Ciao Bella Hamilton — Restaurant in Hamilton

Dined in for a birthday dinner celebration, very disappointed and sad to be leaving this review as I have previously been to ciao bella in the first month of their opening, and was absolutely in love with the food, ambiance and atmosphere :( When we came the restaurant was busy (expected and understandable) so our group of 6 we’re sat about 20/25 min later than our 7:30 reservation, which was at first not a big deal! When we were seated this was not acknowledged and we proceeded to order some drinks and apps. One of our guests really did not like the drink she ordered and was willing (and did) leave it on the table, as she was embarrassed and felt rude complaining. We decided to speak up for her and let our server know we were so so sorry but she truly didn’t like the drink and were wondering if she could swap it out, our friend was adamant it’s okay don’t worry as she was very embarrassed and didn’t want to make a fuss, which our server could CLEARLY tell, yet he didn’t make her comfortable and take or replace her drink — despite checking in on us multiple times clearly seeing the drink was never touched. Of course this is not entirely the servers fault as she could have been more vocal about disliking her drink, but our server could very well recognize she was uncomfortable speaking up and neglected to act on this. As our dinner proceeded we realized the restaurants slip of our table reservation with the reso name and occasion (birthday) was left on the table, which is unprofessional. We felt awkward giving this to the server as we had been seated for so long by this point, so we left it very politely but obviously on-top of our menus (which he never realized, or just chose not to acknowledge). At around 9:15 our server let us know the kitchen was going to be closing and asked us if we wanted anything else. And as we had just gotten into our mains we did not realize that our birthday guest would not later be able to get a dessert for us to sing happy birthday, as we thought since it was mentioned on the reservation our server would be aware of this and know to bring it whenever they saw fit. Once we realized he still hadn’t caught on, one of our group members approached our server at the bar where he just said sorry the kitchens closed there’s nothing they could do. Our server then brought over our bills and — did not — acknowledge or apologize to our birthday guest, and proceeded to ALSO charge our guest with the drink she NEVER touched, which was still sitting there untouched after clearing our plates, for her drink in full. For a $17 cocktail and there being 6 of us ordering multiple apps mains and drinks, spending almost or more than $300 in total is unacceptable. He then also came back and forth approx 6 times with the bills as he was unable to get them correct - which i feel for and is very understandable as there were 6 of us. Each of these instances alone would not have been a big deal at all — especially for me to leave a review, but the entire experience just left a really bad taste in our mouth especially as I who booked the reservation had done so due to a wonderful previous customer experience, especially since once we were finally seated, a pair of guests across from us were brought out a dessert with a sparkler and sang happy birthday, and it felt I had let down my group (especially our birthday guest), who was not acknowledged or appreciated the entire experience, considering I recommended this restaurant and it was their first time.The fact that our server recognized one guest didn’t like their drink, was embarrassed and felt rude to complain, and did not “know” the reservation was booked for a birthday whilst charging us the drink and did not apologize nor compensate us for the mistake considering we were also seated late was just a culmination of instances that just left a bad taste in our mouth :( which is unfortunate as the food was delicious and the manager who checked in on us during our visit was so amazing and sweet. Just something I hope someone else does not have...

I recently dined at Ciao Bella with a friend who was visiting from out of town, eager for a nice dinner out at a new spot! I had high hopes, especially since we managed to snag a same-day 5:45pm reservation, but the experience fell short of expectations due to their strict seating time limit.

Upon booking, I noticed the 90-minute limit for two people, which seemed a bit tight considering the multiple courses typical of an Italian menu. Nonetheless, I was optimistic about making it work, even with the slight hiccup of arriving 13 minutes late due to traffic. As a former server, and a small business owner, I know this is frustrating to manage so I messaged the restaurant to inform them. Totally fine if that time ate into our 90 minutes, thinking we'd still be able to enjoy our 75 minute time and that the restaurant has a good grasp on their own menu and recommendations that align with their table flipping scheduling. The hostess immediately reminded us of the 7:15 PM cutoff, fair, leaving us with just over an hour and 15 minutes to enjoy our meal.

The rushed pace of our dining experience was palpable. Although we ordered quickly and our drinks and appetizers arrived promptly, we felt an underlying pressure to eat as quickly as possible. Our main courses arrived while we were still enjoying our appetizers, which further contributed to the sense of urgency. As we hurried through our meal, it became clear that even if we had arrived on time, we wouldn’t have been able to savour a second glass of wine or indulge in dessert. Our server was knowledgable about the menu items, professional, and made great recommendations. The meatball starter was great, the bread was warm and delicious; however, the pastas were just fine, nothing exceptional.

When we expressed our interest in dessert, the server kindly checked on the status of the next reservation. Unfortunately, we were informed that we would only be able to order dessert to go since the next guests were indeed arriving and there were no seats at the bar. This felt so off- being as even if we weren't late, there is no way we could order and get dessert and enjoy a coffee or wine, and pay in under 15 minutes. They did mention multiple times that if we came later at night for the last reservation, or on a weeknight, we'd maybe be able to have more time to eat and that this policy is written in multiple places when you book your reservation. This narrative feels off for a restaurant like this- I eat out often at nice restaurants and have never felt so rushed. I'm not sure if they are attempting a fast-casual or "quick dinner before a show" play but I'd definitely have spent more money, and felt good about the experience, had we not had been so rushed. I keep belabouring that I know I was late, but even with that extra 15 minutes, it wouldn't have been enough time!

While Ciao Bella has potential with its inviting atmosphere, beautiful interiors, and appealing menu, the current seating policy significantly detracts from the overall experience. Until they reassess their time limits to better align with the dining experience they offer, I won’t be...

Had high expectations for this new downtown Italian edition but sadly was let down tonight. Made a reservation for a birthday dinner (party of 6), one week after their grand opening. After walking in, we were greeted by the deafening sound from the stereo system above making it almost impossible to hear the hostess tell us we needed to wait as our table was not quite ready yet. No problem. We eventually were seated at our table but sadly our kind server and the beauty of the restaurants ambiance was not enough to take away from how poor the rest of the night led on to be. We were unable to order a bottle of wine for the table as 80% of the wine menu was “sold out”… we started with a couple of cocktails and soft drinks instead yet they arrived a well 30 mins after we had ordered them and after we finished eating our appetizers. Not to mention for the price of the drinks, you are getting what tastes like watered down simple syrup. But it has only been one week and I’m sure the bar truly was backed up from the unanticipated Thursday night rush, so I give the benefit of the doubt. Surely our authentic Italian meal will make up for it….or so we thought, until our meal arrived now an hour later after placing the order and was not warm in the slightest. Now, I do enjoy a good cold pasta from time to time however, a cold overpriced pasta that has little to no flavour is not what I had intended for tonight’s meal. I am usually not one to complain or write reviews and perhaps I wouldn’t have if the customer service wasn’t lacklustre or maybe if they had acknowledged that it was a birthday celebration since they do ask if you are celebrating anything when completing your reservation, but that was not the case. This restaurant has much potential to be a thriving addition to the restaurant scene, I do hope in the coming weeks and months they do turn everything around and find their bearings because tonight’s experience was truly a...