The ambiance, food and wait staff were exceptional! We had the spaghetti with vodka sauce/meatballs and the seafood spaghetti. Both entrees were prepared perfectly and delicious. The atmosphere is low key and relaxing, music is where it belongs--in the background--so you can hear what your friends and family are saying. Our waitress, Makiya, was delightfully friendly and professional while taking great care of us and her other tables. We'll definitely be back! Che Bello is our new favorite place! read more

Had a few mistakes in service, but they fixed it pretty fast. Food is tasty, i recommend to check Che Bello out.

Cozy on a rainy evening. Wonderful food and service. New chef! loved my Tuscan shrimp dish! Adding to my Bloomington list!

I'll be transparent. We went because my daughter was graduating IU and had never been. I ordered the $55 steak, son ordered chicken parmesan daughter ordered mushroom risotto, and wife ordered a shrimp pasta dish. Risotto had great flavor but was overcooked. Shrimp pasta was good according to spouse, chicken parmesan was nothing to write home about as seem like it was prepackaged. And the steak had gristle. $55 steak with gristle? Should have taken pictures, but probably won't be back. In general meal was average, but average does not do anything when a four-person meal where each person had one drink total $325. read more

Che Bello has everything is needs to be 5 stars, but a couple of things could be tweaked. The vibes are so cute - it's definitely a spot one would choose for a date night or girls night. It's clean, it's cute, and has great ambiance. When we first went in my husband was first really taken aback by the smell of dirty mop water - so much that if we weren't meeting someone for dinner we probably would have picked somewhere else. That was an alarming greeting when walking into a restaurant. The cocktails were good! It's nice to add another place to the list where you can get a good cocktail. We ordered a couple of appetizers - the calamari was just okay. Seemed un-inspired. The stuffed mushrooms were really good, but really cheesy, so if you don't like that kind of thing I'd avoid them. The entrees - two people had the lobster ravioli and said it was really good. My husband had the sirloin and it was a big cut, and also good! I had the salmon which came with risotto. The risotto was great. I really enjoyed it! I made the mistake of ordering the salmon blackened. It was basically just overcooked and lacked any real flavor - all I could taste was the char, and it was tough. I feel like my meal could have been GREAT had I not ordered the salmon blackened! When we were ready to leave we had to take our checks to the bar because our waitress was MIA. Her service was good otherwise. Overall, I'd give it another shot, but order something different. read more

Che Bello Kitchen - Blackened Salmon - Italian Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Made reservations on OpenTable, but at the time we were there a reservation was not necessary. We got a friendly greeting quickly and were sat at a booth. She told us the specials and the name of our server. Our server came by and got our drink order and then our dinner order We both got Caesar Salad on with tomato and one without. Salad was ok. The Caesar dressing didn't have a ton of flavor. Husband got Chicken parm with spaghetti. I got Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken. Both dishes were very good and the chicken on my Fettuccini had a nice char. His piece of chicken was huge. We each got a piece of grilled garlic bread. We did go for a dessert. Husband got a gluten free chocolate cake and I got tiramisu. The tiramisu was very good. The lady fingers were soaked in espresso. And the mascarpone cheese layer was thick. He said his chocolate cake was alright. Over all very good meal and our server was fantastic. Only con would be the really bad smell when you walk inside. Moping the floor with something like Murphys Oil Soap or maybe a couple air purifiers might help. It did smell like a sewage smell so they may have a clog in the stack not allowing for proper venting. The restaurant was decorated very nicely and had a good vibe. My husband's only complaint was he'd like bread brought out with olive oil or something for dipping, but he is also a carb fanatic. This area of the city needs a bit of beautification done. Lots of graffiti and some vandalism was visible on the buildings. read more

Che Bello Kitchen - Bar - Italian Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

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Mushroom risotto and bruschetta was fantastic! Really good gin cocktail with pomegranate juice; well balanced and not too sweet. A small hiccup with the bruschetta not including the smoked salmon which was fixed immediately. Friendly and fun atmosphere! read more

I will start with the good. My wife's dinner was very good she had the lobster ravioli with a white cream sauce and said it was excellent. I had the tuscan shrimp and it was ok nothing special but good. The ambiance is very nice, comfortable and well decorated. The bad, service was poor. Not crowded but we have had much better service in places that were crowded. We saw no reason for poor service. Waitress brought our bread after we had almost finished salad, brought my wine half way through dinner, just not very attentive. But the thing that really got to me is the 3% charge for using a credit card. I understand that they are charged when someone using their card but it is part of doing business I did not like their charge being passed on to me. What made it worst was when the bill came after I had given her the CC they even charge 3% on the tip. I tip on the food and drink as that is what the service is for, I do not tip on tax or tip as that is just what the calculations is based on. It was our 53rd anniversary and when I made the reservation they asked if it was a special occasion, why ask if you don't even acknowledge it. We will probably not go back. read more

The food was delicious. I made a reservation for my 21st birthday party of four. The waiter was very friendly and even gave recommendations on what kind of drink I wanted. I loved the restaurant and our food came out all together so in all seriousness I loved it! read more

We decided to try Che Bello which has recently claimed to be "under new management" since all the backlash from the old corporate owners, Endeavor. We made reservations for a Friday night. Host and waitress were kind. Inside was clean and beautiful - decorated in an upscale, midcentury modern fashion. My partner had "the best old fashioned" he's ever had (in town). This was the highlight of our night! We had calamari fritte as an appetizer, served with a sweet sauce - crispy and tasty. I had the Tuscan Shrimp pasta entree and was not that impressed for how much I paid... the sauce was pretty sweet. The shrimp were almost translucent looking, glossy, and smooth? At first, I thought it was not cooked all the way through but the inside was opaque white so it must've been. I've never had shrimp like that so I'm wondering if it wasn't a good quality shrimp? My partner had the lobster ravioli and we agree that it was better than my pasta. The slice of bread that came with each of our entrees was better than our pastas - crispy soft with savory butter. Overall, we weren't too impressed with how much we paid for two people $120 (with tax and tip as well as the 3% surcharge for using card). Based on our entrees, we would probably not go back, especially for the price, but we loved the old fashioned and the bread! read more

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Tucked away in downtown Bloomington, I was pleased with the experience! Exceptional service, great food, warm atmosphere. Nice portion's, ranging from the appetizers to the salads to the entrees, expect to be totally satisfied. read more

Che Bello Kitchen - Italian Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

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The food was delicious, and the staff was incredibly friendly and attentive. We didn't have to wait long for our food to arrive, which was a great service. Overall, we had a wonderful dining experience and would highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Che Bello is a big improvement over Grazie! We had the shrimp scampi pizza and the calamari at the bar with one of their speciality Christmas cocktails, the Festive French 75. Service was great and their bar is one of my favorite spots in town. Looking forward to when they offer the fettuccini table side in the wheel of Parmesan! read more

Che Bello Kitchen - Shrimp scampi pizza, calamari and the Festive French 75 - Italian Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Had higher expectations than say Fazoli's or Olive Garden. It was a bit better; the service was very slow and they were not busy once. The salad is a shame and there's no bread option except for a greasy piece of Panini-pressed toast with entrees. Not exactly sure what would draw folks to this establishment--maybe the wine is famous and great; the beer selection was weak. Louis DeAngelos is way better for your cash. Totally unsure of how...I mean, can't imagine the monthly lease is higher than heck there...maybe I just got unlucky on my visit... read more

Made the mistake of not reading the reviews before hand. We got there 14 minutes early and were sat immediately, EVERYTHING after the fact sucked immensely. Our server, Melissa, had the worst attitude and sounded like she wanted to die. She took forever to come take our order, didn't check in to refill drinks or buss our table even once. After waiting a whole half hour for entrees, while they clearly were not busy (half the restaurant was empty. When we finally got our entrees, it was even more disappointing. My "Italian burger" tasted like preggo sauce and bagged cheese over a piece of cardboard, and my friends Salmon and lemon orzo had almost zero flavor and was severely over cooked. Appetizers were just okay, but the spinach artichoke dip was melted cheese with a side of microwaved spinach. Overall the place had a great vibe to it, but everything else was absolutely horrific. DO NOT GO HERE. I will absolutely NEVER be returning. I should have stiffed our server, but I tipped 18% cause I'm not a complete jerk. This place should be gutted and turned into something that's worth your time and money. read more

Che Bello Kitchen - Fried Ravioli and Traditional Spinach & Artichoke Dip - Italian Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

We wanted to like this place but the service was slow and we got the wrong bill with someone else's credit card. We got the calamari and for $17 it was a very small portion and it was just okay. I got a Pizza and it came out cold, greasy, and soggy, I ended up not eating. My husband got the fettuccine and it was runny and the pasta was overcooked. Our waitress offered to bring me something else and was very nice but we didn't have time. read more

I wanted this visit to be a celebration stop for the first time in town and first day of class. The food was mediocre and over priced. The menu is phrased in a way that feels like youre getting something special and luxurious. From the looks of the old yelp pictures and menu changes it used to be a nice place with good food. The service was good and as to be expected. However we were bothered the entire time by fruit flies/gnats. Fun place for a drink I guess. Ravioli sauce was very mild and runny. Scallops were gritty. read more

Che Bello Kitchen - Lobster Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

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This was an underwhelming experience. We had the Truffle Stuffed Mushrooms for an appetizer. No personality and difficulty to eat, with what appeared to be way too much mozzarella. We did not finish them. I had the Alfredo with Shrimp. The shrimp were overcooked and the alfredo sauce was bland. I am attributing that to the quality of the Parmesan cheese? Also, the menu stated that it was to be prepared table side. It was not. My guest had the Chicken with Proccuito pasta. It looked fine. She didn't make a fuss about it. We had the Tiramisu for dessert. That was lovely. With one glass of wine and a beer, not worth the $110 price tag. Server was not the most professional, but somewhat attentive. Maybe your visit will be better. read more

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NEVER will go back and fist time here. Had reservations for party of 8 for birthday. Service was terrible. Food came out in separate 10 minute increments. Asked server at the start of dinner to combine birthday guest on my ticket so that they didn't pay. Didn't do that and gave birthday guest and he paid for his own birthday meal! Unfortunately food was not good and ended up paying and leaving and going to eat a second meal around the corner at a second restaurant that has better food. What a disappointing experience. read more

It was awful and incredibly overpriced! The food was bland and inconsistent. The service was subpar for the prices being charged. My wife's full-meal Caesar salad was the same size as my side salad and was missing ingredients. The best item we had was the French fries. read more

I started out my Tuesday being overly excited about Valentine's Day. My partner and I had made reservations for Che Bello's Valentine's Day 4 course dinner over a month ago. We were greeted by the hostess as soon as we entered the door and they seated us immediately (about 15 minutes sooner than our 7:30 reservation). Our server gave us time with the menu and came back in an appropriate amount of time. He took our entire order (drinks, hors d'oeuvres, appetizers, entrees, and desserts). He filled our glasses with water and then briskly came back with our drinks. I ordered the "Ma Cherie" - a cocktail consisting of espresso vodka and kahlua. It was delightful! A few moments later, we received our first fours. I had order the Caesar salad and my partner the tortellini soup. Neither of us had any complaints at this point - besides the soup being a little extra spicy for what it was. At this point we were excited and ready for our next course. The wait time was extended by this point, not without reason being that it was Valentine's night. The restaurant was very busy and we noticed many people waiting long periods of time for their food. Around 40 minutes after getting our first course, we got the second course. At this point, the two tables near us (who came in several minutes after us) had already received their second course, had finished them, and were waiting for their entree. For my second course, I ordered the stuffed mushrooms. My mushroom appeared to be smashed, as if they had been sitting awhile. The taste was amazing and exactly what I would expect. My partner ordered the goat cheese pesto ravioli and was unimpressed. He said that his ravioli had way more spice than it should have. This is where our night took a turn for the worst. We watched as the tables around us received their entrees, desserts, and checks as we waited to be served our entrees. Our server had only checked on us once at this point. He had stated - "oh you received your appetizers, no one told me. I'll go put in your entrees now" - when he was in fact the person who brought us our appetizers. We waited over an hour for our entrees and still did not receive them - which is why there are no photos. When the server finally brought our entrees, my partner told him we were ready to go. He took our food back, packaged it, and brought it out to us in a bag as well as the check. The server stated that he deducted 10% from our bill, which was still over $140, and that he was sorry for the wait. We did not receive our desserts. We left at 9:40pm. We left and sent a dissatisfactory email to the manager in hopes that something is done to alleviate the situation. Our Valentine's Day has gone from feeling excited to feeling very lackluster. It was a hectic night on a busy day, but that doesn't excuse the poor service we received while the tables around us received adequate service. (Tasted my entree when we got home, the lasagna bolognese. Definitely not worth waiting 2 hours for.) read more

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The ladies savored their spaghetti with meatballs, while I experienced the Italian burger. The marinara and melted provolone was quite satisfying. Topped off with the lemon cake - made it a delightful dining visit. read more

My husband was giving me crap for talking about the negative reviews before we ate here, but sure enough, they're all accurate. Our food took over an hour to come out and was cold. Wouldn't recommend. read more

Genuinely the worse restaurant I've ever been to. Food tasted like it was microwaved. I think it's a Sysco restaurant. Owner is either clueless or smart by trying to take advantage of college kids. Waiters are also poorly trained. Ambience is terrible. Doors were left open when it was 40° out. Food in Bloomington isn't great but this is a great example of how Capitalism has its downsides. My guess is that it used to be a solid restaurant but then got bought out by a greedy owner whose only goal is to make a profit. Everything about this place is pitiful and I am going to do everything in my power to put it out of business. read more

I was in town for just one night. I got takeout from Che Bello. I went with the chicken parmesan and calamari. The pasta accompanying the chicken parm was dressed with oil and garlic which is fine but I would have preferred red sauce. The calamari portion was sufficient. $44 before tip for what I received seems a little high for Bloomington. read more

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Save yourself the aggravation and go somewhere else. The ambiance is nice but that's where it ends for this place. Service was slow and non caring. Food was inedible. Ordered a hamburger rare and received a hockey puck. Caesar salad the lettuce was brown. It's obvious the cooks don't know what they are doing. Over priced for the food. Will not be back. read more

Che Bello Kitchen - Hamburger - Italian Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

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The worst service I've received in a restaurant in memory. We arrived early for our reservation. We were seated on time. It was downhill from there. It took 15 minutes for the waiter to come take our order. We ordered an appetizer and a couple of drinks. Then we waited. Half an hour later we got someone's attention and asked where that food was. The waiter took our orders for the rest of the meal and promised that our appetizer was forthcoming. It took another 15 minutes for the meatballs and drinks to appear. We polished them off fairly quickly and again sat and waited. Nobody cleared the plates, offered anything to drink nor brought, say, a little bread. After half an hour more I went to the front desk and expressed my dissatisfaction. The 3 girls who were there (and had moved as a pack all evening) just looked at me. It was clear that they didn't know how to respond. Eventually our salads arrived. My Caesar was overdressed and the lettuce was limp. My table mates liked their burrata salads. When the entrees were served, nobody cleared the salad plates. Halfway through that course I got up and put them on a nearby empty table. I had the scallops; while they were nicely cooked, I found the pomegranate sauce overwhelming. Yet the penne's cream sauce was bland. A table mate liked hers. Another friend got the pork chop and thought it rather bland too. By this point our waiter had been informed of our displeasure, came over and said his manager was going to discount our bill. This was done, but so was the damage. We were there for a celebration. We didn't have a celebratory experience at Che Bello. read more

Food was barely mediocre and expensive. They were certainly nice and service was good but for the $ food simply not good

Food was good. But service was super slow it took 15 minutes to get a drink and 40 minutes to receive dinner and she forgot our salad. Never checked on us or offered us butter or oil for our bread or cheese for our pasta. Actually Fallon (our waitress) had a little bit of an attitude with us. Our reservation was at 5 so it was not yet busy. If you need to be somewhere after would not recommend. Ambiance was nice. read more

Food was not as described. Cheese platter was not assorted Italian cheeses. I could have bought from the grocery store. It was cheddar, pepper jack and goat cheese slices and no bread or crackers. Chicken was topped with a cheese spread and not prepared as described. No prosciutto, little Brie and no asparagus as described. Not topped with champagne sauce but some cheese spread. Didn't complain because service was great and the ambiance was good and music was fun. Wouldn't go back. read more

Che Bello Kitchen - Italian cheeses - Italian Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

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Food was bad All the dishes we ordered (burger, chicken and Salmon) were over cooked and dry. I won't go again Thanks read more

The menu looked great but it seems the staff treated it more like 'suggestions'. For example, my wife ordered a dish supposedly made at your table, it was not. Service was reasonably OK and my food was alright, but overall kind of underwhelming, so I guess the tradition of this being the location for a mid Italian restaurant continues.... read more

Service was good but the food while technically well prepared lacked any real pizzazz. No real heart in the food. Sad I want to like the place but they simply miss the mark read more

Can you do more than 5 stars?!?! I read the reviews before coming and was a little hesitant to come but decided to give it a shot, and all I can say is YUM! The food was absolutely delicious. The service was great. Our waiter Jude was very attentive and nice. All of these reviews below said how slow the service was and how bad the food was but they couldn't be more wrong! The vibe inside was also very nice, the artwork was very cool! Just overall a good place. Don't let these reviews fool you. It's under new ownership and they have done a fantastic job!! I would absolutely come back!! read more

Very disappointing dining experience on graduation day. Limited and extremely overpriced menu. Food took over 45 minutes to come out after ordering. $48 salmon and accompanying pasta was dry for everyone who ordered it. $12 side of broccoli was rock hard. Best dish was the Truffle Fries. It's one thing to take advantage of the graduation crowd by egregiously raising prices. It's another to combine it with extremely mediocre food and service. Bad decision and execution by restaurant management on an other wise wonderful graduation day. read more

Doubled prices on IU graduation day from online menu. 48 for salmon entree on graduation menu vs. 26 on online menu. Very serious price gouging. read more

Service was atrocious, food was inconsistent and took forever to come out. The side salad is the same size as the main salad. The Risotto was dry as can be without a drop of sauce to be found. Saw many customers come up to the Kitchen asking for plates with their appetizer or simply walking out since there food took so long. Stay away ‼ read more

I can't believe they up-priced for graduation and Mother's Day for overcooked pasta and choice steak.

I had a reservation for 12 and they said they couldn't seat us until 12:40 and sat other people who had reservations for 12:30 before us. Every item has taken at least 10 minutes to be delivered. The food is still no where to be seen, even though people who were seated after us have received their food. I'm just confused because I had heard such great things and am truly just appalled at how this is possible. P.S. Just ate the food it was really good they won me back over just hope no one has the same experience here I did read more

Worst experience I've had in a long time. Can't even call it a dinning experience, since we were there an hour and got no drinks (except water which we had to ask for multiple times), no appetizer nor our entrees. Avoid this establishment read more