Bella’s On Broadway

I used to love this place; however our service last time was horrible, bad enough that I may not go back. Our appetizer was amazing, dinner was just ok. Food here has always been pretty good, but for the price I expect great service. We felt like we were being ignored, had to ask for refills, did not receive bread, she completely skipped asking if our daughter wanted anything to eat or drink and we had to ask her after she left. Won’t be returning soon.

Wasted a birthday dinner here. The décor is from the 80’s as is the menu. Both entrees we had were bland and completely uneventful. Sat in the «romantic» isolation booth; looking at the hallway wall and couldn’t help notice missing trim on the wall, chipped drywall, plastic plant decorations.
What a mistake.

We were in Alexandria for the day and decided to have dinner at Bella’s, as Mrs. Raison was craving pasta. As we walked past, we looked at the menu and decided to give this place a shot.
Staff is super friendly, and the atmosphere is nice and does lean a bit towards the romantic side, with it’s sultry lighting. Beer and wine selection was pretty decent. Food was good — I had the farfalle something (artichokes and sausage!) and the wife ordered potato gnocchi in alfredo sauce. We ordered a side salad to share as well. Serving size is pretty standard, and of course we had leftovers. Followed this up with a Tiramisu, which was pretty good.
If you are craving Italian, whilst in the Alexandria area, stop by and check out Bella’s. You won’t be disappointed.

Had the ribeye and the flavor was good but almost broke my knife trying to cut it. I had marks on my hand from using my fork as it wouldn’t go thru the steak. The server who is training in a new person never asked for drinks and the one time she stopped I asked her for a beverage. Haven’t been here in a year and probably won’t be back. The prices are good and the atmosphere is excellent but not worth the quality of food. Just hoping to not get sick from my meal.

Really thought we had picked a winner for a nice dinner after a long afternoon walking the streets of downtown. Made reservations (recommended) and were seated immediately in a lovely private alcove. Then it went downhill. Wish I would have checked the reviews. Bread is like cut-​up bits of hot dog rolls, and didn’t come out for 15 – 20 minutes. Food took another 15 – 20 minutes, likely due to husband’s Veal Marsala, which came out blazing hot but still not really flavorful. Unfortunately my Ribeye was not med-​well, but closer to rare and very fatty. Mashed potatoes were tasty but cold. The undercooked broccoli was at least hot. Server offered a free dessert (I chose the Fruita Something, which was like an apple tart) and it was honestly the best dish of the evening. Still felt robbed after paying $ 22 for the steak. Kid’s meals were also lukewarm.

Had to wait an hour for food. Dipping bread was served with entrée. Pasta was way over cooked. It was like mush. Very disappointing. The bread was loaf bread not even Italian.

While the atmosphere at Bella’s is nice and the servers are very friendly, it doesn’t make up for the overpriced, marginal food. As soon as we got our bread basket with supermarket-​grade white bread we knew we were in for a less than stellar experience. Our side Caesar salads were so so. I had Chicken Marsala Pasta which was pretty greasy and had way too much rosemary in it. My wife had the Butternut Squash Ravioli with Chicken and said it was very bland. Both cost $ 15.95. Our kids had the $ 6.95 kids meals which again, were so so.
All in all, Bella’s is just plain overpriced.

Overpriced with very average food. Nothing stood out — other than the high prices. Even the (too sweet) house white was overpriced. Service and ambiance were above average.

Great atmosphere, great service and great Italian dishes. Nice for a romantic evening. Super desert. Could use more wine choices.

9 gals, 9 different meals and all of them were so good. Desserts were wonderful too. Thanks Bella’s.

Bella’s is my favorite restaurant in Alex. I love the secluded booths and the general ambiance of the place is fabulous.
I’ve never had a bad meal here, but the tortellini is a personal favorite. I also love their soups.
Give this place a try, it’s worth the extra dollars!

This was a great dining experience. Excellent food & service and a wonderful wine list.
A great venue for a romantic evening or could work for a larger group. Will definitely go back!

3.5 Stars.
Classic Red sauce Italian. I feel bad giving it 3 stars because in Alexandria, its 5 stars all the way. However, Bella’s does not hold up to NYC Italian.

Pasta was so so. I would have to say we were disappointed. Sausage w penne was extremely salty, the special with chicken had very little chicken. Of the four in our party, only one was pleased with their dish.

My boyfriend took me here for our one year anniversary. I loved it! The ambiance was so romantic and so perfect. The walls were practically lined with wine bottles. The service was great. The food was incredible!
While we were sitting in our little, secluded, romantically-​lit booth, a woman came out and just began singing an Italian solo totally a cappella to a table nearby. It was beautiful. I loved it so much. SO authentic :)
I had a wonderful time and my boyfriend couldn’t have picked a better place. Bella’s, I would say, is the classiest most romantic restaurant in Alex, and if you’re looking to take someone special somewhere special, you should probably take them to Bella’s.

Great atmosphere, nice people, and decent prices. The two pastas we ordered were super soggy (not al dente) and literally swimming in sauce… They were more like a hot dish than an Italian pasta!

I grew up in an Italian section of St. Louis with many great Italian restaurants, and this was some of the best veal parmigiana that I have ever had. Some will find the atmosphere to be quaint, others will find it to be a trifle overdone. Service was friendly, but not extremely knowledgeable about food per se. The fact that it is a bit pricey by Alexandria standards is the only thing that precluded giving it 5 stars.

Home of the best happy hour in Alexandria. M-​F 3 – 6 or on Sat from 2 – 4, buy a hors d’œuvre and a glass of wine (or draught beer), get a glass of wine (or draught beer) for free.

*Looks through Alex List, can’t find Bella’s, looks again, and gasps in wonder*
How on earth could I not have reviewed BELLAs? I ate there enough to spend a small fortune in there!
I ate there enough to destroy entire wheat fields of their warm foccacia bread served with their meals!
I ate there enough to learn to love their kitschy entrance, with its dozens of family photos and magazines from days gone by.
I ate there enough to sample their lunch menu and think their salads and warm melty portabella sandwich were the perfect accompaniments for lunch!
I ate there enough to work through their dinner menu and love every pasta they could make vegetarian for me!
And lastly, I ate there enough to realize, that hey, their staff were so warm and friendly, that rural Minnesota or not, this place deserves five stars for its food, service and value.
*Stealthily adds Bellas to her Alex list*