Casa Bella — Restaurant in Scranton

A Tale of White Tablecloths and Missed Potential

Ah, Casa Bella—a name that whispers romance, charm, and the promise of Italian comfort. And when you first arrive, it delivers… at least visually. Nestled in Scranton, the restaurant beckons with its beautiful outdoor ambiance. Twinkling lights, cozy al fresco seating, and the soft murmur of diners create the illusion of an evening in Tuscany. It’s the kind of place that makes you want to linger over a long meal with a glass of wine in hand.

But like a beautifully wrapped gift that disappoints when opened, Casa Bella hides mediocrity behind a veil of elegance.

Let’s start with the salad—crisp greens dressed with a house vinaigrette that was, frankly, the high point of the meal. A promising start that raised expectations. Unfortunately, what followed was a slow descent.

The linguini with white clam sauce arrived with fanfare… and a flood of butter and oil. The clams played second fiddle to a dish that was swimming—not in the ocean, but in its own oily excess. The pasta? Limp and uninspired, lacking the al dente bite that any self-respecting Italian joint should master in its sleep.

Then came the chicken parm, that classic red-sauce staple. But a simple request—hold the red sauce and swap out the pasta—was met with a hard “no.” And when the plate arrived, it was topped with two sad slices of square cheese—the kind you buy in a plastic-wrapped package at the grocery store. Less “parmigiana,” more cafeteria déjà vu.

Service was… fine. Not warm, not cold, just present.

And that word—fine—keeps returning. Fine salad. Fine service. Fine atmosphere. But when you’re promised fine dining, “fine” just doesn’t cut it.

The white tablecloths may be crisp, the lighting flattering, but beneath it all, Casa Bella is putting lipstick on a pig. It’s a dressed-up dive, trying to pass as something it’s not—more illusion than experience, more sizzle than steak.

Would I return? Perhaps—for a glass of wine on the patio and that house salad. But for a meal to remember? I’ll be...

Casa Bella! This is a great place to visit whether you're traveling to the Finger Lakes from Manhattan and want an awesome dinner or maybe visiting your child at at nearby college! We stopped here as a midway point to the Finger Lakes. We arrived about 10 mins before they were closing and we were treated as if it was earlier in the night! The owner is very friendly and involved in making sure his business runs well! The entrees are priced fairly and come with a fresh salad. We began with the eggplant rollatini. Casa Bella-they've NAILED the sauces here! The tomato sauce on the eggplant tasted like it was just made! It had large, fresh chunks of tomato. Then, we enjoyed our salad. For dinner I had the tortellini with vodka sauce. My husband had the penne with vodka sauce and chicken. That sauce!! I wanted to bottle it up and take a jar home! It was rich and creamy-absolutely one of the best vodka sauce we've ever tasted! We were stuffed but saved a little bit of room for dessert. We had the limoncello cake and another cake that was made in house. The limoncello was light and had a nice lemon flavor. We especially enjoyed the in house dessert which was white cake with berries and mascarpone filling. Casa Bella, save us a seat on our next trip to the Finger Lakes. Actually, forget it, we'll take that 2 hour drive for that vodka sauce next...

These guys did a lot of work! The glass encased patio is a delight to dine within. Extremely cozy, well lit, and it feels extravagant for the area. We'll probably go back for this alone.

We had a group of 6 and the staff were attentive. There seemed to be a disconnect somewhere, though, because we were asked 7 times for our drink orders... by 7 different servers. I'm sure they wanted us to get our orders in, which is fine, but at one point we were asked 3 times are 1-minute intervals, while the previously asking servers watched from the side. It was very odd and off-putting. Some staff also seemed to be fresh from Italy, which was fine despite 1 or 2 situations where they didn't understand our requests. A local server would then come over and resolve the request.

After this the meal was very pleasant, but definitely dated. The sides for all entrees were a small scoop of mashed potatoes and a medley of steamed vegetables - you know the ones. My wife and I found the food bland but our older companions enjoyed everything. This was also true for the desserts, but we very much enjoyed that they brought a sample platter of all the desserts...