We had an engagement dinner for my sister and her fiancé at Bella Ciao on Sunday night with a party of 11 in their private dining room. Veronica, the event planner, was fantastic—very responsive and helpful leading up to the night.
Unfortunately, when we arrived, no one greeted us. We had to find the room ourselves while carrying all the decor, and when we finally did meet the hostess, she was rude and unwelcoming throughout the night- leaving us all feel quite uncomfortable at times. A warm and professional attitude goes a long way, especially in the hospitality industry, and that was clearly lacking.
Thankfully, our server Stephanie was wonderful. She was kind, attentive, and made us feel comfortable the entire evening. Drinks took a bit of time but were delicious. The appetizers were great, and the entrees were mostly excellent—especially the pasta. A few chicken dishes were dry, but overall the food was solid.
We loved that they let us bring our own cake, which made the night feel more personal. The private dining room was cozy and perfect for decorating ourselves, with just a deposit required.
If they improve the greeting and front-of-house service, this would be a 5-star spot. Still, I’d recommend Bella Ciao for small gatherings and special occasions!
Truman Partridge
First time there! The food was really delicious!!! Had burrata, strawberry feta salad, lobster maflade & lemon cake!!
bdlahr
Mediocre at best. Husband and daughter got the pizza which was more like a Red Baron frozen pizza they popped in the oven. Nothing special, especially for the price! Eggplant Parm was very good, spaghetti on the side was lukewarm. Son got the strip steak. Okay, again just mediocre. Service was very good. Waitstaff was attentive and friendly. Atmosphere was good too.
J Mar
Came in on reservation and asked to be seated at booth, they gave us small table as there were 'reservations'. The parties they sat at booth were also 2 people almost hour later. They out of 2 drinks,(Wellers) (Mitchers) and took 20 min to get drinks we ordered. App was good, entrees *salmon and chicken milanese were average to below average, nothing special we were hoping for. Risotto was salty and undercooked. I have been here before and did not experience this. Waitresses super nice and thorough. Hope was 1 off visit.
Matifah Traore
Heather was so nice and made us extremely confortable
Carly Scherer
Great drinks and food. Garlic cheese bread was so good as was my Vodka Rigatoni.
Nikki Brown
On Sunday May 4th 2025 my family and I visited Ciao Bella for an early Mother’s Day dinner. While waiting for the rest of our party at the bar, a staff member—wearing black pants with rhinestones spelling “angel” on the front—loudly and rudely expressed that our presence at the bar area was “annoying her.”
Once seated, we were served by a different waitress who accidentally spilled water on us while pouring and later forgot to place one of our eight food orders. Though the restaurant did not charge us for the forgotten dish and rushed to prepare it, the overall experience left much to be desired.
The staff’s attitude and lack of professionalism significantly impacted our evening. Unfortunately, we won’t be returning.
Sarah Wheeler
Genevieve was phenomenal!! Great food and service.
Aidan Hayes
Food tasted amazing, the server was extremely friendly and was extremely polite. The restaurant was very clean and smelled good.
University Ancillary
Arancini truly lives up to its reputation! Excellent service and sweet staff. Well worth the 400 mile trip.
We stayed at the attached Embassy Suites and ate here two nights in a row. Between our family of five, we had a great sampling of their menu. Every item was tremendous! The service and management were top notch. Highly recommended for anyone coming to Buffalo.
Ieisha LaPorte
We were visiting here from Columbus, OH for my mother’s 75th birthday party. This was an amazing spot, the atmosphere was very laid back but not boring, the music was romantic and the food was amazing. My favorite was the Brussels spouts and the salmon dinner( the risotto is absolutely fantastic) Genevieve was such an amazing server, shout out to the bartenders for making our old fashions extremely tasty. Definitely recommend!!!
Shanyn Koe
Unbelievable food. Was served warm bread with an olive oil, balsamic vinegar and spices dip. Melted in your mouth. Had Lobster Mafalde for dinner, which was savory and plentiful. Exactlythe comforting food needed after a long day. Italian lemon cake for dessert. Paired with a Chianti. Everything was incredible, my waitress, Emily, was very attentive and the food came quickly. Thoroughly enjoyed this meal and will definitely return next time I'm in Buffalo! .
Ivy Calhoun
Heather was great and one of the best salad we have ever had definitely recommend had amazing music too even the kids loved it
Joseph Ognibene
The food was adequate. The servers are amateurs. Our server argued with me about a watered down cocktail. The manager watched the bartender pour a replacement drink. Guess what? It was a perfect drink. Management....I would watch the bartender. watering down drinks means he/she drinks for free later or gives drinks away to friends. Servers take your order and someone else brings your dinner. In my case someone from the kitchen I observed handling garbage. When we got to the theater after dinner, the people in the row behind were complaining that no one came to their table for 15 minutes to take a drink order and overall not pleased with their experience. Spend your money elsewhere, Buffalo is full of good Italian restaurants with qualified servers.
We had an engagement dinner for my sister and her fiancé at Bella Ciao on Sunday night with a party of 11 in their private dining room. Veronica, the event planner, was fantastic—very responsive and helpful leading up to the night.
Unfortunately, when we arrived, no one greeted us. We had to find the room ourselves while carrying all the decor, and when we finally did meet the hostess, she was rude and unwelcoming throughout the night- leaving us all feel quite uncomfortable at times. A warm and professional attitude goes a long way, especially in the hospitality industry, and that was clearly lacking.
Thankfully, our server Stephanie was wonderful. She was kind, attentive, and made us feel comfortable the entire evening. Drinks took a bit of time but were delicious. The appetizers were great, and the entrees were mostly excellent—especially the pasta. A few chicken dishes were dry, but overall the food was solid.
We loved that they let us bring our own cake, which made the night feel more personal. The private dining room was cozy and perfect for decorating ourselves, with just a deposit required.
If they improve the greeting and front-of-house service, this would be a 5-star spot. Still, I’d recommend Bella Ciao for small gatherings and special occasions!
First time there! The food was really delicious!!! Had burrata, strawberry feta salad, lobster maflade & lemon cake!!
Mediocre at best. Husband and daughter got the pizza which was more like a Red Baron frozen pizza they popped in the oven. Nothing special, especially for the price! Eggplant Parm was very good, spaghetti on the side was lukewarm. Son got the strip steak. Okay, again just mediocre. Service was very good. Waitstaff was attentive and friendly. Atmosphere was good too.
Came in on reservation and asked to be seated at booth, they gave us small table as there were 'reservations'. The parties they sat at booth were also 2 people almost hour later. They out of 2 drinks,(Wellers) (Mitchers) and took 20 min to get drinks we ordered. App was good, entrees *salmon and chicken milanese were average to below average, nothing special we were hoping for. Risotto was salty and undercooked. I have been here before and did not experience this. Waitresses super nice and thorough. Hope was 1 off visit.
Heather was so nice and made us extremely confortable
Great drinks and food. Garlic cheese bread was so good as was my Vodka Rigatoni.
On Sunday May 4th 2025 my family and I visited Ciao Bella for an early Mother’s Day dinner. While waiting for the rest of our party at the bar, a staff member—wearing black pants with rhinestones spelling “angel” on the front—loudly and rudely expressed that our presence at the bar area was “annoying her.”
Once seated, we were served by a different waitress who accidentally spilled water on us while pouring and later forgot to place one of our eight food orders. Though the restaurant did not charge us for the forgotten dish and rushed to prepare it, the overall experience left much to be desired.
The staff’s attitude and lack of professionalism significantly impacted our evening. Unfortunately, we won’t be returning.
Genevieve was phenomenal!! Great food and service.
Food tasted amazing, the server was extremely friendly and was extremely polite. The restaurant was very clean and smelled good.
Arancini truly lives up to its reputation! Excellent service and sweet staff. Well worth the 400 mile trip.
Restaurantji Recommends
We stayed at the attached Embassy Suites and ate here two nights in a row. Between our family of five, we had a great sampling of their menu. Every item was tremendous! The service and management were top notch. Highly recommended for anyone coming to Buffalo.
We were visiting here from Columbus, OH for my mother’s 75th birthday party. This was an amazing spot, the atmosphere was very laid back but not boring, the music was romantic and the food was amazing. My favorite was the Brussels spouts and the salmon dinner( the risotto is absolutely fantastic) Genevieve was such an amazing server, shout out to the bartenders for making our old fashions extremely tasty. Definitely recommend!!!
Unbelievable food. Was served warm bread with an olive oil, balsamic vinegar and spices dip. Melted in your mouth. Had Lobster Mafalde for dinner, which was savory and plentiful. Exactlythe comforting food needed after a long day. Italian lemon cake for dessert. Paired with a Chianti. Everything was incredible, my waitress, Emily, was very attentive and the food came quickly. Thoroughly enjoyed this meal and will definitely return next time I'm in Buffalo!
.
Heather was great and one of the best salad we have ever had definitely recommend had amazing music too even the kids loved it
The food was adequate. The servers are amateurs. Our server argued with me about a watered down cocktail. The manager watched the bartender pour a replacement drink. Guess what? It was a perfect drink. Management....I would watch the bartender. watering down drinks means he/she drinks for free later or gives drinks away to friends. Servers take your order and someone else brings your dinner. In my case someone from the kitchen I observed handling garbage. When we got to the theater after dinner, the people in the row behind were complaining that no one came to their table for 15 minutes to take a drink order and overall not pleased with their experience. Spend your money elsewhere, Buffalo is full of good Italian restaurants with qualified servers.
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