La Vita E' Bella Ristorante & Pizzeria

Doesn't Recommend

cocmele

Joined 6 years ago

I don't condone this treatment of staff.. Although the food and ambiance were wonderful, I will not go back to this establishment. Our server was wonderful, but as we took our first bite, we noticed the manager or owner was loudly criticizing the hostess. The things he was saying were very inappropriate and unneccesary. We then heard him snapping at another female employee. If this happens in the short time we were there as patrons, I can't possibly imagine how it is on a day to day basis. I would NEVER patronize an establishment that publicly humiliates its staff to the point of tears. There is a time and a place to correct mistakes and the dining room is NOT it. It doesn't matter how great the food is, I can't condone abuse of staff.

Recommends

lalaraven

Joined 6 years ago

such good bruschetta!. I've been to this restaurant twice and I can't wait to go back! I have never had any of the problems the other reviewers had with the service. I was always treated politely and promptly. The bruschetta options they have are awesome. I've tried the funghi and eggplant and I'm excited to try the others. The bread is nice and light and crunchy. Also, if you are looking for a wine and don't see it on the list, don't be afraid to ask. I wanted a muscato d'asti, but didn't see it on the wine list, however the waitress knew they had a some and didn't even require me to get the whole bottle. This place is a must try for Belltown Italian.

Recommends

joelotz

Joined 6 years ago

Great food, great service. I love this place! We are always welcomed warmly when we arrive and the staff is great. The owner has even stopped at our table and shared wine with us.

There is a covered patio outside for summer evenings but the inside has a nice out-world feel. The food arrives quickly and our meals have been great. The chef has specials for seasonal items and prepares them well.

I recommend this place for a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary as well as a Thursday dinner. Check it out!

Recommends

whats_cookin

Joined 6 years ago

Now That's Italian!!!!!. The moment you walk in the door you are greeted by warm smiles, sometimes hugs, since we have become regulars. Guiseppe and Rober' make their rounds frequently and are engaging for the entire dining experience. I have tried almost everything on the menu and have yet to be disappointed, with one exception....the middle of the pizza's can sometimes be soggy. The crepe's are unique and the DAILY FRESH List is definitely worth paying attention to. One SUPERB dish after another.

Recommends

tjb2006

Joined 6 years ago

Outside in hot weather, outstanding. Great find. Nice outside dinging in hot weather. And nice inside. Two of us,

and average eaters.

Split a ceasar salad and a ham, artichoke and sausage pizza. Could not eat

it all and had to bring some home.

Highly recommend. Nice people and grreat food and i eat out 80% of the time.

Doesn't Recommend

michelleannmeyer

Joined 10 years ago

Service just okay, everything else horrible. Where do I start? Our server was nice enough although she was the only one serving the entire restaurant. We ordered 2 appetizers and she ordered one of them wrong and never came to ask how it was so that we could tell her. When our entrees arrived the steak that my brother ordered (birthday boy) was way undercooked. They took it back and we were all finished with our dinner when it came back and it still wasn't right. We ordered a 2nd bottle of wine and they were out of it so the owner bought out 2 bottles that were $25 and $35 more. We ordered 2 desserts and they were frozen in the middle. We complained to our server while the owner stood by chatting with someone and didn't even comment or offer to comp any of our items. I used an online order system that wouldn't give me the rez time I wanted but the entire time we were there the place was only 10% full. Don't waste your time here and definitely don't trust them with your special occasion.

Recommends

Anna Roth

Joined 8 years ago

Cozy Italian cafe and pizzeria side-by-side in Belltown offers dependable standards.. The Scene
Owned by a pair of Italian brothers and named for Roberto Bengini, with whom one of their cousins went to school, this comfortable Italian trattoria is perfect for rainy weeknights. The space, found at the bottom of Belltown condos, is actually divided into two connected restaurants: A casual cafe to the north serves panini, pasta dishes, soups and salads, while the slightly more formal restaurant to the south offers pizza and a full bar.

The Food
Though the emphasis is on the main course, don't skip the antipasti: Pulipo con patate, a cold octopus salad, will hit the spot for garlic lovers, and the calamari al pesto is brightened up considerably with the addition of lemon--as a bonus, there's no breading in sight. There are more than 20 choices for the unsliced, plate-size pizzas--the four cheese variety is simplicity in itself, a satisfying blend of mozzarella, Brie, gorgonzola and fontina.

Recommends

binman69

Joined 7 years ago

good pizza and gnocchi. sometimes they run out of gnocchi if you get there late....i find the place is very reasonable in price....service can stink sometimes....but the food is good and worth the trip...

excellent gnocchi!

Doesn't Recommend

yomama84

Joined 7 years ago

bad service, good wine. My dad and I went here for a father/daughter date night ready for some fine italian dining. I ordered a pizza and my dad got one of their veal dishes. After a long long wait for our food, the server brought me the pizza he had recommended, but not the one I ordered. I informed him of the mistake, he apologized and told me to eat that pizza for now and he'll bring me my other one. I was starving, so ate a few pieces of the pizza I didn't want, and ended up being rahter full by the time he brought me my actual pizza. It took them about 25-30 minutes to bring it out the new pizza (which was looong after my dad was done with his meal).

What offended me is that they still charged us for the pizza! The way I see it is that we were being charged for the same amount we would have paid if our meal was perfect, and the server hadn't made the mistake.

As a server myself, I understand that sometimes you just make mistakes... however a good restaurant should never charge their customers for mistakes they made! There are better places with better service and just as good food elsewhere.

Doesn't Recommend

rmahajan

Joined 7 years ago

very bad service. I went to this place on a friday evening with couple of friends. We asked to be seated outside. At that time there was no table available outside and we were told that a corner table is going to be available soon. So we decided to wait for it. After 15 minutes of wait, we noticed some people leaving and asked the server about the table again. We were told that the table is available and they will seat us as soon as they clean it up. Couple of minutes later, we see that the table has already been given to another group which had just entered the restaurant. When asked about it, the server said that he is sorry for the mistake, but that is about it. We were rudely asked to wait for another table to become available after all this. The restaurant didn't even have the decency to offer something complimentary for their mess-up.

Can't say anything about the food quality because we didn't get to it. But I would not recommend this place based on just the service we experienced.