Bella Vista Restaurant

Had a 3-course meal. The quail entree was great. The lemon ricotta cake was ok. However, the Wagyu steak was a big disappointment. 1st attempt gave me a 101% cooked steak (I asked for medium rare). I told the waiter and asked for a replacement. The 2nd attempt took them a couple of minutes and I got a blue steak. Even the waiter was a bit shocked. 3rd attempt was just a quick re-cook of the steak from the 2nd time and it was really really salty. The sauce was terrible as well. The mash was a bit of a mess soaked in some extra salty sauce. Also, the presentation of the 3rd attempt was bad, almost street food like. I received no apology and the waitress (probably owner?) didn't even talk to us after the above incident although she talked to everybody else (asking how things are)! She even got the bill wrong (charged more) and claimed that she wouldn't know unless we told her we ordered the 3-course meals (she charged everything separately initially). The restaurant was very warm (air con not good enough) and we waited very long for our food even though the restaurant was half empty. We spent 2 hours sweating in a warm room waiting for food. Didn't enjoy the evening. Thumbs down. Very surprised about the 4 and 5 star rating. Perhaps I am more used to a bit more upmarket stuff!?

Mediocre. Last couple of visits have been quite disappointing. Whilst the staff are lovely and friendly i've found the service to be slow and the food not up to standard for the price you pay for the meals. Pasta dishes have always been yummy but other dishes (particularly seafood) have come out uncooked and had to be returned. Not sure what has happened in the last few years but sadly things have definitely slipped at this once great restaurant.

The best meal I have had there in 18 years. Lovely lunch of pork with prawns and pancetta and ricotta cake to follow. Love the new comfy chairs and service was excellent. Well done.

Really good service. The vegetarian pasta dish was great. However, it was pretty expensive for what I got.

Food presentation was very good. I ordered the calamari entree which was quite good.
Crispy skin salmon for main skin not crispy.
Pear desert very good. Wait staff average.
Don’t order the steak!

Delicious food, great service. We were a large group. Meals came out together, nothing was too much trouble. Only downside is no baby change facilities.

Amazing food and friendly service. The staff helped my mother and I to decide on what meal to have. Food was so fresh and filling. Highly recommend the garlic bread!

The food and wait service was very good but the furniture is tired. During daylight saving the views of the lake and park would be lovely.

The food tastes really good and the view was great. But there was a waiter, perhaps manager (not sure) who was very unfriendly, almost rude.
Found it a bit pricey for the size of portions. Normally Italians are very generous with their pasta servings. Not this one.

Fantastic restaurant. Great staff, excellent food. Very accommodating. We had a birthday dinner there for my Dad's 70th birthday, with young kids in our party. Staff were very helpful and patient, and of course, the food was delicious!

I used to go there a lot but I don't know if they changed the chef or whatever, last time I got very disappointed, now it is not in my list.

Great service, excellent food.
We have been looking for some time for great Italian in the ACT, and are very glad we stumbled across this place. My partner loves a good lasagne, and their lasagne was second to none. It came straight out of the oven rather than being microwaved like some places we have been recently. I had the fettuccine carbonara and it was delicious.
It was a busy Saturday night when we attended and the waiters could not have been more helpful.
We will certainly be back.

Great food, friendly service and a restaurant that actually has a view of Lake Ginniderra instead of just looking at the road. What's not to like? Highly recommend Bella Vista as one of the best Italian restaurants in Canberra and a standout in Belconnen.

Pam and Trevor

The food was nice but on the expensive side, the decor was dated but the atmosphere felt good. The service was fairly good too. They could do with a few more vegetables on the menu.

Very salty, Not very appetising pasta and very expensive for what it was. Service was good but after I expressed politely I did not like my food no discount was offered or a free tea or coffee so do not feel like coming back. Waste of $29 except for the company

Food was amazing.the best italian food i ever had in my life.thanks to head chef and kitchen staffs involved.restaurant manager very friendly and always there to have chat with customer for feedback and service.wait staffs are hit.will be back again.thanks for amazing night.

Surprising lovely Italian food! Came here for my fathers birthday celebration, the food was fabulous, great service and the staff were very accommodating!

The space doesn't look like much, but the service and product is good! The staff recommendations have always been tasty, great cocktails, relaxed atmosphere and easy parking.

Always great service and the most amazing food, one of the best italian restaurants. Highly recommend.

Manage to comfortably fit a large booking with a week's notice. Food was delicious and came out quickly and all together. Kids meals were super fast and the staff were great with the crowd