Average based on 60 votes
(The Overall Rating is calculated using a Weighted Average)
Overview
La Bella Vista is under New Management!
Please note that while our past reviews have proven to be poor, new management will endevour to make each diners experience a valuable one. We urge potential diners to try the restaurant for themselves and to not allow the past reviews influence their decision. We appreciate your understanding.
We parked in Phillip Street at six 15 and having to get to the Riverside for a 7:20 pm for a show, we needed fuel - fast. We were sick of the glitz and indifference of most of the places on Church Street so we walked accross the road and into this place.
We explained our time constraint and they promised us that they would deliver. And they did. Two beautiful risotto dishes arrived in good time for us to eat them calmly and contemplatively, have a cup of adequate coffee and arrive at the theatre before the chimes.
The service was efficient and kindly. We will go back there when we have more time to really suss it out.
My husband and I, and our friends dined on Saturday night, it was not a pleasant dining experience. First they put us at a table when the door opened we all froze, so we asked if a heater could be put near us, they said no but they did move us to another table which was fine.
My friend ordered a veal dish, her first piece of veal was ok but the second piece tasted off so I tasted it and it did. We returned the meal and told the waiter that I will not be paying for that meal and I was not charged.
Then my husband ordered a cappucino and it was warm not hot so I told the waiter to make another one and make sure it was hot and he did and it was hot and I was not charged for it.
Although all my complaints were met I feel that the money you are paying for the meals, there should be no complaints.
We returned to La Bella Vista after some time because we had seen it on "The Chopping Block' and were keen to see the changes and the makeover. This "makeover" consisted of a paint job and some new chairs. The plants looked like they'd seen better days and the toilets were old and tacky. The place lacked any kind of ambience at all.
Ok I kept thinking but the food is going to be nice. A warning bell should have rung when the waitress said there was no specials and that there was no veal of any description available because they had run out. It was 8.00 on a Saturday Night. Come on guys who does the ordering! Not acceptable.
We ordered Chicken Parmigiana instead (but were still charged the veal price I might add). What we got was a thick chicken breast piled on top of anemic looking chips which had become even more soggy because they were swimming on a tasteless tomato sauce. Would have been much better if the chicken was filleted. I had to look for the eggplant as it appeared as small slivers on top of the chicken. Looks like they were running out of that as well. My friends had a serve each of Fillet Steak which was also disappointing. Lumps of undercooked meat once again sitting on sad looking fries. We won't even start on the salad.
We had a bird's eye view of the boys in the kitchen and must say they were working very hard but obviously need guidance by an experienced and creative chef. We couldn't even contemplate dessert and moved onto another establishment up the road.
This place is a rip off and it just seems like they cashed in on their 15 minutes of fame by charging exorbitant prices for a very sub-standard product. As another reviewer said, this was your Golden opportunity to get it right. With so many excellent restaurants nearby you can't afford to get it wrong. I only wish I'd read the reviews beforehand.
This review is after this announcement of new management!! Outside there is a sign saying WINNER of the Chopping Block, and the place they beat didn't seem to have anyone in it.
I went for dinner with my friend, my friend agrees with me when I say the food was average. The mixed platter entree was fine and so was the garlic pizza, but my main which was chicken basicola was plain tasting, maybe it was the chicken itself which didn't have much taste to it. The ice chocolate was great though.
Service was quick and great and the wait for the food wasn't that long. The place is nicely done up with a nice outdoor area. But I found the food a little pricey.
We went there because we saw them on the TV. Service was ok on the night because it was nearly empty though I did ask for water that never came.
Bruschetta had already reverted back to something better served with a spoon.
Highly overpriced - and No value for money. I can't stress this enough. Nothing on the menu you couldn't make yourself or get at numerous other places for half the price. We ate pizza through lack of choice and it was greasy, and the dough was disappointing.
TV exposure + expert advice: Here was a perfect opportunity to get it right, get people in and keep them coming back but there is nothing good about this place. Don't waste your time or money. Any good reviews about this place have been written by friends, them or people who have never eaten good Italian food. What a shocker.
Recently dined here in a group of 6 during our lunch break. The menu is a little pricey and the service too slow for a lunch break but the food was good. I had the Chicken Pesto Risotto and it was a vast improvement on the last time I ate here (under previous management).
The only drawback is the service which is slow. Even when we had our plates cleared, it took forever for someone to show up for us to get the bill and then when we had the cash waiting to pay for it, the waiter/waitress was nowhere to be found. Given we were sitting outside, leaving the money on the table wasn't an option. Upon going inside to search for someone to take our money, I was astonished to find the place deserted and the lights turned off (it wasn't even 2 pm on a Friday !!).
It took 5 minutes before someone came in from out the back, even though there were still people dining in the courtyard out the front. If these guys want to last they need to be around to serve their customers, the food is good but no-one will know that if they aren't there to serve it! There are a lot of eateries in Parramatta for people to choose from.
I had my wedding reception in the lovely outdoor courtyard and loved it. The atmosphere was great and they really looked after everything really well. All the best on the upcoming show guys!
I took my girlfriend for dinner for Valentine's day (this was our second visit) and we certainly had a wonderful time. Yeah we waited a little longer then usual but we could see they were very busy.
The food was fantastic and the service provided was great. The ambience was lovely and truly made the whole experience pleasurable. Would defintely recommend.
In one word - TERRIBLE! New management hasn't made an improvement. After waiting for half an hour for our drinks, we had to ask the waiters if we could order our meal. Entree took almost an hour to come out and it was only garlic bread. The mains took forever too and weren't worth the wait. To top things off we had cockroaches climbing up the walls next to us and a few on the floor! Needless to say, we didn't wait for dessert. I would NEVER go there again or recommend this place to anyone!
I went here for my fiance's work Christmas party. The food was alright. It was very noisy, there was a table of rowdy people next to us. The lady who served me dessert forgot to give me a spoon, and when I asked for one, she was rude to me! Then, by the time she came back to give it to me, my gelato had already half melted.
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christyisyourfriend -
See my reviews 24, 08 February 2008