Bella Italia Ristorante — Restaurant in Winter Garden

Amazing! We made reservations for a party of 16 at 6pm on a Saturday. They had everything waiting and ready for us when we arrived. (My apologies that part of the party was a bit late). I need to write three reviews, but this review will be in four parts: 1) food, 2) gluten free, 3) price to value, 4) service. All four areas were top notch and the order of those means nothing. Food: The food was amazing. Franco filled the table with free bread and then We filled the table with appetizers orders (mozzarella Fritti, cheese stuffed mushrooms, and antipasti misto). Right away, we all knew dinner was going to be amazing as the appetizers were outstanding. We also loaded the table with beer and wine). Everyone ordered dinners as they wished, we had everything from lasagna, chicken parmigiana, shrimp scampi, and calzones. EVERYONE raved about the food. The portions are very large as well. I'm a big guy and after appetizers, I could only eat 1/2 of my chicken parmigiana!).

2. Gluten Free- I hate to overuse this word, but amazing comes to mind again. My wife is a celiac, so we chose this restaurant for their gluten free menu. The gluten free cheese bread was phenomenal! They do charge for this item but it is worth it. I had read prior reviews that the gluten free bread was just hard-sticks. They have upgraded this item big time. They have every kind of pasta you could order gluten free! My wife ordered the gluten free calzone! That is her first calzone in about 15 years! They made it to order and it was perfect! They also have a few gluten free deserts but no one in our party had their deserts as we brought birthday cake (We will have to go back for desert sometime).

3. Price to value: I picked up the bill for the group (inviting the grandkids was my idea after all). Everyone was guessing at the bill as we all had food and wine and appetizers. When I saw the check, I grinned as it was about half of what I would expect for such good food and service. They could cut the portions by 1/3 and raise the prices by 25-40% and it still would be a bargain. Everyone had left overs for lunch the next day. There was an automatic gratuity of 20% for the large party and I ended up almost doubling this as we took up 4-5 tables for several hours.

4. Service: Franc (spelling that wrong) was wonderful. He busted his butt to make sure we had everything we asked for. The kids at the table got a bit cranky when the appetizers hit the table. He expedited two pastas to make them happy! Round after round of drinks, food, special request after special request he was attentive and happy to help. We brought a sheet cake for the family and Marco brought us 15 plates, spoons, and a knife to cut the cake (the cake was not gluten free). There was no service charge for this extra service of plates etc. I would have been okay with such a fee (like a cork fee).

Overall the experience was 10 out of 10. We had one order that went wrong but they corrected that as soon as possible! The only downside is they do not have full liquor if that's critical to you.

I would recommend this place for a nice family dinner or for a group. They apparently do catering which would be amazing.

We...

My first time visiting Bella Italia and I was not disappointed. We went at about 6PM, and the restaurant was packed. We didn't have reservations and took a chance. They did, however, manage to seat us right away. Our server was efficient, warm and friendly. I believe her name is Fiorella. She added to the experience with recommendations, and by being attentive but not too attentive. Plate of olive oil for dipping with a wee drizzle of balsamic for the bread was a welcome touch. The meals were really good. I had eggplant which did not appear to have been frozen, a big plus. The marinara sauce was excellent. My fellow diner had Sea Bass and said it was very good. By about 7PM the place had emptied out some. Even when it was packed, the noise level was bearable. I'm looking forward to paying another visit.

June 4, 2025 - Our second visit and out for a special occasion dinner. We opted to eat on the patio due to not wanting to be inside near the piano player/singer so we could actually hear one another. Our server, Frank, while pleasant enough was completely and utterly out of his depth and really took away from the whole experience. We waited what I though was far too long for our orders to be taken and it just went downhill from there. Appetizers showed up and a few minutes later, bread for the table . Before either of us could get half way through our appetizers, our mains showed up. We both felt very rushed and at this point we had a choice of letting out apps get cold or letting our dinners get cold. We each ordered desert as it was a special dinner out and we were indulging. Waiter brought one correct and one incorrect desert. He went back and got the correct one. He was really not on his game. I ordered cappuccino and it was nothing more than a light coffee. Not very inspiring. We left very disappointed and although the food was very good, the disjointed and unnecessarily rushed presentation left us very underwhelmed. I have edited my service rating to reflect our experience. I edited my atmosphere rating due to the fact that the patio while nicely laid out, put of 10 feet from and...

It feels like familia when dining in this Wintergarden gem. Everyone from the hostess to the servers and even the owners are so inviting and friendly. They want you to have a wonderful experience with them and it shows.

The food was really delicious. First we ordered the Calamari and I have to say it’s one of the best I’ve personally had. Quality seafood perfectly cooked and well drained before plating. I prefer an aioli dipping sauce but it normally only comes with their house marinara (which is great in its own right), the owner was kind enough to make an aioli for me. I wish I could have a bottle of it!

They brought us fresh baked bread that really was out of an old world bakery. They said people come and order the bread to make at home because it is that popular. I don’t doubt it.

Next my husband ordered spaghetti with meat sauce, meatballs, and Italian sausage. Talk about filling!!! Their meatballs and sausage were tender and perfectly seasoned. My husband was super happy!

I ordered something I don’t normally get, the Tortellini Al Formaggi. Wow. It was really good. Very decadent and rich dish. I won’t lie I will be eating it for a few meals since it is a huge portion! The tortellini was cooked perfectly as was the prosciutto.

Unfortunately we had no room for dessert this time, but I promise you our first time here won’t be our last time. We look forward to trying their other items and I see they even offer a lunch menu with some different items and smaller portions of the dinner menu. I highly recommend you give them a try. I am glad we...