Bella Cucina Italian Ristorante — Restaurant in Sioux Falls Township

I really wanted this to be the best small town pizza experience ever, but it just didn't quite get there. The value is actually excellent for the food quality, gotta say that. I had a 10" Supreme, with sausage, mushroom, black olives, green peppers, and spinach. Great house sauce and tasty crust, and importantly, just the right amount of sauce chef's kiss. You know you're getting the authentic Italian experience when they are modest with the sauce, instead of trowelling it on like a drag queen's foundation. But the sausage was skimpy, literally one half-moon slice of a sausage link per pizza slice. I ordered a Caesar salad (bless their hearts, "Caesar" is misspelled in at least two different ways on their menus), and though it was very fresh, I think I got a green salad instead. Leaf lettuce instead of romaine, and pepperoncini rings. For me, the worst part was that though it was a to-go order, they pre-peppered the salad for me, without asking if I wanted cracked black pepper thickly covering the whole salad. I can't handle that much pepper; it gets stuck in my throat and makes me miserable. There's no way I could eat anything but the bottom leaves that hadn't been peppered. Maybe most people would be fine with that much pepper, but you can't take it off once you put it on. Ask first. Service was also an issue: the older fellow who brought me the salad was very kind, but the blonde chunky guy working the pizza cook area wasn't the least bit friendly or welcoming. Not even a "hello." Just "what do you want" and 20 minutes later "here." Atmosphere is great, with "Mob Hits" playing on the jukebox and...

Fresh ingredients that came to life. Fresh sourdough crust is made each day. The sauce is perfect. The owner greeted us and went above and beyond to attend us. To begin, he made sure our booth was suitable. He gave food suggestions. Because it was slow by the time we finished, and because we showed interest, he told the backstory of the place and demonstrated how they prepared the food. The music comfortably played Frank Sinatra over the speaker while we ate. There is a free jukebox with oldies hits in the restaurant too, if one prefers that. The owner said he is looking to get live music on occasion if he can find the right musician. The food is authentic and top-notch. The service has a personal touch, and the atmosphere is very relaxing. We ate around 1:30 pm, on an autumn Saturday. We had the 14" Supremo, the Italian Salad, plus 2 fountain drinks. We also received a small basket of garlic breadsticks. This is honestly one of my top three favorite eating establishments in the metro area, not just pizzerias. 6/5 stars. That is the first 6/5 I have given on Google ratings so far. This place is a ...

Friendly service. Pizza came out quickly because they weren’t busy.

Entire menu was Italian style pizza. Does not carry American favorites like bacon cheeseburger.

I ordered two single topping 16” pizzas. The total was $50! The same pizzas at a local competitor comes to $30 or less.

The pizza was good, but not $50 good. My kids said it would be okay if we didn’t buy from there again and my wife agreed it was over priced for the product served. I shared my review with a group of friends last night. They all expressed previous interest, but thanked me for the warning and agreed no pizza was worth such a price.

This might be a nice place for a young couple on a date night or a family whose money is of no issue, but not a feasible option for the average family of three or more.

If you’re interested in trying their pizza I suggest you do so sooner rather than later. I don’t foresee they will last long in Sioux Falls. At $25 each (over $3/slice), they just won’t be able to compete on price.

Service: Great 4 ** Product: Good 3 * Value: Unacceptable 1...