Trattoria Bella Sera — Restaurant in El Paso

First time trying this place, as the pictures posted by others looked good enough to convince me to drive across town to try it. First off, I decided to call in my order as I was just not in the mood for cooking.

I ordered based on the menu pictured on here. When the girl asked what sides I wanted, i requested the meatballs that are on the SIDES section of the menu. I was not prepared for the judgemental tone this girl would switch over to over that. It might be her first time using a regular phone to attend a call, so she might not be aware that the microphone on them is way more sensitive than people assume. I could hear her having a side conversation with another person and both laughing at the mistake I made. They only offer a soup or a salad as a side, there is no way around this for them. The menu is written in stone, any variation might confuse them and send them into a frenzy. I completed the order and made my way to the restaurant. When I got there, I was immediately greeted by the biggest red flag a business could fly, a giant sign stating, "VOTED BEST....." My immediate questions, voted by whom? When was this election? And I surely hope Olive Garden wasn't the testaurant they ran against, as it's considered what TacoBell is to Mexican cuisine. My second red flag came with the customers exiting the restaurant. Not a single smile, nobody discussing their meal, just people getting to their vehicles as quickly as possible. The third red flag was presented as I was walking in, I was confused by the number of people sitting by the two counters they had. I assumed such a respectable restaurant would not accept random workers just sitting around on company time.

Now to the food.

The 3⭐️s are for the "Italian soda" as it was quite refreshing and delicious. I'll probably look up a recipe that alone is not enough for me to drive across town for. The food had good flavor, but had about a gallon of oil in it and the chicken... well, I'm not sure how to describe it, as I'm not sure if it even was chicken to begin with. It was rubbery, similar to the frozen chicken breasts from the store. The brushetta was very fresh and pretty sweet, definitely a must if you ever happen to wander...

Despite my rating I wasn't happy with the service of our waiter Ricardo, I believe his name was, mexican man with glasses, med height, he didn't stop by to check up ok us after food was delivered nor refill my water after I asked him 2x. We were, there for my mother's bday. I had arrived late and had my sister put in my order from the menu i saw posted on here online. My entree was the Pollo Diavola, priced @ $16-17, and towards the end I wasn't happy with the size of the chicken breast which was obviously 1/2 the size ( probably cut in half) higher than the price I thought it was, for $24.00. So at this point I definitely did not believe that chicken size justified the higher price, had it been the price I thought, I'd been ok with it. So I asked to speak to the Manager, still being cordial about it and again asked Ricardo for water- I had the cup in my hand trying to vet water from him as I had just gotten off a 12 hr shift. He never brought the manager or introduced her to me, in fact didn't even say anything else to me as he just seemed to be worried about finalizing his closing duties and leaving. He didn't make anything special or extraordinary for my mother either, amd that's why I'm here. I've waited tables before in my younger years and regardless if you're in a hurry always check up on food, check up on customers, touch base with them after they've asked you for things to make sure everything is okay, for as long as they are still sitting there or even inside the restaurant they/we are still guests and shoukd be acknowledged & treated as such. I didn't feel any of that, adn regret the over 20% tip we left him, O should have only given him the barr minimum- 15% because that's what he earned. Besides that, I gave the establishment 5 stars because once I talked to the manager- African American lady she was able to turn my frown into a smile and make my mother feel celebrated! Thank you! Servers, don't let managers do your job for you, the overcoming customers' disappointments ought to be first tried to be done by you before getting a manager. P.S. the water was finally given to me by the cashier in the front! Attached is...

Food was not as advertised on the menu, when you pay to go eat at an authentic Italian restaurant you expect the best Italian homemade food. To start off, for antipasti we ordered Bruschetta and fried Calamari. The bruschetta consisted of chopped Roma tomatoes with the cheapest olive oil possible and balsamic vinegar with 4!slices of toasted garlic bread. There was no fresh garlic or fresh basil in the mix at All! The calamari, was probably left over pieces, as it was not circular pieces or calamari as you would expect and mostly got served little pieces of fried calamari. One of the mains ordered was Farfalle Bella Sera, which is bow tie pasta with grilled chicken, jumbo shrimp and garlic white sauce. Well, the pasta used at this restaurant is not of a quality imported pasta brand and is not pasta that is home made. is the GRILLED CHICKEN is not even a fresh chicken that is grilled in house.. it is a store bought already cooked chicken grilled strips that are reheated and tossed with the pasta.. absolutely disgusting..the shrimps are not Jumbo and are boiled at best as they have no markings of ever touching a hot pan to be cooked. The Caesar salad, does not have a homemade dressing, so expect to be served a ready bagged salad from the store at best. What a disappointment, I can’t believe this people call this place Italian restaurant. Having been in Rome, Venice and Florence I was totally dissatisfied with what I was presented as Italian food. I asked the served to shave some Parmesan, and what he brought me was a little container with store bought Parmesan. The place is outdated from the early 2000’s and lacks the Italian homie feel! Will never go eat here again or recommend this place to...