I visited Bella Trattoria at the Mission Inn in Riverside on July 4th, and it was a beautiful evening. We began with handmade meatballs and a Caprese salad featuring heirloom tomatoes and burrata mozzarella, both appetizers were fresh and full of flavor. For our main courses, I had the lasagna and my friend ordered the spaghetti Bolognese, both were cooked to perfection with rich, comforting flavors. While the food earned a solid 4 out of 5, the service was a bit inconsistent, likely due to the holiday rush, so I would rate it a 3 out of 5. The staff did correct a mix-up and even gave us an extra piece of tiramisu and cappuccinos to go. Afterward, we took them to the park as the fireworks began at Mount Rubidoux. The ambiance of the Mission Inn gave the evening a classic, European feel, so I would give it a 4 out of 5. Overall, it was a memorable evening filled with great food and a wonderful atmosphere. We will return. Bon appétit, ¡Buen provecho, Buon appetito, Guten Appetit, enjoy! read more

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It's not hard to find from the hotel because of good signage. Service was good, from the friendly hostess to the waitress. Food was good but I don't feel good enough to justify the prices. $27 for spaghetti and meatballs. Spaghetti sauce was plentiful but bland. Meatballs were much tastier. I don't think they cooked the meatballs in the sauce, which would have enhanced the flavor of both. It's a nice and fun place to try but I wouldn't put it on regular rotation. read more

Bella Trattoria Italian Bistro - Bruschetta was good - Italian Near Me - Riverside, California

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Stopped in for lunch on a Saturday. Great ambiance when we came in and the Chardonnay was great, as was the service, but when the food arrived, our experience declined. The food was mediocre. I ordered a caprese panini. It was on a french roll, not a panini at all, not a pressed sandwich. The mozzarella had melted almost completely out of the sandwich, and there was only a little balsamic drizzle so the sandwich had almost no flavor at all. I didn't see any basil anywhere. It was served with a salad which had almost no dressing on it so it was very boring also. When I asked for a side of dressing, the server brought me a little cup with about a tablespoon of dressing. My husband ordered spaghetti with marinara sauce and it was good but very one-note. This restaurant does not reflect the quality of the Mission Inn at all. Only the wine and ambiance were up to par for this hotel. The food was not at all. read more

Pretty decent, but nothing to write home about, and a bit overpriced. (This review is old - we last went 2018)

The reviews really scared me, but our friends chose the spot and I'm glad we kept an open mind. It was a warm day but outside on the patio seemed nicer for dinner than the inside; though I wish the fans had been turned on. The hostess wasn't that welcoming but the waitress was super sweet. The guys ordered a bottle of red wine and us ladies got raspberry lemon drop martinis. Keep in mind, if you order liquor sometimes they have to go to one of the bars in the main hotel to have it made. We ordered the bruschetta al pomodoro (best item), short rib tortellini, lasagna a la bella trattoria, and innkeepers spicy [fettuccini] (because I am drama and don't like penne). All in all, we were happy with our meals and would come back again. read more

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We were looking forward to dinner here, but unfortunately it was a disappointing experience from start to finish. Gave 3 stars because of the Mission Inn itself not the restaurant. When we arrived, the restaurant was nearly empty, yet we stood waiting for about five minutes while multiple employees walked by without acknowledging us. Once seated, we noticed the plates on our table were dirty and had to ask for clean ones. The food took almost an hour to arrive. The chicken Parmesan pasta was bland, and the chicken itself had no flavor. The Margherita pizza tasted off more like a plain cheese pizza and was extremely oily. The service didn't improve once our food arrived. Our waitress never checked on us to see how everything was, ask if we needed refills, or even offer grated Parmesan cheese with the pasta. We ended up spending almost two hours at the restaurant, and unfortunately, neither the food nor the service lived up to the beautiful setting. We hope they improve because the location deserves a dining experience that matches its reputation. Definitely will not be returning to this restaurant when we return to the Mission Inn. read more

Had dinner here, our first time. The ambience was great, that's what caught our attention. The atmosphere is beautiful and romantic. Our server was friendly and attentive. Our family ordered the bolognese, spaghetti, margherita pizza, spicy penne, buttered noodles for the kids, meatballs, and garlic bread. Spicy penne could have been spicier but overall, food was good. Look forward to trying more dishes! read more

Bella Trattoria Italian Bistro - Italian Near Me - Riverside, California

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First time here deceide to give it a go. Food: Calamari at $22 dollars not good small pieces and taste more like frozen Caesar salad sweet flavor not tangy, lettuce seems to be at room temperature instead of cold. Meat lover pizza ok could use more toppings . What was good Chicken Parmesan nice chicken pieces just right amount of cheese $29 pricey. Service: could be better, you had to ask for things instead of coming bye and asking if things were good.The place had lots of empty tables they would not seat us until reservations time which you have to have. Because we had a party of six they wouldn't let us dine outside did not make sense. Ambiance: was quiet and peaceful. Tip: Two things to keep in mind party of six even though we split check you get charged a 20% gratuity also menu for Christmas very small if you want a panini it is only from 11 to 4 pm. Would not come back again. read more

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Was staying in the hotel for my wedding anniversary and decided to try this restaurant for dinner, seating is nice outdoors, inside looked and felt more Italian though. However food was so bland, just flavourless and season-less! The chicken Parmesan I just couldn't stand the taste that I had to return it. The pizzas were ok, not Italian, the margerita was not seasoned at all. Our server was nice though. Would not recommend. read more

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Literally the best pizza of my life! I know....it's pizza but heirloom tomatoes, olive oil, and perfect amount of salt/pepper paired with the perfectly cooked crust! Spaghetti with homemade meatballs was delicious also!! read more

Bella Trattoria Italian Bistro - Pizza! - Italian Near Me - Riverside, California

So this restaurant is part of the Mission Inn Hotel located on the strip side where there are other little boutiques and Caseys Cupcakes. Park at the public parking structure 1 block down if you dont want to pay for valet from the hotel. It is aesthetically pleasing on the oustide very charming giving off fantastic structure of the old building nestled below the rooms above from the hotel. The host and my server were excellent as well thank you ladies. HOWEVER the food is point blank TERRIBLE. I am a very honest customer and will give you my honest review for the communitys sake. I kept it very simple and ordered a meatball appetizer and a panna cotta dessert. The meatballs resembled the canned chef boyardee spaghetti and meatballs with their size, flavor and texture. Dont believe me try it for yourself. Very disappointing. Panna cotta was super bland no flavor and texture was off i do not know what to compare this too and to top it off they put fancy dollops if pure nutella surrounding this tiny excuse of a dessert. And a few raspberries. Ive never had nutella just slapped on a dish like that. I paid $28 for these and honestly, if your establishment is nice on the outside and are part of the hotel step up the quality and flavor of your food please. I highly DO NOT recommend. try other restaurants surrounding the hotel but do not DINE there. Because i even tried their $125 for 2 afternoon tea which for some reason i can not even post a review for and that was terrible as well, the quality of tea= POOR (they were tea bags), a good afternoon tea experience offers quality tea leaves NOT tea bags. They will charge you upfront over the phone before once you try and make a reservation. Love LOVE LOVE THE HOTEL but not their dining experiences that they have to offer The food was that bad i gave it a 2 star read more

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This was one of the top worst meals ive had in awhile. I decided on the Foccacia Garlic Bread and Innkeepers Spicy Sausage Pasta. The garlic bread did not pair well with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. It was bitter and downright unappetizing. Luckily an asked my server to bring me marinara sauce in case I didn't like their dip concoction and I'm glad I did. The garlic butter didn't even save the bread, I was expecting something garlicky and exploding with flavor instead it was just mundane. The pasta... where do I begin. It was very bland no spice in sight. The only positives of my dine in was the marinara sauce and my server she was so sweet. read more

Bella Trattoria Italian Bistro - INNKEEPERS SPICY PENNE & FOCACCIA GARLIC BREAD - Italian Near Me - Riverside, California

"Temporary closed" -Mission Inn operator, and no other info given. Their website says nothing about closure.

This is a hidden gem. Best Italian food I've had in the Inland Empire ever. Setting is gorgeous. Service is unobtrusive. read more

Ok So we drove 2 hours to get here to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere. Before we came we went online to check the menu to make sure it's exactly what we wanted. When we arrived, they had a condensed menu with very little that we really wanted. Although the place was beautiful, the staff was nice. We were pretty much left alone unattended. We had to ask for more water and had the flagged them down for that. Our dinner reservation was at five, and it was not extremely busy at all. It would have been nice to know there was a condensed menu for the holidays. Otherwise, we might have done something else still with them. I would say it was a 2.5, but we gave them a 3. read more

Bella Trattoria Italian Bistro - Outside with all the lights on. - Italian Near Me - Riverside, California

Food , service, wine and ambiance absolutely amazing! I ordered the calamari (spicy with chili peppers but I loved it) spicy pasta with sausage (I asked it for it to be light on the spice, it was so delicious) , the all meat pizza (yummy authentic bread and the right amount of cheese , the meat was also really good) and a Pinot Grigio wine . It was a very romantic experience and my husband and I definitely enjoyed it! (Reservations only since the seats are limited ) read more

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I visited Bella Trattoria during the Festival of Lights, so naturally parking was a bit of an adventure. I usually rely on metered street parking, but with all the holiday crowds I ended up using valet. It actually worked out smoothly and the valet next to the hotel started at twenty dollars, which felt reasonable given the festive chaos outside. We arrived nearly an hour before our reservation and they graciously seated us early, which set such a lovely tone for the evening. The restaurant itself is stunning. Warm lighting, soft candles on each table, and a beautiful Christmas tree at the entrance made the whole space feel cozy, elegant, and perfectly seasonal. The food was genuinely delicious. We started with an appetizer and a bottle of wine to share, and the focaccia bread alone was enough to win me over. It came out warm with a savory cheesy topping, paired with incredible olive oil and balsamic. I ordered the fettuccine Alfredo with a side of red peppers and everything was flavorful and comforting. I did ask if they had freshly shredded Parmesan instead of the grated kind, and they kindly brought some out for me. My friends ordered the spicy pasta and the spaghetti with meatballs, and both dishes looked and tasted wonderful. Dessert was a highlight. They surprised us with a complimentary birthday dessert for my friend who was celebrating her birthday, and we also ordered two additional desserts which were all absolutely delicious. The service was genuinely kind, though our server felt a little inexperienced. She was very sweet, but a few moments made it clear she was still learning, like when the cork broke while she was opening our wine and she had to take it to the back. She also brought the check as soon as she dropped off the boxes even though we still wanted to order dessert, and nobody came around to refill our water glasses. These weren't deal breakers at all, just small things that I think will smooth out with time and training. She truly did her best to take care of us. The only thing that really stood out negatively was the area near the restrooms. When we were getting ready to leave, there was a noticeable sewage smell coming from that part of the restaurant, so it seems like there may be a plumbing issue that needs attention. Other than that the space was spotless and beautiful. Overall, we had such a lovely evening. The food was wonderful, the atmosphere was warm and elegant, and even with a couple small hiccups, the experience still felt special. Bella Trattoria absolutely deserves five stars, and I would happily return, especially during the holidays when the Mission Inn feels magical. read more

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Nov 27th evening. Let me preface this by saying we absolutely love the Mission Inn and frequent Duane's as well as the California & Presidential lounges. We are local and this is one of our favorite go-to'd to get dressed up and go have a drink. I was excited to try out Bella but unfortunately was let down. There were not many tables seated and the server took a while to get to us. The bartender came over and said she could make us some drinks in the meantime. She was very kind. We noticed only one type of outdoor heater on the patio. They are the kind that are great for ambiance but do not provide much heat so we opted to sit inside. Once inside we noticed 2 other kind of outdoor heaters on the patio and those are the ones that provide great heat. We asked one of the employees on the patio if we could move to a patio table under those specific heaters and were told that neither one of them work. We did see him try to turn each on to no avail. The patio is beautiful. Having those freestanding heaters with the circular tops fully operational is key to filling your patio on those colder nights. Also adding 2 more of those for the front side. The patio heaters that have the flame up the middle are great for ambiance but do not provide any heat for guests. Our plan was to stay for dinner but after the long wait for our server and then the wait to receive our Caesar salad and focaccia bread paired with the underwhelming limited Festival of Lights menu we opted to go elsewhere for entrees. We were able to enjoy the bruschetta and that was fine. Focaccia bread was hard and dry. Caesar salad was ok. We hope some attention is given to this restaurant. It's such a beautiful ambiance and has potential to do much better. Would also love to see a gnocchi dish read more

Bella Trattoria Italian Bistro - Focaccia app - Italian Near Me - Riverside, California

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This is one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had in terms of the quality of food - especially for the outrageous prices - one semi burnt piece of bread for $16, a tiny plate of not well fried frozen calamari for $22, $30 spicy penne that would be $11.99 at Olive garden and probably more flavorful... we had to return the $32 spaghetti and meatball because the meatballs were dried out and the sauce was jar flavored and we returned the two pepperoni pizzas we ordered bc they tasted like burned plastic. The wait staff was all good and helpful but the quality of food was atrocious. read more

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We enjoyed our Anniversary Dinner today. The food was amazing and the service impeccable read more

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Came on a Friday night during Festival of Lights and even though we didn't have a reservation they sat our party of 3 (and a golden) on their beautiful patio. Everyone was super friendly and the food was decent. It is rather pricey and they don't have a huge selection, but we enjoyed all the pastas we tried. The service was a bit slow, but overall we had a nice time and it was beautiful with all the Christmas lights. If you're looking for a great location, good pasta and friendly service I would definitely give them a try. read more

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Rating : 3.5 out of 5 Service : 4 out of 5( we asked everyone but our waitress for things Our waitress ; 3 out of 5 (she was polite but could never be found ) Food :4.2 out of 5 - food was good could be more options in menu but it was decent enough I'd eat it again atmosphere : 5 out of 5 Overall nothing special I can detail out but cute for the ambiance read more

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The ambiance was beautiful during the Festival of Lights, but service was extremely slow and forgetful and the food was terrible. It took about two hours to be served a bread, salad, and pizza. The pizza tasted like it was a frozen brand from a grocery store. The salad was extremely underdressed. It was extremely overpriced for what it was. read more

I should have listened to the reviews. We went for Valentine's dinner and it was not what we expected. The short rib tortellini was very bland and only came with six pieces. The spaghetti bolognese was just okay. The chicken parmesan was served with chicken strips, and there was barely any parmesan. The Caesar salad had almost no dressing. To top it off, my drink glass was cracked at the rim did not notice until my drink was half empty. All of that came out to $140, plus $20 for valet since they don't validate. Definitely disappointing for a special occasion. read more

We are here right now. It's been an hour and our order is not out yet. I am already out of patience!

Beautiful holiday atmosphere, our server was friendly enough, but unfortunately, the service was not as great as I had in the past. My group arrived at 6pm, we ordered around 6:30pm, our food was slow to arrive. They keep bringing bread, but we were never told we would be charged for each one. We thought it was complementary, not. So I'll recommend someplace else next time. read more

Okay , so I seen a lot of bad reviews about this place and was a little nervous to try it , but the food is actually pretty good I loved the flavors and it came out nice and hot . The ambience is really nice music playing low in the background . Beautiful mission inn structure . The hostess was nice , and seated us fast and gave us waters with ice . Our server Rory was nice and fast . I'll come back when I'm in town the next time . read more

Bella Trattoria Italian Bistro - CHICKEN PARMESAN - Italian Near Me - Riverside, California

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Id say 3 stars are an accurate rating for this restaurant. Ambiance is nice. Service is good. Our server was very polite. And the food is good. Nothing mind blowing, but everything we had was good. Lasagna 5/10 Spicy INN penne 6/10 Cesar salad 6/10 Focaccia app 7/10 House salad + chicken 7/10 Drinks were good. Overall, wouldn't necessarily come back but we had a nice experience. read more

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Awful service, very small, limited menu. Upon arrival for our reservation the hostess asked if we'd like the patio or indoor seating, we stated patio to which she responded they didn't have any availability on the patio. Ok, no problem..why offer then? We got seated and waited. Then waited, and waited. Proceeded to wait while two servers stood in a corner a few tables away from us and walked around the table pulling chairs out and pushing them in for 10 minutes. Another server walked passed our table repeatedly and helped the table next to us, the one across from us then would take a sharp turn at our table and walk off. After 15 minutes of sitting (no one brought water, no one stated a server will be right with you) we asked the one who continued to walk by if our table had a server and she said she'd go check. 5 or so servers gathered at the hostess stand and chit chatted and still no one came so we decided to leave. We told the hostess on the way out and she just shrugged and said "ok". They had a lot of open tables, a lot of servers pacing around, but apparently none assigned to tables. Very strange experience. Definitely won't be back, but highly recommend exploring the area. There's a lot of good restaurants within walking distance. read more

Bad food, it's such a shame they only have 5 items in their menu and everything was bad. However our server was really nice. But we absolutely don't recommend the is restaurant at all It felt the food came out of the microwave!!! Fettuccini Alfredo wasn't even fettuccini it was watereo down spaghetti They really have to improve their food quality. For a family of 4 we spent $300, and left disappointed. read more

Everything was perfect. We were delighted to hear the waitress introduce herself "Kitty" as we read the reviews and noticed she's a fan favorite. She was spectacular! My gal and I split the chicken parm & the short rib tortellini as we couldn't decide. SO glad we went with both they were outstanding. Espresso martinis were yum too. The tiramisu was to die for. Not to mention the STUNNING scenery. The walk from the hotel front entrance to the restaurant was short and romantic. There's not a more beautiful place to eat in the IE as Bella Trattoria. read more

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This restaurant looked cute from the outside, but the host was rude and unwelcoming. He greeted me with a "What's up?" when I walked over to him and acted like I was bothering him. The experience only got worse when the food arrived. We ordered a variety of appetizers and entrees, and all of them tasted like they came from a middle school cafeteria. The chicken alfredo was soggy and the chicken taste like cardboard. The calamari was greasy. The meatballs in the spaghetti and meatballs tasted like they were mostly mixed with flour and not meat. And all of this costs $20+ per dish. Not worth the time or money. Try out one of the other restaurants in the Mission Inn - their namesake restaurant or Duane's are safer bets. read more

We just got home from this restaurant, and unfortunately, it was a major letdown. I honestly think the real chef must have been off for the 4th of July--because whoever cooked today clearly wasn't a professional. We were shocked that a restaurant connected to the Mission Inn Hotel would serve food like this. The dishes were completely bland, like someone forgot to add salt--or any seasoning at all. My cream sauce was watery and flavorless, nothing like the "lemon flavor" the waitress mentioned. My son said his pasta was the worst Italian food he's ever had--and that even our leftovers at home taste better! It was also uncomfortably hot inside, even though we were seated indoors with supposed air conditioning. Service started off friendly, but then the staff disappeared. We waited forever just to ask for basic things like salt, and no one checked on us during the meal. To be fair, our waitress was polite and smiled even after we gave feedback, which we appreciated. But overall, I wouldn't recommend this restaurant unless they seriously improve both the food and the experience. read more

Bella Trattoria Italian Bistro - SHORT RIBS TORTELLINI - Italian Near Me - Riverside, California

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Worst Italian restaurant I have ever been to. Bad service and menu does not match the menu on line. They had a limited menu so they say do to the holiday season. They won't be in business long very poor quality. read more

Ooooook, I REALLY need to start reading reviews of places I BEFORE I go! I've always wanted to check this place out because friend recommended the Mission Inn in Riverside. I forgot which restaurant he recommended so I picked Bella Trattoria Italian Bistro, just because we wanted Italian food. On the way to this place I thought maybe, perhaps I should double check their reviews (I didn't drive and look, I was the passenger) and....it was pretty enough! The place got a three star review and, while we sit......and sit here, I get the feeling they're off to a bad start. First we had a 4:45p reservation and once we reached the door we were told that they were extremely busy and it would be another 10 minutes. The guy was cool and the surroundings were nice so no big deal. We returned 10 minutes later and were seated. The waitress came over and took our order but returned with VERY COLD BREAD. Not happy, we sent it back and, about five minutes later, she returned with MILDLY COLD BREAD. Not wanting to send it back a second time (and risk having something shady done to our food), we just rolled our eyes. ATE: So as I said, I got wary after reading the reviews of this place, ON THE WAY to the place, so I thought I'd be conservative and just order a pizza and spaghetti and meatballs. Why order something more complex and be disappointed and I thought "how hard is it to mess up a pizza and spaghetti and meatballs?" FOOD: The pizza was decent, nothing you couldn't score at Papa Johns and the Spaghetti and meatball (not balls) weren't anything to write home about either. It was serviceable but we looked at each other and said "we're not coming back for this" VIBE: The lighting is dark and, besides the Christmas tree, the place is not well decorated, almost plain. SERVICE: The waitress was friendly enough and so was the maitre d but you got a general sense that this place was not well organized. Twice our food was taken to the wrong table which became a running joke between us and the other table. PRICES: I'll let you decide........one medium pizza, one eight inch sized plate of spaghetti, one alcoholic drink (we both just stuck with water besides the one drink) was $90. We definitely didn't pay for ambiance as there wasn't any! PARKING: We parked about two blocks away and paid $4.25 for two hours. Not bad but I read on Yelp(!) on the trip over, that the parking structure was $30, beware! RECOMMEND: Oh heck NO!! Don't do it! How this place scored three stars is beyond me! Stay at home, try one of the other restaurants in this complex or find another place but don't do it! This was our FIRST and LAST time at this place! read more

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For the Mission Inn being as established and beautiful as it is, this restaurant is a complete letdown. From the appetizers to the drinks and dessert options, it was disappointing. For $150, there was not one dish we enjoyed: 1 - Chicken melanese was bland and lacked taste 2 - Linguine with marinara sauce was awful. It was dry, lacked any seasoning, and just had a ton of tomato pieces in it. 3 - I could not eat the calamari. Seeing the squid heads was just a turn off. I know there is a risk of that when you order but I just couldn't eat it. 4 - The black garlic spread was a bit salty, but the foccacia bread it came with was DELICIOUS. One of the reasons I gave it a 2 rather than a 1 5 - The wine and affogato saved my overall miserable time here. The service was decent. Other than that, I will not be back. read more

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Visit date 12.21.23. My friend and I LOVED the phenomenal short rib tortellini (5 stars). Fried calamari was good too (4 stars), Tiramisu not so good. (2 stars) Topnotch service, elegant ambience, reasonable price. Parking - we lucked out with street parking, otherwise there's a parking structure on Orange between 5th-6th that charges $30. Come after 8pm weekday for best chance of findng street parking. As for the "Best Public Holiday Lights in the country", it was all pretty ho-hum. There's lights everywhere, it is true, but no special theme or any lavish lighting animation/mechanical contraptions to kick it up a notch.(Go to El Segundo Candy Cane Lane.) Mercifully, the long line moves very fast, you enter the front of Mission Inn, go down 100 yards, turn left and then out the side gate. 5 minutes in-and-out. read more

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We were so cold and hungry and we're a visitors and strolling the Mission Inn festival of lights that night. And we wanted to eat pizza and its my second time at your restaurant but this time Im with my mom and we're almost at the closing time but Isiah was nice and accomodated us with a great service and a great smile definitely recommend Isiah and the crew. Mabuhay Si Pinoy Isiah Gabriel read more

Only giving it a 2 star rating because the service was fair. The food was expensive and everything was a la carte. The calamari was rubbery, pasta under cooked. Bread even though delicious came to us cool. Ran out of pizza dough. Reduced the items on the menu. Don't think we will be visiting again. read more

Though the mobile website for the Mission Inn is rather terrible, we were able to view the menu for Bella Trattoria and some of the dishes listed looked promising. Unfortunately, they seem to have a very limited menu during the Festival of Lights (which is completely understandable), but that menu isn't on the website. We made a reservation for 2 at 6:00pm and didn't get seated until closer to 6:30. Not exactly ideal, but we were somewhat forgiving because of the festival. However, I can't remember having to wait that long at other restaurants when I've had reservations in the past. Because of the limited menu, we ended ordering pizza. They were about $20 each, which seems to be the average price for a pizza these days at a full service restaurant. The pizza was fine, not spectacular, but I wasn't disappointed. Our waitress seemed to be doing her best, but service was really slow. They seemed a bit understaffed, so I don't want knock our server for something that was out of her control. Overall, it was an underwhelming experience and I'm not sure I would recommend this place (especially during the Festival of Lights). If I want underwhelming Italian food, I can go down the street to the Spaghetti Factory, be seated in a timely fashion, and have more menu options. read more