bella's bistro italiano

aaah bella's bistro! the onlyrestaurantthat has surpassed my expectations, time and time again. thanks again for a great meal.

excellent as usual. we have never been disappointed.  the food has always been fresh, delicious and nobody in ottawa can match bellas`s sauces. they are simply the best we have ever had.  i challenge anyone in the city to tell me otherwise.  all of the veal dishes are fabulous as well as the pasta dishes.  thisrestauranthas been our favourite for past 15 years and will continue.  do yourself a flavour and check it out.

not a great bella's bistro experience!. my two sons and i went to bella's for one of my son's birthdays, a few days ago (aug 22 to be precise). service was very slow; certainly in between courses, we got hungry. an order of veal turned into an order of chicken, and when the waiter admitted this, he didn't even suggest to take the cost off the final bill. only when i went to pay, and insisted that, "when i order veal , i expect veal" (i had to repeat this about 4 times before the ditzy, but admittedly friendly waitress, seem to understand what i was saying). when comprehension dawned on her, and one could see it slowly cross her blank face, she grabbed the bill and flounced off, saying she'd get the item taken off the bill. what a disappointment for me! did she think i was (a) too drunk -- yes, i had grappa and wine -- to notice that the food delivered was not what was ordered?, or (b) too stupid, complacent or compassionate of her life situation (whatever it was) to say anything (i.e., complain), or (c) something else entirely?restaurantmanagers, fyi, when you realize a wrong dish was served to a patron, you must at least offer some kind of compensation -- even if the delivered dish was good. do not pretend that all is well, and that no one will notice. we do notice!!! sincerely, anita, phd

great service and food. we ate on the patio area on friday night, our waiter was attentive and friendly even though they were busy. charming littlerestaurantwith delightful food. they bring awesome bread before your meal!

still magnificent. it has been a number of years since we dined at bella's in our neighbourhood. last night's meal made me question why we hadn't been back sooner. our party of 5 was very pleased with the quality of the service and all of our meals were absolutely excellent. the rack of lamb and lobster stuffed raviolis were especially sumptuous. bellas surpassed many of the upstarts that have popped up in westboro, in my opinion. it will be our new "go to"restaurantfor a great dining experience. laurie

our first time there was a wonderful experience. it is intimate. there is a small room downstairs and another upstairs. service upstairs was professional, prompt and friendly. the food was superb. all three of us had seafood dishes, namely lobster ravioli, linguine with smoked salmon and penne filled with large shrimp, clams and oysters. our soups and caesar salad were excellent. we had a nice choice of wines. we weren't offered a second list of wines, but the first one was varied. i highly recommend therestaurantfor business or a serious, romantic evening. we'll be back soon. jhm.

great food, not great service.. when i go out for dinner and when i am spending about $60-80.00 per person, sometimes more, my expectations are for excellent service and a nice experience.
bella's food is fabulous but thier service is lacking. if i was simply hungry and needed to eat, i would pick up a yummy sandwich or pizza, go home and eat. when i go to bella's or a nice restaurant, i am looking for a nice experence/a night out. i want my bread, butter, water, wine, etc. i do not want to continuously look for the waiter or waitress who is overworked, stressed and feeling pressured. i should not feel guilty for asking for my bread. i should not feel guilty for asking for more water, i should not feel like i am inconviencing my server if i ask for another drink. that is her job.
i feel that arestaurantlike bella's should have busboys and waiters...this would ensure a nice experience for all and would allow the servers to do their job well and provide service.
also, servers should wear nametags.
bella's food is out of this world and i would recommend this restaurant...just be patient with the service. it's not great.