Visited this restaurant for dinner on a weekend trip to Minnesota. I was very impressed. We made reservations and were seated very close to our assigned time. Before that, we were at the bar outside and it was great. The bartender was very friendly and attentive. Our service once we were seated was great as well. He went over the specials a few times with our table and never got frustrated with our questions. I got the scallops and pasta and it was great. Everything was cooked well and had good flavor. I would highly suggest going if u are in the area. read more

We made reservations here for my mother's birthday celebration. Overall it was well under par for what we were hoping for. We had a group of 5 and the only person happy with their meal was me. My brother got spaghetti and meatballs, which you think would be solid, but boy this meal was horrendous. The meatballs were grissly and the pasta was dry since they barely gave any sauce. The sauce seemed very bland but maybe that was due to not having nearly enough of it. The server didn't check in with us until we were nearly finished so he didn't even get a chance to express his disappointment or ask for more sauce. My mom got the fettuccini with chicken dish. The wine cream sauce had absolutely zero flavor. The chicken was awful too, no siring or blackening. Tasted like microwaved crap. My girlfriend got the tuna burger. I liked the bun and the abundant amount of avocado slices but the tuna steak was not as high quality as promised "sushi grade". The fries were cold and soggy as well. My brother's wife got the marg pizza and salad which was fine but not worth the 25-30 dollar price tag. My meal was absolutely delightful!! I got the red pepper noodles with goat cheese and pine nuts with scallops. If you come here and you like scallops and goat cheese it's a must. Perfectly sired scallops, tender and juicy. And the pasta was delightful and the sauce was super rich and delicious, which is right up my alley. This meal saved the review from 1*. We got deserts which were so tiny I can't believe we paid money for them. The drinks were high as well which is whatever since a lot of restaurants make out like bandits on the alcohol. Overall there are so many other fantastic Italian restaurants in the cities you should probably stay away (unless you want to get the dish I got). read more

Great food and timely service. A little noisy but tolerable. Ample parking. One of our favorite restaurants.

One of the best kept secrets in the Minneapolis area. Ciao Bella has an Italian feel without the stuffy atmosphere. Servers are top of the line tour guides throughout your menu journey, always starting with provocative specials of the day. My go-to are the scallops with pasta, I feel they get better every trip. Open floor set-up, so if you want a silent, quiet dinner for two this isn't the place, not that it's loud, rather I'd say vibrant. read more

Wonderful date night. The service was outstanding. Our waitress really was able to guide us with recommendations on everything from the extensive wine list, through every course of the meal. The red pepper linguine with scallops melted in my mouth. The Parmesan shrimp appetizer was light and easy to share. The cobbler of the day- strawberry rhubarb tonight- was generously portioned and reminded me of summer. We will definitely be back. read more

Ciao Bella is a must anytime I'm in Minneapolis. The food is phenomenal and the wine list has something for every palate! I have sat at the bar alone and at a table on the patio with a group and the service has always been great, friendly and attentive. I recommend the Ciao Baby salad and the Spaghetti with Meatballs. Best I've ever had! Go see Damian at the inside bar, he'll take care of you! read more

Look, this is mostly my fault. I should have researched more. I was visiting my mother from out of town, and after Italian food was suggest, I looked on Yelp and found this place. Now I don't know if the algorithm that calculates these scores is faulty or the clientele exist in a different universe from me, but for some reason this place has four stars. Weird. There were a few key warnings that I chose to ignore, and for that I'm responsible. 1. Big open loud dining area. Upon arrival we were sat a table in the main dining area where a mixture of nervous kids going to the prom and grumpy out of shape older people sat. Every woman that was on a date looked bored and disappointed. The mix of rented tuxedos on children and backwards baseball hats was adorable. Now I don't know if this place was originally designed to house a chamber orchestra or if everyone there was drunk/hard of hearing but I was sitting a few feet from my mother and like eight feet away from the nearest patron and we both had to shout to hear each other. Not the restaurant's fault, but for quiet conversation it fails. That said, I was optimistic and thought, "Well it's packed, and the steaks go up to about 50 dollars, so they probably use quality ingredients." The correct interpretation of this situation was that rich dumb people with no pallet eat here because they are too afraid or lazy to drive a few minutes out of Edina. I ordered an espresso, and it was the highlight of the meal, as it was an actual espresso served in a cup and given in a manner in which a person that has functioning taste buds could enjoy. Downhill from there. I promise nothing is hyperbole. 2. Soup. I ordered a bowl of tomato basil soup. I love tomato basil. As a guy that thinks tomato flavor is the best non-meat flavor in the world, I've eaten some iteration of this kind of soup dozens of time. It's a simple soup, but if the ingredients are good, it's delicious. A person with no cooking experience and a few minutes on google will make a better soup. Like this is the first one I found on Food Network and it's totally reasonable: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-tomato-basil-soup-recipe-1940376 What they served was, no joke, below the par of an 80 cent can of Campbell's soup. For seven dollars, I would assume it would surpass processed slop thrown in a microwave with no salt, garlic, pepper, or any seasoning integrated. At this point we should have paid, and left, so the entrees are our fault. 3. Entrees My mother ordered their lasagna. I ordered a halibut over noodles special that sounded interesting. I ordered this before I was aware that they couldn't beat Campbell's in a taste contest. If I ordered after the soup, I probably just would have ordered some simple appetizer and ate later. At 35 dollars the Halibut consisted of what felt liked a frozen and thawed filet that was over cooked, unseasoned, and then dredged in rancid miso sauce. This was served, once again no joke, over noodles that would be beaten for flavor at Panda Express since apparently a food court has higher quality control. As for the lasagna, the marinara (which I recall them bragging about being made in house.... which is sort of like saying they cook the steak on location.... what do people think you're using cans of Ragu?) was slightly above Domino's tomato sauce. It's most likely pre-made and frozen and then microwaved to serve. After I immediately chomped on a piece of Nicorette, not because I was jonesing for nicotine, but because that awful tasting gum was a welcome pallet cleanser. At this point we're both grumpy, we ask for the check, which came out to 90 dollars including tip, and left. If all the food was around 20 dollars and served in a cafeteria at a hospital or something, fine.... that doesn't seem to be the vibe they were going for though. So I don't know who this clearly popular restaurant is trying to cater towards. But if you want Olive Garden quality at real restaurant prices. Come to Ciao Bella. I don't know if they had an off day, or if people come here because they think The Old Country Buffet is too damn spicy for them, but this is hands down the worst Italian food I've had in my life. read more

I thought this place was fabulous. We sat inside but it appeared they had a lovely outdoor seating area as well. For appetizer we shared the bruschetta which featured heirloom tomatoes as they are in season right now and was delicious and the Parmesan shrimp -- I loved it with the lemon garlic aioli. For dinner I had the spaghetti and meatballs and got the smaller size which was plenty. For dessert we passed the tiramisu and the budino (aka chocolata lava cake) and both were really good. The wine list was extensive and I thought the menu was reasonably priced for the quality and size of the food. I would definitely go back if I'm in the area again. read more

A classy choice in the suburbs of Minneapolis, this is a good go-to for tasty food and nice ambiance. The pastas are always a favorite, seafood can be good as well. Service is Minnesota nice and relaxed (if you're in a rush, worth mentioning up front). read more

You must get the crab cakes! Pure crab and little to no fillers here. I got the seafood linguini also. This was just average. They could have used more salt and cooked the pasta less. The dish was abundant with seafood though. read more

Delicioso! I ordered the linguine del mare. My husband ordered the Pappardelle with shrimp. My son got the lasagna. We all shared the burratta caprese, which the server had plated into 3 servings, and was appreciated! Will definitely go back. read more

We were visiting the area and found this gem. Our server Jerome was fantastic! Everything we had was great! Highly recommend for a nice quiet relaxing Italian meal! read more

Ciao Bella now disappoints. While the food remains delicious, the service has declined to terrible! Last night we were seated in a side room, as we had requested, but the waitperson was inattentive. Could it be that only one of the three of us ordered a drink? Then she disappeared. It was a t least 15 minutes before she returned to take our order. And then she disappeared again. And when we wanted our check, we had to ask another waitperson and a hostess before our checks arrived. We'll find somewhere else with better service next time. read more

A group of 8 of us came here without reservations, but we all managed to squeeze into a booth in the bar area without having to wait at all. We started off with bruschetta- delicious! They also brought bread and butter, balsamic and olive oil too. I ordered a filet mignon, which came with roasted potatoes. I know, I know, why did I order steak from a pasta place? I asked myself the same question. Everyone's pasta looked good, but none of it sounded appealing to me on the menu. My steak was ok, not really flavorful, but cooked fine. The roasted potatoes were yummy! I had a bite or two of the Kahlua gelato, which was delicious as well. Good place to eat. Busy at dinnertime. Make reservations!! read more

Consistently awesome. There are some foodie restaurants that are excellent if you can get in, but this place is fabulous and you don't need to make a reservation a year in advance. read more

We stopped by Ciao Bella for some appetizers and dessert after bowling at Pinstripes on a Friday night. The place was still fairly crowded at 9:00, but we were easily able to grab a table in the bar. I've been to Ciao Bella for dinner before and they have pretty good Italian food. This time, I was only here for the dessert. My hubby ordered the Grilled Molinari Sausage appetizer, which consisted of housemade marinara, smoked mozzarella, rosted bell peppers and sasuage on grilled ciabatta. The flavors were great, but I think we were expecting something a little different. I was thinking it would come out looking more like bruschetta with a few small pieces, but instead it was one piece of bread topped with one long sasuage and sauce. I think my husband really liked it, and if you like sausage this is the app for you. For dessert, we ordered the Limonetta Bella, which has a graham cracker crust topped with lemon cream cheese and lemon curd. Wow, this dessert was amazing! The candied almonds added a nice crunch and I loved the tart and rereshing flavor of the lemon curd. The graham cracker crust was perfectly buttery and the cream cheese layer was smooth and only slightly sweet. This dish is definitely a winner and one I would order again. I also got to try a bite of the chocolate cheesecake, which was delicious. It didn't taste overly heavy or rich, but had just the right amount of sweet chocolate flavor. The real winner of this dish was the vanilla gelato that tasted like marshmallows. read more

Avoid the waiter, Jerome; he's cocky, for no reason, and a little rude. He put a damper on my birthday dinner. Food was amazing.

I've had the pleasure of eating at Ciao Bella a few times for work. We have some partners in Bloomington, MN that like to go to swanky dinners - this place certainly fits that swanky subset. For the small plates, I think everything they do with Ahi Tuna is great. The spring rolls win with their crispy flaky crust; and the seared Ahi has a tart vinaigrette that starts the meal light. If Ahi isn't your thing, the Tuna Tartare here is great - I have Tartare bias. They are known for their fish. If I had been in LA, I would have ordered Sea Bass. But here, they have a local fish, Walleye. I had the Walleye Malanese. I'm surprised there wasn't a fishy taste considering it's a lake fish. Well seasoned and served on top of a bed of mashed potatoes, I felt like I got a good taste for local cuisine. I had it served with a cup of wild rice soup. It was a cream based soup that is seasonal. I've had their steaks and a couple different pastas, but I would stick to the local flavor if you're an out-of-towner coming here for the first time. read more

We've heard great things (or so we thought) about this restaurant and we were excited! My younger sister wanted to take me here for my birthday dinner and it was our first time there yesterday (1/18/22). We had reservations at 7:15 pm. For a Tuesday evening, they were quite busy. Seems like it was a "guys night out" because majority of the customers dining in were male. Overall though, I'm not impressed because of the following reasons: 1. Our waiter didn't introduce himself to us, so we didn't even know his name. 2. It was busy so he seem like he was in a bad mood. It was more of "I'm trying to hang in there on a bad day" kind of vibe to us. 3. After giving us the menus it took him awhile to come back to take our order. 4. We ordered the Tortiglioni Rossa, Red Pepper Linguini with Scallops, Caesar Salad, a glass of Riesling, and a glass of Moscato d'Asti. For dessert, we had the smaller versions of the Limonetta Bella and the Crème Brûlée. Everything tastes delicious but for the price, it was quality over quantity indeed. 5. We received everything except for the Caesar Salad. 6. He refilled our water once only. The busser filled our water twice. 7. When it was time for the check, I did not like and appreciate how he threw the check card holder on the table at my sister. That was so dang rude and uncalled for! After coming home, I told my husband out our experience there and how upset I was. Ciao Bella is a first and last for me. I will not be returning nor recommending it. I'm very disappointed. read more

I'm not sure if I keep ordering the wrong thing, or if the food is really just OK? I've been there a few times for dinner and once for happy hour and every time I have left fulfilled, but nothing more. I will say that the service is top notch and they treat everyone in an amazing fashion, however, there is just something about the entrees that haven't put me over the edge yet. The flat breads are very tasty and just about the only thing I go back for. I do wish they had more choices, being that it is so easy and quick to make, but I do understand why they don't. They have an open fire grill in the middle of the restaurant they use to bake the flat breads which makes them even a little more entertaining to order. That being said, I have still been yet to be blown away (like some of these other reviews have said) by anything else. To me, it's a little pricy for what you get served. I'll go back, for the the flat breads. read more

Great restaurant which makes it busy so make a reservation if given the opportunity to. Food is great and the staff extremely friendly an attentive even when busy. I sat in the bar since I was solo on this trip and had a great time! LOve it!!!! read more

What a neat place in this business area! Here is my breakdown. Pros: - Friendly and efficient service - Solid food offerings - I enjoy the modern take on the Italian dishes (such as the beet fettuccine - might be a restaurant week option) - Nice ambiance Cons: - It can get very busy during peak hours, may want to make reservations I would not hesitate to come here. read more

I was very pleased with Ciao Bella and have dined here 2x in the past year. I recently brought my mom here for her birthday and she loved it, it was exactly the type of food she wanted. We ordered the chicken spring rolls appetizer which is amazing, and for dinner we had the herb grilled organic salmon and the heirloom grain salad which my waiter recommended. It was seriously amazing, both were very delicious. I was incredible pleased with both dinners and the service was great as well. I really like the dinner time atmosphere as well, it's classy and business like, although the noise level can get a little loud but it's because everyone really enjoys their experience I believe and is having a good time with their party. I was just really thrilled that my mom had a great birthday dinner and enjoyed it as much as I did. I will be back soon! Ciao!! read more

Absolutely my FAVORITE place to eat. If it's my birthday, I'm at Ciao Bella. If it's someone else's birthday, I suggest we celebrate with dinner at Ciao Bella. If it's a completely random and otherwise insignificant Tuesday and there's no good reason, I'm usually trying to find a way to convince someone to take me to Ciao Bella. I have been here for birthdays, anniversaries, dates, and just-because kind of occasions and they have a menu that fits every kind of craving. Great for groups that have a wide spread appetite but also tables that are a quieter/cozier option for something more romantic. I'm a sucker for their pastas but have had bites of their various "sea" plates (walleye, salmon, etc.) and they always blow my mind. The chef's here are very talented and they are always shaking up their specials to keep things fresh :) Have I mentioned I love Ciao Bella? Well, if I didn't already hint at it enough, I'll just say one more time so it's crystal clean, I. LOVE. CIAO BELLA. read more

My family dined at Ciao Bella to celebrate my mom's 80th birthday. The food was wonderful. The service was friendly and professional. Everything was perfect for our large party. I would definitely recommend the Ciao Baby salad. read more

We made a reservation for a romantic dinner at Ciao Bella, outside was beautiful and looked very inviting. Opened the front door and was shocked by the noise level. It was a sports bar atmosphere, TVs and loud drinkers, couldn't hear yourself scream. We we're seated and immediately asked to be moved because of the noise. We were put in a side dining room that was better, but not the quiet atmosphere I was hoping for. The rest of the story is nice. Very good food, good service, great wine free dessert for our anniversary and the price was fair. Overall I give the entire experience a 6. I think Ciao Bella needs to decide, Are we a sports bar or are we fine dining. read more

I love this place an have been here often, I come in MN about 3 times a month for work. This may sound like a bad review but it is totally good! the million other times I have eaten here it has been nothing short of fabulous! The bottom will state the fantastic customer service they have and how much they care about their customers! The last time I went there I went with a friend and there were a few issues. Typically always good! I ordered a dish and it was way too salty. I was really nice about it and the waiter felt awful and had the chef taste what he had just made and the chef agreed it was way too salty. Then I ordered the veggie risotto to replace my first dish and the brought me out meat risotto by accident once again the waiter felt way bad (I was still smiley and good natured about it). They bring me out the veggie risotto and it has a rock in it (fortunately I did not eat it or break my teeth). The waiter feels awful that my meals were so bad and they manger comes back to the table and apologizes profusely. I never asked for the manger and was totally good natured about it. My friend meal was PERFECT! :) ...it looked way tasty. The manger asks me if he could bring me anything else...I got full with the bits and pieces of the meals that I received and said no it was all good. The manger and the waiter felt so bad that he comped our meal plus my friends alcohol and proceeds to give me a $50.00 gift card to make up for all the problems I had and told me to call and ask for the manger or the waiter the next time I was in town. NOW THAT IS SERVICE FOR YOU! They also said that we were the best customers he had ever seen seeing as everything that went wrong did...because my friend and I were smiling and joking the entire way. How can you not be in a good mood when everyone is so nice and trying to take care of you to make sure you are happy and enjoying your meal??? I will be back in the future and hope that I can enjoy a meal there soon. Take a friend or some work partners for way yum and good service to boot! read more

Shoul I rate a review based on the bread alone? Pasta perfectly prepared as well read more

I've only eaten here a few times, but I seem to always remember how good this place is. Both the pasta dishes and pizza are spot on. The Hostesses, Servers, and Bussers are on it too. read more

I sincerely loved the atmosphere...you could almost think you're truly sitting in an Italian trattoria sipping wine and enjoying a beautiful afternoon with friends. The service was phenomenal. The server was very friendly and upbeat and on the ball. The food was great! I didn't really care for the mushrooms in my AWESOME chicken and wild mushroom risotto as they were pretty large groups that should've been cut up better. I tasted a bit of my friend's pasta and it also was good but the asparagus could've been left out. I will come back and try this many more times. Perfect spot for a girls' night or a nice date. read more

A wonderful and fancy place really good with ambience. The chefs are great as they listen to your customer orders and man the pastas taste great. My wife had the heirloom grain sale and I heard it's great. I had the spicy sausage and peppers which was absolutely amazing. They serve some great beer too. read more

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Really good food. I come here for lunch when I am in town and have always enjoyed my meals. Pretty reasonably priced for lunch and I eat at the bar and they are always attentive. The best salmon I have had in my life! It was a special, Dijon maple glazed salmon - ask for it. read more

One of my FAVORITE places to eat. I've never had a bad experience here, the location is a bit off the beaten path, but that's fine. Service is always great, food is well done and well prepared and it really has a nice PLACE to eat your food and chat with the wife, friends or just be in. Is it as good as the places back home in Chicago? No, but really pretty good. I'd come back more often, but it can get expensive. Great summer happy hours! Going there for lunch today. read more

The food is excellent, and I love that they have small portions ,which really aren't all that small. Salads are ala carte, but worth the extra price. The down side is the noise. The waiter at the next table, his voice was hoarse from having to shout the specials. I have great hearing, and I could barely hear our waitress. There was no music at the time, and it wasn't packed. It must be the high ceilings. I'd go back, but would maybe sit next to whoever was with me rather than across the table. read more

My only knock was being charged for a 'special / feature' wine twice @ $15 per glass when I only had one - the rest were @ $8.75 and just as good . I'm learning to avoid specials all together since the only thing special on average is the price is about 20 to 30 % more with out an increase in meaningful value. The food was well thought out. The bill was approximately $200 (incl tip). 1 App, 1 Main, 1 Desert and drinks for each. I would return. The inside of the place is pretty warm and inviting as well. read more

I went here yesterday for a surprise treat to the girlfriend. First impression is to dress up. The bread served was very good and was better dipped in the olive oil. I ordered the Linguini for my entree. I was surprised at how quickly we got our food after ordering-maybe 7-8 minutes at most. The place was packed and it was 1pm on a Friday! This was the first time I've actually been served noodle cooked al dente. The meal was alright and the gf's herbed salmon was really good. At first, the noise was a lot louder than I expected but it got better as those around us started to leave. Bottom line, don't dress too nicely and they'll serve you very quickly-trying to get us out I think ;) read more

Solid Italian, good service went for birthday dinner, nice wine selection. Ravioli and gnocchi were made in house even kids pizza was good, they accommodated fussy customers as they clearly have mandate to please and they move quickly and the restaurant has large and variable seating and we were able to get a table at 6pm on Friday night as soon as we walked in without reservation for family of 5. Great dinner location for something a bit more formal but not too fancy foe families with a thoughtful and tasty menu. Good option if your staying in a Bloomington Hotel close by. read more

A-OK pretty much says it all. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable, so no complaints there. As a matter of fact every staff person encountered was cheerful and welcoming. I was impressed by their pretty patio area. My Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes tasted alright, but the odd combo of very large crab clumps, some the size of a raspberry, nestled amongst the breading/filler was a bit off. As I made my way through these two small-ish cakes I'd get a bite of crab, next just a forkfull of filler. The Wedge Salad had lots of delicious crispy bacon and some very delightful diced tomato. Their blue cheese dressing is one of the best I've ever had. read more

The best place. We loved everything we had. Please have the Limonetta Bella dessert. Amazing. Service is great. Douglas was attentive but not overbearing Loved this place. read more

The food here is absolutely awesome. The price is just right in the service as above average. Definitely would recommend and go back repeatedly read more