Very good food! We were driving thru on our way to MN and wanted good food. Read up on yelp as to what had high recommendations and we picked Pasta Bella. Lots of food. The food comes out hot and fresh. So very good! read more

The food is tasty but the way we were treated by one of the owners after questioning the charges on a to go order was unacceptable. I can no longer support this business. read more

One of my favorite places to eat in Mason City. The portions are huge and the rolls are to die for.

Large serving size. Fresh bread brought by on the regular. Really good Italian food that's worth the visit.

This restaurant was recommended by the hotel I was staying in. I was sceptical at first from the outside, but once inside it was very pretty and clean. We ordered the Eggplant Rolatini and a Chicken & Shrimp and spinach with Alfredo Pasta dish that I forget the name of. Both were incredible! Also had the bread and a ceasar salad, it was way too much food and took left overs. They are very reasonably priced and the food is very tasty! Service was also very good, I definitely recommend this place! read more

See all

The service was incredibly quick--even on a busy Friday night! The complimentary bread is absolutely heavenly and the pasta was amazing as well. My only regret about this experience was that we were so full we had no room for dessert! If we're ever back in Mason City, we'll definitely stop! read more

homemade bread , best restaurant in mason city very cheap and very delicious food , pasta bella read more

Pasta Bella - eggs and tomatoes on toasted bread - Italian Near Me - Mason City, Iowa

Amazing food got our drinks almost instantly. They people were really nice. Overall I would definitely recommend this place.

Wonderful service, delicious food & quaint atmosphere. The attentiveness of staff was top notch. Would definitely recommend & be back! read more

Pasta Bella - Chicken Piccata - Italian Near Me - Mason City, Iowa

See all

Tremendous menu. Fast service with very good food. Very good fast casual Italian.

Excellent food, drinks, & service. Bar has tables and a main dining room. Their desserts are heavenly.

Just tried Pasta Bella's for 2nd time. Service was good, but slightly worse than before.( only slightly) The food was better than last time and that is saying a lot. We got 3 dishes. The Salmon and the Lobster Ravioli were AMAZING!!! read more

Pasta Bella - Lobster Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Mason City, Iowa

See all

We had eggplant and chicken parmigiana. Both were excellent. Salad was good. They allowed me to sub Alfredo sauce for the red sauce on my pasta and Alfredo was also very good. The bread had good flavor and looked wonderful but it was not very warm. I think it would have been great if it was fresher. Only thing that kept me from a 5 rating read more

Pasta Bella - Eggplant parmigiana - Italian Near Me - Mason City, Iowa

See all

Pretty good! 4 stars for being in Mason City. Ambience is very Olive Garden-esque. Gets LOUD so it's perfect for kids, nobody will hear them misbehaving. Shockingly busy for 6pm (weekend). We didn't have to wait, only because the place is so big, but it was one of the last tables open. The rolls alone are worth going here. So huge and soft! The portions are enormous. We got a small pizza and a pasta with meatballs. Pizza was decent, tasty crispy crust, good portions of toppings, not too much cheese. The pasta sauce was amazing and tasted real and fresh. The meatballs, though, were very bland, I would not recommend them. Bill was a bit high for my typical weekend dinner out. But can't wait to go back to try those desserts and get more rolls! read more

The portion sizes are ideally served. The food is very Italian to say to say in words in my own tastefully done like no other. I probably would suggest this restaurant for family fun and get together's read more

Great food!!! YUM! Prices are reasonable and the wait staff are phenomenal. I will return when I am back in Mason City, IA. Must go and enjoy the atmosphere. read more

Fabulous meal. Great service. Very clean. Large portions. Calamari was the best, tender, not over cooke. we had the Pasta Combo & Chicken Piccata. Either one could've fed 2 people. The food was delicious. Wish this restaurant was where We live in Minnesota. read more

My honest review is 3 stars - their pasta is standard, but I want an entire basket of that fluffy free bread for my wedding gift - but I recognize that moving out of Iowa to the big city has turned me into a food snob. My parents love this place, and have named it their favorite restaurant in the surrounding area. read more

Looked like a chain...but surprisingly it wasn't! Had the calamari to start...good portion size! I had the spinach chicken and shrimp my friend had the combo pasta! I loved mine, hers was eh....got dessert, cannoli and Italian cream cake, the cannoli was filled with frosting. Too much! The cream cake was delicious. Reasonable prices... read more

See all

Excellent food at a reasonable price, favorite place in Mason City. Donnie at the bar will treat you right. read more

Pasta Bella - Italian Near Me - Mason City, Iowa

See all

Pasta Bella is a classic Italian restaurant in Mason City, IA. The outside of the restaurant is a cute light yellow. The inside is what you would think of in a Italian restaurant. We went to the hostess and she said it was a 30 minute wait. I went to the restroom and counted 10 open tables that would seat my family. It was a little disappointing for a restaurant like that to make us wait that long for a table they had open. The service was good and the food was a little above average. But it's the wait time that makes it read more

Pasta Bella is an amazing place to get Italian in Mason City! The prices are reasonable and service is fast. Food is definitely plentiful, so you will have enough food to take home. They serve fresh warm bread with butter and a side salad while you wait for the food. Most times you're still finishing your salad when they bring out the main dish. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone! Keep up the great work! read more

I'm from out of town and this place came highly recommended so I got takeout on my way to work. The food was amazing and I got like 2 meals worth for 13$. The inside looked really nice if I had time to sit and eat I would have. The staff members were all very nice and easy on the eyes. I will be sure to get takeout one more time before I leave town! read more

The bread here is so delicious :-). Nice, warm and made in-house, it seems. Generous portion of red wine by the glass. read more

Pasta Bella - Italian Near Me - Mason City, Iowa

See all

This was an excellant choice for our Saturday night out. The soup was very good, bread was to die for, and my meal was perfect! I had Polo Caprino - chicken, crab over pasta with a creamy white sauce, so good. My husband had the tilapia pasta with shrimp, sweet peppers and a light lemony sauce. He said it was probably the best meal he's ever had at an Italian restaurant (and that's saying alot) He is kind of hard to please, and doesn't usually languish praise on any meals. read more

Stopped in for dinner on a work overnight with my boyfriend and we loved Pasta Bella! They offer a diverse menu of Italian selections that are big enough to feed you for a few days. We split the sample plate of lasagna, ziti, and tortellini and it was great! The thing that stood out to me the most was the bread. It was so fluffy, buttery, and fantastic! They also offer a limited selection of beer and wine, so we ordered some wine with our pasta. The restaurant had a nice open layout so it wasn't too loud, and the staff was friendly and helpful. Excellent little mom and pop Italian restaurant with good food and great prices. I will definitely visit again next time I'm in town! read more

some of the most worst food i have ever had. this is poor quality italian food. hardly any sauce on the pizza. olive oil dipping sauce had to many spices in it. wifes soup was grous. granddaughter bread was hard, butter was frozen will not go back. when we first walked in the hostess trid to sit 6 of us in a booth. bad, bad. read more

Food is okay nothing to right home about... But the only reason I didn't give five stars is that with the exposed ceiling the noise level in there is horrendous when they are busy. People talk during dinner and that's great but it was so loud from lack of insulation that we could barely understand each other across the table. read more

Good Italian. I particularly enjoy the tortellini with pink sauce (a blend of alfredo and marinara sauce). Service has always been prompt and friendly and prices more than fair. I don't order chicken parm or any chicken in my pasta as more than once I've received grisly pieces. That said, I come here often and almost always leave happy. read more

My husband and I had to stay in Forest City for 19 days last month. Since we are from New Jersey we weren't sure what to expect when this was recommended. OMG!!!!!!!! I can't stop thinking about this food. The portions were more than generous, the prices totally reasonable, and the presentation beautiful. More than anything, however, the taste was so, so, so, gooood. I wish we had tried it sooner because we would have been there each night. read more

See all

Short version: Outstanding service, underwhelming cuisine. I wanted it to be so much more than it was. Perhaps it was an off night? A lot of people seem to really enjoy this restaurant so please let this be just one opinion amongst many when deciding whether to visit. Long version: We dropped in on a Sunday for dinner. We were on our way through and had never visited the restaurant so we let the waiter guide us. (He was an excellent server - which earned a star back.) I ordered the Chicken Alfredo and a bowl of pasta fagiole, m'lady ordered a cheese tortellini in a marinara/cream sauce whose name escapes me and a bowl of roasted-pepper potato soup, and our daughter had the lasagna. Now, I have spent a fair amount of time in Italy and have lived on the East Coast for a while and been around lots of wonderful Italian-American friends. I absolutely love eating and cooking that style of food (and many others) so I feel confident in claiming that I know the good from the not-so-good. So, let's talk about the much-vaunted bread that people rave about. We had it with garlic and oil. It was...okay. Not fabulous, nor world shatteringly amazing, just okay. The garlic and oil was quite good. You've probably had a similar quality bread if you've ever had a "finish baking at home" bread from a grocery store. It's not bad when it's hot, is the best I can say. The soup came out promptly. Mine was pretty good. The pasta was not overcooked - impressive! Hers was just okay. It probably had something to do with it being just lukewarm. It did have some decent flavors but was not hot enough. She's so nice a person (and probably really hungry at that point) that she just ate it. Me, I probably would have sent it back. Our main course arrived very quickly, before we'd even finished our soup. Not a problem, but a little worrying. Speed is often a sign that much of the food was prepared hours before. My suspicion was merited. The Alfredo sauce was actually quite good and screaming hot, if a little under salted, but that's easy to remedy. However, the chicken was simply terrible. The dish would have been vastly better without it. It was grossly overcooked and probably reheated in a microwave or sitting in a prep station bin for hours. I ate two or three pieces and pushed it to the side. You might question why I didn't send it back? Honestly, I was hungry, and it was so bad that there was very little chance of improvement. The pasta was acceptable. They apparently make it all "homemade" but, having made and eaten a good amount of "homemade" pasta myself, it really didn't impress. I'm not saying it isn't homemade, but I wouldn't have guessed that it was... I had a bite of both the cheese tortellini dish and lasagna and thought were both mediocre, at best. The marinara sauce they make (I really hate saying this) me think of chef boyar...ah, forget it. The red sauce was not good. My guess is that the task of matching a tomato sauce with the average Midwestern palate is so difficult that they just ere on the side of blandness. (I grew up in Minnesota and learned what flavor was later when I spent some time away!) However, that's no excuse for a sauce with no heart. Still, the meal was filling and, for a town this size I'm impressed that there is an Italian restaurant. Our server was, by far, the high point of the visit and the reason this isn't especially scathing. If I lived in town, I might give the restaurant another try, but as it is, I won't seek it out again. Not having eaten anywhere else in town, I unfortunately cannot point you in another, better direction. Perhaps they will chance upon this review and make a few changes for the better and future reviewers will ponder what I was thinking or if I was just having a bad night. (One high point was teaching our daughter some Italian. She told the waiter thank you in Italian. He answered in Spanish but I let it slide. She smiled. Did I mention he was a great server?) read more

Pleasant surprise. I normally go to the same place every time I visit Mason City. Decided to try something new. My advice is skip the apps, they were disappointing. We got the homemade bread with tomato's, garlic and cheese. We also got the Frito plate. They were both so so. I would not order again. Completely different opinion of the main course. Fantastic! I got sausage abbiratta or something like that. It was spicy and flavorful. I look forward to my leftovers tomorrow. My dining partner got the lobster ravioli. She loved it and will have no leftovers. Lol. Service was good with no wait when you needed something. Definitely lots of locals there which is always a good indicator. I recommend giving it a try. You may have a new favorite place and there is plenty of menu to try! read more

Our waiter, Tony, was attentive and the food was wonderful. I didn't expect the menu variety for a small town in Iowa. I had the lobster ravioli and my sister had the ribeye a la griglia. We easily left the table stuffed and with leftovers. Entrees could easily be shared. If we are ever here again, we'll be back. read more

Pasta Bella - Lobster Ravioli was tasty! - Italian Near Me - Mason City, Iowa

Service was crazy good, but the food was average. The picatta was overly floury for my taste and lacked the lemon pop that I was used to. The pasta to meat ratio was 8:1. The pricing was good for the area. read more

5 stars isn't enough. We had a party of 16 there tonight for our daughter's birthday and everything was completely on point. Our server, Luis, was excellent and the team work with the food runners was great. Food was AMAZING (multiple pizzas and pasta dishes) that all came out perfectly timed. Absolutely delicious. Every person in our party left very happy! read more

Awesome place to eat! Kids had pizza which was to die for and we had the sampler platter. ..which had manicotti, lasagna, and cantelloni. ...great platter! The bread was fantastic! We will be back! read more

Pasta Bella - Some awesome bread! - Italian Near Me - Mason City, Iowa

Great Food - Great Service -Great Prices We have enjoyed the food at Pasta Bella and we are planning to return there today to try their lunch fare. We have thus far enjoyed the eggplant rotini, chicken Marsala, their salads and their tiramisu. Our Server was excellent both times and the Owner cordially welcomed us back when we arrived for our second meal. We actually were surprised he remembered us and we thought that that was such a lovely thing to do. We believe the Pasta Bella will become her favorite go to spot while we are working in this area. read more

I love Italian food! I have eaten in good Italian restaurants. Their pizza is very good, their bread is good . The other dishes pretty much taste the same read more

My husband and I were disappointed with this Italian restaurant. We ordered two different entrees and they came out looking identical. Service was lousy. Food had decent flavor but too much cheese. The atmosphere was not much to speak about. After reading the previous reviews I was looking forward to this meal. Disappointed! read more

We love Pasta Bella! Best Italian food in North Iowa. warm Complimentary bread is delicious especially when you get a side of marinara to dip it in. We also love the calamari. Give it a try you will not be disappointed! read more

Pasta Bella - Complimentary hot rolls - Italian Near Me - Mason City, Iowa