino, carrots, honey vinaigrette, $71
  • Cacciucco — shrimp, mussels, octopus, spicy tomato broth, $241
  • Minestrone — vegetable broth, carrot, peas, onion, celery, cannellini, $71

Paste (lunch)1

  • Carbonara — spaghetti, guanciale, egg, parmesan, pecorino, black pepper, $191
  • Pomodoro — spaghetti, tomato sauce, basil, parmesan, $15 (add meatball +$3.50)1
  • Tortellini — meat tortellini, cream, peas, prosciutto cotto, parmesan, $211
  • Amatriciana di Cesare — rigatoni, guanciale, onion, spicy tomato sauce, pecorino, $171
  • Pasta alla Sambuca — rigatoni, tomato cream sauce, sambuca, onion, parmesan, $171
  • Tagliatelle Bolognese — tagliatelle, ground beef, ground pork, tomato, cream, parmesan, $181
  • Melanzane alla Parmigiana — eggplant, mozzarella, tomato, basil, parmesan, $191
  • Lasagna — bolognese, bechamel, tomato, mozzarella, basil, parmesan, $20 (+$3 for larger)1
  • Homemade gnocchi — Thursday special, with choice of sauce; the owner has called it “my favorite thing”23
  • Homemade risotto — Wednesday chef’s-choice special2

Secondi (dinner)4

  • Salmone — salmon, broccolini, roasted potato, $304
  • Chicken Piccata — lemon, butter, white wine, capers, $254
  • Tagliata di Manzo — grilled ribeye, arugula salad, aged balsamic, $334
  • Branzino — sea bass, potato, asparagus, lemon, $294

Contorni (sides)1

  • Spinach — sautéed spinach, butter, parmesan, $71
  • Peppers — red peppers, olives, capers, $71
  • Asparagus — grilled asparagus, lemon, olive oil, $71
  • Eggplant — grilled and chilled eggplant, garlic, olive oil, $71
  • Sausage link — grilled house-made sausage, $81
  • Peas & pancetta — sautéed peas, pancetta, olive oil, $71
  • Broccolini — grilled broccolini, olive oil, $74

Deli sandwiches (handmade, Italian deli meats & cheeses)

Kansas City’s most beloved Italian deli sandwiches, made by hand with house-made sausage, meatballs, and imported meats and cheeses.5 Add chips and drink +$4.1

  • I. Il Saro — salumi, capocollo, mortadella, provolone, giardiniera, balsamic vinaigrette, lettuce, tomato, $111
  • II. Napolitano — mozzarella, basil, tomato, balsamic vinaigrette, $101
  • III. Il Parma — roasted red pepper, basil, mozzarella, prosciutto, $121
  • IV. Siciliano — roasted red pepper, aged provolone, tomato, $101
  • V. Americano — turkey, parma cotto, swiss, tomato, lettuce, mayo, mustard, $101
  • VI. Er Romano — prosciutto, eggplant, mozzarella, olive oil, $111
  • VII. Giorgio — prosciutto, arugula, mozzarella, olive oil, $121
  • VIII. Soreta — roasted red pepper, mozzarella, eggplant, arugula, tomato, $111
  • IX. Porchetta — roasted pork, arugula, aged provolone, tomato, $121

Panini (served with rigatoni side)1

  • Meatball Panino — meatball, provolone, tomato sauce, $121
  • Steak Panino — breaded and fried tenderloin, tomato sauce, mozzarella, $141
  • Eggplant Panino — fried eggplant, tomato, mozzarella, olive oil, $121
  • Sausage Panino — sausage link, caramelized onions, roasted peppers, provolone, tomato sauce, $141

Pizze (Neapolitan-style, recipe learned in Naples)

Authentic Italian pizza made from a Naples recipe using imported Italian ingredients; all menu pizze are $10 on Mondays (dine-in after 4pm).23 Substitute mozzarella imported from Napoli +$4.1

  • Margherita — mozzarella, tomato, basil, $151
  • Diavola — calabrese salami, mozzarella, tomato sauce, spicy oil, $161
  • Funghi — crimini mushrooms, mozzarella, tomato sauce, $171
  • Quattro Formaggi — asiago, mozzarella, gorgonzola, parmesan, tomato sauce, $171
  • Giovanni — mozzarella, sausage, sautéed peppers, caramelized onions, tomato sauce, $171
  • Capricciosa — prosciutto, mozzarella, artichoke, basil, olives, mushrooms, tomato sauce, $181
  • Fumoso Bianco — smoked mozzarella, speck, caramelized onions, arugula, olive oil, $181
  • Rughetta — prosciutto, arugula, mozzarella, tomato sauce, $171
  • Salsiccia — sausage, mozzarella, tomato sauce, $171
  • Cristoforo — onion, calabrese salami, mozzarella, tomato sauce, spicy oil, $161

Calzoni1

  • Classico — ricotta, mozzarella, asiago, tomato sauce, choice of salami / mushroom / sausage, $141
  • Napoletano — salami, mozzarella, ricotta, tomato sauce, basil, mozzarella topping, $151

Dolce (desserts) & café

Prices for the dessert case are not published on the current first-party PDF menus (2026-08-14 verification ceiling — Bella publishes name-and-composition for savory items but does not print a dessert list on the Summer 2026 Lunch or Dinner PDF).

  • Espresso & biscotti — coffee-shop side3

Italian market & deli (retail)

Imported groceries available for purchase — Italian deli meats and cheeses, olive oils, vinegars, jarred vegetables, dried pastas, olives, and a small-vineyard imported Italian wine program (half-price bottles on Tuesdays).23

See also

Sources

  1. Bella Napoli — official “Our Story” page (founder Jake Imperiale, 2001 founding, Italian-native mother, imported goods, family recipes) — https://kcbellanapoli.com/our-story/ — accessed 2026-05-30
  2. IN Kansas City Magazine — Bella Napoli dining guide entry (2001 grocery opening, later full-service restaurant + coffee shop, concept description) — https://www.inkansascity.com/eat-drink/dining-guide/bella-napoli/ — accessed 2026-05-30
  3. Feast Magazine — “At Bella Napoli, Authentic Italian in Brookside” — https://www.feastmagazine.com/travel/kansas-city/at-bella-napoli-authentic-italian-in-brookside/article_7cf248d6-a1b2-11e4-ba46-af77b44707f1.html — accessed 2026-05-30
  4. Inside Brookside — Bella Napoli coverage (April 2001 Brookside fixture) — https://insidebrookside.com/tag/bella-napoli/ — accessed 2026-05-30
  5. Status verified active 2026-06-23 via Yelp — Bella Napoli (Updated June 2026) (accessed 2026-06-23). Address 6229 Brookside Blvd and current operating hours corroborated; official site hours page also live.

Verification

Drafted 2026-05-30 from web research; 4 sources (official + 3 independent). Verified: founder Jake Imperiale, 2001 founding, Brookside address, Italian-heritage family framing, market/deli/pizzeria/restaurant combo. Unverified/flagged: exact 2006 restaurant-expansion year (secondary press) and the family’s specific immigration generation/Italian region of origin.

Footnotes

  1. Bella Napoli — official Summer 2026 Lunch menu PDF (antipasti, insalate e zuppe, paste, contorni, deli sandwiches, panini, pizze, calzoni — item names, compositions, and prices) (linked from kcbellanapoli.com) — accessed 2026-08-14 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22 ↩23 ↩24 ↩25 ↩26 ↩27 ↩28 ↩29 ↩30 ↩31 ↩32 ↩33 ↩34 ↩35 ↩36 ↩37 ↩38 ↩39 ↩40 ↩41 ↩42 ↩43 ↩44 ↩45 ↩46 ↩47 ↩48 ↩49 ↩50 ↩51 ↩52 ↩53 ↩54 ↩55 ↩56 ↩57 ↩58 ↩59

  2. Bella Napoli — official Restaurant page (menu categories: handmade sandwiches, dinner/ristorante, Italian deli, small-vineyard Italian wine program, dolce; weekly specials — Mon $10 pizze dine-in after 4pm, Tue half-price wine bottles, Wed chef’s-choice risotto, Thu homemade gnocchi with choice of sauce) — accessed 2026-06-20 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  3. Feast Magazine — “At Bella Napoli, Authentic Italian in Brookside” (Neapolitan pizza recipe & imported ingredients; deli meats — genoa salami, prosciutto di Parma, mortadella, capocollo, provolone; gnocchi as owner’s favorite; espresso & biscotti coffee shop; imported oils, vinegars, jarred vegetables, pastas) — accessed 2026-06-20 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  4. Bella Napoli — official Summer 2026 Dinner menu PDF (Secondi block: Salmone, Chicken Piccata, Tagliata di Manzo, Branzino with descriptions and prices; Broccolini contorno) (linked from kcbellanapoli.com) — accessed 2026-08-14 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  5. Bella Napoli — official Deli page (“Kansas City’s most beloved Italian deli sandwiches are made by hand with house-made sausage, meatballs, and the finest imported meats and cheeses”) — accessed 2026-08-14 ↩

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On the record — ks.city/registry/bella-napoli · record updated 2026-08-14