Good Food award for Sussex restaurant that is favourite of Who singer Roger Daltrey

The Blue Ribbon award is bestowed upon those with high customer ratings/votes and is known as – the ‘Blue Ribbon for Delicious Dishes’.

To win the award an outlet has to meet certain criteria such as creating delicious dishes, consistently receiving positive customer feedback and having a great Food Hygiene score.

La Bella Vista specialises in contemporary Italian dishes, and is run by Aldo Esposito, his wife Deborah, and brother Franco. The family have owned it since 2015.

Reacting to the award, Aldo Esposito said: “I am deeply honoured that La Bella Vista has been recognised with a Good Food Award for the second year running. This award means so much to us, as it reflects our dedication to quality, authenticity, and creativity in every dish we serve.

“I am incredibly grateful to our talented, loyal and hardworking team, whose passion and commitment make La Bella Vista what it is. Their dedication to excellence shines through every service, and this recognition is truly a testament to their efforts.

“I also want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our loyal guests and the local community who support us each day. It’s their enthusiasm and encouragement that drive us to continually innovate and bring our vision of contemporary Italian cuisine to life.

“We look forward to continuing this journey together, sharing our love for food and creating memorable experiences at La Bella Vista.”

One of the restaurant’s fan’s is Who singer Roger Daltrey, who lives in East Sussex. He says he loves La Bella Vista because of its great atmosphere and food, commenting: ““I love restaurants, and I love taking people to dinner. There’s a wonderful little Italian one in Hastings called La Bella Vista – I’m a massive fan of the town. There’s something funky and down to earth about it that suits me.”

The award comes as a real boost for staff, who were subject to a ‘an horrific physical attack’ in October after a customer disputed a bill. Police arrested a 39-year-old woman from Crawley nearby in Saxon Street on suspicion of criminal damage, common assault and assault.

A spokesperson for the Good Food Awards said: “Our awards are free to enter and purely based on merit, spotlighting the most deserving. We celebrate top-notch food, service, and value, basing our awards on what matters most: customer opinion. By using customer feedback/online reviews/nominations/votes, we ensure our awards reflect genuine dining experiences.

“Every year, the competition among entrants is tough. With 598,096 food premises in the UK, our readers always have plenty to choose from.

La Bella Vista uses fresh, local, seasonal ingredients. They offer a wide variety of Italian a la carte dishes, and a set lunch menu on weekdays from noon to 4pm.

In 2019, La Bella Vista won the Muddy Stilettos Award for the Best Restaurant in Sussex for the second year running. La Bella Vista also won the More Radio Award for Best Restaurant in Sussex in 2019.