Bella Trattoria Restaurant

Review summary

1. L

   Lani

   VIP

   Orange County

   25 reviews

   1.0

   25 reviews

   Dined today

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   Terrible service! I waited over 30 minutes for a waitress, but she never returned. I couldn’t get water or even drinks. When the food arrived it was cold. The pasta was disappointing and not worth the price. Very frustrating experience. Will never come back.
   

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2. J

   Jamie

   Orange County

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined today

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 4

   This was a terrible experience. Had a reservation at 7:30. Waited 20 mins to be seated (no big deal), but then waited another 45 mins for drinks. Food wasn't served until 1.5 hours after our reservation. Appetizers came out cold. Our food was served (not by our waiter) then we waited ANOTHER 45 mins to get the check. I had to go to the kitchen door looking for a manager when I was informed "we don't have a manager". Waited another 10-15 mins to find my waiter to ask for the check and was greeted buy several other guests asking to speak to the manager because of poor service. Two people seated around me left. I wish we had left too!! The food was mediocre at best. Very POOR management. Poor planning for staffing. All around terrible experience. I basically threw my money in the toilet. Never again.
   

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3. EL

   EmilyL

   Orange County

   2 reviews

   1.0

   2 reviews

   Dined today

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   Main courses were decent but service was atrocious
   

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4. J

   Jessica

   VIP

   Los Angeles

   19 reviews

   1.0

   19 reviews

   Dined today

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 5

   We returned to Bella Trattoria for the second year in a row before visiting the Festival of Lights, hoping for another lovely evening, but unfortunately, this year’s experience was a letdown. Upon arrival, we were seated on the patio around the corner, away from the main area, and seemingly forgotten. Despite the restaurant being relatively quiet—with about 70% of the tables available (three parties inside and three on the front patio)—service was shockingly slow. We sat for over 20 minutes with nothing but water and bread, and no one came to take our drink orders. When we finally attempted to order a bottle of Robert’s Reserve Chardonnay, we were informed it—and all Robert’s Reserve wines—were unavailable due to a vendor issue. If this is the case, why even keep them on the menu? This only added to the frustration of the evening. We also had to ask four different staff members to turn on our patio heat lamp, as it was getting chilly after sunset. Each time, we were told it needed a propane tank, despite there being four (full, I checked) tanks visibly sitting near the restroom. It took over an hour before the heat lamps were finally lit, which was far too long given the circumstances. The evening only started to improve halfway through our reservation, once the heat lamps were on, we had ordered a couple of glasses of alternate wine, and the food arrived. The food itself was decent, and the ambiance became more pleasant, but the disorganization and lack of attentiveness during the first half of the meal had already soured the experience. Bella Trattoria has potential, but the poor service, slow responses, and lack of preparation (including unavailable wines still listed on the menu) make it hard to recommend. Significant improvements are needed before we’d consider returning.
   

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5. s

   santhiya

   Los Angeles

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   I loved the fig and goat cheese pizza . The vibe was beautiful.
   

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6. D

   Debbie

   VIP

   Seattle

   7 reviews

   4.0

   7 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   Staff was courteous, Irene was a good server. The ambiance was so so; as you gaze up to the ceiling the sky lights were covered with debris.
   

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7. S

   Stephanie

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   Service was the worst, and food was small portions
   

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8. S

   Sean

   VIP

   San Diego

   38 reviews

   2.0

   38 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   Ordered 4 drinks, 2 appetizers, 2 pizzas, and 2 pastas. 3 drinks came out with 1 appetizer and 1 pizza. One of the drinks was wrong and they forgot the last one. Within 5 minutes the pastas came and we asked where the other appetizer and pizza was. They then set out pastas out under heat lamps to get nice and dried out. They finally brought out the other appetizer and the last drink. Took a long time to get the wrong drink fixed. They returned with the pastas, now all dry from being under heat lamps which is know from the waiters using cloth napkins telling us it was hot (which they didn’t use when bringing it previously) Very sad and disappointed with the Mission Inn, I’ve been here 3 times before and had great experiences but the food quality has taken a dive and the service was poor.
   

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9. M

   Michelle

   Orange County

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   We were looking forward to some delirious Italian food but were let down immediately. We ordered the calamari but it wasn’t crunchy and came with a weird dipping sauce that tasted like like mayo with some mustard. I ordered the bolognese pasta and that was super bland. The sauce really lacked flavor. I asked for cheese and pepper flakes and not even that could give this dish a chance. My husband ordered the lasagna and that was upsetting as well. The service was extremely slow. We had to ask 2 staff members to reach our waiter to just ask for the bill. The only great part about this place is the view of the lights and the wine. Don’t come here is you are wanting authentic Italian food.
   

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10. w

    william

    Los Angeles

    4 reviews

    3.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3

    I'll preface this review by saying that our reservation was during the Festival of Lights a very busy time at The Mission Inn. Essentially there was not enough staff at the restaurant therefore we were seated late, either rushed to give the server our order or ignored completely e.g. I wanted desert and the server quickly brought the menu then disappeared and after 10 minutes returned to take my order. Needless to say I lost my appetite. We left after a mediocre meal and exited past three uncleared tables with dirty dishes and uneaten food left behind by diners who had left much earlier.
    

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