Forno Bello

there are several Italian places in the DeLand area but unfortunately this isn’t one i’d necessarily recommend. we were greeted by a hostess and seated right away since it was empty but it was several minutes before a waitress came by to get our drink order. after our drinks arrived, we asked for a coupe more minutes to review the menu. we regretted that as the waitress didn’t come back for quite a while. we finally placed our order- i had the Eggplant Margarita pizza and my friend had the Baked Penne. as we waited for our order, the restaurant filled up and we noticed that all of the tables around us received a bread basket and bowl of olive oil but we did not. the waitress then arrived with my pizza a few minutes later but the Baked Penne didn’t come until almost 10 minutes after that. the crust on the pizza was good but the rest of the dough was thin and soggy. the slices of fried eggplant were more breading than eggplant. the Baked Penne was okay- the sauce was quite clumpy due to the ricotta and it didn’t have much flavor, seemed pretty under-seasoned. the overall vibe of the restaurant is that of a typical Italian-American place with Tuscan-style decor and murals, although, there was a specific artwork that i actually really liked. the staff was friendly, just seemed to be a little forgetful even before it filled up. unfortunately, this wouldn’t be the first Italian place i’d recommend to someone in DeLand.

Margarita pizza was pretty disappointing, was more of a regular cheese pizza with a bit of basil. The tomatoes on top… did not exist. The cheese had good flavor and the sauce wasn’t bad but the under crust was soggy. I’m The saving grace of the night was the shrimp scampi was quite good and we will likely return just for that.

The pizza was really good here and this us coming from a born and raised New Yorker who knows good pizza. Probably one of the best I've tasted here in Florida. The menu looked good but I only tried the pizza. Service was equally good and the ambiance it warm and inviting. Nice decor and setting. I will certainly be returing and recommend a visit if you are in the area.