La Vita E Bella

You have to pay a lot for a small portion. Even for the water! The quality was average. The place is dim. I did not receive good service. I do not recommend this place at all.

We visited here for a family holiday dinner.
Every single food we ordered were amazing.
I would highly recommend this restaurant!
They have a great wine list and friendly staffs.
Try Turconi (Lobster mac&cheese) and Filetto Di Manzo (beef tenderloin)!!
These two were my favourite dishes.

This is a very solid Italian restaurant with a good wine list. It is very convenient for a pregame dinner or lunch before the Stampede. It is one of the few survivors of the 2013 flood close to the grounds and fortunately it is very good. I go to La Vita E Bella even when I’m not attending an event on the grounds. Recommend.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to La Vita e Bella and I’m pleased to say that the Polpette is as delicious as I remembered them, in fact this time around the house-​made ricotta may have took it up a notch. The portion of this particular appetizer remain huge and instead of 2 huge meatballs they serve up 5 smaller ones but they could have been a small meal by themselves. The tomato sauce is fresh and tart with the house-​made ricotta smoothing out the flavours. They’ve never had a big menu but I think this is a wise move that a lot of other restaurants should take note of, I hate it when the selection is so long that I can’t make up my mind what to have. I tried the Turconi: brown butter poached lobster, mashed yukon gold potato, asiago pecorino, bacon fat breadcrumb, the one thing I am disappointed with in this dish is the amount of lobster. At $ 25 the lobster was barely discernible. The dish was rich from the butter, asiago and bacon fat breadcrumbs but definitely not enough lobster, not one of their best efforts. Service was excellent as usual, attentive but not invasive. Focaccia was good but the balsamic vinegar and olive oil at the table just average. I have to confess that I’d keep going back just for the meatballs cause I like them that much. My star rating has gone down from my last review but I have to say I’ve sat down and defined what the number of stars mean to me; 5-​stars mean both food and service have to have that Wow factor. I saw a couple of the same dishes still there from the last time like the Nero Linguini: spot prawns, baby squid, clams, blue mussels, tomato sauce, squid ink noodles and judging from the polpette, I trust that they have maintained the quality of that dish and will go back to check and see. I was there prior to taking in a show at Theatre Calgary at Arts Commons, it’s walking distance from there and a pleasant walk on a beautiful evening.

I really enjoyed the bison lasagna here. It was a different spin on a classic, and it’s hard to go wrong.
The risotto here is also unreal.
My only regret is I couldn’t eat more in one sitting!

This little gem was short walk from out hotel. We had a dinner on their outdoor deck which was very picturesque. I had the linguini with veal meat balls which I thought was one of the best pastas I have ever had. My wife had the lasagne which she said was delicious. Both meals were served with focaccia which was excellent. At the end of the meal we chatted with the waiter who was very friendly and gave us a lot of info about the Stampede which was scheduled to start the next day.

great restaurant. great service. great food. Simple italian restaurant with great italian dishes that are some what expected and also a little unique. Lasagna looked really cool, i had the feature pasta and caprese salad was delish. Cheesecake was light and so flavourful. We went before a concert and did not feel rushed or cattled in. it is in a great location for easy walk to the ‘dome.

Excellent food and service very close to the saddledome. We went for supper before a concert and were very happy with everything. If I had to offer a criticism It is a little squishy and noisy

I highly recommend checking this place out. It’s literally 4 minutes away from Stampede Park. Very pleasant atmosphere and you will be taken care of like you’re family. We we’re so underdressed (it says «casual» attire on Unilocal,but I recommend business casual at the very least) but even then, we weren’t turned away or sneered at like some other places would.
I’d say make a reservation, cuz the place is quite packed at dinner time. We were seated at the bar, cuz of our drop in (no res), but it was fun! Seeing the bartender mix up drinks and every single wait staff was so polite and attentive that at least 5 of them asked how we were doing and if we needed anything while we wait for our meal.
Our meal by the way, was out in a few minutes after we ordered. Also, notable to mention, when we came in the door the host and hostess asked if we were seeing the Cirque du Soliel show at Stampede Park, which meant they would speed device along so we wouldn’t miss the show. We told them we didn’t and still got awesome service! They have coat check as well.
Didn’t feel rushed, at the end of the meal, we were handed the dessert/​after meal drinks menu, but the Torcini I had was so filling and delightful, I paired it with a glass of Pinot Grigio. Sadly had to skip the Tiramisu I was eyeing. I really enjoyed this visit. First time, but won’t be the last!

The service and the wine were exceptional… the food was BAD! The crab cakes were so fishy/​stinky we couldn’t finish them. My spaghetti was hard and full of salt. Olives and capers and I felt ill after we left. I don’t know that I’d go back.

A solid 3.5 stars. A small, classy restaurant with a menu serving classic Italian fare and a few local twists like bison short rib. Before the meal, focaccia was brought out. It was baked crispy, and served with oil & vinegar, but no salt & pepper but you can ask for it. We were pretty hungry, so we ordered one pasta as an appetizer, then a pasta and risotto for the mains. Being in a creamy warm comfort food mood, we heeded the gnocchi warning from Janna’s review, opting instead for a creamy chicken/​pancetta pasta, the creamy lobster pasta, and the shrimp risotto. The chicken was very tasty, with a strong flavour of fresh basil and no shyness on the pork front. The lobster pasta was also good, but how can you go wrong with lobster and cream really? Although, if you’re looking for chunks of lobster you’ll be disappointed… it seems that they used physically imperceptible shredded lobster meat to give it the flavour.
We had an incident with the risotto, and after follow-​up with the management they comped it. On a second time around everything was tasty again, including the short ribs which had a distinctly non-​beef flavour (too often bison just tastes like beef when cooked). We also sampled from their cocktail menu, which had several interesting choices that included housemade syrups and the like. While the front room of the restaurant is small, a passage way continues to two larger rooms in the back that I noticed were being used by groups. With the attentive management, neat drinks, and good food, this would be a nice spot to have a company function for up to 80 people I’d say.

Hadn’t been there for quite a while. This place has really upped its game; good staff, attentive and welcoming atmosphere and definitely THE best risotto ever! We’ll done people! This will be our go-​to restaurant in YYC for a casual night out.

La Vita e Bella is a great little spot and they even have some private dining rooms. We had a business meeting in the side room by the bar last evening and everything was wonderful. Our group of 10 were all very impressed by all our appetizers and entrees. Service was amazing and thorough, without being too invasive.
I’ll definitely be back.
The parking lot is kitty corner to the restaurant along 12^th ave.

While in town for the marathon we were looking for a place to load up on carbs. We came across La vita è Bella and we decided to give it a try. The restaurant location is not very inviting, but the restaurant décor is very nice. We were impressed with their fare. Homemade pasta and risotto. We tried arancini (if you like Italian style ask for no sauce), millerighe and lasagna.
Particular mention goes to lasagna! Homemade fresh ricotta, pasta and tomato sauce. Authentic and delicious.

This was my first time here at a friend’s favorite Italian restaurant. I came with high expectations after reading the Unilocal reviews. The service is top notch (the servers were attentive without being intrusive), but somehow the kitchen was hit and miss that evening.
Focaccia with balsamic vinegar and olive oil: this tasted like what they would serve at Chianti’s (not like the fragrant, artisan crusty-​on-​the-​outside and soft-​on-​the-​inside foccacia you would find in The Italian Supermarket or River Café).
Arancini: great combination of flavours with the prawn and risotto balls in a panko crust. The roasted red pepper sauce gave it that extra zing.
Torta di grancho (Newfoundland crab cakes with sundried tomato and basil aioli):
Newfoundland, you have a very tough act to follow (after I’ve tasted Maryland crab cakes). Not enough crab (or crab flavour); too many fillers (bread crumbs, mayo-​mustard).
Millerighe: pasta with an extremely flavourful sauce made with ground veal, prosciutto, tomato, soffrito, basil, and red wine.
Lasagna alla Bolognese: this dish was extremely disappointing. Someone at «the pass» really dropped the ball here. Although it looked like a work of art, it must have been sitting for a long time in the warmer – it was crunchy (like baklava)!!
Misto di pesce: the confit tomato sauce was delicious and garlic herb potatoes were roasted to perfection. However, the halibut and the lobster were overcooked and there were only two prawns in my bowl.
The mistake on the crunchy, mille feuille-​like lasagna wasn’t corrected until most of us had nearly finished our mains. We were waiting for more than several minutes (the restaurant was nearly empty) for the server to return after we informed her of the error. We were then given the option to order another entrée on the menu, but I think that the servers/​front-​of-​house staff might have handled the situation more efficiently if the management had given them more power to do so.
Individual rating: Service: 4 stars Food/​performance of kitchen: 2 stars
Average rating: 3 stars
You’re only as good as your last dish.
Chef Michel Roux Jr.

Our party of four came here on a freezing cold evening before a Roughnecks game. We made reservations for an early dinner time and am glad we did as the place filled up quickly. The atmosphere is very nice and the service was wonderful. We started with some soup and salads, all had a different pasta for dinner and ordered a couple of desserts. The minestrone was thick and flavourful, the fresh made pasta was great, the sauces tasty and the desserts were a great finisher. We wouldn’t hesitate to come here again, maybe on a warm summer evening when we can enjoy the patio. Oh, and no sports playing on tv’s all over the place which means you actually talk to your companions!

Was here right before a hockey game and it was ok.
Had 2 apps and some wine.
The meatballs were ok.
The gnocchi was dense, not light and fluffy.
The place is renovated after the flood and super cool with the exposed brick on the inside. It is fairly small (think restaurant in a house environment) so be sure to make reservations.

Some of the best Italian food we have enjoyed outside of Italy. We enjoyed the polpette over linguini and caprese salad. The craft cocktails were also phenomenal. Our server was excellent. I wish we had time to eat here more than once. Truly a memorable meal.

Clearly disappointed and we had had such high hopes!
It was a Friday night, after the dinner crowd and we called ahead for a table for 2 for 9pm. No probs there, they did not even ask our names for the reso? Arrived and there were only 2 other tables occupied and then a few people out on the patio. The hostess was sweet and really, we had no problems with our server OR the atmosphere. The place is cozy, not too many tables and we liked the décor.
The problems lied with the food. Seriously, a waste of calories. :(
Started with the caesar salads which were passable. Needed some lemon and pepper to cut the too-​creamy dressing — fortunately, the salad was not overdressed. Upon a referral from our waiter we took him up on his fave appetizer, the meatballs. These come out, 2 to a serving, quite large and stuffed with mozzarella! These were cooked through perfectly and were the best things we ate all night.
Dinners ordered, the pasta with seafood and the gnocchi. Would never recommend either of these dishes. The sauce was just the wrong pairing with the pasta. Pasta is supposed to drink up the sauce and the 2 components are supposed to marry. Did not happen here. M described his sauce as «watery», very tomatoey and in all fairness, perhaps ok on its own with a nice piece of toast but not with the pasta. M’s gnocchi was stark white, naked on the plate with no lovin’. My seafood dish was a flop — the seafood portion was small and the pasta underwhelming, slid right away from the sauce. My dish needed a creamier base, maybe a rose or garlic cream sauce. We ate our dishes as we were very, very hungry but would not partake in any wine, dessert or coffee as we just wanted to cut our losses and head to Timmy’s.

Came here for a private dinner. Great atmosphere and great service. Very accommodating. Had their soup and it was the best soup I’d ever had. Their pasta was very fresh! I wanna go back. Prices were very reasonable! Great for private parties for up to 20 ppl in their back room.