Bella Blu

"Superb ambiance, a true feeling of Italian hospitality in a fun way. Loud, welcoming, over the top and even extravagant. The food was great (we had octopus and buratta) but the service was even better. We had a minor inconvenience during our dinner and waiters went out of their way to make up for it and make our dinner memorable (they did not have to)."

"My friend and I went on a Sunday. It was definitely more crowded than I expected. We sat at the bar. We had sparkling, minestrone, soup, and one of their flatbread/pizzas. They brought out these little thin, sliced pizza strips. They were very good, but if I had known they were going to do that I would not have ordered pizza."

"My friend wanted to get a bite and do a quick little birthday dinner. We were looking for a place to eat and said walked into Bella Blu because it seemed relax and was empty. The hostess was nice. We were seated in a corner which was great because I do not like being in the walkway and have people pass me. However, our waiter Jaime, not sure I do not recall him introducing himself to us, was horrible. He ID us which is fair we do look young but he made a comment, " You look older, so..." And, I replied, "That is rude, but this is my birthday dinner." He did not even say Happy Birthday, just shrugged , because he could care less. The pizza was great. He kept checking on us over 5 times. May I add there were other people present and they were not visited a much as us. I may need to also state that we both are females that are of color ( West Indian and West African). I did not appreciate the over-customer service. I was uncomfortable and was debating if I should say something to the waiter. But, we both did not want a disingenuous apology. His whole aura exuded that he was tired, over it and did not want to be there or to be bothered. I hope Management can see this post and speak to him. There was another gentlemen who cleaned up our tables. He wore glasses and a ponytail. He was friendly, polite and seemed genuinely sincere. There was a dramatic difference between the two employees. As we left the hostess was kind, even the gentlemen who was a waiter for the outdoor seating. What was up with this man Jaime or whomever that was Latino, a big round and short in stature with greyish-black hair in a ponytail? We likely will not be returning. I also strongly feel anyone of color should not visit this establishment."

"Real Italian food! Feels like being in old Italy. Wood oven for pizza. Very interesting menu."

"Honestly one of the best Italian restaurants in the east side. The food was cooked to perfection and was extremely delicious!! The service was excellent and the atmosphere was nice and cozy. Will come again on my next visit to NYC."