Bella Italia — Restaurant in Ennis

We actually live near Plano, Texas in Collin, County which is known as a test-bed for restaurants as the volume of eateries is immense and the competition fierce. If you can make it here you can make it anywhere so the saying goes. Suffice it to say that we've had exposure to some of the greatest restaurants in this area and surrounding municipalities. Couple that with growing up in a section of NE Ohio known for its Italian restaurants, given the immigration to the area from 1st gen Italians, and I think I can offer a semi-informed opinion.

This restaurant, Bella Italia, is not flashy, nor is it designed for stuffed-shirt clientele with great big budgets. It is quaint, quiet, with a wait staff that is personable and professional. It is affordable, and as such family oriented. What really separates this little jewel from the rest may not be the quality of their vinyl booth seats, or how to serve the perfect drinks to the privileged and pretentious, but rather the delight in knowing immediately the attention to detail in their preparation and the absolute best ingredients being chosen for their fare in the first bite. One need only to taste to fully appreciate that this place is all about the food and they do that really, really well.

So, while it may not have that ever-so-popular cookie-cutter chain ambiance it does have privately owned charm and great food. For those wanting to support a family owned business because they've had enough of gentrification and the dominance of franchises I can definitely recommend this restaurant, their staff, and most importantly the quality of their food. For those that want loud, bumpin', standin'-in-line, cool-stuff-hangin-on-the-walls (that wasn't collected but rather swooped up in and bought in bulk) come to Collin, County Texas. We will pass each other going in opposite direction as we drive over an hour once in a while to eat at Bella Italia. It really is that good.

Oh, incidentally, they make their own Italian sausage and a fresh batch of pizza dough each morning. If your palate is tuned you'll know it like I did even...

2 stars just for the bread. I really tried to give this place a shot and lower my expectations as soon as i walked in and it smelled like 1990 smokers motel lobby. Dont forget to bring your pillow and blanket for the naps inbetween getting waited on. also wipies to wipe down your menus and table cause they dont. it was almost empty in there and still slow moving. asked for my drink with no ice, it came with ice. no problem i take the ice out myself, simple mistake no problem. my mistake was ordering chicken cordon blue and their mistake is not telling the customer its not possible that day. menu states : chicken breast STUFFED with ham and cheese. i know what chicken cordon blue is.. its a deep fried chicken breast stuffed with ham and cheese. why did they bring t out 2 big square deli slices of ham that you buy at the store for your kids sandwiches.. yeah that kind, just LAYED ontop of two little chicken breast/tenders, utop a bed of spaghetti in a creamy wine sauce & mushrooms. the menu SHOULD say:strips of chicken under a layer of deli ham cause that is a cordon blue SCAM if i ever seen one. so disappointing, i would have ordered somthing else if i knew it wasnt going to be what it says its supposed to be. it also says on the menu all the pastas come with garlic rolls, and they never did, another false statement on their menu! I didnt say anything, once again im not in a confronting mood that night as it was out first night out without the kids in over 7 months so we were just having a good time. Alfredo sauce tasted like sweet cream, i added salt and LOTS of parmesan, that helped. we both almost choked on the thick hidden mozzarella clumps in our food, the people in there are 65+ and drinking makes sense why this place has 4.6 stars. on a positive note the conversations old drunk people have are so entertaining that made up for the slow service and sub par food. im sorry, hope yall the best in your future business but i dont think we will...

We weren't sure which direction to go when we came in the door but apparently there is a bar to the left and the restaurant is to the right. We walked into an unassuming dining room with multiple booths and tables. We were seated quickly and placed our beverage order. The menu is quite extensive and being that this was our first visit, we needed a few minutes to look it over but quickly decided on the stuffed mushrooms as our appetizer. We made a great choice! The sauce they're baked in should be bottled! We scarfed them down and continued sopping up that amazing sauce with the freshly baked garlic knots. My husband ordered the spaghetti with meat sauce, meatballs and mushrooms (IKR lol) and said it was delicious and twice the amount he could actually eat. I ordered a chicken dish with mushrooms, artichoke hearts and a light lemon sauce on a bed of spaghetti. Again, twice the amount I could eat, especially after lapping up that sauce from the mushrooms. Service was pleasant and non-intrusive. Drink refills were prompt and dishes cleared at the appropriate time. The best part of all, our dinner didn't break the bank. If you ever find yourself in Ennis, Texas, do yourself a favor and eat a meal here. If you live here but haven't tried this place, shame on you! Support small...