La Dolce Vita

This restaurant is nestled into this ugly little building on Preston, and the décor leaves nothing to be desired, but the food is beyond incredible. I had the chef’s fettuccine; fettuccine noodles, sun dried tomatoes, zucchini, and feta cheese. The portion size was perfect, I ate it all not too much like most other places, then I feel like I’ve wasted money.
We were lucky to snag a table (since its Ottawa race weekend) so maybe call to reserve in the future?
Also there was no mention of Cash or Credit ONLY (which are mentioned in the tips here, but I didn’t get to in time) … I find that a bit strange for a restaurant of this calibre?
Overall would definitely… just with more cash on hand!

for all you celiac people out there that have issues with even cross contamination this is the best place to eat. They cool separately, they fry separately, and they package separately. The pastas are amazing. The lasagna that is gluten free is beyond credible that its even gluten free. My boyfriend can’t tell the difference from his noodles and mine and I have never once gotten sick.
It’s delicious! Go eat there!!! Now!!!
Order the penne with the chicken and mushroom. Nom.
And the minestrone soup is amazing.
Kudo La dolce vita. We order food from ya once every couple of weeks because its so good. :)

Been here a couple times. Great food, good prices. Very accommodating to food allergies.
A little bit squishy in terms of space. Great service.
I’d go back again!

Dinner out with the girls is what brought us to this tasty place. It is in the basement of a building but don’t let that dissuade you from visiting.
The food was terrific-​and tasted homemade, the portions generous as well, and cheesecake to die for.
I give three stars for 1-​service was just ok-​waited forever to order wine of which there are not too many to choose from and 2-​presentation was odd-​buns for garlic bread, chili pepper oil and bread plates on the table but no bread? No offer for more drinks after one glass-​just a few oddities that can’t get me to give 4 stars.
I will go back for sure, but maybe for takeout.

Perhaps it was just the delivery, but I really didn’t think this place was worth ordering from, especially for the prices.

Very disappointing. Terrible pizza crust. Like lead and half-​cooked. Also, the toppings were a bit vinegary or something. It wasn’t cheap, so I emailed the restaurant to complain. No response, so I’m giving them a thumbs down for customer service too. I will not be a return customer. Bread and Sons thin crust pizza is about 1000 times better and a lot less expensive.

So my ball and chain kept talking about some awesome Italian place in Little Italy, downstairs from something or other, but couldn’t remember the name. no clue what he was talking about whatsoever. We decided to go for a walk down Preston, and realized that this place was it! There are stairs that lead to a sort of lower level where La Dolce Vita is located. Once you see it, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
When we saw all of the ingredients packed into the calzones, we knew for sure that we were each going to order one. We were absolutely starving, so we decided rather quickly. I got the Fruitti Di Mare (Seafoood) calzone, with baby shrimp, scallops, lobster, and smoked salmon. He got the Salsiccia Italiana (Italian Sausage) calzone, with mushrooms and hot peppers. All calzones come with garden salads.
The calzones were huge. I ate half, and had to take the other half home. Just the right amount of crispness on the outside, and soft and gooey on the inside. It was almost sourdoughish if flavor, which I really enjoyed, and it was filled with all of the ingredients we ordered, including a generous amount of cheese. Super tasty, especially with a bit of the herbed olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chili flakes, and parmesan cheese they have at the table. The side salads were actually larger than I expected, with a lemony olive oil and vinegar dressing.
Couldn’t resist the gelato for dessert, so I got pistachio (my favorite!). Pistachio flavored, with pistachios in it — YUM! And it came with three scoops?! Wow, was I spoiled.
Service was great, and the prices seemed a bit high at first, but when you see the amount of food, it’s totally worth it. Intimate setting, so it was a nice dinner date for us, but I think there’s a small room in the corner for larger groups. We will definitely return! Oh, and they’re also on
to order online for delivery ;)
²⁄₃₀ #30DaysOfYelp

This is my favourite Italian restaurant in ottawa. The service is fast and the food is outstanding. I come here for the Penne in a roasted sundried tomato cream sauce, and highly recommend it.

My favourite Italian place in Ottawa. Cozy, friendly, and delicious.

It’s hard to give this place an honest review. We went there for a Friday business lunch because one of our group is gluten intolerant and they promised gluten-​free pizza and pasta. When we arrived at 12:30 and there were about 3 tables full. The woman said, «I don’t have a server today. If you want to come in, I’ll do what I can to get you lunch but it won’t be quick.»
So, forewarned, we could have left and found something else but we chose to stay. More than irksome, this potential delay was a reminder of the very narrow margins of success or failure that most restaurants face. So, we waited about 10 minutes to place our orders, but this was no problem because mostly we were talking biz. We kept our orders simple: 4 pizzas, no side goop, tap water, and a carafe of wine to split among 4. As promised, the food did take a while, but the owner (?), chef (?) managed to get the 12 or so customers fed and dispatched.
I had a chicken pizza with cashews. It was pretty good, except that the whole cashews kept launching from my pizza onto my companions’ plates to hilarious effect. My gluten-​sensitive friend said her pizza crust was pretty good and she was impressed that the chef was able to give her a detailed history on the origins of the flour (corn flour from a mill in Perth, I think.)
After she cleared our plates, the chef said good bye and asked if we minded seeing ourselves out when we were done because she had to go back and wash the dishes.
The glamourous life of a small business restaurant owner.

The service and atmosphere boost La Dolce Vita up one star, but, overall I’ve had better. I headed over to La Dolce Vida b/​c of their extensive gluten free menu, but was disappointed by the pizza. The lunch prices are very reasonable so I’d be willing to give it another shot.

La Dolce Vita is a pretty restaurant in Little Italy. It’s rustic looking, and the paintings on the wall are a nice touch.
I had the penne with chicken and mushrooms in a sundried tomato sauce. The entrée was delicious and the portion was big. Everyone seemed satisfied with their meals, especially the Calzones and the Baked Linguine. The garlic bread wasn’t that impressive though — go for another appetizer instead.
Service was also great. The pricing is unecessary for lunch– $ 15 for a pasta dish! Their pizzas and Calzones are also in the $ 14 — 18 range. They would do better to have lunch specials/​portions. If you’re going to go, might as well go for a date or a nice dinner.