I popped in with my youngest daughter and had the best time. The service was impeccable, and Ohmygoodness I love the ambiance. My glass of wine was $6, the gorgeous and huge antipasto salad was $11. The kids menu is perfect. I can't recommend this place enough. read more

J R Pizza Bella Restaurant - Antipasto and a glass of wine - Italian Near Me - Margate, Florida

Out and about doing errands and my wife wanted to stop at one of her bookmarked places for lunch. We saw that some of our Yelp Community friends had rated this place highly and enjoyed their experiences. Parking is available and you can enter from the West side or East side. Several outside concrete tables are available in a garden setting. The interior is very fun funky and engaging. We were greeted and seated at our table with menus offering Traditional Italian and Puerto Rican dishes. Lots to choose from as well. Lunch special menus, which included soft drinks, offer a lot of Italian fare. I chose the Sausage, Pepper and onions in red sauce over linguine. Salad or soup came with the entrees and I chose the salad which was very generous. The yummy rolls, my choice was garlic, was a nice touch with my salad. Yelp Elites are rating JR Pizza highly and now we know why! read more

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What a surprisingly good lunch we had here last week. I'm not sure exactly why I'd bookmarked this place, but think it was Chris S's recent review that caught my eye. The separate building was painted outside and there were neon signs in the windows. There were several flags flying from the roof. There were a few concrete tables outside by the entrance door with stone statues. Inside, there is so much kitsch, you won't know where to look first. There are pots and pans and wine bottles hanging from the ceiling among the plastic vines, a buddha with headphones, Elvis's memorabilia, toys, stuffed animals, pictures, etc. Anyhow, we'd read about their eclectic menu -- half Puerto Rican and half Italian -- and thought this might be a great place to visit. We originally thought we'd try their Puerto Rican menu having visited the island so many times and enjoyed the cuisine. We wound up instead ordering from their lunch specials menu which were Italian. Their lunch specials are offered Tuesday through Sunday until 3 p.m. They are offered at very reasonable prices. The lunches come with a fountain soda. He chose sausage, peppers and onions. And I chose their chicken francaise. Both these lunches also came with a choice of soup or salad and garlic rolls and pasta. We both selected the salad to start. And of the salad choices, we both went with the garden salad that had olives, and tomatoes, and cukes, and lettuces, etc. with a very good Italian dressing. For the garlic rolls (2 for each of us), we had half garlic and half plain with butter on the side. We even got to choose the type of pasta we wanted -- there were three choices. We both chose the linguine. The lunch entrees themselves were huge. And we each took half our meals home for another meal later. My chicken francaise was quite good. Egg battered chicken breast in a lemony sauce. He said his sausage dish had a lot of meat in it. He liked the sauce over the pasta, as well. We had a nice chat with the owner/manager. He told us he was from Italy originally but spent quite a few years in Puerto Rico. But he much prefers being in Florida now. We told him how much we enjoyed our meals and that we hoped to return. read more

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Always admired this quaint Italian restaurant never came in until today. The service and the food are outstanding. The atmosphere is authentic. Nice Italian music. Will definitely be back. read more

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A charming Italian restaurant with lots of fun decor and Bing Crosby music playing. We were welcomed with smiles and we could sit anywhere since the restaurant was empty. We came here with our kids and parents on a Friday night. We ordered a pepperoni pizza with sausage, some garlic rolls, side salad and lasagna. The frustrating part was our waitress only spoke Spanish so we had no idea what she was saying and she had no idea what we were saying and asking for. Then, we waited for over an hour to receive our food. Mind you, we were the only customers. We were all losing our patience. The restaurant was also freezing cold... I went back to the car to get everyone some coats and blankets. The garlic rolls were hard and burnt. The pizza, I will say, was delicious. I would stick to take out, though, because the wait was ridiculous. The worst part was the bill. $70!!!! For a pizza and lasagna? Apparently each extra toppings is $5 which we didn't know because our server spoke a different language. So, it was a big disappointment and frustrating night to say the least. read more

J R Pizza Bella Restaurant - Pepperoni and sausage pizza. Delicious but overpriced and waited for over an hour. - Italian Near Me - Margate, Florida

Food is always great, Bella salad is amazing with the Italian vinaigrette and grilled chicken, the chicken soup was great and the side of garlic rolls were a great plus, everyone is friendly and welcoming. You get an old school traditional vibe like this place has been here for ages. Thank you J R! read more

Came with my bf and we ordered a pizza with multiple toppings and asked them to add ricotta. We weren't even hungry but the place was so cute , he had to make a U-turn ! They have wine and beers, the decor inside is so cute and refreshing. Definitely my new pizza place, will be coming up to visit more often. read more

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We used to live down the road from JR, it was one of our go to pizza shop. We loved their garlic rolls and they got decent pizza. Every time that we're in the area we will come eat here. This time, was a lil disappointed. It's been almost two years since we dine here. 15/20 minutes after placing our order with the waitress, I sat and wondered "Do they still give out garlic rolls when dine in?" Then the waitress brought them over. I was excited to have some, it's still full of garlic and butter but the outer crusts were so tough and kind of burnt. Kind of felt like it was reheated after it has sat there all day kind of feel. Close to an hour, then our pizzas came. It was ok, their dough is a bit sweeter than others and also kind of burnt. We still enjoy their little place. read more

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My family is Italian-American, and my friend is Puerto Rican. We came together because the premise of this restaurant is both Italian and Puerto Rican food. We both agreed the food was edible and tasted decent, but we wouldn't consider either cuisine authentic. My friend got the Mofungo Pollo - the mofungo was an odd texture and tasted like thanksgiving stuffing. The chicken was actually pretty good though. I got a small Strombolie - it was very big! Big enough for 2 full meals. But it was just ok. Very salty. I could have made it better at home with the same ingredients. The service was fine. The ambiance was a little odd - it didn't feel thoughtfully put together. TLDR; it was ok, but I wouldn't come back for either cuisine. read more

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Pizza Was Delicious , Ambiance Was Nice And Cozy And Make You Feel Welcomed. Adding Toppings Is A Little Costly But Makes Sense In This Crazy Economy. read more

J R Pizza Bella Restaurant - Dining Area - Italian Near Me - Margate, Florida

I went with a group for lunch recently. One member of our group stopped by (in person) the day before to make sure they could accommodate a party of 10. They said they could. After a 45 minute wait, we finally got our drinks. After a hour and a half, no entrees had been delivered. I can't say if the food was any good because I had to go. I paid for the food I never got and left. On my way out the door, the friend who had been there the day before asked the server about the delay. She said "When I was here yesterday, I asked if you could handle a party of 10, you said you could. You didn't say it would be a 2 hour wait to eat." The server replied "You didn't ask." . We go to different restaurants in the area every week and have never experienced anything like this. read more

Posted hours of operation on restaurant doors and website. Even though they advertise opening at 11AM on Sundays I was there at 11:02 and was told to come back in 15-20 minutes. As a new customer dying to find Puerto Rican food close to home I was extremely disappointed. After posting the above review I read the other reviews for this restaurant. I'm now glad that they weren't open for business. After all those "horrible" reviews I can't believe that they are still open for business. read more

This time, food was served quickly and, as always delicious!! Calamari were tough this time. Couldn't eat them. Mofongo with shrimp was a little bit over seasoned but really really good. read more

Italian restaurant? Puerto Rican restaurant? How about BOTH?! Eclectic, over the top Italian decor was fun! Lots of little touches everywhere! We went for an early dinner at 4ish on a Sunday and we were the only dine in customers but the take out business was super steady. We both loved our entrees, and the service was great. Highly recommend the Mofongo - flavor was off the charts! The only thing that would have improved our meal was if the unsweet iced tea had been fresh brewed and not fountain. read more

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Pizza is tasty but this place is filthy. They cash you out with bare hands then don't wash it and go right back to working the dough with the same bare hands. Lizard came running out my pizza box and he laughed it off and gave me the pizza saying the lizard didn't touch the pizza. Disgusting read more

I ordered takeout as I was looking online to see what to eat and saw the Puerto Rican flag on a picture but was confused as the restaurant's name was more of a Pizza / Italian vibe. I decided to go through the menu and there it was Puerto Rican menu with delicious options. I was so happy as I saw on the menu Bacalaitos and Pastelon de amarillo (maduros) whereas you can't find that on the menu unless you venture to the restaurants up north. I went with the Bacalaitos (Cod Fritters) and Pastelon (Puerto Rican Lasagna as they call it here) and Arroz con Gandules (Pidgeon peas) and wow the portion is huge as they include a side of Salad, amarillos (maduros) and Tostones (Green Fried plantains) as well as Avocado on salad and main order. The food was so tasty that I enjoyed every minute of it, Kudos to the chef. Simply amazing and will now have to visit the restaurant. read more

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Really good Italian and Puerto Rican. Authentic on both counts!! You want to come here it's fantastic read more

J R Pizza Bella Restaurant - Pastelon - Italian Near Me - Margate, Florida

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We had a very disappointing experience here due to how the owner handled a simple comment. We ordered the margherita pizza expecting a traditional thin-crust style, but what arrived looked and tasted more like a deep-dish version. While we acknowledged that it was well-made, we mentioned it was crunchier than expected and politely expressed that it wasn't what we were anticipating. Instead of responding professionally, the owner became defensive and confrontational. He immediately started raising his voice, insisting that he's been doing this for 17 years and accusing us of trying to tell him how to cook--which was not our intention at all. We calmly offered to pay for the other item we ordered and return the pizza, but he refused, began packing up our dishes abruptly, and told us to "get out" multiple times. The tone and behavior were completely uncalled for. Constructive feedback should be welcomed, not met with hostility. The owner came across as unprofessional, rude, and unwilling to listen. If you value customer service as much as food, this place may not be for you. read more

While the food was just average, the service was extremely slow. It took 45 minutes just to get a drink. They are not receptive to any feedback, and were not the least bit apologetic for the slow service. In fact, they will just tell you to go eat elsewhere. Customer satisfaction clearly does not matter to them! read more

We should have gone here first tonight. So this old pizza place has been here for 15 years. The main menu is... Pizza and basic Italian American stuff. What I saw as far as the Italian did not look bad at all, and he has some lunch specials you should look at, but what we came for was... Puerto Rican food. Yeah, you heard that correctly. The place has a secret boricua menu. Frankly, it's a charming little place, only 5 minutes from our house. How we did not know about this place for ten years, I have no idea, but the sign is busted, and it's not part of the main drag of that shopping center with El Bodegon; it's next to the auto parts store. The owner J.R. is half Italian and half Puerto Rican but has only been serving Puerto Rican food (on a separate paper printout) since the pandemic started to supplement his income. We got a shrimp mofongo and an alcapurria. The alcapurria is a large deep-fried log of sweet mashed plantain and yautia (taro) stuffed with Piccadillo (seasoned ground beef). It's fab. The mofongo is presented as you would see in P.R., in a specialized serving vessel. This is double-cooked (fried twice) seasoned green plantains mashed with garlic, herbs (cilantro and culantro) finely chopped up ham/crispy pork, topped with sofrito-flavored tomato creole sauce (salsa criolla) with shrimp cooked in that sauce. It comes with a nice side salad with avocado and tostones as well. Massively flavorful. J.R. also bought us some of his family meal, a rice and beans to taste. Legit. I can't wait to try his other Puerto Rican dishes. read more

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Oh man what an amazing place. Nice comfortable ambiance, wonderful service, and tasty food! I had the pleasure of meeting the owner and he was a nice man! We spoke as if we've known each other forever! Love a good personable individual. He gave me the history of the place. I got a Puerto Rican dish which is a bonus considering it's an Italian spot! No other places around serve Puerto Rican food and I'm so happy to have found this one! I'll definitely be back to try more! Thank you so much it was a pleasure stopping into your business J.R. read more

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To all puertoricans. This is your place went you are craving for mofongo, alcapurrias, bacalaitos and pasteles. Junior, the owner, a blend of Italia-puerto rican have mastered both cultures under same roof. Freaking awesome. Plus the restaurant per se is like a mini museum. This place is super awesome. read more

The food is Always good and the pizza is delicious. The service is fantastic all the time the 4 years I have been coming here. The ambiance is interesting and there are always people coming in to eat or to pick up good food. Love their Chicken Marsala the Best, give it a try! read more

My husband asked me to meet him for lunch during the week and we decided to try JR Pizza Bella. When we walked in, we were the only ones there. Which was a little odd for lunch time. We ordered a pizza with spinach and mushrooms. The owner told us he cooks the pizza and then adds the freshly sautéed spinach near the end of cooking. You can tell because it wasn't dried out and it wasn't frozen spinach. My husband ordered chicken soup and a chicken parm sub. His soup came out and the owner offered me a salad so I wouldn't be sitting not eating. I told him I was fine. The pizza was absolutely delicious. My husband loved his sandwich. The garlic rolls were also delicious. I would definitely return. read more

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We discovered this place on the way home. We ordered pepperoni pizza. It was good! Reasonably priced as well. I also had the spaghetti with marinara sauce and it had good flavor. We will definitely be back! read more

Ordered 10 pizzas the day before my daughter's first birthday party. They made me pay over the phone because they wanted to make sure I was going to pick them up. When I get there to pick them up they tell me they already gave the pizzas away to someone who had the last four digits of my credit card and no receipt. They had nothing to say for themselves except I better be careful because someone has my credit card info. As if someone is going to use my stolen cc info to pick up 10 pizzas I ordered. They did give me my money back. But nothing for the tremendous inconvenience. Didn't offer to remake the pizza or even apologize. They all just stared blankly at me to see if I was really going to believe the made up story. Now I was left to scramble to get food while a party full of people were waiting to eat. I don't believe anyone picked up the pizzas. They never made them and wanted to make it look like they weren't at fault. If you have a big party order and you need to count on someone - do not- I repeat do not trust this restaurant. I gave them my cc number over the phone so I cancelled my card and ordered a new one. Order at your own risk. I'm not holding my breath for the video footage they said they were going to check on to identify this mystery thief stealing pizzas they never made. read more

I work delivering for uber eats and doordash and I had to pick an order up. I noticed they were just starting the order and I asked how long it would take. The owner asked me if i'm in a rush and I just said I was asking a question. He told me don't question him or any of his employees and I told him I was going to cancel the order and he said to get the fuck out of his store. read more

The service! I've been going there for many years and moved from Coral Springs to Miami. I drove up there to pick up the pizza and was arguing with this rude lady that took my order over the phone. The order was placed 30 min prior to me even getting there. She put in my order wrong and continued to argue with me. I will never refer someone there or go back. I was also charged more money and still given the wrong order!!!! Never again.,.,,,,, so disappointed! read more

Yolene helped us, she was so nice. The ambience was incredible, nice atmosphere and relaxing music. The best part was the amazing Puertorrican food. Out of this world! I am a born and raise Puertorrican and let me tell ya it is so hard to find a good Puertorrican restaurant in Broward County. You gotta go to J.R. Pizza Bella Restaurant. They also have homemade Pasteles. If I could I would give this place a 10 stars but limit is only 5. read more

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JR Pizza Bella... how did I not remember to credit you for the Super Bowl!? For the big game, these great guys made me a similar pie to my NJ family's favorite spot up in South Amboy NJ. A sweet sauce style pie. And man, did it come out PERFECT. The owner, JR, says he will do ANYTHING for me so long as they have the equipment to accomplish it. For that I am forever grateful. Amidst the flexibility of this close to my home spot, is some high quality cheese, family-like customer service and of course just some down right good Italian comfort food eats. read more

I called the restaurant to confirm an order. That was to be delivered by Uber Eats. The person I spoke to would only identify themselves as one of the owners I. Asked several times for his name and only got one of the owners. I never received my order. I had to cancel it through Uber. Eats very disappointed customer service pathetic. read more

The owner of this restaurant is absolutely rude and angry. My family and I could hear him literally screaming at the staff, not once, but 3 times, in an open window area for the whole restaurant to hear. He then screamed at a customer over the phone about an order being wrong that sounded like he didn't want to admit to. We all became extremely uncomfortable. I have no idea how the staff takes his outbursts, or if he even cares about the guests being able to witness his behavior, but I can assure you we will never return. This isn't the only Italian joint around, and good luck to anyone who has to deal with him. read more

I go in and order two slices. I get back home and I already finished eating one of the slices. Im on my second one and not even half way through, I noticed a ROACH cooked into the crust of the pizza. I am sooo disgusted. Please avoid this place at all costs! I can't believe this. I called them back to let them know and all was offered was two new slices. I then go into the place just to let him know there are roaches in his establishment and he tried to deny everything. I was thinking I would hold off on this review and see if he would do anything about it or at least acknowledge it if I came to him personally about the situation first, but he basically said I was lying and that he's never seen them in there before. Very disgusting and unprofessional !! read more

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What an original eclectic little place! At first glance it's a pizza place busy with takeout and delivery orders, but it is also an authentic Puerto Rican restaurant. The owner saw us rolling in Mom and greeted us with some of the best coquito we've ever had ...and we lived a few years on the island! Mom ordered Mofongo with chicken in sauce, which came with tostones, avocado, maduros, salad and she really enjoyed it - she took one bite and said we're coming back here! they were able to accommodate my husband's restricted no salt diet with a great salad and chicken. I tried the eggplant parmesan sandwich, which was surprisingly served on freshly baked ciabatta bread. The staff was lovely, welcoming and thoughtful. The food was tasty, fresh and authentic. You will be happily surprised with this little family owned place. read more

J R Pizza Bella Restaurant - Mofongo with chicken in sauce - Italian Near Me - Margate, Florida

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There is nothing like a family owned Italian restaurant. Between the food and the service, I don't know which was better. We started out with a bowl of chicken soup and some garlic rolls. Both were excellent. I had a chicken parmesan sandwich with French fries. The chicken was not tough, the sauce had excellent flavor and it wasn't burred underneath a ton of cheese. Even the fries were good. My wife broke her vegan diet! She had cheese on her pizza! Her pizza had arugula and mushrooms, it was so good! I'm looking forward to the next time my joins me for lunch, because I'm planning to go back. read more

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JR's ITALIAN used to be decent. It's since turned into a eatery that can't seem to figure it's identity out which is evident by both decor and mix of poorly executed Italian and Puerto Rican menu items. The food is often NOT the same as pictured, example, when ordering "Garlic Knots" (A staple, yet simple side item) one would expect actual baked knots. Instead you get a half cooked loaf of bread (I'm not joking) w / some concoction of sauce, garlic powder and cheese sprinkled on it. SMH... Side note to management, encourage your staff to wear gloves when handling food, get rid of the algae ridden fish tanks and overbearing reggaetone music. read more

Wonderful husband and wife team that make the best bolognese and a great pizza. The husband is Puerto Rican from Brooklyn who grew up as a boxer and lover of Italian food. Now he and his wife are here providing us with excellent New York Italian! read more

We were recommended by a coworker to try it and the pizza was great, I had the spaghetti with meat sauce and comes with soup or salad! I had the chicken soup (best I had in a long time) we also had an alcapurria and a bacalaito! Freaking. No room for dessert but I definitely will try it next time. Awesome servir also!!! Yes I had to bring the pasta home! read more

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I just received my food via GrubHub and I have to say being of Italian decent this is the absolute worst attempt of Italian food I have ever had! First they packed my cold salad between the two hot dishes .... so that was great. Then the meat lasagna is so hard to find under the pound of melted mozzarella cheese, now I love cheese but throwing a ton of cheese in a container doesn't make it lasagna. I can't believe people eat this shit. I should have made my own .... I should teach them how to make good food. And their cannoli was not at all what they show in their photos. I suggest going anywhere else to get good Italian food. In fact when Burger King offers their chicken parm sandwich it is twice the Italian food as here. So disappointed and disgusted read more

I loved this place. Ordered from their Puerto Rican menu which was a nice surprise. Mofongo with carne frita was excellent. Also a great alcapuria. Service was very good. Some might complain it takes a little long to get the food but you have to understand the work it takes to make these dishes. I'll be back and will be recommending to friends and family in the area. read more