Restaurant in Newport Beach, United States
Two Michelin Plates. Book 1–2 weeks out.
Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) make Bello by Sandro Nardone Newport Beach's most consistently credentialed Italian option at the $$$ tier. The room is compact and composed, the kitchen delivers reliably, and moderate booking difficulty means you can plan 1–2 weeks ahead rather than months out. Book for a weekend lunch or sit-down dinner when you want Italian that takes itself seriously without tasting-menu stakes.
If you came once for dinner and left impressed, a return visit to Bello by Sandro Nardone will confirm what you suspected: this is one of Newport Beach's more reliable Italian rooms. Two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024 and 2025) signal consistency rather than a one-time performance, and at the $$$ price tier, it sits at a fair midpoint for the quality it delivers. The question on a second visit is less whether Bello holds up, and more whether you get the most out of it — the right table, the right service dynamic, the right format for the occasion.
Bello occupies a suite-style space at 1200 Bison Ave in Newport Beach's Fashion Island corridor — a strip-adjacent address that could easily swallow a restaurant's personality. It doesn't. The interior reads as a considered Italian room rather than a generic continental fallback: compact enough to feel convivial without becoming loud, and laid out in a way that rewards asking for a specific table rather than taking the first offer. For a return visitor, that spatial awareness matters. A table along the perimeter gives you more room to settle in and less ambient noise than the floor centre. If your first visit was a counter or high-traffic seat, request the change on a second booking.
The scale is modest, which has implications for when you go. Bello is not a sprawling venue where walk-ins absorb into the crowd. Capacity constraints mean a full room feels full , but it also means the service-to-diner ratio stays manageable, and the kitchen's output stays consistent.
For readers arriving on a weekend or curious about the morning-to-midday offer: Italian brunch formats in this tier tend to deliver differently than dinner. The kitchen's strengths in composed pasta and clean protein execution translate well to midday service, where dishes are lighter and the pacing is less formal. Bello's Italian identity fits this format naturally , expect the kind of service rhythm where a leisurely two-hour table isn't a problem. This is a better call for a late-morning catch-up with someone you want to talk to than a quick pre-activity lunch, given the room's energy and the kitchen's pace. Compared to a Californian brunch at Fable & Spirit, Bello's midday offer is more structured and sits at a higher price point, but the trade is a more composed experience rather than a casual all-day vibe.
Two Michelin Plates in successive years is a meaningful credential at this level. A Plate signals that Michelin inspectors found the cooking good enough to acknowledge, without awarding a Star , which in practical terms means you're getting professionally executed Italian food that cleared an external quality bar. It's a more useful trust signal than a single-year mention, because it demonstrates the kitchen isn't running on a good-year performance. For context, Michelin-recognised Italian restaurants at comparable price tiers in California include venues like Providence in Los Angeles at the starred end of the scale. Bello is not in that conversation, but it is a reliably credentialed option for Newport Beach Italian dining. The Google rating of 4.3 across 325 reviews supports the Michelin assessment: not rapturous, but consistently well-regarded.
At $$$, Bello prices above the casual Italian bracket but below the full-tasting-menu category. For Newport Beach, where dining costs track upward across the board, this tier is mid-range by local standards. You are paying for a kitchen with a named chef , Sandro Nardone , and a Michelin-acknowledged track record. If you are comparing by price-per-quality rather than absolute spend, Bello competes well against Newport Beach peers at similar price points. It does not try to compete with the $$$$-tier Japanese precision of Sushi ii or the formal French service at Marché Moderne. The pitch is: good Italian cooking, in a room that takes itself seriously, at a price that doesn't require a special-occasion justification.
Booking difficulty is moderate. Bello is not a same-week walk-in at prime time, but it is also not a three-month waitlist situation. Aim to book 1–2 weeks ahead for a Friday or Saturday evening. Midweek tables are generally more accessible. For weekend brunch, the timeline is slightly more forgiving, but the room's modest size means availability can close faster than the format suggests. Book through the reservation system rather than attempting walk-ins, particularly for groups of four or more.
Quick reference: Italian, $$$, Newport Beach , Michelin Plate 2024 & 2025, Google 4.3 (325 reviews), moderate booking difficulty, 1–2 weeks ahead recommended for weekend tables.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Bello by Sandro Nardone | $$$ | — |
| Fable & Spirit | $$ | — |
| Sushi ii | $$$$ | — |
| Bourbon Steak Orange County | — | |
| Marché Moderne | $$$ | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Italian kitchens at this price point ($$$, two Michelin Plates) typically accommodate common restrictions with advance notice. Contact Bello directly before booking rather than flagging it on arrival — chef-driven restaurants adjust better when they have preparation time. The menu is Italian in format, so gluten and dairy requests are the most relevant to raise ahead of your visit.
At $$$, Bello sits above casual Italian but short of full tasting-menu pricing, and two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) confirm the cooking holds up to scrutiny. For Newport Beach, where comparable spend often buys you a surf-and-turf steakhouse, Bello delivers something more focused. If Italian is your format and you want a kitchen that has been formally recognized two years running, the price is justified.
Book 1–2 weeks ahead for weekend slots — prime-time tables don't last, but this isn't a three-month waitlist situation. The address is 1200 Bison Ave, Suite C2, in the Fashion Island corridor: a strip-adjacent location that reads low-key from the outside. Chef Sandro Nardone's Italian cooking has earned Michelin Plate recognition two years in a row, so expectations should be set accordingly — this is a serious kitchen, not a neighbourhood trattoria.
Yes, with caveats on group size and format. The suite-style space suits couples and small groups better than large parties. Two Michelin Plates give it the credibility you want for a birthday or anniversary, and $$$ pricing means it reads as a treat without requiring a tasting-menu commitment. Book ahead and mention the occasion when reserving.
Marché Moderne is the closest peer — French rather than Italian, but similarly positioned as a chef-driven, formally recognized option in the area. Bourbon Steak Orange County is the move if your group wants a higher-spend steakhouse format. Fable & Spirit offers a different register entirely, better for drinks-forward casual dining than a special occasion meal. Sushi ii is worth considering if you want to shift cuisine category at a comparable price point.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
