Bella Mangiata Caffe

Hello San Mateo (Rand McNally 2013 Best Small Town for Food), I have been going to Bella Mangiata (Itallian restaurant) for over two years now (mainly for lunch), and I am amazed that the rest of you have missed this gem. Small, quaint, quiet, intimate, romantic and reasonably priced, this place just might be the best kept secret on the mid-​peninsula. Went there for dinner tonight (Thursday) and was blown away. Petrale sole special was fabulous. My wife had veal picata and was also impressed. Got a good bottle of house (Italian) wine for under 30 bucks. Tiramisu desert was excellent. Chef was happy and cordial; wait staff was helpful and fun. Just might have been my best San Mateo dinner in two years. Bön appetite people.

Came in on a Sunday evening to a near empty restaurant.
Caprese salad had cheese that had gone bad — we sent it back. The entrees were poorly executed. Lousy texture and taste. This was about the worst meal we’ve had in a long time.

This place looked charming and I would have loved to try the food. I asked the folks working there for change to plug the meter so I could eat there but they were quite rude and told me they didn’t have any. Looks like I won’t be eating there any time soon.

The beef ravioli was absolutely amazing! The bread and dipping sauce were great. Real Italian service. I will definitely be returning.

Update June 2015: I’ve been sitting on my balcony across the street watching this asshole wash the sidewalk and storefront with his hose for like 15 minutes now. Apparently he’s exempt from the drought rules the rest of us have to follow.
How do they pay the rent? I have a balcony across the street and I never see anyone eating here. Just waiters hanging out outside. Is this a mafia front or something for the IA club down the street? When is this place going out of business already? Oh, plus I ate there once and nearly gagged when the table vinegar dangled like boogers after pouring it. Those waiters could be cleaning, is all I’m saying. The bread was old and the food bland and microwaved. We eat out A LOT and it was one of our worst meals anywhere. Such a waste of a cute space. Shut down already!

Food was O.K. Beware! the tip is included when you receive the amount to be paid. Additionally, on the statement, there is a suggested tip pricing: 15%, 20%, 25% although there is no indication that the tip has been included. My family went. Relative and I split the cost.$ 204.00 split between 2.$ 102.00 each. added 15% to each. total: $ 117.00 each. Itemized bill: $ 189.00.paid an extra $ 30.00+ on the tip… beware.

Went for dinner on a Saturday night with hubby. Was very dead with only 2 other tables of people. Had the caesar salad and eggplant parm which were both just okay. Hubby got a pasta with chicken but wasn’t in love with it. Service was okay also. I think there are much better Italian places in the San Mateo area.

Not a very good experience. The bread was stale, the appetizer was so so, they messed up the main entrée by giving fussili pasta instead of penne pasta, the alla vodka sauce tasted more like marinara with creame thrown on top, the dessert was the first — how can an italian restaurant mess up Tiramisu? The biscotti layer was frozen (literally), the mascarpone was souring… clearly they had pulled it out of the deep cold storage. I think they have better Tiramisu at Safeway. There is way better Italian out there and certainly a lot better for the money. Can’t say I’ll go back there.

Been here many times. Great service and dishes. I love the spicy pasta and sausage.
Love the fact that it’s not as crowded as the other local places. Though off the main strip, its got it own appeal.

Delicious! Always lovely on a Saturday night, and the service is top notch. I would totally recommend it especially to big groups. Sometimes a bit chilly so bring a jacket, but the atmosphere is gorgeous and the ambiance is perfect.
Not to mention the food! If you get anything here, let it be the carpaccio. In fact, order two, it’s that good. Be sure to talk to the servers, they’re some of the kindest people you’ll meet, and they always aim to please.

I have walked by here many times and have always wanted to try this place. This place did not disappoint.
We had angry pasta and rollini. The pasta was good but the rollini was amazing!!!
The owner will be celebrating 25 years at this location. The staff here are very entertaining and friendly.
You should try this place! !!

I gave them another try because I love Italian and like variety. Lunch on a weekday… again I was the only person there. The waiter was very friendly and attentive. The pasta this time was much better… very tasty. The ambiance is nice, too. I don’t know why they are not busier. Maybe the location on a side street

I’ve only eaten here once and don’t think I’ll be back. The service was fine/​friendly but everything else was subpar. The first thing I could not get over was how the restaurant felt like an ice box. It was freezing! I looked around and noticed other patrons had not taken their coats and jackets off to eat either. I ordered the veal piccata and the portion was so small I thought it was a joke. Not to mention it was barely warm. The flavor was fine but overall I was not pleased. We tried the chocolate mousse and tiramisu for dessert and I’d give them both 2 stars out of 5.

Wow.
I love this place!!! I haven’t been in years and years and went a couple of months ago.
Bread and olive oil = AMAZING
Caesar Salad = SOOOO GOOD! I don’t usually like Caesar but this was perfect
Calamari Steak = Really good
The atmosphere is super cute and great. Can’t wait to go back!

Went here for the first time last Saturday with my family and friends. Surprisingly the place was empty for a Saturday a 730pm.
We proceeded to have dinner anyway and we were pleasantly surprised and happy that we came in to dine here.
I ordered the special homemade pasta that they rolled up with prosciutto served in a quatro fomagi (sp?) red cream sauce. I have to tell you that this was absolutely delicious. I wish I took a picture of it but I was so hungry and I ate it before thinking of it!
My wife ordered the other special made with their homemade Italian sausages and that too was very tasty.
The ambiance gives you the feeling of being in an outdoor café somewhere in Italy. The service was pretty spot on with the exception of him ducking outside every so often
Overall…great dinner and good service. Would definitely come back again!

Having enjoyed a lovely lunch here just a month ago, I was left sorely disappointed just now after getting take-​out salads for me and my boss. I called and put in an order for 2 Insalata die Pesce (Mixed greens, poached salmon, fresh shrimp, asparagus and tomato slices served in a garlic dressing), same as I had on my previous visit. I was told the food would be ready in 10 minutes.
I got there 15 minutes later and it wasn’t ready and there were only two other seated tables in the place. So as I pay the check, I witness the server loudly yelling into the kitchen from the dining floor «Where are the salads? She’s here and she’s waiting». Not very professional when all the patrons can hear you… I didn’t pay too close attention to the check, but when I got back to the office I realized that they overcharged me. The salads are advertised for $ 9.95 online and on the printed menus. This is also what I was charged a month ago. This time I was charged $ 10.95 per salad. I’m not OK with that if the prices aren’t updated on the web and on the menus.
I asked for the dressing to be on the side when I ordered over the phone. When I opened the to-​go bag, there was a garlic dressing mess. They had poured the dressing into one smaller size square styrofoam box (usually used for solid food), which of course leaked the second that the to-​go bag was slightly angled. Please invest in some cups with lids for to-​go sauces and dips!!! After I cleaned up the mess and distributed the remaining dressing from the box onto the salads, I noticed that there was no asparagus on the salads, but they put three green beans on each one instead. Not only is there a supermarket with fresh produce pretty much next door to Bella Mangiata where they could have purchased asparagus after noticing they ran out, but they could have at least told me when I picked up the salads that they substituted ingredients.
Eating my salad, I noticed that they used a 3-​compartment styrofoam box for it. How did I notice? Because my fork kept stabbing into the compartment walls. Again, what’s up with the poor to-​go packaging here? To top it all off, the garlic dressing wasn’t as heavenly as last time. Ugh, I guess now I understand why this place is always so dead. Looks like consistency is not key here.

Birthday dinner last night…30 people…
Food was excellent
Service was excellent
Ambiance was excellent
Thank You Michaelangelo… and staff.

Tried the place for the first time today for lunch. Place was pretty empty. Probably about 4 tables full. Nice ambiance. Friendly staff. Always attending to your needs. Helpful with the menu.
I had the Ravioli with Pesto sauce. Good stuff. Nothing like some «real» Italian cooking, not some franchise type of place. My wife had the Seafood Risotto which she loved. Daughter had the Ravioli with cream sauce. Delish.
We shared a Canolli for dessert. Once again, good.
Always good to support your local mom and pop places, specially since it was Small Business Saturday today.
Will definitely go back again.

We walked in during lunch (around 12:30 in downtown San Mateo), and it was almost empty. Well, I’m not even sure if the extra people there were patrons or just friends of the owner. Empty place in downtown San Mateo during lunch hour? Hmm…
We got some bread and olive oil dipping sauce for a start. The olive oil was… cold. Refrigerated kind of cold; there was water condensation on the bowl. That was odd… do they not make it fresh every day?
I ordered some ravioli with artichoke sauce. It’s not bad… but the artichokes were definitely canned and nothing surprised me. It feels like a meal I can whip up at home and customize to my liking easily. None of my friends seemed too impressed with their dishes either.
To their credit, the food was pretty cheap. But you get what you paid for.
I’m spoiled by good Italian food elsewhere in the bay area. There’s no reason to settle.

Saturday, 7:30PM.
The majority of the group was craving Italian and we happen to be chillin with some folks in the complex across the street. Bella Mangiata Caffee it is!
Bella is ran by Italians who immigrated to NY then ventured out to CA — for those that can’t pronounce, like me, ask them to read some of the items (SO COOL!).
+Nice décor: Italian-​Mediterranean art line the walls with a sample menu near the entrance (story on that in a paragraph).
+Charming service: funny, responsive, and good recommendations
+Clean ristorante!
Apparently, folks kick spend hours here chillin’ and drinking. When it’s time to rest, they sprawl on the floor near the entrance to read the menu on the ceiling. I’m really going to try this one day…
Stuffed my face in:
1. Carpaccio Fiorentino
+I didn’t realize this was raw, but damn, the lemon gave the filet
mignon a delicious zest
2. Salmone Affumicato
+The goat cheese was conspicuous but was enough to complement
the smoked salmon (which had sushi-​esque consistency)
3. Penne all Arrabiata
+Folks that like spice won’t be disappointed
4. Special: Fresh Halibut
+Holy crap, savory fish that melted in my mouth *drool*
5. Tiramisu
+Moist savoiardi with strong espresso makes me think I’ve never
had tiramisu before this!
6. Chocolate Dud Mousse
+Rich, creamy, dark chocolate-​y goodness
7. Lemon Sorbet with Pear
+Not too acidic, sorbet was perfect with the sweet zaps of pear
8. Cannoli
+Didn’t taste the succade, but the pastry and ricotta cheese had a
good consistency and avoided being arid
A special note: the minestrone soup that came with the entrée was ri-​DONK-​ulous. It was still savory, the veggies were plentiful. Different from the other minestrone soups include the addition of cabbage and the lack of tomatoes. Congrats Bella, you NOW have my fav minestrone soup!
Final Call:
Good for groups. Nice place to bring the hunny too. Fun staff. I’d actually be happy grubbing on just the soup and bread, Olive Garden style… we’ll be back for the food and some Italian lessons!