Bella Italia - Penrith

Second night in Whinfell Forest and off to Bella Italia. As starters a bruschetta, meatballs, doughballs and mushrooms followed by four pasta mains and a cheesecake and cookie dough as dessert. Good quality food, friendly service and as a nice novelty those robots that bring the food. A very pleasant meal out.

I was sure I 'd reviewed this place when we came for my wife 's birthday in 2014 at which time we were very impressed by the ambience, the staff and the food. It appears I did not : I just wanted to say that in order to put my review in context. We ate here again a few weeks ago and I was really looking forward to it as I have oft been heard to say 'it 's the only good Bella Italia I 've ever found. Boy, was I disappointed. Gone is the nice décor and that pleasant ambience replaced by a cafeteria style layout. Gone are the very pleasant, helpful staff instead we have people who just do their job and in telling my son that they were booked solid until mid evening when the place was found to be deserted I 'm not sure they even want to do that). Gone was the better than average food with standard, slightly bland chain restaurant food brought on as a substitute.

We attended as a large group celebrating a 50th Birthday. There were 9 adults and 4 children. The service was really poor, first off we ordered bread and olives and the olives never arrived, 2 adults had been served and finished their meal before the rest of us had been served, when the food for the remaining 7 did arrive one had to be returned as it was very cold. We complained about the appalling service and were given a complimentary bottle of wine a round of house liqueurs. The food was standard for a chain Italian resturant.