ciao bella italian grill

tried ciao bella after my favorite italian place (cafe tuscany) closed. was very happy with my experience! i ordered pesto linguini with spinach and mushrooms that wasn't on the menu and my server had their chef fix it for me. i started off with their garden salad with house dressing and garlic bread. the salad was fresh and the dressing light and tasty. the garlic bread was a little dry, but otherwise good. the main entree was superb. i read a review where the reviewer complainted about the pesto and i can see their point although it wasn't bad. the pesto needs to be a little less creamy so the the pesto favors come out more. i had a glass of melini chianti also and it was fairly mild (i prefer bold reds). bill came to almost $40 with tip, but it was reallygoodfor not being cafe tuscany. i look forward to eating here again!

great little italian place. service was a little slow initially, but solid after my waiter finally got to me. i had the lasagna. portion was about medium sized, but was excellent. their marinara wasgoodwithout being too sweet. they do not allow firearms, which did cost them a star.

generic italian. ciao bella was recommended by a friend, but i don’t understand the fuss. the restaurant is in agoodlocation, and the place is clean and casual. overall, the food was ok, but the meatballs were the worst i’ve ever tasted. they were just gross.
service was terrible. our waiter was pushy. he was constantly trying to shove wine down our throats. he constantly interrupted our diner conversation by demanding wine orders. we didn’t want wine. after saying “no” multiple times, he finally got the message. hands down, he was the most obnoxious waiter i’ve ever had. despite his insistence to push up our bill, he never brought out our appetizers. his efforts to generate sales were counterproductive.
other than pushy service and the horrible meatballs, the experience was so generic i really can’t say much more. and that’s sad. this is a mediocre establishment. if you’re hungry, visit huey’s next door.

tiny expensive salad. i went for lunch with a friend, and enjoyed my eggplant parmesan served with linguini. it was served with a side of italian spinach, which was just okay. but here's what i didn't like: the "side" salad was $5 at lunch, and it was the tiniest salad i've ever seen! the lettuce was wilted, the dressing was flavorless, and the tomatoes were mealy. and it was mostly onions. i like agoodsalad when i eat pasta, but to have to pay $5 for this was infuriating! also, the parking situation is not good. it sits in a strip mall in east memphis, so it's crowded.

chef johnathan steenerson and his team at ciao bella invited me over for dinner the other night to get to know them, to serve as a ‘guinea pig’ for a couple of new dishes, and to try out some of the stalwarts on the menu. i was happy to accept after embarrassingly letting them know that i had recently eaten at the restaurant, and that because it was a last minute decision, i only ended up with a terrible cell phone photo. i couldn’t use that in the blog as evidence of howgoodit had been. so, the professor and i met up over in erin way and settled in for an intense night of deliciousness. they led us back to a nice, well-lit (good for photos!) booth in the back and our great server cole got us started with a round of drinks. i’ll go ahead and get this out there, but when i was talking to jonathan during the meal, i was hyping up howgoodthe service was, and he let us know that it was only cole’s second day at ciao bella. props to him, as he was excellent, as in knowledgeable, nice, a

great atmosphere.goodmenu variety. food isgoodand tasty. service was friendly. patio is small but really nice - shaded in the evening. prices were a smudge high but not entirely unreasonable. over all - a verygoodexperience. to the reviewer who compared it to olive garden: seriously? nothing wrong with og but they are the applebee's of italian food... this place, ciao bella, has soul and spirit, and much better food. i recommend caio bella.

follow up review.... i have now been to ciao bella in person; my last review was of take out. the place is in a strip mall which i generally would be vehemently opposed to....but they managed to pull off a nice atmosphere with both the indoor and outdoor seating. beats me how because i was absolutely surprised. the service was awesome. i mean from the moment we walked in to the second we left they were johnny on the spot with seating us, taking drink and food orders, the timing and delivery of each course, on and on. couldn't say enoughgoodthings about the staff. the food was not the best italian i have ever had, but by memphis standards (sorry memphis chefs and cooks you just don't knowgooditalian) it was very good.

i saw a complaint about the pizza and i haven't tried it so i can't comment. however it should be noted that the author of that complaint recommended carrabas...really? got any othergoodrecommendations? like say olive garden or macaroni grill? seriously?

anyway i still don't get the greek foods on the menu but the tiropitakia and spanakopitakia are delicious. i guess southern italy is supposed to have come from mediterranean influnce or something...i don't know? anyway all in all reallygoodplace no complaints whatsoever.


-----09 jun, 2010-----

really good...italian?...restaurant.. so this is a combination review from myself and my wife. she actually went and ate there and was nice enough to bring me takeout. her review of actually visiting the restaurant was that her server was great and the restaurant was clean and nice. she said her food was verygoodand the prices were reasonable. prices be d@mned...she paid so i will just comment on the food. she lugged it all the way back to midtown and it was still warm and very good. i had the patistisio...probably spelled it wrong...yummy. so here is where i put the question mark behind the word italian in the title...half the menu here is greek food.goodgreek food but greek food nonetheless. so i guess if you are looking for a full italian menu well not here...but if you are looking for a very interesting selection of greek and italian this place is agoodstarting point! i will eat here again for sure.

not worth the price. much more expensive than olive garden but much more expensive. but the food wasgoodand the staff was nice

the place to be. the atmosphere makes you feel at home. the patio is perfect, like eating on your back porch with the benefit of seeing all your friends and neighbors. the menu is a combination of old greek memphis recipes and justgooditalian food. the thin crusted pizza, especially when ordered extra crispy is the best i have ever had. that includes a lot from a number of different cities and states.
whether you eat in the dining room, on the patio or in the bar the service is excellent.
the ownership/management never misses a chance to make sure your visit is enjoyed.
this is my favorite restaurant in memphis


-----23 jun, 2009-----

good food excellent service

consistantlygoodtasting high quality food,goodvalue wine list, very friendly staff, comfortable surroundings and awesome bartenders that are artists at their work. nice outdoor patio seating and gracious owners that recognize you over time. never disappointing overall.

strong to quite strong. i love this place. great pizza and the veal is always good.goodplace for cocktail as well. its a see and be seen place on weekends.