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Bellabar Darwin
Review
About
bellaBAR is located at the Darwin Waterfront, overlooking the lagoon. The perfect space for relaxing and enjoying the tropical life Darwin offers. Offering Mediterranean cuisine, with tapas, large plates and gourmet pizzas, icy cold beers, tropical cocktails, and a great selection of wines. Happy Hour everyday from 4pm.
Features
CUISINES
Italian, Pizza, Seafood, Mediterranean, Australian
Meal types
Lunch, Dinner, Drinks
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
FEATURES
Accepts Credit Cards
Delivery
Dog Friendly
Free Wifi
Full Bar
Gift Cards Available
Highchairs Available
Mastercard
Outdoor Seating
Playgrounds
Reservations
Seating
Serves Alcohol
Table Service
Visa
Waterfront
Wheelchair Accessible
Wine and Beer
Does this restaurant offer table service?
Save this restaurant
Hours
Closed now
• Opens at 11:30 AM
Sunday
11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Monday
11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Tuesday
11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Wednesday
11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Thursday
11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Friday
11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Saturday
11:30 am - 9:00 pm
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4.2
(127)
Excellent
81
Good
22
Average
8
Poor
6
Terrible
10
Manuel F
3 contributions
Sept 2024 • couples
Me and my girlfriend went to celebrate my birthday and we had a wonderful experience. We had the fried brie which is just a dream how it melt in your mouth and the I had a brisket burger with the meat super tender and my partner had the barra ravioli cooked perfect al dente and with amazing barramundi flavour, at the end the gave us complementary sparkling wine to celebrate. The staff was lovely and the location unique.
Written 24 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Megan D
1 contribution
May 2023 • couples
Me and my boyfriend went to Bellas for some food and cocktails we had the best time , the food was perfect and the service was great. Our waitress was Natalie and she went above and beyond for us , she recommended a pasta dish for me and it was delicious such great service. We are already planning our next trip back.
Written 13 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robynrad
Greater Sydney824 contributions
Sept 2024 • couples
Very nice dinner out for our last night on holiday. Restaurant was quiet, service was friendly and helpful and the food was tasty. We enjoyed marinated olives, scallops and baby octopus for entree and the most unusual barramundi ravioli with prawns for main course. I was worried the barramundi flavour would be lost in the mix but it shone through beautifully. A lovely dish.
Written 15 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
J9traveller
Melbourne13 contributions
June 2022 • none
Was looking forward to dinner at Bella and trying the squid ink pasta. Service slow took 20 mins plus to get an order taken and that was only when we asked to have someone take our order.
Dinner took another 30 min to arrive. So a cold drink ordered to go with dinner is now not so cold. Main focus of Bella is to sell drinks. Asked countless times if we would like another.
Disappointed with the squid ink pasta. Overcooked and tough calamari. Prawns were scrappy. Not whole just a half and only four. Paying $38 l would expect more. A bowl of laksa the previous night had three whole prawns, calamari, scallops and fish for far less cost.
My partners pizza was everything he wants in a pizza. He made the right choice and was very pleased. I had to agree with him! Tasted great.
Go here for the pizza. You will enjoy it.
Written 23 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rads K
Melbourne24 contributions
Oct 2022 • friends
Yes, really bland food! Absolutely no seasoning at all. We had to ask for salt & pepper for the table and everyone immediately reached out for it.
The portion size was tiny too. My friend who ordered beef ravioli had 8 small pieces of ravioli for $33. Three others at the table had Mafalda also said that their food was bland. Food came to the table late too. Nearly 40 mins.
Food was bad but service was good. Attentive staff and checking on us every now and then.
Written 26 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helen T
219 contributions
Sept 2022 • couples
Admittedly we did not make a reservation. But still the young hostess made a table to accommodate us. Fantastic we thought. Well we were terribly mistaken. We had to call for a waitress to take our order. Unfortunately because of Covid-19 and staff shortages we understand that to have experienced staff is a stretch. But we would have assumed that the staff member could at least speak basic English. We had to point with our finger what we wanted. I enquired about the chilli mussels. She had know idea what I was saying. Another girl came. The same question was asked. She had said yes that’s ok. Mussels without chilli. When the little Vietnamese manager came to finally take our order was told no all sauces are prepared earlier and no chilli was not an option. I settled for pizza. I have never had a prepackaged or frozen pizza but I can only assume that this is what I was eating. My husband ordered the spaghetti bolognaise. Traditional Italian bolognaise is not a bowl of watery mush. Should have gone somewhere else.
Written 11 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aoife B
Darwin76 contributions
Oct 2022 • couples
Unfortunately our meals were very disappointing. This was one of our go to restaurants in Darwin. We were only here 3 weeks ago and the food was amazing. Unfortunately the menu has changed and the best dishes are taking off. My partner ordered a scotch fillet and it was all fat for 57$. My self had the barramundi fish and it was for 40$ with no presentation of veg or potatoes. We told the manager and he took 50% off the bill which was fair. The pizzas and cocktails are amazing but disappointed with new menu and the price of a steak for 57$ when you can go to a pub and get 100 times better quality. The price of a steak is up there with some of darwin's fine dining and this was 1*.
Written 8 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jordan
Darwin5 contributions
Oct 2021 • family
Food is great, service is terrible.
Bella has been a favourite spot of myself, family and friends for quite some time dating back to il lido such a shame that my family had one of the worst experiences there.
Arriving for lunch there where renovation works happening and we where directed to find a seat ourself which is outside the normal custom of Bella but nothing to complain about.
With limited seating outside we made our way inside to one of the booths. The inside of the restaurant was full with one other family and another couple.
We then observed along with other diners staff arguing about the ability to make drinks, when they should be taking breaks, clearing of glasses on tables and leaving glasses in trays at the wash station.
Our server informed us of a miss print on the menu stating a menu item did not have the cream as advertised an when my partner asked what the sauce was she said she did not know but some people don’t like it. Its disappointing that a sever did not understand the menu or know the sauce used nor make a effort to find out. To go as far and say people don’t like it when she is a employee seems odd staff should make recommendations not say what is bad.
We had ordered our food and waiting quite a long time for our drinks to be served I had checked the time at 3:10 for other reasons and after waiting for quite a while our food came at 3:30 but our drinks did not we had already been seated for some time before this point. I had to ask the blond waitress to get drinks for us who seemed like we had asked a miracle.
When she brought us our drinks they where haphazardly placed on the table and might as well of been thrown with her having no interaction with us.
During our meal we observed more staff arguing about missing containers form a Monday order, not very professional for a restaurant environment.
We also finished our drinks during the course of our meal but there was no check back on the table see if we wanted more. Another family had sent there daughter to the bar to ask for the check, they had also received no check back on the table.
When paying our bill the same blond woman from previous served me she was over by the mix station and when I approached the bar had asked me if I wanted the bill she printed the bill placed it in front of my and said “check it”. I said it looks correct and she again haphazardly placed the EFT machine on the bar with no conversation regarding my meal or my satisfaction again this would normally be a custom of Bella instead I was made to feel very awkward and the sever seemed as if she did not want to be there.
I left having enjoyed the food but being very disappointed from the service. Reading other reviews from the previous month I can see this is a shared feeling with other patrons.
Would not recommend going here.
Written 6 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
People C
1 contribution
June 2022 • couples
Looked forward to a nice Italian during our staying Darwin, but were seriously disappointed.
Service was poor, entrees and main arrived together and no room on the table.
Food itself lacked authenticity , flavour and presentation below mediocre. Pizza looked and tasted like a frozen reheated McCain or cheap iimtation and when they finally got it right it was served luke warm!
The only saving grace was the wine...but let's face it they couldn't spoli that!
Too many are blaming staff shortages for poor service but if you are facing staff issues at least make sure the limited service you are providing is done well.
Written 10 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Quirky96
Darwin48 contributions
July 2024 • couples
Staff were okay, after we waited 3ish minutes (not a lot but imagine two wait staff walking around and only two sat tables), we awkwardly seated ourselves which is when one shouted "sit where you want". That's absolutely fine, they were probably busy elsewhere.
The drinks. The daiquiri was not drinkable, had to leave it after a few sips, no flavour outside rum. Disappointing for them as they have high competition in this area with HT, Oyster Bar, and Fiddlers all strong for this drink.
The food was okay, nothing bad to note, nothing exceptional. I don't think they were terrible, but given I live here, I'll not return unfortunately. A shame as I used to enjoy the pasta they made a while back.
Hope they bounce back as they are in such a good spot!
Written 21 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Loud1Canberra
Canberra412 contributions
June 2022 • none
Wandered down to the very busy waterfront area especially as the Nepalese Festival was in full swing. We chose Bella as it fairly quiet and had a lovely outdoor eating area. The waitress fond us a table and we ordered some Frozen cocktails and Aperol Spritz.
Our order was quickly taken and we watched the restaurant fill. We had a Chorizo pasta and a chicken pasta and they were lovely - nice taste, some bite and creamy. Our friends chose the calamari and the organic spinach pasta from the small plates menu. The calamari was tough and the organic pasta surprisingly small (but beautifully presented). I would recommend the restaurant inform customers that the organic choices mean 8 small ravioli squares.
We finished it off with Italian ice cream which was lovely. Oddly it was a tale of two couples where we had wonderful food while our friends were less impressed.
Written 11 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
karen c
Frankston6 contributions
July 2022 • friends
Just ate at Bella. 2meals arrived 45 minutes before the other 4 meals. Paid $37 for a small piece of tasty fish with a mouthful of mushy vegetables. Ripped off big time. The gnocchi was lovely . Wait stuff were lovely
Written 5 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beccy V
1 contribution
Sept 2021 • family
Waited over an hour for food as they forgot to put our order through and we sat there and watched others who arrived after us get their whole meals while we waited. We ordered chips on the side along with our mains, yet, we got that as an entree and that was finished way before our meals arrived. The food wasn’t the best quality either. For expensive fresh food you’d expect the best quality, but it was very mediocre. My partner and I had the margherita pizza and it was like cardboard with red sauce plus only a little bit of cheese. For cheaper we would have preferred dominos! And it’s not even fresh food like they claim. Our friend is a chef and he says he knew his lasagna was microwaved and that the top was so hard that he couldn’t even cut through it with a steak knife. Very disappointing experience and we will not be returning.
Written 30 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rita O
Harden-Murrumburrah15 contributions
June 2024 • couples
Simone greeted us at bellaBar. The food was delicious and the service excellent. Always a fan of grilled octopus, this was perfect, set on a fresh Greek salad. The barramundi ravioli with sweet potato and snake beans was flavoursome as well. Would recommend this bar.
Written 4 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jason P
Melbourne82 contributions
July 2021 • none
Bella is one of those lovely Italian restaurants that excels in getting the basics right over delivering on value.
I ordered the lasagne which was generous, tasty and moreish. The wine choices are also excellent with a mix of local and italian wines.
Service and atmosphere is spot on with nice waterfront views.
Written 19 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Happy
Hi Jason,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your thoughts. I greatly appreciate it.
Bella strives to be a family friendly destination which offers authentic Italian meals, with something to satisfy everyone's tastes. There is plenty more of our lasagna waiting for you the next time you visit us.
See you soon.
Written 31 July 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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