Ciao Bella Italian Grill and Bar

I have Celiac Disease and often struggle to find trust-​worthy gluten-​free dining options. I called ahead and felt confident enough to try it. I talked to Chef Brandon, and he personally prepared my meal and delivered it after going over options with me. I had gf pasta with a combination of alfredo and meat sauce. My daughter who is also celiac had chicken alfredo and it was also fantastic! They also had delicious gluten free rolls and a gluten free cheesecake (which we did not have room to try). Our server, Steven was fabulous as well. This was a fantastic experience. If i have any issues in the next 48 hours, I will add a follow up review, but I don’t anticipate any. Great food, some of the best service we have ever had, great atmosphere, and very reasonably priced to top it off!

Great ambience. We had the bruschetta to start and immediately knew we were in for a experience. The brisket gnocchi is amazing. Attentive service even though we were the only patrons not in the bar area at 2:30 on a Thursday. Definitely will be returning.

Overall appearence of the restaurant was cute. Service was good and attentive, as well as polite.
The food is what’s giving it the 3 stars. Reasons being it was subpar at best. For the Boscaiola, the chicken had the texture equivalent to rubber and the mushrooms were undercooked. For the pizza, crust was harder than it needed to be.

Italian-​inspired & Greek also, a welcome combination I’m finding increasingly popular in my travels.
The large dimly-​lit Dining Room & Bar offer a cozy & intimate atmosphere.
Bread was served with Herbs in a Spicy Garlic Aoli.
I thought the Seafood Manicotti & Spanakopita were just OK.
Burgers & Pizzas are reportedly very good.
Food ***
Added * for Atmosphere & Service

This food is awesome, the atmosphere is relaxing and it made my whole trip to Memphis. I came here the first night we were in town, when it was our last night in Memphis I asked my wife where do you want to go she said Ciao Bella! I asked even over Rondevue she said yes. It’s a great place to eat. Highly recommended. Teramisu was good too if you still have room.

Food was really delicious. Had pizza and pasta. Both were great. Service was good too. 12 inch pizza portion size is good for 2. And they give unlimited bread on the table. Will go back !!

I came here as part of a UYE as Kyle had the brilliant idea for a Memphis Eastside Pizza Parade, whereby we went to 4 pizza places over the course of a Sunday afternoon, and this was Stop Nos 4 on the parade.
The eight of us split half the Heirloom Caprese and half Carne Amante and the waitress suggested cutting party slices to make sure everyone got to taste a piece. Service was super good and helpful and I really appreciated the server taking the time to answer my questions about the prosciutto (I’m particular about my prosciutto now, after having been spoilt from eating the real thing in Italy a fair amount!)
I loved, loved the crust here (it was super thin — almost of the flatbread variety) and OMG — those Heirloom tomatoes were super delicious! Loved it so much took half of the Heirloom Caprese and half BBQ chicken back home. I also thought the balance of the toppings was just perfect — not too much that they overwhelm and cancel out each other and not so little that all you get is crust.
Btw, another Unilocaler joined us late and got gnocchi — I took a bite of his plate and it was great! Just enough of the starch and perfectly boiled, I am so coming back!
My rank for the Pizza Parade = 1^st place
Note: #55 of Unilocal 100 challenge for 2016

Great ambiance and personable wait staff. The food was eclectic and melt in your mouth decadent. Wonderful place for an intimate date night. Don’t forget to leave room for dessert since they have a pastry chef who makes them on site!

My East Memphis Italian go-​to restaurant. I’ve never had a bad dish nor drink! The employees always bend over backwards to make the dining experience one that isn’t forgotten.

Great meal, and great service. Our waitress Aliza was very good, and made some great suggestions about dinner. It was a freezing night outside and she recommended the Beef Brisket gnoshi (sp). It was delicious. The calamari was tender and the breading was very flavorful.

Had a very good meal here the other night. We stopped in on Saturday to kick off our girls night; this is a great place for groups if you are looking for something a little nicer but not too over the top fancy. We called ahead and made reservations everyone was super friendly and had our table waiting on us when we arrived. Our server April was amazing as well, she made wine and food suggestions and put up with a table of 10 loud women! I ordered the chicken picatta with angel hair pasta and Italian spinach… it was delicious and the spinach was some of the best I have had at an Italian restaurant… a very large portion had plenty to take home. My only complaint is on one of the appetizers the Goat Cheese Fritti… I saw it on the menu I love goat cheese but was $ 14 which is steep compared to the other apps. So a friend and I decided to split the price and share it with the table. Well, you only get 4 it turns out… I mean come on it was great but just not $ 14 great I paid $ 3.50 per goat cheese fritti and they are small. So, while these are delicious not worth the money at all. But, overall this is a great place I loving coming here!

Ciao Bella is one of my staple places. I go here for lunch and dinner meetings. Sometimes it’s good and other times it’s great. Monday’s adventure was just okay but I’m just going to call it a bad night on the eve of their new menu. Service is always nice!
My favorites: the flatbreads (favorite flatbread– fig& prosciutto), semifreddo (oh no, disappeared from menu), eggplant rolotini
My goods: bruschetta, shrimp diavolo, tostadi ravioli
My not agains: piccolo Sara– not tasty, just blah, two people at other end of the table agreed
Wines – they are always a hit with my companions
Drinks: had lemon drop once and nicely done; lots of Shirley Temples (another favorite)
Verdict: more meetings will be held here and I’m hoping new menu is fantastic.

Solid service and the food is high quality and delicious. Hands down one of my favorite places to dine whether it’s a casual drink with friends, a family dinner or hanging at the bar.

Ciao Bella is very good local Italian fare. I have been here a handful of times and I have always been pleased with our meals. The sauces are fresh and seem to be homemade. The pastas are cooked appropriately and served soft and tender. They have pretty good Calamari. The Cannelloni are hard to beat! Pizzas are pretty fantastic… Good food
I absolutely love the atmosphere! It’s quiet, dark, sexy, and you almost feel alone anywhere in the restaurant when you are there even if it’s crowded.
The service has always been superb and the servers and bartenders are exceptionally friendly, well informed, and fast on their feet. You will never find yourself looking around for anything. It’s already there!
Up until my last visit I would have give them a solid 4 star review and I started with 4 on this one, but there’s one thing that keeps slapping me in the back of the head screaming «it’s 5 stars dummy!»…
That damn Bella Burger I had on binge week was the best out of all the others offered that I tried! It immediately went to the top 5 burgers I’ve ever had when the first bite sent juices all the way down my chin! It’s not over the top by any means and doesn’t have all the «flair» you’ll find at one of the half dozen or so new burger joints in Memphis. It’s just really good, fresh, well seasoned, expertly cooked Black Angus beef! The toppings are there just as they should be and are crisp and cold. The garlic aioli was a nice touch but that Brioche bun was just the perfect finisher!
Bravo Ciao Bella!
I’ll be back to get the Grecian Lamb Burger. If it’s half as good as the Bella it will be FABULOUS!

The location is nice and central but that parking lot is a crazytown. Once you enter the restaurant, you feel immediately soothed. The low lighting, the 40s music, the clink of glasses. Ahhhhh I simply LOVE it.
The iced tea was perfection. I am one of those people who has a short margin between unseeet, sweet and way too sweet. This was so refreshing. I swear I got 3 sweet teas. The waiter even sweetly offered to get me a to go tea.
Ok let’s get to this burger. The Bella Burger is just exactly what it is named: Beautiful! I don’t like raw onions so I will admit I shoved them to the side. I spread that delicious garlic aioli on my crusty brioche bun, put it together, and bit into juicy (not greasy mind you, just pure awesome beef juice) beef nirvana. The tomatoes were ripe and cut to the perfect thickness, the lettuce nice and shredded just like I like, but the provolone covered beef was the star. All the ingredients worked in perfect harmony to make my taste buds jump for joy!
I have now also been for dinner and fell even more madly in love with Ciao Bella. Their calamari was cooked better than any I have had in Memphis. Not tough or dry or over battered. The sauces with it are excellent. I crave that garlic aioli once a week.
The Piccolo Sara with shrimp was so refreshing and light. The tangy cheese with the fresh veg was perfection. The huge shrimp are a good addition.
The manicotti was an indulgence of creamy, cheesy goodness. So much yummy cheese!

It was nice and dark. pleasant server was nice defiantly up saleing the food and drinks. Burger was good and hearty. Not to shabby.

Went here during Unilocal burger binge, got the Bella Burger. It is actually nice and juicy. The buns were pretty good too. Overall, the burger tasted good. Chips were also pretty good. Portions were good. Will come back for other food.

This place was great. I love Italian food and this place won me over. As we walked in we were greeted kindly and asked if we were dining in or outside. I chose their patio seating as the weather was nice. Their patio area was really pretty and quiet. Now the service was phenomenal. Our waitress was great, she told us the specials and even suggested some items we may like since we never been before. She brought out bread and their oil seasoning to start. My husband liked the bread. I ordered the Greca salad to start and it was delicious. For my entrée I ordered their pesto chicken penne which isn’t on the menu but I saw it on Unilocal lol and they made it for me. It was sooo good. My husband ordered the veal piccata and thought it tasted good. Overall, I loved this place. Great service, nice patio seating and delicious food. We will be back!

I remember Ciao Bella when it was literally a hole in the wall next to Kroger on Sanderlin. Since those days, the menu has (delightfully) evolved and the restaurant has moved to a larger location. My favorite time of year to visit is spring (aka NOW) and mid-​fall, when temperatures are ideal for dining al-​fresco, and Ciao Bella’s small patio under a pergola makes you forget you’re dining at a strip mall just off Poplar. There is something for everyone on the menu — an array of decadent pastas, crowd-​pleasing pizzas, and main course entrees. I somehow always gravitate towards the short-​rib gnocchi. Yes, it’s that delicious. Be sure to try the eggplant «fries,» served with a gravy boat full of their trademark marinara sauce. Inside ambience could use some work (really generic), but service is usually quite friendly. Overall a solid choice for the crowded Italian scene in Memphis.

I just can’t believe that I am just now getting around to coming here. It is a really quaint place with an even quainter patio that I would love to visit when weather permits (hopefully soon!).
My daughter ordered the cheese Ravioli, which she absolutely loved! I am pretty sure she gobbled it down in under 5 minutes. The portion was a bit small to her liking. I had the margarita pizza, which was just okay. Keep in mind that I have visited Italy recently so I am a bit of pizza snob. This pizza did not have red sauce, which was such a disappointment. The tomatoes and cheese were okay but just okay.
The service was outstanding from the moment we were greeted at the door until we left. I could not have been more pleased!