Bella Piatti — Restaurant in Birmingham

This was my favorite place in Birmingham...we celebrated several milestones here with amazing food and service. The last 3 times I've tried to pop in have been beyond disappointing. This winter my husband and I stopped by for a last minute date night at the bar only to be told where we should sit to maximize seating at the bar. We were told we could not sit where we wanted based on maximum seating for other guests to join. We begrudgingly applied to the bartender's snide request and continued to watch her tell other parties where and how to sit...never have I ever experienced this. We said if they get busy we would move to accommodate other patrons, but they insisted we move. We watched a group of 8 try to sit around the bar to her parameters and then quickly realize they did not want to spend any more time there. We ran into that same group at Hyde Park where we all went to eat and have drinks. The second time we tried to pop into dinner we were rudely turned away by the hostess. The third and final straw for us was tonight at 5:15 pm...we popped in to the bar only to be told they were completely full. We inquired if they take reservations for the bar and they said no, it is only for regulars. I hope the regular crowd is worth it for them because I adored this restaurant and now I would not ever recommend...

I was given “2 hours” before they needed the table back. After 90 minutes, we had finished our entrees which had come out slowly. Service was mediocre and had to even ask for water glass to be refilled. Upon finishing our entrees the waiter asked “is there anything else you need before you head out?’ Stunned, I said maybe dessert and coffee? Strange for an upscale restaurant to send customers off without offering dessert/ coffee. Because I was trying to be mindful of the time limit imposed on us, for the next 30 minutes, I felt anxious. After 20 minutes the coffee finally arrived but still no dessert. Not only is nice when the coffee and dessert arrive simultaneously, my spouse had already finished his coffee and the dessert still hadn’t arrived. With 10 minutes left, on the clock I flagged down the waiter who then went to find out what happened to the dessert. If you want me to respect your time, respect mine. Once our time was up, the host came himself to collect our check (after seeing he and the hostess whispering and eyeing our table). Not a nice way to finish what should have been a relaxing dinner. Either hire more staff or retrain your staff. ...

This restaurant is a place I’ve been going to for years and the food is pretty good but yesterday I had the worst experience ever! I’ve been told that the ruder you are to them, the nicer they will be to you. Kind of hard to believe but last night the hostess could not have been any ruder. I had a reservation for 4 at an earlier time. I walked in and gave her my name and told her I would like a table on their patio which was mostly empty. She said fine very rudely. I asked her if I could have a table in the shade and she said most tables were reserved which is odd since the patio is first come first serve. So I asked her politely if that was the case, she stopped, turned around and told me these people were parking and coming back!!!! She literally sneered at me and huffed off after she sat me. I have never been treated with such disrespect in my life! You are in the service industry and being polite is the least you can do. What a...