20 Dock Street,
Brewery Wharf,
Leeds,
LS10 1JF
(0113) 246 9444
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Ciao Bella
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Can't really fault this restaurant. Starter of garlic & tomato bread was fantastic. My pasta was just as it was described on the menu, spicy and flavourful. My wife had Chicken breast with ham, cheese & tomato sauce, very nice indeed. Staff were helpful yet not overbearing. The owner/manager was very pleasant, he had time to chat and share a joke with everyone. We'll be back!
Nice decor and location, but the food is nothing special and the service is simply awful. The waiting staff are inattentive and prefer to spend their time chatting at the bar, and the owner is just downright rude. We've been here a few times, as we never like to judge a restaurant based on only one visit, and unfortunately the food does not make up for the fact the staff make you feel like they'd rather you weren't there.
Leeds is positively overflowing with Italian restaurants so there are plenty of decent alternatives; we'd recommend the lovely traditional Viva just round the corner from here.
This restaurant is a real gem in the heart of Leeds and I would highly recommend!! I visited this restaurant with my boyfriend, who has been on a couple of occasions before and had been singing its praises. I have to say that I am somewhat surprised at the negative reviews left on this site. I have eaten at a lot of good restaurants throughout the country and have to sya that this did not disappoint! The service and the food were both impeccable! The staff are clearly passionate about their food, paying a lot of attention to detail but without being overbearing. The venue is perfect for either an intimate dinner or a small get-together with family / friends. You can dress up or dress down. The food itself was wonderful. I can highly recommend the fish dishes and the desserts were to die for! This place deserves to do really well and I will definitely be paying another visit!!
I kept trying to be optimistic about this place during our visit, it has so much potential, but alas seemed to fall at almost every hurdle.
Service was with a smile but you can't help wondering how they can put such a brave face on it.
Positives: atmosphere; front of house staff attitude; decor; starter of mussels; seafood pasta main.
Negatives: bland pasta and pizza dishes; misrepresentation on menu descriptions; portion control; possible mild food poisoning experienced by one of our group.
I couldn't be certain but the way staff dealt with us at the end of the visit did seem to suggest others had been none too happy - half hearted attempt to offer us the dessert menu, overly swift collection of our bill settlement.
Ciao Bella - please try harder! I'd really like to see you make a go of this place and certainly wouldn't want future diners to endure the same experience as my party. Perhaps you should try specialising in Italian seafood?
Sadly I've been too put off to appreciate the no doubt impending improvements but wish you all the best.....
My meal was OK; a starter of mushrooms follwed by salmon, but nothing to write home about considering the price.
I won't be eating here again!
The 1 star I have given this restaurant is in recognition of the 2 good meals (including an amazing starter portion of mussels) and 2 average meals 4 people out of our party of 8 had, unfortunately in our opinions that was where the positives about this restaurant end.
Bruschetta so small that the cucumber garnishes were larger, rubbed with garlic so strong it burnt my tongue,
Undercooked, overly cheese-y Diavola pizza which tasted of the vinegar the Jalapenos had been preserved in, porcini tagliatelle served without apology with button mushrooms in place of the porcini's, and tiny portions of Early Bird lasagne were however the major downsides!
Suffice to say we will not be eating here again!
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