A new pizza place recently opened up in the northern end of Boca Raton on Federal Highway named Bella Nonna Gourmet Pizza. It took the location of many a failed food establishment, including but not limited to Giovanni's Pizza. Someone told me they saw Bella Nonna Pizza advertising on Facebook one day and asked if I had checked it out out. I hadn't so the other day I went in with a couple of buddies to check it out.

Bella Nonna Gourmet Pizza didn't really look like it changed much since my previous visit into the pizzeria, when it was owned by some other name. We went up to the counter, but didn't see any pizza in the display case, so we asked what we should do, and were told with what sounded like a Brazilian accent, to order here and sit down. We ordered up a few different pies and began the wait.

The problem with novices who open pizzerias without experience, is they fail to comprehend some basic facts. First and foremost is the user experience (UX) of the place. When a customer walks in, you need to first make certain they do not walk out. In this instance they failed. No pizza to choose from, and nothing really letting me know what we should do. Sit, order etc. Not the type of place I would usually try if I wasn't there to review.

The guys I was with ordered a bunch of weird pizzas with toppings I didn't eat. I ordered just a plain pie and asked for it a bit well done. One by one the pizza pies came to the table, except mine. Each and every single pizza with toppings, that should take minutes longer than a regular pie found their way to the table. After my buddies were just about done with the pizza, I went to the counter and asked where my pizza was. He said "it is being made" but I watched as the pizza maker first started to make my plain pie as I walked away. Strike two, they forget my pizza unti I mentioned it again. Since we were the only people eating there, this is unacceptable to be so lackadaisical to forget a pizza. Based upon four pizzas, and some drinks, the bill would be almost $100 during a slow lunch time for them. The last thing you want to do is get the food wrong.

My pizza finally arrived at the table, well after all the other pizzas were eaten, and almost an hour later, full of flour on the crust and not well done like initially asked for. Strike three. This means I won't be returning. But let's discuss if the pizza was decent enough for you to go and try.

Bella Nonna Pizza, although full of flour on the crust wasn't completely awful. If you are in the area, and hungry, you probably won't be too unpleased with the taste, so go check it out.  The sauce had a little kick to it but was toned down a little by the mozzarella cheese that was too lightly applied. As you can see in the photo above, the pizza was full of crust and sauce, but not much cheese. The crust tasted a bit bland, and a little undercooked, but they can fix this.

Here is my advice Bella Nonna Gourmet Pizza:

Use less flour

Don't be stingy with the cheese

Listen to what your customers order and make sure to get it right. Hopefully my readers will have a more pleasant experience than I did.

Bella Nonna Gourmet Pizza in Boca Raton gets 4 out of 8 slices.