Restaurant Review: Bella Italia

Where we ate:

Bella Italia, Leicester Square, London

I was in London last Wednesday as I went to see Viva Forever in Piccadilly (which you can read about here) with Vicky. Having rushed from work with little time, we had the pick of the restaurants in Leicester Square. After being told there’d be a 20 minute wait at TGIs, we went around the corner to Bella Italia (even though Vicky had been to Ask earlier in the day), where we were seated straight away.

The restaurant had outdoor seating, which was great for this time of year, especially if you’re only have drinks or sharing platters with friends. Leicester Square is always so manic though and I don’t think I’d particularly want people walking past and staring while I ate.

Inside was a little dark, although there were candles on the tables and there was little room between tables so it did feel like you were on top of the people next to you. Luckily we were quite near the door, so there was a lovely breeze and it wasn’t too claustrophobic.

What we drank:

Vicky – San Pellegrino blood orange

Me – San Pellegrino sparkling lemon

What we ate:

Vicky – Margarita pizza

Me – Pollo pizza vita (chicken, roasted peppers and parmesan)

I didn’t really know what to choose as there was so much on the menu and nothing in particular caught my eye. I usually have the pizza leggera at Pizza Express and the vita was a similar concept – a pizza with salad, coming in at around 500 calories.

I went for the chicken and pepper combo, again like I usually have – it’s a winner in my eyes. I would have preferred it if the peppers were pepperdew peppers as opposed to the standard bell, which were a bit plain.

The sauce on the base was a little bland as well, but on the whole, it was alright – I liked that there was no cheese on the pizza, with the parmesan shaved on the salad. It wasn’t so heavy and doughy like a standard pizza, so I felt full but not sluggish afterwards.

We didn’t have time for starters or desserts as we had to head off to the theatre for 7:30, but it was an enjoyable meal – and I hadn’t been to Bella Italia since finishing Uni! Our waitress was a bit divvy as well.