Bella Sera Trattoria
| Address: | 422 S Myrtle Ave, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA |
| Phone: | +1 626-359-1399 |
| Site: | bellaseratrattoria.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 11AM–9PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–10PM 10AM–10PM 11AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
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Tiffany Cheung
My sister wanted to have a fancy lunch date - which basically meant "so youll pay for me, right?" - and since dineLA was also taking place, I decided to take advantage of the deal that Bella Sera Trattoria had to offer. The friends who have dined here all had good things to say about the food, so my sister and I were more than sold. Bella Sera is located in Monrovia by the Krikorian theater. There are plenty of parking spots in the lot by the theater as well as street parking if you dont mind walking. Even with all the parking spots, we had difficulty finding an available spot on a Saturday afternoon. The restaurant is quite fancy, with a classic yet warm ambience. We were a little surprised at how empty the restaurant was! There were only three other tables, all of whom where finishing up, and nobody came in after us so we were the only table left. Quite a unique experience to be the only party dining in a pretty big restaurant. Appetizers: -Antipasta Salad: Eh, Im not too big on Italian salads, so I wasnt used to all the artichoke hearts and whatnot inside my salad. However, the taste was good and I loved that there was banana peppers inside! I couldnt finish the salad since my sister shook her head after seeing the ingredients, so we took it home for leftovers. It was a bit oily, but overall a good appetizer dish. -Bruschetta: LOVED this appetizer! Probably super easy to make, but it was really tasty. Tomatoes, some onions, cheese on top of a crispy sourdough bread with a slightly sweet, slightly tangy sauce drizzled on top. Really refreshing and not too heavy of an appetizer. -Complimentary bread: Dont forget to ask for complimentary bread if they forget to bring you some. Warm sourdough bread fresh from the oven with their special herb butter. The bread was super soft, but the crust of the sourdough was flaky and firm. Adding on that herb butter - saltier thereby tastier than regular butter - gave that entire slice of bread extra flavor. Entrées: -Spaghetti Bolognese: My sister is a picky eater, but loves spaghetti. This was definitely the perfect dish for her. The spaghetti managed to pull off that authentic home-style cooking yet still have an elevated quality to the dish to set it apart from something youd make yourself at home. The taste was more on the tangy side (more tomato-y), but the pasta was cooked well and there was a good amount of meat inside. -Angel hair pasta: I think I ordered some sort of angel hair pasta tomato dish. This dish was similar to the spaghetti except that it did not contain any meat. Instead, it was loaded with tomatoes and herbs. It was really tasty and I definitely do like angel hair pasta more than spaghetti. This dish was also a bit more sour-y than I expected, but the flavors worked. Cooked well and tasted delicious. Dessert: -Gelato: This was just a meh. They had a limited selection of flavors, so we went with salted caramel and vanilla. When it came, it was already pretty melted. Usually gelato is creamier and tastier than regular ice cream, but this gelato didnt have much taste. I think I tried doing a blind taste test to see if I could tell the two apart ... and had a difficult time. tl;dr - Overall, a good dineLA experience if youre looking for a nice lunch/dinner restaurant for a date or get together. Service was good and quite attentive although we were the only ones in the restaurant. At $25 per person, I think it was a decent price to pay for the meal. I wouldnt mind coming back and trying different things on their menu.
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Nicole Lu
tl;dr: -Easy parking: Gotta love the burbs. -Good family italian food. Lots of selection -On the pricier side -Seems like a neighborhood type of place - lots of regulars PARKING: Theres a few lots near the theatre or theres plenty of street parking off Myrtle. FOOD: -Mamas Classic with Salmon: I really liked the salad mix itself (fruit with passion fruit vinaigrette), but the fruit was overpowering about half way through my salad. My favorite part of the dish was the salmon which makes me think I should have just ordered the salmon plate. The fish had a nice crispy crust and was cooked to a medium- just the way I like it! -Gnocchi: You can never go wrong with pillow pasta, and the option to add chicken is a must. Generous chicken add-on portion comes at a cost though. SERVICE: Our server was personable and checked on us often - even refilling my boyfriends soda unprompted. We came super early (5pm on a weekend) so I think they were preparing for the dinner rush in back of house. As for the front of house, there were 3 hostesses/servers gossiping a bit loudly during the second half of the meal. This was pretty distracting for me. If youre going to slack off, at least keep it at a normal conversation level so that people still think youre working. The dishes were delicious, but I cant justify the price tag to keep this in my list of regulars.
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Mike Cavalero
My wife and I took a visiting cousin to Bella Sera the other night. Hadnt been there since its new management. Loved the décor and was encouraged to see so many customers. Our server was attentive and knowledgeable. Unfortunately, thats pretty much the end of the "good" part of this review. The calamari appetizer, though plentiful, was rubbery and underdone, the pesto dipping sauce being the best part. The Caesar salad was ok. Both orders of chicken parmesan, despite the agreeably large portions, were awful, the edges literally burned black. The accompanying spaghetti, far from being al dente, had not only been broken in half, but had obviously sat in a pot of hot water long enough to become fat, tasteless and waterlogged, leaving 1/4" of liquid sitting in the bottom of the plate. Shouldve sent it all back, but didnt. What can I say? We were hungry. Next, the cannoli. We like "classic" Italian; the Heath bar filling (offputting) should be an option, not ones only choice. Lastly, the two chatting hostesses, relaxing behind the counter as we left, while nice enough, appeared uninterested and unprofessional. But just maybe we hit an "off" night.
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Steve McCarthy
Bella Sera has been completely remodeled under new ownership and it is fantastic! Home made pasta and bread, great wine list, and of course wonderful food. It came to my attention one Saturday as I manned my booth for an Art Walk in Old Town Monrovia. Ive been in the same spot for years now and never have I been treated to such a great smell of GARLIC! I got a chance to talk w/exec chef Michael and he admitted to "a heavy hand with the garlic." I said theres no such thing! The next week, we took the whole family there and we were impressed by the food and service. The short ribs bolognasi was tender and meaty, the lobster ravioli was rich and tasty, the scampi garlic laden as was the linguini and clams. The pasta pomodoro was wonderfully tomato-ie! And this was on a Tuesday evening! This is now our favorite place in Monrovia.
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A Private User
The food is good not GREAT but good.. I usually have the Sand Dabs. Service: Just OK...place is understaffed but the people that they do have on the waitstaff are good. FORGET ABOUT THE BUS BOY. Totally untrained and speaks NO english. Atmosphere...too bright at dinner time, no candles or flowers on the table. Space between tables in more than adequate, which I appreciate. They have al fresco dining as well as dining room. Its Good....for Monrovia... VERY nice people. Prices are very reasonable. If your expectations are set correctly, youll be happy.
