Mano Bella - South Park

Love this place! Pasta is so delicious. A true Gem in Charlotte

Mano Bello in SouthPark, is the real deal for authentic Italian cuisine. Owned by Rafaele Patrizi, a native of Italy, every dish has that fatto a mano (handmade) touch. You can even watch the magic happen at their pasta-making station—there’s something mesmerizing about seeing fresh tortellini come to life right before your eyes.

The restaurant has a cozy, caffè-style atmosphere with some charming outdoor seating, perfect for a casual meal with friends or family. The staff, including Thien, Daniel, and Paula, were not only friendly but also super knowledgeable—pronouncing the names of pasta dishes with that perfect Italian accent. Grazie mille to them for making the experience special.

One thing I was particularly excited about was their lasagna, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. This lasagna is layered with thick, fresh pasta sheets, a rich blend of beef and pork sausage, gooey mozzarella, and a tomato sauce that was so fresh and flavorful. You can absolutely tell the pasta is handmade—it had that perfect rustic texture, almost like Nonna made it right in her kitchen. The portion is generous too, enough to share between two for a hearty lunch. If you’re in SouthPark and in the mood for lasagna, this is where I’d go.

While they offer great 2-for-1 lunch salad and sandwich specials (pasta isn’t included, though), they have some fantastic seasonal pasta dishes that are worth trying. And if you’re dining with a group, I highly suggest ordering a variety of entrees and sharing them family style—you’ll get a true taste of Italy this way.

Just a heads up—the cell service isn’t great, and the WiFi is hit or miss, so it’s best to skip the QR code menu and just order at the counter. The staff will bring your meal right to you.

They also have a small Italian market inside, perfect for grabbing top-quality ingredients or take-and-bake entrees for when you want to recreate that Italian feast at home. While this location doesn’t have the famous ruota di pasta (pasta wheel), you can check that out at their 7th Street Market spot.

Overall, Mano Bello is a fantastic stop if you’re craving fresh, handmade Italian food. Buon appetito!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food was pretty good but the concept they use - order exclusively from your phone, with an app that is pretty clunky - leaves the customer feeling ignored.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 2

The pasta is honestly pretty bland. Also the price you pay for the pasta is pricey for what you receive. I had to pay extra in order to get protein on my pasta and they barely put any in there. I feel like if you’re going to charge people for protein at least load it up instead of putting five crumb sized pieces in there. You would either not have had actual good pasta or have bland taste buds to appreciate the food. Some improvements can be made but as-is this place is nothing special at all.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 5

Food was very good, serving size was a really good value compared to most Italian restaurants in America serving overpriced pasta dishes, and wines by the bottle are priced at retail so you can get a bottle of barolo for $60 with dinner which is amazing.

Only downside is you don't have a server. You either order at a counter or you order from your phone through a QR code at the table. Can't understand why you need my phone number or email address to dine-in. If it's not a menu item you can punch in on your phone, you pretty much have to get up and find someone if you want water refills or need something like an extra side of parm with your pasta. We didn't get up to ask for it, but no one ever came to check on us either. Everyone was super nice, but hated the service aspect - some may like it maybe, but not us, and would probably enjoy the casualness of it for lunch more than what we thought would be a traditional sitdown dinner.

We'll definitely be back to try some of the other pasta on the menu for lunch soon.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 3

I ordered delivery and was left so disappointed I had to place another order at a different restaurant. In my opinion, this food was not edible. It was terrible. I ordered the pasta primavera and a ceaser salad. The pasta had barely any sauce and was so bland. No seasonings were used on any of these dishes. The onions and mushrooms in the dish were barely cooked. I just couldn’t believe the food tasted this way with their rating. The ceaser salad dressing was also terrible and bland. The croutons were also stale to where I could barely bite them. Lastly, I ordered the tiramisu which was also terrible. These reviews and rating cannot be real. I’m still in shock and disappointed that this was such a waste of money. On a positive note, I called the restaurant to make sure there were utensils due to me moving and the employee was super nice and gave me extra.

Food: 1

Service: 5

We saw yall on tik tok; we came today and were so excited to get fresh pasta to take home and cook. We told the two guys at the front desk; one was super happy about us coming in and the other literally said cool, like it was no big deal…. Hopefully next time the people there will be excited people wre finding out about yall…..
Service could be better

Atmosphere: 3

Service: 2

Honestly, very, very bad. They gave me the lasagna cold and the pasta had absolutely no flavor.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 1

I’ve visited a few times, and each time was fantastic! There’s a wide selection of scratch-made entrees, fresh salads, delicious bread service, full bar (spritzes are a fave!), and love the almond cookies! Bradley and team are very caring and always deliver a top-notch experience. I want to try some of their frozen meals to-go; they look delicious! ?

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Cute store and concept but if you’re going to serve pasta, don’t over I cook it. My wife and I both had severely overcooked pasta dishes and both lacked salt and flavor. The focaccia was wonderful. I won’t order pasta here again, but will maybe try the paninis, soups or salads.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 4

Love it here!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Build Your Own Pasta Made in the Cheese Wheel, Side Salad, Bread Service

A wonderful addition to Charlotte and my new favorite date night spot. I love how casual and easy it is to order (especially with a group). Everything is delicious. The pesto sauce is currently my favorite! The shop has great options along with a nice wine selection.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Bread Service

Great neighborhood option! Such a cute place and great service. The owner was there and checked in on us - great service. Homemade (!!!) gluten pasta and these amazing almond cookies. Top of the lasagna was deemed best ever.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Not only is the food fresh & local but it is incredible! Truly my new Italian spot I will be back all the time, the food is half the reason but the other reason is Carlos and his one of a kind customer service. Amazing food even better service this is truly an experience that I look forward to experiencing many more times in the future. Keep it up guys

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great food, drinks and service!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Tiramisu