Belluci's

4.5 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  6      Service  4      Value  5     

A group of friends and I went out for a lunch break for a quick catch and was very disappointed with the service. The staff were very rude. They rushed us to place the order. The food was below average, and would agree with a review placed below, tasted like it was out of a freezer! Staff had no product knowledge either.

Feb 22, 2012 

1.5 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  3      Service  1      Value  1     

Belluci's at Woden is easily the worst restaurant we have been to in Canberra. Take away food is better than this place. They also pay no attention to people who have any allergies either. The chairs are rubbish, the place is noisy, the food is very poor quality. The waitress couldn't be bothered writing our order down and no surprise the meals came out incorrect. Would never go to this restaurant again even if I could go for free.

Aug 18, 2011 

5.8 Average

Food  6      Ambience  5      Service  6      Value  6     

I have been here three times now. The first time I came for a party and was personally served by the manager. All the food and service that time was spot on. The second time I came for a private group and found the waiters were hard to get and the food seemed to have change recipes for the worse. The third time the management seems to have been changed completely.

The waiters were very hard to pin down and were more about speed than service.
The food was crisped around the edges and tasted nothing like my first meal (same order). The kitchen was full of abusive yelling between the lead chef and his trainees. Disappointing given the impression I got on the first visit.

Mar 11, 2011 

6 Average

Food  5      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  6     

I've had the same dish twice here. They made it beautifully the first time, but I think they froze the leftovers and heated them up for me on my second visit. The service, especially early in the evening, can be a bit "hurry up and order" disguised as jovial and casual.

I asked if the cannelloni could be made without spinach and was declined, because the cannelloni "comes out of the freezer". Okaaay. But to their credit, they were able to make Pasta Con Spinachi into Pasta Sans Spinachi.

I did like the cocktails and what-have-you.

Nov 29, 2010 

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  3      Service  3      Value  2     

Went to Belluci's for an engagement party dinner, so the number of people at the table was considerable - 14. However, four of these were children.

The place was packed and the din was quite overwhelming. Service was incredibly slow, with bread orders taking half an hour to arrive. Three of the group ordered entrees, with one being a shared anti pasti platter, so these meals were consumed fairly quickly. Despite this, it was over 2 hours after our arrival that the mains were finally served.

Being one of the three that ordered an entree, the waitress removed my plate and cutlery once I had finished the entree, but no replacement cutlery was provided. My main arrived, but no cutlery accompanied it. When the waitress next returned I asked for cutlery and was advised she would get it straight away. Five minutes passed and I then spied said waitress chatting with one of the chefs and she chatted and she chatted.

I finally got up to get my own cutlery, walking past the waitress to and from my table. As soon as I sat down, a different waitress suddenly turned up with more cutlery and an apology. While I admit that the place was busy, either get more serving staff or take less bookings...it's not rocket science.

The entree was a shared anti-pasti plate, small on serving size but the flavours were good. It did not warrant the $28 price tag. The main course, a chicken risotto, was abysmal. After searching for the chicken in the dish, I finally managed to find six small pieces (and when I say small, I mean 10c piece size). The dish was overly salty and I'm still trying to work out why they dolloped a large portion of sour cream in the middle of a dish that is already supposed to be creamy in texture (this was removed to the side of the bowl before I started).

Surprisingly, the waitress did not ask whether I enjoyed my meal as she was collecting the plates (maybe she'd already sampled said risotto and knew what it was like). Menus came around for dessert and coffees but everyone at the table declined given the lengthy wait for our meals thus far.

Prices at the bar are very high, one Becks beer and one glass of wine was $15.50. Two light beers (on tap) and one Becks beer - $18.50. The prices were not offset by speedy bar service either, service was very, very slow, not helped by the amount of people sitting at the bar while waiting for takeaway.

We left tired and somewhat disillusioned at the quality of the meals/service versus the prices charged. We're never going back.

Sep 15, 2010 

7.3 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  7     

A regular, good for couples of family.

Aug 02, 2010 

4 Below Average

Food  7      Ambience  4      Service  1      Value  4     

I have dined here a few times before as I used to work in woden. I have never really enjoyed my experience here, particularly the last time I went with some work colleagues. The staff were all rude in regards to our order which was wrong, (we had placed the order over the phone before coming to avoid waiting), implying it was our fault and not to complain. The senior staff there I also didn't like as he was making what I though were inappropriate comments towards us, which I really didn't appreciate. Am glad I have now moved as I don't have to eat there again!

Aug 31, 2009 

7.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  6     

We dined here on consecutive nights on a recent visit to Canberra. This is an excellent place and a real find in Canberra. It has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with happy, attentive and attractive young staff. The food is above average with many nice specials on offer, you're not kept waiting for your meals and BYO is welcome. I tend to find everyone outside of Sydney is extra friendly and Canberra is no exception.

They weren't hurried or harassed despite being quite busy, and were happy to fit us in despite us not having a booking. I notice from their business card that they have 2 other outlets in Canberra, Dickson and Woden, but Manuka for me is the choice up-scale dining spot in Canberra with Dickson more informal. Well worth a look.

Oct 04, 2007