We would give Ristorante Bella Roma ten stars, if we could. We love Italian food and this was one of the best Italian restaurants we have eaten in. We sat outside on a delightful Helena summer evening. We ordered the Sfornatino Taleggio e Funghi, a baked Taleggio cheese with Parmigiano-Reggiano and portobello mushrooms; the Bresaola, Arugula e Parmigiano salad; and the Pappardelle al Ragu, and shared them all. We didn’t know what to expect from the creamy Taleggio cheese, but it was outstanding, a delightful combination of cheese, mushroom and a homemade toasted bread. The salad and dressing were perfect and the added parm-reggiano, delicious. Finally, the pappardelle with meat sauce was flawless. The pasta was properly al dente, the sauce rich and flavorful. The experience was enhanced by the background music and service. The music was muted instrumental, complementing the taste of the meal. The service by Lucas and his trainee, Summer, was impeccable. They staged serving the food so we could savor each dish without being rushed before the next dish arrived. The Bella Roma has an extensive wine list and suggested pairings with each dish. Buon Appetito!
Pretty easily the best restaurant in Helena, in my opinion (Only Maison gets close...). We have had ~90% of the menu items and have been generally impressed with them all and incredibly impressed with multiple (Filet with peppercorn was 10/10....).Priced fairly for the effort that goes into sourcing quality ingredients and the effort to make the menu innovative. Go with the 4 course meal, of course.Additionally, the ownership and service has been really incredible in each of the 3 times we have visited in the past year. Highly Highly recommend visiting Bella Roma.
We are from out of town, didn't realize Bella Roma is "fancy," and walked in with a party of 4 and a 9 month old baby. We decided we could make it through a quick dinner and when our waiter started to explain the 4 course option we clarified that we could order JUST the entree and emphasized that we wanted to be quick. The experience was awkward from the start. We tried to order a side of steamed vegetables for baby and were told that could not be accomodated, despite the fact that steamed vegetables are reflected on the menu. After ordering, and talking amongst ourselves, we decided changing our order to takeout might be best for all. When approached, the waiter seemed thrown off by the request, but said he'd see if it was possible; even though their website has a pickup option. When our takeout food did arrive I asked the waiter for the bill, he said "Now?" Um, YES... our food is sitting in bags on the table. We're ready to go! He brought the bill but never came back for payment even though my husband sat there with cash displayed on the payment book for several minutes. I should also mention that the manager walked by our table several times while we waited. Finally we asked the hostess if she could help expedite the payment process. After several more minutes the waiter returned and said they couldn't make change. We gave $200 for a $133 bill and the menu specifically states, "Cash appreciated." The waiter told me I could go to the hotel lobby next door to make change. We're not even hotel guests, and in a customer service oriented restaurant the waiter would carry change, OR be the one to run next door... NOT the customer. Ultimately we gave the waiter our credit card. Several more minutes passed. Altogether it took over 20 minutes to simply pay our bill, AFTER our to-go food was brought to the table and bagged. A good manager would have noted something was amiss, particularly as the server had told us he was new. In the end we left a very small tip, tipped the hostess $10.00 and told her thank you as she'd been the most helpful of anyone, and went on our way. Upon return to our Airbnb we ate our dinner and determined that it was okay but not anywhere close to amazing. Maybe our expectations are too high as we're from a much larger city, but it seems reasonable that when a customer has made it clear that all they really want to do is leave, the server, and the manager, should do their best to make that happen. While our experience was not good at several turns, at least we have an interesting memory.
For the first time my wife and I experienced the Italian ristorante Bella Roma, this last Valentine’s Day. We had searched hard for a place to go for a great steak, and the local steakhouses didn’t have great reviews, so we opted for Bella Roma, and chose the 4 course meal for two! It was in the building of a hotel, which was a little weird for such a fancy place, but I guess that doesn’t matter.It stared with coffees and super soft focaccia bread with olive oil and vinegar to dip in. Very good! I loved that.Then our first of 4 courses was an appetizer. Mine was a fancy salad and cheese with thin raw filet minion slices. I had to think twice about the raw meat but decided to go for it. (I’m not versed in fancy food and couldn’t rename those fancy food names if my life depended on it). It was very good though! My wife had some tomato soup type thing with breadsticks.For the second course we both had salad. Hers was spinach with walnuts and blue cheese, and mine was Ceasers and came with a whole head of romaine lettuce still together! I’d never seen that before. It was okay but was my least favorite part of the meal.The third course, was of course the steak and potatoes. I got the 16oz ribeye medium rare, and my wife got the 8oz filet medium rare. Hers was more medium and mine was more rare, and it was very soft and buttery, although I would have opted for a bit more cooked, but it was still delicious. The potatoes were very good too. I was approaching critical fullness and couldn’t finish the steak if I wanted to save room for the dessert.For desert both my wife and I had the cannolis. They were very good and it took us about 30 minutes to stuff them in our tummies. I recommend the cannolis.The service was also very good, we couldn’t take two sips from our water before they were there refilling the glasses. They were very attentive and our waiter was very nice.This place was not cheap though! This dinner ended up being the most expensive dinner my wife and I had ever had in our lives, but thankfully we are blessed and can afford if for a special occasion like this, and for the first time in years we were able to dine free of our children! (Thanks to our amazing neighbors)! ❤️ love you guys!!I recommend Bella Roma for fancy occasions, they do make delicious food and have great service!
Awesome! Everything was Great. It was way better then I expected. Customer service was excellent. Great team effort. Polite friendly. Not pushy or fake. Genuine. It was a great night out celebrating my Fiances Birthday. Definitely will be going back and recommending everyone Best restaurant in Helena by far! Ohh the food was Fantastic! Blows every other place out of the water in every way possible .IMO..
We ate dinner at Bella Roma on a Saturday night at 7:00 in November. The restaurant was very busy and the service very slow. Our drinks were empty for most of the hour we waited for entrees and the food wasn't great when it arrived. The Calamari was crispy and well seasoned but the aioli all over it was not good. The Saltinbocca was well prepared but the "roasted potatoes" were more like home fries. The cost would have been reasonable had the experience been better but was not considering the quality of service and food.
Great place to eat in Helena! Had the 4 course dinner which was well worth it! Everything was amazing. My boyfriend and mom had the rib eye which they both loved. The filet mignon had a lot of pepper that I had to scrape off because it was difficult to eat. The desserts were great and so was the service.
Bella Roma has wonderful food and an incredibly polite staff. While being one of the spendiest places in Helena, it is most certainly worth the price tag.
I would travel hundreds of miles to recreate this experience! Excellent food, drinks and conversation. They made me feel like part of the family.
Conveniently located inside the Helena Doubletree on the Last Chance Gulch walking mall, this Italian restaurant features an impressive wine list. In full disclosure, I didn't dine here but the menu looked yummy. Some of my party did have desert and enjoyed it.We arrived late and the staff quickly set up a table large enough for the entire party and happily served us. The GM knows their wines well. I only wish we'd listened on our first choice.We had a good experience here and I will likely find here in my next trip.