Isola Bella Italian Eatery — Restaurant in Holmes Beach

Visited late May 2020. This is a MUST visit restaurant. This restaurant and it's from scratch food transported us to Sicily for the 90 minutes we we're blessed to be there. Service started with delectable bread and fresh roasted garlic olive oil. We followed with the Bruchetta and Mediterranean salad for shareable appetizers. The tomatoes on the Bruchetta were as sweet as candy and paired perfectly with a balsamic drizzle while the white balsamic dressing on the salad was bright and fresh on the spring mixed greens. Our group shared the cheese tortellini with bolognese sauce, lasagna, and ravioli with vodka sauce. It was IMPOSSIBLE to pick a favorite. The lasagna was so creamy and amazingly soft, the tortellini was firm yet tender and the rustic sauce flavorful, while the vodka sauce literally moved me to tears, truthfully. I have had many fine dining experiences but this owner and chef take the delivery of their food to a unique artistic but friendly and comfortable height. The staff were equally on point being attentive and helpful in guiding us through our meal decisions. We finished our meal speechless and truly thankful not just for the food but the experience the food and this wonderfully small restaurant provided. We capped our culinary journey by sharing 3 heavenly deserts of cannolis that were perfectly creamy and satisfying, lemon sorbatto served in a hollowed frozen lemon, and a affogato (gellato flavor of your choice with a shot of Italian espresso to pour over). There aren't enough stars in the heavens to give to this restaurant. Not only do I now know what authentic Sicilian food tastes like, I now know what real passion and skill can do to ingredients in a kitchen - move your emotions, create memories, and transport your soul to another land, if only temporarily. Simply the most amazing experience...

I really loved the atmosphere here, and the food was beautifully presented. However, we did not enjoy our charcuterie board because the bread had a strange flavor to it, though the texture was very pleasant. I thought the taste might be a bitter liquor but my friend was fairly certain it was burned rosemary. We both love burrata, but this one needed more balsamic glaze and moisture. Nothing was downright delicious or left us licking our fingers, which was sad because if you were watching us eat in a movie, you would probably find the visuals all very charming and would imagine how good the food might taste if you were dining with us. The hostess was very, very warm and received us late in the evening with no qualms. The owner or chef was popping around to different tables all smiles. Seemed like he really loved the place. The waitress was attentive, but my friend and I both agreed there was some unwelcome push back when we asked for our appetizer, dessert and coffee to come out all at once. We politely changed our minds to avoid extending the awkward exchange. The Cafe Americano was tasty, so were the three little cannolis we ordered for dessert. All things considered, I’m still probably going to take the risk, try this place again, and order a full dinner next time around just to see what happens...

Post Covid-19 Advice - Wipe/Disinfect Tables/seats in front of customers. I had my own Lysol wipes and wiped our surfaces.

Menus should be cleaned and wiped. Our menus had substances on them on the inside. I wiped these too. Because they are black on the outside, can’t tell but wiped too. I have my own bleach/alcohol, I asked for extra napkins and wiped.

Offer alcohol wipes. I am prepared with my spray JIC restaurants don’t have as in this case.

Wipes door handles as customers come and go, this was not done.

I’m very cautious in watching what’s done in the open for others to see. If these practices are not done where customers can see and feel at ease, I wonder what if any precautions are being done in the kitchen?

What I Liked -

The food was good. I enjoyed the salad (Lettuce one), lobster ravioli and tiramisu.

The restaurant will only seat at 25% capacity. Open seating was available inside or outside, your choice.

This was my first time out, I won’t make this a habit. There are more precautions that can be done by restaurants. Our server was nice and checked on us often. Because the restaurant was at limited capacity we made sure to tip him better than I would under these circumstances based on thinking the restaurant could do better to be prepared...