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 sametimeit'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.

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 lasttimei 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!

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, thistimeit 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 sametimeas my party and yes, i take the responsibility for asking "to take the pickle out of the hamburger".

a favorite lunch spot!. bella's lunch menu is reasonably priced, the service is impeccable, and the food always fresh and delicious. dinner is pricey, but worth it for the quality.

the only con is the bartenders (specifically larry) - he ignores his customers, walks away as you are in the middle of ordering, and doesn't seem to care about providing good service to all (even when you are a regular). the other bartender (cannot remember her name) is always attentive, kind, and makes a killer cocktail.


-----21 feb, 2011-----

excellent!. each and everytimei dine at bella's the service is excellent and the food is great! highly recommended!

more, than we expected.. i had the shrimp scampi and while the flavor was outstanding, there was more to it then i’m used to with the tomatoes and croutons and the shrimp alone were good enough. there was nothing really gained with the tomatoes and croutons that could have made the shrimp any better.

i like asparagus soup and tried the zuppa di asparagi and well, in the cheese world of never ended makes and models, found the marscapone cheese really a kick to the overall dish. it’s a go back for more soup for sure.

at this point, i’m starting to top out on room for food, but must forage on.

meianzana parmigiana - as an eggplant lover, short of dragging an eggplant recipe through the mud, you can do no wrong. i found this was just another great eggplant dinner to add to my list. just try it.

by now my italian fare for the evening was topped out and for dessert, good ol’ apple crisp was the desert. couldn’t eat much of it as it was way too good and i didn’t need to go into sugar shock.

all told, this was a special night out that will have to be relived in atimedown the road after november 2nd and the economy improves as this is a great place but on the higher end price wise. i can afford it, but with other things on my list of things to do, that i can have and will last more then till the nexttimeto eat .... it will be a while.

finding a new place to have either a late lunch or early dinner in tampa on a sunday can prove to be challenge, but bella's fit the bill with its south tampa location and openingtimeof 4:00 pm. it sucks being old, but what can we do? i can hardly be expected to have dinner out at 7:00 pm on sunday and still get to work ontimeat noon on monday. jeebus. moving on, ud and i enjoyed our dinner at bella's. the interior is warm, cozy and baby boomer friendly, piping in enough of soft hits from the 70s and early 80s to make me feel nostalgic (if not a little weepy). gawd, i miss me some david gates. *sniff* we were started with complimentary bruschetta which didn't really inspire me as someone who has zero appreciation for raw tomatoes, but ud hoovered it right down. the bread basket soon followed...warm and garlicky, but not crusty. foil-wrapped butter pats accompanied the loaf (where is the universal symbol for "no" when you need it?). things quickly got more exciting with the beef tend

one evening my family and i had plenty oftimeon our hands, so we decided to go for a drive over to tampa's soho district and try out bella's italian cafe on howard street. bella's is located in a newer style strip mall, with a parking lot out back that

i was really excited to try homemade pasta for the firsttimeand ordered the sausage pasta with a creamy tomato sauce....turns out not all the pasta dishes are hommade :( very disapointed. my boyfriend ordered a calzone, not anything special. for the price of everything i was expecting larger portions and the food to wow my taste buds. i live walking distance and im was hoping to add it to my favorite restaraunts listvof south tampa.

wonderful. went there for the firsttimerecently after hearing really great things. it lived up to the hype! all our meals were delicious. i love that the pasta is hand made in the restaurant, you can really taste the difference. this is a great place to go for a special occasion!

dependable italian favorites. full disclosure: i lived around the corner from bella's for almost seven years, so i'm probably a little biased in its favor. but this casual-yet-classy italian eatery had been a favorite of mine for well over a decade before i even moved into the 'hood, and the fact that i've been there literally hundreds of times should tell you everything you need to know. sure, bella's probably won't win any james beard awards anytimesoon, but that's not what it's about. this is a place for italian-style comfort food and friendly service in a warm atmosphere. longtime favorites include a killer chicken lasagna, the colorful confetti spaghetti, an amazing lobster bisque and arguably the area's best bolognese sauce. i'm also partial to the pollo alla fiorentina (breaded chicken breast stuffed with spinach and goat cheese, served with a peppercorn cream sauce) and the pollo romano, which is what i had tonight. a simple dish that lets the ingredients' natural flavors shine through, it's a pair of chicken breasts lightly breaded with romano cheese, sauteed and topped with lemon basil butter and artichoke hearts. i've ordered it dozens of times, and tonight's was every bit as delicious as the first. and, of course, it should be mentioned that bella's bartenders -- kelly, jessica and especially larry -- are among tampa's finest.