Belluci's

6.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  6     

Made a reservation, however, no table available for 20 minutes. Staff busy, but helpful and friendly. Noisy when we were there 8pm, not the place for a quiet dinner for 2, great for larger groups, but Do book for weekend.

Mar 14, 2012 

2.5 Not Recommended

Food  4      Ambience  4      Service  1      Value  1     

I went to Belluci’s with some interstate guests on Saturday night. We made a booking for 8:30pm so as to come a little after the main dinner rush. We were aware that the food here was a bit pricey but my guests had come from interstate so we wanted to impress.

I was unlucky enough to find a hair in my dinner (I had the duck). I’m not the kind of person to kick up a fuss about anything at a restaurant because I have worked in the industry myself but everyone on the table saw it and insisted I ask for some help.

The one thing I hate is when one person does not have their meal and the rest of the table is eating or vice verca. So I just asked that I get something as a replacement that would be the quickest as to not make my guests wait. The owner of the restaurant said it would be 7 to 8 minutes. That was fine. 25 minutes of waiting later I had received nothing, no service, no updates everyone on my table looking at me and feeling sorry and finished their meals. I was so embarrassed.

At that point I asked the waiter and he still didn’t know and I had no choice but to say don’t worry about it. We paid the bill and there was no apology or discount. Everyone on our table was disgusted and annoyed and just wanted to get out of there. I ended up having a sandwich at home for dinner.

I will never go back to Belluci’s because a normal friendly person who just wanted a nice meal with some interstate guests was treated badly with no apology or compensation for a ruined night and left me very embarrassed for my restaurant choice.

Jan 09, 2012 

2.5 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  3      Service  5      Value  1     

Having tried this restaurant a few months a go and enjoying the pizzas I thought I would try again for dinner. What a disappointment.

Wines were priced from $48.00 plus and these weren't great wines, average price in the bottle shops would have been under $18.00. We grudgingly chose a chardonnay for $32.00 (half bottle!) and ordered a Margherita pizza ($23) as well as warmed olives ($7) and Zucchini flowers($13).

The olives were delicious but it went downhill from there. 3 tiny Zucchini flowers arrived done in tempura batter but with an unpleasant salty flavour on the tips. Oh well we thought, lets see how the pizza goes....No roma tomatoes only 4 cherry tomatoes tossed on the top of a floppy cheese pizza, with a few small basil leaves tossed on the top.

Poor taste and not what we ordered. Complaints meant we didn't pay for the meal but we won't be returning and neither should you!

Jan 02, 2012 

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  3      Service  6      Value  1     

I thought would give Belluci’s another go after a previous bad experience with the bill. I shouldn’t have wasted the time or money. I ate lunch on 05/07/2011 at the Manuka restaurant with my two children. I ordered the Penne D’Nuja and the kids ordered a Tropicale pizza. Both items were on their lunch special menu of $21.90 plus drink which is currently being advertised on their website and in the front window of the restaurant.

The Penne D’Nuja was probably the worst pasta dish I have had and this includes pasta from takeaway hotboxes. The penne in the dish was very obviously dried packet pasta which had been extraordinarily undercooked and was still hard and tasted stale. Al dente it was not! The sauce was tasteless and bland. The kids enjoyed their pizzas but hopefully you can’t go wrong with a pizza.

At no time during the meal was I offered any complimentary drinks as part of the restaurants lunch deal.

Finally the bill arrived. I was interested to see if they would charge the special price for my meal. They did not. I was charged the full price for all dishes that were supposed to be on the specials menu. I did not say anything or make any complaint because I took the point of view that I had given the restaurant a chance to redeem themselves and they failed miserably, and in my mind dishonestly, when they failed to make good on their own special so proudly being displayed in the front window.

I will not be returning again to be treated to inferior, overpriced food and be ripped off for the honour of eating at Belluci’s. I will recommend to friends and colleagues that they should consider McDonalds before eating at Belluci’s.

Jul 11, 2011 

2.3 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  5      Service  2      Value  1     

Maybe it's the fact that we come from Melbourne, and our standards are higher, but this was a truly appalling meal. To be asked to pay $7 for bread is an insult in this day and age, and the $11 salad we ordered was little more than some lettuce, tomato and red onion in a sour dressing.

The pasta was abysmal. My gnocchi came with a couple of little pieces of lamb, a couple of beetroot wedges and some alleged horseradish cream that had no discernible horseradish flavour. When I had forced myself to finish it, there was a pool of oil sitting in the bottom of the bowl. And it was $31. My wife's $30 tortellini was not as offensive, but was no better than something we could have made at home.

When we left, my wife told the waitress how disappointed we were, and she basically just shrugged. We're not fussy restaurant-goers, seldom complain, but this experience showed yet again that Canberra's restaurants are a joke. And as for a $2 credit card surcharge.

Mar 15, 2011 

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

Quiet environment and good food. Ordered the chicken mignon w/ gnocchi which was done perfectly. My partner's food was also very tender and delicious.
Tends to get a little busy but the service is good when you pin a waiter down.

Mar 11, 2011 

3.5 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  4      Service  4      Value  3     

I have been here in the past for work lunches and in that context Belluci's worked okay. But this evening I think I had the worst $30 pasta of my life. A pappardelle salmon pasta in which there were numerous clumps of pasta that were stuck together. I thought about sending it back but didn't want to waste the salmon so I persevered, though In the end I didn't eat that much of the salmon either as it did not taste that great and had bones.

I pointed out the clumped together pasta to the waitress at the end of the meal so she could tell the kitchen but got no response and there was no deduction to our bill. My friends thought their meals were okay, nothing special. If you can, skip this place!

Jan 10, 2011 

7.5 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  6     

Service very prompt and courteous, pizza gets 8/10 and the pasta dishes were 9/10, a very light and breezy place for a sunday lunch. Highly recommended!

Nov 21, 2010 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  9     

The concierge at the Hyatt recommended Belluci's when we asked about Italian restaurants, so we gave it a try. Although we had reservations, we had a short wait in the bar area. Our table had an excellent view of the open kitchen as well as the upper and lower areas of the bar.

Ambience is somewhat noisy when the restaurant is full, probably due to the many large windows. The menu had many tempting items and the specials were also quite interesting. We started with the salami plate to share and the selections were excellent. For first course I had a quail confit wrapped in prosciutto that was possibly the best quail I've had in years. We both ordered pasta dishes and these were outstanding. Her ragu was to die for, and the pork-belly in mine was cooked perfectly.

We shared caprese salad which was plenty for two. The cheese tray for dessert featured three excellent regional cheeses that we have never tasted, all wonderful. We would love to return to this restaurant to explore more of the menu. The food is far better than the informal cafe atmosphere would suggest and the service is attentive without being overbearing.

Nov 15, 2010 

7 Recommended

Food  6      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  6     

The small serves lack that certain pizzazz that goes along with the relatively high prices. The ambience and service was excellent, its a shame the food was lacking. And credit card surcharge was a surprise in this day and age.

Nov 02, 2010