bella monica

bella monica strives to create a traditional italian neighborhood trattoria in raleigh, north carolina, and i think they do a pretty good job of it.  the service at bella monica was exceptional as everyone was very friendly and accommodating to our group.  furthermore, they have a large wine selection and seem to use high quality ingredients, including imported san marzano tomatoes.  they offer a fairly wide variety of food besides pizza, and they are known for having many gluten free options – gluten free frozen pizzas are even available on their website.   every meal at bella monica starts off with soft and delicious bread that is covered in olive oil.   of course i followed the bread up with pizza, and i ordered a fairly standard one with pepperoni and sausage.  i liked the pepperoni as it was rather spicy, and the large pieces of sausage were interesting, although not my preference.  i also enjoyed the crust on bella monica’s pizza as it was thin and airy.  i also sampled a colleag

if a zero star was a rating option, i would give bella monica a zero star. we had the worst restaurant experience of all time at this place. i had made reservations for my boyfriend's birthday. we waited 45 min for our table. during that time our table of six drank 1 bottle of wine at the bar while waiting to be seated. at 845pm we sat at our table....we were quite hungry. our server gave us attitude for asking to taste from a bottle of cab we intended to order, which costed $50 (it was a bottle of wine which offered a glass serving). the server also forgot our apps. we ordered another bottle after our salads while waiting​ for entrees. at this time the manager came to our table. instead of apologizing for the long wait and checking in on how service was going, he asked if we drove to the restaurant. a bit puzzled, we thanked him for his concern​. then we let him​ know we ubered and walked from our friend's house who lived across the street. we then ordered a 3rd bottle with our entrees. the server poured the wine into our glasses. the manager came over again to the table but this time he said "i'm going to cut off this side of the table from drinking the wine". needless to say we we're completely flabbergasted and disturbed. my boyfriend's​ friend politely responded "excuse me sir but what is the problem? none of us are drunk or even buzzed". he could not give us a clear answer and was condasending. again we were not acting rude, drunk or inappropriate in any way. over a period of two hours, each of us had two to three glasses of wine. i told the manager that we came to his restaurant to eat good italian food and drink good wine. i reminded the manager that it was my boyfriend's birthday and we had the option to go to many other restaurants but we chose bella monica to celebrate his day. i told him we were completely offended, have never experienced anything like this at a restaurant and thanked him for ruining my boyfriend's birthday dinner. we asked them to box up our dinners, cork our wine bottle and we immediately left. they did not comp for any of our dinner or offer an apology. we ended up eating cold mussels and chicken parmesan in a to-go box at our friend's home. we then found out later on yelp that many other customers had the same experience. as someone who used to work in restaurants and continues to dine out regularly at many fine restaurants in raleigh, it's completely absurd to me that bella monica continues to be in business. save yourself from a horrible dining experience and go to another italian restaurant.

where everybody knows your name. the food and atmosphere are wonderful! this is my favorite raleigh restaurant because of the consistently strong service and unique menu specials.

yes, it's crowded. our only negative regarding bella monica is its popularity. it always fills up, mostly because they don't have much space. instead of a dining room, they have a dining hallway. they have added some creative seating on the sidewalks using heaters and temporary walls, but it is somewhat cramped and awkward. ideally, perhaps they would expand into the space next door someday.

this place was amazing! i came here with my group of special olympics athletes (15 total) after a hard day’s swim and they provided the ultimate service. they always topped off everyone’s drinks, and were understanding with food accommodations for some athletes with allergies/intolerances. though they have regular bread, they brought out gf bread and were very careful to separate it with a colorful plate! they were patient and kind when an athlete needed assistance with the order. the food was great and plentiful.

we also had a birthday girl and they made her feel sooooo special. it was beautiful to see her smiling over and over again with each surprise. it was all in the details and they nailed it.

thank you bella monica for such a wonderful evening!!!!! we appreciate you.

this place was recommended to me by my cousin, and i can now see why. the food, combined with great service makes this an a1 spot! my waitress breanna, was really nice and informative about the menu when i asked questions. this was my first experience of spiedini, but it will not be my last. the portobello lasagna is a must have, it has no meat, but i promise you won't miss it. my 13 year old son sang praises regarding his stromboli. for dessert we decided to try the affogato...i could dine here daily for a glass of wine and this dessert! the bitterness of the expresso paired with the sweetness of ice cream, honey and chocolate was pure perfection. i can not wait to return for my next menu selections

this is definitely one of the top tier italian restaurants of the area.   excellent sauce, great bread, very good presentations.   the service is generally very good as well.   definitely need to make reservations.   it's very popular.

a white cheese pizza with chunks of clam, pancetta, oregano and garlic, yum! the crust of the pie is pretty crisp and there's a nice melange of cheese, seafood and garlic in the toppings. a very good pie and plenty for one person.

gina. when we made our reservations, we were told that we would be seated in the enclosed outside area. instead, we were seated in the open outside area. there were heaters but it was very cold when the wind blew. we waited 30 minutes to get a drink and 35 minutes to have our food order taken. it was 90 minutes before we got our food. it was a monday night! i can't imagine what the service is like on a weekend. the food was good but definitely not worth the wait.

lizzie. lost our reservations. had to wait an hour and watch many people go ahead of us. finally seated in the "back room" that looked like a cafeteria room. it was my husband's birthday. we will never ever go back again

delicious, a bit pricey. tried bella monica for the first time a few months back. while expensive, their take on fine italian cuisine is incredible. the atmosphere is great, too! i didn't think i would like their gluten-free pizza, and it did taste a bit different, but it was still delicious! love the bread they bring to the table as well.

been coming here for years, but has been almost a year from last visit abd things have fefinately changed. the staff was rude and food quality has definately dropped off. are they going broke? felt like it, alot better choices out there, save your money and time. wont be back ever!!

excellent food. olives in a bowl on table made my dinner. good service. very true to italian roots

haven't had anything on the menu i don't like! great wine selection!!! ashton, is a great server! made a birthday very special by putting happy bday on the sidewalk. will definitely be back.

super gluten free friendly! loved that they served me gf bread and had a gf menu. got the chicken parm and it was delicious.... can't wait to go back! it was pretty pricey but will definitely go there again for a special occasion!