Bella Italia family breakfast feedback thread: find out how the MNers got on checking out the new menu! NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

This is the thread for the MN families who were invited to go and check out the new breakfast menu at Bella Italia.

Bella Italia say "We're celebrating the first birthday of our fabulous new breakfast menu packed with yummy favourites like the fruity pancake stack and the gigante breakfast - so big it needs two plates! So here's your chance to join in the celebration, try our breakfast menu with your family let us know what you think!"

Reviewers - please share on this thread your responses to the following questions

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?
How would you rate the food quality?
How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?
What was the best part about your experience?
How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?
And lastly, would you go again?

We'd also love you to add a review on your relevant MN local pages (find restaurant reviews under - On the High Street>Going Out>Restaurants)

Thanks - everyone who adds their feedback on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £200 voucher for Bella Italia

Good luck
MNHQ

BeattieBow

No - didn't get charged for ordering for child from standard menu (mine is 10)

To be honest it hadn't occurred to me that we might be restricted to kids menu, as letter said something like any breakfast item and drink I think

We weren't charged for getting an adult menu item for DS - I hadn't thought we might be so didn't worry about it.

I did, I feel annoyed now as it cost me more than it would have if I'd paid for us all to go somewhere cheaper, and I had to buy dd more food later.

It seems unfair that some have had to pay and some haven't and that there was confusion and embarrassment for another poster further up the thread who was going to be charged and then wasn't.

We are about to go and my elder boys want to order off the adult menu I am assuming it will be free, shall let you know.

It's very unfair if some are being charged and others not.

Generally - Nice atmosphere, spacey tables, relaxed enough for families with young children. Friendly staff without being overbearing. Food takes a while, maybe too long for people with very young children but okay for older children?

Food Quality - we had a diavalo omelette, bella breakfast and DS had a breakfast pizza plus apple juice and cappucinos. All food items were of a very good quality (bacon especially) and coffees surprisingly so. Portion size just right for the price. Not all food items were cooked to a good standard though (sausages v.well done) which is a shame because the ingredients were good. Omelette was perfect though. Also even allowing for everything to be cooked from fresh i think the wait is a bit too long if they want to appeal to families.

selection of food - thought there was a really good choice actually for both kids and adults

service - waitress really lovely, that perfect balance between friendly and helpful but not interrupting and fake.

best bit - the service was good, there was room to eat and it was relaxing.

We did not know Bella Italia did breakfasts and because of the shifts we work sometimes breakfast is the meal we go out for as a family. We would go again. Thankyou for giving us the opportunity to go

Ledkr - looks to me like you're the only one actually charged extra - sorry about this - am PMing you now.

Generally, a nice restaurant, friendly staff, nice clean decor and it was easy to manoeuvre the double buggy through. As mentioned above, high chairs were the wooden type which lend themselves to younger babies head butting the table / sliding down.

The food seemed good, good quality ingredients, tasted nice, some items on the plate were cold. Coffee was good! One of our kids breakfast did not arrive as had been missed off the order/ the chefs missed it! (Luckily child was a baby and they ate toast whilst we waited for it but could have been a disaster if it had been a toddler! )

The selection of food was good, we had 2 kids breakfasts, kids pancakes, a standard breakfast and a giant breakfast, there was a good choice of food, kids breakfasts only came with one choice of drink (orange juice)

Our 3 year old has coeliac disease and they did not have an allergy menu for their breakfast menu. They were able to check items, sauasages were not gluten free, and they replaced her ciabatta toast with a toasted gluten free pizza base (which turned out nicer than I was expecting, thought it was nice they offered it)

at the bottom of their breakfast menu they stated that they can confirm which menu items were gluten free, but as the kitchen uses gluten ingredients they could not completely garantee food being totally gluten free.

This was a reall shame as other chain restaurants can (eg pizza express). It is fairly easy for restaurants to get training from coeliac uk on providing truly gluten free food, with info on cross contamination etc, so is a shame they haven't done this. For this reason I will not return when she is with me.

The best part today was that it was free! Also that we could get buggy in etc and that it seemed really clean etc, (toilets were very clean)

Service was swift and efficient. At the end of my breakfast I noticed a hair on my plate that was definitely not mine! I would have told the waiter when he cleared our plates but he was so quick and didn't ask how everything was, so I didn't really have the chance.

I didn't know they did breakfast before this, and I wouldn't go again, due to them not being able to garantee food being gluten free.

Things that were good:
Decor, space, cleanliness, menus choices, nice coffee,

Things that were bad:
Not able to garantee gluten free food
They forgot a child's breakfast (didn't cook it wih our order)
Highchairs not good for young babies
There was a hair on my plate that was not mine
Some of the food was cold
No hash browns on the menu.

Would choose somewhere else to go for a family breakfast.

We had a great bfast, shall come back later and answer questions properly. But food was nice and staff were lovely, it was fine was elder madthings to have adult menu and we were all offered refills of drinks etc. The kids loved it and madthing3 wants to go back for his birthday. :)

Re highchair it must vary depending on the restaurant as ours were wooden high chairs, those basic ones you get at lots of places but with a padded insert bit like you get for Tripp trapp high chairs. Full Reins as well as the regular waist strap on the highchair.

I visited Bella Italia with my husband and three sons,.aged 5,3 and 1 today, for the first time and we all enjoyed our breakfasts.

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?
Visiting with three small children, my first impression was that it was easy and welcoming- no steps to bounce the pushchair up, plenty of space for the pushchair, and an enormous table so everyone could spread out. The children were very happy with the colouring in they were given,.so me and my husband could enjoy some peace (we went early and were the only people in).

How would you rate the food quality?
We all enjoyed our food, everything was fresh and the meat in particular seemed to be of a high quality.

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?
There was a good selection of food for grown ups,.I had a dilema choosing but went for the Bella Breakfast which was just the right size and delicious, not greasy at all. My husband had the breakfast pizza, out of curiosity and said it was very good. We also enjoyed the refill of tea and coffee (which we could take advantage of since the children were busy with their colouring in).
The childrens breakfast menu was more limited but the children were all happy withtl the happy face pancakes. These were quite small (I have greedy children) but they enjoyed making up the faces with the toppings.

What was the best part about your experience?
Being able to relax and enjoy the meal because of the space, activities for the children and the friendly helpful staff. Oh, and the coffee refills!

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
It wasvery friendly and welcoming,.not over the top, but genuinely helpful.

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?
No

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?

It was fine, spacious plenty of space for pushchairs, there was a highchair for dd age 3. The children all got colouring stuff and a balloon each and the waitress greeted and spoke to the children. When my three yr old was a bit restless waiting for her food she came and spoke to her to tell her it was almost ready etc.

How would you rate the food quality?

The food was good, we all enjoyed it. Dp had the big fry up, ds2 had the spicy omelette, ds3 had the pancake stack, ds4 had the children's fry up, he couldn't choose between bacon or sausage so they let him have both :) dd had the children's pancake, she loved that it looked like a face and especially enjoyed the chocolate hair! I had an omelette as well and it was lovely. Good portion sizes, our drinks were topped up regularly and the waitress was attentive throughout.

I thought there could have been more choice for the children and whilst their portion sizes were fine for my 6 and 3 yr old my elder two boys opted for something of the adult menu.

We had a look at the lunch menu whilst there ans the children's lunch menu looked good, much more choice and nice food not the usual kids fare some places offer.

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose? (answered above)

What was the best part about your experience?

The best part was the novelty of going out for bfast! The lovely service as well.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

Definitily, our waitress was really lovely, very aattentive despite other customers arriving and she was equally nice to them as well. Just chatty, smiley, polite and helpful, couldn't have asked for more.

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?

No I didn't know they did bfast we have has dinner or lunch there before but no idea they did bfast.

And lastly, would you go again?

Yes we would go again, ds3 wants to go for his birthday and I would certainly consider going esp on a wweekday when I just have my toddler I think it would be a nice treat to go with a friend. I would take the whole family but prprobably for lunch or dinner rather than bfast, this is down to cost really as a family of seven esp when the elder kids need the adult portions.

Oh yes the free drinks top ups were great! They were given to the children as wEll as the adults, much appreciated!

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?
It was a great place to have a special occasion breakfast (if such a thing exists). Before kids we used to go to local cafe's for hangover breakfasts all the time, but I think this is the first time we have done this with the kids. I think we would do it again though, maybe on holiday.
How would you rate the food quality?
The food was excellent quality. Proved, I think by the 4 empty plates at the end. The kids pancake had far too much sugar/syrup and very little fruit though, which I thought was a shame.
How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?
I thought the children's menu was too limited with only 2 choices. Dh had the Gigante Breakfast and I had the veggie breakfast. Both were lovely with some nice touches. We would have them again. ds had the kids cooked breakfast which he devoured. it wasn't enough for him though, and he had to pinch a sausage from dh's plate. dd had the pancake, but it wasn't enough. It was more like a desert than a breakfast.
What was the best part about your experience?
We went on Halloween, so the best part for the kids was being served by a blood covered Zombie! For dh and I it was the excellent service.
How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
The service was faultless. The staff checked throughout whether we ok and were very accommodating as we were actually too late for Breakfast, but they allowed us to have it anyway. the kids got lots of attention and were given Halloween masks and balloons as well as the usual activity packs for the table.
Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?
No, we have eaten at Bella restaurants many times, but only ever for evening meal.
And lastly, would you go again?
Definitely. Dh is already planning the steak and chips!

This feedback shows the vast differences between branches and Bella should take note.
At no point were we offered refills, in fact both children and dh sat there thirsty cos their drinks had gone.
None of mine would have had a kids meal had I realised they didn't have to, even my 3 yr old ears more than one tiny pancake!
Anne has helped rectify this for me but maybe communication to the restaurants from the market researchers would have helped.
And if you offer free refills maybe let the customers know on some way.

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?

We thought it was great! The restaurant theme was lovely with the old pictures and soft music. Despite being the only ones there (we went at 10am) we felt quite comfortable and felt the ambience was perfect.

How would you rate the food quality?

We discussed this and decided on 9 out of 10. The food was hot, fresh and obviously good quality. The presentation was lovely and attention to detail impressive - even down to the tea bag being tied to the pot handle to stop the piece of paper dropping in the water!
There were only a couple of reasons we marked it down. The fried eggs on my partners breakfast could have been done for just a little bit longer, and my porridge came with a little jug of milk which I felt should have been cream to make it a more decadent treat.

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?

We deliberately chose from each section of the menu so the review was fair. The adult selection was good and although the children's section only had two choices, they could also choose from the breakfast snacks section so we found it fine.

My partner had the Gigante breakfast, I had porridge and honey, and our daughter had the kids breakfast which came with a goody bag and an orange juice.

What was the best part about your experience?

Eating breakfast in such nice surroundings! We go out quite often for breakfast and struggle to find somewhere a) we all like b) that isn't full of screaming babies/toddlers and c) has good quality food choices

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

OK. This was the only negative we had. It wasn't the service, which was great - it was the exterior appearance. Although the restaurant looked lovely from the outside, it also looked closed! It looked very dark inside and my partner actually asked me 'Is it open?'
Once we got inside it was fine, but I think the exterior is the reason we were the only ones in there as I'm sure many people walk past believing it to be shut. The door should have been open to make it more inviting.
We actually walked past a huge A frame with a breakfast advert on it, but didn't really notice it as we were looking at the windows to see if we could see any customers. We saw it when we came out, and also saw that they had put breakfast menus on the outside tables although to stop them blowing away the were flat on the table under the ashtrays, so not eye catching at all.y

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?

No. We've walked past it for months to go to a local department store for an average breakfast. Had we known about Bella's breakfasts we wouldn't have been walking past!

And lastly, would you go again?

Absolutely. We weighed up the difference in cost compared to where we would normally eat and for the minimal difference in cost we would absolutely choose Bella's quality breakfast every time.

Generally how did you find Bella as a place to visit, with family, for breakfast?
The atmosphere was pleasant and the place was clean and tidy, including the toilets. There was little to distract toddlers like colouring in or puzzles which you often find in family friendly restaurants. (Although I note other reviewers refer to kids packs) There were a lot of tables crammed into a small space, which made it difficult to manoeuvre with a small child. I found myself banging elbows with someone on the table next to me while we ate. We did go on a Sunday morning, which is obviously a busy time, so would probably be better to go at a quieter time if you have a young child with you.

How would you rate the food quality?
I had a Bella Breakfast which was tasty, and the meat products appeared to be of good quality. DS, 3, had the pancake face, which was awful. The presentation was terrible and it didnt look at all as appetising as it had on the online menu. It did not come with chocolate taglietelli, as advertised, just a tiny amount of chocolate melted onto the plate which just got his hands dirty rather than fed him. The pieces of fruit were tiny and did not appear to be fresh. Halfway through the meal I wondered why he was not eating the pancake, only to discover it was rock solid, so much so that I couldnt get a knife through it.

How would you rate the selection of food?
The adult menu had a good selection and choice however the kids menu did not have enough variety. I had the Bella Breakfast and DS had the pancake face.

What was the best part of your experience?
The breakfast I had was filling and tasted fine.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Terrible. Initially it was fine. Our order was taken quickly and politely and our food was served in good time, and the waitress was very pleasant in her manner. The problem came when I realised that my sons food was inedible. By this time the restaurant was quite busy and there only appeared to be 2 members of waiting staff dealing with everyone. I couldnt catch either to complain to, as they were both clearly rushed of their feet, and were not acknowledging me when I tried to get their attention. Eventually I went up to a waitress at the till and explained that my sons pancake was solid. She said Ill be over in a minute and dashed off. 10 minutes later and no one had come to speak to us. By this point we had been there for 45 minutes and my son had had nothing to eat. I had had enough so we put our coats on to leave. Even then no one approached us. After waiting for another 5 minutes standing at the till with our coats on, and DS clearly antsy, I caught the attention of the waitress I spoke to earlier. Her response was I told the manger about your concern and she said she would come and speak to you. I explained that no one had come to speak to us and that my son had still had nothing to eat. At that she shrugged her shoulders and rushed off. I then left, and went somewhere else to get my son some breakfast.

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?
No.

Would you go again?
I definitely would not go back to this particular branch again. I might go to a different one, but on my own or with other adults, as it did not seem a particularly child friendly chain.

Buffy which branch?

Thank you for choosing me to take part in this review :)

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?
Excellent - there was plenty of parking, the restaurant was pleasantly decorated and spacious. We were given a booth which was ideal as plenty of room and the tables were well spaced out so I felt comfortable when I needed to breastfeed my 7 MO baby during the meal. The atmosphere was laid back and staff all very friendly. I also took 7 year old DS to the toilet and they were clean and looked well cared for.

How would you rate the food quality?
Our meals were hot and delicious and tasted freshly cooked and good quality. The food arrived very quickly and was served altogether. Adult portion sizes were perfect for us but I suspect the children's portions might be a little small for an older child although was fine for my 7 year old.

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?
The adult selection was great and there were a number of items I would've eaten but the children's menu was a little limited. My 7 year old had the kids cooked breakfast and it would've been nice to have had a slightly wider variety of options for this as he does not like baked beans so his breakfast therefore only included scrambled eggs, bacon (or sausage as an alternative) and toast. It did look like they'd given him extra eggs to make up for the lack of beans though as it was quite a generous portion. The children's menu also only offers orange juice to drink but the waitress was quite happy to let DS order milk instead. I had the pancakes with bacon and syrup with a fresh orange juice and my partner had pancakes and fruit and syrup and an americano.

What was the best part about your experience?
The service and the good were both brilliant - it felt like a real treat!

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Service was very attentive, friendly and welcoming. All staff were pleasant and helpful.

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?
No.

And lastly, would you go again?
Definitely! Would also recommend our local Bella to others.

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?

Liked the restaurant decor and layout, although was freezing cold. Loved the little kids packs given to the children. Staff very friendly. The food however took absolutely ages to arrive, no apology or explanation from anyone for the delay. The restaurant was empty apart from us.

How would you rate the food quality?

I had the gigante breakfast. The bacon was flabby - would've much preferred crispy. My food came 10 mins before anyone elses so by the time i ate it the eggs were cold and hard.

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?

The kids menu only had two choices! So my son ordered the adults fruity pancake stack, which was three pancakes, lots of banana and strawberry and maple syrup. This was a reasonable portion for my DS (9) but not for an adult. My daughter (2) had the children's fruity pancakes - which was lovely but really small! One pancake, two slices of banana and a cut up strawberry, with chocolate tagliatelle (tiny bit) and two miniscule pieces of fudge. I would've expected loads more fruit than this, and if I had been paying I would've sent it back. Both my husband and I had the gigante breakfast, portion size was good (not enormous as we had been expecting) and my husband really enjoyed his.

What was the best part about your experience?

The coffee was gorgeous, and was surprised that there were free refills. Kids packs also big plus.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

Very friendly and welcoming

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?

No, had no idea. Have never eaten in a Bella before, but would like to try dinner there.

And lastly, would you go again?

Yes

I visited the Leeds/ Junction 27 Restaurant this morning with DS (8) who has been looking forward to it ever since he heard about the trip. We've visited Bella Italia before for lunch and other meals so he was keen to see what their breakfast would be like.

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?

It was an enjoyable visit - It was quiet when we visited (about 10am) with only one or two other tables occupied. We were greeted when we arrived and shown to a table near the kitchen and the waitress wasn't fazed by the production of my Mumsnet letter and my talk of free food. We felt very welcomed.

How would you rate the food quality?

The food was fine- delivered without much of a wait and beautifully presented

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?

I had a lovely spicy omelette with potato and tomato accompaniment that lived up to the Diavola name... I was determined to try something a bit different. DS went for a pancake with fruit and sweet toppings and demolished it eagerly.

There seemed to be a good selection for adults including a few variants on "fry up" that differed mainly by size, and some more varied dishes. We were a bit disappointed to see only two kids' items on the menu - DS had been excited about the visit and I saw him frown a bit over the choice presented ("fry up or pancake")

What was the best part about your experience?

It was great to try something new and we felt very well looked after

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

The service was excellent - friendly and attentive without being too much.

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?

Nope

And lastly, would you go again?

Possibly - the adult meals were a little pricier than I'd normally pay for breakfast but the one I chose was rather splendid. I'd be put off about taking DS though due to the very limited choice for kids. Two meals really seems like an afterthought.

Generally how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?

Very busy- expected as we went at lunch time on a Saturday- but the service was excellent. Thank you to Richard our waiter and Lewis the manager. There was the odd child dotted about but mainly all adult groups, however we were made to feel welcome with our 3 year old and a high chair was provided.

How would you rate the food quality?

Mainly good apart from the quality of the bacon and sausage with DP thought wasn't great and his cappuccino wasn't very hot.

How would you rate the selection of food - grown ups and kids. What did you and your DCs choose?

Not much choice for veggies or children but a good selection for those that eat meat.

I enjoyed my veggie breakfast and felt it was good quality and well cooked. Would have been good to have had a slice of ciabatta with it. Liked the addition of sliced avocado.

My DP had the gigante breakfast and said he had had better cooked breakfasts and felt the meat wasn't particularly tasty.

My son had the children's cooked breakfast, there was no problem swapping orange juice for apple juice which he prefers. He is a fussy eater so we ended up eating most of his breakfast between us and ordering him a croissant with jam which he enjoyed.

What was the best part about your experience?

Great service

How about the service: was it friendly and welcoming?

Very welcoming and attentive. The coffee machine broke after our first round of coffees, staff were very apologetic and offered us all free juices instead.

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?

No

Would I return?

Maybe not for breakfast due to lack of choice and DP not being overly impressed with his meal but we spotted lots of things on the main menu that we liked the look of so would consider returning for that. Overall an enjoyable experience. Thanks.

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?
We visited at 11.00- the restaurant was not busy and I found it easy to take the four children, get seated and order. It was fun to go out for breakfast as we do not generally do that. Given that we visited early, I was disappointed by the cleanliness of the toilets. This is partly how I measure a good restaurant. If you can't be bothered to get the toilets clean it does put me off eating there.
How would you rate the food quality?
We all enjoyed the food and the quality was good. The chef clearly knew what he was doing and it was all nicely presented and hot.
How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?
We ordered a Bella Breakfast and Fruity Pancake stack for the two adults. Kids had bacon panini, eggs and bacon, pancakes, bacon and maple syrup and veggie panini - everyone ate everything! I was confused about the bacon and eggs because on the menu it did not mention a ciabatta bun. When it came in the bun I queried this but was told this is how it came. I suspect it didn't but they didn't want to admit the order was wrong. Anyway, said child ate it and it was tasty.
What was the best part about your experience?
Going out for an early morning treat and the quality of the food.
How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Service was very attentive and pleasant but I suspect that the order may have been wrong (bacon eggs/ciabatta etc). Also, one of the adult meals was brought so late everyone else had finished eating! In an uncrowded restuarant, this is not really acceptable.
Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?
No
And lastly, would you go again
If we needed to eat out at breakfast (which is fairly rare) then I would consider it, yes.

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?
It was very good. Resturant looked nice, it was clean, the staff were friendly and attentive and good with children. It was fairly quiet, but it was a Friday morning. There was another family with children, a groups of adults, a couple of ladies and a single person. About what you'd expect really!

How would you rate the food quality?
It was excellent. It arrived hot. We all had clean plates at the end!

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?
DH had the Gigante breakfast- he says the sausages were well seasoned with good meat content. I had the Veggie Breakfast- it was very nice and good not to have the usual quorn sausages (I like quorn sausages, but I know lots of veggies who don't like "substitutes"). The addition of avocado was a little left field but very tasty and actually didn't seem out of place. DS1(7) had the children's cooked breakfast, enjoyed it and ate it all. He was full though, so I think it was enough for him (however, he is small for his age and I think a larger 7 year old would still have been hungry). Ds2(4) had the smiley face pancakes and enjoyed them very much- he was very excited about them having chocolate hair! (DS1 was jealous). He also ate it all, although he struggled a bit to finish. The only thing I would say is that it was a shame there wasn't more of a choice for children- I think there should definitely be a children's breakfast pizza as they would love that! For our drinks, DH & I both had Lattes, which weren't the best, but the free refills made up for this. The boys both had orange juice which they seemed to enjoy.

What was the best part about your experience?
DH and the boys all said that it was their breakfasts! I enjoyed the treat of going out for breakfast as a family, as it is not something we would normally do.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
It was very friendly. We were greeted at the door by a very friendly man. The waiter was very good talking to the children (and seemed to genuinely enjoy talking to them) and when we left they were both given a balloon. The staff were attentive without rushing us or being over-friendly. We did ask for more refills for the coffee, but shortly afterwards got asked if we needed refills so it was just we were a little over eager.

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?
No we didn't. We wish we had as we were only looking for somewhere to have breakfast out a couple of weeks ago.

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes we would. We would also go out for lunch and/or dinner. We like the look of the booths for next time. When we got back from breakfast we checked out their menus and were very impressed by them. The children's menu looked like it had a great selection and is good value too (

We went yesterday - myself, DH and DD (3). DD believes it to be called "Belly Italia"

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?
Good. The waitress greeted DD directly which was nice, and brought her some colouring stuff straight away. Despite us having gone for brunch (ie we were there at the start of the busy lunch period, and the restaurant was packed) our food arrived quickly. Nothing worse than waiting for ages with a 3yo.

How would you rate the food quality?
Not bad - what I would have expected of a chain restaurant really. My only complaint would be that my fried egg was cremated.

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?
The adult selection was fab, loads to choose from. The kids' selection was a bit disappointing I thought however with only 2 options. I had the breakfast pizza, DH had the Gigante breakfast and DD had the kids cooked breakfast. DD's came with an orange juice and we both had a vanilla latte.

What was the best part about your experience?
Leaving without paying haha. Oh and the fact our food arrived so quickly despite it being so busy.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
It was, even prior to producing the MN letter!

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?
No.

And lastly, would you go again?
If we were on holiday somewhere in the UK then possibly, yes. I doubt we would go again in our hometown, but that's no reflection on Bella Italia as we would be unlikely to go out for breakfast anywhere.