Bella Gioia is indeed a ""beautiful joy."" The restaurant is beautifully decorated in a very authentic Italian style. The kitchen is open and extremely clean. The entire cooking staff and management are Italians. One of the chefs is a surgeon ( a real surgeon not figurative). The brick oven is traditional Italian. The flour is imported from Naples. The cirio is imported from Italy to California and then shipped to Portland, Oregon. The real joy is that EVERYTHING in the establishment is imported from Italy (except for maybe a broom or the toilet paper). The owners went to a lot of trouble and expense to bring Italy (genuine) to Portland, Oregon. The best part is I didn't have to spend over $1,000 to fly to Italy to enjoy REAL Italian cuisine. For those of you who want quiet- go to the library or a bad restaurant that nobody eats at. For European customer service- 5 star all the way. The waiter was polite and attentive and there was minimal wait time for the Mona Lisa of mangia. For those of you who do not give Bella Gioia a five star rating, go ahead and be content with ramen and ketchup like you get at these fugazi Italian joints. Bella Gioia is THE REAL DEAL not Chef Boyardee.
Pros: Authenticity, the clamor of enjoyment, EVERYTHING!
Cons: Bad reviews without justification.
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