Bella Italia - Plymouth Barbican Leisure in Plymouth

Starter meatballs was OK, spicy sausage pasta was nice, tiramisu was dreadful plus it took 20 minutes for dessert to arrive. I can't underestimate how terrible that dessert was. Staff were friendly. Lighting seriously needs seeing to at the back of restaurant, we were sat at the back and had to put our phone flash lights on to read the menu. Rather noisy in there as there wasnt really any partitions to help negate the noise, won't be returning mainly because of that dreadful dessert and time it took to arrive. 20 minutes is unacceptable for a dreadful dessert like that.

Excellent food and superb service! Will be back soon - thank you

Great service lovely food I’m gluten and dairy free and really good food for me and they were great with helping

Food was absolutely delicious fantastic service and our waitress Bailey at the Plymouth branch was just fabulous

Great food, great staff very friendly. Brilliant experience

Great food and quick service. Left very happy!

Fantastic food, came out really quickly. Lovely staff. Great end to the week!

Lovely restaurant with very friendly staff. Food was great and delicious. Will definitely be back soon.

We came here for a birthday treat and it was a great experience. Really great service, friendly and helpful. Food came without to much of a wait. Good was excellent and atmosphere really helped set the evening ❤️

Wonderful birthday meal thank you! The sea bass was delicious and was warm and calm atmosphere thank you .

Great atmosphere at my group dinner today! Enjoyed my ribs, and service was great.

Food was served at a good pace and matched expectations, it was very delicious! Service was excellent, the restaurant was clean and having board games was a great addition. Garlic butter was amazing!

We didn’t book, but the manager found us a table and was so welcoming even though it was really busy. Staff were really friendly and the food came really fast.

First visit here and what a fabulous introduction! Madii from start to finish was an absolute star 🌟, she was attentive, engaging and nothing was too much trouble , we went for the meal deal and every option was as tasty as the next so huge Thankyou to the chef too , will definitely go back as was completely the full package , Thankyou team 😊

10 out 10 lovely staff lovely food lovely venue

Madii was our server, she was very attentive and polite! Made our experience very enjoyable ☺️

Don't be fooled, it's nice but it's definitely £30 + per person if you want some satisfaction. The service was alright but the excuse to all the bad performance was because they were busy so I counted the seats and literally over half the restaurant was empty. The mains were absolutely delicious. However they came with nothing not even a side for the lasagne. A piece of garlic bread or a few chips have to be ordered separately and when I say a few chips I mean it! It's a literal cup of chips. I digress to the desert... Don't bother. Cake is something small enough to conceal in your pocket and the same with the tiramisu. In addition to that the tiramisu is closer to a coffee flavoured millionaires short bread than the genuine dessert. We actually couldn't eat it and left it in the end.

My wife took my grandsons, one of them is diabetic. Informed staff of his condition when ordering. Food took forever to arrive and only after my wife complained and got a stroppy response. The delay affected my grandsons levels but thankfully he was ok. Food was ok but service was terrible.

11 people had a meal , the meals were all picked before hand so made easy for them ! They were small portions not much chicken on 2 meals more croutons Pastaspice ball was such small portion we were all shocked otherwise they were cold

Our server Hannah was amazing and friendly would 100% recommend me and my partner went on a Friday afternoon it was fairly quiet but still a lovely place Hannah was very chatty and good company we had the spaghetti and meatballs and the goats cheese pasta and I will say it was amazing as well as the garlic and herb dough balls and chocolate fudge cake and sticky toffee pudding would 100% be going back there

My partner and I walked in and were warmly welcomed by Hannah who served us and always came over with a smile and was friendly the food was really good I'd highly recommend going and if you have Hannah as your server you'll never feel rushed into any decisions

Great experience. Restaurant had been extremely busy all day. Staff were still wearing a smile.

Can’t rate food, service or atmosphere like requested on here because we turned up to an empty restaurant to be told they have no tables for us! We were a party of 2 and there were about 5 people sat down in there eating so baffled me why they couldn’t accommodate us. Went to another restaurant to be told that apparently it’s a common occurrence!

It was great place to dine with family and with kids as young as 2 years old.

Frances was a wonderful waitress.

We booked to celebrate my husband’s 60th birthday and everything was great, the food was really good, my order got mixed up but was resolved very quickly. Our server was Frances and she was an absolute superstar, nothing was too much trouble. We would definitely be booking again.

Got in there pre booked took ages for the waiter ages to actually serve us then it took 15 minutes for our drinks to come. I would give it a zero but I can’t so I put one. To say the least I will not be returning ever again as even after the long wait for my food it has given me a stomach ache which is very disappointing. As well as the food coming out cold. Lots of people got turned away without a booking even though the place was empty! Very over priced also

Just turned up to an almost empty restaurant for dinner before a film to be told the kitchen was closed for the evening! Maybe don't advertise you close at 9!?

Terrible! Went there last night for valentines. Upon arrival the manager greeted us and was nice, she had to clean our table before we sat down because it was very busy, the seats were still dirty with crumbs. The first server wasn't that nice, but we had many throughout the night. We ordered starters and drinks, I had a strawberry daquiri for almost £9 which tasted more like squash with vodka and terrible for the price. We waited for at least an hour before our food came, they brought our mains instead of the starters so we sent it back. I had the tomato bruschetta which looked nothing like the picture, only two tiny pieces of bread and no taste at all. Our mains were a very small portion for the price, my pollo funghi tasted only of mushrooms and nothing else, my boyfriend's risotto was undercooked and very oily, he added bacon so I think they just poured the oil on the risotto. We sat near the kitchen and that was horrible as you could hear the cooks shouting very loudly when the food was ready, as it’s kind of an open space and you can see inside the kitchen. I was very disappointed because I went to Bella italia in Exeter a couple years ago and it was very good, that’s why I wanted to try it again, but it’s definitely not worth the money anymore. When the bill came I said we wouldn’t pay for the mains as I didn’t eat mine, but my boyfriend ate most of his so they couldn’t take it off the bill. Luckily I had a 25% discount but it was still expensive for the terrible experience. Wish I could give ZERO stars.

We were seated straight away by Frances, who was lovely and professional, she had amazing knowledge and good recommendations for which food to eat. We are very satisfied with her service and the service of the kitchen.

Lovely serve Frances. Really welcoming and perfect place for a little get together. Yummy food!

Bloody lovely meal. 10/10, would come again. Bolognaise was to die for, maybe give me the recipe if you’re feeling cheeky. Frances was a queen, give her a RAISE, never had service quite like it. Thank you, is all I can say

Brilliant service from Frances. Very lovely experience

Lovely staff and lovely food, very happy with our experience here and would definitely come again

It was a lovely meal, the system hadn't changed their opening times so we'd booked earlier but they accommodated us anyway and were so lovely, especially engaging with the children and making their experience fun!

Great food and service . Good value . Very empty and staff turned at least 36 people away at 6 to 7.30 perhaps employ more staff for a better atmosphere. Otherwise lovely

Terrible customer service, we had a table of 4 and we got hurried out halfway through our food

Some lady with a moustache was staring at us the whole time and the prices are extortionate even though the portions are small

Very pleasant experience. The food was excellent, the service was very quick. Served by Frances who was very friendly and polite which made the experience all the more enjoyable.

Very good experience. 1st class service from Frances

Frances was a wonderful server, very helpful and attentive without being over the top. A real gem 💎

Sam was a very attentive and polite server, lovely atmosphere and speedy service

Delicious food and great service by Frances Thank you for the nice evening😊

Delicious food and lovely service from Frances :) I'm especially looking forward to coming back again and having the warm brownie with salted caramel sauce ;)

A really great evening made even better by fantastic service from Frances. Lovely food and a great location for a family get together between Christmas and New Year. Thank you Frances for serving us and giving us a really great time 👍🏻🙂

Our waitress Maddie was excellent. Very pleasant and attentive.

Maddii was an excellent service provider a real gem to your team.

Great customer service, good food, reasonably priced and didn't take long for food to come out (This was on a Saturday evening too!) would definitely come back again :)

Brilliant Christmas pizza for myself and my wife. Excellent service and attention by Madii our waitress for the evening. Shall return for sure 👌 Nigel and Monica.

We had booked our yearly football dinner at BT, we did arrive a little early and was happy to have drinks outside, but our table was ready, the manager took us didnt really say alot, once we had all arrived our waitress Frances was fab, she made sure everyones food came out together, the food was so nice, although it was quite in there it meant that we could have a giggle to which the staff were great and joined in, we had pre booked the mains but not the puddings, and she sorted the bill out, you couldnt have asked for better service, there was another lady there but i didnt get her name she was fab aswell, be going back soon, well done to all

Service was okay, however i found 2 hairs in my food which completely ruined it for me. Feel a bit sick looking back on it, defo needs to be sorted out.

Amazing service and food (Frances definitely a Credit to the company :))

We took a large group of teenagers with disabilities to this restaurant on a Friday night and as well as having lovely food and a great atmosphere, the staff couldn't have been more welcoming and helpful. The teens could just be themselves and feel 100% accepted and relaxed there. Madii served us quickly and efficiently and was so kind and friendly. What a great evening. Thank you from all at MoorVision charity.

Had a lovely little meal here this week and the service was really good and the food was amazing , nothing was too much trouble the waitress was friendly and polite at all times.

Impressed by our server Victoria

Thank you for a lovely evening. The food and service was amazing from start to finish thanks again Paul and Frances :)

We were late owing to severe traffic but when we got there, it wasn't a problem. The young lady who waited on us was lovely, nothing was too much trouble. The food was delicious. Thank you.

Birthday celebration Attentive waitress, exceptional food and very pleasant atmosphere Highly recommend

Initially drawn in by the current Taste card deal. Service and food we'd fantastic!

Ate here after a late booking following a kids clubs, the host was amazing with the kids kept them entertained and looked after my family really well, food was good and will definitely come back.

Absolutely fabulous my daughter loved her pizza making birthday party so did her friends

I was waiting to take my order for 30 minutes stuff was all the time talking to each other and not paying attention to the customers food is amazing just for my opinion need more attention at stuff maybe they was tired as is Friday but I think customers deserve attention as we pay for the service I was waiting for my pizza it was 1 margarita that takes 55 mins to arrive I was sad and just take it take way . I think just need some attention at stuff 01-11-2024 maybe someone can check cameras what’s going on.

The staff were really friendly and attentive to our needs. They offered apologies for the delay in the food and were open and honest throughout.

Madii was absolutely fantastic! Attentive, helpful, spot on! 🤍

Popped in for an emergency coffee as the kids party restaurant next door had a broken machine. The manager was extremely helpful and friendly. Perfect service, thank you.

I visited Bella Talia with my boyfriend to celebrate his birthday, and unfortunately, he experienced food poisoning after our meal. I reported the issue to their head office and provided all necessary evidence, but instead of taking my concerns seriously, they accused me of lying. This response is not only disappointing but also concerning. I even obtained a medical report from our GP confirming the food poisoning, yet they still refused to acknowledge it. All I wanted was an apology and assurance that others wouldn’t face the same issue in the future. I highly recommend avoiding Bella Talia. There are many other restaurants that prioritize food safety and customer care.

Our server Frances was very lovely and her service was amazing. The food was delicious and we had a great time. Thank you!

We had Freya who dealt with our order. She was amazing, it was super busy and we had a cinema trip booked. She made sure we had our food in time and was really helpful in updating us and getting extra bits for our order. She had excellent customer service skills. The world needs more Freyas. Also the food was delicious x 30/09/24 Returned last week and was served by Sam, wont allow me to do another review x but wanted to add a note to say how lovely Sam was! Lovely customer service x

Visited here for my birthday. I chose the Ultimate Calzone and it was delicious. Shout out to Frances who was excellent.

Frances its the best she is Kind

I came to the restaurant with my school since we were in a school trip, before going back to France we went to this restaurant and it was really amazing! Our servers was Frances and she was incredible!

The new mushroom risotto was lovely, as was the pasta spicy sausage. Tiramasu not the best should be light and creamy, icecream was much better..

Frances and Alanna were fantastic, lovely service

Had a wonderful evening meal with my partner here, had never been before so was slightly apprehensive, food was of a good standard & service was exceptional, I want to give a personal mention to Doug, who was incredibly friendly, attentive & accommodating, looking forwards to our next visit!

We had a wonderful family meal first time we had ever been to a Bella italia as a family. Great food wonderful ambiance and Frances our waitress was just the right amount of attentive not hovering but if we needed anything she was right there Thankyou Frances for making our evening a little more special

Really friendly waitress and manager. Great touch will letting the kids make a milkshake for one of their birthdays. Also the games are great and kept everyone entertained 😀 will definitely be back soon

Would tick more than 1 if I could. Food great, atmosphere great, clean, quick and super service. Sophie was an exceptional host.

Wonderful food and service, free milkshakes for the kids for a birthday that they could make themselves and a chilled atmosphere.

my partner and i came for dinner after tiring shifts this evening and had a really lovely conversation with the manager (not sure of his name sadly, but he was wearing the rainbow lanyard!) about loving aperol and the stunning glasses that the aperol spritz was served in - to my surprise he had left one of the glasses in a gift bag on our table when i came back from the toilet 🩷 thank you so much, you made my day after a tough shift and i hope i can bring back a gift as a thank you soon ! :-)

It was obvious that the team were short staffed as there were only 2 of them. The lady who served us looked like she was the manager. She was extremely apologetic about any wait, and was very helpful regarding my gluten intolerance. My daughter and I really felt for her and the other lady working the tables and would like to commend them for their efficiency and politeness during a difficult time for them. They are an asset to your business.

We had a spontaneous stop at Bella Italia as some birthday plans had changed slightly. We were served by Frances, who was absolutely lovely (even when our toddler was running around and flinging food everywhere!) We wouldn’t hesitate to visit again with such great service!

Had drinks served by Georg was such good service had a good laugh worth her and service was fast..

Sam was a great server! Very efficient, polite and quick. Great service all round from everyone

This was mine and my partner’s very first time dining in a Bella Italia so we had no expectations but wow didn’t it blow our minds. Food was exquisite, so tasty and authentic. The flavours were like nothing I have ever had the pleasure of having in my mouth before. Our waiter, Douglas, was very polite, displayed his natural charisma/charm and aided us with our decision making by drawing from his own experiences of consuming food at the restaurant. When the food came we were not at all disappointed, it was presented and smelt incredible. The restaurant had prepared us for a 45 minute wait on our food, this turned out to be unnecessary as our food was with us within 10 minutes. Would highly recommend to family and friends. 10/10

I went here with my son and ordered nice food and my sin ate for a £1! Frances served us and was delightful and attentive. I accidently ordered the wrong thing as I didn't realise it had bacon in which I don't eat. I started to pick out the bacon but Frances and Paul offered to get me another one without bacon in. I cannot fault their service here and it was lovely food. My son loved his pizza too. Thank you Frances and all the staff at Bella Italia Plymouth Barbican. We will definitely be back.

Staff were attentive & friendly even though it was just two of them front of house. The restaurant got quite busy while we were there but nothing appeared too much trouble. They were moving between tables making sure all diners were happy. The whole experience was great, we were seated quickly, our food & drinks order was swift too. Once the food came out we were not disappointed, piping hot on warm plates (always a bonus) & really tasty. Our waiter was Douglas was so lovely, recommending a dish to my Husband. In short highly recommended. You won’t be disappointed.

PIZZA PARTY We booked a pizza party for our grandson's 7th birthday. Wow, what can I say? The children and adults loved it! PAUL AND ALANA hosted it, and the kids loved them. When they got there, they all got given chef hats and aprons. Then they got to make their own pizza dough. Then the children put their sauce and toppings on, and it then went to the oven to be cooked. The children's faces when they saw it, after it was cooked 😁 After they ate the pizza, they went to choose what flavor ice cream they wanted. There was quite a lot to choose from. They all got a certificate to take home with their names on it. I would definitely recommend this for a children's party 🥳or even an adults party 🥳 ⁷

Our server Cameron, was attentive and couldn't do enough to make sure we had a lovely meal. Very friendly and a highlight to our evening. Highly recommend strawberry gelato 😍

Bella Italia Plymouth! What amazing customer service skills this place has ! The manager paul went above and beyond to make my nephew birthday party feel great and special to him ! And the college that was working along side alana! Was also great too ! Anyone that has a birthday party coming up for young ones get in contact ! Pizza party was amazing !

We booked a pizza party for our 7 year old son’s birthday at Bella Italia in Plymouth at the Barbican Leisure Centre. Firstly I’d like to say a massive thankyou to Paul the manger & Allana who hosted the party as you were both amazing. I was slightly nervous about a kids party making pizzas on a Friday tea time because I didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere for anyone else, but the way it was all set up by the staff to separate the children and the rest of the people having there meals was perfect 🤩 also Paul was quick to reassure us that he wanted the children to have a party and be kids rather then being told to calm down or shh as that’s what a kids party is all about 🥳🥳 The kids absolutely loved it, all 8 of them !! The pizzas they all made were delicious and then they all got to have ice cream for afters which they obviously loved 🥰 My favourite part was watching them all put there aprons and chefs hats on sat at the table together, they looked super cute ☺️ 🥰❤️ Then at the end they all got a personalised certificate which was a really nice touch 👌 I really can’t recommend it enough, the whole thing was amazing and everyone loved it 🥰 thanks so Bella Italia Plymouth 😁❤️

Frances was lovely and looked after us this lunchtime

Douglas served us very professional and a happy helpful person

Service was really good food came out nice and quick and Frances our waitress was really friendly and nice.

Frances was very attentive and spot on! Top notch service for her!

the food was great, and had really good service by the server sam

Came in due to it being busy somewhere else. We were seated immediately and service by Max started not long after. We could tell he was very new to the job but he was excellent. Very accommodating and friendly. Food and drinks were good. When it came to pay the receipt came out wrong but Max was extremely sorry and got it fixed straight away.

Jordan clearly is very experienced in this work, I really appreciate how quick the service was and the quality jordan brought to the table, thank you very much! They kindly put our food in a container because we were so full!

It was a lovely visit here this evening for us both! Our server was called Matt and it was his first day here! The service was amazing and the quality was the same, it made our experience really enjoyable and we will be back! Thank you very much.

Pizza was amazing loved it there staff was very kind :)

Lovely pre cinema meal for 3 of us on Friday 12th July . Friendly efficient staff, quick service, lovely food and good value for money.