Holly Barclay / 25 July 2025 / Categories: Food & Drink, Restaurants

Bella Italia Versus Wagamama two different experiences after summer holiday activities with teenage grandchildren

A few weeks ago I took the grandchildren all teenagers to Wagamama’s their choice and we all had a great time and a good meal. The atmosphere was lively, the food whilst very spicy was cooked to order and came to the table as it was ready so we all ended up sharing the dishes the kids had picked in the most part. We had wok fried greens, bang bang cauliflower a couple of different rice dishes and a pad Thai noodle dish with soya instead of the chicken or fish options. The kids had cokes or Fanta, Asahi Japanese beer for the adults and couple of people ordered freshly squeezed vegetable fruit juice cocktails, with unusual names, one I remember a green concoction called “Positive” that comes in two sizes, Regular and large. If I recall correctly I thought these pressed drinks were quite pricy, the regulars cost about £6.00 each. I tasted one and it was definitely airing on the options for the health conscious. Tasted perfectly palatable, bright green in colour with a froth on top from the vegetables blitzed and after a little while of standing they did split into more pulpy greens and thinner liquid but enjoyable even though I’d never had anything like that before.

The service was quick and organised, the orders were written on the paper menus in the table, presumably so the serving staff knew where to drop things off as they were cooked.

It was a young fun lively experience. I’d certainly never been anywhere quite like it. It seemed like the place if you were a teenager you might go and hang out on a date, or double date. There were quite a few young people dining without adults when we went on a Saturday afternoon. And a few diners had shopping bags so enjoying lunch after a shop.

I have never been to a restaurant like this before. And I did really enjoy the hustle and bustle of steaming food delivered straight out of the kitchen into the counter like tables. It’s more a refectory feeling so the one thing I did miss is a back to my seat. Definitely an age thing, sitting on a bench for an extended period of time wasn’t the most comfortable maybe why I was the oldest person in there.

The prices, it wasn’t cheap. Main courses were between £12 and £15, starters anywhere up to £10. The sodas and beers were average £4 for a coke £6 for a beer. It was the fresh prepared vegetable juices that were the highest price but I guess that’s because of the raw ingredient costs involved.

We loved the food but the beers and loads of water were needed as the heat from the chilli’s, and I like spicy was a lot especially on a sunny day. It’s the kind of food that tastes so good you eat and then you get a delayed spice reaction when everyone goes red and reaches for the water.

We all had fun and a definite experience. It’s next to the Showcase cinema in Highcross shopping centre so great for a family outing or special treat.

The next place we tried was Bella Italia and Italian and I use the term loosely next to the bowling alley at the Meridian complex on the ring road in Leicester and compared to Wagamama even though it was the same price it was an absolutely disaster.

It’s a big restaurant and when we sat down pretty much the same timing on a Saturday afternoon it was virtually empty. The fizzy drinks ordered came from a siphon not a bottle with one part melted ice cube in each and the wine for the adults had to be sent back as completely undrinkable. We tried to adapt the menu a little to suit our tastes and found things like extra mushrooms and chilli’s added to plain tomato pasta at £15.00 a plate put an extra £6 per person on the bill which just wasn’t worth it.

The pasta was over cooked and the pizza had to be returned to the kitchen, the dough uncooked in the middle. We planned to have gelato from the Italian cart we spied on the way in but the food was so shocking we ended up high tailing it out of there to save the staff any further embarrassment. I think our expectation was just too high as the staff seemed unruffled and unresponsive to our concerns. And when the pizza went back the chef who we could see in the open kitchen wasn’t happy. The part of all she knew it was us who’d sent it back as we were the only table in the place pretty much.

We didn’t complain about the bill with all the extra charges on it when it arrived, the atmosphere felt a bit hostile so we just paid and left. The bowling was really fun but if you are looking to eat afterwards I’d recommend one of the other options. There are a few large brand name restaurants to choose from in the complex, I saw a Frankie and Bennys which on reflection would have perhaps been a better choice.

Two completely different experiences for the same group of people all with different tastes and preferences costing about the same amount. One even though it started trading in 1992 felt like it was still on the way up. The other felt like it was definitely on the way down.