Ciao Bella

This place was very disappointing. I went with a large group to the restaurant for my boyfriend’s birthday. Most of them ordered from the Dine Out menu, but I wasn’t that into the shellfish-​dominated menu, so I just ordered a regular lasagna and a side salad. The salad was pretty bland, you could get better at White Spot, but I decided to wait for the main course.
When I received the lasagna, it was cold in the center and it tasted really bland and not good at all. So I sent it back to be heated up a bit more, and when I got it again, it was so mushy (and still bland!) that it was just totally unappetizing. Instead of bothering to ask me how it was after I received it the second time, all the waiter seemed interested in was peddling more stuff for us to buy. Lastly, they forgot about the cake that we brought to the restaurant for my boyfriend, so I had to go up and badger them about it.
I ate some cereal when I got home rather than finishing the meal there. That’s how bad the lasagna was. :(

We went here for dine out. Mario went above and beyond. We had to wait as reservations before us had shown up late. The staff was incredible and took such good care of us. Great value for food. Everything was so tasty, great atmosphere and the staff was impeccable. Thank you for showing my out of towner friends what Vancouver hospitality is all about.

I should never have given this place numerous chances. But I really wanted to like it. I learned my lesson the hard way. Was a tough call as it is close to home and we like pasta but hate cooking lol. After about 12 visits and take out orders I think maybe only one time they actually gave us what we ordered. And usually when I send back the wrong item I get bad attitude instead of an apology. Even if you get the correct (or similar to correct) items it’s not very good. I’ve had steak that is 75% inedible (whole steak of fat/​tough grizzle no thanks). Not for 25 $ anyways. Pasta is usually very over cooked and soggy ish with hardly any sauce. I don’t know if it’s the wait staff or the cooks or both but it’s not possible to get what you want. Ever. Even if your ordering standard menu items. Really annoying.
Don’t bother with this place. It’s Probly kept going by tourists who wouldn’t go back a second time anyways.

Though this is not necessarily a 5 star establishment, you can hardly find better value for an Italian restaurant downtown.
Mario is a great host who loves to come out and wine and dine his regulars. He is always there with a smile and a handshake — very authentic Italian experience despite his roots elsewhere.
Pro tip — go on Wednesdays for the special. it’s where the real value is!

I love eating here the staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. They have a simple menu with all the usual crowd pleaser’s, but they also have a fantastic selection of chef specialties. My favourite meal here is the brochette to start followed by the Chicken pollo served with the house white. Finished with Coffee and tiramisu!
In the summer the patio is especially lovely to sit on and watch the people go by. I highly recommend it as a first dinner date option, as it’s not overly expensive, for being right downtown. The piano player is there Friday to Sunday which is always a treat!

Original Italian favour. Great atmosphere, taste of Sicily. Bruschetta surreal. Great wine list.

Never go back. Bad customer service, pasta taste wasn’t impress.

1^st time here and the food was really great! Had the bruschetta which was wonderful, the house made bread was very tasty and our mains were both delicious. Service was prompt and friendly. Would go back.

I had their three-​course meal for dinner. I was content with their appetizer (lobster and salmon soup) and main (salmon penne), but the dessert, tiramisu, was not as fancy as I thought it would be. I love the sauce they used for my main, it had a bit salty taste in it which made the course special. They offered reasonable price for this three-​course meal, and I would like to re-​visit for their half price pasta on a Tuesday.

Our party of four came here before heading to the theatre for a musical. The service was prompt and polite. Started with bruschetta and garlic cheese bread which were very good. We all had pastas and we all enjoyed our dishes. Wasn’t overly spectacular, but was still worth the money.

Went there on a Monday, when the pasta is 50% off. The free bread they give when you seat was cold, and didn’t taste good. I think it was probably frozen and reheated.
My girlfriend ordered the fettuccini with salmone sauce — the salmon tasted like «sea» (for a lack of better word). It wasn’t good.
I ordered the tortellini — seemed like it was bought at Safeway and boiled in house before serving — I wasn’t impressed. The rose sauce with mushrooms was alright.
At least the price was good.

Went here last year for a candlelight dinner with the GF. This place is amazing. food was delicious and the atmosphere was super romantic. live piano player to set the mood right. will definitely be returning here again some day. Love it.

I wish I could tell you how the food was. However, upon arrival to this establishment, we were greeted by a not so friendly host that informed us he couldn’t serve us. Why, you ask? We were a group of eleven. I have never — ever been turned away from any restaurant until today.

First I want start on the positive side and say that it is a great location and cute décor. I love the overall atmosphere and the live piano is an added bonus. The waiters had a bit of a rude attitude but I think it was meant in a playful way and I thought it added to the experience. My complaint would be in the quality of the food. I ordered the chicken parmesan and while the sauce was fine the chicken itself tasted like it was reheated in the microwave. The outside edges were tough and dry and there was’t any sign of crispiness in the breaded chicken. Probably a good value on the half price pasta nights but I was expecting a bit higher quality when I walked past from the outside.

The lasagna was overcooked, the service was bad and the piano was too loud.
Our server (who was maybe also the owner?) seemed upset that we weren’t interested in ordering wine. After having spent all day on a boat with a stomach full of Dramamine, alcohol was the last thing we wanted. When we told him «water is fine», he scrunched up his face and walked away. Then another girl came over to take our order. When we told her we weren’t ready yet she walked away wordlessly. My fiancée and I both decided to get the lasagna which apparently confused the grumpy owner as he blurted out «You want TWO?!» before walking away to chat with some other customers. We had to flag down one of the upset looking girls to get them to bring us bread; I guess they wouldn’t have bothered otherwise.
Maybe the staff is rude because they have been listening to some guy smash away on the piano all night? If the piano takes up a quarter of the restaurant there is no reason to have an amplifier attached to it… Unless of course you don’t want your guests talking to each other about their over cooked meals and poor dining experience.

I went here before running the BMO half marathon. The menu looked good online, but I thought the pasta was average and overpriced. I ordered the Linguine Alla Toni and it was just okay. Also, we waited forever while our waiter was chatting with regulars at other tables. I would not come back here again.

Trash. Rude service, and bland food. Pasta was way over cooked and was obviously bought dry pasta. discount nights or not, the menu price should at least have fresh made pasta.
If you want to dine out in vancouver — think about all the other great places then this greasy spoon.

Delicious!
All around an amazing evening at Ciao Bella last weekend. My boyfriend and I were celebrating our anniversary. The food was delicious, the service was impeccable and the atmosphere was romantic. Perfect date spot.
We ordered two appies: garlic butter prawns and caprese salad, both excellent.
I had the Manicotti di Spinaci, my boyrfriend had the Tortellini Ciao Bella. Both entrees were delicious, we did not want dinner to end!
The live piano music made the whole experience amazing. We felt like we were in Italy. Our new fav spot, we will return soon :)

Soooo disappointing and poor dining experience.
Service was very slow and unorganized. Server did not listen or understand me, in which case I gave up trying to communicate and my boyfriend was the go-​between.
Prawn appetizer was very nice.
My main order still came incorrectly — wrong sauce and terribly overcooked noodles. I expressed how mushy and gross they were. I got a new dish. Much improved.
My boyfriend ordered his steak medium rare and it was received as very well done — completely gray-​brown — and not hot. He sent it back. The replacement steak was also nearly well done — gray with a faint trace line of pink. Steak was also poor quality, lacked flavour and ²⁄₃ inch thick.
I also tried a friend’s gnocchi which was the saltiest dish of all and the gnocchi was mush and overcooked like my pasta. Disgusting.
Server was also not interested in knowing that the 2^nd steak wasn’t any good. All food and sauces were far too salty.
The piano man is too loud, plugged into amps and speakers in a very small restaurant space. Can’t hardly talk to friends at your table. Piano man also ran out of material, playing Aladdin’s Whole New World and Elton John’s Piano Man. Oh the irony.
Thankfully, we were in the company of friends. Otherwise, this would have been a really terrible date night. No compensation for the awful food and screw ups. $ 70 bill (for two).

More of a 3.5 (but Unilocal doesn’t allow you to .5 things!) and looking for Italian on the evening, this was more of a «follow the Entertainment Book» moment which brought me and a friend here (who wanted some Italian food!). I am one of those people who have seen this place many times, but have never went in, and finally had the chance to check out this place. I knew it was here a long time, but not 15 years long. Coming in here, you get a sense of a very cozy joint.
Not many places in Vancouver feel like this, in some ways this feels more East Coast from the Italian restaurants I have been to in New York. On a Wednesday night, this place was packed, and luckily we came as a party of two, or we would have had to wait for a seat. When you come in, the place is dark, not the bright posh West Coast style of newer restaurants that you are used to walking into. The dark carpet, and brick walls add to the feel of this place, there is a grand piano at the back corner, and on this night there was a woman playing some ‘jazzy’ songs and singing along. Atmosphere wise, this place has that ambiance where you would probably take your date here (wine and dine), it’s classy and the live music adds to that.
On this cold night we were offered either seating inside, or outside, good to know they have a patio, and it is heated to, but we chose to sit on the inside. The service was attentive, as our server gave us good time to choose what we wanted on the menu. She probably came back twice, as we were indecisive, but after we ordered, the wine came to our table, including the rosemary bread. We started off with the Gamberoni Alla Cesare (jumbo tiger prawns), and these were done just right, lying on their backs all semi peeled, and served with herb butter sauce was a good starter for the main course ahead. Me and my friend both ordered one of their ‘signature specials’ on the menu, both veal orders. For him was the Osso Bucco Abruzzo (red wine braised veal shank), and for me it was the Vitello Del Cielo (scallopine of veal).
When I made the order, I was asked if I wanted vegetables or pasta, I chose the pasta, as I was in an Italian restaurant, and I wanted to see how their pasta was, as my first thought of ordering was going to be a pasta dish. After sipping on a glass of wine and having some bread the dinners arrived. My plate looked saucy, is the best way to describe this dish. I haven’t had veal for a long time, so the dish felt pretty standard, there was no wow, except that the use of the sauce made this more of a stew dish in my sense. Rigatoni with tomato sauce on the side was more of a filler, the pasta was mediocre, the sauce helped inhance this, but there was no bite in each individual pasta piece. The dish itself was good, and from the atmosphere of the place it brings out the whole experience a little better.
If your looking for a romantic spot, this might be the place if your in downtown, it may have been an off night, or I may have not ordered the right dish for myself. I noticed that they do have pasta specials on Monday or Tuesday, so if your in for that, come on those days. Be prepared to spend a pretty penny if you decide to order more, like the appetizer and some drinks.

(Siehe Foto unten)
Ein Italiener in Kanada, bei dem man sich zu (fast)deutschen Preisen sattessen kann — und wo es natürlich auch gut schmeckt und man sich wohlfühlt. Wir hatten ein 4-​Gang-​Menü mit 2 Vorspeisen: gemischer Tomaten– und Feldsalat mit Balsamico, danach Champignons mit Gorgonzola, Penne mit gegrilltem Lachs und Tiramisu für 29,95 Can. Dollar. Sowohl der weisse als auch der rote House-​Wine sind zu empfehlen.
Dazu ein excellenter Pianist, der sich bemühte, unseren Musikgeschmack zu treffen (was ihm gelang).