Bella Italia serves authentic Italian food in a casual environment. Their moderately priced menu is considered a phenomenal value. Bella Italia is usually busy. Patrons remark on their great service, and they particularly recommend their lunch offering.
We had picked up a pizza once before and spoke to the owner's wife, who was so friendly and helpful. The pizza was great and based on our previous experience, we went tonight for my son's birthday. I felt bad that we took him there to celebrate. The hostess and waiter both had the personalities of a monotone wall and the service was as basic as it could be. We felt like we were infringing upon them by being there. The pizza was good, however, the pasta was just okay and the portion was really small. Maybe it was just a bad night for the restaurant, but we won't go back to find out.
Mama Mia! Atsa Good Food!!
Like other former NYers we've been searching for an Italian resaurant to call "our place" and we've found it right near our home.
We've received fantastic service, delicious food and had so much fun with the staff.
We plan to return many times and to bring along friends.
good food bad service
the waiters are very rude, disapointing since the food is very good. We stoped going for lunch 2 months ago due to the service.
New York Pizza /New York Food
Outstanding pizza,service was excellant,food was excellant I am glad I found this place coming from ny this is the best place my family found. Carlo and his are great.
Great Pizza
I love there pizza. I regulary get my pizza there. Toppings are top grade and proper NY style pizza. Good every time. My order has been correct every time. I have only dined in one time and the food was very good. I wish ther had a bar in there but oh well. Its more of a family restaurant.
Consistently good food
pleasant small family place when you are wearing schmie around clothes, good value, consistently good food; great with kids (all my daughter's dinner guests love it); penne basciola is outstanding; great pizza, but very busy on Friday and Saturday night so slow going when kitchen gets overwhelmed; Sicilian pizza is inexpensive and doesn't require an hour to bake; waiters and waitresses aren't always perfect but exceptionally friendly and are trying hard; we've become regulars over several of the other former NYer favorites in town; FAR cheaper than Milton's for a pizza; caesar dressing on salad is really excellent.
Excellent Food from Former NYer
The Penne Basciola is out of this world rich; best pink sauce in town; and the pizza is wonderful and wonderfully inexpensive, compared to three other North Raleigh favorites; has a "Cheers: everybody knows your name" feel; busy on Fri & Sat so go early; great restaurant; take out is excellent two, but they overestimate time sometimes so show up early to avoid getting cold before going home.
You have to try the Pesto Pizza
The pesto pizza at Bella Italia is delicious! Try it with minimal toppings and to not interfere with the delicious pesto. I recommend Italian sausage and onion. It was superb. Served Brooklyn-style. Fold it! :-)
We've ordered it in, and also as take-out and it's the same, superb pizza each time. Great crust, baked to perfection.
Sub standard
My son and I was very dissatisfied with the food we were given. The spagetti was over cooked, mushy and tasteless. I would very much like to be compensated for my dissatifaction of the food. I have eaten at this eatry before, but never encountered the sub standard food we were served tonight.
Excellent pizza, very good Italian food.
Pizza is excellent, the rest of the menu is very good. Tried the calamari twice, however, and it was not cooked enough. The wait staff is very good, they check back often and anticipate well. For example, without asking, the waiter noticed we'd not touched our pizza in a while, so he brought us a to-go box without us needing to ask. Atmosphere is good, I guess I would say average-very clean and well laid out. This isn't a low light romantic type restaurant, and their prices reflect a very good meal, in a good setting without fancy (and unwanted) extras.
Excellent N.Y. style pizza
My family and I eat here often, the wait staff is very accomodating to families and very helpful. The pizza is the best I've had since coming to Raleigh. The food is fresh and always flavorful and I find the prices reasonable. All in all a great place for authentic Italian food
the best italian pizza
i went with some friends we really enjoy eat italian food, the place were confortable and the employees very gentle,they have very nice and pretty hostess too! the waiter was so funny !we had a delicious pizza and some appetizes they had a special for wine and it taste really good,we love italian food!we absolutely return to bella italia restaurant we had good time the atmosphere is good and we had the best italian pizza in raleigh.
Worst Restaurant in North Raleigh
Don't expect to receive good service here from the employees or the owner. Both times I have been to the restaurant it was empty and I still had to wait 5-10 mintues for a hostess to seat me. My families order was completely messed up each times as well. On this pst occassion, one of the waiters served my food to another couple and I ended up waiting for 30 minutes for a calzone, not to mention there were only 12 ppl eating in the restauarnt that night. The owner never apolojized, instead he tried to serve us the stombolis that another table had ordered. He got upset when we wanted him to cook the food we ordered. This place is terrible and I would never recommend it to anyone.
Go during the week
Bella Italia has good food and is convenient to North Raleigh. I have had the pizza, spagetti, lasagna, and chicken. All of the above was good. The prices ranged from 8.99-14.99 which I consider a bit pricy considering that Nina's Italian restaurant has the best Italian food in Raleigh and has similar prices- but Nina's is fancy and if you want a semi-casual place for Italian food, Nina's can make you feel uncomfortable. So, go to Nina's if it is a special occasion, and go to Bella Italia for a comfortable night out.
On the weekends, Bella Italia is sometimes crowded and there are a lot of children. If you go during the week, it is quieter and the service is better. The atmosphere is nice overall (if you get a booth) and the bathrooms are clean. The plants are taken care of, and that sort of care is evident in other ways, such as the clean floor and clean windows.
One negative: be aware that sometimes the smell from the nail polish at "Amy Nails" next to the restaurant comes through the air shaft. After a while you don't notice it, but if you are sensitive, you won't like it.
If you prefer carry out, the people answering the phone are not as nice as the people you will meet in person. That has been my experience everytime I have ordered a pizza.
My 2 Thumbs Up
I've eaten at Bella Italia and had pizza, Pasta Oglio Olio, salads, chicken wings, chicken tenders and french fries. Everything I've had there is consistently better than anything I've eaten anywhere else, especially at other so-called "italian restaurants."
I'm second generation italian and am always looking for an authentic place to eat. This is the best that I've come across so far in the Raleigh/Durham area.
First reviewed by LSF
