bella bella

while my datesfoodwas rather good, i had the veggie lasagna and it was disappointing to say the least. the two pieces of pasta were over cooked to the point of resembling dumplings. the vegetables were so under cooked that most of them were still raw. lack luster amount of marinara compared to far too much cheese. the service was poor, i only received my drink after i tracked down the waitress and pointed out that she had delivered two other tables beverages that arrived after us. we also sat for 25 minutes waiting for her to check on how our meal was, i finally gave in and had to inform someone else that i was disappointed with the food. the hostess was the only enjoyable and pleasant part of the experience.

not so hot. prefer my italianfoodnot frozen or microwaved

we've all been there before. our toddler is doing really well in a restaurant and then all of the sudden she/he is having a meltdown. that happened to me today and the way i was treated at bella bella by the owners (marc and amy) still blows my mind! my 3 year old daughter (who is normally very good in a restaurant) was having a great time sitting next to her two 3 year old friends. the girls were all playing with slime that we gave them for entertainment while the three moms engaged with them and waited for ourfoodto come. around the time ourfoodcame my daughter got upset and started to melt so my friend kim got up and took her outside to calm her down. while kim was outside i asked our waitress for my check and a box for myfoodand explained to her that my three year old is having a meltdown so i better take her home. the waitress was great and did what i asked. then kim came back in with my now much calmer daughter so i took her and she sat in my lap and seemed to be much calmer. she was great for a while but later something set my daughter off again and she started to cry so i tried to gather my things to leave and i was struggling but i managed to pick her and my bag up and start towards the exit. well as i walked i started to struggle to hold onto my daughter and my stuff (backpack and to-go box) because she was back to full meltdown mode, so i had to put her down for a moment to collect everything (she's 33 pounds) and she slipped away from me and ran back to the table where our party was still sitting. my friends saw me struggling so they told me to go put my stuff in my car and then come back to get her because it was clear that i was having a really hard time. so i did that. when i walked back into bella bella to collect my child a man who i would later learn was the owner, marc, walked up to me and got in my face and said very rudely "she's still crying" several times. i quickly got my little girl and headed toward the door. when i was almost to the door she again struggled out of my arms and started to have a tantrum on the floor. i picked her up again and the same man opened the door for me. i was grateful so i told him thank you. well he rudely told me that "you disrupted the whole restaurant."

bella bella lost my business today. be warned. they do not do well with handling family situations in their restaurant! i've never seen a situation handled so poorly.

my first experience with this restaurant in person was not a favourable one. i came in with two friends and our 3 yr old girls for lunch yesterday. one of our girls is sensitive and tends to have meltdowns when she's cranky (as do most children at this age tend to do). after ourfoodcame our little unicorn got upset and had a meltdown. after a few minutes i got up and took the little girl away from the table so mom could quickly eat and pay her check. i even went out onto the deck with her so she would stop disturbing the other guests. after she calmed down we came back in to our table. of course kids being kids she had another meltdown. meanwhile her mom is trying to pay her check and leave as quickly as possible while little miss is in full tantrum mood. to make a bad situation worse, the owner was very rude to the mother while she was trying to leave. i was not party to what was said, but it upset my friend enough that she couldn't drive away until she had calmed down. as her friend i went back into the restaurant to express my concern over her treatment and to let them know that his actions were not the way to conduct business. i tried explaining several times that his reaction made everything worse and to apologize. he didn't care that he made her feel worthless and cause her to have an anxiety attack in his parking lot, for this alone i will not return nor reccomend this place. i know in the heat of the moment tempers can flare especially if a kid is crying and making a scene, but if someone comes to you and expresses concerns with the way someone was treated perhaps it's best to apologize to the wronged party, especially since you are a customer based business. in this instance a failure from ownership to provide caring service will result in three customers who'll never patronize this establishment again.

i came here under the recommendation of a friend. i do not regret it at all. thefoodand service are ready. nothing to complain about. - ansel ponce diama

delicious italianfoodserved by friendly staff in an artsy, cozy little restaurant.  kitchen makes substitutions if you like (marinara instead of alfredo on the cannelloni).  prices are on par with competing chain restaurants.  bread, pasta and salad were all very flavorful and fresh.  i would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone craving good italian food.

authentic home madefoodhere. their pasta is made in house, and you can tell. the manicotti  is the best i've had at a restauraunt. their menu is variable and seasonal as well , which is nice.

bella bella is a tallahassee favorite and i can definitely see the appeal. the service was polite and fast, the setting was cozy, and thefoodhad enough cheese to satisfy any wisconsin native.

the parking was a little awkward to navigate and very dark as there are no lights in the back so i suggest getting there before sunset if possible (or parallel parking on the street if you are able - both physically and by availability).

we shared the infamous bubble bread and i must say that was my favorite part of the whole meal. the bread was warm, soft and fluffy on the inside, and slightly crunchy on the outside. the cheese atop the bread was perfectly prepared as well. everything i was hoping for.

i had cannelloni filled with cheese and covered in a red sauce while victor had manicotti with veal covered in alfredo sauce. they were both yummy, but nothing mind blowing here.

the salads, however, were awesome! the caesar salad had fresh house made croutons that were to die for and the mandarin oranges and walnuts in the house salad were delectable. perfect combination of flavors in both.

i had a glass of italia ruffino moscato d'asti which was light, sweet, and amazing (forgive my poor wine grammar). victor had the hoddy toddy which was a surprisingly palatable apple, green tea, and bourbon mix. very strong though and served warm.

we finished off the night with creme brûlée that was great! i was kind of hoping it would still be warm, but i'm not sure what the typical serving style is supposed to be.

overall a great experience, but pretty pricey. it was a nice date night but i will probably not frequent bella bella based on entrees alone. i'm sure the specials had more to offer (but carried a heavier price tag, too).

loved it!!. thefoodwas superb, the atmosphere was romantic.

fabulous food. had the special which was butternut squash ravioli and it was perfect. also like their balsamic dressing. never had badfoodhere

owner amy is hot!!!. besides from the great view(amy) this is one of tallahassee's best little secrets. true italianfoodeven down to the portions sizes. the bubble bread is a must get appetizer. went there before and they only served wine and beer, but, now they have liquor. i would eat here again without a doubt

good food. thefoodwas good, close to homemade, but we weren't crazy about the atmosphere.

this was the first time i've ever seen my husband not finish a meal. service was great.foodlacked flavor big time. disappointed we wasted our friday night dinner here. i don't get the hype.

had a yen for spaghetti and meatballs, but found out they only have meatballs on special days. we split capalinni and sausage, with an appetizer of stuffed mushrooms --delish dish. the capelinni was perfectly al dente. the sausage was very, very mild; as was the sauce. the shaved parmesan saved it. i had a cup of gumbo which was better than i recently had in the quarter! nice heat. only thing missing was okra.
perhaps the most striking thing on this visit was a great presentation by our server, which helped sell us morefoodthan we intended. ryan mawson was knowledgeable and obviously well trained. he was, however, overstretched, tending to the entire room. we had no less than 5 helpers deliverfoodand beverages, while poor ryan ran from tables to kitchen. i also noted while he was running, his cohorts disappeared or propped themselves against the bar. hopefully this lack of management was the exception, or skilled staffers like ryan may get weary and wander. on the whole, i will rate the meal a success infoodand atmosphere. service was a bit odd with so many staffers popping by. my coffee did go dry and my companions 2nd wine came in a dirty glass, which rendered it undrinkable. ryan promptly apologized and removed it from the bill. our first disappointment in many visits, so we will return for another meal.

great local option in tally. lively, warm, casual ambiance with greatfoodat moderate prices. i live on the fl gulf coast and i had the best grouper ever at bella bella.