First time visiting based on high praise from trusted family. Sad to say, not what I expected. My chicken Parmesan was just ok/average. My son LOVED his children's meal of pasta and meatball. Most dissapointing was service. And for me, I can forgive a world of I'll with high quality, pleasant and efficient service. Had to askb3 times for table clearing. My salad dish was still on the table after my plate was taken to prepare for a doggie bag. And I asked yet, one more time to have the salad plate removed. I am confident that had I not asked, it would still be there. Service is key! read more

Update: 4/5/18. Just got take out from the new location. I can't say im super excited. Honestly, it was subpar. I have more authentic Italian at Olivia Garden. My husband and I ordered the steak alfredo. Ok well the steak was good but reminds me of something you would out over rice not pasta, it didn't go well with the alfredo at all. The alfredo tasted like expensive mac and cheese. The amount of food you get now is super small for the price. This used to be a place i craved...idk anymore. The new location also reminds me of like a chelos inside. Its super generic and it was packed with elderly people..that should sat a lot. Im just disappointed. Its sad really. Im hoping it was just a off night but the doubt is there..I wont be recommending them anymore. Sorry. read more

My fiancé and I frequent here after moving to the area a couple months ago. The food is so so good and the menu is pretty big. The staff is very polite and friendly! I recommend the chicken Marsala it is delicious. read more

Wow! Just when you think it can't get any better, they step it up a notch. Every plate I've had has been on point! read more

Bella Pasta - Italian Near Me - Pawtucket, Rhode Island

First, I have to say that this review is LONG overdue. Although I kept putting it off as I REALLY don't want TOO many folks to know about it. I will never get a seat on a weekend night. My cousin and her husband double date here all of the time. I have yet had a meal that is less than noteworthy . For starters, if you can, put in a reservation. If not, go and put in your name and tell Steve (the manager) to call you when your table is ready. There is a small pub at the end of the street- nothing fancy-just a small neighborhood pub....have a cocktail. It's better than waiting in the cold. Once your table is ready, relax have the waiter/ waitress open your wine. Get the Zuppa Di Clams. The calamari is awesome too. As is the Shrimp and Gorgonzola cheese. my mouth is watering already. I LOVE the Risotto. enough said. My husband keeps trying different dishes. I find only once in awhile is there a need to change from the perfection of the perfectly cooked Risotto, the lobster, scallops and shrimp- the touch of cream! urgh now I am hungry. Cousin Kris loves thier Veal Sorrento. Her husband likes different dishes. The Pollo ala Crema and Chicken Fettuccini are delectable. Bring an appetite.....and a nice bottle of wine. With sharing 2 apps between the four of us and meals, we usually spend $60.00 per couple. Then again we usually have supper for the next night too!!! Now , promise not to tell TOO many people ahout it , ok??? Thanks. read more

We had reservations for a party of six on a Friday night. We arrived early and decided to have a drink at the bar. I had a vodka soda which was the weakest cocktail I've ever had. For $7.50 I expected a fair pour. Our party was all together and we were promptly seated. We all ordered cocktails. This time I ordered vodka on the rocks with a splash of cranberry juice. My wife got a pomegranate martini and our friend got a vodka soda (despite my warning). Others got margaritas. The drinks arrived. I got a tall glass of cranberry juice with a hint of vodka. The martini tasted like fruit juice and the vodka soda was basically soda. All three drinks were sent back. I hate to focus on the alcohol but cocktails are expensive and I hate getting ripped off with watered down drinks. We did not order appetizers and went straight to entrees. Each dish was edible but not exceptional in any way. I would equate the food to a lower level than that of the Olive Garden. The portions were large but the food was not up to expectations. Pasta was over cooked. Eggplant and veal lacked taste. Cheese Ravioli was reported to taste like fish. All but one of us was disappointed in the food. The chicken Marsala was reportedly very good. Most all of us were let down by the bartenders. The waitress was great and did the best she could with what she had to work with. The atmosphere is similar to a cafeteria however the bar is quite nice. I sat facing a wall at a long table. After a full remodel I guess I expected better surroundings. It reminded me of a VFW Hall. The last time I was at Bella Pasta was at their prior location and I remember the food to be fantastic. I don't know what happened but we will not be back. Those of you that choose to dine here save your money and have a beer, glass wine, water or a soft drink. Skip the cocktails. Or, better yet hit the Olive Garden and enjoy a better meal. read more

Never disappointing. Great staff. Great food with some always welcomed daily specials. Relaxing background music makes it an enjoyable dining experience. Don't forget the deserts. Too full, take one home to enjoy later. read more

The food is great and the service is wonderful, the only issue being that parking can be tricky in their lot if its busy, only because the lot is tiny but street parking works too. read more

Great local place for good italian food, large portions great prices friendly service

Ya know... I used to avoid Pawtucket at all costs (with the exception of the occasional PawSox game). Driving through Pawtucket confuses the heck out of me and I'm convinced all the other people on the road are trying to kill me, plus I've just never thought of it as a particularly desirable place to be. Then I discovered Doherty's, which became Exception #2. Recently I've discovered Bella Pasta, which is now Exception #3. We found Bella Pasta by picking up a magazine with a cover story on local BYOB restaurants. Living only one town over and seeing the positive reviews on Yelp made us decide to check it out. Last Saturday, after a fairly light lunch and an afternoon of paddling, we found ourselves ravenous for an early dinner and decided it would be a great time to give Bella a shot. It was only around 5:30, so we were seated right away, and our server quickly popped open our bottle of wine and brought over a bread basket with infused olive oil for dipping, which we quickly devoured. I, of course, ordered the Gnocchi Sorrento (sans mushrooms, please). I consider myself a seasoned gnocchi critic at this point, and this dish definitely scored very high marks with me. The sauce was delicious, and the gnocchi was tossed together with little bits of fried eggplant and prosciutto, and absolutely smothered with gooey melted cheese. I'd almost say there was too much cheese on this dish, except I'm pretty sure there is no such thing. I managed to eat all of the gnocchi (because I will continue to eat gnocchi until it is gone or I explode), but there was still so much eggplant, prosciutto, and cheese left on the dish by the time I threw in the towel that our server asked me if I wanted a box. I resisted the temptation of taking my eggplant and prosciutto cheese glob home for a midnight snack and declined his offer. The boyfriend ordered a chicken and broccoli alfredo dish, which I tasted, and it was pretty solid. Mine totally wins, though! To top it all off, our fantastic Italian feast set us back a whopping $30-something bucks (not including the wine we brought or gratuity). Recap: * 15 minutes from our house * We got to bring our own booze (Hehe, B.O.O.B.) * Great service * Very fair prices * Huge portions of delicious food Yep, that's a 5 star review if I ever saw one! Props, Pawtucket... you've surprised me once again! Now if you'll please excuse me, I'm off to go daydream about gnocchi for the rest of the day! read more

Went to their new location on Newport Ave. We went at 6 pm and people were waiting for tables. We lucked out getting 4 seats together at the bar. Service was vg even though the bar was also full. I had chicken marsala which vas excellent, and sauce on the side of pasta was also vg. The Italian wedding soup was delicious. My companions had lobster ravioli, piato zingarella, and risotto ala bella. All dishes were delicious. Food was delivered in a timely manner. Would definitely recommend, and will be going back again soon! read more

Our first time visiting the new location on Newport Ave. What's not to like? More parking, a much larger restaurant and the same good food. Our server Nelson was attentive and prompt. The only issue I can think of is that it is a large open concept interior and both female companions thought it was a little cold, so my only advise would be to keep the heat up. But that will not stop us from returning. read more

Valentine's Day and the GF said let's hit Bella Pasta.. Now, I have lived in Pawtucket for 11 years and didn't even know it was here, I was embarrassed by that because I love Italian food, so I was really excited. My GF had called to make reservations, and they said they do not take reservations. However, since it was Valentine's Day they did take it for her. When we arrived it was jammed, and the entrance way is very highly congested. We maneuvered our way up to the hostess and said we had a reservation, we were slightly early. They sat us right down. It is BYOB, which does not bother either of us in the least, we got our menus and popped open a couple of beers and looked over the menu. I found the menu to be a perfect size, with perfect amount of chicken and veal entrees. And, to my extreme pleasure, they had scallops wrapped in bacon. The app came out very quickly and the scallops were cooked perfectly, so tasty, they were devoured in no time. We both received salads they were fresh and crisp.. I ordered the veal parm, which is my favorite meal of all time. I have had veal parm all over, federal hill, north end, phili, jersey, you name it.. I would stack this Veal up against any of those places, it was mouth watering good, basically melted in your mouth.. My Gf had the Pollo Sorrento, which is chicken and eggplant and a variety of cheeses and she loved it.. Pasta was cooked evenly, just perfect, I am getting hungry thinking about it. And, best of all, the prices! Incredible. The service? Incredible! Everything came out right when we were finishing up our previous app, or salad. Our waitress was efficient, personable, knowledgeable and just great. This place is fantastic. I can NOT wait to go back.. Below based on five stars FOOD ***** SERVICE ***** ATMOSPHERE **** LOCATION *** 1/2 DECOR **** OVERALL ***** read more

Food is fair and fair priced. The Manager should not be running this place. Never smiles never says Hi or Bye. Oh and their website states early bird every day. But they don't honor it. This restaurant will not be long for if it doesn't straighten out!!! The waitress Lexie is GREAT read more

I hate to do this but, I I really was not happy with my dinner last night at Bella Pasta. First of all it was dead in there and the service took forever. Secondly I wanted pasta and meatballs so much and the meatballs were like rocks, and tasteless. Sauce was not the same as when they were on Benefit Street. When I asked the waitress about the sauce, she said the meatballs were not made in house. If I wanted to eat frozen meatballs I would've gone in my freezer. So, I won't be going back again. And to think that I almost went to Twin Oaks and chose this because of how good it used to be. read more

I recently had my mother's collation lunch at Bella Pasta. The food was great and Joyce and Nelson were very helpful from selecting the meal to the great service they provided. Our guests commented on the how delicious the food was and how the location was perfect to celebrate my mom's life. I used to take my mom to Bella's for her favorite shrimp dinner. I highly recommend Bella for special functions or a great dinner with perfect service. Denise Moriarty read more

Delicious dinner tonight with one of the BEST servers EVER. Thank you Alexys for the special attention to detail and making our dinner that much BETTER. Gnocchi Sorento and Pasta Fongole were so yummy. read more

Expensive and the food was mediocre. If your craving Italian, I suggest going to Spumonis! The chicken was so salty it was unpalatable

Just had an amazing dinner, a little spicy, but that was fine. Waitresses however, a little rough, but if you don't mind that it's ok. Dinner was great, we thought they were still BYOB but now they a liquor license. read more

Husband and I loved this restaurant. It is small and a little noisy at times if crowded, but the food was delicious and the service was great. BOYB...if you drink. Will be going back again soon. Not so sure this is a place for active kids. read more

I give this restaurant 3.5 stars; the waitress was very nice and available until it got busy and then we hardly saw her. The Calimari was good but not great. The entrees; chic parm, chic saltimbocca and salmon were average to slightly above average. The red spaghetti sauce was hearty and above average. It is a shame this place is not better because this area could use a very good Italian place. read more

Second time at Bella Pasta and got takeout. Everything down to bread and oil was included. Food was excellent as always.

Pretty decent food. I'd give it 3.5 stars if that were a rating. Got take out and enjoyed it all, though I wasn't overwhelmed by the gnocchi. The Linguini Putanesca was nice as was the Linguine with Meatball. The Gnocchi Sorrento was OK. I'm a big fan of BYOB and have a nice Chiante to bring along next time I'm in town. read more

The food was good but terrible service. We loved the old location on benefit street. Tonight we waited about 20 minutes just for bread. Then we waited over an hour for our meals. It was almost 830 when we finally ate. At that point we were ready to leave. Such a shame. read more

I had been to Bella Pasta a while ago and everything was great. Went today to the worst and slowest service I have ever had. There was proably more waitstaff than cooks. Took a about 30 mins. (That is being generous actually probably longer) 20 mins for the waitress to come back and actually take our order. Afterall conversations with co workers are way more important thatn patrons who are tipping you. All in all we waited an hour and a half for overpriced and child size portions. We had to ask for refills on our water and the waitress was not happy about it, water dripping out of pitcher onto the floor and slamming glass on the table when she finished. Very quick to collect payment though. The food was nothing spectacular. So disappointed and a waste of $90. Should have drove to Marchetti's I would have had better service and had leftovers.... read more

This restaurant used to be one of the very best. We had our rehearsal dinner there when it was on benefit....since moving to Newport ave a few years ago, not so much. Tonight was the last time going. The short version is, We ordered take out. Told 35 minutes. Got there 45 minutes after calling and still had to wait another 15 minutes. Calamari was rubbery and entrees cold ( we only live a few streets away). Too many bad experiences since they moved , service, food etc. All the times I have been there I have never had a manager approach or do a table visit. I think we are finally giving up on them. It's too bad, really used to be one of my favorite restaurant. read more

Read the reviews below this one carefully folks because the high ratings came in large part because of the BYOB policy which made eating at Bella Pasta fun and inexpensive... especially for wine lovers THEY ARE NO LONGER BYOB, so put your good wine back in the car and drink their overpriced, mediocre swill. The new bar makes the already not great ambiance and limited seating problem even worse. If you go for the early-bird specials and drink water it's still a pretty good deal but otherwise why wouldn't you just drive an extra 5 minutes and eat on the hill? There are plenty of places there for the same price with much better ambiance, equal or better food, no policies against sharing and much later hours. read more

My wife and i went hear with a gift card. we were so full leaving this place. 100 times better than a chain Italian restaurant like Olive Garden read more

I have been here several times I have to say I'm not a fan it is very small over priced for what it is the food is okay I might order take out there is not much to choose from in the area read more

Pretty expensive for 4 pieces of lobster stuffed ravioli. It WAS absolutely delish though! Got the butternut squash soup -- oh boy! PERFECT! Perfect spice and acidity. Absolutely scrumcious for a cool night. read more

This is one of my favorite places to go to eat...intimate, clean and delicious food. I have never been disappointed with anything that I have eaten here. read more

Love BYOB's. there selections are good, service is good, their sauce has a nice flavor, like the added bread with oils served to each table. A little tight with seating and no waiting area, but hey, everyplace has their thing and if you know its like that, then you know what to expect. read more

I haven't been back for a while, but their website states they have a full liquor license now... so long BYOB!

Love the food! Chicken parmesan one of the best in RI. Have sat at the bar a couple of times recently and only downside is bartending. While they are very pleasant to deal with they're clearly not professionals. Both times I sat the bar was greeted and given a menu only to have the bartender walk away and tend to such things as emptying the dishwasher before asking if we wanted drinks. Bottom line is I will continue to go for the food in hopes that bar service gets better! All in all a good place. read more

Food is awesome! A little cramped but otherwise I can't really say anything bad. I had baked haddock and it was perfect!

Food was very good, BYOB is a great bonus, but make reservations or something because the last thing you want is to be sitting in that tiny waiting area. read more

Best little secret in Pawtucket. The place is small but everything on the menu is amazingly good.

When you look at italian food in RI, this restaurant is going to blend in with every other restaurant in the state... however when you compare it to restaurants with the "typical" cliche italian menu (think marchetti's, twin oaks, the old pat orlandos, etc...) bella pasta definitely has the edge. I will say that you definitely want to do a chicken/veal dish before you go with their pasta offerings. The pasta is good, but I think its a dime a dozen for majority of their pasta dishes, especially considering the taste of their tomato sauce. Veal sorrento, to die for Had a few other dishes as well, all very good. Service... is good, they aren't the most welcoming of staff, but in part I'll blame myself for being that party walking in at 9ish. I believe the kitchen is open until 9:30pm, however I think they typically close up shop around 8ish due to no one else going in there any later than that. I'll be a little more considerate next time, I hate being "that guy" that walks in when the kitchen is cleaning... i know what its like, it sucks. read more

LOVE IT!! Couldn't complain if I tried. Fantastic food...fantastic prices....and yes, even BYOB. Sometimes it's difficult to get in but we manage. A definite must-try!! read more

I cannot rave enough about this place! Fantastic food!!! Absolutely awesome! I live on Federal Hill and Bella Pasta is a real gem that blows most of federal hill dining away. The service is great, atmosphere is quaint and clean. My boyfriend and I both agreed one of the best meals of our life. Go here! It's always busy but very worth the wait! The prices are very reasonable and the food is outstanding! read more