I'm so happy to see this spot in the Avant reopened. The updated decor is modern and elegant, yet simple. We visited on a Sunday evening. So, it wasn't super busy, but I was happy to see it had a steady crowd. We started with the stuffed banana peppers, which in general is one of our favorite appetizers. I have to say we were impressed by the flavor, and we thoroughly enjoyed this start to our meal. The Caesar salad was good not great, but the short rib soup was out of this world. For dinner, we had the spaghetti and meatballs and lasagna, both of which were excellent. I really enjoyed the bread service, too. Our server, Lisa, made sure we had a great stay. Please note this establishment automatically adds 20% gratuity to the bill. Overall, we really enjoyed our dining experience and plan on returning. read more

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Scrumptious!!!!! This place was fantastic! From the fresh bread to the pasta to the dessert!! Came the day after Valentine's Day and wasn't too busy. Was able to park right across the street in a lot. Portion sizes were satisfying! Would love to try a few more menu items eventually. Love the giant windows to see the city lit up! read more

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The service was great. The food was solid. My meatball was a little dry, but the vodka sauce on the rigatoni made it better. The chopped salad was huge and the dressing was yummy. The bread service was delivered promptly, and the herbed, salted olive oil was amazing. read more

Not so good Stayed at the Embassy Suites- with no energy yo go back out. HAD to Order takeout- as we had no reservation (There were PLENTY of empty tables) Waited 30 minutes for the food HORRIBLE. AND THEY DIDN'T INCLUDE UTENSILS C chicken piccata more like salty piccata with a pile of stuck up stuck together pasta and one little piece of broccoli. Chicken Parmesan looks like it came out of a school cafeteria with a pile of stuck up pasta. Don't bother eating here. read more

Bella Ciao - Chicken Picatta and Parmesian - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

What an awesome place for dinner or an event! Located in downtown Buffalo this Italian restaurant is the perfect place for some cocktails and food! Thanks Bella Ciao for making our party celebration one to remember!! read more

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Holy huge portions!! Come hungry and bring your appetite, because they are serving up some great Italian classics for those who love to eat! I was staying in the Embassy Suites and originally came down to Bella Ciao just to enjoy the complimentary cocktail reception, but I'm so glad we decided to stay for dinner. My friend got the lasagna, and it was enormous. I had the lobster pasta and it was so flavorful. Service was decent. Overall, I'd recommend! read more

This place is the real deal. I think it hits a really good spot that I think is ideal for Italian. It's not as low-rent as Chef's, and while I think Inizio is excellent, the menu isn't overly fancy like that can be. It's recognizable Italian food that's made very well in a lovely environment with impeccable service. It seems like such a silly thing to fixate on, but the complimentary bread and seasoned olive oil were the best version that I've ever encountered. The bread was warm, soft on the inside, crusty on the outside, and the olive oil mix was unbelievably flavorful. We liked it so much that my wife asked our waitress, Dej, who was amazing, what brand of olive oil they used to make it and she actually asked the kitchen and wrote down the name for us. Cocktails were really tasty, wife had a strawberry basil mule, I got a twist on an Old Fashioned with Angel's Envy, vanilla simple syrup, and cherry bitters. I had the Chianti-braised short rib soup. It's super rich and creamy. Imagine short rib bisque. Wife got a Caesar salad that was very tasty. For mains my wife got the lobster mafalde and added shrimp to it, I got the rigatoni with vodka sauce and added meatballs. We left very full with leftovers (definitely not the case when we went to Inizio). Stellar service (thanks Dej!), great food, and an upscale feel that was still welcoming. On the welcoming note: going in my wife worried we might be underdressed, but I saw a guy at the bar in a Marvel t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops which put us both at ease. You won't be out of place if you dress up, but you can be casual and comfortable with no issue as well. read more

The staff were very nice and the food was excellent. Cool Ambiance as well with the live music and mix of cocktails and food . I forgot something at the restaurant and the staff/managers were very helpful to me after. Very much appreciated! read more

Food was very filling and our server Shelby was amazing and accommodating. I got the Lobster Mafalde and it was defiant enough for 2 days.

Don't walk, run! Dad was in town Friday and we came here. The beef tar tar is insanely good!! Meatballs were ok. Dad loved them so don't take it from me as I'm not a big meatball fan. I got the lobster malfalde. Holy crap!! It's like lobster bisque and newburg had a baby. There was so much lobster!!! It was outstanding. Dad got the bolognese and really liked it. Our server Sage was so delightful and sweet! We got to see her again Saturday when we were cooling off with a beverage from the Taste. The portions are huge. Even the dipping oil for the bread was awesome. The staff was lovely! read more

Ambiance 10/10 Music 10/10 Vibe 10/10 Food 7.5/10 When I say.. I LOVED the vibes at Bella Ciao. For my first time visit I was blown away with how beautiful the restaurant is. They played RnB music, I could not stop singing with my friends. We went for a birthday dinner of 9 people. The prices are great here. The only downside was my party was not impressed by the food. Which I did not mind the food until I got home it is definitely not warm up friendly. The noodles got horrendously chewy. Maybe because the noodles were fresh but I would've like boxed noodles at this point. My pasta had a really nice kick of spice to it that I enjoyed. I would definitely come back and try something else on the menu. read more

A new Italian restaurant opening in an old spot. Overall the aesthetic was clean and elegant with a pianist playing in the corner. I was able to make a reservation thank goodness because otherwise we wouldn't have gotten a seat. I ordered the pizza with prosciutto, arugula and balsamic which is a classic combo. The crust was crispy and the flavors were as expected. My friend ordered a pasta dish which she thought was flavorful. Overall happy with the atmosphere and the food. read more

Bella Ciao - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Came here within their first few months of opening. Waitress and the one she was training were both lovely. My friends and I all got the same thing; vodka rigatoni and the burrata plate to share. Pasta was great, bursts and its toppings were better. read more

First time at Bella Ciao. Great atmosphere. Foods portion are huge. Service was excellent. Definitely coming back for the Italian Lemon Cake. What a dessert, not sweet just perfect and the whip cream was the perfect icing on the cake. read more

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Fabulous!! Beautiful ambiance, GREAT service and the food was truly authentic Italian. A must for Buffalo visitors and residents! read more

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The decor here is phenomenal, being located inside of the embassy hotel was a great location choice. The food is very filling and plated beautifully. I've been here multiple times the service and energy is always great. read more

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Slow service had to ask for someone to pick up our dirty dishes ,had to flag down the hostess to tell her to tell our waitress that we need more coffee. The French onion soup was delicious. We ordered salads. Mine was Caesar salad and husband got the strawberry salad. They were OK. read more

This place is truly amazing. Our bartender, Devin, was exceptional. Very friendly GREAT service! I had the western burger one day, the steak strips for dinner and my husband had the meatball panini. All were very delicious and proportions were big, had to take to go bag. read more

Loved watching the bar staff eat dinner at an elevated dining establishment ... Shelby was great but food was sub par!

Came for the Mother's Day brunch It was like the free breakfast they offer at the hotel. The food was not hot and selection was limited. read more

4.5 stars. The food was amazing and the vibe was super cute and chic, however some tables are close to the entrance where there is a lot of noisey hotel traffic and a bit of chaos especially if there is a hockey or football game happening. Other parts of the restaurant are more private and give a good romantic vibe great for a date night. Out server Marc was absolutley amazing and made our dinner even better. read more

A must try while in downtown Buffalo!!! A++++ Great service and food! Drinks are amazing as well. read more

Newest edit: I received no giftcard. So unfortunately, management is also disappointing. Good apps and cocktails though if you're into that! . Edit: the manager called me within 5 minutes of writing this review to apologize and talk about the experience and gave me another gift card to another restaurant location. Again, staff at this establishment has been extremely lovely Wait staff was lovely and hostess was lovely. Apps were delicious. The kitchen was a mess and lost our order even though we were assured about 5 times "any second now" I rather them just be honest about the amount of time remaining. reservation was at 7:30 and we got our apps at 8 and didn't get our food until at least 9:05. When we did it was cold and the Home made pasta had the consistency of office style rubber bands which was very disappointing and my mom's lasagna was rock hard on the bottom that you could tell her piece was microwaved. Everyone was very apologetic and we received 3 free desserts and a gift card but, will not be returning. read more

Best north Buffalo patio.. your Little Italy destination. True homage to the Alerol Spritz and tasty antipasto and sandwich menu. A great addition to the neighborhood. read more

Dined there last night. As a proclaimed "foodie" who has eaten at many restaurants in Buffalo, NYC and Italy, I wanted to try this place. Service was great (Mark) and he and the manager swiftly corrected things when my friend's pizza was not exactly what she ordered. Also, for the mix up, did not charge her for glass of wine which was accommodating. I enjoyed the chopped salad and grilled artichokes but felt my chicken parm was not made to order (that is, was prepared ahead of time then reheated). When I mentioned to the server, he told the manager who nicely took it back and gave another one which did seem made to order however, I thought more sauce should have been on the plate. Service & ambiance is great. I enjoyed everything but chix parm was not better than some other restaurants I had it. read more

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It was our first time here and everything about our dinner was outstanding. Our waitress Abbey was wonderful in every way and couldn't have been better. Every item we ordered was truly fabulous. The atmosphere is very relaxing and modern. We will absolutely be back. read more

If every server could be like Ali, no restaurant would ever have a problem!! We were seated immediately and waited on very promptly. We started with Brussel sprouts and meatball appetizer. Both were good. The fresh bread and dipping oil that is complimentary came out nice and hot from the oven. Ironically, both of us ordered chicken Milanese. This also came out very promptly. The chicken portion is large and was very tender. I really enjoyed it. Ali came by many times to make sure we were well taken care of and didn't need anything additional. She was a phenomenal waitress and I would definitely go back just for her service! There was also live music playing which set the scene for a nice Saturday night out. One final perk would be the $6 valet available. Definitely a nice thing to have during buffalo winters! read more

Ambiance is very nice, staff is attentive and food is great! Definitely would come back again

Freah, flavorful food and wonderful service. Their pasta is fresh, sauces are flavorful, the pizza is incredible, and their dessert is amazing! read more

very good food and even better service! Genevieve was so kind and attentive. would come back just got her!

im a food snob, and the food was fantasic. our server, mekal was perfection. I'll definitely be coming back--many times

This place is gorgeous! I cannot wait until the weather turns and the patio can be used. Our server took amazing care of our party of six and was very accommodating. The grilled artichokes and chopped salad are a must. Generous portions. The bolognese was delicious. We will be back! read more

Bella Ciao - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

It feels like this place is struggling for identity. We went a recent Saturday night, and even early in the evening they had a loud live band, with speakers pointing directly into the dining area. The service was very imbalanced, with infrequent check-ins and water refills. Bar refills took quite a long time, even though it wasn't that busy. Dishes from the previous courses not cleared even though we told our server we where all set with them. Then the portion sizes........I didn't see many tables leaving without boxes. Cut your portion sizes 20% to a reasonable size and cut your prices.......My wife and I could have easily shared a salad and a main. All in all far better places for italian in Buffalo. read more

we took our daughter Amanda to dinner for her birthday,we had a great time,the food was amazing,very tasty, cooked to perfection and the portions were huge ,our waitress Victoria was exceptionally friendly and very prompt to service,the manager was also very friendly and energetic ,he stopped at our table several times and engaged with us and made our experience memorable,will definitely come again read more

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Beautiful and modern place. The waitress was nice and attentive. Two more people came to ask how was everything. The food was good. My husband liked the meatballs, the sauce was good but not as sweet as I like it. I liked my vodka sauce better. My favorite part was the bread and dipping oil. I had a glass of Moscato and was delicious. Big portions, too bad I didn't try the desserts. I hope next time. All the food comes nicely presented in the dish. I would definitely go back. The restaurant is inside the Embassy hotel. Very nice place! read more

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Wow, just wow! Great atmosphere, food, waitstaff and drinks. Prices were good and food portions were large. We enjoyed a most leisurely dinner. Caesar was an amazing waiter and Daige (the manager) really knows how to run a quality restaurant. There was a mixup with our reservation and Daige came personally to apologize (it was not the restaurant's fault!) and comped our drinks. We can't wait to go back. read more

First class restaurant in Buffalo worth the visit. Genevieve served us and was very friendly and attentive. Food was tasty. Will look forward to returning. read more

Great food, personal favorite is the vodka sauce. Also got this dish with a chicken cutlet. That's the way to go. Nice treat read more

Bella Ciao - Lobster pasta dish and rigatoni with vodka sauce - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Great setting and nice ambiance but the food doesn't live up to either one. The burrata appetizer was very good although the bread was overcooked and way too hard. The shrimp scampi came with the worst pasta (under cooked and starchy) I've ever had, and I was bewildered what was called scampi sauce. Not wanting to take my chances with another pasta dish, I opted for a pepperoni pizza as a replacement. First time I've ever had a pizza where the pepperoni was so burnt and charred as for it to be inedible. I thought I'd try the tiramisu to get past the disappointment and, while it was an adequate desert, it certainly wasn't authentic. I'd suggest somewhere else if you're one who wants authentic Italian that won't disappoint. read more

After a long day of travel, we were blown away by Bella Ciao. Brian's care for our family was top notch from the moment we walked in all the way through moment we walked out. The food was impeccable: amazing burrata salad, perfect handmade pasta, delectable salmon, and a delicious panini with truffle fries that were on point! We're visiting from Los Angeles and we are already wondering how we can return to Bella Ciao again and again. read more