Bella Victoria — Restaurant in Austin

We attended Bella Victoria for my birthday last night. We were excited to try the new Italian place in town. The atmosphere was ok, it still has remnants of the former Mexican restaurant in the decor. It felt more like a hall than a warm inviting spot. Our server was not very knowledgable about the food and beverage menu. We weren't even offered a dessert menu and came to celebrate a birthday, we were just closed out right away. The bartender licked his fingers several times while making drinks. Overall the food was good. We had the beet salad, lasagna, spaghetti & meatballs, and ravioli. They were all good. A bit heavy on the garlic, but good. Portion sizes were good, and plating looked nice. The ravioli portion was pretty small, but the lasagna was huge! The prices are high for the experience and overall taste. I wish they would have given a nice bread basket and salad with the meal, and would have had fresh parmesan for the dishes. They should really checkout Ciao Bella in Edina. Similar price point and much better experience. It is a great addition to town, and I hope they succeed. Growing up in the restaurant and food industry plus 15 yrs of serving experience.. all I can say is this restaurant needs some fine tuning, price evaluation, decor update, and above all the staff desperately needs training on hand washing and the...

This restaurant is awful! Looked like one waitress for entire restaurant. She not only took orders and delivered food , but also had too make drinks, which you could tell she definitely was not a bartender. I ordered a vodka cranberry with club soda it was so sweet I couldn’t drink it, so I sent it back and settled for a vodka water. There were ten of us, all food was sub par. The calamari was overdone and tough which means not fresh. The chicken parm was awful. The breading on chicken was thick and burnt tasting, nothing like Parmesan cheese. Scallops overcooked tough. Cesar salad which is kinda hyped up was awful, saturated with what tasted like mayonnaise no anchovy in site! And I didn’t realize when paying bill they attached a 20% gratuity so I tipped 25 dollars on my bill which was 75 dolllars . Waitress just said thank you and did not mention gratuity already added to bill. We went to this restaurant because it has a 5 star rating, in town for a funeral . I really can’t understand this rating, would...

I should never have gotten food from here. NOW I'm going to be broke all the damn time! The Chicken Marsalla was so moist and tender! The wine sauce was amazing. My wife got lobster Alfredo and it was so smooth and creamy! The lobster melted in her mouth. Never in a million years did I think Austin (little tiny Austin Minnesota) would have such a caliber of food. What am I supposed to do now??? God, I'm gonna gain so much weight!

Update: 2025 My wife and I are trying to figure out if this place is a front for the mafia, or if the owner actually kidnapped 3 little old ladies from southern Italy to cook at this restaurant. This place is amazing! I am SO glad to know that there is at least 1 place in this world that has not compromised quality! I am only sorry I cannot...