08/17/09

Tutta Bella - Issaquah

by horrendous

I am rarely so dissapointed in a restaurant that I feel compelled to write a review, but Tutta Bella in Issaquah stands out as one of the worst pizza places I have EVER dined at!

This so called neopolitan pizza was a sopping wet, under-cooked mess covered with a few splotches of tomato puree a couple of dots of something like cheese and a few tasteless sausages and mushrooms. It was entitled the 'Tutta Bella'. Evidently one of their signature creations.

I am an experienced home pizza cook and a former Chicagoan who loves and appreciates a wide variety of pizza styles. Freschetta makes a better product than this restaurant!

Enter at your own risk, or better yet, opt for Serious Pie or another place where the chefs have received some proper training...

• Pros: None
• Cons: Everything

06/23/09

Are you kidding?

by Lousy

I'm not sure what I am more disappointed in ... the wet soggy pizza or the reviewers who are dishing out 5 star reviews for this pizza.

We visited Issaquah's new Tutta Bella restaurant. We ordered a salad and a pizza. What did we get? A great salad and a wet pizza. Correct me if I am wrong but Neapolitan pizza is NOT served with the characteristics of a half soaked bar rag. This pie was SWIMMING with liquid in the center. The combination of mozzarella cheese, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, and San Marzano tomatoes are traditionally a great combination ... however in Tutta's pie shop the flavors are not to be found. I am quite familiar with the "Neapolitan-style" pizza. This pizza's crust was under cooked to an obnoxious limp disaster. This was an absolute fraud. The sad idea is Tutta's passes off their pizza as Neapolitan but in reality...it's just another American rip-off in name only. I love the idea of a wood-fire oven but if the cooks can't control ingredients and heat Tutta's should consider using an electric oven. Even worse? People who are eating this stuff and thinking it's "wonderful" are fooling themselves. Clearly these people are confused between quality and cr-p which is being pawned off as "authentic. But then again, here in America most garbage Is considered quality. As long as business owners print a high price on the menu next to the slop they serve and fancy up the place with some high end lighting idiots will consider it "good as gold" because someone else told them what to believe. This pizza was poor at best.

• Pros: House Salad
• Cons: Pizza

06/17/09

Great place!

by slandle4

The food is delicious. Order any pizza with the Napoli salad and make sure you save room for the tiramisu...some of the best I've ever had. This is a great place to bring a group of friends. The portions are generous, the price is reasonable, and the atmosphere is fun. The pizzas are very authentic so even the harshest foodies will enjoy themselves!

• Pros: food, service, parking
• Cons: none

02/05/08

My kid's favorite

by Philwebster

My kids love this place which makes dinner REALLLLY easy when mom isn't around.

Fast service and casual. Not that anyone cares when it comes to pizza, but it's nice that it's not to heavy. Great flavors....Dad's best friend.

• Pros: great for kids
• Cons: none really

01/01/08

Not bella, just OK

by golito

The formula here is simple buckets of cheap wine, hoards of SUV drivers full of Yuppies and their kids from who knows where, and lots of hype about authentic Italian Pizza. Expect a hassle for parking, a line for the cafateria style seating an OK pizza, and a cheap tab. The Pizza is pretty much a cracker with the toppings applied -- really an appetizer or a light dinner.

• Pros: Good for an early afternoon bite and drink
• Cons: Parking zoo looks to be pretty dangerous

12/19/07

So many kids!!!

by jtripper22

Sort of a drag to wait so long while the noise is through the rafters. The menu is simple and easy to navigate through, which is probably why it's good for kids. The service is fine...okay, pretty good actually, but you can barely hear what your friend/date/accompanying party members are saying over all of the kids and the chairs moving in and out, and parents telling the kids to be quite. I am single and love dining out, so I'm biased in that way. If I had kids I'd come here - the house wine is pretty good, the tiramisu is excellent, and the pizza is pretty darn good, despite what some of the other reviews are saying (although, sometimes a little soggy in the middle). I can usually eat a whole pizza myself, so if you're with someone and she'll only want one pizza, get a salad.

• Pros: Good pizza and wine at a reasonable price
• Cons: KIDS EVERYWHERE!!!

09/28/07

Excellent service, lack-luster pizza for the price

by seattle_mb

I ordered the basic Margahretta pizza expecting our taste buds to explode. The pizza was luke warm, the "buffalo" mozzarella cheese tasted like it had been in the fridge for a few days, and I was disappointed with the crust. The crust tasted like it had been previously frozen. It felt like the restaurant was cutting corners with the quality of ingredients. The pie was skimpy on cheese and basil too. Aside from the cheese, The frozen Italian pizza from Trader Joe's is just about as good as Tutta Bella. Tutta Bella's sauce is much better than anything frozen, but at $10 a pie, the overall pizza is not worth it, and I think Trader Joe's at $5 a pie is a pretty close second to Tutta Bella.

I agree with the other reviewers that the service was excellent. Prompt, friendly, informative. No complaints. Also, this is a very family friendly place. It was packed with young kids and watchful parents dining on simple, Ikea wooden tables. I would not take a date to this place, but I would recommend it to families with kids. The kid's pizza, at $8 (it's the same size as the other pizzas) is probably the best deal and the best tasting pizza on the menu.

08/03/07

Not what it used to be!!

by asilwo

Despite its sleek decor and hip staff this Tutta Bella has lost its soul. After several recent visits I have found that it reminds me of the snack stand at Disneyland?s Tomorrow Land packed with zillions of toddlers and their exhausted parents, oblivious of the ?out for an evening? non parents to reign in their screaming kids while waiting for sub-standard cold pizza. I was there recently and the table ordered three pizzas which were served less than luke warm with uncooked dough. The toppings were skimpy and flavorless as though freeze dried and reconstituted. This atmosphere is like a daycare. The noise level was intolerable. The service however was very good and our server was prompt and attentive which was a good thing because we could not wait to leave! We?ve tried to hang in there but have decided to secede to the little people.

• Pros: Prompt Service
• Cons: Unpleasant atmoshphere, dull food

07/31/07

Closest to Italian Pizza in Town!

by angelatini

I have absolutely no idea what the other reviews are about. TUTTA BELLA ROCKS!! The salads are plentiful and wonderfully flavorful. The espresso is out of this world good...literally just like I had when in Italy. The gelato (my favorite the Nutella flavor) is simply amazing.

And the pizza? There is a reason they have that Authentic Neapolitan thing associated with their name. No pizza is going to taste precisely like it's from Italy. It just doesn't and won't. But, by far, this is the BEST pizza and CLOSEST to the real thing in town.

It's thin crust, not deep dish, (in my opinon that's like eating butter cake...gross) and it's consistency and taste is right on.

I am speaking as an Italian-American with an actual Italian native as a fiance. I was GIDDY when I found Tutta Bella because at least he will have a place here with food like home. He'll be here in one week and we'll visit Tutta Bella. I'll ask him to write a review, too. Because all the others are dead wrong.

If you want Pizza Hut, stay home and order your butter cake!

• Pros: Pizza. Nutella Gelato. AMAZING Espresso.
• Cons: Location. Parking lot has small spaces.

06/06/07

HORRIBLE. Don't go there to eat pizza.

by fefethompson

This pizza was horrible. We tried two pizzas, and the crust had no flavor, and was soggy. The sauce was like they just used pureed tomatoes and added no extra flavoring. The toppings were exactly like the menu said. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I've had pizza in New York, and pizza in Italy...and this is wayyyy off the mark.