Bella Vista — Restaurant in Lago Vista

One of the worst places we've ever eaten in. I've never had to write a review this bad in my entire life and have never had such a horrible experience in a place of business. I'm not one for reviews but this has to be documented. First of, the hostess saw my husband trying to open the door and she looked at us like we were idiots and didn't lift a finger to help although she was just standing there a couple feet from the door. Once we were seated my two year old was playing with the butter knife and fork and she said "can you put that down? It gives me anxiety when kids hold sharp things." Like. Okay? It's a butter knife and he's not wielding it in your face. Fried calamari was subpar not terrible but not great. Garlic knots were good, although my husband disagrees. Our side salads came and they looked like something a toddler had thrown together. Thick slices of onion, one lonely slice of tomato drenched in what I'm sure was store-bought dressing that was so sour I couldn't finish my salad. Our entrees looked like something the dog puked up. My chicken was not seasoned and it was rubbery with a weird taste. I would not have fed that to my worst enemy. I clearly heard the beeping of a microwave moments prior to our food being brought out as we were sitting quite close to the kitchen. The owner came over and asked how everything was, I answered honestly and said I wasn't a fan. At this point he should have just offered to switch my meal, or take care of it in the bill, as any level-headed restaurant owner would do. Instead he asked, offended, what was wrong with it. I answered honestly and said it was just weird and I didn't like the way the chicken looked or tasted. I asked if it had been microwaved. He said I offended him, wouldn't let me get a word it and kept saying I was offending him as a "chef". I'd like to know which culinary school he went to. This further confirmed my suspicions that our food was microwaved. As a business owner, if my customer says they don't like my product, I'll ask why but only in order to improve my craft and of course offer a refund or replacement. I won't act like the victim. He then began to raise his voice, all while there was two other customers and my child present. He continued to raise his voice about what an offense I had caused him and how I was to pay for that sorry excuse of a meal.

I paid for the bill in full which totaled to $92 (he did not let me tip). I walked out then he proceeded to follow me out to take a picture of our car's license plate. Friday night and they're DEAD. Only two tables in the entire restaurant. At least their Costco wine was good. Also, the owner's nails are something to behold. I almost lost my appetite just looking at them. The only normal staff person there was the nice male waiter. If you've ever watched Kitchen Nightmares, this is one of those owners who is delusional and believes his food is the best in all the land. The proof is in his dying business and empty tables at 6:30p on a...

I had great expectations for our first visit but was disappointed. But we will return again and give another chance and review. Full disclosure, maybe we were just a little early for the dinner time. Arrived about 4:30 and we were only patrons at that time. Wait staff were cheerful and friendly. Signs on the door said to possibly expect longer wait time due to staff shortages, so I’m fine with that. Ordered our dinner and kept it simple. Lasagna for myself and chicken parmigiana for my wife. Bread was brought to the table, small rolls that were a bit over toasted and tough. They didn’t taste bad but were dry and tough to chew. Our salads arrived and were very tasty and fresh. Other patrons were arriving and it was looking like a good night for the restaurant, I truly hope it was. Our food arrived and it looked great and tasted good. The lasagna was a big disappointment to me though. While it didn’t taste bad, it was under cooked (my opinion). The bottom layers of the pasta were too dry and chewy, hard to cut through with a knife. Suggesting to me that it was under cooked. The food was warm but not overly hot (the lasagna). My wife’s chicken parmigiana was served hot and looked very good. She said it was very good. I spoke with the manager, showed him what I was concerned about and asked if it was representative of his normal lasagna, he said it was representative. I was disappointed. I also tried an eggplant appetizer dish that was very good, very tasty. I’m hoping my experience was just a bad night for them, just growing pains for the newly opened restaurant. To be clear, all of the food was very tasty and I will return again, probably for a...

This place was running around like chickens with no heads. We came on a Friday night and were told it would be a 20 min wait because of a “dinner rush” that was literally 10 people. As we waited there were 3 empty tables the entire time. Why were we not seated then I didn’t know. That wait ended up being 45 minutes. Then when we were seated AT ONE OF THE EMPTY TABLES, she told us they didn’t have any menus for us to look at because the big table of white folks still had menus and “hadn’t even looked over it yet”. She took our drinks, I got a sweet tea that tasted like tap water. We get our order taken and then get told that “it would be a longer wait because the big group had to have their orders made first”. Then she proceeded to whisper to my sister that the big group was rude. Very unprofessional. So we left. It’s ridiculous that the big group was prioritized over us when we were ready to order and eat even when they weren’t. Make better use of your time. We should’ve been seated from the beginning at the empty tables, and we should’ve gotten our order taken because we were ready before that big group. Very disappointed. Will not be going there again. Felt pretty racist if you ask me. There was also a Hispanic family in front of us and the guy tried to seat us before them. The whole experience felt pretty racist...