We went to La Bella last week for dinner and it was amazing. We were warmly greeted at the entrance and given a nice table at the back. It was Saturday night so the options also included traditional Italian pizza. We had some bruschetta as a starter and then ordered pizza – I had a pizza with Italian sausage, my partner had the one with seafood. We were so happy with our choice – the pizza was so good and the beer we had with it was just a perfect combination…. We decided to have a look around the shop before leaving, we found so many different types of pasta and products I’ve never seen before in Wellington. We will be back again, highly recommended!

Your meals are very expensive! when being told the days specials the wait staff spoke so fast we could not understand them. All around it was very disappointing! Meal was lovely but left feeling hungry still as was so little. Meals could be alot bigger for the price that they are.

Also, wait staff were hesitant and gave strange looks when asking for meat to be cooked Well done! Also bread baskets, bread was cold, no side plates were offered to eat the bread from.

All around the meal was nice, but could have been bigger. More time taken by wait staff to advise of specials and speaking slower.
I won’t be dining here again

My friends daughter chose this place for her Mums 50th earlier this year. We were a large table and opted for the set menu with my family as an exception due to dietary requirements. What a terrible evening – the wait staff and owner argued over the order, argued over the price, double charged my friend for alcohol that her daughter had already paid for and then to top it off disappeared with the large amount of her birthday cake that was left never to reappear with it. I would not recommend it nor would I ever eat there again. I couldn’t even say the food was good enough to justify the owners attitude.

This is the perfect stop for a coffee and a muffin after a long bicycle ride – go La Bella Italia for their desserts! I am a Sunday morning regular and I couldn’t ask for better service and food. Staff are always smiling and nice. Baristas know how to make perfect coffee. It is easier to ride 20km that early in the morning knowing what is expecting me afterwards!

I was recommended La Bella Italia from a friend several times. I was curious to try and got the chance to do so last Friday when I went to Wellington for the WOW festival. I had a great experience, the food was superb and the atmosphere was fantastic. Best lamb fillet I’ve ever had. We also tried a new wine we had never had before, Cannonau, and became big fans!

I received two tickets for an Opera concert and dinner and decided to go with a friend. I did not find out the dinner was prepared by La Bella Italia until I got there. The menu was superb, can’t complain at all. I especially liked the roast pork, it was cooked to perfection. Before the dinner, the music performed was celestial and very nice – I am not a big Opera fan but really enjoyed the soprano’s voice and rendition of the songs. I was happy to see La Bella Italia does music events in addition to being the best restaurant in Wellington!

Great food, great coffee, great service. (Does have a distinct lack of parking though.) The atmosphere is generally bubbling with chatter – it feels very authentic with the open space and visible kitchen. Have been tempted to try one of their cooking nights – but that is slightly beyond our budget.

Roger and I thoroughly enjoyed the cooking class we attended on Wednesday 23rd of June 2011. Our daughter Joanne was booked for the class, but air travel from the Gold Coast disrupted because of the ash cloud meant she couldn’t come.

However, Roger filled her spot in the class and I know really enjoyed it and made some great Ravioli, which we have taste tested already! The nibbles and bubbly to start, and the ‘goodies’ bag for us at the end of the class was much appreciated.

Gabriele while we know is a great chef, is also an excellent teacher and his personality and interaction with our ‘hands on’ attempt was great.

To end ‘our’ evening before heading home, we enjoyed a great pizza in the Restaurant.

So thanks to everyone, and we’re hoping that when Joanne has her next break from work and able to get back to New Zealand that the classes will still be on…..I know she will want to attend.

It was my first time at La Bella Italia last Sunday – will definitely be back for more. I was visiting Wellington to spend Easter weekend together with my partner and parents in law, we made a booking at La Bella Italia to spend the Sunday in a different way (we didn’t have to cook – now that’s a holiday!) and were overwhelmed by the quality of food, of service and by the vibrant atmosphere.
We went to the restaurant around 1pm and we were kindly taken to our table, which was nicely set up and in a quiet area of the restaurant. We were advised there was a new menu – and enjoyed going through it trying to read the Italian as well… I wonder how good we did!!! After a delicious antipasto (bruschetta of the day – with green olive tapenade) we ordered four mains and decided to try the recommended wines matched to the dishes. I had a risotto with Borlotti beans and fennel sausages, I was mesmerized by the subtle flavours and by the delicate texture. The in-laws had a lamb steak each and my partner had the mushrooms with gorgonzola cheese – I had to try some of that! My Valpolicella wine was great, but also had a taste of the Pinot Grigio – one of my favourite types of wine.
Although we were already satisfied with our food (generous portions-yay!) we couldn’t help but notice how nice and mouth-watering the dessert cabinet looked, so we tried a couple of them, to finish off our meal. We tried the Pastiera (apparently a typical Easter cake in Naples) and the poached pears with chocolate and amaretti and were so happy about our choice!
I don’t live in Wellington, so I’m not sure when I’ll have the chance to go back. But I definitely will, I need to try more from their new menu. Highly recommended.

Very nice, tasty food but quite expensive and smallish portions.

We went on a weekend for lunch and they were busy. We had a group of six adults and one toddler. Luckily, we had booked a table for 1.30pm.

The food took quite a while to come and was gone fairly fast because we were hungry.

Very nice but we were lucky that we ordered some sides to fill us up.

Tasty but expensive.

Awesome food! I have been to Italy several times and this is the best Italian restaurant I’ve tried in New Zealand. You can definitely tell it’s all fresh – and service is really good, despite being a busy place. I have to say the space between tables is minimal and doesn’t give you much privacy, but in a way it adds to the real Italian experience. Anyway, this is about the food! As a lover of authentic cuisine from all over the world, I so much appreciated the food here is done the way it is done in Italy and not the “Kiwi” way. I had the Linguine with Clams as a main, the serving was very generous and the flavours!!! Bellissimo. Just like in Italy. I believe the food here is different to what we normally have in New Zealand and the tastes are delicate compared to what we generally have. I truly appreciate this, it is great to be able to taste the tomato and the clams and the pasta itself. I am not interested in having a dish full of garlic and peppercorns, those are dressings, not food! For dessert, I had a slice of almond and chocolate cake accompanied by the liqueur suggested in the menu, very good as well. I found the liqueur selection very interesting and will be back to try some new ones. Overall a great experience, with great food and service, love the lively ambience.

I have to go against the grain here. I did not find either the food or coffee nice on my two visits there. The one exception was a slice which was lovely indeed. That was ordered because I wasn’t prepared to try a main again.I do wonder if some diners think it is better than it is because of the good ambience and the warehouse situation.

I went to La Bella with a couple of friends because we heard so much about it – great food and atmosphere. One of the staff welcomed us and asked us what we were after, then sat us at a table. He gave us the menu and there was so much to choose from… I thought I was going to have some pasta or pizza but there was so much choice, I had to change my mind. It was five of us so we started our dinner with a shared antipasto of Parma ham and Buffalo Mozzarella, we also got some white wine to match with it. Then we got our mains – pasta with tomato and bacon sauce, scotch fillet, pizza, ravioli, and linguini with clams. I have to say the food was really tasty and fresh, my expectations were met! We were about to go but then noticed the dessert cabinet. I had never seen some of the desserts so we tried some – I had a slice of cake that was just amazing. Overall, I can say this place is really great and deserves its reputation, will definitely go again

We had my 80th Birthday Lunch with family and friends and we were all delighted by both the food and the attention of the staff. Will do it again soon.

We Booked for our 40th Wedding Anniversary on the 28th March 09.Thank you Antonio and your staff the food was wonderful we had 18 guests it all went like clock work the wine and food platters were just wonderful. Staff were attentive we weren’t rushed it was better than our orginal wedding. Thanks so much we really enjoyed it. Happy Customer Kind Regards Del and Alan Jupp. (Cascades Motor Lodge Taupo)

Hard to argue that this is probably one of the most genuine Italian places in Wellington and unbeknown to most, because of my mostly Pacific Island heritage and skin colour, very few would pick me as being part Italian as well – so surely that should make me something of an Italian connoisseur right?

Situated in a warehouse also filled with Italian grocery items, its hard to go past the scent of all that Italian fare, Parmesan being one of the more recognisable scents. The place can be busy and the tables and chairs are pushed so close together, that an intimate conversation would easily be muddled with those sitting beside you. Squeezing inbetween tables is not advisable for pregnant women or those horizontally endowed – particularly in the buttocks region. You may get a salt shaker somewhere you dont want it in the process.

The food itself is very nice – and most things appeared to be covered in Parmesan. If you’re incredibly hungry, be warned that serving sizes are a bit on the small side – considering the price, this can come as a shock. Most of what I saw being served looked absolutely delicious and my own food, lasagne (I know, a bit cliche) was very nice – very tomatoe-y (and appeared to be a popular dish as at least 3 other people next to me also had it).

The menu isnt overly expansive, but there is a good selection of desserts (including gelato) and coffee on hand. Failing that, my advice would be to make sure you have an entree as well.

Overall, this is a good place to try some genuine Italian food and pick up a few items for your own pantry. It doesnt get a 5th star, solely because of the cramped nature of the seating – but if you love food, it is well worth a visit.