Bella Vita in Shepway

Best Italian restaurant in town, Alex the owner very kind and Sabita very friendly.

Great little eatery in Folkestone. Welcoming, friendly and attentive staff. Food was really good. Recommend the bruschetta and Bella vita pizza! Yummy! Mocktails also very good. If in Folkestone, definitely give this place a try.

Had a nice meal, fairly quiet for a Saturday at 5:30pm. I had a carbonara which was really nice but it would be better if there was less pancetta and cut up a bit smaller, my daughter enjoyed her pizza and got to take the leftovers home. Service was good, staff did seem young and new but were great.

Pretty mediocre. Food, service and decor all ok but nothing special. Chicken was overcooked, pizza and salad were better.

Wonderful little Italian Place .... Good value for money & fresh ingredients...

Great service from the owner (or manager) who went above and beyond for us. Delicious pizza, nice vibe. Very accommodating for vegan diners.

Absolutely fuming - they got the original order wrong - told me to order ‘a drink’ in order to get the correct item sent - waited an hour for the replacement and it was burnt!! It cost me two lots of delivery at £4.50 a go!!! With no refund?! Absolutely terrible service

Cold food an an hour and 20 mins late

Really wanted a pizza..so glad I went here...best pizza ever..my wife had seafood spaghetti..she was blown away. Wine good..very reasonable..will go again..

I am usually a positive reviewer, so It feels a little harsh to mark this as a 3 stars. Every member of staff was so friendly and the atmosphere was actually petty good. However, the fairy lights are a little off putting and the lovely staff just weren't that good at the job. They didn't know the menu and even pointing at what we wanted to order didn't help. We received wrong dishes and some dishes that didn't even arrive. I have a suspicion that some of the staff were brand new and a little shy. Of the four meals ordered, one was good, one was average and two were poor (the lasagne was 90% cheese and sauce. It really was bad!). We maybe could have accepted the poor quality had the prices been more reasonable (£24 for a dry schnitzel and a few chips). It was a shame, as we'd only heard good things about this place.

Im so glad the lasagne is back. Its the best in town and the bread was a nice extra touch too. Please keep this dish on the menu!

I treated myself to the crab ravioli and it was incredible - absolutely delicious, beautifully cooked and felt like such a treat.

I ordered my food at 17:55 and it arrived at 19:45 stone cold

Excellent service from all the staff. Very quick and friendly. Food was good and prices are about what I would expect. The restaurant was nearly full which is always a good sign. Overall an excellent experience.

I recently visited this restaurant and had a fantastic dinner thanks to our server, Lily. From the moment we arrived, she greeted us with a warm smile and made us feel welcome. She was attentive without being intrusive, ensuring our drinks were always full and checking in on us at just the right times. Lily was knowledgeable about the menu and made excellent recommendations that enhanced our meal. Her friendly demeanor and professionalism truly elevated our dining experience. I highly recommend this restaurant, and if you get Lily as your server, you're in for a treat! Many thanks lily.

The pizza was delicious, however the bread basket wasn’t great- cold pita and some crispy dry dough wasn’t pleasant and definitely not worth 5,50.

Had a wonderful Sunday lunch in Bella Vita. Started with prawns in a white wine and garlic sauce, which was excellent. My wife had a smashing lasagne and my Bass with mussels and capers was the best tasting price of fish I've had a long time. Top draw. Great service which couldn't be faulted.

Great little Italian place, super friendly atmosphere and very pleasant staff. Buratta is excellent, will be back.

Four of us just had lunch here at Bella Vita Folkestone and really enjoyed the food, service and atmosphere.

Had our Valentine’s dinner here, and I couldn’t recommend it enough. The food and atmosphere were brilliant, as always. With the amazing service from our waitress, Emma, we had a lovely evening.

Best food I've tasted, Always so fresh too.

Great food great service by Isla, 10/10

Love the feel of this little restaurant on the old high street, the food is always good and the service is both friendly and fast... I highly recommend this place for a good meal

Small portions and very expensive but nice food

We are still drinking our wine after the most delicious lunch. We had spaghetti mare, spaghetti bolognase and the best truffle pizza bread I’ve ever had! Great and attentive service. I have just moved to Folkestone and this is definitely one to visit regularly! I’d give it more stars if I could 👏

food was excellent, the staff were so friendly and service was quick. will happily go again!!

The worst delivery service ever. My food was left next to my car, 75 yards away from my house. I thought you were supposed to deliver to the door. My daughter had to go out in her pyjamas to get it because he refused to walk up our path. So we had cold pizza.

One of the best vegan pizzas I’ve ever had! Service and atmosphere was great too!

Very easy order, very quick confirmation of being ready to pick up, but still had to wait on site although I came in ~10 mins after confirmation. Good pizza though!

really incredible service! good food and great atmosphere :)

First time last night visiting the restaurant, the service was lovely but the food was amazing. Best spaghetti bolognaise with a kick of chilli 🌶 I have ever had. I will be returning again

Always tastes delicious. Thank you 😊

Good food excellent customer service would definitely recommend.

Loved how much mushroom there were on the pizza. Very delish

the pizza that I had was 10/10 and so were the girls who served us. Highly recommend. It was the best pizza that I have ever had.

Amazing consistent high quality food.

Excellent food Excellent service

Lovely atmosphere, friendly staff, good coffee. Delicious food and a 20% discount on lunches Monday to Friday

We wanted to try an Italian in England, upon ordering we noticed that this restaurant was Italian only in name and decoration, in fact, the pizza had no taste, the pâté, the tomato sauce and the cheese were very bland, as for the foccacia, it's actually a cheese pizza with no taste! Concerning the pasta, the clam pasta was good but far from the best standards, special mention to the clams which were fresh, the carbonaras were in fact pasta with crème fraîche and they were a little overcooked. The price was expensive for what it is. On the other hand, the service is rather nice and very fast, the manager is also friendly.

Really good waiter Lilly really fast and kept checking in on drinks

Good food and fantastic service

Just wonderful, homely, delicious food that I'd put above other restaurants in the area.

Have dined here on more than one occasion and it's been satisfactory but with the odd hitch. Last year, the dish ordered was available and later the server returned to say it was not available - this can happen and it's not the end of the world. Last month, I ordered the lasagne and whilst well cooked it had a peculiar acidic taste which I assumed was a citrus "twist" and speciality of the house. Afterwards, however, noticed quite a lot of digestion discomfort. Am left uncertain as to a future visit. Staff were helpful and friendly.

They had made us aware that we only had our table till 7pm their constant reminders were putting us off our food we we're reminded 3 times between 6.30 and 7pm and yet when we left in a rush there were lots of empty tables

Food was fresh and presented same as if you are dining in. Delicious!

Good value, and excellent staff, great food.

This Italian restaurant is a great place to bring your family and friends as the atmosphere is really nice and the food is great .We will definitely be returning again soon .

Love visiting Bella when I travel to Folkestone it’s always my go to, food is amazing (I recommend the muscles) and took full advantage of the lychee martinis. Staff was lovely and owner is very friendly. Will definitely visit again and recommend to anyone visiting!

This spot was a very great experience. Servers are very kind and food comes very quickly. Wine is good and great atmosphere. Very good to come out with family, friends or business.

Lovely restaurant lovely servers and very attentive owner, carbonara was creamy and dreamy at the same time. Would definitely suggest a visit

Brilliant food and great hosts. The tiramisu was incredible. Had a great night here. nice atmosphere and colourfully decorated

food we ate was OK, but not exactly what we ordered. when we called to rectify, we were told we'd need to order something further through just eat in order for them to send correct pizza. this would have cost us a further £6.50 which we'd get back in 3 days. not sufficient. we just ate the pizza they'd sent but won't order with them again.

Wonderful place to have dinner, amazing staff, fantastic cocktails!!!!!

I never even recieved my order?

The food is amazing as always xx

I think the best way to describe this venue would be Restaurant prices, cafe quality We started off by being seated from our reservation and were unfortunately given a very uneasy position in the establishment which was right by the stairs where there was lots of moving traffic and not ideal for a relaxed atmosphere when other consumers/waitresses were charging past your date on the other side. They would have been better off to get rid of this table as I have never seen this place fully booked anyway, they couldn't even be courteous enough to add a pretty flower to the table like all the others. The food itself is extremely over priced. The menu that is on Google from last year is out of date so that's already a disappointment right there. They purely offer pastas, risottos and pizzas as mains. A sad outcome after seeing last year's take on some rustic dishes which have been axed for no apparent reason. We each had a starter and a main with an additional side and it was nothing special at all! In fact I've had more satisfactory take aways than some of the food I had consumed here tonight. Fortunately the service was pretty fantastic! Our first waitress was so polite and understanding and genuine that it is on her service alone that I have given one star. The other star is partly for the mains and the other half was for the drinks as they were tasty and strong for a decent price. The sliced fillet beef starter? Was the thinnest slices of pre packed ham like what you could purchase from asda with half a pack of rocket and some cheese sprinkled on. It was almost laughable as it was presented. The hard shell prawns were ok with the smallest slithers of slightly burnt bread. They filled a gap whilst we waited for the mains atleast. The mains were fine. That's all. Nothing delicious or spectacular and believe me I know good food. These were something I would expect a teenager to cook up in their weekly cooking class that they've forced you to try and you smile with obligation just to make them happy. That is honestly how it felt and I have no clue how other reviews state otherwise. We did not even entertain the desserts. The most basic and boring of selections that I am pretty sure they could have purchased from Iceland before opening that day.. So in conclusion I think it is safe to say we will not be returning. This was only the second time we had come here and it is pretty much the same experience both times and I'm just not willing to throw good money away at a less than satisfactory establishment that is Bella Vita.

Great food and service will definitely go back

Nice restaurant excellent food and attentive service,will definitely be going again

In the pizza I ordered, the symphony of cheeses was enhanced with an extra topping of red onion. It's a true culinary masterpiece that reminds me of my travels to Italy. Highly recommended!

Pleasant welcome and service from the staff. The handsome Italian looking manager gave an added air of authenticity. Freshly cooked food and bespoke to my requests . It was tasty and sufficient in quantity and felt quality ingredients. Fractionally expensive but was enjoyable . Yes a pleasant place to visit .

Can’t say enough about this place regular customer and the food is always so good the freshness of the fish is so delightful recommend you give a try 👊

Really nice stuff and amazing food. I will come back for sure. Just wonderful

The store forgot one of the items I ordered. Delivery was quick and the driver was friendly.

It wasn't that great, and service wasn't either. I ordered Pollo pizza, and the pancetta that came with it was mostly FAT, as you can see from the picture. Waitresses didn't even ask if our food was okay. We couldn't even get their attention as it was so busy. We even had to paid a service charge, which I thought wasn't right when service and food wasn't good. Also there was only me and my partner.

Awesome food, lasagne was just like Venice 👌🤩 thank you

Very nice restaurant, quick and professional service. The food is good, not excellent. My favorite part were the olives and the pasta with frutti di mare was surprisingly spicy. Located near the main creative street, good option if you are looking for something quick to eat

Had a lovely meal here for 2 (though forgot to take photos as enjoying it so much). Seafood pasta and lasagne both lovely and very reasonably priced at around £40 mark for 2 people with a drink. Will definitely be coming back again.

Great food, lively atmosphere, really helpful staff. Definitely recommend a visit

Best pizza I’ve had in ages, thank you 🙏🏼

Very nice. Enjoyable food, friendly staff, good atmosphere

Had one of the best Piccante pizzas ever here , great styling and good service . Bit noisy as is family restaurant but great food . Well recommended 👍

Really tasty food - the seafood risotto was perfection

Was looking for an Italian restaurant on a Monday night, and this was the only one open. Atmosphere was really good, staff very polite, the menu has a good mix, I had Calamari as a starter and Chicken pesto linguine, both excellent, and plentiful portions, two courses plus a drink £43, including the 10% service charge which was added without notice, or one that I could see, I would have scored them down for that, but there's no 4.5* rating 😄

Lovely meal with 10 friends, everything came out at the same time, which can be hard when there are a variety of meals.

Service and front of house excellent. Starters very mediocre and mains are decent. Average Italian but by no means authentic but good enough.

This is definitely not great for 17.50 5 piece of Ravioli?? For this price you kidding?? Is not started is main ! This price for this small dish is way too much ! The taste is so plain is well like soo much water that is is not even sauce is just water . Never order again !!!

The food was excellent and the service very good, would go there again 👍

Fantastic place with an absolutely Delicious food! Truly Italian cuisine! Sooo sooo Good! Highly recommend!

My first time eating here and if I'm ever back in folkestone I will DEFINITELY be returning. The waitress/staff are very accommodating and professional. We had cocktails to start which were lovely (especially 2 for £15). As starters we shared a tomato garlic and bruschetta between 3 which was completely delicious. For the main coarse we had lasagne, chicken and asparagus tagliatelle and a cabonara which was the same as the starters. And to finish off we shared a piece of homemade tiramisu which it was so light. A lovely bottle of chianti to wash it all down with. All in all it was a fabulous evening and would highly recommend.

A nice restaurant serving Italian style food, my calzone pizza was very good, and very filling. Staff friendly. I also noted that they are dog friendly as well. Will return if I am in Folkestone

Great staff and nice atmosphere

Recommended by one of the bar owners in town. This restaurant was a let down, more akin to pizza express than a proper Italian, over priced, no decent classic italian steak dishes, limited wine list, even the garlic bread is better in pizza hut. OK for a quick bite but don't go expecting quality italian food apart the price A bit dismal

This place is amazing. The decor inside is gorgeous. Proper Italian vibe. Food menu is great, also for kids too. Seafood ravioli was my favourite. Staff/waitress were amazing and also on hand. No complaints whatsoever 👌

The food was lovely. The staff were friendly and helpful. Would definitely be going back.

So impressed with this restaurant. We are local and probably eat here every other month and have never had bad service. We had a party of 11 last night needing somewhere to eat after an awful experience at another local restaurant. All of the staff at Bella Vita couldn’t have been more accommodating. We laughed, ate very good food and had great cocktails as well. I would thoroughly recommend them to anyone wanting an authentic Italian restaurant with a buzzy vibe where you can still be heard.

Truly Italian! Iconic pasta and refreshing drinks

Lovely food, however the music was too loud and felt out of place in a restaurant as it was music you’d hear in a late night bar not a family restaurant. Clearly very understaffed and staff also seemed like they were dressed to go out to a bar not serve at a family restaurant.

Decent enough place for a pizza and a beer.

Third time we've been to this place the staff are lovely and the food has always been good in the past. Unfortunately on this occasion the food definitely could have been better. The menu has been reduced with only Pasta and Pizza available. My wife had Cabonara Pasta which was inedible having clearly been reheated multiple times. I had Pepperoni Pizza with a total of six Pepperoni on the whole thing ? And it lacked that freshly cooked Pizza taste. On the plus side the desserts are excellent. Sorry but overall a disappointing meal.

A great authentic feeling Italian restaurant/pizzeria full of character and charm. We popped in for an impromptu lunch and received great service and the food was really tasty and well prepared.

Very different experience to your usual takeaway. I had the Ravioli Gamberi E Zuccine which had loads of Ravioli, prawns and a King Prawn in a cream and lemon sauce. My partner had a Margarita pizza with Parma ham ( loads of it). Had a starter and dessert to qualify for the offer and we were stuffed. Will order again and happy to recommend, delicious food thankyou. You could tell it was all freshly prepared. Delivery was great and on time.

Looks perfect .didn't eat just drinks .very tasty cocktails .also ,huge recommendations for Italian ale. friendly and professional staff and beauty waitress. Normal prices.

We chose this restaurant for dinner, a nice girl served us, everything was fine until the moment they brought us pizza, I ordered pizza with a mix of mushrooms, in the end I got pizza with champignons, I think it’s different, the administrator said he would change it without any problems, we chose with a mix of seafood, but this is not pizza, there were mussels in shells, most of them were empty, was it decor or what? 2 shrimp, peeled, I want to eat the pizza straight away and not pick at the shells. Attaching photo before and after. The lobster ravioli was not bad. There is no desire to return or recommend to anyone.

Great meal, well prepared and very tasty. Good service with a friendly smile. Will return.

Excellent food. Good service. Great atmosphere. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

Seving staff very helpful, friendly and alert. Food is lovely. Delightful local Italian restaurant.

5 out of 5 stars ! A must when in Folkestone for great food and vaule and of course great service

Great food and a lovely atmosphere superb service by the very friendly and attentive staff thank you all for a lovely experience.

Went thereby chance, beautiful food, lover staff a d first class service. Looking forward to returning soon- thank you.

Lovely place to go to - excellent food and lovely service xx