Busy, comfortable bistro turning out generous pasta portions & plating thin, pan & stuffed pies. Based on 634 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.5 stars. Price $$
✔️ Dine-in ✔️ Curbside pickup ✔️ No-contact delivery
Address:
1026 N Sherman Ave, Madison, WI 53704
Phone: (608) 243-1200
Social Profile: 
Hours
| Thursday | 4–9 PM |
| Friday | 4–10 PM |
| Saturday | 3:30–10 PM |
| Sunday | 3:30–9 PM |
| Monday | 4–9 PM |
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | 4–9 PM |
Menu
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Photo Gallery
Order and Reservations
Reservations: cafelabellitalia.com
Reviews
Rita Peters
First time after living in Madison for 4 years. We popped in here for for a last minute dinner. The good overall was delicious, healthy portions and reasonably priced food. I like places like this, it’s easy to over spend in a big city!
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Debbie Schultz
I live three blocks away from this restaurant when it originally opened & still do. In the beginning it was such a blessing to this neighborhood. Great food with consistency and hard working staff . The food has been hit or miss for the last two years at best. We so badly want to support this local restaurant. I’m a huge fan of their meatball platter and have recently found out it is not made fresh in house. It is now delivered from somewhere in Chicago. The quality of the food has gone down hill to say the least. Most things are not made fresh. They are being brought in frozen and heated. I think the turnaround with staff/cooks is a revolving door. As a small business owner I want so bad to see the success of this restaurant but I feel like after so many bad meals I can no longer spend my hard earned money at this neighborhood restaurant.
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Steve Evans
We still like La Bellatalia and have been coming here for years. We really like the atmosphere and the staff are always good. However, last night’s meal did not live up to our expectations. Maybe something has changed? I did see on the web, that the previous owners are no longer running the restaurant? First off – there were loads of very annoying fruit flies all over the restaurant. We eventually tore off a piece of the paper table cloth to use as a cover for my wine glass, which seemed to be attracting them. We saw others in the restaurant doing the same thing. This only seemed to make them more attracted to our food. So, I gulped down my wine to see if we could get them to settle in my wine glass. Didn’t work either! As for the food, I ordered meat tortellini with marinara sauce. (It’s been my favorite dish for years). Unfortunately, the sauce was so runny, it was almost like tomato soup. Almost tasted like it had just come out of a can. My wife ordered the fettuccine with clams (one of her favorite dishes). The sauce contained too many slices of onions and many of the noodles had become stuck together during the cooking process and were not edible. Needless to say – with the fruit fly situation, we hurried our meals and left quickly. I really hate to be forced to look for another Italian restaurant. But, last night’s meal was extremely disappointing!
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Angie C M
Absolutely FABULOUS!! I can’t find the words that are adequate enough to describe the flavor of each menu item at this restaurant!! Everything on the menu is a masterpiece and the serving sizes are just enormous. From the main courses to the desserts I can’t explain it it’s just beyond words amazing I would definitely recommend this restaurant to everybody if you don’t try it you would be missing a piece of Madison. You would be missing out on something unique and outstanding.
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Elsie L
Hands down THE BEST Italian restaurant in Madison. I love how welcoming the building is and how good the food is. The staff is incredible, and Stephanie deserves the biggest shoutout. Always recommends great food and usually hands out crayons, regardless of how old you are. I haven’t been disappointed at any of my visits here!
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Nicholas Orloff
This place has awesome food! Hands down, some of the best chicken marsala! Extra long wait and the food took forever to get to the table. Over all, good place to eat if it’s not busy
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Sara Carrizal
It’s dark, the wood paneling, furniture, and lighting (or lack of). It felt old timey, which is ok, especially if you long for late 70s early 80s nostalgia. My lasagna was good, quite hearty. Endless garlic bread was served. My favorite aspect was the marinara sauce. It was exceptional. It had a hit of sweetness. The price was more than fair, especially since the portions were so generous. It was busy on a Sunday night, so service was slow for us, though I’m not sure that it’s the norm. They interrupt you for birthday songs, where they ask everyone to sing. I find that annoying. I would go again tho.
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Norman Davis
One word: Satisfying. The red sauce so perfectly compliments the pasta. We had the sampler (lasagna and eggplant), veal, chicken, and chicken with sausage ravioli. Great portions and wonderful Italian flavors! We’ll be back soon!
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Rebekah D
We were able to get a seat right away on New Year’s Eve. This place happens to be right up the road from where we live and what a find it was! The food was excellent and so was our server. We also enjoyed the wine. We plan to return for some dessert in the future. We were too full from our meal to indulge while there! You won’t leave hungry. I’d recommend this place for some wonderful Italian cuisine. It’s also small and cozy and appears to have outdoor seating in the summer.
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Marius Triukas
Small and cozy Italian-American place with staff treating you as an old friend (no wonder place is crowded). Garlic bread was awesome and White Pizza was great too.
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