Ciao Bella New Paltz — Restaurant in Town of New Paltz

My family dined at 'Ciao Bella' on Saturday, 6/21/25. We arrived around 8:15 pm and were promptly seated.

For context, I am I life-long resident of the Hudson Valley, my husband is from Long Island. We have been extremely blessed to have traveled extensively and also worked abroad (My 10 year old is on his 3rd passport). We are no strangers to all sorts of dining, across many cultures.

Ciao Bella attracted our attention because we could see other diners on the patio and it reminded us of similar experiences of summer dining in France. The inside of the restaurant was still quite full, and the patio was about half occupancy, precisely what I would expect for Americans wanting air-conditioning and for being after the typical American diner rush time. The menu was typical Riviera/cafe' style.

Now, we arrived after a job, late in the evening with a mind towards bedtime. The waitstaff of 'Ciao Bella' was extremely accommodating by allowing my husband and I to share a single appetizer (carpaccio...which, incidentally, was on par with carpaccio I've had in France and Italy), and to order off the pasta menu as my main course. My husband got just the special and my son also only ordered from the pasta menu. If we had been in Europe and pulled that stunt, the servers would have looked at us like antlers just sprouted out of our heads for being such uncouth Cro-Magnons. (If you've never dined on the Continent, it's more like a ritual than a gobbling of eats). 'Ciao Bello' can give you Old World service and style with a more relaxed American attitude; perfect for us with a 10 year old! If you want fast food, try McDonalds. If you want to sit down, but be in an out in a New York minute, try a diner. There is nothing wrong with McDonalds or a diner, but 'Ciao Bella' doesn't function like, "here's your hat, here's your coat, what's your hurry?"

Furthermore, you pay for what you get, which brings me to the crux of my review. 'Ciao Bella' is a classy place with a top-notch chef. (As a Hudson Valley resident, I wouldn't be surprised if they were CIA trained....No, I don't mean the spies. If you don't know what that is, go visit Hyde Park).

We had a ringside view to the diners directly behind us. I suspect Ms. DiPietro and her dining companion were a little shocked by the menu and accompanying prices. I can understand that the menu could be overwhelming if you've never dined like that and surprised by the extremely fair prices that went with a menu of that caliber (again, it's not McDonald's).

As stated in her review Ms. DiPietro did indeed complain of not being offered a second drink or a breadbasket. (Incidentally, we had the exact opposite experience with the very same server). The server was beyond gracious and accommodating: Ms. DiPietro and party received a reduction on the bill with all drinks comped, an offering of dessert, and profoundest apologies. Now, if it was indeed the case that the DiPietro dining party was slighted, that should have been a satisfactory gesture of good will on the part of the restaurant staff. There was absolutely no need for the poor and FALSE review Ms. DiPietro gave, if it were but for to assuage her guilty conscious about being a bona fide cheapskate.

Thank you, Ms. DiPietro, for giving me an opportunity as a parent to show my child how NOT to behave in a restaurant. This is what we talked about after you left:

-If you can't afford to eat out: don't. There is nothing wrong with preparing meals at home. We weren't always so fortunate; never look down on anyone for making responsible, frugal choices. -Alcohol is expensive. There is nothing wrong with water. (which, is free in American restaurants...you need to pay for it in most other parts of the world). -If you don't know the decorum protocol of an establishment, ask the server. In our experience, they're always gracious about explaining local customs. -If you want to try a new place, be prepared to be surprised! That's the joy of trying new...

You've got to be kidding me. .....We stopped by on our way home, yes it was 10 minutes after their opening time and apparently none of the staff had shown up yet...but in that case don't open your doors if the service is going to be this bad...so we gave the one person there some slack. He appeared to be the owner, could have been the dishwasher for all we knew, he never even said, hello, just "are you all together" when we walked in. All two of us. Maybe he was hoping I was with miss LuLuLemon and Mr give her what she what she wants im just getting her a green card as they recieved far better service...gotta get me some lulus......Yes, I answered, I am together, Well as together as I get on a Saturday. We ordered the cold antipasti and the penne vodka to go, one with salmon and one with chicken. I was assuming the Penne was Penne and not Penna as written on the menu as that would have been a whole different story. We had 3 beers while we waited. 3 total, not each. While I am sure the Culinary Institue promotes putting ice into a glass and then water to cool the glass show, the planet is in fact running of of water and just putting the glasses in the fridge would have solved that problem. ....The total came to $115. The antipasti noted on the menu to be "Olives, Prosciutto, Mixed Cheese" was 6 green olives, 6 red olives, 4 small chunks of parmesan and 6 small slices of hot and sweet sausage. Ok, so we'll let that go, the proscuitto and the cheese men were obviously late also. Or stuck in the mens room which was locked or occupied for at least 15 minues so a quick trip to the ladies loo was necessary...We were taking the order to go, unbeknownst to us it arrived at the same time as the appy and was put on the bar, outside , in the sun, until we were done eating. We didn't even know that was our food until it was handed to us. Anyway, we arrived home, and didn't open the bag until a couple of hours later. And this is what we found. For the grand sum of $80 +/- not including drinks, we received $2 worth of pasta, mine had 4 or 5 small chunks of salmon mixed in with it, not sure why the salmon was not grilled and placed on top, and a flattened piece of chicken, also cut up. It was probably already hammered until an inch of its life to be used in some other dish. No salad? not even offered....oh thats right you are Al a Carte... that just a fancy word for we cant charge enough on our main course meal to justify the $2 we spend on the salad so we gonna charge you $10...All in all, won't be going back....and don't even reply and say "what do you expect from a fine dining experience" because my answer is "a fine...

Casual dining. Nice, warm atmosphere. Comfy. Clean. Average food. Very knowledgeable, friendly, attentive service. Coffee was great. (No dairy alternatives)

Some seasonal menu items and specials. We had their version of caprese salad, the endive salad, the squash, sage ravioli, and the shrimp pasta. Canoli, espresso, and cappuccino.

Everything tasted fresh. The salads were basic, nothing special or particularly flavorful. Seemed to lack seasoning. The caprese had no basil, which is typical for that style dish. The shrimp & pasta was generously portioned. Satisfied the hunger. The ravioli itself was very tasty however, didn't taste the sage until the last bite. Also found the sauce thin and disappointing. By the description we expected more creamy a sauce instead of a broth. Interesting dish but would not order again without a better sauce. Not for the hungry, the portion is small. Desert was good. Four mini canolis made it easy to share. Pleasing presentation. Filling was consistent for what one would expect. Coffee they use for the espresso was great. Nice a strong like an espresso or cappuccino should be.

Pricing was high for the level of food. The food description reads and sounds gourmet, but its more mid-level café. Bill was $112 before gratuity for two with no alcohol or special drinks. Perhaps should have max $75-80.

The service makes this place a return location. Definitely well above average. Friendly, attentive, personable, and knowledgeable. Politely clear used plates quickly but not in manner to make one feel rushed like they want to turn over the table or clock out. Patient. They clearly want people to...