La Bella In Ghent

So hidden that I get excited to search all the more.
I was surprise with the number of people, the great number is a good sign.
A wonderful place with an interesting designs and décor.
Menu is on point and the servers are cool.
Italian cuisine is my new found love. Lasagna is love!

I have been coming here for years and the new menu has made it even better. I am a big fan of homemade pasta and they now show which ones are homemade on the menu. Kid friendly great food and happy hour! The staff are always friendly ! Oh and the wood fired pizzas are great! I also had the soft shell crab during this visit and they were great! Not fishy and perfectly cleaned. A must try!

Never expected to find a superb Italian restaurant in a shopping center in Norfolk Virginia but we did. Each of the 15 people in our party ordered almost everything on the menu and everyone raved about each dish. The sauteed soft shell crabs and the gnocchi were as good as you will find anywhere and their sauces are all like grandma’s…great place…

Delicious eggplant Parmesan and vegetarian (vegetal) lasagna. The Ceasar salad was perfect. The server was efficient and gave good advice. The Italian ceramics on the walls added to the ambience. The portion were so large that everyone in our group had leftovers!

What a hidden GEM we stumbled upon tonight!
My hubs and I are huge Italian food fans, and have yet to find a place that we love in the area; until now.
Everything was fabulous. I wish I could remember the name of the appetizer my husband ordered for us, but it was a mozzarella, portobello, red pepper and romaine dish. The portion was SO large, and definitely one of those flavor combinations that you can not just have one bite.
Chicken Marsala was on point. Veal chop to DIE for.
The service was excellent, and genuine. It was so obvious that these employees enjoy their jobs. Even if the food was mediocre, I would go back; JUST for the service.
Overall– a great night at La Bella’s!

Absolutely awful. The linguine and clams smelled like a cow pie, and the caprese salad was sour. Very disappointed, will not return.

Very quite and romantic atmosphere. Had the lasagna al fornoI it was good. Just s tad bit salty. The server was attentive and they have happy hour so the wine was half off per glass. Loved the cannoli for dessert.

I’ve always been slightly biased against restaurants in strip malls. BUT, La Bella is a great restaurant (despite being in s strip mall). We sat at a table near the back, which was so quiet, the atmosphere was almost like being at The Cellars! Ambiance was great — perfect ligthing, great music (jazz and R&B from the 40s/​50s), and the food was really good!
I just returned from a trip to Europe, so I was a little biased. I gave La Bella three stars because the food didn’t send me over the moon. Don’t get me wrong, it was really, really good. I recommend La Bella and plan to go again; maybe my recent Europe trip turned my taste buds into snobs. (Btw, the calimari was great!)
I had a date with the hubby here, but would have no problem at all dining alone at the bar (the bar area is really nice)!
And though I have my own issues with strip mall restaurants, parking is super easy at La Bella because of the nice parking lot!

La Bella is deliciousness through and through. My mom recently got diagnosed with Celiac disease, so going out to eat is a bit more precarious nowadays. We found La Bella on a site that lists gluten-​free restaurants, and it had a high rating for being accommodating. It turned out to be very true! The waitress was well-​informed on gluten-​free options, and she even brought out a loaf of gluten-​free bread and a small dish of oil just for my mom to avoid cross-​contamination. It was a very, very thoughtful gesture. The food itself was delicious. My mom had the gluten-​free penne alla vodka, and it was very good. (I had to try a bite too. For science!) My dad and I shared a Margherita pizza, and it was wonderful as well. Delicious food, gluten-​free friendly, and the nicest staff. A+ all-​around! We’ll be back. :)

Honestly, the BEST Italian food I’ve ever eaten. We went on a recommendation and we’re not disappointed. I love creamy white sauce, but ordered a red (not my favorite) on the waitress’ suggestion. It was amazing! We even brought the remaining sauce from our mozzarella appetizer home because it was SO. GOOD.
The bread was fresh and tasted like it had taken all day to create. Their wine selection is also fantastic. I’m not a fan of deep reds, but I almost prefer their reds over my favorite Sauvignon blanc.
We plan to go back in short order to try their pizza. Can’t wait!!!
Our waitress Amy was super friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable. Loved everything about this place.

Food was really well done here. I had the veggie lasagna and fried calamari which both had large serving size. Sangria was pretty good too. Maybe too much ice and fruit. Some drinks came out wrong and the waitress was new and didn’t know that appetizers were under antipasto.

Im a huge Unilocal fan yet I dont usually write reviews. BUT WOW!!! I told myself I had to tell everyone about my expience. I came down from Jersey to VA this past weekend to visit one of my best friends who’s in the navy. We came friday night with a group of 5 girls. We sat outside which was very cozy. But lets get to the good part THE FOOD!!! My cousin and I shared the chicken Marsala and the fried calamari. I really wish I would of gotten my own plate. I literally wanted to lick the plate. By far one of the best chicken marsalas I’ve had in my life !! It was something about the sauce that I cant even begin to explain. The fried calamari was amazinggggg Im so used to fried calamari being fried in this thick coat of breadcrumbs and I hate when theyre super greasy. Nope not these, they were just perfect :).
My best friend had the chicken alfredo and of course I couldnt help myself and stole a bit off her plate. Also very delicious.
Over all great food, great service, oh yea almost forgot to mention our waiter was very very nice too. he even offered to spilt the bill at the end which was pretty convenient.
really wish this place would deliver to NJ lol. but forsure next time im down south ill make a stop and most likely bring home alot of leftovers!!!

My husband And I went to La Bella this past weekend, I heard good things about it, and been thinking about trying it. So I called to make reservations at 7:30. Got there about 7:15−20 pm. They didn’t have my reservations, Even tho I had just called an hr before coming. The hostess was really nice, we get a table in the middle of the restaurant, I wanted something more private, I felt like I was sitting with the people next to us. So we had to wait to get another table since all the others where reserve! (I reserve one!) Anyways, we sat in the corner it was nice and def better than the middle area. Our waiter came to get our order, I order a glass of wine… I get my salad which looked good but taste was horrible! how can a salad be ruin? It taste like a dressing made with Vinegar and sour Orange Juice! blah couldnt eat it! It’s now 8pm and I’m still waiting for my Wine… Never got checked in if We needed Water, anything? But the people next to us got checked in every 5 min. they had drinks, and the ones that came way after us also got drinks. almost 45 min later I get my glass of wine, With a Bug in it (that glass it was prob sitting somewhere waiting to be deliver to my table) i waited for waiter,… as i am walking to the bar to get different glass i see him and let him know I have a Bug in my wine, It tooked him less than a min to bring me a new glass, now I’m scare he just took the bug out and change the glass, Oh well… I got over it :(
We get our food, it looks delicious. Servings where Small, we asked for extra Bread which was also very good. We got the bread when we where done with our meal, I barely had any water refills… I just had a terrible experience, and even tho the actual food was good I dont think I’ll be back to this place, the service Sucked. And that just ruins the whole experience. Maybe i need to be a regular to get good service? Or the waiter just didnt think we where worth his time? I do want to say that this was the first time that I hated to give someone a tip that they didnt deserve. Never again! It was not Worth My Bill.

Seriously? I paid 40 dollars for some of the smallest portions of food and sub-​par Italian. I could buy a frozen Italian dinner from The Teet better than this. I literally got half a handful of fries too? Never going back.

This is one of this places I’ve seen and had wanted to try. Tonight was the night!
After a week of high temperatures tonight was the first cool day so friend and I decided to sit on the patio. We were seated right away.
The menu had all the classic dishes from Bolognese to lasagna to carbonara. I settled in the veal alla Diana. It was a 16oz chop with spinach and cheese on a bed of mixed vegetables. Delicious! That sums up the whole dish. It was tender and flavorful.
My friend had the fruita del mare. The seafood was fresh and tender. The sauce was perfect. It was an all-​round great dish.
For dessert I had the limoncello cake and my friend had the chocolate flourless torte. What decadent desserts. I had to have a cappuccino to settle the meal.
This place is one of those Ghent restaurants that the locals know and love. I can see why and I can’t wait to come back for more.

I’ve been wanting to try this place for so long but I always end up settling on a different restaurant. I was in the neighborhood running some errands and I felt a craving for Italian cuisine. Actually, this place was in my bookmarks so I didn’t think twice but came here.
Before anything else I must say that is a legit Italian restaurant. I don’t know with other’s thought but I truly had a wonderful time. I don’t think I’ll waste my time to come here just to order a pizza. There are loads of good things about this place. The outdoor seating is a great feature to dine in. The interior is spot on. The entire place looks fantastic not to mentioned the warm welcoming vibes of whole premises.
Let talk about food, I didn’t order the appetizer because I was saving my tummy for dessert. For main course I ordered the LINGUINE FRUTTI DI MARE a bowl of mixed of fresh seafood (calamari, shrimp, clamp) sauteed with garlic, extra virgin oil, tomatoes, and Italian parsley over linguine pasta. The seafood alone was very delicious, its fresh and taste absolutely divine. The marinara sauce was magnificent. I thought the entire dish was seasoned well. It has complexity and depth of flavor. I’m glad I’ve waited for the dessert because that CHOCOLATE TORTE was to die for, it was perfect to end up my meal.
If I am going to sum up my meal its definitely a 3.5 star however I also have to commend the terrific customer.
The staff was friendly and polite. I love how they entertain their guests. I could see the passion of what they do.
Indeed, it was a wonderful visit. Yes, I will surely come back.

I have dined at this restaurant two additional times since my initial review of two years ago, now resulting in a total of three visits altogether.
My initial review described how much I enjoyed their SALMON PICATTA, which was one of their special additions during my first visit. Since then, I have refined my taste preferences as to how I like my salmon cooked.
Specifically, I now like my salmon cooked medium rare, with a nice bright pink and translucent center. In addition, I now prefer my server to ask me how I want my salmon cooked whenever I order it at any restaurant.
During my second visit over a year ago, I ordered their SALMON FRANCESE, which again was one of their special additions. My server did not ask me how I wanted it cooked. I decided to let it go, as I was curious to find out how it would turn out. As a result, it turned out medium.
Accordingly, it was not as flavorful as the SALMON PICATTA that I enjoyed during my first visit, which was cooked a little more toward the medium rare side, perhaps by a stroke of luck.
After an absence of over a year, I returned again two nights ago and ordered another salmon special, which was described on their menu as follows:
ORANGE GLAZED SALMON: «Sauteed Salmon glazed in an orange reduction topped with butter and mint sauce served over roasted potatoes and asparagus.»
Once again, my server did not ask me how I wanted it cooked. And once again, I let it go, which I admit was a personal failing on my part. I just happened to have a craving for salmon that evening and did not feel like being overly particular.
Perhaps, it is the policy of this restaurant not to ask their customers how they want their salmon cooked, deferring to the chef’s preference instead. If this is the case, I think they should reconsider this policy. If not, then I will be sure to speak up and make my preference known during my next visit.
This reflects a recent personal philosophical shift on my behalf on this issue. Apparently, I am not alone in my sentiments. To quote one restauranter during a recent discussion on this subjcect:
«Almost every upscale eatery serving quality seafood will ask the customer the degree of doneness in which to cook the salmon.»
I would love to see them adopt this practice. I can name at least one other restaurant in Ghent that does.
As I suspected would happen, the ORANGE GLAZED SALMON I ordered two nights ago turned out cooked to a medium temperature and texture, lacking in the bright pink and translucent interior I so much enjoy and prefer.
To be honest, I did not have very high expectations of this dish. I ordered an orange glazed salmon dish at another restaurant about ten years ago, and it was an abomination. The orange glaze was overly thick, sweet, and syrupy, reminding me of warmed over Minute Maid Orange Juice.
Otherwise, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise and was still quite flavorful, in spite of being cooked to a medium state of doneness beyond my preference. At least, it wasn’t overcooked to a dry and unappetizing state of well done, which has totally ruined a number of salmon dishes I have ordered in years past.
The orange glaze was not overly sweet, and it was not syrupy at all. The glaze was more of a light orange crust, very flavorful, and with its sweetness nicely subdued. The butter and mint sauce complemented the orange glaze very well and provided additional flavors which were most pleasant. The roasted potatoes and asparagus were nicely cooked and very tasty.
One other observation noted during this visit, albeit a very minor one, was that the complimentary bread with the oil and vinegar was slightly on the gummy side. I didn’t eat much of it.
Moving back to another positive note, my server and bartender was exceptionally pleasant, gracious, and attentive. The martinis she prepared for me were excellent. Overall, her service was classy and professional.
In summary, my main issue is that I now prefer to be asked for the degree of doneness to which I like my salmon cooked, which is to a brightly pink and translucent medium rare.
Otherwise, I would rate my overall dining experience two nights ago as above average overall, certainly enough for a four-​star review, but falling short of a repeat five-​star review.

I stopped in this afternoon for lunch, on a whim. I was hoping to get something to grab and go but honestly, I’m glad I stayed. The atmosphere was clean and rather peaceful — even with the Italian-​style music playing. I sat at the bar since I was alone. Again, on a whim, I ordered the smothered meatballs dish. It was AWESOME — so good. You can tell real mozzarella the moment you taste it. Phenomenal. The dish is a lunch-​sized portion but it’s hearty: a layer of French fries in spaghetti sauce topped with 3 sizable meatballs and then covered in meaty mozzarella cheese. It wasn’t healthy but boy was it delicious. The waiter was very nice, I think he was working primarily alone for the front of the house. I’d surely go back!

It was an interesting place… They tried to make it into some kinda fancy restaurant, but their little fancy lights that run down the bar a couple were out.
Their pizza slice was so small! Like smaller than my hand and they charged $ 3!!! For that tiny slice!!! I laughed when they say it down. Oh well I guess a good quick cheap way to make money off drunk patrons coming in from a bar crawl.
The pizza was a little skimp on the cheese too and it was really crunchy.
I could see through the «fancy» kitchen curtain back into the kitchen. It was cluttered and filthy and the man was handling everything bare handed and kept wiping his hands on it chef pants which also looked dirty.
The only good I found in this place was size of the wrap around bar and the Scooby snack shooter was really good…

Small Plates, yea right!
So, I’m a bit of a Portion Police guy. I think right size portions are amazing!
So, when I say the small plates were huge I mean it! Friend and I decided to do an appetizer lunch, we start with 6, but then decided, maybe we should scale it back to 4. Boy, that was fortunate haha.
So, here’s the run down. The Caprese was okay, my advice is never order one of these when tomatos are out of season, or else you get insipid tomoatos. The Goat Cheese dip was definitely the star, I’d reccomend it. The Antipasta, I dunno, I’m just not a fan. If you like meat-​plates, maybe it’s for you. The hard cheese that came with it was tasty. Lastly were the meatballs, these were pretty good/​Served with lots of cheese and sauce, we gobbled them up.
I think we managed to finish about 60% of this between the two of us. So, sumamry, small plates, not so small.
Our server was delightful, plenty of seating, although one small gripe about the seating, they had our table arranged for two so that one person was backlit by the window, I couldn’t see my friends face for most of the meal! Weird.