Café Bella — Restaurant in Fort Worth

My husband and I were celebrating our 4 year wedding anniversary and thought a nice Italian restaurant would meet our expectations (it was our first time here) but this restaurant did not. Our server was mediocre (the table in front of us had a MUCH nicer server and actually had hospitality) the restaurant doesn't carry soft drinks just fyi which is fine we had water, she took our order again nothing special very rushed, our food came out in timely manner but I had the fettuccine alfredo +shrimp and the alfredo sauce was not flavorful the sauce was basic and I was disappointed as it is made in restaurant l've tasted WAY better sauce and again expected more. After we received our food our server didn't come to check on us she got sat tables outside in the patio and when she passed by she kept walking around us I kept trying to flag her down to refill our water but nope we ate with no drink. Finally another person (not our server I think a manager cause she was sitting down with the table next to us) asked to refill our waters but it was too late we asked her for our bill and our server finally came and brought our bill only for us to have to wait I SWEAR another 15 minutes to be able to pay our bill because the manager sat back down and was talking and she was the cashier up front. She talked even though she saw 3+ people were waiting to cash out and people waiting to be seated too, she finally got up and helped a crowd of people waiting, btw the bill was hand written they do not provide itemized receipts just fyi. This was supposed to be at least a nice experience cause we could have gone to Olive Garden and paid half the price and gotten WAY better service but like I said it was our anniversary and thought we'd try this restaurant but we will NOT be returning. My husband pointed out that because we were young (we're 25) we may have not been getting excellent service like the tables around us but we smiled and tipped our server 20% you can see in the photo the sauce was so runny not thick or flavorful AT ALL which is the most disappointing cause the food could have made up for the service but it did NOT. We will not be returning here ever and not recommending this...

The plan was to take Mom out for her 66th birthday to a nice dinner. We walked in and there was a small crowd, waiting in the front area to be seated, I thought this was a great sign. As we waited, a waiter came walking through the front door. I would assume to start his shift as well as the hostess again, assuming to start her shift. After being seated, no one greeted us. No one talk to us, but someone did come by and drop off a plate of rolls with olive oil. The rolls were extremely hard and dry. We couldn’t even eat them. When the waiter came(the same one that came through the front door to start a shift) my husband asked for a wine list. It is a BYOB, which is great to avoid having to get a liquor license, however, I found it strange that they offered no other drinks besides water, coffee, tea. We ordered calamari and Caesar salad to start off. The calamari was very chewy like rubber. I have made frozen calamari at home and left it in my freezer too long…. It was that same texture and taste. My mom, the birthday girl had ordered chicken penne with vodka sauce, when it came, there was no chicken. I had ordered chicken marsala. The Marsala sauce was more like a dull flavor stock. My husband wasn’t even in the mood to order anything at all. My mom waited for the waiter to come back around to request chicken, however, we never seen him until we started putting our plates to the side to be picked up. At this time we were ready to get out. We asked for a receipt, which was a handwritten receipt with my mom‘s chicken scratched out, and was told we could pay upfront. Again, there was a small crowd upfront, waiting to be seated and waiting to be checked out. After about 10 minutes to be honest, I told my husband I could just walk out that is something I have never done nor will do(it was tempting for the first time) I did get checked out and yes, I did leave an 18% tip(I’ve been a server and could never not tip). Not only do I not recommend this place, but we will...

First of all: Cafe Bella just recently got an UPGRADE! They just renovated their space and they did a very nice job modernizing the space. The restaurant still retains their previous atmosphere of attainable-yet-upscale comfort, but upgraded the old drywall walls to some sleek, black-framed translucent space dividers. I would highly recommend the environment for any dates, a great place to take your parents, or nice family dinners. Don't forget it's BYOB, so bring that bottle of wine you've been saving for a nice occasion.

For the food: I believe I have found my favorite place in Fort Worth for Veal Piccata. Their lemon-caper cream sauce was divine, and the angel hair that accompanied it perfectly al dente. The veal was perfectly, minimally breaded and cooked to perfection, but retained enough breading to hold onto the sauce well. For comparison's sake: if you've ever had Paesano's version of it, let's just say Bella's version will be an even better experience.

My partner had the Penne Arrabiata, and it was equally as good for those who prefer a hearty, tomato-based, very flavorful dish with sausage. I personally like to see more spice in an arrabiata, but it can always be added with the crushed red pepper they offer, so it's great for non-spice-lovers as well.

Overall, I have already returned to and will continue to frequent Cafe Bella. Highly recommend as one of the must-stop Italian places...