I've eaten here several times. Â Service has never been less than excellent. Â The pasta dishes and entrees are fantastic! Â I love the gnocchi bolognese and sharing a bottle of Lambrusco (though its so good I'd rather drink the whole bottle myself). Â The bread with the Parmesan and herbs is so awesome, I'm almost full by the time my dinner comes. Â Wish I could eat here every day but I'd just get really fat. Â Oh, the desserts are awesome too!
Review Source:I have eaten 3 times here and each time the food has been great. Â Wine list is impressive for the suburbs. Â Wait staff are all friendly, hospitable, and knowledgeable about the menu. Â Needs bigger bathrooms, but other than that, especially with the expansion, it's a nice facility. Outdoor patio in summer is nice considering it butts a strip mall. Â Will be back.
Review Source:Well, I have lived in NW IN most of my life. We normally have to travel to Chicago, about 40 miles North to get quality food and good service. Now, I found this Ciao Bella...no more travel to Chicago. I travel all around the US and World, this is easily in the top ten. Well, the wine, main course, desert, service, and atmosphere was an easy 5 of 5. So, why an 4 of 5 stars? The seating was too tight. (I rarely give any 5 of 5 for the main area). However, I would definitely go there, with a smaller group, like two or four. We had 6 in our party. Most of seating was more for 2 or 4 or larger groups in the back. Best place I have ever eaten in NW IN!
Review Source:Ate here while on business trip to the area. Sounds strange to rave over a salad, but it was the best part of my meal. Â Full of raisins, and nuts. Â They gladly substituted gorganzola since I don't like goat cheese. Â The wait staff was wonderful and made this a good experience. Â The pasta was OK, a little disappointed in the tiramisu which was soggy. Â Pricey, but portions are huge and leftovers are a definite possibility.
Review Source:EXCELLENT!
We ate here for the first time last night and I was very, very happy. Â The menu lists many gluten free options - by far more than any other restaurant in the NWI area. Â I'm so happy to find a new gluten free dining location!!
The appetizer and my entree were delicious. Â The staff were all very friendly and attentive, the decor is very nice, prices are reasonable for the quality, it's easy to find with plenty of parking and they have an outdoor dining room/patio.
If it were a little closer to home we'd probably dine here weekly!!!
This is a restaurant that we go to for special occasions. They are very upscale for the area, and it is a nice time. The atmosphere is great and romantic. The prices are a little higher than our usual places, but the food is much better as well.
Recently, we went and have their Diver's Scallops (wonderfully prepared), my wife had their antipasto plate (she liked it), and I had their seafood risotto (the rice was a little under-prepared).
Overall, this a is favorite place for my wife and I. Even our last meal had a few inconsistencies, we will be back.
Still my favorite Italian place and the food is still top notch. Â The thing that has frustrated me several times is the noise level. Â Also the last two times I've been there I was looking forward to some great conversation with my friend and that was obliterated once Jim Bulanda came out to frank sinatra me to death. Â He's not bad but it's the same thing every time and it's entirely too loud for the small space.
Review Source:Hello Ciao Bella, welcome to Midwest suburbia! We're glad to have you....
is what I would say if I still lived in Schererville. I had heard about this place for a while but also heard it was packed at dinnertime since it's such a small place and so popular. I finally got a chance to visit and came here during lunch. Great food selection; I had a hard time choosing. After noshing on some complimentary bread with olive oil and seasonings I decided against the buffet and settled on the prosciutto e mozzarella panini. As you can guess, it had prosciutto and fresh mozzarella, but also I think some pesto spread on it. I was expecting the sandwich to be a hot one but it was cold. After getting over the idea of eating cold meat (I'm not usually a fan), I was thrilled. What a great sandwich. And it was so filling I barely touched my fries, which were apparently dusted with parmesan by some angels or fairies. Soooo good. And did I mention they made a cherry Pepsi for me? Delish. Service was great, food was great. Wish I could go more often.
My 1st visit was an overall good experience (3 1/2 stars); judging on the food alone i would give it 4 stars and the place & service alone 3 stars. Â The location of the restaurant is a little different; its in a strip mall type location. Â The restaurant is smaller than I imagined based on the pic on their website. Â The tables in the middle are pretty tight; set closely together. The atmosphere and the decor was nice. Â Our waiter was nice and his efforts were pretty decent. Â With regards to service, the ONLY two negative incidents were, one of us did not get a salad; he eventually admitted that he forgot, altho I appreciate his honesty, BUT he could have played it off a little better. Â He said he forgot and by the time he realized, out entrees were on the way out and he 'figured' he didn't want the salad anymore, since we didn't say anything..... ummm yeah I don't think he should have just assumed that! Regardless, our food was actually yummy-good!! Â Our order consisted of whitefish w/spinach, chicken alfredo, and one pasta vegetarian dish (capellini primavera). Â We all enjoyed our dishes!! Lastly, we had dessert; the gelato was really good and the mango sorbet was surprisingly very good!!!! btw they ONLY serve wine, no mixed drinks =( Â . Â The waiter stated that the restaurant is working on the license to sell a more variety of drinks.
Review Source:The food was very good. Â Bread was warm, salad was very tatsty, main course hot and plentiful. Â The service from our waiter was very good. Â The wine was a bit pricy at 8 bucks a glass. Â Drawbacks had nothing to do with the food. Â The room is loud so if you bring anyone that is hard of hearing they might not enjoy that too much, the tables are pretty cramped together and the bar area/waiting area is really too small. Â Hopefully they can expand to a location that is not so cramped overall. Â The place is located in a little strip typye mall and this is a redone store made into a restaurant or at least that is how it comes off. Â Over all though it was a very pleasant dining experience and you just go with the flow when you know the food is worth it.
Review Source:Overall experience is good. Â Good food and attentive service. Â We were a big group (with kids!) and the service was great...slow at times but all the servers were eager to help.
I love their appetizers. Â Calamari, bruschetta, and eggplant salad were outstanding. Â Pasta was good but not extraordinary. Â It is a wee bit too salty for me.
Consistently and excellently  prepared and presented entrées. The private label cabernet is more than adequate and a steal at $20.00. I highly recommend you choose your meal from the specials offered that day, if not you may be diappointed.  I will definitely return and so will you.
Review Source:We tried Ciao Bella on their cooking demonstration evening had a lovely time. Â There were four courses and four wines. Â They were very generous with the pours.
I loved the community table seating. Â We met some nice people. Â The host was very gracious and chatted with all the diners.
There was a singer that evening (Jim Balanda) and that really made the evening. Â
Dinner was $45 plus tax and tip. Â We signed up for next month's demonstration upon leaving. Â
Good food, great service, fun evening!
This place is cozy inside and has pretty good food.
The bread was a nice consistency, and the ground spices for the oil that come with added a nice touch. I had the linguine al frutti di mare. It had a good portion size, and was cooked perfectly.
My only complaint is the speed and attentiveness of the service. Everyone is extremely friendly, but it seems like a long time goes by between check-ups. There is a difference between not rushing you, and letting you sit 20+ minutes with empty wine glasses, waiting for your check.
The food is very Italian ....as is the service! Perfectly cooked calimari (wasn't chewy at all like a lot of older places) beautiful pasta. Â It was unnerving to have them be out of so many things including panna cotta!! Â However the peach bellini made up for it
Many other reviews have commented on the service. My feeling on it is that it is very Italian...slow yet friendly. I think you just have to go understanding this isn't Olive Garden where they are interested in getting you done and out ASAP!
Authentic, and they have the little italian nuances down...but i'm afraid I couldn't bring myself to go back. Â Went for lunch and it took 2 hours from the time we sat down to the time we walked out the door. Â Not a place to go if you are trying to grab a quick lunch. Â Food was ok, nothing astounding. Â It's on par with some of the other Italian fair in the area. Â
Stick with the pastas if you do go. Â
I couldn't get comfortable in this place if I tried. Â There is little room and you are packed like sardines (from sardinia). Â I can give them two stars for staying true to the authenticity, but that's where it stops.
The only thing I did enjoy was an olive spread they provided. Â Everything else was salty or peppery. Â It was incredibly loud with a horrible lounge singer. Â I normally can find something nice to say about any place. Â I also only went their once when it first opened, but that was enough for me.
Review Source:I had lunch here today with a girlfriend and was not disappointed. They had a buffet special that had a nice assortment of dishes. On todays buffet they were serving mixed salad, meatballs in red sauce (delicious); meat filled ravioli in a cream sauce; sauted vegetables and pork chops. I am not a pork chop fan and these did not win me over. I only ate half the pork chop but the rest of the  food was glorious! Did I mention that the buffet came with bread, dipping oil, spices, Parmesan cheese and dessert? All fabulous. I drink a lot of water and they were constantly refilling my glass without me having to ask, taking away dirty plates and VERY courteous. We arrived at about 12 and by 1 the place was packed out. I will definitely be stopping  by again and can't wait till I have another birthday to celebrate!
Review Source:We had lunch there and there were five in our party. Â Two of us received cold soup which was remedied by the staff. Â The others had salads which were very good. Â All of us ordered different entrees, my calzone looked great, but was mostly just bread. Â No one drank wine or beer and three of us had only water. Â Our bill came to $130.00 not including tip. Â This was way too pricey for an afternoon lunch for five people.
Review Source:I have been there twice; once for dinner, which was mediocre and once for their wine tasting nights. I have no plans to go back for their wine tasting again. The music was too loud and one table turned the middle of the restaurant into there own dance club, I'm guessing the wait staff knew them because much of their free time was spent socializing or dancing while we waiting on our next wine. This was really disturbed our groups night of wine and fellowship.
Also I found the servers knowledge of the wine lacking, everything he said about one wine could also been said about the other wine.
I gave it 3 stars b/c I would go back for the food.
My husband and I came here on a Friday evening. The place was hoppin' but we still got sat immediately. As we were sat, the host set menus and a wine list on our table. As soon as he left, the waitress was at our table asking for drinks. Since I hadn't yet had the opportunity to look over the wine list, I said, "I'll just have water for now and need a moment to look over the menu". My husband agreed. Then, she snatched up the wine list and ran off with it. Uh... how am I supposed to order wine without looking at the wine list?
We looked over the food menu while the waitress was gone and decided on our selections. I chose the Rigatoni Boscaiola and my husband chose the special of the evening, which was a Risotto with Duck. Unfortunately, we had to order our food BEFORE our wine. When the waitress came back to take our order, we had to request the wine list again. We placed our order, waited for the wine list, ordered our wine, received our food, then received our wine. That is NOT a good order of events for me.
How am I supposed to know which wine to order before I've had a chance to look at the list? How do I know which wine to select before I know what meal I am having? These are things that Ciao Bella needs to teach their waitstaff.
Other complaints... The place was noisy, but hey, it was a weekend and they were busy. The music was a bit loud though. But whatevs, that's their mojo, I won't knock it. I'll come back on a weeknight or for lunch when the place may be quieter.
So... The reason the place is getting 3 stars is because the food is really very good. My pasta was delicious and my husband's risotto was too. I will definitely come back to sample some other pasta dishes, as I love a good pasta. Also, we ordered a strawberry mousse for dessert and it was out-of-this-world! It tasted so fresh and not overly sweet- a refreshing way to end a heavy-carb meal.
My husband and I went to dinner at Ciao Bella on Valentine's Day, Sunday night, and enjoyed this restaurant quite a bit. However, we would like to try it on a non-holiday. Even though we were seated immediately, it was very busy and pretty small for the steady crowd they had. My husband is a big guy that likes his own space and he felt squished. We were seated at a table for two that had one long booth to connect everyone's tables at one end and a chair at the other end, so we didn't exactly have privacy. The food was very good and the service was outstanding. I felt their prices were above average for the area, but in line with the service, ambiance, wine and meal. They do offer coupons for weekdays and non-holidays, so I think it'd be more reasonable then. They are still pretty new to the area, so I'd like to cut them some slack. When seated, I had to request a new water glass since mine had something stuck on it and my husband needed a new wine glass sine the shade of lipstick on it wasn't his. And as I understand it, they only have a license to serve wine and are still trying to get a full liquor license. Overall, I think the personality of the place made up for any imperfections. I can't wait to go back!
Review Source:Five of us went to lunch to celebrate a co-workers birthday. Â Â The service was very attentive, although there were very few in the restaurant. Â Â The fritto miso was very good, the calamari was fresh and the sauce was perfectly seasoned. Â I had the ravioli combination and it was very good. Â Their ravioli is homemade and you could tell. Â Â The co-workers that got the paninis raved about them. Â Our server also brought a complimentary tiramisu which was also deelish
Review Source:I don't know what restaurant "Mike S." ate at, but Ciao Bella was absolutely fantastic! Â The service was top notch - never a dry glass, leftover plate, or dirty table. Â They have a small, quaint dining area and enough help to make you feel like you are the only one there...excellent! Â I had the Rigatoni Boscaiola and must say it was the best I've ever had. Â Every detail was perfect - from the warm pasta dish to the delicious Calabrese sausage to the savory tomato cream sauce. Â I will definitely make this my #1 choice on Italian food nights...
Review Source:
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