Bella Italia - Leicester Meridian — Restaurant in Blaby

Changed from 4* to 1*

The visit before this one our starters didn't turn up. Main course arrived and we complained our starters hadn't arrived. Server apologised and took mains away and a little while later our starters arrived and when we were done the original main courses came back after being under the hot plate. We were told we would get a discount but we didn't, incidentally the time before that my main arrived (meatballs) and they were still frozen in the middle, was taken away and brought back and again told we would be discounted but weren't and that brings us to our latest visit on 28/5/22. We ordered our drinks, starters and mains all at same time. drinks arrived and after a while a server turned up with two completely different starters and we said no those weren't ours. I joked with my daughter "What if they just bring our mains and no starters like last time lol" and we both laughed. THIRTY minutes later (45 in restaurant now) I managed to get the attention of someone and asked her to go check on my STARTERS she said she would. 5-10 mins later the floor manager came and said "I understand there has been a delay in bringing your food, very sorry, we sorting it now and we will reflect it with a discount in price" and what would you know the mains turn up, brandished proudly by the floor manager and you could see they been behind the hot plate a while. I asked if we would get our starters for "afters" and he went and fetched our starters so we had to eat both at same time. Again, no discount on bill, charged full price. Never ever going back to this site ever...

🌟🌟🌟 3.5/5 – Stylish Space, Mixed Flavours

Stepping into Bella Italia at Meridian Leisure Park, you’re greeted by a relaxed, contemporary setting and a genuinely friendly staff especially the chilled manager who welcomed us with a warm smile.

Starters • Calamari – Nicely mild and thankfully not fishy, but the coating had a nutty aftertaste and a noticeably dusty texture from being too thick. A light dusting and crispier bite would elevate this dish.

• Tomato Bruschetta – Visually vibrant on crisp ciabatta, yet disappointingly bland. The plum tomatoes looked fresh but lacked that fresh burst of flavour needs seasoning to match its appeal.

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Mains • Spicy Sausage Rigatoni – Spot‑on! The pasta was perfectly al dente, and the nduja added structured heat without being overpowering. A standout dish and a definite highlight of the meal.

• Beef & Red Wine Tortellini – Less convincing. While hearty, the beef sauce dominated, tipping the balance too far into richness without relief. Needed something to cut through its intensity.

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Atmosphere & Service

A relaxed, welcoming vibe with an effortlessly cool manager who ensured our visit was smooth and memorable. The setting complemented the meal nicely.

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Verdict

Bella Italia – Leicester Meridian delivers a comfortable atmosphere and standout pasta options, particularly the spicy sausage rigatoni. However, some dishes like the starters and the tortellini could benefit from better balance and refinement. Worth visiting for the ambience and that excellent rigatoni, with room for culinary...

Two separate occasions within 2 weeks of each other at the same restaurant.

First was a booking, that the staff appeared to have zero knowledge of upon arrival, then it took 10 minutes for our drinks to be taken, once we requested to have some drinks.

Service was generally not good...

2nd time, my partner and i decided to take our children to nandos for our youngests 1st birthday. We had to settle for bella italia as Nandos is a favourite of most people's.

Took 5 minutes from being acknowledged at the door to actually sitting down bearing in mind there were probably only 6 other tables in use, 15 minutes before anyone came over to take an order. When the waitress eventually came over we had to ask for drinks before taking our food order that she was asking about. We were in there for nearly 2 hours! They gave our 3 and 2 year olds squash in real glasses with cocktail straws. The strength of the squash was beyond belief. You couldn't see through it and it took 4 emptying and diluting attempts to get it to a still fairly strong but acceptable strength!

Absolutely shocking service! Will never go here again and will ensure anyone i know will not go here again! It is so bad, its a joke!

Thinking back, one occasion they gave my then 1.5 year old alcoholic ice cream, another occasion they gave my daughter, who was just over 1 yo a steak knife to cut her kids calzone!

Would give lower than one star but I'm not sure it is...