Bella Mia — Restaurant in McAllen

My experience of Bella Mia was very good. I hadn't eaten at their new location in McAllen before as I had only eaten at their Edinburg location once. I must say the food was absolutely delicious and the portion size was huge. I ordered the Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo and my wife ordered the Chicken Picatta and a Caesar Salad. I had water and my wife had an unsweet tea. In regards to the Alfredo pasta it was such a warm and appetizing dish and the ingredients you could tell were very fresh. I'm not sure if they make their own pasta although it was very good. The chicken was well grilled, I would just ask for them to season it a bit more with some salt and pepper. My wife really enjoyed her Chicken Picatta and I tried a bit although I'm not a huge lemon fan for those that are this plate might be up your alley. They bring out fresh toasted bread to the table and our waitress was very nice and courteous. We were the first people in the restaurant although I couldn't believe they didn't have more clientele. The restaurant is in a beautiful plaza and I hope they do a bit more advertising because this restaurant is one I will be frequenting from now on. Prices were comparable to an Olive Garden. I would suggest to the owner to get some fried calamari on the menu and maybe offer some garlic knots as I think they would really hit it out of the park if these options are offered. The only negative I would have to say were a few fruit flies that kept bugging us although they are right next to a courtyard so I'm sure this was something that will be corrected as we did bring it to the attention of the waitress. All in all from a scale of 1-10, I would give it a high 8.2. I will definitely be coming back and we really enjoyed it as I'm sure others will as well.

P.S. if you are sitting at a round table please be careful as they are heavy rod iron tables and if you aren't careful you could really...

I've tried to give this place another shot time and time again. I ordered the lasagna on my first visit. It wasn't bad, but wasn't great; not enough filling, too much pasta. The service has never been anything to brag about. I had the Chefs special the second and third time and it was soooo good and creamy. The chef's special on my last two visits was such a disappointment. The sauce is like water and literally pouring out of the bowl. The sauce is so runny that it doesn't coat the pasta sufficiently. I can't believe they actually allowed that to go out to a table. I tried ordering a glass of wine and I was told they only sell by the bottle and that I could not bring my own bottle. Yet, another guest walked in with a bottle and they allowed them to have their bottle. Honestly, I'm done with this place. My 19 yr old son said he couldn't even enjoy his food just looking at my watery plate. When I told the waitress, she responded with, "oh, okay". When I told the manager, he responded with, just tell us you want creamy next time and that the cream from Walmart isn't as thick as the one from HEB. REALLY!! WOW!! Cream is cream! Ever heard of corn starch or using pasta water. There will not be a next time. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ This home chef needs a break or some extra help. I hate to be ugly, but enough is enough. I did not enjoy my meal at all. I only ate the over cooked shrimp, the mushrooms, and spinach. I couldn't produce a dish that terrible for my family if I tried. That's not sauce,...

We were a group of 8 on Dec 18/2021. Drinks arrived 45 minutes after we arrived. One drink did not arrive and had to ask again for it. Other customers arrived after us an received their food before our orders were even taken. We were there an hour before our orders were taken. When food arrived not everyone got theirs at the same time and sat and waited for their orders. No salad dressihg came wiyhthe salads and had to ask for dresing. Had to ask for bread, had to ask for a knife, had to ask for pepper. The waiter brought a pepper grinder for the person who asked for it then tried to leave without seeing if anyone else wanted ground pepper. They did, and had to call him to do it. No parmesan cheese so had to ask for it too. Then they brought a basket that had salt, pepper, chili peppers and cheese. Why not put it on the table and save having to keep asking for condiments? People had to ask for water at the table. When our food arrived it was bland without seasonings andofpoor quality. People were coming , eating and leaving long before we were finished. For some reason our table was neglected. To top it all off an accordian player played beside our table all evening. It was so loud no conversation could be heard. Very disappointing evening. Will...