Bella Italia - Southampton Hanover — Restaurant in Southampton

This is the most disappointing review I have written to date. For my first impression, absolutely terrible.

Arrived at 7.40 and was seated almost immediately. Was met with a server who was polite. Seated at a corner window seat. Place was quite lively (about 35-40% full) so was quite busy for a Tuesday evening however added some atmosphere to the restaurant.

Menu was nicely laid out, not confusing to navigate and the interior had that classic causal Italian feel however the double doors was awkward from where I was sitting because I could see everyone come in and out so felt somewhat exposed but where I sat was still intimate and connected enough to the restaurant.

My order: Calzone (£15.99) and Billionaire Doughnuts (£7.49). Ordering was simple as I looked up online menu before.

Ordering was quick took around 7 mins since being seated. Originally wanted the Tiramisu however wanted it without the alcohol (coffee liqueur) so those who won’t want alcoholic content in their desserts/food beware as Bella Italia has it pre-made so it cannot be taken out. Very disappointing- either make it to order or have another option for non alcoholic Tiramisu to be more inclusive of dietary needs.

Did not receive my food until 20.30 (30 mins till supposed closing) so was waiting for my food for 40 mins essentially. Dessert didn’t come until 20.51 (9 mins till supposed closing) despite stating I wanted everything to come together. Very poor service, felt neglected and brushed to the side and the only time I was “checked on” was if my finished plate could be taken. All the other tables (groups) were attended to and look after well but I was not, definitely felt isolating and not the initial welcome feeling I had.

Calzone: first impressions were nice, classic Italian smell and look. Simple, stylish and fresh. Initial bite was fresh and had well made pizza dough. The nduju sausage spread was nicely spicy and the basil kept it fresh. Good portion size so well worth the price.

Billionaire doughnuts: smelled great that instant hit of chocolate and caramel was nice. HOWEVER: very small portion, could finish each doughnut with one bite (7 of them, quite small). Doughnuts also had a salty aftertaste so the caramel and chocolate drizzle helps to remove this from the mouth. New item on the menu- nice addition but not worth the price.

Restaurant was still open past 9pm and people were still getting their mains! Food delivery drivers looked worried and distressed as the kitchen were slow and taking so long. Need to be open way longer (10-10.30pm) as this is what competitors are doing and 9pm seems so early to close doors, even though this didn’t happen today.

The service was abysmal. Was waiting so long for my food, was not checked on when others were and had to pay the bill online because none of the servers were paying attention to me to bring it. Shouldn’t be only 2 servers on the floor and the kitchen was so slow in making the dishes. People who came after me were getting their food way before me and came in larger groups, which is quite ridiculous and low-key insulting. Was going to walk out and then at the last moment stayed because I wanted to treat myself. It was a domino effect: slow kitchen leads to overworked staff leading to unsatisfied and hungry customers. Ruined a nice treated for myself.

Very disappointed with Bella Italia, food was actually somewhat tasty however the service was so shocking and really left a terrible first impression. Whilst I cannot judge from one visit, if I were to return the service needs to be 5/5- sharper, quicker, more attentive. Will I return? First impressions matter and Bella Italia Southampton did NOT impress. One more chance and if it’s not up to par, will not be returning definitely.

If you want to have long wait times for food and feel neglected and have others after you receive their food before you then Bella Italia is for you. But for me, despite a nice causal Italian eatery, there’s other Italian restaurants that would do much better.

Bella Italia Southampton:...

Very disappointed. Made a booking to get a table for 2 at 19:30, and we arrived at 19:15 and were seated. The restaurant was very busy, but there were empty tables. Eventually, someone came to take our order and so we ordered the food and drink and then were told the lasagne I wanted was unavailable. We went for the spaghetti bolognese instead and placed our order at approximately 19:28. Someone came over with the water we wanted as the drink, and at around 19:45 our two starters appeared which were dough balls and bruschetta. The dough balls actually were delicious and they were excellent quality but the portion was small. However, it was then around 40 more minutes before we got our mains. I sat looking around and saw other tables get seated and have their food arrive yet we were still waiting for just two dishes; one of which I didn’t really want anyway. It got to around 20:15 and I asked if the food was coming and then was told it was very busy and it should come shortly. The food, having ordered at 19:28 arrived at 20:30. More than an hour for spaghetti bolognese and a pizza! By then I had lost my appetite and we were missing our chips as a side that we ordered. The spaghetti was cold and very firm; someone asked me ‘is everything okay’ to which I mentioned I wasn’t happy with the spaghetti and was told that’s how it’s cooked, then they left. Eventually 10 minutes on, the manager noticed we were missing the fries and came over, and I mentioned that everything was extremely slow and I wasn’t happy with the food. Rosemary chips were missing the rosemary, just had salt. She offered to replace the spaghetti and offered the lasagne which I was told was unavailable; but they would make fresh. I waited another 15 minutes (quoted 2 minutes) and then it came. Personally I thought the lasagne was delicious, but it was a shame I was only starting to eat it nearly 1hr 30min since I arrived. We were offered a soft drink (non alcoholic) but we just opted for a lemonade.

Overall, very disappointing experience, still paid the full bill and spent more than 2 hours at the table and overall portions didn’t offer good value for money. Rated two stars as the lasagne was made for me and it was delicious, and the manager tried to accommodate us but could have gone further than offer a soft drink for the inconvenience. I probably won’t return, but I think the food was high quality; just customer service and product availability...

So today my boyfriend and I went to Bella Italia for a nice meal out. We arrived at approximately 2030 hours and were sat quite promptly by the manager. We were sat at out table for approx 10 minutes before we had our order taken. We both ordered, drinks, starters and mains at that time....it took 10 minutes for our drinks to be made and they then sat there for a further 10 minutes before the drinks arrived at the table. We then waited 5 further minutes for our starters to arrive, the waitress brought it over and then said she would get us some cutlery for our starter. She has then walked away in the opposite direction and then we sat there with our starters in front of us without cutlery. It took a chef to notice from the kitchen, that we were sat without cutlery and told another member of staff to get us cutlery. The starter was lovely...when I got to eat it..... We then had our plates taken by a rude waitress who aggressively took them. A short while after the main course came out, and by this time we asked for more drinks....we again waited 10 minutes for those drinks..... We finished our food again which was very nice.

This evening there was a number of tables that weren't cleared for the entire time we were there which was approximately an hour.

Another customer went to the bar and got their own drinks, and another customer who was complaining that the waitress was rude and useless.

After we ate our food we asked to speak to the manager to tell her about our experience this evening.

When speaking to the manager she has apologised for the evening and has made attempts to rectify some of the issues which she successfully did.

The manager and the chef were amazing. It was just one member of staff who has let them...