Bella Cucina

First time dining here and definitely not our last! Managed to get a walk in table around 5:30. Our server (Maddy) was sweet and attentive to our questions. For starters, we went with the warm Italian olives (yum!) and the beef carpaccio (pretty bland although came recommended). Mains consisted of the pesto pasta with prawns as well as the risotto. The homemade pasta was delicious. The risotto was a bit on the salty side and a bit watery but the meatballs were good. If you’re in QTown and craving some Italian food, I’d recommend Bella Cucina! Maddy also hooked it up with some good locals recs after our meal. Thanks Maddy! 7/10

We researched the best Italian in Queenstown and this place consistently came out on top — and everyone was right! Pizza was an easy 11/10. We both ordered the prosciutto pizza with caramelised onions, parmesan, and rocket. So much flavour, and I loved the generous shavings of parmesan — it really made it. It was also our anniversary, and they very kindly surprised us with a glass of bubbles each and a card. Such a thoughtful touch that made the night feel special. We ordered broccoli as a side and honestly, it was pretty plain and not worth the money — but everything else was perfect. Lovely, intimate setting. You can see the pizzas being made right there as the kitchen is open, lots of candles, and a great atmosphere overall.

Really amazing food and experience, we loved the vegetariana pizza the most but all the food we ordered was fantastic and authentic! Our waitress Cecilia was really patient and nice. We had such an amazing night at Bella Cucina, definitely will came here again for another bite!

Dining at Bella Cucina is always fantastic, and having been a patron for many years, the quality of the service, food, and atmosphere has always been top tier. Our experience at Bella Cucina this time was incredible- All of the staff are unendingly kind and attentive. The food is always hot, fresh, and mouthwatering. Came here for my birthday and was treated with the utmost care and joy, really appreciated all the kindness and effort- made my day perfect and left me feeling very special. All staff were helpful and gracious- especially our server Linus. An absolute legend with some incredibly personable, fun, and fantastic service. Really helpful, the service felt perfect which created a really lovely experience. Linus took the very best care of us, even spending time talking to us about all of our questions! Shout out to him- super awesome!!! Already looking forward to the next opportunity we can come again (hopefully soon!). A long time local institution here in town that never disappoints 10/10.

Service was a 10/10 at Bella Cucina! We were served by Amber who was friendly and warm. With a birthday celebration within our group, we felt her genuine well wishes and appreciated the complimentary tiramisu that came with a candle for the occasion. Apart from that, she was very attentive in clearing our tables and ensuring we were comfortable during our dinner. Am giving 4 stars mainly due to the food as we felt that whilst everything was well cooked, some dishes lacked flavour, especially the vegetables of broccoli which tasted simple, like they were plainly boiled and topped off with fried almonds and lacked flavour. We also found ourselves constantly reaching for the condiments of garlic oil, chili oil and parmesan cheese (which thankfully Amber provided) to enhance the flavour of the food. That said, we did enjoy the funghi pizza which we felt had a yummy base and crust as well as the tiramisu which was pleasantly light. As for atmosphere, whilst we felt cozy in the warmly lit setting, we did feel that the tables and chairs were very close to one another which did affect privacy and comfort. Overall, a decent experience but not worth a return trip.

Had a fantastic dinner at Bella Cucina! We opted for the ‘Trust Your Chef’ menu, and it was a highlight – a delightful surprise of fresh, seasonal Italian dishes like rich spaghetti bolognese with parmesan and herbs, grilled lamb with green beans, tomatoes, and pesto, plus flavorful spaghetti alle vongole with plump clams. Amber was outstanding: attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable, with perfect recommendations and seamless service. The whole team made us feel welcome in the cozy atmosphere. Highly recommend Bella Cucina for a memorable meal – we’ll be back soon!

The food is great and I can say it's an authentic Italian experience. What also stood out for me is the customer service of Sive. We ordered Margherita, clam pasta, bolognese, limoncello spritz, and tiramisu. Food are served hot and in a timely manner. It's impressive that we don't have to ask for extras anymore. Extra plate, or spoon, or parmessan, or chili flakes, or oregano? All offered and all given even before we asked. Feels like they know our dining needs and Sive is attentive to our dining experience. We dine at night this mid October and heaters are well placed around customers to feel warm. Well done! We'll dine again if we get to travel to Queenstown again.

As a vegetarian, I had a wonderful experience here. My server, Liavs, was fantastic—he gave great recommendations for both food and drinks. The wine he suggested was absolutely amazing, and I loved it. I also had a margarita pizza, and for the first time in my life, I finished an entire pizza—that’s how delicious and tasty it was! The host was equally kind and accommodating. Even though I was dining solo and needed a small table, she made sure I was seated comfortably, and I didn’t have to wait too long. I was very happy with both the service and the food. I would highly recommend checking this place out if you’re in Queenstown, especially if you’re vegetarian. 😊

This place is really really good! The pasta is made fresh daily! We ordered the dough balls and the garlic bread and both were amazing! The staff is very attentive and service was on time! We ordered some fettuccine with spicy sausage and two pizzas! The food was prepared perfectly and it's very tasty! We would definitely visit again if in town! We did make a reservation and the place was busy so I would recommend it.

Very charming small intimate dining experience appetizers great warm olives exceptional service great

Fantastic fresh past dishes that both my wife and I said were as good as we ever had. Home made and you can tell. Debbie our waitress was the best too. Wine menu excellent. Do yourself a favor and go.

The food was great, but the place is small so you need a reservation to get in. We came as a walk in and have a good fortune that they could squeeze us earlier than what they were originally timeouts. Great people and great food.

Great atmosphere, centrally located in the Brecon Street dining precinct and totally delicious food. Serena's service was outstanding and she is a great asset to the Bella Cucina team. We will certainly recommend to fellow travelers.

Bella Cucina is a great place to stop by if you are craving Italian while in Queenstown! I was very lucky to get a table at walk in, but during the busy summer season in Queenstown its best to make a reservation because I did see a lot of parties getting turned away later in the evening. Im always down for a simple spaghetti agilo e olio and Bella Cucina does it really well, and it complements with their dumplings which are more or less bread rolls with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And while you are in Queenstown, if you are adventurous, I would stop by Ultimate Hikes down the road, they organize amazing treks and adventures, the Milford and Routeburn Treks are the most popular!

I come to Bella whenever I'm in Queenstown. Love the food and atmosphere. I was there this past week and had a wonderful Veal dish suggested by the chef and made all the more special by Debbie the wait staff.

We went to Francesca's kitchen near the #wakandatree for lunch and Bella Cucina's past was much better. There was actual flavor rather than attempts to make a pretty dish. The restaurant was pretty busy when we arrived. Unfortunately there aren't many windows and we were seated behind the pizza oven so it was pretty warm while we were dining. I wish they installed some ceiling fans? I ordered the lamb pasta (great, full of lamb flavor), split a Margherita pizza (great crust) while he got the seafood pasta. Pretty decent Italian for Queenstown.

What a nice experience at Bella Cucina. The Hilton called and got us a reservation. When we arrived, there was a Birthday card on the table for my wife (the hotel must have mentioned that it was my wife's birthday). India congratulated my wife and offered her a glass of champagne). The dinner and the service were perfect (again, thank you India). I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

We came upon this as a result of a Queenstown infomercial we were watching. The service was great-Kim was attentive and friendly, and the place was clean. The brick oven kept the place warm and cozy. We had the following dishes: Spinach salad- the salad was good in size but maybe serve it in a bigger bowl so it's easier to mix. Salsiccia pizza- we requested rocket greens be added. I expected the sausages to be spicier and not so bland. Fettuccine carbonara- pasta was undercooked, glad it came w an egg, but again it was under seasoned. I don't remember how many times I had to shake the salt on it despite having bacon already. Overall, I understand the Italian dishes they were trying to do, but the flavors just weren't there.

Delicious food. Really nice staff and very cool location. I had the spaghetti which was rather tasty. Make reservations otherwise you'll find yourself not getting in or eating rather late. We tried to go on a Tuesday and could get in. We opted for Friday to close out our adventure in Queenstown and it was a spectacular close.

We were seated in a tiny section (the guest in the table next to ours had to get out of his chair so I could be seated!) and while it was cozy - it felt too cramped. We ordered the bruschetta, fettuccine carbonara and spaghetti Aglio e olio. Both pastas were freshly made but flavor was lacking in all, including the bruschetta. Once we added salt and pepper, it helped considerably, though I couldn't taste any garlic in my dish. Super disappointed as the reviews were very high for this restaurant. We had reservations at 6:30pm but it took an extra 15 minutes to get us seated and many groups were turned away because they were booked. We went on Tuesday night. The pizzas looked appetizing though, perhaps we should have ordered that instead?

Hostess lacked all kinds of skills to interact to customers, ruined the experience. Too many options. I only like to be around nice people, especially when recreating.

I loved this place and food. Flavourful and fresh dishes, we cleaned up all our plates. Two of us ordered Bread platter, Ravioli, Sautéd Gnocchi, Tiramisu and wine. Manager recommended wines to pair with our meal and we liked it. We are vegetarians and loved a full plate of wholesome food. I called over phone to reserve a table and was pleasantly surprised to get a table on same night within an hour or so. This restaurant has very limited seating, so i would recommend reserving a table in advance. Menu changes everyday, and is updated on website. Kitchen does get busy, so store some conversations or games to entertain. Do try their bread.

This was right around the corner for our hotel and after we didn't make it in time the first night (which was our only complaint, the hours are "until late" and we were turned away at 9pm on a weekend, though I guess that is kind of just Queenstown) we made it the next night. Food and service were both great. Wine bottle prices were pretty reasonable. My wife had the spaghetti carbonara, I had the lamba ragu, and we had bruschetta to start which really wasn't like bruschetta at all but was delicious, as were the entrees. Definitely worth checking out if you get a craving for italian food while in Queenstown. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g255122-d1503840-r667942059-Bella_Cucina-Queenstown_Otago_Region_South_Island.html#

Very impressed with the service and food, amazing pasta, made in the restaurant, as well as all the breads, and you can taste the freshness and authenticity. Menus are different everyday so its even fresher still! I had a ragu lamb fettuccini and my wife a carbonara fettuccini. for starters we had the bread balls and dipping oils, so delicious!! Fulfil you italian cravings!

Was our last night in Queenstown and we wanted to celebrate in style. Had previously saw this place tucked discreetly from the street and this perked our interest. Ducked in and was entranced by the decor and the sophistication of the place. It was the sort of place that we wanted - small and classy, in contrast with some of the bigger restaurants in Queenstown. Mini chandeliers, white tablecloths, friendly waitresses that seated us right away- it was the start to a good evening. We ordered the dough balls to start; they came quickly (and thankfully so!) and were demolished at an even faster rate. Served with melted butter and olive oil for dipping. For mains, my friend ordered the sautéed gnocchi which came beautifully presented. My other friend and I ordered the prawn and courgette pasta -which was absolutely sublime- and a pizza with two different toppings. I haven't had much experience with restaurants allowing you to mix and match pizza toppings so this was very welcome. All in all, the food was top notch. We wish we ordered a drink and dessert but at the end of the night, we were stuffed. Would thoroughly recommend- great atmosphere, great service and excellent food - what else could you want?

Carb-loading felt amazing after devouring red meat every day for a week. I had the squid, Margherita pizza and seafood fettuccine. The squid was nicely charred and came with a refreshing citrus salad, the pizza contained plenty of cheese, and the pasta was freshly made and cooked perfectly al dente. For dessert, I had the tiramisu, which was so fluffy and moist that I was almost tricked into thinking it was healthy. Reservations are recommended for dinner as the restaurant can get pretty packed. For prime ambiance, try to get a front window table.

Recommended by some locals we chose to stop in and get a table before 6:30. They happened to have one right by the window so we sat down and were immediately waited on. Great staff with wood fired pizza oven right at the entrance, warming the place up on a chilly autumn night in Queenstown. The dinner was, eh. Ordered a meat pizza and spaghetti with Ragu. The sauce was off putting and the pasta too gluey. We were hungry so we ate but would not give this place a 4 or 5 as the food was just okay. Great veggie side however. Flavorful and fresh.

Was really really good! Everything made fresh each day! And you can tell. Staff was super nice and friendly! Cheers to Megan and Olind ? French girl. Super easygoing and cool. Would Totally go back IF I Ever get the chance to come back here ! Proper pizza oven in the restaurant. Excellent Pasta

This is bit of a love hate relationship. I love the fine Italian food here, love the people, but man, they are slow. I was here 2 years ago, really enjoyed the dinner here so came back again. Food was just as good but the serving speed is just as slow. The place- small, cosy, pays to reserve ahead. They have a mixture of 2-4 seaters. You can squeeze in a 5th person but won't pass the fire code. kitchen is right in the middle, with a pizza oven. You can see the chefs making your delicious meal. The food- awesome. You have to try the Bella's Famous Beef Carpaccio, AKA thinly sliced raw beef. its topped off with parmesan, rocket, aioli, and capers. I really like their freshly baked dough balls also. You have to try the Fettucine Carbonara also. Its made with a white sauce. The mains are ok, I tried their fish twice, well made but not spectacular unlike their antipasti plates. Service- I love this European guy that works here. I think he knows the menu pretty well. Made some good recommendations. I think they are a bit understaffed. They need to work on the order they serve food. I had to remind him to just bring the soup and bread first after waiting for like ~30 min. I can see many other tables all waiting for a long time also. Our antipasto also came after we finished everything else. Drinks- Has an ok selection of local wine, and some international wines. Small beer selection. Parking- very difficult in Queenstown, but I just found out that there is a parking building close by, its like $1.5/hr. Cheap for Auckland standard. Good luck if you want to find a spot on the street. Price- reasonable, not good but ok for Queenstown. We paid ~$130 for 4 people sharing dishes. Would still comeback here again , despite some of the drawbacks.

I was pretty underwhelmed with this restaurant. We chose it because my husband wanted pizza, and I was starving and was happy to eat anything. We started with the fried dough balls, which were generally pretty good. They came out a little charred, but we nice and soft on the inside, and went well with the butter and oil/vinegar. My husband had the margarita pizza, and it was pretty average. The pizza was a little over done, and had 3 basil leaves, but the portion and taste were decent. I got the pancetta and pea risotto and was very disappointed. First, it might have been an adequate portion as a side, but certainly wasn't worth the $28 they charged for it. Even after starting with the bread, I had to snitch 2 pieces of my husbands pizza after I demolished the risotto in about 3 minutes to feel satisfied. It was also VERY bland, even after I crumbled the two pieces of 2" long burnt pancetta that came with it and loaded it with salt and pepper. Finally, the consistency was pretty off. I expect risotto to be creamy, but this was way undercooked, and really was more like regular rice with a creamy sauce added. I would recommend skipping this place and checking out one of the many other wonderful restaurants in the area.

Wonderful little upscale Italian eatery in downtown Queenstown. Very good wine selection. Excellent spaghetti bolognese, bread and salads, along with superb service in a cozy setting. When my date wasn't thrilled with her gnocchi, the server insisted on swapping it out for something else. That's the sign of a caring staff. Winning combination!

Bella Cucina - Thank you for one of the best dinners in Queenstown! This Italian restaurant gets pretty crowded during all days of the week, I highly recommend making a reservation. On a week day, luckily we got in without reservations. The items on the menu looked so good that we had a big dilemma choosing our dish. Finally we settled on Lamb pasta and Veal. Their menu is seasonal and the Veal dish was introduced just that day. It took a while for the dishes to arrive. I could understand because the restaurant was really crowded with large parties and also because all of their food is prepared fresh in the kitchen. The lamb pasta was delicious - pasta was al dente and sauce was yumm. The Veal dish was slowly braised, with two pieces of bone marrow, kale, and lentils. Everything on that plate was mouth watering. We topped off the meal with a beautifully served tiramisu. Just a wonderful meal to end the day.

Didn't love it here. We went as a walk in one night and the hostess was rude and condescending and told us if we didn't have a reservation we wouldn't be able to get a table that evening. Since the restaurant came recommended by our hotel, we made a reservation for the next night. The next night the same hostess with a bad attitude told us that the reservation was only made for 5 people, not 6 and that she wouldn't be able to seat us for another 15-20 minutes. Annoying! Once sitting, the food wasn't great, the restaurant was hot, and overall we were not impressed. Save your time/money and go somewhere else.

Very nice Italian place. Small menu, but great authentic selections. Ambience is nice, food is great and the staff is very helpful and friendly. Highly recommended.

Italian, simple, tasty, and I finally got my Pizza fix. No specials because everything is made fresh daily. All the pasta, pizza gnocchi etc. Nothing overdone, but everything done beautifully. Keeno's salad was fantastico. My mushroom pizza was perfect. Rosemary dough balls with olive oil and vinegar - so simple but executed brilliantly A really great spot.

Delicious!!! The woodfire pizzas are a must! If you are going for dinner you may have to wait for a table as it is very popular but it is well worth the wait. The food is delicious and the staff very friendly!

Had dinner here the other night and everything was great! We had a nice bottle of wine, the fresh breads, and pizza. Everything was delicious and our waitress was really nice! I would definitely come back!

We got a trio of fresh breads. Then our mains were the veggie fusilli and the spaghetti ai frutti di mare with a small spinach salad. The flavors were good, very fresh, rustic and filling. Refreshing and interesting salad. Service showed attention to detail.

Hi. Second time here and so disappointing this time. The head waitress was definitely on a home time mission. Everything was banged down and too too fast. The empty bottle of wine was swiped away as she walked past at 100 miles an hour and we were not asked if we wanted anything else to drink. Waitressing is a class act of discreet and slow ! We sat down excited. Left like we had been in a whirlwind and waste of money. Seafood pasta 3 small mussels, 1 small prawn , 2.5 squid rings!

We were recommended this restaurant by the Eichardt and arrived to our reservation on time and were told they did not have a table big enough for our party so we had to wait another 20 minutes. We were told to wait and buy drinks at another restaurant next door. The hostess at the time, was condescending, rude, and snobby. After being sat, we were sweating bullets at our table and when we asked for the air conditioning to be turned on, the waiter goes "I know, it's hot back here." For dinner, we ordered the carbonara, risotto, and the gnocchi. None of which had ANY taste and the risotto tasted like microwaved rice-a-roni. I was shocked to read this restaurant has good reviews for service and food because that was not the case for us AT ALL. If you have limited time here in Queenstown, I wouldn't waste your time or money.

Delicious meal here for our first night in Queenstown. $25 pasta/pizza and beer/wine early bird special was great value and the gnocchi (off the special) was outstanding. Fast, friendly service and a nice space - thumbs up!

Good basic Italian with excellent, friendly service. The beverage menu is a little scant. The pizza crust was a little burned, but tasty.

This is one of the best pizza pasta restaurants in New Zealand, the atmosphere was buzzing, the food was some of my favourite food from my stay in New Zealand, and I really appreciated the time the chef took to explain what she was making and why ( as we were seated right near the pizza chef and could see what she was doing, she had a real talent) Best pizza pasta ever:))))

Superb Rustic Italian food, ideally suited to the cool Alpine evening climate. Pizzas very flavourful (when compared to others in town). Pasta all home made and tasty. Looked after the kids well, friendly staff. Wish I'd come here on my first night in Queenstown.

Pasta was amazing, service delightful and perfect atmosphere for a romantic dinner for 2 after a long day sight seeing - Thank you!

Best Italian restaurant in town. I got the margherita wood fired pizza, and a tiramisu. The pizza was cooked very well, with the base crisp and thin. Extensive wine menu here as well.

Loved it all. From the garlic bread butter to margarita pizza and spaghetti.. Then the yummy vegetable fusilli. The pesto was so fresh. Then the sautéed vegetables. Just a perfect meal.

Everything we ordered turned out to be excellent. The pot of mussels is the best we've ever had! The Prawn Pizza with tomato and anchovy crumbs is very generous with fresh prawns and the crust is thin and tasty, juiced up by the tomato slices; what's even greater is the service. Our waitress Danielle is a darling. She recommended the Sauvignon Blanc from the Amisfield winery, which is about 15-min drive from Queenstown. It was so good we ordered 2 more glasses. And what really surprised us was the dessert was on the house! I guess it was because we didn't shy away from telling her how much we appreciate her and her coworkers working on x'mas eve.

The last time I had pasta this good is when I was in Italy. Fantastic fettuccini. I only wish I could eat more. I'll be back again before I leave from my vacation. Loved every bite.

In short, the service was terrible. If you're short on time, skip to the end and read about Kailynn, the on duty manager. We arrived in Queenstown February 12, 2016. A fellow traveler had recommended Bella Cucina and the concierge at Eichardt's Private Hotel also thought Bella Cucina was a good choice for dinner. Both were wrong. We had our concierge make a reservation for 8:00pm, we showed up at 7:50. Seated by 7:55, order in by 8:05. We ordered an appetizer salad to be shared, fettuccine carbonara and pizza. So far, so good. The salad showed up by 8:15 and was mediocre, at best. However, that's when the exceptionally bad service started. Thirty minutes later our food had not yet arrived. Meanwhile, two tables near us were served their dinner. Both tables had arrived 10-20 minutes after us. When I politely asked the waitress, who had passed by at least two times and seen we had no food, to check with the kitchen, her less-than-polite response was a garbled mess. From the tone I took it to mean, as she ignored any further comment while walking away, we would get our food when it was ready. A few minutes later she returned to say it would be five more minutes, making it about an even hour since we sat down. I asked why people around had been served their food before us and her response was the pasta we had ordered took extra time. Since the pasta was supposed to be made fresh I asked how it was that fresh pasta, which takes around three minutes to cook, could be holding things up. Her response? A curt, "It will be five minutes" I told her to cancel the order and bring us the check, to which she responded she'd check with the manager, like maybe we would be granted the cancellation, maybe not. I then asked to see the manager. Absolute waste of time. Kailynn, I believe her name was, showed up after a discussion with our server and reiterated it would be five minutes. When I explained what happened her demeanor was disdainful, condescending and dismissive. Her attitude was so over-the-top bad I had a hard time keeping my tongue. As we left to pay the check, thinking she probably wouldn't give me her name, I took a picture of the manager on duty sign to get her name. She watched with a sneer and said, "I've had much worse." Not sure what that means. Back at Eichardt's, when told of the situation, Sam the desk manager called Bella Cucina to speak with Kailynn. According to Sam, Kailynn's response was nearly incomprehensible and filled with comments boiling down to, "I've had worse." Still not sure what that means. Queenstown is our last stop in New Zealand, marking nearly three weeks of travel here. Generally, we have had extremely good service. Bella Cucina has an excellent overall review rating. The concierge at our hotel was shocked to hear the story, even more shocked to hear the manager's refusal to acknowledge the complete failure of her restaurant's service and, apparently, kitchen. What could have been an easily fixed problem with just an apology, nothing approaching which ever arrived, was ignored and made worse with a childish disregard for the very, very poor service we received.