Bella Italia

We went to dinner tonight and well I was not impressed. We were at the Riverbank location. The wait staff was attentive and pleasant. This was the highlight.
The bread was warm when it arrived to the table and had an overall good flavor however it was gummy in the center.
We ordered the cheese ravioli and the chicken parm as entrees.
The ravioli were ok but obviously not fresh. The marinara did not appear homemade. It was edible.
The chicken parm on the other hand was not edible. The chicken appeared to be be pre frozen and the breeding was soggy. The fettuccine was drenched in oil and the Alfredo sauce it was in only tasted of garlic. LOTS of garlic very overpowering. The dish had a side of veggies, well mixed frozen veggies floating on water.
I will not be returning.

The bread was amazing! It was warm, soft, and tasty! The butter spread that came with it was creamy and had a great taste. I ordered the Linguini Portifino with added chicken. It was creamy and so good! The chicken was cooked to perfection! Tender and juicy! The portion size was pretty big! I had trouble finishing it. Service was amazing. Very nice and friendly.

(4.5 stars)
Finally, Binky Bear and I made it out to Bella Italia AKA CARB CENTRAL. Being the number one recommended restaurant on TripAdvisor for Modesto, CA – I have been intrigued since DAY 1 about the infamous garlic bread and homemade cuisine.
Walking into the restaurant, I immediately noticed how dark the restaurant seemed — it took my eyes a few minutes to adjust to the dim lighting. Still, the dining area is beautifully decorated — a «traditional», classy-​looking Italian restaurant («homey» feel). There were a few other patrons in the establishment, mostly older couples. The waitress sat us at a nice, quiet table towards the back of the restaurant and brought over water as Binky and I perused the menu.
I decided on the mushroom/​spinach lasagna and Binky ordered the gnocchi with marinara sauce. The waitress was very accommodating, patient, and kind after Binky and I debated back and forth about the type of dressing for the gnocchi (do we go pesto??? or traditional marinara???). I was a little afraid she would be annoyed after we switched the order — however, our waitress showed the utmost professionalism and changed our order with a SMILE on her face (…thank you for sparing us the comments that were undoubtedly running across your mind).
The complimentary garlic bread was brought over first. YUM — wowee this bread certainly lived up to its hype. Large, hot, soft, garlic-​y, butter-​y pieces of delicious goodness. The bread is served alongside a little cheese spread, as well as balsamic/​olive oil. I loved the bread with a little hunk of the cheese spread! Binky preferred the balsamic/​olive oil but I didn’t find anything particularly appealing about Bella’s balsamic (tasted pretty generic, and I usually like sweeter balsamic). We finished off the bread SO quickly and when we asked the waitress for more, she was AGAIN so professional and kind about bringing us more.
The entrees were perfectly proportioned (thank you Bella for not skimping us on our entrees as Italian/​French cuisine sometimes does). Binky”s gnocchi was cooked well — really chewy/​firm and not overly soft/​mushy. It paired well with the simple tomato marinara and basil. The mushroom/​spinach lasagna is MUCH recommended — Binky and I both really enjoyed this hearty, generous dish. Lots of cheese, tomato sauce, chicken, and nice thick layers of pasta — PERFECT comfort food!
Lastly, we finished our meal off with a little dessert (…but I can’t remember its name). The dessert was lovely, and light. Tasted VERY similar to tiramisu but with a flaky crust on the bottom. The dessert was bathed in some vanilla custard with a little decorated heart in the middle.
Overall, the food was pretty much exactly what I expected — a very solid homegrown restaurant. :)

Really bad expirience here when you first walk in there’s a table right in front of the door all the tables look squished, staff were unwelcoming. Then we sat down the waiter was the only decent part. At first glance of the menu it was like I was looking at the olive garden menu without the pizza. I tried the all meat pizza and my friend tried the chicken parm my pizza was tasty but a little undercooked, and my friends chicken which was bigger than her head was a little tough. Really bad service the only thing I would come back for is the pizza to go, but they don’t have take out so.

Just returned from lunch here with my lady. Decided to try some Italian as our search for decent Chinese food has become painful and Bella has a high overall rating.
Bella is a medium sized restaurant that is kept reasonably clean. The bathrooms were very clean which is always appreciated by yours truly. Our server, Alberto, was professional. There were only three other tables at the time of our visit and they were all served competently by Alberto.
I ordered a Sauv Blanc and my Wife had a Zin. Both were acceptable and well priced.
We got the Calamari as this Appetizer is a great indicator of the skill in any kitchen. You’d be surprised at how many joints can’t pull off fried squid. While the Squid itself was properly dressed in a light crispy batter and correctly cooked, it was accompanied by a truckload of garlic. To their credit, it was sauteed just enough to get most of the burn out of it.
Don’t get me wrong, we love garlic. But there is such a thing as too much. In this case it was an unnecessary waste.
Entrée:
1. Chicken Piccata: My wife liked it well enough, but I thought it was a criminally lazy dish. The chicken itself was either frozen product or, precooked and re-​heated to hell. The sauce was flat and lacking that tang lent by the lemon, white wine, and capers. They could have faked it and squeezed some fresh lemon into the sauce to finish but no such luck. The chicken was accompanied by bland mashed potatoes, and «mixed vegetables» (These being of the usual frozen medley of carrot, cauliflower, green bean, and broccoli.) Gross…
2. Linguine Muscoli: This was a no brainer for me as I love linguine and seafood. Their rendition was of the spicy variety but was just too heavy and muddy. I suspect the sauce is not the freshest (possibly prefab) and is covered up with fresh basil and lots of garlic. The seafood consisted of clams, scallops, shrimp, and mussels. All were just slightly off on the cook and B grade quality shellfish.
Walking out left me wanting to have some good Italian food. The dishes were overly heavy and devoid of those clean, simple flavors that make Italian one of the best cuisines in the world.
I wanted to like this place due to the reviews, it is not another Italian facsimile chain store, and the fact that that I truly enjoy Italian food. I cook Italian often in my kitchen and have become quite proficient at numerous classic dishes as well as a number of more obscure rustic/​country delicacies. If I can do it better, there is no point in returning. Maybe after a few other places we’ll give Bella Italia another shot.

Hands down the best Italian food we’ve had! If only they had one in San Jose. All the dishes we have tasted have been made with perfection, succulent, and authentic Italian style. Not to mention the to-​die for garlic bread!!! Have never tasted anything like it! It’s unreal! Above Il Fornaio, above Original Joe’s, and Mamma Mia’s. Oh, and the customer service by Alberto was absolutely phenomenal. Definitely a must try. Enjoy!

I’ve been to Bella Italia a couple times in the last few months. Their service is outstanding – friendly and very attentive. The menu has a ton of variety, including meats, pastas, pizzas, calzones and even vegetarian options. Great, above average Italian food. But what they can really brag about is their freshly-​baked, seasoned bread served hot from the oven and brought to every table. It’s probably the best restaurant table bread you’ll ever have. Seriously! They serve it with a pimiento cheese spread or you can dip in olive oil & balsamic. The only negatives I’ve experienced at Bella is that, on both visits, I found/​bit into a small foreign object in my food. The first time was a small piece of wood in the side of vegetables (for which they comped me a dessert), and the second time was something quite hard and chewy which I’m still not sure what it was. But I’ll overlook that and still give the place 4 stars. :-)

With scrumptious food, a well-​priced menu, and professional staff I thoroughly enjoyed eating at this establishment.

Killer food, super friendly staff. They treat you like they really see you, not just another body in the seat. Everything I’ve ever ordered has been really good! From the bread and sundried tomato butter to start, my personal favorite artichoke ravioli for the middle and crème brûlée to finish.

Bella Italia is one of the best Italian places in town. You can tell they really care about making good fresh food, and they have a good wine selection to go with it. I’ve always found their service great, and the food never disappoints. I highly recommend you come and give this place a try.

Wasn’t a fan. I had spagetti and meatballs. The meatballs had a gummy taste to it that wasn’t to my liking. The warm bread was also missing something. I usually love warm bread but this one got me questioning myself. My wife had the spinach tortellini and that wasn’t too bad. The flavor inside was pretty good. I probably won’t be back.

Really good food. Entrees are larrge enoug to share so order 2 and sample. Very good service. Can’t wait to go back again. Pizza looked awesome

A gem in the city!
Love the service we received. I have never come across a better waiter than at this restauraunt. He was so attentive, polite, and gave great recommendations.
Cheers to delicious food and a great ambience! :)
Don’t miss out on this restaurant.

Oh my! So delicious! Pricey but so delicious! Got the stuffed shrimp linguini, cob salad, and another seafood pasta that I forgot the name of. It was so delicious! So flavorful. I want to share this place with all my Fam and friends! The bread is very good too. Great customer service. My only complaint was our table. It was placed awkwardly in the foyer area. It just felt really out of place.

Best pizza ever! 3 year old approved as well. We have been Bella fans for the past 7 years. They never disappoint.

If I could give more than 5 stars I would give them a 10++++
I had a large group of 30+ in town for State Cup Soccer Tournament so I ordered to go it was ready at exactly 3 as requested & it was hot and AMAZINGLY GOOD! Half of the group was 9yr old girls and they loved it! Went back for seconds & thirds!
I ordered meat lasagna, chicken fettuccine, spaghetti with marinara on the side, Cesar salad and garlic bread. Where do I begin the bread was some of the best bread ever and the fettuccine was spectacular, the lasagna and spaghetti were awesome and the salad was amazing!
The staff was so helpful and nice; not only did they provide plates, napkins & plastic utensils they even gave us serving spoons & tongs which was so unexpected but so needed!
Not only would I order from them again but would love to go back and eat at the restaurant because if to go was that good dine in must be out of this world! Their wine on display also looked like a nice selection.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for such great food and making me look so good with my team as they couldn’t stop thanking me for organizing this!

This place was a great little family italian restaurant. We had a young high school student for a waiter. He was a bit nervous at first but he was nice polite and knew his dishes. We loved the vibes. We came here with my in-​laws. We brought our own bottle of wine. We paid the corkage fee which I do not believe was too much. They brought us an ice bucket for the wine. This is a very family friendly restaurant. The food was fresh and tasted awesome. I think we all cleared our plates. They have daily specials and anything you choose would be a good choice.

Last night enjoyed take-​out from Bella Italia. Phoned in the order and it was ready in 15 minutes! The packaging kept everything warm and tasty until arriving home. The food quality was excellent for everything, the appetizers, main course, and side dishes.
I highly recommend Bella Italia for any time you want the best tasting Italian food to-​go!

This place was fantastic. No complaints at all. The atmosphere was nice and small very clean and quaint. The staff was incredible one of the best places ive even been to as far as service and food. The food, wow the fpod was amazing very fresh and hot, was not a long wait either. The bread is one of a kind nt just your regular pop in the oven bread you can tell it was freshly made there. I was 100% satisfied. My husband and i just found our new spot. Thank you Bella Italia for making our afternoon date perfect.

Quick and fast service. The bread is to die for. I recommend the salmon penne pasta for salmon lovers, the lemon based sauce is delicious. Ravioli is a smaller portion than expected but delicious– don’t order it if your starving though.
But seriously, the bread is amazing.

My friend was a cook many years in this restaurant and he (she) says that it has cockroaches and they use vegetales of the flet market and chicken the smells snub