March 10th, 2003 | The lowdown by Sara Douglas

Bella Italia: In a word, "Amazing".

One of my first memories of being is Norwich is my first night going into town on a Sunday night. With no idea where I was or where to go, I wandered around looking for a place to eat, eventually coming across what is now one of my favorite places: Bella Italia. A chain restaurant (Italian, needless to say) with a very un-chain like atmosphere, Bella Italia offers great food at really amazing prices.

Coming from America where the dollar is incredibly weak therefore making England seem like the world's most expensive place (it might be...), a good price is definitely worth making note of. Not only are the prices particularly inexpensive, but every Monday and Wednesday the two Bella restaurants in town offer a 50% off special for students. It's amazing: all food but not drinks, are 50% off. It's really that simple. On every other day of the week, you can get 20% off all food with a student id.

The food really is great, something to write home about; the people who work there are generally quite pleasant and accommodating. The constant Italian music may be a bit too much sometimes, but is part of the experience nonetheless.

The restaurants are rarely filled to capacity. Reservations usually aren’t necessary, expect on Wednesday nights, and you always get the full attention of whoever is waiting on you.

Bella Italia has been an undeniably important element of my experience here. I'd like to think of it as "my" place, although I'm sure there have been a million other people who have thought the same thing. For the atmosphere, the food, and the prices of the food, Bella Italia is a great place for an everyday meal, or a particularly nice dinner.