We have been coming to Bella Via for years. Never a bad meal, always consistent, delicious food. Not sure what the griping is about. Try it, you'll like it! Short rib ravioli, minestrone soup, appetizer meatballs, tiramisu, and veal saltimboca excellent tonight as always. Every business, especially restaurants have an off night here and there. A chef gets sick, folks quit without notice, etc. It's a tough business. Don't be mislead by the star rating. This place is a gem. read more

Pleasantly surprised at the food at a very reasonable price especially in this area. Drinks were strong and menu extensive. The Caesar salad was just ok.... No anchovies and a weak dressing though. The bread was rock hard in both baskets we were brought. Mains were very good with a generous portion of chicken Marsala smothered in tasty mushrooms. The side pasta was very bland and not hot. The halibut was very well received and the side artichoke was tasty. The bolognese on pasta also went down quickly but it's a giant portion of a lot of the same. The lemoncello ice cream was frozen rock hard and we were afraid the fluted glass which it was in would shatter. We sat outside on a nice evening. Service was just ok. Inexperienced server tried hard but.... I would return! read more

This restaurant moved up to Highwood after a long time being in Highland Park. The same food and excellent service as usual. read more

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Great place. We sat at the bar and Brian was quick with the wit and made it a fun evening. Carmella, the owner was very attentive to our needs. We hade the eggplant parmigiana and it was the best we ever had. Also, we had the chicken Marsala and it was excellent. We plan on returning many times! read more

My wife and I stopped in for a drink on the way home and were immediately welcomed in by Carmella one of the owners - She was so lovely, we were celebrating our first grandson being born and she could not have been nicer. I am sorry i was not able to try to food, but my family in Highland Park and Highwood could not say enough great things about the food and service. I will be back - My wife is heading back this evening for drinks and the Frank Sinatra singer! Thank you read more

My daughter took my 15 year old grandson and I here for his birthday. Food amazing, waiter outstanding, and the server , Alfredo, very helpful when I spilled my entire glass of water all over the table. He insisted on putting on a new table cloth... so so nice. It's an elegant yet cozy restaurant for any occasion. I would highly recommend it. There are lots of very good restaurants in the area... this one really stands out! read more

I had Shrimp Diavolo last night. I was very disappointed I had 3 Shrimp the size of a quarter and hard calamari. Why have it on the menu if you can't make it right . read more

The service is above and beyond. Excellent food. Beautiful ambiance. This is my 4th time there and will see more in the coming days. read more

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Be careful with the service - my wife and I went to Bella via last night, Saturday night with another couple. We were pretty frequent patrons for years when they were at their Highland Park location. The food was pretty good and came out in a timely nice way. The problem last night was our waitress. Im not sure why, but she may have thought she was being funny. But she couldn't have been more rude! She started on a weird, pushy way, and continued with a bad attitude and unfriendly way thruout the meal. I will talk to the manager next time if it occurs....if we go back. read more

To start, there was a spider on our table. We ordered our food and it seemed that it was out 5 minutes later. Wondering if it was premade and then heated up. We felt so rushed by the staff. Everytime we put our forks down, they wanted to take our plate away. It's like they needed the table but there were empty ones there. Not at all like it was when it was at the old location. Not rushing back read more

Very good food and reasonable prices. Helpful and polite advice from the servers on ordering

We visited Bella Via at their new location on Temple Ave with the whole family; everyone from Great Grandma to down to the littlest one year old. The staff was excellent and made all feel welcome! Great Grandma is a little picky about her food so was really happy with the Alfredo sauce that they offered. She also ordered the shrimp scampi and was dismayed when it came in a rose colored sauce. (She doesn't eat anything with tomatoes.) She handed that off right away! One of the specials of the day was halibut and it was really not good with a very mushy texture not flaky. I had the cioppino which was the really big winner of the night! This is an excellent dish and I would order it over and over again! The new location is smaller but very family friendly! read more

I'm going to be short... this was probably the worst Italian food I've had in a long time. everything on the menu is $10-$15 overpriced. The tomato sauce tastes like it comes from a jar at the dollar store. The bread was hard as a rock. I ordered two servings of the crab cakes and it came out tasting like boxed stuffing and just as gummy. The main course I got was the house special "crusted halibut in a lemon sauce" which was under cooked you could still see through the meat in some parts and it had no crust. The fish was just drenched in bland lemon oil . lol It was so bad my grandma spit it out and that's never happened. Then what made matters worse was my kids were saying and I quote "this is regular spaghetti I don't like it can we go?!?" If I could give this place a 0 star I would. But I guess the one good thing about it is the ambiance and the service was good. Outside that mannnnn no! They need to find an Italian family that can cook and hire them as a consultant cause that ain't it. It's a spot in highwood I'll never cheat on again. If you know you know. They got the best Cannolis in Chicago! And what you're looking for from here. I'm sorry I don't like doing bad reviews but when my kids are saying spaghetti is bad i can't hold my tongue. read more

This place was fantastic and we regularly got take out from the old location without a problem. Now they've raised prices and can't seem to get the orders together. The quality of the food is still good, but the service is so bad I wouldn't bother. read more

I've been to a few private parties here both for brunch and dinner and always a great experience. It's a really pretty restaurant, attentive service and the food is great too. It's Italian food, which I think can be a little heavy for parties sometimes, but the good news is that everyone likes Italian food. This past weekend I had a lovely 40th brunch here. They serviced small squares of pizza for passed apps, while we enjoyed drinks. A mimosa for me! As for our family style meal we had a delicious salad, chicken that was sooo good (and i'm extra picky when it comes to chicken) + a pasta that was tasty as well. Dessert was a small piece (appreciated) of chocolate mousse. If it hadn't been small there's no way I would have been able to have just a taste because it was soo good. Options are limited for private party spaces in this year, but this is definitely one worth checking out. And one of these days I look forward to having a meal there sans party as well. read more

Went for an early New Years dinner. Very attractive restaurant with excellent Italian food. I had a chicken dish and my husband had veal. The sauces were outstanding. Not cheap but well worth it for excellent dinners. read more

Bella Via is a fairly fancy Italian place in downtown Highland Park. White tablecloths, Italian music playing. The staff works hard to keep up the standard of service. One of the waiters diligently cleared my soup away before I had quite finished it and the head waiter insisted on bringing me a new bowl. Unfortunately the food doesn't always live up to the standard. The caesar salad was dry and could have used more cheese. The carbonara was a bit dry, and tasted strongly of basil. The risotto likewise was dry. The veal saltimbocca was better, but the side pasta was low on marinara. On the whole it was ok, but not as tasty as I was hoping for the price. read more

Went with my wife and young son the other night. We didn't know they had a big back patio that was opened to customers during the pandemic. What a gem. Patio was absolutely delightful and the service was right on point. My salmon was delicious and cooked perfectly and we split a cannoli for dessert which was also great. This was one of our favorite local dining experiences in quite a while. read more

Bella Via Ristorante - Pizza Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

Wheelchair accessible. Made a reservation via open table for a sat night. Everything was great but surprisingly the place wasn't very busy. I started with a Caesar salad & it was so refreshing & had the perfect flavor. I then had fettuccine Alfredo and it was so good! The pasta was excellent, nice bite to the noodle. The sauce was so creamy & flavorful without being too heavy. My sig other had gnocchi with a red sauce & pesto sauce mixed & he said everything was perfectly balanced. Will be back! read more

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Absolutely love the veal saltimbocca! It is just as good at the new location at 431 Temple Ave as it was on 2nd Street!

Great food excellent service. Nice lil Italian joint. Short Rib Ravioli was really good read more

Welp. We just moved up from The city where we had great places like Volare & Toppo gigio. Bella villla scratched that great Italian itch in Highland Park. The back patio is pretty great, several heat lamps and bistro lights help set the mood. Our waiter was Omar who was incredible and helpful walking us through some of his favorite options and the wine list. Our only complaint is the hours of operation, I wish they stayed open a bit longer and were a bar option in highland park! Great food great atmosphere & great service! Thanks Omar! We will be back:) read more

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What a great place! We've eaten at Bella Via several times since their move to Highwood (and prior). The food is consistent, fresh and delicious. I personally think they are even better with their smaller footprint in their new location. There are many restaurants in the Highwood. Bella Via is one of the best! read more

Fantastic experience. We came here on successive Saturday and Sunday nights and it was an incredible experience. Tonight I had the Cioppino and it was substantive, hearty servings of fish, shellfish in a savory tomato stew with just the right amount of spices. We started with the calamari, meatballs and a nice serving of bread. Our party also had the short ribs ravioli and chicken parmigiana, excellent. The wine was great. The service was exemplary, well done! read more

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We had a party of five people. Everything was not tasty. Grilled calamari , bruschetta, eggplants, lasagna - eatable, but not tasty at all. The only tasty item on the table was a bottle of wine. read more

A very nice looking restaurant but food which is important of course was very sub optimal. I was invited to a family type dinner and it was very pleasant in the beginning. I loved the appetizers of fried calamari which a nice delicate breading. The Caprese salad was nice and the fresh herbs were fragrant. The bruschetta was very good as well, but the pasta dishes were served next and I didn't like the mostaccoli which was average, not bad but not great and some sort of rice dish. If this was supposed to be risotto, it was blah. Next came the chicken marsala which was overcooked and the salmon was overcooked and after 1 bite of each, it was enough. Thankfully the eggplant parmigiana was good and not greasy. Desserts looked store bought so I didn't try it after the food experience. The coffee, however, was great! I had the iced tea and that was freshly made as well. Bathrooms very clean and tidy! Not worth taking any photos. read more

Sub par food, service, atmosphere. Took more than 10 minutes to be greeted by waiter. Bread served was dried out and stale. The restaurant was ridiculously warm and it wasn't that crowded. The air conditioning needs to work better. Ceasar salad had the romaine core in the middle. Lettuce tasted wilted and that wasn't a proper Ceasar dressing. The minestrone was lukewarm and tasteless. The carrots were still hard. My son ordered the gnocchi. 30 dollars for 10 gnocchi. My husband ordered the lasagna and found a bay leaf in the sauce. My eggplant for 30 dollars has no side pasta.... wow!!! Over a $100 for an extremely uncomfortable, not well done dinner. Will not return. read more

We really enjoy this place. In the summer it's really nice to eat outside on their patio especially during Covid they were able to open up all the doors and windows so it was really comfortable dining in. They have really good pastas and seafood. I often get the clam linguine or the short rib ravioli. Their salmon is also really good if you don't want pasta. Last time I also enjoyed their chocolate mousse dessert. They have a nice wine and cocktail list too. The service can be a little slow but they are always on top of water refills! Great addition to the neighborhood read more

Why go to an Italian restaurant in Highland Park if you live in Chicago? Well, if you have to go to an event. This nicely appointed restaurant in downtown Highland Park is spacious and welcoming. A map of Italy states down as you sip a Chianti. Their menu is predictable but good. Soup or salad comes with all pasta dishes. It is also quiet so you can have a conversation. The service is attentive and not overbearing. A good solid place. read more

Although the food was good, it was very overpriced. Portions were very small for the price. I was very disappointed.

Mauricio has built a beautiful business. Excellent service & superb food. My Italian friends agree that it taste as "Good as Nonna's!" Keep it up, the vast dinner & wine choices blesses my soul! read more

It's just... OK. That's it! Not good. Not bad. Just ok. I feel like if you're gonna open a restaurant, you should make the food stand-out. It should have flavor and be different, and make people crave it so they come back. I've been here a few times, twice with work people who chose the place and just once more recently to sit on the outdoor patio for lunch. This last time, it had been a few years since my last visit, so I thought I'd give it one last whirl. No luck. The inside is beautiful! It's got a great vibe! But, I won't be back. There are just too many other great places to choose from. read more

Bella Via Ristorante - Pizza Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

The food was ok. Have had much better italian food and have had much worse. My biggest complaint comes from that there was no pasta side dish to come with my chicken parm. It's not explitly stated if the chicken dishes come with anything but it's a basic tenant of the dish and feels like such a rip off to pay $25 for a single breaded chicken cutlet. Add 50¢ worth of pasta under the chicken and you don't get half the table looking around confused after receiving their food because they're expecting something to come which never does. read more

Great spot in Highland Park with plenty of outdoor seating. If you are looking for good Italian food Bella Via will not disappoint. The menu has all the Italian favorites. read more

We were at Bella Via on a busy Saturday night and the service was just excellent- attentive and fast. The food was good, hearty Italian dishes but the quality of the service was what impressed me even more. I had Eggplant Parmigiana, tasty, however with a bit too much sauce for my taste. My son loved his seafood ravioli (special) and my husband's Fettuccine Diavolo dish was good too. read more

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We had our wedding ceremony and reception at Bella Via last weekend and it could not have been more perfect. Carmela and her staff were amazing and attentive. Every detail was addressed going into the planning and meticulous execution that evening. Carmela steered us in the right direction with other vendors, food and alcohol selections, and tremendous flexibility, even with adjustments that day. They accommodated all dietary restrictions and the food was absolutely delicious, losing none of the flavor and quality you receive when you sit down in the restaurant for dinner. And while the staff was there at every turn, they were never in the way. We would always recommend the restaurant and can now recommend their outdoor and banquet space as one of the best options for a private event on the north shore. We would unquestionably host another event at Bella Via! read more

Bella Via Ristorante - Outdoor set up for wedding ceremony - Pizza Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

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We are long time customers. Alex our Waitress was terrific. The four of us split two appetizers that were very good. All our dinners were tasty and prepared perfectly. We sat outside in the back patio. What a nice venue. I highly recommend Bella Villa read more

Online hours aren't up to date (they close at 8) but they were willing to bring out some desserts shortly after they closed which was great! We carried out the Chocolate Mousse and Tiramisu and both were excellent. The tiramisu isnt the most flavorful but the textures are great and the serving size for each is plenty for two people. The chocolate mousse is very good, not too rich but with distinct flavors. Server was very polite despite the fact that we called after they were closed and we probably kept them open late (sorry!). read more

Bella Via Ristorante - Tiramisu Dessert - Pizza Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

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Dayla was our waitress and she was excellent!We had the fresh pasta seafood ravioli with vodka sauce it was outstanding! Hub had the chicken parm it was very good. We had grilled calamari for appetizer it was tender. They let us sit with our pup on the patio it was great. read more

Bella Via Ristorante - Chicken Parm yum - Pizza Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

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Excellent food!! Taste delicious and authentic. One of my the best Italian restaurants in Illinois. I have been to a lot, including eating in Italy. Highly recommend! read more