Restaurante Pizzaria Bella Firenze — Restaurant in Ponta Delgada

We have enjoyed dinner here yhree times; once during the winter and twice during tourist season. It is always a good idea to call ahead for a table during peak dinner hours as they often have most tables filled, but for the two of us they have always been able to accommodate us even with as little as 15 minutes calling ahead. Larger parties probably will need to book ahead.

We have tried several types of pizza, pastas, a vegetarian calzone, the simple salad, appetizers and desserts. Every dish has been expertly crafted blending of flavors to take simple ingredients, such as the lemon garlic spaghetti, and serve a wonderfully satisfying dish. The crust for the pizzas and the canzone is fluffy with th9s satusying air pockets and perfectly crisper for a nice crunch in the bite. They dress the salad lightly and use very fresh produce, so the flavors marry and complement each other. The desserts are worth saving room to enjoy, though we usually share one between us two. The cheesecake with it swirled chocolate and vanilla in both the filling and the crust was a delight, and the pannecotta is perfection-- on ours the chef used the island red berries topping to give it an Açorean touch, which is a bit more tart than other berries, but an interesting twist and made it a more refreshing summer dessert and not overly sweet.

The staff knows how to do their respective jobs and do them with quiet, friendly excellence. We always feel welcomed and well tended to, and servers who read the table to match the level of interaction with the customer; I have experienced and observed that they are happy to chat a bit as they serve, or simply take orders and serve with a crisp, professional style that is always given with an authentic smile. It's obvious everyone here is proud of the food and invested in maintaining a high quality experience for...

This place is difficult to rate. The food... If compared with the Italians cuisine in Italy it's 2/5. If compared to the rest of the stuff they serve across the island then it's 4+. The black pasta with shrimps and tomatoes was literally tasteless. Black pasta with shrimps and curry had nothing to do with Italy but at least I didn't expect it to because of curry. As a result, it was the only course I couldn't formally complain about )) Pasta with shrimps and pesto... I don't know which pesto it was. It was clearly not pesto basilico, neither taste nor colour. Pizza which we had as a starter was 3+. All that said... Compared with the rest of the gastronomical misery that we've experienced on San Miguel, this place is still an option. And I need to separately emphasize the quality of service. They had this guy who was super professional. I would expect such style of service in luxury restaurants on the continent. But, please, say fewer...

Nice place with good food, but room for improvement.

As an Italian, I’m always a bit skeptical when it comes to pizza abroad, but I have to say, the pizza here was good. Not exactly traditional Italian style, more of an Azorean twist, but we appreciated it.

The restaurant itself is very nice, lovely atmosphere and good vibes. Service was fine when we dined in, no complaints there. However, our takeaway experience was disappointing: we had to wait outside for 40 minutes past the expected pickup time. That definitely needs improvement.

Prices are also on the higher side, and not fully justified in our opinion.

All in all, I still recommend the place for its food and ambiance, but be mindful of the prices and perhaps avoid...