Stella Notte Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Ellicott City

I would not recommend Stella Notte as a venue for hosting events. While the staff on the day of the event was courteous, working with the owner/manager, Dan, was an extremely frustrating experience for me, my family, and even our florist. Communication was consistently poor, and expectations were not only unclear but often changed at the last minute, creating unnecessary stress for everyone involved.

There were multiple issues throughout the planning process. Early on, I informed Dan that I would be bringing in a tall 3D backdrop using a truck. He assumed I meant a simple paper backdrop. In response, he reacted in a surprisingly rude and accusatory manner, saying he didn’t trust the other items I planned to bring and that he would need to personally inspect everything before it could be brought into his restaurant. That initial interaction set the tone for what became an increasingly difficult experience.

One of the major problems was a complete lack of organization - there was no formal agreement through email and due to all conversations being held through phone calls, it was challenging for Dan to agree on what was promised for the day of the event, especially around the menu. I submitted our selections at least a month in advance, but on the day of the event, Dan claimed to have no recollection of our conversation. Because of this, there were no hors d'oeuvres served—something that could have easily been avoided with even minimal attention to detail. Lesson learned: always keep everything in writing.

The event space itself was also uncomfortably warm, even with the AC running, which is worth considering if you're planning a gathering here.

Set-up logistics were equally disorganized. Initially, we were told we’d have only 30 minutes the day of to set up—clearly insufficient—and were quoted $300 for an additional hour. Eventually, Dan agreed to let us come the night before, which sounded helpful at first, but once again, communication fell apart. He said he would call to let us know when we could come in, to avoid disrupting guests who were dining—a reasonable approach. But by 7:00 PM, with the restaurant closing at 8:00 PM and still no call from him, my friends and florist decided to head over. When we arrived, there were still parties dining in the event space, and Dan told us we couldn’t begin setting up until they left. We weren’t allowed to start until nearly 8:00 PM, and then were told we had to be finished decorating by the time his staff was done cleaning—giving us barely any time at all. At around 8:40 PM, we were asked to wrap everything up.

To Dan’s credit, he was more accommodating on the actual day of the event. But the process leading up to it was disorganized, needlessly stressful, and lacked the professionalism you would expect when hosting an important occasion. Between the breakdowns in communication, the lack of clarity, and the poor attitude, I would not host another event at Stella Notte—and I wouldn’t recommend it to...

I am a Pastor in the area and the members of the church recommended this restaurant. And, I was looking forward to an opportunity to try this restaurant. On July 3rd, I brought a guest with me, and it was their first time as well. I will describe our experience from the time we entered the establishment until we left. We entered and there was a women sitting in the lobby and the rest of her party arrived right behind us. When we entered, I said to the hostess hello, party of 2. She abruptly said wait. And then assisted and seated the other party. I was taken aback by how we were greeted but didn't let it bother me. After she seated them, she came back and said follow me. She takes us to our seats located inside. However, I heard her ask the previous party about where they wanted to sit as there is Terrace seating too and there were many tables available. As we walked to the table, I said to her; we want to sit out there (terrace) but you didn't ask us. Then she directs us to a table out there. No apologies etc.. And what really bothered me when we entered the restaurant, the hostess could have used cust svc care phrases, I'll be with you in a moment or let me seat this party first etc... So, all of this happened and I was still trying to remain positive and enjoy. We ordered our food and the waitress was pleasant and we began to eat and it was delicious. However, my guest saw a long piece of hair in her food wrapped around the shrimp. We told the waitress. She apologized and asked my guest if they wanted a new dish made. She said yes, so I ate my food as we waited for hers to be made. Her food came out, but I was full. So She ate half her food and then we asked for the bill and take out containers. The waitress gave my guest a free dessert for the hair in food incident, which made me laugh. I will not be frequenting this establishment again. I did not feel welcomed when I entered and I did not feel valued with the offer of a free dessert for hair in the food and the inconvenience of having to wait for another dish. The plan was for us to eat together and that did not happen. By the way, I am a black women and my guest is a person of color too. I'm still choosing to be positive to say I am not sure if my race played a factor in our treatment or if this is how they do business. I still tipped 20% because that is the type of...

I recently visited Stella Notte with some friends and had an overall pleasant dining experience. Here’s my detailed review of this Italian restaurant:

Appetizer:

We started with the calamari, which was served hot and fresh. The texture was spot-on, with a lovely crispy coating, but I felt that it could have used a bit more spice to elevate the flavors. It was good, but just shy of being exceptional due to the lack of seasoning.

Drinks:

I opted for the Almond Joy Martini from their specials menu. While I could taste the coconut, I wished for a bolder flavor profile with more chocolate liqueur or almond liqueur. It was a fun, dessert-like drink but could be improved with better balance between its ingredients.

Pizza:

One of the standout dishes of the night was the Stella Notte Pizza. The crust was perfectly cooked—not soggy, but with crisp edges, exactly how a pizza crust should be. The ratio of cheese to sauce was perfect, and the sauce itself was rich and flavorful. My only critique would be that it could have used a bit more chicken, but overall, this was a great dish that I’d order again.

Pasta Dishes:

We shared two pasta dishes:

Chicken and Shrimp Stella Notte Pasta – This dish featured cheese tortellini in a creamy tomato pesto sauce. While the texture of the pasta was great, I found the flavor to be one-dimensional. It was creamy, but I didn’t feel compelled to take another bite right away. Shrimp and Scallop Primavera – This was a special for the night. The dish was light and refreshing but lacked the necessary seasoning to make it truly shine. It was a bit bland, and I had to add salt and pepper to suit my taste. However, it was well-prepared with fresh ingredients.

Portion Size:

Portion sizes were generous, and by the end of the meal, we were all quite full. No complaints there!

Overall Experience:

The service was excellent, the ambiance was cozy, and most dishes were enjoyable. While there were a few areas where the food could have been slightly improved, the overall experience was good, and I’d give it a solid 4/5 rating. I would return, especially for that Stella...