Bella's RestaurantMia Bella!Date Night out, Im an italian that loves to cook, NEVER have I had a meatball anywhere that could touch our family recipe. BELLA's seems to use almost the same recipe, there meatballs are just slightly more cooked (crispy). Which my wife LOVED. VERY impressed with the meatballs. However the sauce is your typical Italian Family restaurant taste, Our family sauce is still lands above the rest. The deserts and appetizers were fantastic including the Arancini! Food was pretty good very strong points and average points as well. Service was spectacular & the ambiance was of a little mom and pop in NY loved it.6/13/2013 12:00:00 AMPretend You're in RomeDelightful owners make everyone feel welcome. Great place to share dishes, which is how the menu is designed. Even so, you'll go home with a doggie bag. Order the grilled romaine salad with gorgonzola, pancetta and balsamic vinegar glaze. Had the carbonara which was delicious, affirmed by two who had just returned from living in Rome. The Porchetta dish looked as though it had been revamped since we first had it and looked wonderful. The Chicken Marsala was good; would have liked sauce on the chicken, too, not just the pasta. Did not care for the pushy nature of our waitress who quickly poured the entire bottle of Pellegrino and wine in our glasses to get us to buy another. Very good cannoli. Fun place! Will return again.6/13/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Italian FoodThis is our favorite place in Charlottesville. The food is fabulous,and the service is always excellent.6/11/2013 12:00:00 AMAlways deliciousI've been to Bella's several times and it never disappoints. My kids love it because the food is delicious and it's very kid-friendly. The portions are HUGE and the servers do a nice job ensuring that you don't order way too much. This is a great place to take a group or go on a date. Prices are very reasonable and the food is consistently delicious. Our new favorite Italian spot in Charlottesville!6/11/2013 12:00:00 AMAn outstanding find! GreatAn outstanding find! Great food, huge portions, outstanding great service, porchetta and tiramisu to die for!!! Very disablility/special needs friendly! Thanks so much!6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderfulWe've been there twice and the porchetta is NOT to be missed. It's absolutely outstanding! My family has the bolognese and raved about it. The other dish we had was the (chicken) marsala and it was "ok". Not very exciting...
Our wait staff was excellent and in a great mood, the wine was excellent and the prices were reasonable. We will definately go back to Bella's.6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMOttimo RistoranteGreat meal as always with visiting friends. Try the sausage and peppers --- fantastic! Everything is fresh and wholesome.6/1/2013 12:00:00 AMBella'sVery nice experience. Wait staff particularly friendly and prompt.5/25/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful food, service andWonderful food, service and ambience. Loved everything about my visit!5/21/2013 12:00:00 AMBest seen to dateWe celebrated our son's graduation last Sunday. The food was extraordinary. Perfect for a big event - having excellent dishes served family style was the perfect ending!5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMgreat nightWe were celebrating my daughter's graduation from UVA on the Saturday before the big event. Could NOT have been any more enjoyable!!! Great service, food, wine, ambience...PERFECT!5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMdinnerOur service was excellent! The savory portion of our meal was delicious. On the other hand the desserts fell flat. The Limoncello cake tasted like Sara Lee pound cake. The tiramisu should been smaller layers and a little bit more espresso flavor.5/17/2013 12:00:00 AMAnniversary DinnerNice atmosphere. Old building with family photos on the wall. It has air of an old neighborhood family Trattoria in Italy. The wait staff were bright, energetic, and very pleasant. Attentive without being intrusive. Belleni cocktails were a nice starter. The house salad was excellent. The entre´ (Chicken Ala Parmigiana) was also excellent. The chicken was cooked thoroughly but still moist and flavorful. The linguine was done just right, and the red sauce was superb. The portion size was for two, but it was enough for dinner and a light lunch the next day as well. Limoncello Poundcake and coffee completed the meal. The raspberry sauce was not as good as the cake, but the desert was very good. Excellent coffee. Highly Recommended.5/15/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious food and Large PortionsOur group was seated in the back of the restaurant. Waitress was attentive and food was delivered in a timely manner. Remember, this is a family-style eatery, so the entrees are good sized (2 or 4). Enjoyable evening.5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMUVA STUDENTS NIGHT OUT WITH PROFESSI TOOK MY 6 TOP STUDENTS IN MY CLASS TO BELLA'S. IT REMINDED ME OF MY TRIP TO ROMA ITALY LAST YEAR. I LOVED THE FAMILY STYLE DINNERS, SO WE WERE ABLE TO SHARE! THE FOOD WAS GREAT, SERVICE FANTASTIC (ANDRE), AND PRICE VERY REASONABLE!5/6/2013 12:00:00 AMWhen you gotta have italian...Previous reviews got me scared I'd face a mountain of food and spotty service, but we wanted italian so took a chance, and had a perfectly nice time. Splitting the small salad/ spaghetti & meatballs (he had 2/3rds of that) was just right, and we're not huge eaters. The waiter's chianti reco was very good. He checked in after each course, and brought seasonings we requested without delay. We arrived 45 minutes early and they welcomed us as if they had had our table just waiting for us. The only thing I don't understand is why the entire menu requires splitting...if my husband and I hadn't wanted the same thing, that would have nixed the whole dining experience. Why can't people just have their own portions and call it good?5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMA special reminder of ItalyBella's is a gem! Food is like "grandma used to make"-old Italy-style. Served family style with menu stating portions for 2 or 4. They are large portions and, with the waiter's careful guidance, you can order many things so you can taste a lot, share it all, walk out satisfied and smiling, have few or no leftovers and be amazed at the reasonable cost of the meal. Ambiance is small, wood and brick and walls are covered in pictures of the family in Italy. It's wonderful!! DO NOT MISS THE GRILLED ROMAINE; IT'S TO DIE FOR!!5/3/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Food! Huge Portions!The dining experience at Bella's is incredible! Family style dining is the concept here which they do not shy from. All portions feed a minimum of 2 (according to the menu, but could feed 3-4) and larger portions to feed 4. Prices average about $10-15 per person when you divide it up. The interior, though small, has an intimate dining feel that is perfect for family meals or date nights. Although simple, I highly recommend the Chicken Parmesan served over fettuccine. I have only been twice, but this has become my go to spot for entertaining guests that come in town and for a nice evening out. I would highly recommend a reservation, particularly on peak nights of the week/weekend as they can get very busy.4/28/2013 12:00:00 AMFood was good... Solid restaurant!Food was good... Solid restaurant!! Service was great..
Large portions, my husband and I split everything, and were stuffed!
Highly recommended!4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat family style ItalianGreat family style Italian food at reasonable price. Fabulous waiter!4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMOverall, was a great experience,Overall, was a great experience, but the service was a little disappointing.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMBig portions! Special orderBig portions! Special order salad very good and balsamic dressing was delicious. Pasta and house red sauce were also good. Outstanding service and will recommend Bella's to others!4/25/2013 12:00:00 AMThe restaurant food was wonderful.The restaurant food was wonderful. I was with older folks and it was hard for them to hear all the conversation as it was very noisy. I would not recommend it if you want a quiet-semi quiet place.4/23/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat service, great priceGreat service, great price and great food. Highly recommend the Gorgonzola grilled salad and the Carbonara. Our waiter gave us a great tip. If you're getting the carbonara, order off the "make your own pasta" with the same ingredients that make up the carbonara and you get to add a protein for just $1 more. It was an awesome suggestion and made for great leftovers!4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMOutstanding dining experience!Outstanding dining experience! One of the best in C-ville!4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat spot -- fantastic food MetGreat spot -- fantastic food
Met the owner -- great guy
You will not find better Italian food in C-Ville than at Bella's4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMJersey BoyExcellent experience - service excellent, server knowledgeable, wine list very good, food was very good, HUGE PORTIONS - even bigger than I had thought. I'm from Jersey with its many, many Italian restaurants - this compared well. The big difference between Jersey and C-Ville was that the sauce ("gravy" to New York-Jersey inhabitants) was sweeter than I found up North but I liked it4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMWe very-much enjoy Bella's,We very-much enjoy Bella's, and it has become one of our "go-to" restaurants in Charlottesville. We were a little disappointed with the Porchetta (one of our favorites), this time, as it was overdone and dried out -- but everything else was so good that it balanced out the overall experience. Also, the service (Johnny was our waiter/server) was absolutely outstanding.4/8/2013 12:00:00 AMNew FavoriteShame on me. Shame on me for living in Charlottesville the past 7 years and not having eaten here yet. I've eaten at almost every restaurant towards downtown and on the mall but for whatever reason skipped this place. No longer will I make that mistake. In brief, I could not have been happier with finding this place last Friday. The food was wonderful (get the gorgonzola grilled salad), and the service and ambience were just as we would have preferred.
With Fossett's, Bella's is now in my top 2 favorite restaurants in Charlottesville. Combining price into the equation Bella's may very well be my favorite restaurant in Charlottesville4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMA very very good restaurantThe portions are quite large here, with the smaller size serving two people. Three of us had two dishes - the zuppa di pesce and the carbonara. Both were excellent. The service was just right, not too obtrusive. The main problem is finding parking.4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent in all areas. ExceptionaExcellent in all areas. Exceptional food, service and portions of food!4/3/2013 12:00:00 AMI really appreciated the personalI really appreciated the personal touch of Douglas, the owner, who cut open our Porchetta entree and showed us how to get the best taste from the meat and flavorings.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMLoved it! Nice little authenticLoved it! Nice little authentic Italian place with family sized portions.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat restaurant with terrificGreat restaurant with terrific food and an exceptionally friendly staff - including the owner who took time to chat with our table at length. When you go, bring an appetite and be ready to take home dinner for the following evening...the portions are beyond generous. A "must" for everyone!3/30/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful dinnerBest food I have had in Charlottesville!!! Excellent prices, as well- a rarity in Charlottesville.3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMgreat food and nice evening.great food and nice evening. Our Ladies night out group went and we had a nice time. most of us had been there but a few had not. All really enjoyed.3/27/2013 12:00:00 AMI love this restaurant. veryI love this restaurant. very welcoming, great service, fabulous food, fun atmosphere3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMGoing to Bella's is like travelGoing to Bella's is like travel to Italy inside of Charlottesville. The romantic atmosphere, the authentic Italian taste,the friendly staff and besides all of these qualities, everyone was suprised about the prices and the amount of food you can get. They really make you feel very special.3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMThis restaurant is wonderful!This restaurant is wonderful! Great food with very large servings and very good, attentive service.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMService is family style withService is family style with huge plates of pasta in the middle of the table. Service is great, and they are eager to give you left overs if you order too much. Food is great - best Italian I have had in Cville.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMLove this restaurant! TheLove this restaurant! The food is fabulous, the price is outstanding, the service is personal and friendly! You'll want a reservation as they are always hopping!3/1/2013 12:00:00 AMWhat an excellent choice forWhat an excellent choice for dinner. We arrived an hour early, through my fault thinking the reservation was at six not at seven, and the owner found us a table right away even though they were busy. It just got better as the night went on. The waiter was excellent and the food was great. Only wish we had a place to put the leftovers, since we were staying in a B and B. Recommend that if you want a wonderful meal, this is the place to be.1/1/0001 4:00:00 PM