Bella Italia is now open at Waterfront North Leisure, Walsall. They are surrounded by other restaurants, sports shops, big clothing brands, cinema and many other retailers and there is further development to come. There is plenty of pay and display car parking available and the fee is very reasonable. We paid 2 hours for £1.40, if you required 3 hours, it is only £2!
This restaurant created new jobs in the area and is now serving up fun, generous, high value, quality Italian dining, 7 days a week from 9am until 11pm except Sunday to 10.30pm. This was not our first time visiting the chain. They serve authentic Italian ingredients which translates to food that is brimming with flavour yet affordably priced. The atmosphere was calm and the lovely art deco gives it an exciting and vibrant feel.
When we arrived, both children were given an activity sheet and multicolour colouring pen to do. We were sat at a comfortable cosy table where there were wall plugs for customers to plug in their USB cable to charge their devices. I love this idea especially as we both love using our phone and sometimes we do need a quick boost to keep our gadgets going! So next time, I will definitely choose those cosy seats when we go back!
As for starters, both children went for garlic bread (Kids Menu) while I went for Gamberi which is a dish of succulent king prawns baked in garlic & chilli butter, with ciabatta and Mr C went for Calamari. They were all beautifully cooked, well presented and tasted great. We finished it all in no time and I will have this Gamberi again! We also had the mixed olives (contains seeds).
The kids menu comes with two different portions of food. The Piccolo menu is suitable for aged 2 to 6 where the portion is about ½ of an adult portion whilst the Grande menu is suitable for aged 7 to 11 where the portion is about ¾ of an adult portion. Mr K went for the Ribs n Chips and Ms C went for pizza dog as usual. The menu is unique and interesting.
The Ribs n Chips were well cooked with half a rack of meaty ribs, chunky fries served with onion rings and BBQ sauce. The ribs were packed full of flavour and Mr K enjoyed them very much.
Ms C had the Pizza Dog which is a tasty hot dog with mozzarella and tomato sauce baked in pizza dough, served with chunky fries, superstar stick and tomato ketchup. It was an interesting dish and Ms C loved the hot dog and managed to finish it all.
Mr C had the Filetto di Spigola which is a sea bass fillet served with a warm salad of roasted new potatoes, red onions, green beans, black olives & plum tomatoes, topped with a fresh herb & garlic salsa verde. This was delicious and we would order this again.
I had the Pasta Marco Polo which is served with casarecci pasta tubes with sautéed shredded duck, spring onion and field mushrooms in a sweet aromatic plum sauce. I found the dish was a little too sweet for my liking – quite similar to what you might find in a Peking duck wrap especially in terms of the plum sauce. I think next time, I will go for my regular favourite dish pork Saltimbocca instead.
As for desserts, Mr C went for Gelato Hazelnut and I went for the Cookie Dough Lava Cake which is a moist chocolate chip cookie cake with a melting chocolate middle, served warm with vanilla pod gelato and caramel sauce. The cake tasted great especially as it is very chocolaty and the ice cream make a great combination.
As for the children, Ms C went for mini doughnuts served with chocolate sauce and Mr K went for their amazing Gelato. The lovely waiter escorted Mr K to pick his own Gelato at their Gelato stall. The stall was filled with lots of different toppings for them to pick from popcorn to waffle, crushed cones to smarties and many more. He loved the stall and it was a great unique experience for him.
Overall, it was a nice eating experience with children. Their food and services were great and it was all set in a lovely welcoming atmosphere. We loved the food and would highly recommend a visit if you’ve never been before or heading towards Walsall for shopping or a night out!
Disclosure: We have received part payment for the food and drinks. However, they have not paid me for this review, and they do not exercise any editorial control over my review or anything else on this site.
I’ve never been to Bella Italia, which is crazy I know – it looks lovely though,and great for kids 🙂