Bella Notte

On a Saturday afternoon, while shopping with my wife, the Fat Man thought some Italian food was what this day called for. So, we found ourselves at Bella Notte off Nicholasville Road in Lexington, Kentucky. Bella Notte offers rustic Italian trattoria known for its wood-fired meats, freshly baked bread, pasta, and wines.

We started with Meatballs al Forno. They were topped with arrabiata sauce, mozzarella & provolone cheese and served with homemade ciabatta bread. The meatballs were moist, flavorful, and tender; they melted in your mouth. The arrabiata marinara is chunky with great acid and pleasant heat, while the provolone is melted well and has an excellent stretch. The bread had a good char and butter level, and it paired well with the sauce.

We split a Caesar Salad. The salad dressing is creamy with a tang, and the amount of dressing is spot on. The croutons offer great crunch and texture to the salad, which comes with shaved Parmesan cheese. My only knock is I would have liked more cheese.

My wife ordered the Penne Gorgonzola with grilled chicken, bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, crushed red chilies, and gorgonzola cream sauce. The noodles were cooked perfectly but still had a good chew. The bacon crunch and chew were excellent, as was the salt level. The chicken was tender and flavorful, while the sun-dried tomatoes offered a sweet note that cut through the heavy, delicious, creamy sauce that coats the dish magnificently.

I went with Chicken Parmesan, which comes with hand-breaded chicken, mozzarella and provolone cheese, basil, spaghetti, and marinara. The noodles were cooked al dente, and the marinara was chunky, adding a good salt level. The breading on the chicken was crunchy and flavorful. The chicken was tender and juicy; it had excellent flavor.

We also split the Crispy Brussels sprouts with cayenne pepper honey and parmesan. The Brussels were tender with a good chew, the honey was sweet, but there was little heat, and the Parmesan adds saltiness to the dish.

Bella Notte has a full bar and an extensive menu with all your Italian favorites. The waitress was phenomenal. The Fat Man says that Bella Notte is Fat Man Approved with 3 chins.

We had a great early dinner this evening here!! Noah was our waiter. Excellent job Noah!! 👏👏 Thanks for all the tips with our meal. Everything was tasty!! Keep up the great work Belle Notte and staff. Thanks for the pleasant evening out!!

Celebrated my birthday last month here and it was my first visit. Food was superb from the wine selection to dessert! Service was wonderful! Definitely made my "top go to" places here in Lexington.

This is an AMAZING Italian restaurant. We had been trying many different local and regional restaurants and I think this is THE gem! The restaurant looks charming and cozy inside. I tried their California Chardonnay and it was one of the most delicious wines I’ve had in a long while! Their tomato soup is to die for! For my main, I had seafood linguine and let me tell you, it blew my socks off! Incredibly tasty and well-balanced meal. To top it all off, we finished the fantastic dinner with their seasonal pumpkin spice espresso martini and it’s the tastiest cocktail I’ve ever had! 10000/10. P.s. their fresh, still hot bread is incredible, too! Overall, what a memorable meal, with amazing food and incredible drinks!

It was a great evening out to dinner with my son and his girlfriend.. The ambiance of the lighting was conversation appropriate. The food was delicious. Our waitress was attentive and friendly. The lasagna family size entree was my son's! And of course he didn't finish it. His excuse was that the leftovers are for his lunch tomorrow! His girlfriend ordered the autumn porkchop and expressed, "Mine is fantastic." I had the manicotti with basil marinara and a side of crispy brussel sprouts. The food is plentiful, and not a soul had any complaints!

Easily the best Calamari and best Manicotti I’ve had. Their marinara sauce is awesome. Whole experience from atmosphere to service was excellent. Well done folks. I’ve eaten authentic Italian and Americanized Italian for decades including my God Mothers cooking. This place is worth the stop if you’re in the area. Enjoy.

My daughter invited me for dinner. I was breath taken by the atmosphere. They let me sample the wines so I could make up my mind which one I wanted. Eventually I went with the cranberry mixed cocktail and it was out of this world Delicious! We had our own little mini loaf of bread that was so soft. It practically melted in my mouth and the oil dip was delicious. I had salmon with a side salad. Oh my goodness it was so good. I can't wait to go back. I will refer everyone I know here

We had dinner here while visiting our daughter in college. The food was excellent. Georgia was an excellent server, very nice and welcoming. Two of us had manicotti and one had lasagna. The garden salad was good and I loved the balsamic house dressing. Fresh, warm bread made it perfect. We were driving back to Ohio so we did not have wine or cocktails, but the selection looked good. My daughter enjoyed the raspberry lemonade.We will definitely come back!

Great traditional and diverse pasta dishes, a few with a little heat spice! Japanese owned, actually, and a very nice Italian menu! The bread and oil & herb are amazing. The Bluegrass Manhattan is highly sought after. 3-4 visits per year is not too much due to their rotating seasonal specials.

We haven't been here often (maybe 4 or 5 times total) with no exceptions all of the visits have been fantastic. You absolutely should call and make a reservation especially if you plan on eating here on a Friday or Saturday night. The restaurant has its own parking available however it always seems to fill up early every night forcing people to park across the street often. Now back to the food. I had a group of 8 celebrating my youngest daughter completing her schooling and this is where she picked to celebrate. We got a wide variety of foods starting with the Calamari, Zucchini Fries and Fried Mozzarella appetizer which was fantastic. Then most of us ordered various pastas with true highlights being the Baked Rigatoni Romano, Chicken Parmesan and another highlight was the Bone-in Pork Chops. All was prepared perfectly and large enough portions that most of us brought home leftovers. They do start your meal off with fresh baked breads as well. Only Bummer was when ordering a Cappuccino for after the meal it wasn't available due to some malfunction to the machine. If you haven't tried it here yet it is definitely worth a trip!

I hadn't been to Bella Notte in several years. Definitely going to come back more often. The family portion was more than enough for two people so we had leftovers for lunch the next day. I forgot how much I love their oil and herbs to dip the bread in. We ordered a dish that was marked as spicy and it delivered. The spice level was exactly what I wanted, tangy but not so much I needed liquids to cool it down.

Very pleasant atmosphere, aside from the large family gathering next to us. Music was not overly loud or obnoxious. Food portions were excellent and taste was excellent as well. Food came out hot. Fresh bread from the oven. Service was immaculate and attentive.

Our first time dining at Bella Notte in our search for the best Italian restaurant in the Lexington area may have ended. Real Italian dishes coupled with excellent service and beautiful ambiance will be hard to beat. We will be going back and recommending this restaurant to our friends. The seasonal menu is a nice touch. Reservations are a good idea.

We had dinner here last night and it was delicious. My scallops were cooked perfectly! The salad on the seasonal menu with the figs was amazing. I got a piece of the espresso chocolate cake to go and so glad I did. Everything we ate was great. Can't wait to eat here again.

We had our son and his fiancée’s wedding rehearsal dinner for 60 people here last week, It was fantastic! We live out of state and had to communicate via email, phone, and a Zoom meeting with both Justin and Gleidys. They both were a pleasure to work with and very helpful and accommodating with everything from soup to nuts. The waitstaff was amazing as well. They helped us set up and put RD favors and signature drink menus we had made up on each place setting. As well as lit all of the candles we had brought in for the dinner (there was quite a lot.) At the end of the evening, the waitstaff did all the cleanup of the candles and floral arrangements we had brought in. They were all so friendly and attentive.
The food was delicious and the service was fantastic! We had a few small kids with us and I asked if their meals could be brought out earlier because they were getting hungry and the staff was happy to do so.
The catering menu had a fantastic selection of appetizers, main courses, and desserts. Our guests all thought everything was spectacular and delicious! Everyone thought the Patio room was beautiful. We’re very grateful to Bella Notte, Justin, Gleidys, and the staff for making such a special night for our family and friends so memorable and wonderful! Thank you!

Relaxing atmosphere. Great place to unwind and enjoy quality food and a variety of drinks. They do accept reservations. Kids menu and a small coloring sheet with two crayons for under 12. Conveniently located and easy to find. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Will definitely return to try other dishes and drinks!

We had a birthday dinner last night here and it was a great experience. The staff is friendly and willing to help out. We had a reservation but one of the tables was taken and couldn't fit us all fast enough so they worked out a quick solution and moved us. The food was tasty and we all enjoyed it. I had the Penna Gorgonzola and it was delicious! ( will recommend )
They didn't take long to bring the plates out even though we had about twelve people on our table.

Wow!! This place was amazing!! Best grilled pork chop I've ever had! The pasta was so delicious and the fresh mozzarella fritto is definitely a must!! The homemade bread dipped in olive oil and herbs is rustic and addictive. Don't walk... run to this lovely, locally owned restaurant!!

This is one of the best italian fine dining restaurants in Kentucky. I travel 90 minutes there and back just to eat at Bella Notte, and we have never been disappointed with the food, staff, or overall experience. My go-to is their chicken alfredo fettuccine, but all their offerings are delicious. Definitely try their tiramisu or panna cotta if available - it is to die for. Good ambiance, amazing food, and polite staff.

Blackened Salmon was great and the Tiramisu was the best I've ever had!