bella's italian cafe

great experience and food. bella's is a comfy restaurant in south tampa...stopped in after searching around howard for somewhere to eat. i was dining on my own, but the wait was only about five to ten minutes (i read an issue of creative loafing while i waited...they have a plentiful amount of papers both tbt and cl). when my table was up they lead me to my booth.

the waiter, andrew f., came out quickly and welcomed me to bella's along with a piece of bread with a tomato spread on it. i mentioned it was my first time. he recommended some dishes, but i ordered my favorite italian dish, fettuccine alfredo ($10.99)...i'm a traditionalist. the waiter immediately went to place my order in and brought me my soda and some warm bread and butter.

the bread and butter were excellent. toasty and soft bread, though pretty filling. the fettuccine alfredo must have only taken about 20 minutes or less to come out, but the waiter still checked on me plenty of times to make sure i was enjoying my meal and to see if there was anything i needed. he was very courteous and genuine and you could tell he really understands how to provide quality customer service.

the fettuccine alfredo was probably one of the best ones i have had in tampa. unlike the italian kitchen, they used real fettuccine pasta that was perfectly cooked. the alfredo sauce had a unique and appetizing taste, it tasted like something i had while eating italian in california...certainly not something i have had anywhere in tampa. the parmesan on top perfected it and the portion was large and i had to take a box to-go.

after some indecision, i decided i would try a half-size of their tiramisu (my favorite dessert) and the waiter took my fettuccine alfredo and quickly boxed the leftovers. he even labeled the box with the date and put a smiley face on it, i felt like a kid...but then at the same time it's nice to see someone put so much attention into their job.

anyway, the tiramisu must have only taken about 5 minutes or less to come out and there it was a cake of goodness. the half-size was still plenty for one person and only $3.75. you still get the same amount of chocolate with it and the waiter poured it all over the cake, man that cake was so appetizing. it has to be one of the best tiramisu's that i have tasted (the only place i can think of that i like it more is hella's bakery in tarpon springs).

once the tiramisu the waiter brought me my check and didn't rush me out of the restaurant. he brought me some water to wash down the dessert. i was really impressed with the service here. if you get andrew f. when you visit bella's prepare for a good night of service.

the price is pretty good for an upscale italian restaurant. i spent less than $20 and ordered the fettuccine alfredo, a soda, and a tiramisu. while browsing the menu i came across their lunch menu which has many dishes for under $5! have to have lunch here someday.

quality and consistency. for these two things, you won't go wrong with bella's. fantastic wood burning oven cooking up delicious meals served with class. from the starters through the deserts, there's something for everyone, without draining your wallet dry. weekends do get busy, so expect a bit of a wait, but it's more than worth the time.

we really enjoyed it. the waitress was very knowledgeable and recommended dishes. we tried her recommendations and they were delicious.

great ingredents - real parma, home made pasta, baker for deserts- all in all, super. ashley was great too

let's get the negatives out of the way first: busy friday night (6:15pm); they don't accept reservations; no parking (had to turn my beloved vw tdi over to jake, the valet); seated adjacent to the patio doors (had to have been opened & closed 20 times during the course of our meal); jammed packed & loud, slippery (greasy) tile floor thorough; waite service was good when t.j. came around, but he was swamped...need a lot more servers; got my aglio olio at the end of my entree (ordered the grouper calabrese loaded with calamata olives & capers in a thick tomato garlic sauce...didn't see the benefit in ordering more red sauce on my side pasta & yet was charged a $.75 upcharge for sauce composed of evo2, butter, & garlic (all three of which are contained in the marinara sauce). wth?

now, the positives: the hot rolls, red sangria ($2.99/glass during hours of happiness) & grouper were outstanding. we were first-time diners, there as a result of purchasing a 4-diner $80 groupon for $40; the total tab came to $138, with a net out-of-pocket of $98 (tax & tip incl). in as much as well-prepared food offsets a lot of non-culinary shortcomings in the hierarchy of this reviewer, we'd come back.

the rest of the party enjoyed their meals, i.e. pollo lasagna, chicken parmigiana romano, & spaghetti with meatballs. jake was great!

this place is good, don't get me wrong.  but the hype it receives is a bit much considering the selection of much better italian restaurants in the area (osteria natalina, caffe paradiso, and vino e pasta to name a few).  the ambiance is hip, but i'll stick with my other favorites when i'm simply craving great italian food.

given the number of transplanted northeasterners in florida, it's not surprising that you can easily find some excellent pizza in the sunshine state. on a phillies spring training trip to nearby clearwater, we made a stop in tampa en route to the airport. any "best pizza in tampa" list contains bella's italian cafe, located in hyde park, a hip part of tampa featuring a lot of interesting dining spots. we stopped in on a monday for a late lunch.

awesome! great italian food and fresh. complimentary valet parking. awesome staff. well definitely be here again. great place to eat. nice restaurant #awesome,#saturdays afternoon

bella's has been a favorite of ours for over 10 years. the food is excellent, the staff is superb. it is family friendly because the staff is so caring.

bella's italian cafe is one of my favorite italian restaurants in tampa. i've had a variety of different menu items here, including pasta, chicken parmesan, and the shrimp scampi, and all have been great. if you come here on a weekend for dinner, expect there to be a wait. they don't do reservations so it's first come first serve. the pasta here is very flavorful. this is one of the few places i know if where you can create your own pasta dish - you pick the type of pasta, the toppings , the sauce, etc. i usually get the aglio e olio pasta which is garlic and olive oil and it has lots of herbs and spices. i most recently had the shrimp scampi appetizer as my meal and i would definitely get it again. it comes with crackers for dipping in the sauce. the bread and butter that comes with every meal is very good - the bread is extremely salty, but good. the servers are always friendly but i must say that this last time i had to wait for my food for a while. overall, i've never had a bad experience here and if you're looking for good italian in tampa, look no further, this is the place to go!

bella’s italian café hyde park has been a south tampa favorite since 1986.  they were a favorite long before the south howard (soho) tampa district became the hip food and dining destination it is today and they seem to be still going strong. the place was popular even on this extremely stormy friday evening. the parking lot was full (as usual) but you always have the option of their complimentary valet service.  patio dining wasn’t even an option today with the cars racing by on the wet roads, so we headed inside.

the help was attentive and the food mediocre. i had a chicken pasta dish that disappointing. the quality of chicken was poor and there was little of it. the sauce tasted like to was a low end store brand. the pasta was even poor quality. i'd go to an italian chain restaurant before returning.

overrated. i seriously do not see how anyone can say this is their number one restaurant. the food is mediocre at best and the prices are too high for what you get. their are too many really good italian restaurants around tampa to waste your money on this worn out establishment. the only thing that was ever any good here was their bella bella cake, which, for some reason, they no longer make.

service needs work. granted it is gasparilla, but when i ask for my bill, don't toll your eyes. it will reflect in your tip.

looks pretty, great hostess, ok food, horrible service. we typically don't dine at bella's because the service is generally not up to par, and tonight wasn't any different than our other experiences a year ago! except, this time it reminded me of asking a hamburger place to take "the pickle out of the burger". all i wanted was fettuccine alfredo without any garnish, chicken or even paprika around the plate. my party heard me say: "no garnish, all white, noodles and cheese please". i don't have to tell you it didn't come that way, but after the waiter gave me the shoulder shrug, he finally asked if i wanted it redone. my bad; why did i say yes?! i'm no chef but you would think when an order is not prepared to the patron's standard, the re-make should be considered a priority. well, not in this case. i also don't mean "jump every table's position because i'm special", however when several (as in 5 or 6) tables were served before my dish came back i stood up and asked to cancel my order. i hope you agree i had to do that especially since my party had already finished eating,not a good meal either. in their own words: "the red sauce didn't taste that good". by the way, the waiter leaning and raising his arm in front of my wife's face to serve me my bread didn't help either, especially when he could have walked 2 feet to the other side of the table where no one was seating.

so here is the real reason i'm writing this review on an easter sunday: not only the waiter told me i was not going to be charged for the dish i ordered (no kidding, since i didn't wanted anymore nor did i eat it). but when the pseudo manager, at least i believe he was the acting manager tonight, came and also said, "i'll be sure not to charge you for the fettuccine", that did not sit well with me. i have a good job, i promise, i can afford the $20 the dish cost or i wouldn't have taken my party to dinner. i wasn't looking for a free meal!! all i wanted is to eat at the same time as my party and yes, i take the responsibility for asking "to take the pickle out of the hamburger".