'The Godfather' in icecream form (Bella Italia in General)

Member Name: mizzy

Product:	Bella Italia in General
Date:	23/08/08 (100 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tasty Italian food

Disadvantages: Long wait in southampton branch

This is a chain of Italian resturants across the country. I have only been to the ones in Southampton and Leeds so my review will be on my experience of those two.
The reason I went to the one in Leeds was because I received a 20% off and two main courses for the price of one voucher booklet through the post. I didnt request it, it just appeared so they must have been a bit short on business.

I phoned to book a table for 6 of us, and asked if they were actually taking the vouchers which they were.
The person taking the booking was very friendly and pleasant on the phone, and when I said bye, she said ciao which I found a little bit cheesy but at least she was making an effort. (She wasnt italian!)

On arrival we were seated immediately. Its very cramped in there, they fit as many people in as possible. I like this though, as it gives it a busy lively atmosphere.
We all chose main courses with sides of garlic bread. I had a pizza and it was very tasty and quite large, I had trouble finishing it.
The pasta portions are quite large as well, I dont think you really need a starter, with garlic bread you are completely stuffed!
The staff were very attentive throughout and although some werent Italian, they still said thanks and please in Italian, though they had awful accents.

At the end I gave the voucher to the waiter and he just took 20% off the bill. That meant we all ate and drank for 8pounds each! Pretty good for a nice meal and drinks.

The second time I went I just went with one other person, so we used the two for one voucher. This was really nice as we went at about 4.30 in the afternoon, and it was still quite busy, but with a more relaxed atmosphere. The voucher was accepted and we had a very nice meal of pasta and an amazing pudding called 'The Godfather'. It was a huge icecream sundae with chocolate brownies in the middle and hot fudge sauce. Yummy.

Both times our food was served quite quickly and was nice and hot, no one had any complaints about their food or the service.

The branch in Southampton is a bit bigger and is still quite lively. I went with my family here and it took us so long to get our food as the place was full up. Staff were quite friendly and apologetic. It was worth the wait as we all had a very nice starter and main course with garlic bread. (God I love garlic).

My parents were quite pleased with their food although werent impressed with the wait and so didnt leave a tip.
I will definately go back to the one in Leeds, as it just had a better atmosphere and the food was served a lot quicker.

Summary: Really good value with a voucher.