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Ciao Bella Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
703 Denman StVancouver, BC V6G 2L6
Neighbourhood: West End
(604) 688-5771
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
30 reviews for Ciao Bella Restaurant
Review Highlights
"...great plus for this place is the live piano entertainment."
(in 7 reviews)
"Lobster bisque, lobster tail, lamb chops, grilled chicken..."
(in 2 reviews)
"I had the veal in a white wine sauce, which was tender and..."
(in 3 reviews)
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30 reviews in English
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Review from Mike T.
Langley, BC
2/8/2012
Great linguine Carbonara and tuesdays is half price entrees which makes it really affordable for you and a date. going back this week :)
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Review from Valentina C.
Vancouver, BC
1/11/2012
ok....please don't believe that they make real italian food...
our dinner wasn't good...
sorry but as a real Italian I have to be honest...it wasn't good -
Review from Irena L.
3/1/2011
I am not too impressed with the place. Cool atmosphere inside, a bit clustered but fun. Pasta is a bit bland, and risotto as well. Wine list is good! It's a good place to try on Mondays and Tuesdays since all pasta is 50% off.
It really is as the rating says A-OK.
Better go to the restaurant next to it, Le Bistro de Paris, it's the same owner, but much better food! -
Review from Jason D.
Vancouver, BC
3/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place is good but not great at all. Just to make it clear; we came here because of the Entertainment 2 for 1 deal. Arrived with reservation at 7 and there were only a couple of tables dining. As expected it is small and interior is bland...
For the food I just went for the Pasta. Something simple. I was surprised at how large the portion was because personally I would prefer a smaller amount. I had to struggle to finish eating it all! The Pasta tasted fine, nothing special. The meat sauce was tasty but again nothing special or unique about it.
Here is the best part, after the waiter received my Entertainment card, he added a SERVICE FEE to the bill. Hah! When we questioned him if it was a gratuity he said yes. I guess he was hoping we would add another tip along with the "service fee" which we did not. Although the service was fine, we didn't choose the place for a fine dining experience by no means. Just for a good deal! -
Review from Francois P.
Vancouver, BC
3/23/2011
Well we were on our way to another restaurant (that shall remain nameless) when we noticed this cute place and with half off pastas on Monday and Tuesdays.
We were not disappointed. My favourite pasta was not on their list but agreed happily to make it for me : penne with sausage peppers and onions. The result was excellent. One of the best I've had apart from my own version! My partner had a fabulous spaghetti carbonara. We're already thinking about what we will ave next time!
The service was excellent with great Italian servers. Claudio was amicable and well deserving a great tip.
Listen, this is not fine dining, but really good Italian fare at a great price and lovely atmosphere
We shall be back! -
Review from Sarah B.
Vancouver, BC
3/24/2011
Always yummy and great service! Half price pasta all day on Monday and Tuesday is a great deal! Mario - the owner - is always so friendly when we go in and so are his staff.
You must check it out! -
Review from Rachael T.
Toronto, ON
9/26/2010
I have read hit and miss reviews here.... so I was really hesitant when my friend suggested we come here for 50% off pasta night. Even for a good deal, I would want to be eating decent food!
We made reservations for 8pm ( you can only do so for parties of 6 or more), and the place was packed on a Monday! by the way - they have half price tuesdays too.
Finally we got our table, and our server Antonio was very entertaining - always cracking jokes, making fun.. he made the experience fun! Wnes special was $20 a bottle, that's pretty much a steal! So we ordered two and split between 6 people which worked out to 7 dollars for 2 large classes of wine.
Pasta was 7.50, marked down from $15, but if you plan to add toppings such as extra meat, you don't get discounted for that.... The bread that was served could have been warmer but it was great with the oil and vinegar. When the plates finally arrived - they were HUGE. especially the meatballs if you opted to get them. They were very accomodating with giving extra sauce, I was very surprised at the overall quality of the food. It was stellar, but it definitely wasn't bad. I had the fetticini with baby shrimp, basil in a white wine sauce. The pasta was cooked el dente, and it was very well dressed.
Be aware - you may think you can eat the whole plate, but then it will hit you like THAT!... so take it home and save it for tomorrow :) -
Review from Pia W.
5/14/2010 6 photos
Why I ate at Ciao Bella two nights in a row:
First, I was attracted to their choices for the Dine Out menu for the $28 price range.
Second, I was pleased by the friendliness of the staff -- very Italian of them. It was the Canucks hockey game with Chicago, and when we were losing, our server was, "aiyai yai yai yai!!"
Third, live music just really add to the dining atmosphere. Just lively and fun!
Fourth, the most important part of this review: The food was really delicious!! Lobster bisque, lobster tail, lamb chops, grilled chicken with creamy mushroom sauce -- all well seasoned and tasty, and all with a generous side of pasta. Their tiramisu was creamy with the nice cake layers in between (cake was not soggy at all).
We were going to go back again for the third night in a row...but minding my waistline, I decided against it. -
Review from namit m.
5/19/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Stopped in for their Mon/Tue pasta special. Did not know that the wine is on special too. Dinner for three with a bottle of wine was $50 with tax and tip (pre HST!) YAY.
The restaurant was buzzing and lively...the TV at the bar was not a real distraction. The service was prompt but slightly rushed.
I had the clams and linguine - which were very good though could have used a few more clams.
The penne with sausage and the calamari with linguine were both very good.
2 of the party of three had enough left overs to take home. All in all it was a good experience....will have to come back. -
Review from Gagan D.
Vancouver, BC
5/5/2010 1 Check-in Here
This aint' no Il Giardino or Quatro. It's simple Italian dining. Ignore the tacky white statues and the mediocre-at-best pianist/crooner in the corner. And ignore the TV situated right above the crooner's head playing America's Funniest Videos.
We went there because Dine Out was sold out everywhere else. It was OK, and no, I won't be wasting postcards writing home about it. But I'd go back, when I wanted a big ol' plate of half-priced Tuesday pasta and was too lazy to make one at home (And that would define LAZY). -
Review from Krystin T.
11/22/2009
One of the first things people tend to realize about me is that I love Italian food. Pasta is my favorite thing on this planet, so any time I can eat it, I'm all about that.
I actually quite liked Ciao Bella. I ordered the "house special" pasta three course dinner. This included a salad, pasta all romano (penne with olives, sundried tomato, artichoke, fresh tomato), & dessert. The pasta came in a pretty gigantic portion - and I couldn't take it with me, as the hotel had no mini-fridge - but it was well worth it.
The place is also a piano bar, and because I was there on a Saturday night, there was definitely a guy playing away at the piano. He took requests and played a ton of well-known songs, which was fun. I think myself and my dining companion were the youngest people in the place by at least ten years, but I don't know if that's the way it usually is.
The server was very attentive as well, which is always appreciated. -
Review from john h.
Mississauga, ON
8/18/2010
Meh.
Nothing to write home about. The food is average, not unlike anything id prepare @ home. I guess when I'm out I expect a little bit more finess in the cooking.
But then there was really nothing to complain about except that my pasta sauce was a bit on the salty side.
So a pretty easy 3stars from me. -
Review from Ann T.
1/21/2009
One of the worst restaurants in the city. The beef carpaccio wasn't thawed properly. The bread was a staler version of the ones found at the Olive Garden. They don't use fresh pasta. Rather, the hard kind most people buy to make pasta at home. The calamari sauce was a soupy mess.
The decor tacky, worse than what you'd find at Buca Di Beppo. The servers incompetent in that they know nothing about food. It reminded me of Italian food I recently had in Beijing. (I'm predicting 20 years before there's a good Italian restaurant in China). The owners clearly know nothing about Italian food, and food and good service in general. -
Review from Calvin F.
9/1/2008
The food was good, but not spectacular.
The atmosphere on the patio was lacking -- I wish I'd stayed inside in order to enjoy the piano playing which sounded fantastic when I entered and left. -
Review from Leanne M.
Vancouver, BC
4/20/2010
For the prices, this restaurant is just ok. I've eaten at it twice. Once because I thought it might be good and wanted to try it out, a second time because I was craving pasta one night during the olympics and to get delivery for a pizza or other restaurant was at least a 2 hours wait.
I had fettucini with clams and it was alright. It's definitlely no Quattro's restaurant (which has exceptional pasta) but it's much cheaper than Quattro's and also closer to my home.
My recommendation is that if you live in the Westend and really feel like some pasta and you're feeling too lazy to walk very far and don't want to break the bank, then Ciao Bella's is ok to eat at. Otherwise, choose somewhere else.
Leanne -
Review from Norm G.
12/30/2010
We wandered in here without a reservation one night during our stay in Vancouver. The first thing we noticed was the gregarious way the host took care of us, and how friendly he was to our kids. The food was good; not too oily the way some Italian restaurants are in my hometown of Honolulu. It didn't look like a lot, but I was really full after the salad and the gnocchi. The young waitress was also very friendly and had a very nice smile. It just goes to show that good food and friendly service add up to a very pleasant experience and fond memories to savour long after the vacation is over.
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Review from Florence K.
Toronto, ON
7/6/2011
I'm visiting Vancouver on business and went on walk-about to find a place to eat outside of my hotel. I walked down Denman looking restaurants with Amex signs in the window and this is the first one I came upon. The line was out the door and it was 1/2 price pasta night so I decided to give it a try. The line cleared up very quickly and the hostess was kind enough to seat me at the bar as I requested. Considering how busy the place was, the service was very fast and friendly. I ordered the stracciatella. It arrived, after a slight delay, piping hot. Unfortunately it was so saltly I could barely stomach it. I dipped my bread in it and that turned out to be very delicious. The bread was so fresh and yummy. I ordered Gnocchi with a simple tomato sauce. When this is done correctly, it is my favorite pasta dish. I'm sorry to say I could not eat this either. The gnocchi were like doughy balls of glue. The pasta sauce was fresh and nice, but the gnocchi ruined it. Also, I wasn't offered parmigiano so I can't say if that would have made it better. Luckily it was half price so I got our of there with a 30.00 bill all in, including a decent glass of Pinot Grigio. Won't be going back. Can't say I'd recommend this place.
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Review from Karen R.
6/3/2010 1 photo
I've gotta say that we were sorely disappointed by the meals presented for their "lobster fest". My friend and I both indulged and found the servings less than acceptable. He chose pasta and I something else. Needless to say it's a good thing there was separately plated (? 4 meal plates on a small table top plus bread/glassware?) as it proved to be the most of the meal. The penne pasta was dry and dull, which pretty much sums the whole experience unfortunately. The waiters seemed to be everywhere but where anyone needed them which seemed odd as the place is so small. I'd be inclined to believe that the lobster wasn't as heavy as marketed and the meal? Would have been happier elsewhere eating anything else. :(
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Review from BB H.
Burnaby, BC
11/29/2010
They have 50% off for lunch entrees during weekdays. Good deal. The problem is the Italian fare although wide and varied is just so so. I can cook far better at home so given it did nothing special for me, I'd say go if you want a cheap decent lunch but don't expect to be blown away by the taste.
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Review from Alexandria M.
Vancouver, BC
11/20/2009
Excellent food in hearty portions, lovely wine list, and absolutely charming service. Old-fashioned decor and a romantic atmosphere. If you want to go on Tuesday for their half-price pasta, get there by 6:30pm to avoid a lineup.
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Review from Troy S.
Vancouver, BC
5/17/2009
The service was good, the food even better. I had the 4 course meal for $29.95 the 3 course is only $19.95.This is what I had, to start asparagus zuppa,then the tortellini Alfredo, next snapper with pasta and tomatoes sauce, followed by the Terra misue, I didn't mention the nice glass of white wine and Italian beer. I was so stuffed and it was all worth it. I would go again. They do have a live piano player,nice relaxing place to enjoy food ,conversation and your company!!!! Cheers!!!
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Review from Heather O.
Vancouver, BC
7/3/2011
Funny to read reviews from tourists, because this is our neighborhood joint. They make us feel loved, and we love them. The charm of the 1980's decor, the piano player and the keep-it-simple food is a welcome treat in busy lives. And, children are treated better here than anywhere on Denman (Mario has 2 himself!). People with big hearts will love it here!
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Review from Sho G.
6/5/2009
Pretty good italian. Its all about the Tuesday half price pasta. I ordered the lasagna and it was fantastic. They really cram you in here though but who can blame them with the deal going on people were lined up outside. If it wasn't for the prices on tuesday when we ate I would have given it three stars.
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Review from Meg E.
Vancouver, BC
8/16/2010
Having passed by Ciao Bella at least twice a week for the last four years, I had always passed this place by thinking it was touristy and cheesy. However, this past weekend I was craving pasta and I wanted homey Italian food and thought we'd give it a try.
Between the two of us, we split three appetizers - Insalata Contadino, Funghi Quattro Formaggi and Bruschetta. The Insalata Contadino had a great dressing on it and the Funghi Quattro Formaggi were amazing and had the perfect amount of cheese to mushrooms. The Bruschetta was also good and had some yummy bread. The table bread that was served at the same time was okay - a little dry, but the balsamic and olive oil on the table helped that.
Our pasta entrees were huge - we both ended up cutting them in half and saving one half for lunch the next day (it was a little over two cups of pasta, so a serving must be a little over 4 cups). My husband had the Pesto Linguini with Chicken and he loved it while I had the Arribbata Spaghetti with Italian sausage. The Arribbata was the perfect amount of spiciness for me and overall I loved the dish. My only complaint (but not really a complaint) was that the sausage was sliced - I assumed that it would be crumbled (I'm not a fan of sliced - it's a texture thing) - I should have asked.
We had the tiramisu for dessert and it was the weakest dish of the night. It was okay, but not really sweet enough for us (and I usually think things are too sweet). Service was attentive without being overbearing and the server dealt with an extremely rude customer behind us with grace and excellent customer service. We'll definitely be back! -
Review from Verne V.
6/23/2009
This is a fantastic find. They certainly have great food but the service is just superb. We have tried several of their main dishes and they and all very good.. If you go you must try the Antipasto Misto for Two. We would go there just for that appetizer. The place is easy walking from the downtown hotels. Another great plus for this place is the live piano entertainment. Very nice man at those keys and he knows just hundreds of songs as well as being open for requests. If you are in Vancouver this is a great place to try.
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Review from Drew B.
8/10/2008
My favorite place to eat Italian in Vancouver. Great prices, great friendly service, wonderful food. My mom didn't know the joys of eating rustic bread right out of the oven with vinegar and oil until the wonderful owner showed her how. Food is all artfully prepared and delicious. Fresh ingredients throughout. Love the place.
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Review from Harold C.
Vancouver, BC
4/9/2010
We didn't have high expectations for this restaurant because it looks like it might be a tourist trap. But we were pleasantly surprised. The wait staff was very friendly and helpful, and we felt cared for all night. The stracciatella was good but not special, and a little too eggy. The funghi quattro fromagi was very tasty, though, and made a great appetizer with the red wine. I had the veal in a white wine sauce, which was tender and rich and very satisfying. The food is not spectacular but still good, and the atmosphere was warm and friendly. We would go back again.
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Review from Tim A.
10/15/2008
Totally agree with "1st to Review" 's food commentary--good, but not great. The atmosphere is good, old-fashion, mom & pop Italian. There is a piano and singing mike (you probably have to enjoy on weekends). Our host/waiter thought he was right out of the movie"Godfather", and there was a signed "Godfather" movie poster on the wall to prove it. The portions were large, and everyone seemed to clear their plates. However, I would recommend this place on Tuesday nights: for it is on Tuesday nights that pasta plates are HALF-PRICE. WOOHOO!
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Review from Leroy L.
5/11/2010
The online Dine Out Vancouver menu for Ciao Bella looked fairly decent, so we made a reservation for the second to last night of the event. I had the Lobster Bisque for my appy, Lamb Chops for my entree, and the Tiramisu for my dessert. Fresh Bread is also free with the meal. The Lobster Bisque was decent, but I felt like I was eating pieces of chicken instead of lobster although some pieces were definitely lobster. I enjoyed the Lamb Chops the most out of the entire meal. They were moist, tender, and delicious! Although pasta or veggies came with the entree, it was assumed that pasta was my choice until I inquired. I'm glad I asked for the veggie option; I find pasta that comes with an entree is usually plain pasta doused with plain tomato sauce and that's exactly what it was here. The Tiramisu was a nice way to end the meal. Good, but nothing to write home about. The service, for the most part, was very good, but there's always one that hates their job and it shows! Overall I was happy with my meal, but there's one thing that I didn't like about Ciao Bella. Maybe it's just me, but I felt like there was a LOT of up-selling when it came to their wines. Sorry, but I just wouldn't buy a $60 bottle of wine from a restaurant like this one. I'd come back if I was in the area, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here!
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Review from Ima Yelp r.
2/5/2010
I think if you're Italian and used to home cooking and and on top of that you've experienced NYC's Little Italy, then this restaurant is a hard sell because you can definitely taste a difference. (I have yet to find a REALLY good Italian restaurant in VANCOUVER, BC.) BUT, having said that, this restaurant isn't THAT bad AND for the 3 course meal at $19.95, you really should give it a try. For starters, the Zuppa di Spinaci broth was way too spicy. (I think there's too much pepper) I'll order the mixed greens next time. Next up, was much better. The Linguini Alla Toni. GOOD. I do think they could have used the regular-sized shrimp and calamari (especially being so close to the Pacific Ocean) instead of the microscopic versions that they did use. But it was enjoyable, both the pasta and the sauce. The 3rd course, the Tiramisu. VERY GOOD. ALL in ALL we had a very nice time. Our server Bela M was pleasant and very attentive. As it got more crowded, we lost him for awhile, but a young woman took over so we were NEVER abandoned. Heather was at the Piano with an assortment of current hits sprinkled into the 70's repertoire. (It was fun to hear some of the older tunes-Obviously New York, New York was a favorite) I think if you're looking for "high end" this is NOT your place. But if you're looking for a decent pasta dish with some music and pleasant people, you'll enjoy Ciao Bella.
