Bello Manzo — Restaurant in Fredericksburg

It's great to have more food options in FXBG, especially if a new establishment is selling something unique and different that you can't get anywhere else. Bello Manzo is certainly making something unique, but they're not necessarily making it very well.

Bello Manzo is effectively an Italian sandwich shop, selling Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches, hot dogs, and Italian pizzeria classics like chicken parm sandwhiches. And while some of these items are different for the area (Italian beef), others are available better elsewhere.

My wife and I went for a late lunch on a Saturday and were the only people in the shop. I ordered a chicken parm sandwich, and the wife ordered the Italian beef. We asked the waitress if the fries and onion rings were made on-site, and we were assured they were - so we got a side of each.

When the food arrived, we were pretty disappointed.

The Italian beef sandwich lacked seasoning and flavor. Each bite tasted almost exclusively of the pickled giardiniera, which overpowered everything - including the side of braising jus that was served with the sandwich for dipping. The jus just didn't have enough flavor to cut through the incredibly briny vegetables, and the beef was relatively bland, as well, making the whole sandwich a giant pickled veggie party.

The chicken parm sandwich was also relatively flavorless. The chicken, itself, seemed to be battered and not breaded. It also seemed to have been purchased frozen and simply dropped into the fryer. The sauce was also bland - with a bit of tomato acidity but none of the seasoning or flavor that you would expect from a good marinara.

Finally, both the fries and onion rings that we were told were made fresh by the kitchen staff seemed to be a frozen product. This is always frustrating, because the frozen alternatives are never as good (the onion rings didn't even taste very oniony), and they cut into a restaurant's profits - so they're worse for the customer and worse for the proprietor. I never understood why restaurants don't just make their own (aside from saving time).

Ultimately, the meal really wasn't great. But it also wasn't terrible. But, when lunch is $50, you really want more than frozen and reheated product from a restaurant supply company, and bland Italian beef.

I really hope they work to "beef" up the flavors in their sandwiches a bit, and maybe eliminate the frozen product from the kitchen. But for now, the food just doesn't strike me as...

We found this restaurant while looking for somewhere new to try, and what a fantastic surprise it turned out to be. From the moment we walked in, it was a warm and inviting atmosphere but what truly made the experience stand out was the incredible food and the outstanding service.

Every dish we ordered was absolutely delicious. The homemade meatballs with marinara were a standout: rich, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned. The menu offered great variety, and even though there wasn’t a specific children’s menu, the kitchen had no problem modifying a dish to suit our child’s taste, which we really appreciated.

Our waitress, Ruth, was wonderful. She was attentive, thoughtful, and genuinely welcoming. She made sure we had everything we needed without being overbearing, and when asked for recommendations, she went through each dish and what she felt the dish had to offer so we could fully consider our options. We were celebrating a birthday, and when we mentioned it to her, she arranged for a slice of tiramisu with a candle: a simple, delicious, and perfect way to celebrate the occasion without any over-the-top fuss of the unnecessary clapping and fanfare.

We’re already looking forward to coming back and exploring more of the menu. With food this good and such a lovely staff, this place is definitely a...

Went last night for the first time and this is going to be a new favorite spot! It definitely won’t be the last, I want to try everything on their menu.

We didn’t get any photos because we inhaled the food so rapidly. While waiting for the rest of our table to arrive, a lovely woman brought out samples of their sauces for us to try because it was our first time. She was obviously quite proud of their menu and gave us a brief rundown of what makes their food so unique and delicious. It was a lovely touch of customer service and made our decisions on what to order that much harder, a good problem to face! Our table shared plates of Arancini and Parmesan Brussel Sprouts to start. We tried the following entrees and ate every single bite: Parmesan Chicken Pasta, Baptized Italian Combo (Beef & Sausage Sandwich dunked in au jus), and Manzo Pasta with Sausage. And finally we ended with a Cannoli and Layer Chocolate Cake to share.

The atmosphere was great, love their plate and utensil choices. Everything was clean and welcoming. Wish they had been busier, I want this place to thrive! If you haven’t tried it, please do yourself a favor...