Message from Isabella's Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar of Frisco
Isabella's Restaurant is a hidden treasure of Italy located in Frisco, TX. Kenyon Price, founder, turned three Northern Italian regions for an unusual blend of the contemporary and tradition. The menu of pastas, pizza, seafood and steaks strike a great balance between familiar and exotic. They have an extensive wine list to choose from with wine specials throughout the week. When dining at Isabella's you will experience the views of an Italian fountain and can dine on our patio that features a fireplace. We are open for lunch Monday through Friday and seven days a week for dinner. We have Happy Hours and a Jazz Band Thursdays and Fridays. Our chef can also come to your home to cook your dinner! Isabella's also features a wine room for private parties. Come dine with us to experience nothing but exceptional food and service. Please visit our website for reservations.
Insider Pages Reviews for Isabella's Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar of Frisco
When I first walked into Isabella's I was immediately appalled. Having gone through great lengths to create an aristocratic ambiance complete with a live musician, they had immediately shattered it by playing pop music over the PA system while the musician was performing. Trying to not contemn the experience already, I moved on, open-minded, to the food. The focaccia was average, yet palatable. For my meal, I ordered a homemade gnocchi in a four cheese sauce. The gnocchi was undercooked (I suspect the chef was hastily trying to cook too many in the pot at once) and tasted of old, wet flour, and the overpowering cheese sauce seemed an after thought just to mask the failed gnocchi. Hoping that I had merely picked poorly from the menu, I ordered a cheesecake for desert. The cake matched the gnocchi in blandness and the only flavor it suggested was from the pistachios inside its crust and the strawberry on top.
Overall, for it's quality, which seemed on par with or even below a cookie cutter fast food Italian restaurant, the pricing was the largest outrage. My final bill (for two entrees, $18 of wine, and desert) was over $80, without gratuity. If you are looking for an intimate and refined family owned Italian restaurant, I recommend you try "Bene Bene." For the same price ($15 for Gnocchi), you will experience top notch quality and service.
Posted 07/08/09 | Report Abuse
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A little gem tucked away - but worth seeking out. They have smaller rooms that are great for larger parties - and the service and food is just as good in the smaller rooms as the bigger dining room. The food is outstanding - expect upscale Italian pastas - with a little edge of 'new' on them. They have a very affordable wine list. Impressive. Great place to have a party, look good and leave very satisfied.
Posted 05/02/09 | Report Abuse
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I enjoyed eating at Isabella's for my birthday. Even though it is a fine dining restaurant, I was able to bring my baby there without any problems. I would recommend eating out there for a special occasion.
Posted 03/27/09 | Report Abuse
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This place is very nice. A great atmosphere and food. Well priced, customer focused staff and my whole family enjoyed it. A good place for a celebration of some kind or just a nice dinner out.
Posted 11/09/08 | Report Abuse
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Isabella's serves wonderful Italian and Mediterranean food. The decor is from Tuscany, and the atmosphere is lovely. I had the salmon, and it was fresh and prepared perfectly. The house salad was excellent, too. It can get very loud in the main dining room, and you should always have a reservation on the weekends.
Posted 08/24/08 | Report Abuse
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Latest reviews from Citysearch.
Love it!!
by UBTrainer1
I recently had Dinner at Isabella's for the first time and I was absolutely delighted with the service I received and the spectacular food!
It was a busy Saturday night and our server was very attentative and made some wonderful recommendations for food and wine. We had an Amarone with the Veal and Tenderloin. All of this was just amazing and then to top it off we had a wonderul dessert the Raspberry Semifreddo.
Over all we had a great experience and we will be returning. I highly recommend the restaurant to anyone for lunch or dinner or even a special event.
They even have great Happy Hour specials with 3 large patios!
Pros: Wonderful Italian Food!!
Cons: Nothing!
Posted 07/28/09
Flavorless frood comes at a high price
by Zucotto
When I first walked into Isabella's I was immediately appalled. Having gone through great lengths to create an aristocratic ambience complete with a live musician, they had immediately shattered it by playing pop music over the PA system while the musician was performing. Trying to not contemn the experience already, I moved on, open-minded, to the food. The focaccia was average, yet palatable. For my meal, I ordered a homemade gnocchi in a four cheese sauce. The gnocchi was undercooked (I suspect the chef was hastily trying to cook too many at once--gnocchi is tempermental and must be cooked in small quantities) and tasted of old, wet flour, and the overpowering cheese sauce seemed an after thought just to mask the failed gnocchi. Hoping that I had merely picked poorly from the menu, I ordered a cheesecake for desert. The cake matched the gnocchi in blandness and the only flavor it suggested was from the pistachios inside its crust and the strawberry on top.
Overall, for it's quality, which seemed on par with or even below a cookie cutter fast food Italian restaurant, the pricing was the largest outrage. My final bill (for two entrees, $18 of wine, and desert) was over $80, without gratuity. If you are looking for an intimate and refined family owned Italian restaurant, I recommend you try "Bene Bene." For the same price ($15 for Gnocchi), you will experience top notch quality and service.
Pros: ambience
Cons: Haphazardly made food at overwelming prices
Posted 07/07/09
Italian find!
by CSMobileUser
I was referred by a hotel down the street for a place to have my engagement party. We had a small group of 18 so the owner booked the wine room for our special event in Frisco. What a fantastic italian restaurant for parties or any occasion
Posted 07/05/09
Great Fine Italian Food and PIZZA!
by wendyyork1
Isabella's Italian Restaurant
1279 Legacy Drive Ste. 100, Frisco, TX 75034
I was in Plano looking for an Italian Restaurant and came across this Frisco Italian Restaurant on-line. Driving from Plano for an Italian Restaurant is not an everyday task for me so you know there was an incentive. The ad on citysearch mentioned the Italian Restaurant had live Jazz on Thursdays and Fridays AND free food AND 25% off the drinks we like. So off from Plano I went. When I arrived the place was boppin. Great music, great Italian food and last but not least, great Pizza. If you live in Plano and are looking for a great Italian restaurant in Frisco, give Isabellas Italian Restaurant a try, I think you will be pleased. Publish this review to Facebook
LOVE the pizza!
FANTASTIC FINE ITALIAN RESTAURANT AND GREAT PIZZA!
A little hard to find ( tucked behind silver fox)
I was in Plano looking for an Italian Restaurant and came across this Frisco Italian Restaurant on-line. Driving from Plano for an Italian Restaurant is not an everyday task for me so you know there was an incentive. The ad on citysearch mentioned the Italian Restaurant had live Jazz on Thursdays and Fridays AND free food AND 25% off the drinks we like. So off from Plano I went. When I arrived the place was boppin. Great music, great Italian food and last but not least, great Pizza. If you live in Plano and are looking for a great Italian restaurant in Frisco, give Isabellas Italian Restaurant a try, I think you will be pleased.
Pros: Fantastic atmosphere and great room for small parties
Cons: a little hard to locate (behind silver fox)
Posted 07/01/09
Not a Fan
by jmorrison0722
I visited Isabella's at the suggestion of a dear friend who claimed it was simply amazing. Upon arrival, I was impressed by the exterior of the building, but it all went downhill from there. The receptionist couldn't find my reservation, but that was okay because the place was pretty empty. There were maybe three tables filled in the entire place, and we were seated right next to a family with a screaming kid. After requesting to be moved three times, we got a better table. The appetizer was yummy, but the main course was served cold. Well, to be fair, not 'cold', but far from warm. The server dropped my drink refill just feet from our table, but not actually on me thank god. It was like a bad movie, really. To top it all off, our dessert came out with a small, curly black hair on it. I can't be sure, but it resembled a pubic hair. Safe to say, we didn't eat it. The final disaster came with the bill. We were charged for 3 drinks (2 beers and a mojito) that we didn't order...since I don't even drink.
Do yourself a favor and stay clear of this place. It's apparent that the management is lacking, the server training is non-existent and the food was sub par. I've had better meals at Olive Garden.
Pros: Ambience is nice.
Cons: Everything else.
Posted 12/08/08
Review especially for Gavin
by z289sec
Food is terrible, don't even bother. I've had better food from a cardboard container I threw in the microwave.
Posted 12/08/08
Rude Service, Disgusting Food!
by DavinnaR
Dining at Isabellas was meant to be a romantic and wonderful trip for me and my love. The host was rude, lost our reservation, even through she could pull up my phone number on her caller ID, and had my name written on a scrap sheet of paper.
Our server was terribly rude, and we waited approximately 5 minutes just to get waters. He was disengaged, unhelpful and almost demeaning. (This attitude changed when he saw my Black Card on the table)
Finally, the food was the biggest dissapointment. The pasta was overcooked, slightly rubbery and very very starchy. the maranara is watery, more like the consistancy of cheap pizza sauce. Finally to top of a terrible evening, mixed in the pasta was an 8 inch hair, deep black. The server insisted it could be mine, as I pulled it out of the pasta in front of him, and refused to talk to management or the chef!
Needless to say, we paid our tab, tipped a long written letter, and will never be back here again, and will strongly urge our friends and business associates not to! Beware! This place is not as great as it once was!
Pros: The place looks nice
Cons: Hair in Food, Arrogant Server, Bland Sauce
Posted 12/08/08
I am the owners neice!
by dallasnicole
I love the restaurant! I went there before it was built and it was cool. I like the fountains! They are so pretty! I would want to sit outside! My uncle Kenyon Price, a.k.a. the owner of Isabella's has worked very hard to get this restautant! So, you should go there whenever your in the town! Or even state!
Bye!
Pros: everything
Cons: none
Posted 10/28/08
Great food! Nice atmosphere
by EmmaD1214
My boyfriend and I went out for a nice dinner and we were not disappointed. The food was fabulous. I had the sea scallops; they were rich and delicious. My boyfriend had the chicken parmesan and really liked it. The waiter was very friendly even though we're young (19), and he was very helpful with the menu.
My only complaint is that all of the tables are together in a single, open room. We were there on Saturday night, and until some people cleared out, it was a little too loud for my comfort. I suggest you sit outside if the weather is nice!
We didn't have any trouble finding it, they had signs at the entrance of the strip of shops, and the giant fountain that's in front of the restaurant helps lead the way.
Posted 09/06/08
Exquisite Italian Cuisine and Ambience
by megasue
Wow - this Italian restaurant is so perfect - from the Maitre D, wait staff, and Chef - to the incredible upscale ambience - I will be back here again and again. I went here very recently on a Saturday night and the place was very busy - yet I never felt rushed by my server who was really fantastic. He was very knowledgeable of the menu and made great suggestions, and allowed my friends and I to have great conversation in the relaxing surroundings. The view of the fountain outside is so beautiful and the bar area, called Isa Bar, was great with the beautiful Italian music going. This place is everything you want in a restaurant - I highly recommend, even if you don't live nearby!
Pros: Beautiful Architecture and Design, Amazing Italian
Cons: None!
Posted 05/11/08
Very good food and romantic ambiance
by squerrl
Took my husband here for his birthday; overall, experience was very nice! Super place, super friendly waitstaff; even the manager came by the tables and had a very welcoming demeanor. The food is excellent, simply delicious! The chef even sent over a complimentary bisque because he was trying a new recipe out and they wanted to see how we cared for it. DELICIOUS! The Chicken Parmisiagno was huge and the flavor was very nice; my husband got the Filet and it was prepared very well. Nice wine selection. The only drawbacks to this place (there are two) is that 1. it is extremely hard to find! and 2. the crowd is a much older crowd. My husband and I are mid-twenties, and we were the youngest diners in there by far! Not that it really matters, because the food is just that good, but if you're looking for a younger vibe, this isn't the place. We loved it however and will return because the food was terrific!
Pros: Very good food, romantic ambiance, nice wine selection
Cons: Hard to find/locate, caters to an older crowd
Posted 11/19/07
Very Charming and Authentic
by rubicon13
Just adore this place. Waiters appear magically when you need them, are knowledgable about the menu, and make wonderful recommendations. The food is quite good and the beautiful views of the huge fountain outside the windows make the atmosphere both energetic and peaceful at the same time. The bar is also nice with tall stools..makes a great place to wait just a bit for a table. This place can get quite crowded. It's rather hard to find - at the back of a strip center, but sooooo worth it!
Pros: Atmosphere, service, food
Cons: Can be crowded
Posted 08/14/07