Bella Ciao Pasta and Bar Ristorante — Restaurant in Mahtomedi

Tasty appetizers were the only saving grace. The rest of the dining experience was simply terrible.

We arrived at 5pm with reservations. We were seated right away, then the wait began. Waiting, waiting, waiting for someone to come and greet us. Finally we were served water. Then waiting, waiting, waiting. After 20 minutes-- all of the people who had arrived after us were already eating their appetizers and salads-- I had to go up to the bar and ask someone who was supposed to be our waiter. Several staff behind the bar who had been laughing with each other looked around and shrugged. Nobody seemed to know who was our waiter.

After another 10 minute wait, someone came by to take our order. We ordered drinks, appetizers, and dinner all at once...the waiter assured us that he would space out these courses appropriately.

Another lengthy wait and we got our drinks. Awhile later, our appetizers arrived, followed almost immediately by our dinner courses. We had literally just started our appetizers when dinner plates showed up.

My dinner was the Bella Ciao chicken special. Unfortunately, it certainly was "special", meaning, terrible. The chicken had been frozen and exposed, so it had freezer burn on all of the portions. See pic. The pasta was dried out. The sauce from the chicken and sauce from the pasta bled together. Oh-- and the people who arrived after us had finished dinner and were heading home already.

Nobody asked us if we wanted a second glass of wine.

After dinner I told the waiter we were ready for our check. 10 minutes later he brought out check and I immediately handed him my credit card. Off he went into oblivion. Another 15-20 minutes later he still hadn't returned with my credit card. The rest of may family left the table and waited in the car. 10 minutes after that my son came in, steaming mad, and confronted the waiter, whose recollection of our table seemed to have gone missing.

$185 for four people. I declined to leave a tip. What a...

I was very excited to see such a highly reviewed restaurant so close to home. We were very disappointed. Neither of us even bothered to finish our plates. The garlic bread (Texas toast) was good but so is the freezer stuff. After that it all went down hill. If the place had four stars, or just under, maybe it would have been a different experience. We were expecting good authentic Italian as advertised, but this isn’t that. It’s a more like a small town bar restaurant that offers Italian dishes.

You could tell by the unevenness of heat that both our dishes were warmed in a microwave. He had spaghetti and meatballs and I had the chicken Marsala. The Marsala was so bland I thought it had to have been from a bucket or jar from one of those restaurant supply companies. I like to taste the Marsala wine and it was closer to brown gravy. The mushrooms also lacked flavor and texture leading me to believe they aren’t fresh and possibly jarred.

I understand the restaurant business is extremely difficult, especially when you don’t have the buying power to source higher end ingredients and produce. I feel bad leaving a poor review for a non chain business. But there are many other non chain restaurants in the area that have 3 1/2 to four stars that are far better. All that being said, we may go again due to proximity, but we would probably stick to wine...

Hey all, I have ordered from here several times as I live 7 mins away but have never been in to dine... Today I took my wife who found this place originally, and it was spectacular !!! We have always loved the food we have ordered but I will say that from the pan to the table without the box and delivery... Is second to none !!! Our waiter, whom I think I recognized from the photos online, personally made my drinks which I ordered from the specialty menu, showing his knowledge and attention to detail...

My drinks were a Lemoncello Martini and a special in house drink called The Water Lily... absolutely stunning and pair very well with Italian seafood... My order was for the, Muscles Alla Bianca, made with a white wine sauce that brought me immediately back to the Florida keys on a previous vacation...

I want to say that without a doubt, I will not only be back in person again and again, I will bring friends and family as well as we continue to order for delivery when not wanting to venture out... I am blown away how fresh the food is here and how dedicated the chef and service staff have been. Cheers 🥂 Bella Ciao......