Bella Vita

Don’t be put off by Bella Vita’s non-​descript outside. Yes, the restaurant looks a little grungy, off-​putting, and generic. Change the «Bella Vita» sign, and it could be one of the many other Asian take-​out places in town. I assume this is one of the reasons why it is usually empty. To be honest, I’ve never seen a soul go inside the place. There’s nothing I hate more than eating at an empty restaurant. but since I’m a sucker for cheap italian food, I decided to give a try.
I ordered the Gnocchi Mamma Mia (tomato sauce instead of Gorgonzola) and the Penne alla Vodka as take-​out. The bill came up to around $ 28 which is pretty affordable when it comes to Italian food in Toronto. The portions are huge, so two people could easily share one order of pasta. We ate twice from it the day we ordered, and then again the next day. As far as take-​out goes, it’s a pretty good deal.
The Penne alla Vodka was delicious! The pasta was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was tasty. They also added the perfect amount of pancetta, which was a pleasant surprise, because a lot of restaurants seem to over do it. Definitely one of the best Penne alla Vodka’s I’ve had.
I didn’t like the Gnocchi Mamma Mia. The sauce was too bland, and to be honest, it tasted like most tomato sauces you can buy at the store. I felt the gnocchi was too hard for my taste. You want your gnocchi to melt in your mouth, and Bella Vita’s gnocchi was quite chewy.
There are Italian restaurants out there charging double the price for food that doesn’t taste as good as this. If you live in the area, why not give it a try? Just stay away from their Gnocchi, and from any plate containing their regular tomato sauce.