Gloucester Quays is a really nice place to visit with a variety of shops (including those with extra discount such as in Next, the Nike Factory and the Cadbury shop), places to drink, a cinema and a host of fantastic restaurants. Recently Bella Italia have recently opened at Gloucester Quays in a fantastic location right by the cinema (so my boys had previously spotted their sweets in the window!). I was invited along with my family to try out a 3 course meal each and see what we thought.
Our Waiter Shane at Bella Italia Gloucester Quays
When we arrived there was no record of our booking but this was not a problem and we were quickly shown to our seats. Excess cutlery was removed from the table and wine glasses by the children’s seats taken away. We were given our menus and left to think about what drinks we would like. We were given a good time gap before Shane our waiter came back. He was an absolute delight all evening, not once getting annoyed with my family’s indecisions. In fact my youngest son has Sensory Processing Disorder and had changed his mind so many times by his drink but still all the right drinks arrived. Timing is so important and I think this was pretty much got right. It was also our waiter who noticed (very quickly) that we had not all been brought out our meals (much faster than we would have complained). He sorted this out, apologised and checked if we wanted anything else whilst we were waiting. It was in fact only my husband’s calzone and this arrived as the rest of us finished our main courses. I think that sometimes mistakes happen and this restaurant is just finding its feet – the way that Shane dealt with the situation really made the difference.
Bella Italia Gloucester Quays and Children
My children are quite used to eating out but are also a bunch of small boys, so I was a bit anxious about how they would behave inside Bella Italia. That fear was heightened when I realised that not only was this the kind of restaurant without a play area but also no colouring/activity sheets and crayons for them. I need not have worried though as what they had to keep them occupied was eat! After choosing their drinks there was not much of a wait before they arrived and were given the choice of coloured bendy straws with a picture on the top, which snaps on and off the straw. The coke also came in a cute little, child-sized glass bottle. There was a great variety of drinks on offer and my boys also tried out the milkshakes. My son really wanted banana and honeycomb – but unfortunately there was no banana and was offered honeycomb instead (he then opted for strawberry). The boys declared chocolate to be their favourite flavour (a rich and dark, irresistible double chocolate gelato with chocolate sauce and fresh cream).
When there was a spare moment between courses I heard my 8 year old reading all the facts on the walls. Of course at the end of their meals they got to go up to the ice-cream cart and pick the ice-creams and sweet toppings of their choice (the bubblegum really did taste of bubblegum). Only slightly disappointed that some toppings were not available (made worse by the fact that there were some on display). Again Shane dealt with this really well and gave my son a little tub with some popping candy in to try as an alternative.
Bella Italia Gloucester Quays Food
Bella Italia provide a lovely range of pizzas, pastas, salads and grills. It is nice to go somewhere how have so much choice for children as well as adults – even Stages 1 & 2 baby food. My 12 year old noticed that even on the children’s menu you have the option of having salad. The food was very well presented, cooked, and arrived fresh and at the right temperature. It was disappointing that there were things on the menu not available (like the things mentioned about and the shot deserts would apparently take too long to set) – but I guess all restaurants run out of things. The food itself really could not be faulted and the children loved trying out things they had not had before. The portion sizes were fantastic – although my 12 year old son found the adult pizza a little bigger than what he is used to.
Conclusion of Bella Italia Gloucester Quays
My family and I had a really good evening out and meal at Bella Italia. I feel that the restaurant is still finding its feet and has improved dramatically since Emma and 3 reviewed there the previous week. I think that the customer service made our stay even more enjoyable. There is a fantastic selection of drinks and foods – which could not be faulted for presentation, temperature and taste. The bathrooms were easy to locate and well presented. Staff were polite and very attentive. We will definitely be going again, especially with its convenient location next to the cinema.
Our meals were complimentary for the purpose of review. All words and opinions are honest and my own.