Bella's Ristorante 41 Chamberlain Highway, Berlin, CT 06037

"So glad to be living back in Connecticut again so that we can be regulars at Bella's again! The absolute best stromboli and pizza and grinders. Highly recommend this place."

"Terrific neighborhood restaurant. The staff is terrific. Food and service always pleasing. I and my hiking friends pop in a few times every year. Stop by... you'll like it! Carol Ann McCormick"

"*Editing this review to add a 2nd post: Lessons to be learned, hopefully by all. Today’s experience- Nov. 2023: I’m compelled to update this review from my experience today… my previous one is still included below. Regularly on Thursday’s my wife and I meet with friends for a 6pm event where we can’t be late and where we need to bring something to eat. My wife loves stromboli, and Bella’s is one of the few places in the area that makes it. We ordered through an App at 5:15pm for Stromboli and a small special pizza, which we were told would be ready for 5:45pm. Our event destination was only a couple mins away from Bella’s, so this timing was perfect. When we arrived at 5:40 we stood in line because it was busy and spoke to the person attending the register at the exact time of our estimated pickup at 5:45. We were then informed that the Stromboli was just put in the oven, and we asked how long it would take. We were told 10 minutes. After we were waiting for about 10 minutes from then, we noticed a stromboli getting placed in the oven. After trying to get someone’s attention for some time, we made the effort to ask if that one was for our order, and we were told yes. I expressed my frustration that the food we ordered 45 minutes prior is just going into the oven. Meanwhile the pizza I ordered that was ready before we arrived was sitting on a counter(and not staying warm on top of the oven like everyone else’s orders) was getting cold. We asked to cancel the Stromboli portion and pay for the pizza because we were late for a commitment and asked for a refund. Because we ordered through an app, we were told there was nothing that they could do, and we left so we weren’t more late than we already were. What bothered me most about this situation is that there was no apology or empathy. We were directly lied to about when part of our order started cooking , and there was no attempt to help find a resolution before we walked out the door other than, “we can’t help you” from two employees. I’ve worked in restaurants and catered for years, and I know mistakes are made all the time; especially when things get busy. I would have a completely different impression on this experience if I received honesty and transparency when we asked for our order. I know the person attending the register wasn’t the one responsible for cooking our food , but if he said right from the start, “I’m so sorry. It’s been a busy night and we missed getting part of your order in the oven on time. It’s going to take about 20 minutes to get that done(which is how long it really would have taken). Do you have time to wait? If not, you can get a refund by working through the app you used.” The employees working here should feel empowered to handle this type of situation with honesty and integrity, and I’d feel much differently if the mistake was admitted immediately, there was an apology, and there was some attempt to right the situation at the moment. This is a failure of poor training, management, and ownership to not prepare their staff to provide appropriate service in circumstances like the one I dealt with today. Original review from 2 months ago: I did take out from this restaurant than I haven’t been to for years. The pizza and food are always high quality. It has two bars and that “old school” neighborhood pizza joint vibe. My only issue was that I was standing at the counter waiting to get my food with no one else waiting, five employees looked at me without acknowledging my existence. A 6th employee came out and and asked if I was all set as if it was a burden to ask."

"Bella's Restaurante has good Italian food, at decent prices. There is not usually a long wait to be seated. I often get the Chicken or veal Parmesan. The soups are good here too. Usually, a good flow of people getting pizza to go. For dessert, we often share Cheesecake and/or Carrot Cake, both of which were both very good. The servings are a good size, offering generous portions, and I/we have enough left over for a second meal for the next day. Overall, 5 stars as usual..."

"I order a mashed potato pizza with caramelized onions.But they weren’t actually caramelized onions. And it was just so flavorless. Just bad. I do not recommend. I also order a spicy buffalo chicken pie with crispy chicken but it wasn’t what I got. It would definitely be the last time I order from here. Btw I never actually love this place but my husband says it was better before with the previous owners."