Trattoria Bellavista — Restaurant in La Spezia

We had a wonderful meal at Bella Vista. The food featured classic Italian flavours mixed with Ligurian specialties. What stood out most was our friendly, knowledgeable server who made the evening special. She impressed us by speaking fluent English and then switched to French for the table next to us, showcasing her multilingual skills.

The pasta, especially the pesto, was delightful. Our server's wine suggestions were spot-on, guiding us through local Ligurian and Cinque Terre options with clear explanations of their value and price points. While the food was good, it wasn't extraordinary, but still enjoyable.

We called for a reservation at 6pm for a 7:30pm seating and were accommodated with the condition that we finish by 9:30pm, which was perfectly fine. This flexibility on a Saturday night was fantastic.

Overall, we highly recommend Bella Vista for both its food and excellent...

I can tell that this restaurant has ambitions. Unfortunately, the variance in quality and presentation is too big.

First of all, the waitress told us they don’t have cocktails on the menu, but they do offer Aperol/Campari spritz. We ordered the Aperol, but unfortunately, it wasn’t sparkling at all. 👎🏻

We had pulled pork as a starter, which was neither beautiful nor especially good. One main course was slow-cooked pork with roasted potatoes, which tasted good, but the presentation was boring, and just felt quite basic. The other main course was the sea bass rolls. Good taste and great presentation! 👍🏻

The dessert was the highlight! Cheesecake, presented in the shape of a fruit. Great taste and gorgeous...

We made a point to check this place out while in La Spezia because of a review I read that said this was the best meal they had had in Italy. Pretty big statement, so we got reservations and sat on their patio. We got a bottle of red for $30 and ordered a two course meal. My first bite of a pasta of pesto and burrata was amazing. It was the best pasta I had ever had. I don’t know how it is possible to get a pesto so creamy. My husband got ravioli and mussels as his, and it was equally delicious. Our second courses were equally satisfying, and I have to agree with the review I read that inspired us to go. Hands down best meal in Italy. Just amazing. Go there if you get a chance to...