Like everywhere in NZ, make reservations. I'm staying in Queenstown for a few days, and booked this reservation a few nights prior. The restaurant itself is long and narrow, so tables on one side and servers and the kitchen on the other. I ordered bruschetta for my starter & spaghetti bolognese for my main. The bruschetta came out with sliced prosciutto on top which I could have done without. I wished for more tomatoes, onion, and oil. The spaghetti bolognese was flavorful but just ok? Like, I'm not Italian but can make a better version of that at home. Although it's a simple dish, that probably not something you want to hear when you're selling it for $36 NZD. So the overall dining experience was a bit meh. I went to a pizzeria in Te Anau with better flavors. It might be a nice dinner date because the ambiance is lovely, if a bit loud. The service was fine, if a bit on the slow side. read more

Bella Cucina Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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Our last meal in Queenstown was here. We had reservations (and it was busy) and were seated immediately. We had the back of the restaurant, corner table. Not much to look at but it was a little quieter and away from the ovens back there. Husband had the fettuccine carbonara and I had a margarita pizza. Both were excellent. We started with a Caprese salad which was also excellent. My pizza had homemade crust with the bubbly burnt edges that happens in a woodfire oven. So good. Service was excellent. Parking on street is less than rare so we parked in a lot for roughly $10USD. Great experience. read more

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Cool little spot squeezed beside more ample establishments. Great Italian vibe. They squeezed us in without a reservation at 5:30 on the Saturday before Easter. Great servers who will do whatever is needed regardless of whether the table in their section or not. We had the filet and the salmon. Both were great and perfectly cooked. The chocolate mousse special dessert of the evening was perhaps the best of its kind that I have ever had - and I've had more than my fair share. read more

Get a reservation if you are looking for dinner, very busy place. The pizza was authentic- wood fired oven, thin crust. Perfect. Spaghetti bolognese was fine. Pasta was homemade, sauce lacked meat. I had to hunt for pieces of meat, plenty of tomatoes. Tiramisu was light and had good flavor. We did have a nice bottle of Australia red. Great staff, Ice location with indoor and sidewalk table seating. read more

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Was craving after an all day excursion and this place hit the spot. The receptionist at my hotel recommended and I validated it here. I ordered fusilli and salad with a glass of wine. I cleaned all the plates lol. Very date night vibe and family friendly. I would recommend this place for a bit more of a finer dining experience. Give it a try! read more

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You need a reservation to eat here during the high season. There is indoor and outdoor seating. There is no bar. It is a small restaurant. They have a wood burning pizza oven. They make their own pasta. We had the pappardelle ragu. It was good. The rocket salad was super fresh. The calzone was freshly made in the pizza oven. Overall the food was fresh and tasty. Service was quick. We had the calzone, pasta and salad for 90 NZ. read more

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5 of us had a wonderful dinner here. The service was excellent!! We had Linus helping us and he was spectacular! He was attentive and efficient. The restaurant is quite small inside so I'm not sure how he maneuvers around everyone (staff and customers) so easily. But he looked like a pro. We shared the dough balls and each purchased a different main dish. All of the bread and pasta is made fresh in house which made me excited to try this place. We tried the gnocchi, carbonara, salmon, ragu, tiramisu and chocolate gelato. The gnocchi was very full and pillowy in a thick but light subtle tasting mushroom puree. The added walnuts and Parmesan were a great accompaniment. It was a dish I've never had anything like. My mom's carbonara was delicious and seemed to be the most ordered item in the restaurant. It was a good sized portion. Everyone finished their main dishes and had room for dessert. So maybe the only critique I have is for slightly bigger portions. read more

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Everything we tried here from the appetizers to pastas and pizza were amazing. Service was very fast and friendly. We had to wait maybe 10 minutes past our reservation so they took care of a few drinks which was so kind! If you're looking for Italian food in Queenstown I would 100% recommend this place! read more

Bella Cucina Restaurant - Bread, beef carpaccio, caprese - Italian Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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This place is really really good! The pasta is made fresh daily! We ordered the dough balls and the garlic bread and both were amazing! The staff is very attentive and service was on time! We ordered some fettuccine with spicy sausage and two pizzas! The food was prepared perfectly and it's very tasty! We would definitely visit again if in town! We did make a reservation and the place was busy so I would recommend it. read more

Very charming small intimate dining experience appetizers great warm olives exceptional service great

We went to Francesca's kitchen near the #wakandatree for lunch and Bella Cucina's past was much better. There was actual flavor rather than attempts to make a pretty dish. The restaurant was pretty busy when we arrived. Unfortunately there aren't many windows and we were seated behind the pizza oven so it was pretty warm while we were dining. I wish they installed some ceiling fans? I ordered the lamb pasta (great, full of lamb flavor), split a Margherita pizza (great crust) while he got the seafood pasta. Pretty decent Italian for Queenstown. read more

Bella Cucina Restaurant - Lamb pasta - Italian Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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Bella Cucina is a great place to stop by if you are craving Italian while in Queenstown! I was very lucky to get a table at walk in, but during the busy summer season in Queenstown its best to make a reservation because I did see a lot of parties getting turned away later in the evening. Im always down for a simple spaghetti agilo e olio and Bella Cucina does it really well, and it complements with their dumplings which are more or less bread rolls with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And while you are in Queenstown, if you are adventurous, I would stop by Ultimate Hikes down the road, they organize amazing treks and adventures, the Milford and Routeburn Treks are the most popular! read more

Bella Cucina Restaurant - Spaghetti aglio e olio - Italian Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

Fantastic fresh past dishes that both my wife and I said were as good as we ever had. Home made and you can tell. Debbie our waitress was the best too. Wine menu excellent. Do yourself a favor and go. read more

The food was great, but the place is small so you need a reservation to get in. We came as a walk in and have a good fortune that they could squeeze us earlier than what they were originally timeouts. Great people and great food. read more

We came upon this as a result of a Queenstown infomercial we were watching. The service was great-Kim was attentive and friendly, and the place was clean. The brick oven kept the place warm and cozy. We had the following dishes: Spinach salad- the salad was good in size but maybe serve it in a bigger bowl so it's easier to mix. Salsiccia pizza- we requested rocket greens be added. I expected the sausages to be spicier and not so bland. Fettuccine carbonara- pasta was undercooked, glad it came w an egg, but again it was under seasoned. I don't remember how many times I had to shake the salt on it despite having bacon already. Overall, I understand the Italian dishes they were trying to do, but the flavors just weren't there. read more

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Great atmosphere, centrally located in the Brecon Street dining precinct and totally delicious food. Serena's service was outstanding and she is a great asset to the Bella Cucina team. We will certainly recommend to fellow travelers. read more

I come to Bella whenever I'm in Queenstown. Love the food and atmosphere. I was there this past week and had a wonderful Veal dish suggested by the chef and made all the more special by Debbie the wait staff. read more

Delicious food. Really nice staff and very cool location. I had the spaghetti which was rather tasty. Make reservations otherwise you'll find yourself not getting in or eating rather late. We tried to go on a Tuesday and could get in. We opted for Friday to close out our adventure in Queenstown and it was a spectacular close. read more

What a nice experience at Bella Cucina. The Hilton called and got us a reservation. When we arrived, there was a Birthday card on the table for my wife (the hotel must have mentioned that it was my wife's birthday). India congratulated my wife and offered her a glass of champagne). The dinner and the service were perfect (again, thank you India). I would definitely recommend this restaurant. read more

I loved this place and food. Flavourful and fresh dishes, we cleaned up all our plates. Two of us ordered Bread platter, Ravioli, Sautéd Gnocchi, Tiramisu and wine. Manager recommended wines to pair with our meal and we liked it. We are vegetarians and loved a full plate of wholesome food. I called over phone to reserve a table and was pleasantly surprised to get a table on same night within an hour or so. This restaurant has very limited seating, so i would recommend reserving a table in advance. Menu changes everyday, and is updated on website. Kitchen does get busy, so store some conversations or games to entertain. Do try their bread. read more

Bella Cucina Restaurant - Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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Very impressed with the service and food, amazing pasta, made in the restaurant, as well as all the breads, and you can taste the freshness and authenticity. Menus are different everyday so its even fresher still! I had a ragu lamb fettuccini and my wife a carbonara fettuccini. for starters we had the bread balls and dipping oils, so delicious!! Fulfil you italian cravings! read more

Bella Cucina Restaurant - Fettuccini Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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This was right around the corner for our hotel and after we didn't make it in time the first night (which was our only complaint, the hours are "until late" and we were turned away at 9pm on a weekend, though I guess that is kind of just Queenstown) we made it the next night. Food and service were both great. Wine bottle prices were pretty reasonable. My wife had the spaghetti carbonara, I had the lamba ragu, and we had bruschetta to start which really wasn't like bruschetta at all but was delicious, as were the entrees. Definitely worth checking out if you get a craving for italian food while in Queenstown. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g255122-d1503840-r667942059-Bella_Cucina-Queenstown_Otago_Region_South_Island.html# read more

Carb-loading felt amazing after devouring red meat every day for a week. I had the squid, Margherita pizza and seafood fettuccine. The squid was nicely charred and came with a refreshing citrus salad, the pizza contained plenty of cheese, and the pasta was freshly made and cooked perfectly al dente. For dessert, I had the tiramisu, which was so fluffy and moist that I was almost tricked into thinking it was healthy. Reservations are recommended for dinner as the restaurant can get pretty packed. For prime ambiance, try to get a front window table. read more

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We were seated in a tiny section (the guest in the table next to ours had to get out of his chair so I could be seated!) and while it was cozy - it felt too cramped. We ordered the bruschetta, fettuccine carbonara and spaghetti Aglio e olio. Both pastas were freshly made but flavor was lacking in all, including the bruschetta. Once we added salt and pepper, it helped considerably, though I couldn't taste any garlic in my dish. Super disappointed as the reviews were very high for this restaurant. We had reservations at 6:30pm but it took an extra 15 minutes to get us seated and many groups were turned away because they were booked. We went on Tuesday night. The pizzas looked appetizing though, perhaps we should have ordered that instead? read more

Hostess lacked all kinds of skills to interact to customers, ruined the experience. Too many options. I only like to be around nice people, especially when recreating. read more

Recommended by some locals we chose to stop in and get a table before 6:30. They happened to have one right by the window so we sat down and were immediately waited on. Great staff with wood fired pizza oven right at the entrance, warming the place up on a chilly autumn night in Queenstown. The dinner was, eh. Ordered a meat pizza and spaghetti with Ragu. The sauce was off putting and the pasta too gluey. We were hungry so we ate but would not give this place a 4 or 5 as the food was just okay. Great veggie side however. Flavorful and fresh. read more

This is bit of a love hate relationship. I love the fine Italian food here, love the people, but man, they are slow. I was here 2 years ago, really enjoyed the dinner here so came back again. Food was just as good but the serving speed is just as slow. The place- small, cosy, pays to reserve ahead. They have a mixture of 2-4 seaters. You can squeeze in a 5th person but won't pass the fire code. kitchen is right in the middle, with a pizza oven. You can see the chefs making your delicious meal. The food- awesome. You have to try the Bella's Famous Beef Carpaccio, AKA thinly sliced raw beef. its topped off with parmesan, rocket, aioli, and capers. I really like their freshly baked dough balls also. You have to try the Fettucine Carbonara also. Its made with a white sauce. The mains are ok, I tried their fish twice, well made but not spectacular unlike their antipasti plates. Service- I love this European guy that works here. I think he knows the menu pretty well. Made some good recommendations. I think they are a bit understaffed. They need to work on the order they serve food. I had to remind him to just bring the soup and bread first after waiting for like ~30 min. I can see many other tables all waiting for a long time also. Our antipasto also came after we finished everything else. Drinks- Has an ok selection of local wine, and some international wines. Small beer selection. Parking- very difficult in Queenstown, but I just found out that there is a parking building close by, its like $1.5/hr. Cheap for Auckland standard. Good luck if you want to find a spot on the street. Price- reasonable, not good but ok for Queenstown. We paid ~$130 for 4 people sharing dishes. Would still comeback here again , despite some of the drawbacks. read more

Was our last night in Queenstown and we wanted to celebrate in style. Had previously saw this place tucked discreetly from the street and this perked our interest. Ducked in and was entranced by the decor and the sophistication of the place. It was the sort of place that we wanted - small and classy, in contrast with some of the bigger restaurants in Queenstown. Mini chandeliers, white tablecloths, friendly waitresses that seated us right away- it was the start to a good evening. We ordered the dough balls to start; they came quickly (and thankfully so!) and were demolished at an even faster rate. Served with melted butter and olive oil for dipping. For mains, my friend ordered the sautéed gnocchi which came beautifully presented. My other friend and I ordered the prawn and courgette pasta -which was absolutely sublime- and a pizza with two different toppings. I haven't had much experience with restaurants allowing you to mix and match pizza toppings so this was very welcome. All in all, the food was top notch. We wish we ordered a drink and dessert but at the end of the night, we were stuffed. Would thoroughly recommend- great atmosphere, great service and excellent food - what else could you want? read more

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Was really really good! Everything made fresh each day! And you can tell. Staff was super nice and friendly! Cheers to Megan and Olind ? French girl. Super easygoing and cool. Would Totally go back IF I Ever get the chance to come back here ! Proper pizza oven in the restaurant. Excellent Pasta read more

I was pretty underwhelmed with this restaurant. We chose it because my husband wanted pizza, and I was starving and was happy to eat anything. We started with the fried dough balls, which were generally pretty good. They came out a little charred, but we nice and soft on the inside, and went well with the butter and oil/vinegar. My husband had the margarita pizza, and it was pretty average. The pizza was a little over done, and had 3 basil leaves, but the portion and taste were decent. I got the pancetta and pea risotto and was very disappointed. First, it might have been an adequate portion as a side, but certainly wasn't worth the $28 they charged for it. Even after starting with the bread, I had to snitch 2 pieces of my husbands pizza after I demolished the risotto in about 3 minutes to feel satisfied. It was also VERY bland, even after I crumbled the two pieces of 2" long burnt pancetta that came with it and loaded it with salt and pepper. Finally, the consistency was pretty off. I expect risotto to be creamy, but this was way undercooked, and really was more like regular rice with a creamy sauce added. I would recommend skipping this place and checking out one of the many other wonderful restaurants in the area. read more

Wonderful little upscale Italian eatery in downtown Queenstown. Very good wine selection. Excellent spaghetti bolognese, bread and salads, along with superb service in a cozy setting. When my date wasn't thrilled with her gnocchi, the server insisted on swapping it out for something else. That's the sign of a caring staff. Winning combination! read more

Bella Cucina Restaurant - Spaghetti bolognese - Italian Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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Bella Cucina - Thank you for one of the best dinners in Queenstown! This Italian restaurant gets pretty crowded during all days of the week, I highly recommend making a reservation. On a week day, luckily we got in without reservations. The items on the menu looked so good that we had a big dilemma choosing our dish. Finally we settled on Lamb pasta and Veal. Their menu is seasonal and the Veal dish was introduced just that day. It took a while for the dishes to arrive. I could understand because the restaurant was really crowded with large parties and also because all of their food is prepared fresh in the kitchen. The lamb pasta was delicious - pasta was al dente and sauce was yumm. The Veal dish was slowly braised, with two pieces of bone marrow, kale, and lentils. Everything on that plate was mouth watering. We topped off the meal with a beautifully served tiramisu. Just a wonderful meal to end the day. read more

Italian, simple, tasty, and I finally got my Pizza fix. No specials because everything is made fresh daily. All the pasta, pizza gnocchi etc. Nothing overdone, but everything done beautifully. Keeno's salad was fantastico. My mushroom pizza was perfect. Rosemary dough balls with olive oil and vinegar - so simple but executed brilliantly A really great spot. read more

Didn't love it here. We went as a walk in one night and the hostess was rude and condescending and told us if we didn't have a reservation we wouldn't be able to get a table that evening. Since the restaurant came recommended by our hotel, we made a reservation for the next night. The next night the same hostess with a bad attitude told us that the reservation was only made for 5 people, not 6 and that she wouldn't be able to seat us for another 15-20 minutes. Annoying! Once sitting, the food wasn't great, the restaurant was hot, and overall we were not impressed. Save your time/money and go somewhere else. read more

Delicious!!! The woodfire pizzas are a must! If you are going for dinner you may have to wait for a table as it is very popular but it is well worth the wait. The food is delicious and the staff very friendly! read more

Bella Cucina Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

Very nice Italian place. Small menu, but great authentic selections. Ambience is nice, food is great and the staff is very helpful and friendly. Highly recommended. read more

Bella Cucina Restaurant - A classic - well executed - Italian Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

Had dinner here the other night and everything was great! We had a nice bottle of wine, the fresh breads, and pizza. Everything was delicious and our waitress was really nice! I would definitely come back! read more

We got a trio of fresh breads. Then our mains were the veggie fusilli and the spaghetti ai frutti di mare with a small spinach salad. The flavors were good, very fresh, rustic and filling. Refreshing and interesting salad. Service showed attention to detail. read more

Hi. Second time here and so disappointing this time. The head waitress was definitely on a home time mission. Everything was banged down and too too fast. The empty bottle of wine was swiped away as she walked past at 100 miles an hour and we were not asked if we wanted anything else to drink. Waitressing is a class act of discreet and slow ! We sat down excited. Left like we had been in a whirlwind and waste of money. Seafood pasta 3 small mussels, 1 small prawn , 2.5 squid rings! read more

We were recommended this restaurant by the Eichardt and arrived to our reservation on time and were told they did not have a table big enough for our party so we had to wait another 20 minutes. We were told to wait and buy drinks at another restaurant next door. The hostess at the time, was condescending, rude, and snobby. After being sat, we were sweating bullets at our table and when we asked for the air conditioning to be turned on, the waiter goes "I know, it's hot back here." For dinner, we ordered the carbonara, risotto, and the gnocchi. None of which had ANY taste and the risotto tasted like microwaved rice-a-roni. I was shocked to read this restaurant has good reviews for service and food because that was not the case for us AT ALL. If you have limited time here in Queenstown, I wouldn't waste your time or money. read more