Bella Vita Folkestone — Restaurant in Folkestone and Hythe District

I think the best way to describe this venue would be

Restaurant prices, cafe quality

We started off by being seated from our reservation and were unfortunately given a very uneasy position in the establishment which was right by the stairs where there was lots of moving traffic and not ideal for a relaxed atmosphere when other consumers/waitresses were charging past your date on the other side. They would have been better off to get rid of this table as I have never seen this place fully booked anyway, they couldn't even be courteous enough to add a pretty flower to the table like all the others.

The food itself is extremely over priced. The menu that is on Google from last year is out of date so that's already a disappointment right there. They purely offer pastas, risottos and pizzas as mains. A sad outcome after seeing last year's take on some rustic dishes which have been axed for no apparent reason. We each had a starter and a main with an additional side and it was nothing special at all! In fact I've had more satisfactory take aways than some of the food I had consumed here tonight.

Fortunately the service was pretty fantastic! Our first waitress was so polite and understanding and genuine that it is on her service alone that I have given one star. The other star is partly for the mains and the other half was for the drinks as they were tasty and strong for a decent price.

The sliced fillet beef starter? Was the thinnest slices of pre packed ham like what you could purchase from asda with half a pack of rocket and some cheese sprinkled on. It was almost laughable as it was presented.

The hard shell prawns were ok with the smallest slithers of slightly burnt bread. They filled a gap whilst we waited for the mains atleast.

The mains were fine. That's all. Nothing delicious or spectacular and believe me I know good food. These were something I would expect a teenager to cook up in their weekly cooking class that they've forced you to try and you smile with obligation just to make them happy. That is honestly how it felt and I have no clue how other reviews state otherwise.

We did not even entertain the desserts. The most basic and boring of selections that I am pretty sure they could have purchased from Iceland before opening that day..

So in conclusion I think it is safe to say we will not be returning. This was only the second time we had come here and it is pretty much the same experience both times and I'm just not willing to throw good money away at a less than satisfactory establishment that...

Oh my goodness, where do I start? Walked in through the door and were promptly greeted and shown some tables, beautiful decor inside. Great selection of drinks. Just as a heads up, when we ordered our alcoholic drinks "with coke", it came with a small bottle rather than topped up with mixer- not sure if that's my fault for not specifying or standard drills. Nonetheless, the disaronno hit the spot! They have a great menu here. What's nice is that it isn't a menu chock full of plates where you have a million and one things to choose from. You have a fair selection of starters, pasta mains, pizzas (with the most options) and sides. We'll talk about deserts later. I have to admit that I did need another 5 mins to make up my mind on what I wanted as it all looked so good! We ended up opting for two starters, a main, two desserts and a coffee liqueur to wash it all down. The calamari and prawns were up first. The calamari portion size was actually a lot larger than what I was expecting for a starter so very chuffed with that. A touch of salt. A slice of lemon. Scrumptious little pot of tartare sauce. So moreish! The prawns came butterflied and were served with a truly beautiful tomato sauce and a slice of bread to try and soak it up. It was all very, very tasty. Next up was our pizza and side to share. We ended up going for the Bella Vita pizza. Lovely thin base, covered in all sorts of cheese, parma ham and rocket. Treated ourselves to the chips but got them covered in Parmesan and truffle. Actually divine. All the while the waiters/waitresses were very attentive to our needs and made us feel very welcome. When offered the dessert menu, my friend and I shot each other "the look". There was no way we were skipping out on it considering how good the rest of the food was! Again you have a choice selection of desserts plus the dessert of the day. We ended up opting for the tiramisu and certainly were not disappointed. No Marsala so safe to eat tons of it and drive- bonus! Sponge fingers hadn't over soaked too so was definitely right up there in terms of Best-Tiramisus-I've-Ever-Had. Finished off with an Irish Coffee and a Bella Vita Coffee. Receipt said our server was Emma. She did a right sterling job, massive thank you to her and the rest of the team! Food- 9/10 Atmosphere- 10/10 Staff- 10/10 Pricing- Dearer than I thought but worth it either way :) Can't wait...

I visited this Italian restaurant last night as it looked very picturesque at the end of the High Street. At first glance, the menu seemed promising. I ordered king prawns to start, while my partner had arancini, followed by crab ravioli and spaghetti carbonara with a Caprese salad on the side, plus two CANS of Coke.

When the starters arrived, the king prawns were still in their shells, served on a side plate with sauce spilling everywhere. There was no finger bowl, no lemon, and no plate for the shells — I had to ask for both. In every other Italian restaurant I’ve eaten at, this dish comes with bread to mop up the sauce, but when I asked, the waitress checked the menu and said it didn’t. She offered a bread basket instead, which turned out to be nothing more than broken pieces of a flattened pizza base in a plastic basket, resembling poppadoms, and costing £5.50.

The mains were no better. The crab ravioli was undercooked, the carbonara forgettable, and my dish — prawns again — came in a watery chilli sauce with overcooked shrimps, undercooked pasta, and an entire sliced lemon floating through it. Not pleasant at all. At no point did the waitress check back on the table, and she seemed far more interested in chatting at the bar than serving. The Caprese salad we ordered never even arrived.

By the end, we decided against ordering more drinks and asked for the bill — a staggering £77, including £7 for service, which was frankly abysmal. £7 for two cans of Coke and £5.50 for a bread basket of off cuts and broken crackers felt like daylight robbery.

Poor food, poor service, overpriced. Nearly £40 a head for that experience is outrageous. I will not be returning. Don’t waste your...