Bella Regina: Authentic Italian Dining in Utica, NY

Great meal at Bella Regina. Four diners and not a single complaint. Sicilian riggies were very good and enough for two meals. Great service from Diane!

Food was delicious. Portions were huge. Atmosphere was fun. Great vibe. Server was super friendly. Would def come back. Not crazy about the booth seating. It wasn't very comfortable. We will probably ask for a table next time. Also would be nice to ask us if we wanted a glass for our beer. She did bring us water to drink with our meal and extra plates to share our apps, etc... Table was quickly cleared as we finished each course. We just really enjoyed the experience.

Portions are massive and delicious. Aracini (spinach) and meatballs are excellent. Riggies were flavorful (though a little overcooked for the pasta). Garlic bread had good flavor. The chicken Piccata had great balance of flavors.

I'm no local "Utican(?)", but I do love a good dish of chicken riggies ever since I stumbled upon the dish years ago. I've been looking for the best. I have tried "It's a Utica Thing", "Chesterfield Tavalos", and several others. This is the best I've encountered, hands down. I was passing through. I wanted chicken obviously but also wanted to add sausage as that was a previous version I had in the past that I enjoyed. They ask: good with mushrooms? Absolutely. All hot pepps, sweet pepps, or mix? I like heat but wanted to make sure I could taste the dish...being my first visit. I opted for the mix. I am impressed. The sauce was so very well balanced.....seasoned very well. Next time I will go all hot cherry pepps, as I love that extra heat. The mix is a great happy middle ground for most palletes. I love that the sauce was not too salty, too many places oversalt this dish. This however, was a great balance of the heavy cream and tomato sauce. About half the places I'll try riggies from have either greasy sauce, broken sauce, or both. Not here. Lets talk portion size! This bowl was easily 2.5 lbs....even after sneaking a few bites before I got home. The dish doesnt even lend itself to pretty pictures but lemme say...these pictures don't do it justice. All in all, this is a great, well proportioned mix of riggies, chicken, italian sausage, peppers, mushrooms, sauce. Service wise I was greeted immediately and asked if I had ordered ahead. There were friendly and pleasant greetings from the multiple ladies that I encountered. Bella Regina I will see you again to try something else! Well done in the kitchen. Cheers.

The Best Riggies in the entire area, no discrepancy or comparison to any place. If you love Riggies like we do, you HAVE to come here. Service is always pleasant and very nice even if its busy. The atmosphere is VERY Italian with lots to look at with antiques. One of the best places to eat in the area hands down. 13/10 recommended.

Bella Regina is back where it used to be 10-15 years ago. I remember the chicken riggies being awesome, and I was not disappointed. The atmosphere is nice and calm and the service was pretty good. The greens are different than I expected, maybe fresher with more lettuce. Anyway, it’s not quite my style but my wife absolutely loved them.

Have heard so many great things about the food and I was not disappointed. Everything was great, staff is friendly and the food is absolutely delicious!! HUGE portions so make sure to go hungry! We will definitely be going back!!!

A local recommended this restaurant and it was AMAZING! I ordered Fish bites appetizer, the batter ratio was on point. For the meal I ordered the Sweet chicken riggies !!!!DELICIOUS!!!! Im very picky about my chicken but it was cooked to perfection. To end the meal I ordered the Lime-Berry mascarpone cake. MUST TRY!!!