Bella Bella — Restaurant in Tallahassee

I came here to dine in with some friends for the first time, a first for all of us, and anticipated a nice Italian dinner and instead experienced a highly disappointing, inappropriate dinner. To begin with, we waited over 2 hours for low quality, unauthentic Italian food. After about an hour and half wait, I asked the waiter how much longer our food was going to be to come out and replied “I don’t know” in his own words. To which the people behind us were served their meal before us when they had been seated after us and also received a complimentary round of meatballs for the inconvenience of waiting the same amount of time as us. Once our food came out and we asked for it to go, we had, nicely, asked if we could receive a complimentary appetizer for the inconvenience of waiting a total of 2 hours to which the owner, who gave us a nasty attitude said “for what?”. Then proceeded to say that she’d give us the appetizer, in her own words, and instead came back with the same snappy attitude and tossed the card and tray on the table and instead gave us a 50% off on the appetizer we ordered after already saying in her own words that she’d give us the new appetizer. The other two servers who attended us were very nice and patient. It was graduation week and I understand that the wait time can be long for restaurants and it is highly busy and frustrating during this season and that is not a problem, however if you are the owner you are representing YOUR business and to not comply to a customer’s, small request, and instead give us a nasty attitude that seemed personal, is not acceptable. I’m sure this review will not stop many customers from going but it is very sad to see how certain people are treated by others who feel that they can speak and engage with customers in that manner. I am also allergic to eggs and the “famous” appetizer contained mayo, which contains eggs and gives me a reaction, and I suggest that it be included in the menu description as it wasn’t written on the menu, to prevent others who are also, or more severely allergic. I would not recommend coming here, much less...

NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY!! My first experience with this restaurant in person was not a favourable one. I came in with two friends and our 3 yr old girls for lunch yesterday. One of our girls is sensitive and tends to have meltdowns when she's cranky (as do most children at this age tend to do). After our food came our little unicorn got upset and had a meltdown. After a few minutes I got up and took the little girl away from the table so mom could quickly eat and pay her check. I even went out onto the deck with her so she would stop disturbing the other guests. After she calmed down we came back in to our table. Of course kids being kids she had another meltdown. Meanwhile her mom is trying to pay her check and leave as quickly as possible while little miss is in full tantrum mood. To make a bad situation worse, the owner was very rude to the mother while she was trying to leave. I was not party to what was said, but it upset my friend enough that she couldn't drive away until she had calmed down. As her friend I went back into the restaurant to express my concern over her treatment and to let them know that his actions were not the way to conduct business. I tried explaining several times that his reaction made everything worse and to apologize. He didn't care that he made her feel worthless and cause her to have an anxiety attack in his parking lot, for this alone I will not return nor reccomend this place. I know in the heat of the moment tempers can flare especially if a kid is crying and making a scene, but if someone comes to you and expresses concerns with the way someone was treated perhaps it's best to apologize to the wronged party, especially since you are a customer based business. In this instance a failure from ownership to provide caring service will result in three customers who'll never patronize this...

I recently returned to Tallahassee for a visit after more than a decade away, and a college friend and I met up at Bella Bella. I'm a vegetarian, and she is decidedly not. The menu provided plenty of options for us both.

We shared the Bubble Bread to start, and I ordered a Bella Salad ($1.25 upcharge) to precede my entree. Our waiter, Mitch, recommended the salad and told me the full-size version included a ton of fruit. He wasn't joking! The side salad portion was decadent.

My Eggplant Rollatini was also excellent, although I only ate a few bites because I'd filled up on starters. However, the leftovers reheated well, and I've made two more meals out of it and the angel hair and marinara that accompanied it.

The atmosphere is relaxed, and I would love to sit outside in good weather. Indoors is lively, but my friend and I were still able to hear each other over the chatter of our fellow patrons.

The most notable part of our experience was Mitch's service. He was helpful from the first moment he approached our table, clearly knowledgeable about the menu and ready to make recommendations for our differing diets. He struck the perfect balance of checking on us but not hovering. But he really shone after my friend said that she wasn't feeling well and asked to have her entree boxed instead of dining in. When Mitch returned with her food, he also presented her with a beverage--a digestivo of some sort--which he explained was a sort of Italian cure-all. He hoped it would help her feel better.

My friend cried. I called the restaurant later to commend Mitch's service. Our visit to Bella Bella was excellent, and Mitch really took it to a new level. This was the best service I've received anywhere, and I look forward to visiting again during my next trip to...