Bella Saratoga
Restaurants Italian
Categories:
Wine Stores, Restaurants, Banquet Rooms, Italian Restaurants
Details:
$$, Outdoor Dining, Romantic Dining
Insiders:
Editorial by
The successor to the beloved Bella Mia has done alright for itself.The Food
Leftover from Bella Mia days, the salmon ravioli has a wide following, as does the lasagna, but many of the lighter linguine and fettucine dishes show a dazzling simplicity and careful melding of flavors. Desserts lean more to oversized American standbys-cheesecake and so forth-and the service is comfortable and familiar, a nice counterpoint to so many of the fancy places along Big Basin Way.
The Scene
In 1995, Bill Carlson and company moved to downtown San Jose with their bigger, busier Bella Mia and sold the Saratoga digs. Keeping part of the name in tribute, new owner Bill Cooper has made the most of Bella Saratoga's charms: a gorgeous little patio along restaurant row, an elegant, two-story Victorian building with fancy moldings, and an uncomplicated menu of Italian staples. .
--Laura Reiley
Restaurants and Bars | Home
The Inside Scoop
- Also Try - Other restaurants in Saratoga:
- After dinner - Go catch a movie, listen to some live music, or see a play.
Reviews for Bella Saratoga
had dinner with 5 family members and all were disappointed. All style and no substance. Had a fish and penne dish - half of the mussel shells were busted and scattered throughout the dish - I ask the waitress if she could explain how that could happen. If shells are broken the procedure is to throw the mussels away as they are no good, and they open when cooked - they don't get busted.The penne was much too "al dente" and the sauce had only a salty taste.New owners leave something to be desired, and $5 for a coke is ridiculous - very disappointed and I live in Saratoga. My Chinese wife makes better Italian food!
Posted 08/21/09 | Report Abuse
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Bella Saratoga is a quaint Italian restaurant in downtown Saratoga. The bread they serve is very good, as well as the salmon ravioli. It's not too expensive and the setting is quite pretty. Sitting outside on a nice day makes the meal that much more enjoyable. The restaurant recently changed owners, but as far as I can tell, it hasn't suffered for it.
Posted 05/20/08 | Report Abuse
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Bella Saratoga is one of those restaurant that you just love to have in your neighorhood. From the outside the restaurant looks like a old victorian home. The inside also has the same charm. The food here is excellent. In the summer months, you can eat out in the "front yard".
Posted 03/10/06 | Report Abuse
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My husband and I come here for many of our dates. It has great Italian food in a nice romantic and homey setting (actually, the restaurant is in an old house). We've also gone here for small group birthday parties. I can't think of any one thing that stands out on the menu, but almost everything I've tried has been good. It's probably a little bit on the expensive side, but it's in Saratoga, so you kind of expect that.
Posted 03/06/06 | Report Abuse
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Latest reviews from Citysearch.
This is a lovely place with great ambiance. We were there for brunch and the food was yummy although the crab and shrimp melt was cold. Other than that it was great.
Posted 03/15/08
I love the ambiance at this cute little Victorian. But since I started going there several years ago, the food quality has diminished. Once the green beans were so al dente that I had to send them back twice! And worse, the seafood ravioli tasted like the seafood was past its prime. I like the wine list though, although I'm no connoisseur. This place has my favorite atmosphere of any restaurant around here, and I just wish wish wish the food was predictably excellent, every time.
Pros: Lovely architecture, wallpaper, lighting
Cons: Food
Posted 08/18/06
8 years ago I (reluctantly) accepted to go on a Blind Date, meeting him at Bella. Not only is the Cioppino excellent and enjoyable in the outdoor setting, but the waiter was pretty tasty too. In fact, we have now been married for 3 years! Yes, the Service was exceptional!
Posted 02/23/04
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