La Bella Vita

Several employees still haven’t been paid their last paychecks. After two months, you’d think that the owner would have paid his loyal employees for their hard work. Such a damn shame — but not surprised though.
The owner gave Chef Ryan his last paycheck with a check that couldn’t clear the owner’s checking account. Chef Ryan had to wait three days before *finally* getting the cash from the owner’s daughter.
If you are a former employee and have not been paid, it is suggested that you file a claim with the Labor Board as soon as you can. 909.383.4334. It would also be prudent to get together with all of the former employees who are owed money and submit a claim together.
And if anyone had paid a deposit for an event here — and you haven’t received a refund — you may want to contact the owner directly. Abbas «Ed» Alikhani: 714.709.3068 (
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To bad this place closed down, it was a great place to have lunch or dinner with great service and delicious food.

Highly disappointed. My good friends and i were setting up a brunch meet up and we get here and its closed.
We called ahead and asked about the place, confirmed the times of business and location. We planned ahead because we all came from different spots in southern California. AND we just left after showing up to a clksed restaurant. Highly disappointed. The worst part is that we called to confirm everything, showed up to close doors and now we a re routing ourselves with two pregnant woman. Horrrible sunday brunch experience, but mostly upset because we feel lied to. Because we called ahead and now have to think on the fly.

I’m new to this area and have been on the search for good food in general. This spot caught my eye because of the live entertainment (which is always a plus in my book). Let’s start the experience:
I called to confirm whether live music would be playing that night (Saturday 6÷13÷15) I was put on hold for a minute or two then disconnected. I called back yes music was a go I proceeded to ask when the music was/​is over and was put on hold again. (Very rude)
Upon arrival the restaurant seemed somewhat empty its a very nice elegant place the lighting was perfect. There was a gentleman in the corner of the room w/​guitar singing. I was seated in a booth about 3 – 5 ft. away (it was really hard to hear my date or carry a conversation for that matter).
My menu choices for the evening:
Appetizer — Calamari ****
Date’s choice — Lasagna ***
My choice — Chicken Parmesan -* (chicken had spoiled)
The ambiance was nice but very hard to carry out a conversation let alone hear yourself think (a table in the other section of the restaurant (which was closed would’ve been a wiser seating choice since the music is very loud).
Calamari — The appetizer was good and crispy a very generous portion was placed on top a hot mustard cream sauce which was very tasty. I’d definitely order that again
Lasagna — The lasagna was a decent sized portion which looked and smelled wonderful. The sauce was flavorful not overbearing however it was a bit bland (please don’t be afraid to spice a dish up what’s the worst that can happen?)well needless to say the lasagna is good but not great. I struggled to find the meat inside the filling consists of ricotta cheese (very bland ricotta cheese) the sauce is simply canned cooked tomatoes thrown in a blender.
Chicken Parmesan — The dish looked so yummy it was served with 2 chicken breast filets and angel hair pasta smothered in the same sauce as lasagna and plenty of melted cheese. I cut into a piece of chicken (which was a fight to do, it was like hard rubbery plastic) the first bite I found tasted odd it had a vinegar taste to it. The angel hair pasta was hood it was just the sauce and melted cheese. The chicken on the other hand tasted off a bit smelly not a Parmesan cheese kind of smelly but a spoiled chicken kind of smelly. The chicken BOTH servings were spoiled and had been dipped in vinegar and were coated with batter and served to the customer/​s which happened to be me. I sent the dish back and requested lasagna instead (since I already had tried my date’s and new it wasn’t spoiled like my chicken)
I’m a chef and know when food has spoiled especially poultry! but to try to cover it up and serve to unsuspecting people is WRONG that’s how food poisoning occurs.
I gave it 3*s because everything else was okay but not the spoiled chicken the chef put out.

This was my first time here and it was really nice. We showed up around 9:45p and they still let us sit and eat. There were several other tables occupied as well. Apparently we missed the band they had playing. However, they have nice, cozy and romantic seating in the back that are very private. They had turned the music off but put it back on for us. It was a nice environment. It was not very crowded but maybe that’s because we came so late and the door says they close at 10p.
They have a divine wine selection. I wish I was able to try several wines. I ate the ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta I think… I also added chicken. It tasted great especially with fresh Parmesan on it. My other half had the lobster something… it’s the only lobster item. It looked really good and it seemed like it would be enough food for me, but he probably could have eaten something else.
We also ordered a tiramisu, chocolate flourless cake and free cheesecake thanks to our Unilocal checkin. I could only eat half of the chocolate cake because it was so large. My other half ate all of his homemade tiramisu. It was all yummie.
The service was great. The servers appeared to really just pitch in when needed. We got to touch base with three different people including our server. They were all friendly and attentive. I mostly like the environment.
I’m not sure if they turn off the waterfall in the front when they close… I imagine they do but that’s the only thing that could have enhanced the experience. I look forward to going back again

This is a review for their Sunday brunch. The food was okay. They had bacon and sausage, and omelette station, some prime rib, grilled veggies, a pasta dish, and a rock fish dish. Waffles were soft, French toast was good. There were no breakfast potatoes which made me sad LOL. The crab legs were okay and I liked that they had the shell on the shrimp. Made it seem very fresh. It would be four stars except I really don’t think it was worth $ 25. The service was good but they did automatically charge 20% on the check which seems a little weird for something like a buffet. They basically just refilled drinks and took plates.

My DD & SIL treated me to an early BD celebration last week (5−20−15) & it was our 1^st time dining here. What a pleasure. The space is intimate with a half dozen booths raised off the floor, bar seating & live music (guitarist/​singer). The owner, Ed was there & so very sweetly carried my 13 month old grandson over to the music & into the kitchen for milk & fruit. The pasta is specially made to order & my parmigiana was delicious. I posted a pic of the complimentary Happy Birthday cheesecake — equally yummy. This will be our «go to» place when looking for dining that feels like home.

I was looking for a new place for brunch.
Came a cross this place.
The Bloody Mary’s are awesome. Great flavor and really spicy. The Mimosas were excellent.
Great variety of foods. Prime beef, vegetables, pastas, sea food and pastries.
Open patio seating, awesome selections of wines and cocktails.
Service was great!!!

Came at closing time and the staff welcomed us anyway. Even with other large groups with birthday parties, Owner stopped by the table to chat. Food came out quickly. Eggplant and Veal were awesome. Antipasta is huge. Recommend.

This restaurant has excellent customer service. I’ve never been treated this well at any restaurant in Temecula Valley.
The food was great too! There’s a lot to choose from, and looking on Unilocal helped me make my decision on what to order.

We walked into a nearly empty restaurant and now I know why. The food was not the star at all. The host was an awkward girl that sat us. The server was nice and for the most part attentive. He seemed a bit nervous as maybe if the food was horrible. The establishment itself was inviting and the live music was a nice touch.
Back to the food. The drinks and the salad were good the bread was so so. Chicken masala and fettuccine Alfredo with chicken was ordered. Both were so bland that salt and pepper didn’t help. We aren’t even fans of Olive Garden since that’s not authentic and we were wishing we were at Olive Garden. If you are going here for drinks then not that bad. Go elsewhere for Italian food like Gourmet Italia in Temecula a bit pricey but 5 stars and worth it.
I’m being nice with the 2 stars… This place needs a lot of help in the kitchen or those doors might close. The menus were not accurate one had prices and one had incorrect prices the added chicken was $ 3 on the menu and $ 4 on the bill. This place needs help in the kitchen I cannot stress this enough. Owner please turn your kitchen around or your doomed. I feel sorry for this place.

My wife and I live down the street and we always talked about trying this place out. So we came in on New Years Eve (12−31−14) around 7pm. The place was empty but the server said we needed to wait due to how booked they were. So we stood there with about 8 other people for over 20 minutes and nobody got back with us. The staff was running around like chickens with their heads cut off so we decided to leave and try somewhere else.
So for Valentines day we decided to try it again. I called to make a reservation and the man on the phone told me it would be about a 45 minute wait. So my wife and I show up around 7:45pm and the hostess could not find our reservation. Not to mention the restaurant was packed along with a lobby full of patrons waiting for their tables. I was asked by 3 different people who I spoke with on the phone when making our reservations and I gave them all the same answer. Turns out I guess I spoke to the owner who apparently takes reservations and fails to tell the hostess. I explained this happened the last time we were here and I would like to eat here since we made a reservation and came in when we were supposed to for our table.
They sat us within 10 minutes with apologies. The restaurant was nice but they had music playing in the bar that was so loud my wife and I were yelling at each other so that we could enjoy a conversation. The waitress was nice and took our drink order. They had a special Valentines day menu which did not have much to choose from so my wife went with the chicken parmesan and I had the chicken alfredo.
The food took over 45 minutes to come out and we notice other tables getting restless as their food was taking forever. It seemed like they were under staffed which I know makes the servers jobs much harder. We noticed the owner walking around being friendly and apologising for everyones meals coming out late.
We received our appetizer which was the bruschetta. It was really cheap and piled high with diced tomatoes. Not very good and for 12.00 and 3 pieces I was really disappointed. The quality for a high end Italian restaurant was lacking in the appetizer I can only imagine how our entrees will be.
The dinner was finally served after 3 baskets of their free bread (which was the best thing we had)
The chicken Parmesan was extremely chewy and my wife and I were laughing because she was literally digging her fork so hard into the chicken and it would not cut… Pretty amazing for an upscale Italian joint.
My chicken Alfredo sauce had the consistency of water. The sauce wouldn’t even stick to the pasta. It was like soup with noodles. I also counted 4 pieces of chicken… Sliced like would would put in a chicken salad… I mean 3.99 to add chicken and you give me less then 3oz???
The décor is very nice, the servers are overwhelmed and the hostess is lost when it get’s busy. The dinner came to 71.50 for the two of us. I would have been very comfortable paying 19.99 and calling it a night. We will not be back but at least we can check La Bella Vita off of our list of nice places to eat.

Review for Sunday brunch only:
By the pictures posted on their website for Sunday Brunch, I convinced my Fiancé this was a must try place. After arriving (never greeted until walking into the bar area) and browsing our options we were less than impressed.
1. The French Toast was cold because they had let the dish warmer flame expire. Plus it’s berry French toast… what about those who are allergic to berries?
2. The Cesar salad dressing was overly anchovy (fishy) and had way too much mayo in it.
3. The carving station (the BBQ outside on their patio) wasn’t on, leaving the cooked meat dried out. The prime rib was cold to taste. Almost like the meat wasn’t fresh or day old. The Italian sausage was the same. Cooked hours before and had been sitting unheated for way too long.
4. The waffles were under cooked and lacked flavor.
5. The oysters and crab legs were good but there was no horseradish nearby for the oysters.
6. Coffee was strong and very delicious.
7. The breakfast sausage isn’t your normal sausage. I was told its a breakfast sausage with apples and cinnamon in it. It was ok but again tasted like it had been sitting out for way too long.
8. Omelette was standard… hard to mess that up.
9. The Bloody Mary was made with some sort of cheap mix. No horseradish only lots of Tabasco to spice it up. Not worth ordering.
Overall this Sunday Brunch is WAY over priced for what’s offered. Love the décor. Service was slow or non existent at times. Interesting that they have many 4 – 5 stars but that may refer to their dinner menu.

Had the lunch special today for 6.99. Their are 3 lunch special choices to choose from. I chose the margarita pizza. Delicious! Fresh and flaky dough. You can tell it is the real deal! Comes with choice of soup or classic Caesar salad.
Good service. I loved that a potential hire came in while we were sitting at lunch and the manager looked over his resume and hired him on the spot! Way to go, love seeing small business keep the economy going! We’ll be back!

We were in wine country celebrating a friends 50^th B-​day. For dinner we all went to La Bella vita for dinner. A nice beautiful clean restaurant with a big private room that was perfect for our big group. Food was delicious & excellent selection of wine. We had so much fun all night. We even got to meet the chef & owner who came to our table to make sure everything was okay. We were probably greeted by all the staff in the restaurant.
We all loved this place and will be back.

wow what a great Italian Resturant .
I was there with my family and all of us had a great time. The best quality of food, great service and very clean and nice music .
We will be back.

Not my first time here so the 5 stars is well earned. Neda is an amazing host, waiter, manager, bartender, and all around genuine person. The Sunday Brunch has everything you could possibly ask for and more than you could possibly eat. I’ve also enjoyed a quick weekday lunch and was in and out in time for my short lunch break. Dinner provides a relaxed but attentive experience with every need met. I highly recommend this for a casual dinner date with friends or a special evening to celebrate something special with your special someone. They even have a large banquet room that can accommodate large parties on the fly or bookings for your rehearsal dinner.
The food never taste canned or frozen and quite often I see a plate of apps going around that’s a chefs special creation. They stop by and make sure you are having a truly special experience no matter what the occasion is.

We celebrated a friend’s birthday @ La Bella Vita last night. We had our own private room. Excellent food, nice presentation, great taste, good selection of wine along with live jazz music.
We ate, drank & danced, and laughed the whole time. joyful night to remember. Wish it was in OC. We would be there every single week. We Will Be Back!

We stopped by for lunch. We have seen the dude on roller skates out on Winchester for months, so we thought we would give it a try. For us it isn’t the best lunch spot. Prices are high and it’s a little too dressed up. We didn’t feel too out of place though being we were the only people there …
On to the food and service. First the service; it was ok, bit the server was a but busy as server and hostess (if anyone else would have come in, he would have been overwhelmed).
The meal started out with complimentary bread, it was good and we added garlic bread to our order. The garlic cheese bread was also very good.
I ordered pasta with cheese and it was a fail. I have had macaroni and cheese out of a box that was better tasting. My brother order pizza and it was pretty good but nothing over the top.
I wanted to like this place, but with the high prices and average too pour food they didn’t give us any reason to return. Bummed.

It’s great to have a new restaurant in town and La Bella Vita appropriately fills the void in the Winchester/​Nicholas shopping plaza. It’s exactly what this corner needed!
I stopped in with the ladybug for a little Monday night getaway and was pleasantly surprised by the great food, service, and cozy ambiance.
We shared the Antipasti Misti and a Margherita pizza. The antipasti was smaller than expected for the price. But it was so delicious and perfectly appetizing, we were stoked on every bite.
The Margherita pizza was also very good. The dough was excellent, topped with fresh mozzarella, light tomato sauce, oregano and fresh basil. It was perfectly sized for two and exactly what we wanted.
The service was prompt and our waiter very helpful and accommodating.
We’ll definitely be back to try all their awesome homemade pasta we keep hearing about.