Bella Cosi Modern Italian Restaurant

Bella cosi is the best Italian restaurant on Brisbane's northside. I highly recommend this dining experience. The food is outstanding, and the service is exceptional. My family and I had a wonderful evening and every one of us enjoyed our meals. We're so lucky to have such a high quality restaurant in Chermside!

They've recently upped the prices and the portions appear to be getting smaller, not bigger. Nearly $17.00 for a small, entree sized pasta? Mama mia! A sad turn of events for the loyal customers who made Bella Cosi one of the most talked about restaurants on the North Side. Sadly though, now it will be the most talked about for the wrong reasons. Hopefully they will turn it around soon. :(

Bella Cosi was a hidden, precious gem I discovered one evening having had business in Chermside. Starving hungry, I half-stumbled, half-ran past the outdoor heaters into the warm restaurant. I was greeted by some of the friendliest restaurant staff I've come across. I ordered the Linguini Amatriciana and it was delicately punchy, the capers fresh tasting and the real star being the Kalamata olives-sweet and juicy with that real taste of what a good Amatriciana should be. Everyone knows pitted olives are never as gorgeous as un-pitted, but in a pasta dish it is a little annoying to have to keep picking them out. I personally am ok with that happy sacrifice, though other diners could break a tooth if not informed of the pits. The other dish I tried was the Chicken and Ricotta cannelloni. Tubes of succulent pasta encasing the delicately flavoured filling and topped with a napolitana sauce. Lovely, though even for a Main I was left wanting more. Pasta is also a little pricey, considering it's one of the cheapest things in the world to make though when you stack it up against the offerings of places like fasta pasta, at least you are getting quality here, if not quantity. Considering the prices, the portions need to be much larger and this is no more evident than with dessert. The Tiramisu, in my humble opinion as a Tiramisu connoiseur, has no business calling itself Tiramisu. This tiny little sponge cake bares more resemblance to a bog-standard bakery sponge without the added benefit of a big helping. I could barely taste anything resembling coffee and it made me yearn for the mascarpone and real espresso-rich dessert that Tiramisu should be. The chocolate pudding fares better, but only just. It's gorgeous, served with creme fraiche and a little berry compote that has a beautiful, spicy, aromatic tone to it which, I believe, could be thanks to star anise. It tastes divine but was so small I had to order two for one person and could have gone another. No Chef should ever get away with the excuse of allowing tiny portions because a dessert is "rich". I want a big, fat dessert and this dessert should easily triple in size to be worth the exhorbitant $10+ they are asking for it when, to be honest, the $3.00+ Chocolate Lava Cake at Domino's Pizza packs a better bang for your choccy-obsessed buck. Wine and Grog selections good. Coffee was fantastic the first night I went-Dibella in the hands of a pro is a thing of beauty but like all local coffee roasters (Dibella, Merlo and Campos) it all comes down to the barista. I suspect the girl who made it the first night I went was Barista trained but on my second venture at Bella Cosi a bloke made it and it was pitiful. You cannot make a large cappuccino by just topping up a normal sized one with extra milk. It just doesn't work and means you're drinking hot, coffee flavoured milk, not coffee. Note to all Italian establishments-NEVER LET ANYONE BUT A BARISTA NEAR YOUR LA MARZOCCO! Service is always spot-on but prices need to be lowered, portions enlarged GREATLY (I want to be able to take home a doggy bag-Italian food is about warmth and excess. I want to be fit to burst when I leave!)and coffee and dessert made with quality and finesse on ALL occasions and Bella Cosi will rival any Italian restaurant in Brisbane. Yes, it's that good...Bellisimo!