Ciao Bella

Pretty disappointing after waiting to go for such a long time. A cute place with nice service and a decent wine list but very mediocre food. A huge menu should have been a clue, far too many choices to all be done well. Very traditional old school line up but no flavor. I won’t go back except for maybe a drink on the patio.

It was okay. Nice environment but all of the dishes were heavy and my ravioli was bland. My boyfriends food came out with mine however it was the wrong dish which wasn’t corrected, instead they gave us free dessert. Cute place, not sure if I’d visit regularly though.

I came here with my family for my last birthday after finding it on Unilocal.I’m pretty sure I visited their former location years ago, but I didn’t remember much and wanted to check it out. We made a reservation by leaving a voicemail before they opened, and I was pleasantly surprised that someone actually called me back to confirm.
It’s a cute little place inside and I enjoyed all the old pictures in the entrance — I love things like that.
When I saw they had pesto on the menu, I had to order it. I LOVE pesto and rarely order it, but it was definitely the right decision. The house red wine was really good — and affordable — as well. And the bread! We ate way too much of it, but no regrets here. It didn’t end up being an incredibly expensive meal, either, and although it’s sort of out of the way, I need to remember to come back again soon.

Great little place. Good wines, excellent food. Service was good, too.

Call me an idiot, I dined here many moons ago, and wrote a less than stellar review.
So my father in-​law picked this for a post Fathers Day «Fathers day dinner»
I approached it with a positive attitude.
So our reservation was for 6:30PM Showed up at 6:20PM and were told that the our table was given away, uh-​oh here we go, 1hr to take our order 1 hour to get our food «with attitude» ouch this time even the food was not good. They acknowledge that they were short staffed, and yet the «New owners? who looked like the old owners to me» didn’t lift a hand to help. This time when I say never again, I mean it.
The new ownership thing appears to be a scam because they have done so poorly, the sad part is this could be a great place, great location. Unfortunately the owner/​manager has not a clue how to manage or staff.
Enough said.

This is quickly becoming one of my top places to grab dinner. Great location, they always have parking, I have never had to wait to be seated, great atmosphere, and the food is consistently good. The servers are so friendly too. This one gentleman who often waits on my boyfriend and I even recognized me when I brought my parents in for dinner to celebrate Mother’s Day. He noticed that it was a special occasion and brought us a huge piece of Tiramisu to split on the house. Always a pleasure to go out to eat here. Overall great experience. And the cherry on top — is the customer relations. Just knowing that they do realize you are a regular patron and appreciate your business by doing small actions — like the cake they brought my parents and I and welcoming us back saying it is good to see us when my boyfriend and come for dinner.

Had a chance to eat here while visiting my brother. My family did what all good families do at Italian restaurants and shared everything. It proved to be a wise decision. We had a little bit of everything, from the salmon special to classic spaghetti bolognese. The brushetta was delicious, with basil that really sparked from a nice peppery finish and oh-​my-​god-​are-​these-​from-​my-​garden tomatoes.
The only thing I wasn’t super amped about was the calamari appetizer. Maybe I’m soft and accustomed to the deep-​fried preparation that you dunk in club sauce (G.O.B.?), but the unbreaded, steamed platter we got was a touch on the rubbery side and tasted like a mouthful of seawater. However, the same calamari in the spaghetti ala puttanesca was perfectly balanced with the acidic tomato sauce so it’s tough to complain too much.
Seeing as how I was eating with my Mormon parents, I didn’t get to see the wine list up close, so I can’t offer much insight there. I am similarly disadvantaged on tips from the dessert menu, as we were all too stuffed to consider something sweet to wind up our meal.
Service was pretty good; my rule of thumb is that a water glass that stays empty for more than 2 minutes means your server ain’t walking with more than 20%. I waited a few times to get rehydrated, though it never got to the point of being actually frustrating.
I plan on eating here again the next time I’m in Seattle. I guess that’s about as good of recommendation as any place can hope for.

Absolutely love this place! My wife and I were looking for a bite to eat before a show at Seattle Musical Theater and our phones found this restaurant within ten minutes away. The service was courteous and attentive. The cuisine was absolutely splendid. We had the tenderloin which was the special of the day – it was cooked to perfection with a flavorful glaze. Wish we had time to explore the menu more fully but we were in a hurry. But this will surly be our «go-​to» restaurant whenever we hit Seattle Musical Theatre. The perfect combination. Highly recommended!

The best, most authentic Italian food and experience I’ve had in Seattle.
You’ve been to Italy and had the real deal. Amazing, fresh and perfectly prepared Italian food. Unbelievable. You search for it at each Italian place you go to in the US, but rarely find anything close. Ciao Bella has it… you can get it here.
My wife and I have already been here twice in a week. Perfect al dente pasta. Amazing sauces made from simple and fresh ingredients. Excellent, fresh and warm bread with the best olive oil and balsamic. Outstanding Italian wines. Absolute heaven.
And the service? After only two visits we feel like regulars. The amazing Michele made us not only feel welcome, but like we were old friends. Perfect descriptions and recommendations. He and the chef accommodated our weird no-​dairy diet with no problems at all (and you know Italians have to think you’re crazy if you don’t eat cheese!). We were chatting with Michele about all kinds of subjects, from travel, to food, to wine, to family. And with all of our chatting he didn’t miss a beat with service for us or anyone else in the room. If that’s not an Italian experience I don’t know what is.
Anyway, I could go on for several more paragraphs, but I won’t.
If you love excellent, REAL Italian food and hospitality, you’ll love Ciao Bella and Michele.

Outstanding.
Having come back from a visit to my home country (England) in the summer we are constantly trying to find Italian restaurants that, well, serve real italian food. We’d had some outstanding real Italian in Scotland and England in the summer, just as we had in Italy the year before but had not really found anything similar here in Seattle.
My (American) hubby remembered this place when he used to live in the North End and we needed to go to a school curriculum night and I was craving Italian to eat beforehand. We’re also (mostly) vegans and that adds an interesting spin to the mix.
As soon as we walked in, it reminded me of being in a real Italian restaurant. The floor, the pictures, the dark wood, the ambiance. Our server was outstanding. We told him we were on a tight schedule, and he obliged happily. Shared the insalata mista (no gorgonzola) was perfect. Hubby had the Penne with Tomatoes and Garlic (no cheese) and I had the penne with mushrooms and artichokes (no cream). Everything we ate was outstanding — real flavors, incredibly fresh ingredients. Bread great as well. I took some leftovers for lunch the following day and just as delicious.
We found our Italian restaurant in Seattle. Sometimes we’ll even eat some meat guys. THANK YOU! By the way, we’re coming back Tuesday with friends.

My wife and I had the most amazing dining experience here last night. We were in the neighborhood and decided we wanted Italian so we pulled up Unilocal and found Ciao Bella.
The food, atmosphere, and service were all outstanding. My grandmother is originally from Italy so I’ve had good, home-​cooked Italian food. This was every bit as good or better.
First, the atmosphere was great. It wasn’t crowded, and the gentle music playing in the background set the tone for a very relaxed evening. The pictures on the wall (we found out later) are real pictures from Italy of the family that owns the restaurant. It just made for a very quaint and homey feeling.
The server Michele (pronounced Mi-​Kell) is the brother of the owner Gino Borriello. He was incredible and really made the entire experience. He was unbelievably helpful and attentive and a true pleasure to talk to.
My wife and I recently relocated to Seattle from Atlanta. Apparently on the east coast, Linguine with Clams is done more often in a red sauce instead of the white which is more common here. When my wife asked Michele about this, he explained that a red sauce deadens the flavor of the clams somewhere. The white wine is more of a compliment. He even explained how, in Naples where he is from, they don’t even use the wine — just the water where you cooked the clams to keep the true flavor. However, he understood that my wife liked tomatoes in it (not a big sauce). He told her he knew just what to do and took her dish back to the kitchen for a couple of minutes where they added in some chopped tomatoes. The tomatoes gave it a small bit of extra flavor while not overpowering the clams. It was one of the best dishes I’ve had (and I say I because I kept stealing bites from her plate).
I had the filet with a red wine reduction, mushrooms, and a touch of demi-​glacé. It was perfect. The filet was cooked exactly to order and the sauce was a great compliment, but not so heavy as to overpower the dish.
We also ordered a third dish so my wife would have some leftovers for lunch. The other dish was a simple penne pasta with tomatoes, garlic, basil, and mozzarella. All of the flavors blended perfectly. A very simple dish full of flavor.
The food was so great that we wound up eating almost everything and had to order another dish of the linguini with clams to go. True to style, Michele said he would have it ready when we left, and I heard the bell ring for pickup just as we were finishing out last bites.
The food and ambience were wonderful, but the service from Michele really made the night. He was charming and pleasant and took perfect care of us, just like being back home. He even reminded me a little bit of Stanley Tucci who has played several great Italian roles.
I would recommend Ciao Bella to anyone who loves great food, wine (the Montepulciano was a great compliment to dinner), and service. We will be visting again quite frequently.

Delicious — wonderful atmosphere
Extreme compliments to the chef!
And now they are open for lunch!

I abolutely adore this place. I live right nearby and try to go here as often as possible. It’s tucked away under the dental office «Fiddler on the Tooth» and I think not many people see it! There is this quaint and wonderful outdoor seating area and also a great ambiance inside.
Now to the food. I usually get their steak special because the demiglaze sauce, potatoes, and broccoli are delicious and their cook on the steak is always spot on. I like it when I ask for medium and GET medium. The attention to detail is obvious in their food. I’ve also tried the sausage pasta with a creamy tomatoe sauce. It has such a great taste and the sauce is really yummy. The pizzas here are also very good — thin crust, savory, not soggy, good flavors, fresh ingredients. Also gotta say, the bread is to die for :)
My advice — TRY IT! Reasonable cost, great service, good authentic italian food!

Despite the greasy finger tip smears on top of my to-​go box and the server passing by side-​swiping my head with a paper table cover, I’d say it wasn’t too bad of an experience.
Parking was easy. I found a spot on the side hilltop. The restaurant is dimly lit and the atmosphere is very homey and neighborly like. I read a Unilocaler’s review from 2007 which claimed she was served warm bread. Fast forward to 2011 and the complimentary bread is now served cold. Cold when seated and cold when replenished. For my entrée I ordered the Lasagna Del Giorno. Delicious. I also had the lemon sorbet for dessert. Nice presentation/​creation: a frozen lemon rind with sorbet filling.
I suppose if you want a break from Pallino in the U-​Village then let this be your alternative.

Today I visited Ciao Bella and ordered the LINGUINE CAFONE and although very flavorful, my dish was heavily loaded w/​olive oil, so much that it stopped looking appetizing on my plate after I finished a portion of it b/​c the ingredients were drenched in oil! Needless to say, I didn’t finish my plate. I’m not sure if traditional plates are supposed to be that oily, if so, maybe I’m not meant to eat true Italian food.
However, this experience won’t keep me from continuing my search for tasty Italian food, it’ll just keep me from returning to the restaurant. ha!

I’ve been to Ciao Bella on several occasions, considering my workplace is just across the street. But those times, I’ve gone here… the whole restaurant was reserved for my office and it was for lunch time.
For this visit, we were celebrating my sister’s birthday early. We got there right when they opened, so we were the first guests and were well served. Our waiter was just a sweetheart. He made sure we knew the night’s specials and brought out our drinks and bread in an orderly fashion. I love how they have the carafe for water on your table.
I ordered the Linguini alle Vongola. Basically, it was linguini with clams in a white wine sauce. It was delicious! It was bit on the spicy side for me, but it brought out a lot of flavor! There was a good amount of clams added, but I will say… they were really tiny. As for dessert, I went for the yet simple Italian ice cream of Spumoni. Along with it came a lady finger. If anything, I tasted more cherry than the chocolate and pistachio in the ice cream more than anything else. Bleh.
Other than that, the food was great, the service was great… I’ll be coming back for other entrees to try out.

***Great Ambience and Cozy Dining Experience***
I do not come out to the North end of Seattle as much but my uncle invited us to dinner here. Chao Bella has been around 12 years and in its new location for just over year because the old place had a fire. They remodel from the ground up and the décor is a cozy but intimate for all seasons.
The menu has many traditional but also have creative specials such as wild boar, grilled swordfish and grilled halibut with cheeks.
We didn’t get a chance to order off the menu since the owner already decided a special menu for us because it was my uncle’s son birthday.
We started it off with Baskets of bread, dipping in some aged balsamic vinegar/​olive oil.
2 appetizers — The bruschetta with fresh tomatoes was delicious and fresh tomatoes with fresh mozzarella was delish.
2 pasta dishes — red sauce with linguine and a cream sauce with Penne. I really like the cream sauce.
1 entrée with chicken pollo and grilled veggies — the chicken was very tender and sauce was amazing.
2 desserts — I really like the tiramisu.
1 pizza — cheese, artichokes and olives… very tasty.
I also had a Lemoni drink that was very refreshing. I notice they need to work on the wine list but the food was very impressive.
Chao Bella has a great outdoor patio with a fountain that is wonderful in the spring & summer. They also have great coffee since the beans are straight from Italy.
This is a great place to go with a group of friends or for a more intimate date night. I definitely will be back!

I’ve come to this restaurant twice in the last few months, once for a birthday party, and once for a going away party. It’s got great ambiance, the set up is nice, but still casual at the same time. The waiters did a great job of accommodating large parties, and were nice enough to ask how we would like our checks split while ordering.
There’s bread set out before your food arrives and you can make your own dip with the oil and vinegar they have on the table. I had a glass of Chianti both times I went there and wasn’t disappointed.
The first time, I ordered the seafood combo spaghetti (substituted with fettecuine), which was very good. The seafood in the dish was generous and the noodles were perfect. The second time I had another pasta, I can’t quite remember, but it had procioutto and goat cheese. I’m not a big fan of cheese, but I found that the goat cheese wasn’t overpowering.
My bf ordered their sausage penne in a cream marinara which he loved, although the second time he had it, it was a bit salty.
I’ve also tried their crème brûlée which is one of the best I’ve had. It’s light, the consistency is good, and it’s just the right amount of sweetness.
Overall, great experience both times I’ve gone, and I will definitely come back again. The service is very accommodating, both times, they were able to substitute the type of pasta in my dishes, and were more than okay with splitting checks.
Price wise, it’s appropriate, each dish is about $ 13 – 20. For a glass of wine and 2 pasta dishes our bill was about $ 50. Decent, but not somewhere I could afford to go to all the time.

I love this place!
Great foods! Good service, Very Friendly!
Nice atmosphere…
Will come again for good Itallian favorites…

I really like this place, my mom knows the owner.
Food tastes really good they always have fresh pasta they make from scratch from what the owner has told me.
They have specials too. I had a salmon stuffed ravioli with something it was sooooo good.
I don’t go there much because of the pricing and because its far from where I live but its a small restaurant but very beauifully set. You feel welcome and i should go there soon. I’m craving pastaaaa YUMMY