When I opened my restaurant La Bella Managua in 2005, Nicaraguan food was completely unknown in Toronto. Nicaraguan cuisine draws on almost every aspect of Latin American cooking styles, but it puts a unique twist on certain flavours. Hinting at the tuber-based indigenous cuisine found in places like Brazil and Ecuador, I prepare sautéed sweet plantains and a dish of crispy fried marinated pork chunks and coleslaw atop steamed white yucca root. Gallo pinto, the Nicaraguan take on the Caribbean staple of rice and beans, involves mixing the ingredients into a red and black?flecked mashup, and Central American influence is also apparent on the menu in the form of tacos and quesadillas, and habañero peppers in the homemade salsa. People wanted to eat what they already knew. Slowly, customer by customer, word spread?first among Nicaraguans telling other Latin Americans, then among people telling their Canadian-born friends.more...See more text
Jesus Morales has always worked with food. In his native Nicaragua, he helped his parents prepare ready-made meals for the family-owned grocery store. And after moving to Montreal in 1988 and then to Toronto in 1990, Jesus worked as a chef in a variety of kitchens, ranging from Italian bistros to steakhouses and Thai restaurants.
But it wasn’t until a family friend from Nicaragua asked for Jesus’ help to prepare Nicaraguan dishes for a birthday party that he was inspired to start his own operation. “People liked it and they were saying, ‘Why don’t you put up a restaurant and sell some Nicaraguan food?’” he remembers. He recognized that no one else in Toronto specialized in the cuisine of his home country. So in 2005, Jesus opened Toronto’s first Nicaraguan restaurant – La Bella Managua, named for the country’s beautiful capital city.
Start your meal with one of our many delicious appetizers, like our famous Ceviche!
CALAMARES
Deep Fried Young Calamari served with Creole sauce
$7.95
CEVICHES
Marinated seafood in lime juice with fresh peppers, red onions and cilantro. Served with avocado, and crispy plantain chips.
$9.75Mix/ Fish and Shrimp
$9.95Shrimp or Fish
$9.75
QUESADILLA
Wheat flour tortilla stuffed with Monterey Jack cheese, Green onions and salsa al pimento
$7.50
TACOS
Breaded corn tortilla filled with beef, and vegetables topped with cabbage salad, Rose sauce
$7.50
SOUPS OF THE DAY
Ask your server
$5.50Small
$4.75Large
$11.00
ENSALADA CRIOLLA
$6.95
YUCCANADAS
$6.95
ENTREE
Entrees served with a house salad!
POLLO A LA PARRILLA
Grilled seasoned chicken breast served with Gallo Pinto (rice and Beans) , Avocado salad and Sweeted plantain.
$14.50
BISTECK ENCEBOLLADO
Pan fried top sirloin steak seasoned with caramelized onions, tomatoes and roasted garlic. Served along with white rice, tòstones (green plantain) and Mesclun salad.
$14.50
CARNE ASADA
Grilled boneless beef steak served with gallo pinto (rice and beans), avocado, deep fried plantain (green or sweeted) and cabbage salad.
$13.50
LOMO DE CERDO
Grilled strip loin pork served with white rice and vegetable al olio, and topped with a rich french mustard sauce.
NACATAMALES
Tipical Nicaraguan tamales served with bread or tortilla
$8.95
CAMÀRONES A LA SABANA
Sauted black tiger shrimps in a white wine garlic butter sauce tossed with bell peppers, Spanish onions and served with white rice, tostones and avocado.
$15.95
CERDO CON YUCA
Seasoned pan fried pork served on a bed of steamed yucca and topped with pickled cabbage salad.
$13.50
FISH OF THE DAY
PEZ DORADO
Grilled Mahimahi fillet topped with white wine, lemon caper butter and served with white rice, tostones (green plantain) and mesclun salad.
$14.95
CAJUN SHRIMP STIRFRY
Black tiger shrimp stir fry with vegetables, garlic and ginger in a teriyaki sauce served over a bed of white rice and avocado.
$15.95
POLLO JALAPENO
Grilled seasoned chicken breast topped with ranchero jalapeno sauce and served with white rice, tostones and mesclun salad.
$14.50
CHURRASCO
Grilled tip tenderloin steak to your liking, braised with chimichurri sauce and served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables al olio.
$16.95
VEGETARIANS DISHES MENU - La Bella Managua Inc
Best vegetarian recipes from Nicaragua cuisine.
BANDEJA TIPICA
Gallo pinto (rice and beans), sweeted plantain, avocado, tortilla, Spanish cheese and cabbage salad
$12.25
TAJADAS CON QUESO
Crispy plantain chips with fried Nicaraguan cheese, served with cabbage salad
$13.95
YUCCA MIXTA
Seasoned fried yucca served with avocado salad, fried Nicaraguan cheese and sour cream
$12.25
SEGOVIA MIX
Flavorful refried beans accompanied with mashed cassava, Spanish cheese, avocado and sweeted plantain
$12.25
PASTAS
LINGUINE PORTABELLA
Linguini noodles with field mushroom, scallions and chicken in a rousted garlic tomatoes basil sauce
$9.25Small
$8.75Large
$12.50
FETTUCCINE A LA VALENCIA
Noodles with broccoli, carrots, bell peppers and chicken in a tasty creamy parmesan cheese sauce
$9.25Small
$8.75Large
$12.50
SIDE ORDERS MENU - La Bella Managua Inc
SWEETED PLANTAIN
$3.00
GREEN PLANTAIN CHIPS
$3.00
CABBAGE SALAD
$2.75
FRY CHEESE
$2.50
WHITE RICE
$2.75
GALLO PINTO
$3.25
YUCCA
$3.50
TÒSTONES
$3.25
BEANS
$3.25
TORTILLA
$1.25
FRYED PORK
$4.75
BEEF
$4.75
AVOCADO
$2.50
AVOCADO SALAD
$4.50
MASHED POTATOE
$3.25
GREEN SALAD
$3.25
FRENCH FRIES
$3.25
CHICKEN BREAST
$3.50
SOUR CREAM
$1.50
JALAPENO SAUCE
$2.25
CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
$2.00
BREAD
$1.50
FRESH CHEESE
$2.50
DESERTS MENU - La Bella Managua Inc
Save room for our homemade masterpieces!
THREE MILK CAKE
$4.50
BUNUELOS
$4.50
STICKY TOFFE
$5.00
DESSERT OF THE DAY
ASK YOUR SERVER!!
KIDS MENU MENU - La Bella Managua Inc
For children 12 & under
LINGUINE
Noodles in tomato sauce and parmesan cheese
$6.50
CHICKEN FINGERS
with french fries
$6.50
KIDS CARNE ASADA
Served with gallopinto and French fries
$7.00
TAJADAS JUNIOR
Crispy plantain chips with fried cheese and cabbage salad
$6.50
POLLO NINO
Seasoned grilled chicken breast served with white rice sweeted plantain and tomatoes
$7.00
MIXED DRINKS
MOJINICA
A rich and refreshing minted beverage with golden Nicaraguan rum
ELMACUA
NATIONAL NICARAGUAN DRINK....SALUD!!
SANGRIA
A sweet Spanish style red wine punch packed with fresh fruits
This place never changes always fresh and the price is even better! The owner of the place is the real capatano of all foods. Come and see for yourself. Five stars*****
Here, you can enjoy Nicaraguan cuisine, including sautéed sweet plantains, crispy fried marinated pork chunks and coleslaw atop steamed white yucca root. The food is always cooked to perfection. This simple, local Bloor West Village restaurant boasts quality ingredients, careful preparation and genuinely friendly service always!
