Ciao Bella

Albeit I no longer live in the area, I really do miss this restaurant. This place has SUCH class and great food.
I’ve been here a couple times. Not once has this place let me down. I’ve been lucky enough to meet the owner a few times. He is a jolly man that you can usually catch at the bar.
Something to have fun with: The wine. They have a very nice selection to chose from and they will be more than helpful in getting the right wine for your meal. Even if you want to just stop in for lunch or have a nice cocktail hour, this is a great place to be. Although it’s upscale, there is NOTHING pretentious about this place. The moment you walk in, you are made to feel welcome and that you should enjoy your experience eating there.
ProTip: Make reservations here for a special night like Valentine’s Day or something. They usually have a special menu just for the occasion. Oh, and make sure you make the reservations well in advance. There is a following for this restaurant. A bunch of regulars that will snatch up all the good reservation times if you’re not careful enough.

We visited Ciao Bella as a dinner for my department so this review is of the meal at that event not the normal restaurant menu. My disclaimer is that I did go to Ciao Bella once before and the food was good, I had my first octopus steak. It is quite expensive for the area and the food but that is for another time. Now for the review of the three course meal. First off, we ate in the basement of the restaurant which they call a wine cellar. It was way too small for the number of people in attendance which meant we were really crowded. The extremely odd part about this location was that it was unreasonably hot. The AC didn’t work well and it was supposed to be a wine cellar. There is no way that wine should have been in an 80 degree hotbox. The upstairs part of the restaurant was easily 15 degrees colder.
My first course was a salad with what I think was mango vinaigrette, I can’t really remember, which says a lot. All I remember about this salad was that it was drowning in dressing. Truly not a great way to start a meal. It really is not that hard to toss a green salad in dressing and serve it crisp and fresh but I think they were overwhelmed by the twenty of us being served at the same time. Personally, I think the salads were good to begin with but sat around until they were already to come down together.
My second course was very interesting. It was a dish that would have worked perfectly if not for one glaring misstep. I ordered a seared duck breast which was supposed to be served over mango risotto and then surrounded with side by side sauces, one mango and the other a port wine reduction. I will give them credit where credit is due, the duck was cooked wonderfully. It was medium so not tough, my knife ran through the meat without much effort and the fat layer on the top melted in my mouth. The sauces were also very good accompaniments; personally I really liked the tang of the port wine reduction added to the smooth texture of the duck breast. The mango sauce was a little too sweet and somewhat shutdown my palette.
So what was the misstep you ask, well I’ll tell you. They added what tasted like American cheese to the mango risotto. Now you’re asking, «Wait, American cheese with mango, duck, and port wine sauce, that sounds odd». I reply, you are correct and it was not in the original description of the dish. At first taste all I could think of was Kraft cheesy macaroni in the blue box. And let me tell you, though I love the blue box, it made no sense on this plate and it tasted so strange with mango mixed in. I truly believe that someone made a huge mistake with that or maybe they were drinking the wine that was spoiling in their sauna of a wine cellar. In order to make the dish work I had to take the risotto off my plate and eat it as a side dish. The last thing on that dish was crispy onion strings on the top. Fun but completely unnecessary on top of a potentially sophisticated duck entrée.
Desert was a crème brulee. Ok, but somewhat forgettable. Yes it was creamy and sweet and yes the sugar was torched well but it was just a standard crème brulee, nothing that blew me away. The one annoying thing was that it was a little warm when served. I like my crème brulee nice and cold with a solid sugar top to crack through. I feel like the cold texture makes it all that much better, but that’s just me.
All in all, I just think that the kitchen was overwhelmed but the amount of people they needed to serve simultaneously and it showed in the quality of service and the quality of the food. All the dishes could have been so much better if they didn’t miss standard production rules like don’t let a dressed salad sit around and didn’t add weird things to the entrée like the cheese product from the Kraft Blue Box. It was a very different meal than the first time I went with Virginia so I would not recommend Ciao Bella for parties larger than 8 – 10.
Overall Recommendation: ⁵⁄₁₀ (I want to give it 2.5 stars but Unilocal wont let me so it gets a 3 because the duck itself was great)

What a gem of a restaurant. Went there for lunch today and was pleasantly surprised. The intererior décor is beautiful, the service was great, the food scrumptious and the price was incredible. I had the lunch special, lasagna with a glass of wine for $ 6.00. My friend had chicken over steamed vegetable for $ 5.75. Your average fast food combo meal is more than this.
I would highly recommend this restaurant to my friends.

i guess this is probably one of the nicer place around the hood? it gets busy during lunch time and the service was so S L O W! the food was ok… average. i guess it’s a good spot if you need to grab a quick bite at a more elegent place around the area…
i like their bread w/​the olive oil!

Amazing Chicken Farfalle with Asiago cheese. Seafood Primavera top rating also. Lasagna bland; steer clear. Old fashioned phenomenal dessert tray. Happy hour prices for menu items and extended happy hours for VIP members. Just ask for a card. Nice outdoor seating area with fireplace the crowd in the main eating area is older. Live music

mMMMmmMM Yummy lol
First time going there yesterday just for happy hour from 4 – 7.
The price is great for what you order.
Appetizer ranges from $ 2-​$ 6 and they give you a pretty big portion too!
I love the calamari dish!!! try it if you ever go
I would totally go back for the happy hour again!
Havent tried the main dishes yet but i will soon

This is probably one of the nicer italian restaurants in riverside and the BF and I had come here before but on valentine’s day, the food left something to be wanting.
Service was super slow and our waiter was weird. I think he was stressed out from too many tables. The best thing about the service that night was the free rose and the free shots of espresso vodka at the end.
The bread here was served warm which was a great start to our meal, esp after the weapons we had eaten at Gordon Ramsey a few days before. We shared the poached pear salad which was actually very good, and the feta cheese was not overwhelming (I’m not even a big feta fan). But it went downhill from there. The drinks were watered down, the food was very late, and the mushroom ravioli I ordered was oversauced, too buttery, and just too heavy. The chicken farfalle was better but probably could have been made at home for half the price.
I know the normal menu is much more extensive, but for V-​day it was limited to only like 4 dishes for each course, and they didn’t offer their pizzas which aren’t too bad.

Well, I’m still lookin for that authentic Italian. Far less sodium than olive garden. They even have sugar free cheesecake. Valentines dinner and we get there around 520, reservations 5. They tell us since we got there late we have to hit the road at 7 since they double booked. huh??? uh right! so, we order a 4 course, I decided to get the lamb chunk or lamb thing. omgosh!!! I thought I was Bear Grylls. Meat tasted so wild. thought its was dog, even though Ive never had dog, just tasted like dog. She had new york steak with scallops. ok hers was good I sampled it, oink oink!!! wine was served in a tiny rose holder.
So they serve the entre at 640. yeah, scarf down meat and the dessert in 20 min. But, there were empty tables and no one was waiting so we just took our time. stuffed, but not until 2 hours later… hungry again. Prices??? Phew!!! OUT THE ROOF!!! And oh we had a table by the window, its industrial. So, romantic dinner, check. View out the window, check. Hearing and seeing a Semi rolling out backwards after dropping off a shipment with a guy with a hardhat and bright orange safety vest guiding it out with flashlights in each hand… CHECK!!!
The place is kinda under the 215 Freeway. So, when I rate it two stars «Meh, I’ve experienced better.» That means Italian restaraunt under the 215 Fwy in Riverside of all places!!! Yeh, «Meh, I’ve experienced better».

Place is definitely Quality over Quantity.
Great food in general anywhere from the pastas to proteins. portions arent as big as chain restaurants but the quality is great.

It’s fairly nice in here, but its extremely loud. Not a good place for a romantic meal.
My boyfriend brought me here for our anniversary. I expected amazing Italian food. The restaurant is situated in a business looking area and it doesn’t feel romantic AT ALL. Its nice inside on certain walls, but other areas of the restaurant look tacky.
We ordered the beef carpaccio for an appetizer. It was unsettling and hard to swallow. It was covered with capers, parmesan cheese, and arugula. Not enough though, I could have used a lot more capers and a LOT more parmesan cheese. It didn’t balance well and tasted really slimy in our mouths.
I ordered the pork and my boyfriend ordered pasta for our main dishes. The pork is HUGE. It was really tender and fell off the bone. However, I didn’t like the flavor of the pork — almost tasted like star anise and lentils ONLY.
The pasta was okay. There wasn’t anything special about it. Just any ordinary shell pasta dish with tomato sauce.
Will not return to this place because I have realized there are much better places to have a romantic, Italian meal in Riverside.

Went to the place for lunch, they have a really nice setup and presentation when you walk in, good outdoor patio area too. Check this place out on Fridays or during lunch for specials. You might have to ask for them though as the waitress did not give us the lunch menu until we asked.
Waiter service was not spectacular for the type of restaurant it is (nice italian) but might be just the one time I went. Their regular menu is just sandwiches, pasta, pizza, and salads, not a huge selection. The food was ok, not bad, not great, but I feel like if I’m gonna spend 15 –18 bucks there, I actually prefer a chain restaurant like cheescake or yardhouse over it, maybe.
Worth a look at as theres not much in the Riverside area anyways.

so yea… I am definitely never ever coming to this place ever again. The waiter was rude and the food was not even that great. We had 5 people at our table and we all ordered something different and no one was satisfied. My pasta was bland and the salt and pepper didn’t make it any better.
Later when I got home i realized that i had forgotten my glasses at the restaurant and called them, no one picked up. I left a message and no one called back. Called again the next day, same thing. Definitely a waste of money… and goodbye pretty red glasses… :(

So this place is very versatile. I have been here for a romantic evening on Valentines Day, a fun night of mystery dinner theater as well as numerous nights for happy hour. This restaurant would also be great to hold an event such as a birthday party or wedding shower.
When you walk up to the restaurant, there is a fire pit out front with chairs around it. If you go to your left, there is a large covered patio with an outdoor fireplace and numerous tables. When you initially walk into the restaurant, you are near the bar area. This is where we normally sit for happy hour. Thursdays through Sundays they usually have some kind of live music. The main eating area is very lovely both day and night. During the day, it is very bright as there are huge windows surrounding the entire room. At night the room is very dim and lit by candles.
This restaurant offers weekday lunch specials and they also have a «lighter» menu if you are watching your calories. My favorite time to eat there is during happy hour. This restaurant has one of the most extensive happy hour menus out there. Forget those places where you are limited to nasty well drinks, bud light and fries if you are trying to save a buck! Ciao Bella has about 15 different food items on happy hour ranging from $ 3 to $ 5. I recommend trying the following items:
Fried artichokes ($ 5) — They are drizzled in lemon butter and topped with capers.
Garlic Bread ($ 3) — This bread is insanely garlicky and there is a large quantity so you get filled up.
Warm Spinach & Gorgonzola Dip ($ 4) — Wonderful flavor and fun to share
During happy hour, the house wines are only $ 3 and they are fantastic! You can get higher end wines for only $ 5 and domestic beers for $ 3. They also have several specialty martinis to choose from for only $ 5!!!
We ate here last night and had the fried artichokes, garlic bread and two glasses of house wine. We sat around the outside fire pit and listened to some old soft rock. It was a great night for only around $ 15.
The service is always great at this place. If you are ever in Riverside and looking for a classy spot to eat on a budget– CHECK THIS PLACE OUT!

I generally order at the bar, but i’ve been there for lunch, too:
good quality food and well priced… happy hour appetizers are a REAL bargain
linguini putanesca: great
mushroom and spinach pizza: even better… in fact all their pizzas have a good doughy but thin crust, the margherita is good too, but the spinach mushroom is really something special
fried calamari: good, and the marinara dipping sauce has some well placed kick to it.
mista insalata: another winner
totally worth checking out… in fact i’m on my way there in a bit for a peroni and a jameson on the rocks while i decide what i’m gonna order

Hoping to make Mary’s day more special before the opening of «Eat, Pray, Love», not to mention my hope for finding an Italian restaurant that resembled something that would be on either Providence’s Federal Hill or the Boston North End, I used Unilocal and discovered Ciao Bella.
The reviews and the website all offered a lot of promise, and we were both looking forward to lunch there. Inside the ambiance is very welcoming with a contemporary modern aesthetic lit well by the generous natural lighting. The patio was just as appealing, enclosed by combination of ivy-​covered walls and low walls with flower boxes. We arrived just after 2 and the place was empty with the exception of one table of 5. They were eating and all of their meals looked delicious.
I had the linguine putanesca and Mary the lasagna. Both of our dishes came out together, but I ended up eating by myself as Mary discovered right away that her lasagna was cold in the middle and the added cheese topping wasn’t fully melted. I had to track down our waitress and bring her over to the table. She returned 10 or so minutes later, this time with a scorching hot lasagna plate that Mary had trouble eating. Lowering the temperature with the Chianti became an issue too, as she discovered that she had a glass stained with sauce inside toward the bottom.
As for my meal it was good, but I didn’t enjoy it as much with Mary having the bad experience that she did. She at least enjoyed the movie. We may go back at some point for dinner, unless we find another Italian restaurant.

This place is one of the nicer restaurants in the UC Riverside area. I ate here for a friend’s graduation celebration and the service and food were good.

I’ve been to Ciao Bella 3 or 4 times, and each time was better than the last!
The first time I was a little put off because I ordered the Sand Dabs and one of the little bones got stuck in my gums and it hurt! It took so long for me to get it out!
I also showed up for a PRSA cocktail meeting and the small bites were delicious.
Then my fiancée and I came for Riverside Restaurant Week after being disappointed by no service at Mission Inn Restaurant and were greeted by Julie de Korne, one of the owners of Ciao Bella, who sat us. Then our server happened to remember us from the last time we were there. I was surprised because it had been months ago. He was such a great server — we were on the outside patio and he never forgot about us, was always personable, and showed up right on time every time. The patio was so perfect, the lights were soft, jazz was on and we had such a great prix fixe dinner. Each course was delicious and after, we were given espresso vodka as a nice ending. Last time we were there for dinner, Julie’s husband, Bob, brought us espresso vodka. It’s always been great, personal service every time. I highly recommend this place!

Stopped by on a thursday night for dinner.
Ambiance: Romantic. Roses on the tables and live music. My date appreciated this.
Hostess: Very friendly. She gave us an after dinner coffee drink which I believe was 25% coffee and 75% moon shine. Good stuff!
Waiter: Friendly, attentive and informative. No complaints here.
Food: Just okay. Ordered the penne portobella & blackened tilapia. I enjoyed the portobella mushrooms, and the sauce was tasty. The sausage was not that great. The tilapia was not as tasty or fresh as it should be, and although blackened on the outside, was slightly undercooked. The potatoes and green beans on this dish were okay, but nothing to write home about.
Conclusion: I would recommend this place for a date because of the ambiance and service. Just keep in mind that the food is just average… at least it was on my visit. I’ll probably go back just to try some other menu items. CIAO!

I hate to keep giving 5 star reviews, but I can’t find any fault with this restaurant.
I used Ciao Bella for my wedding reception, about 25 people. 5-​course meal, 6 bottles of wine, personal wait staff, cake cutting, open bar, endless coffee and soft drinks, and their very atmospheric wine cellar for 4 hours, and the tab was under $ 1300. All the dinner choices — the lamb shank, eggplant parmesan, chicken marsala, and osso buco, were perfectly done. I got endless compliments on the restaurant choice, and I personally couldn’t have been happier.
Our personal waitress was so good that we upped her built-​in gratuity by a healthy margin. Wish I had learned her name; I’d give her a shout-​out here.
I don’t know how this place is for lunch, but for dinners, or especially parties, it just can’t be beat. I’ll have positive memories for the rest of my life.

Caveat: I’m a bit biased as my first dining experience here was comped by UCR.
That said: I could barely urge myself to order the $ 33 veal but upon the server’s recommendation, settled on it. It was some of the most tender meat I’ve enjoyed in the Inland Empire but still overpriced. The pasta was overcooked and the sauce a bit bland. The service was great and the server pleasant but the overall atmosphere a bit superficial. Good but nothing special.