La Dolce Vita

I just walked by this place this morning and it looks like Buckley’s has expanded into their space. I’m hoping they just decided to relocate because La Dolce Vita is my favorite Italian restaurant in Seattle!

Very good food! I had the Spaghetti alla Vita which was very good. The portion was good for me, I ate it all and still had room for desert, but I don’t know if I was a hungry male if it would have been enough. My mom had the lobster ravioli special and was very happy with it, but same comment as above about the portion.
Good casual music, very friendly staff. Our waitress was very friendly and knowledgeable about the food, however, 2 different time other staff members had to go get her to wait on us even though there was only one other table of 2 in the restaurant.
Overall, very good. Would recommend if you are looking for a good Italian restaurant.

I’ve been trying to find good Italian food in Seattle for quite some time — tried Machiavelli on Capitol Hill, which offers decent «Italian» fare and good-​bang-​for-​the-​buck, but lacks variety and is insanely crowded at times. The sort of amateurish/​stereotypical Italian food found at Machiavelli (your basic spaghetti, chicken parmesan, lasagna, etc) is basically what you’ll find at La Rustica in West Seattle, or Salvatore in Roosevelt.
Of all the Italian restaurants in the Seattle area that I’ve tried, La Dolce Vita is hands-​down the best. It’s a small restaurant on lower Queen Anne, so seating can be tight at times, but once at the table I’ve had consistently good service.
The food is both traditional and adventurous at the same time. There are almost always some familiar pasta dishes, as well as specials that highlight seasonal ingredients. The menu changes about 4 times a year, coinciding with the seasons. The butternut squash ravioli I had there was outstanding. Salads and desserts have never failed to disappoint.
The only negative I can think of is that (for some reason) they did away with the free bread and made it a menu item you have to purchase. Seems a bit excessive to me, but still a great restaurant.

The food won’t blow you away, but it’s reasonably priced and overall very good. I had the smoked mozerella ravioli, and while the pasta was a little sub-​standard, the cream sauce it was in was fantastic.
Also thought it was very cool that the chef took our order, and was able to answer my fiancé’s many questions about the menu.
Nestled in a decent part of town, pretty small, but doesn’t look like you need a reservation unless it’s a particularly popular eating out day.
I look forward to coming back sometime and trying something else.

I searched through Unilocal to find a good Italian restaurant in Seattle and came across La Dolce Vita. We made reservations here for 8:30 and when we arrived there were only two other parties in the restaurant.
I really like this place because the owner clearly has a passion for good food and wine. If you are in a hurry, this is not the place to go. There is more of a laid-​back, relaxed ambiance and they do not rush you through each course.
I ordered a Super Tuscan (under $ 10 for a glass) and my husband ordered a Stella Artois. Instead of splitting an appetizer, I ordered the spinach salad and my husband got the caesar salad. The spinach salad had amazing bits of bacon, shallots and a warm mustard vinaigrette. Shaved parmesan topped off the delicious salad. My husband’s caesar were hearts of romaine with a grilled piece of bread on the side and he seemed to enjoy it. While we waited for our entrees, we received complimentary bread and olive oil, which was a nice touch especially since they normally charge $ 2.
For entrees, we split two pasta dishes — the gnocchi bolognese in a tomato cream sauce and the tagliatelle with sausage in a spicy tomato sauce. Both dishes were piping hot and amazing. The gnocchi tasted homeade and melted in your mouth. The tagliatelle pasta was my favorite because of the high ratio of sausage to pasta and the hearty, spicy sauce.
We were so full that we couldn’t even order dessert (which was one of the reasons why I wanted to come to this restaurant!). My husband wasn’t feeling well that night so he barely touched his beer. As a nice gesture, the owner did not charge us for the beer. He also came by to chat, asking where we were from and introducing us to the chef. It’s these little touches that makes this place special. So much in fact, that we returned two days later to get the bruschetta appetizer and the chocolate molten cake for dessert! They were about to close but were nice enough to let us in. Better yet, they didn’t even charge us for the bruschetta! If we lived in Seattle I would definitely frequent this restaurant often.

Before a comedy at Key Arena this is where my love and I had dinner. I made reservations here based on Unilocal reviews and the close location to our venue. We were stuck on the bridge so we called to see if we could push our reservation 15 minutes. No problem is what he said. Good feelings already as I was stressed about having enough time to eat and relax before the show.
This place is a little small and when you enter the restaurant you are IN the seating area, so it was a little awkward at first as everyone stared at us, but it was over fast as we got seated right away. The inside is a cozy little spot that tends to be really loud, so not a quiet destination.
La Dolce Vita’s menu is small and just a perfect balance between meat and salad choices and heavy on the pasta options. I wanted to try every single thing on the menu, but next time I will try a different dish.
We had: a Manhatten– perfect.
a basil lemon drop– to die for except no sugared rim.

Grilled Caesar salad– awesome homemade dressing and one perfect croûton, the romaine was just grilled slightly and it was divine.
Arugula salad with shaved fennel– a little hard to eat, but delicious and the dressing was just the right amount.
Ribbon pasta with house made spicy sausage was to die for. Seriously ridiculously good.
Gnocchi with Bolognese sauce– How can I say this? HEAVEN IN MY MOUTH. Pillowy little gnocchi bathed in a rich creamy sauce that was the color of pink that denotes a total sinful dish calorie wise. Just an outstanding dish and worth every calorie and fat gram.
While we ate we enjoyed a fabulous bottle of Barolo wine.
OK– the only negative thing was the service was really slow at first. We got there at 6:30 and did not get our drinks until 7:00. The service then picked up and all the while the server (whom I think was the owner) was extremely genuine. Thats it the only negative thing and really he was so sweet and kind it really did not matter in the end because everything was absolutely great.
All this and the bill before tax was
$ 137.00. Oh i almost forgot at the end of our meal our waiter brought over this wonderful palate cleanser. I was a long skinny shot glass filled with the beautiful liquid. Very palate cleansing indeed. A perfect end.

Went here to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and enjoyed it very much.
This would be a GREAT spot to go in the summer, looks like there’s the same amount of outdoor seating as indoor. We had a wonderfully informative server and she guided us with wine selections etc.
All 6 of us enjoyed our meals, I got the pork medallions which were very good, although a bit peppery. the gnocchi was awesome!
I’d recommend this spot for delicious Italian food, especially if you’re able to sit outside.

High quality olive oil, viscuous tomato sauces, and chocolate dessert that intoxicates… La Dolce Vita is the sweet life. I brought my Valentine’s Day date here, and it did not disappoint. We ordered the bread with olive oil and basalmic vinegar, gnocchi alla bolognese, and the molten chocolate cake with strawberry ice cream. Add two glasses of red Tuscan wine, and it’s a pretty divine combination… 4.5 stars.
The quality of the bread appetizer could be improved a little bit, but, overall this place was pretty amazing. I also found myself wishing that
the tables were just a hair smaller to make kissing a little bit more convenient. I would have loved to have been able to take a little bit of that molten chocolate off of the lips of my significant other…

We decided to make reservations for this place after reading over the menu online and taking in the reviews here on Unilocal.
La Dolce Vita is very small — I would say it seats maybe 50? The lighting is dim, and the music soft. The perfect environment for the romantic dinner me and the man wanted to have. Not overly fancy that it was intimidating, but not too casual. Just right. Very cozy.
Service was outstanding — very friendly, helpful and informative. Great personalities too.
To start off, Eric and I had the bread basket and the Antipasto plate. The bread was, well, bread. Nothing out of the ordinary, but delicious nonetheless. I can NEVER say no to bread! The meats and cheeses on the antipasto plate were out of this world. Do not miss this.
Then Eric got a mini-​order of the Ravioli Affumicato. I tried a few bites and it was amazing! The ravioli was tender, the slices of bacon heavenly, and the cream sauce was delicious!
Eric and I both ended up ordering the Bistecca (rib eye), which was cooked medium rare to perfection. It came with potatoes, caramelized mushrooms and shallots, and broccoli. I wish I could have finished it all, but there was no way. Not even close. I was already pretty full, plus I wanted to save room for dessert.
And I’m so glad I did. I had the Crème Brulee of the day — yesterday’s flavor was Egg Nog. I have not had Crème Brulee in AGES, so I savored this. It was delicious. I can only imagine what their other flavors of the day are and how good they taste!
The menu is small, but everything we had was delicious. Be forewarned that they might be out of a menu item or two. Last night, they were out of the Caprese Salad and the Veal. I had been considering the Veal for dinner (along with the Rib Eye), so the fact that they were out didn’t disappoint me, it just made my decision easier!
We made reservations online with
for 7:45. It wasn’t busy when we arrived at about 7:30, and we were seated right away. Everything came to us in a timely manner. We never had to wait an unbearable amount of time for anything, nor did we ever feel rushed.
Thank you for an excellent dining experience.

Wow, this place was tasty AND reasonably priced! Not cheap, but not as expensive as you’d expect from the décor and tastiness.
I ordered the bread basket (they poured me extra balsamic vinegar when I asked, and the bread was hot and crispy without being too hard) and the mushroom raviolis. The raviolis sauce was excellent!
I’ll definitely be returning to this place.

I hate to give this place less than 4 stars, but the food really, really lacked. Service was superb and our server was fabulous, but the food was less than «eh.»
I got the lobster mushroom pasta. They were out of the normal pasta so I got a replacement fresh pasta noodles that were wide and thin. The entire thing was very dry and just not palatable. The noodles were stuck together as if they had been sitting out for a while and required a knife to cut them into edible pieces. Other parts of the pasta were just not very memorable at all. *Sad panda*

I came here with my boyfriend since I used to work in Queen Anne. After much a terrible day (aka every day I worked at that unnamed company) I decidedly wanted to enjoy some yummy food.
The place was less than 2 blocks away and quite cozy. Nice décor and all sorts of signs telling us how great they were liked on citysearch and such. I started getting excited.
Perhaps that was my downfall. Maybe I just expected to much. But let’s say… once the bread came all went downhill. The olive oil was not seasoned and tasted like the stuff you buy at Safeway. Ew. But oh well, that’s complimentary I told myself.
Wrong.
I ordered the appetizer with lots of different cuts of salami and cured meats. This makes up 2 of the stars. Quite delicious – and the capers were mmmm just right to balance out the meat. For entrees I ordered the «dolce vita» pasta and my boyfriend, seafood linguine (anyone see a pattern here?). Both came in approximately 1 ½ hrs after I had decided my arm was looking attractively edible.
My pasta was ok. It was slightly undercooked and chewy, and there were way too many pea vines in my pasta. These vines were WAY too old (I’m used to those young’in ones you get at Chinese places) and I couldn’t eat them with the pasta since the chef didn’t bother to untangle the vines. Sigh. My boyfriend’s linguine was ok but didn’t quite the seafoody flavor that is so good. Chinese people call that the «xian» flavor and boy was it lacking.
We didn’t order dessert because I didn’t expect anything better. The waiter glared at us when we refused the dessert menu. How rude.
Prices were also WAY too much for stuff I could cook up in the kitchen. So where does the 3^rd star come from? I had a coupon from
so it took $ 25 off our bill. That come down to a reasonable price so I guess I can’t complain TOO much.
Not coming back though.

I would come back only if someone does the planning OR I happen to be in the neighborhood. We had reservations but we could tell that ldv wasn’t planning on having that many people on a Friday night. (Would’ve been a star less as our server was quite slow on some of our ordered items, but he did have a 12 person party come in on our heels AND it was Bite of Seattle’s opening day)
I enjoyed my pappardelle alla bolognese– the ribbons of pasta were perfectly cooked and the flavorful sauce was the right amount. Not the ubiquitous over sauced «americani» bolognese junk, but a really finely cooked bolognese that left me wondering how to recreate it at home.
My party of friends enjoyed sharing their plates which was a boon for me since I couldn’t make up my mind. I was riding the fence on the pasta vs. the chicken done arrabiata style. The chicken was done with a good spicy kick & perfect crispy skin while maintaining a moist interior. The skin was a little bit too salty… the paired polenta helped to save it when the two are combined on the fork and enjoyed.
Pea vines found on a friend’s rack of lamb were a pleasant surprise. I usually only see it at Chinese restaurants but ldv’s preparation was wonderful! Not overcooked, each bite I swiped off the friend’s plate was young and tender with a pleasant crispy chew.
75% of our table ordered the Limonata Rosa. This cocktail arrived either fully stirred in a pleasant rose hue OR layered like a prophetic rainy sunset (if you live in Seattle, you know what I mean). It had Finamore limoncello, San Pellogrino limonata and a splash of cranberry juice. After savoring each sip, it left me wanting to also recreate it at home. For $ 12 and considering the size, not bad.
Tiramisu wasn’t bad, each mouthful was chocolatey, spongey and full creamy consistency. I still prefer Tutta Bellas, but this runs a close 2^nd.

This restaurant embodies the word «ambivalence». There are high notes and low notes that mitigate the effects of the other in a parallel dimensional tug of war.
In summary, the service was very friendly yet tended to be slow and inefficient (partially explained by specific circumstances but indicative of coordination issues). Most of the food was cooked to excellence though there was at least one inedible portion. Wine service was dismal but the customer service response made up for it. This place is ideal for groups who can carry on involved conversations. Otherwise, the long waits will be intolerable.
This review will be pretty long since I like to narrate my experience and the dinner was nearly 3 hours.
When we first walked in, I have to say it was awkward. We were the first to arrive from our party and I felt that we were given the third degree before being seated (albeit in very smiley, friendly manner). She acted as if she was waiting at a 200 seat mega-​restaurant and that I needed a registration confirmation number to find our reservation. Um… ok.
We awkwardly stood around for over five minutes before being acknowledged again to be seated. We waited another 15 minutes for water on this hot day. After our party of six had all arrived, I realized why the waitstaff was a bit frazzled. There was a huge party of at least 12 people being seated around the same time. The server made efforts to help us out by entering our drink and appetizer orders first.
Drinks: Their limoncello-​based cocktail was AMAZING! It was served looking like a sunset and tasting of sweet lemony goodness. Be careful of how many you scarf down or you’ll soon be forgetting how tasty it is. The wine, on the other hand, was dismal. The glass of pinot grigio was watery with strange herbal notes. My date ordered a rose of which they only had a sparkling variety. It was too cloying and sweet so we asked that they set it aside for our dessert. They forgot to bring it out, but they comped both our wines. Bravo. Our side of the table just had bad luck with delayed drink service overall.
Appetizers: The Antipasti Misto was… confusing. The pickled red onions were well done and one of the marinated mild cheeses was very tasty. A couple of the cured meats just tasted funky and others gamey. The texture was reminiscent of jerky without the satisfying savory/​salty kick of tasty cured meats. They also included a dollop of a mysterious red pulp. It looked like chili sambol but tasted of mild tomato with a whiff of anchovy. The sausage and clams were on the acceptable side of tasty. Lots of fennel seed flavor from the italian sausage. The $ 2 gouge for an order of bread is something I frown upon, especially if they serve appetizers that SCREAM for an accompaniment.
Entrees: We did a round robin of all the entrees so I got to taste everything. The chicken, lamb, pork, ribeye, and pasta were all perfectly cooked to order. Juicy chicken, slightly bloody medium rare ribeye, pink lamb, tender pork and chewy al dente pasta. The polenta had garlic bits that were minced to the same size as the polenta granules, which was pleasant and very flavorful. The seasoning on all the meats were well executed. Big points.
So it was surprising that the risotto served with the lamb was absolutely horrible. The rice was cooked to a mushy texture that wasn’t helped by the lack of flavor. Wait, I take that back. The risotto did have a flavor of sour, uncooked, watery wine. Our table brainstormed a fantastic scenario by which the chef accidentally spilled some wine on the finished rice. It involved a disgruntled llama.
Service: Yes, there were probably more people at one table than they were accustomed to, but I think it enhanced the pre-​existing flaws in their service. There was a clear lack of coordination and some communication. An example was when a waiter took our appetizers to two different tables before asking the person who took our order where they should go. It took about 20 minutes to bring an order of bread and my date had to order nearly everything twice in 15 minute intervals. I do commend them for maintaining a pleasant and friendly demeanor even when they knew their performance was clearly lacking.
Atmosphere: Though it was hot out that day, the temperature was temperate inside the restaurant. The flying insects became noticeable during dinner and I even smacked some fat mosquitoes with a menu. At three different times the lights were quickly turned down, making it difficult to see for a few minutes. But It was strange because the lights seemed to be bright each time before it was lowered. If I were paranoid, I’d say they were screwing with the chip in my head.
In the end, I’m not really left with a solid opinion. Maybe I’ll go back again? The tiramisu was tasty.

nice neighborhood restaurant tucked away in the shadow of the space needle. I picked this place for meeting my girl’s parents for the first time… trying hard to impress and La dolce came through
our waiter, Mr. Frost, was pleasant and quite the social butterfly with all the regulars… the homemade, on-​the-​house taramisu for dessert was quite good
serving size for my gnocci could have been bigger i think, but it was definetly flavorful

We went here for my husband’s birthday dinner. I’m sad to say it didn’t live up to our expectations. I started with the Caesar salad which turned out to be two whole leaves of Romaine warmed with a dollop of dressing. As my husband said, «The warm, flat lettuce reminded him of what you get in a hamburger.»
The wine selection was good, but dinner took nearly 50 minutes to appear (and we were only one of two couples in the restaurant). I have to say my pumpkin gnocchi was amazing. And the sauces in both of our dishes were out of this world. But my husband stated that his Rabbit Ragu (which tasted identical to a cheap stroganoff) was way behind my chicken cacciatore. My pork spiral was better… the sauce was the saving grace of both dishes.
The service was slow, and with such a light crowd you’d have thought we’d been attended to better. The heater we were sitting by was on full blast. I switched seats with my hubby but when I felt the chair I couldn’t keep my hand on it for more than a second it was so hot. I moved to the next chair over, and we still waited a good 15 minutes before our waiter appeared and we asked him to turn the heater off. All in all, the sauces and certain aspects of the dish were great, but I won’t be going back.

I’ve been here several times. It never disappoints, but it is much more enjoyable in the summer when one can dine on the patio. From the patio there is even a narrow view of the sound and sunsets can be dazzling.
Good italian food, good service and a really good wine list make this a great spot to take a date or have a romantic dinner. It’s not terribly crowded (at least when I’ve been there) so it is a good place to drop in. Not super fast though so make sure you are not in a hurry to go somewhere. Dinner here should be about 2 hours.

Very tasteful, both in décor as well as actual flavor. This would be a perfect place to take a date who can appreciate more authentic Italian haute cuisine. The menu is short but extremely diverse, and the wine list is enormous and well-​rounded.
I started with a chianti and some of the most buttery gnocchi I’ve ever tasted in a creamy, slightly earthy sauce with mustard greens. Excellent flavor and texture combinations, and a good appetizer.
For the main course, I had a pork tenderloin that was pinwheeled with gorgonzola and pistachios and topped with a reduced orange cranberry jus that was surprising and very appropriate. The tenderloin was cooked at a perfect medium-​rare/​medium, preserving the perfect balance of flavor and texture — I almost felt like I was eating fresh sashimi at times. In addition to the pork, I was served yet more gnocchi, except these were made from pumpkin and slightly firmer (yet no less delicious). Also some seared brussels sprouts were served, which had crispy outer layers and a very agreeable aroma and flavor. All in all, the food was excellent.
My only complaints would be the excessively short wine-​by-​the-​glass menu, and the slightly too-​fast service. The restaurant was nearly empty yet I felt slightly rushed. Despite these complaints though, I give La Dolce Vita my highest rating and most unambiguous recommendation for any lover of northern Italian flavors.

Service was impeccable & we were seated immediately! What a change from the usual places… Anyhoo, delicious, and a decent price. The atmosphere was nice but not really my tatse (maybe because it had frilly lace curtains? I was waiting for Sophia Petrillo to jump out at me from the Golden Girls). The service and dinner make up for it.
We started off with the Bruschetta which was the best that I’ve had– they had a variety of different toppings: mushrooms & garlic, tomatoes & olives. I appreciated the light flavors & creativity. The dinner was fabulous, we both had the pan seared halibut with strawberries and it was a perfect mixture of flavors.
Our server was attentive, friendly and helpful. He always came at the right time and with great suggestions.
The bread was flavorless (I am a firm believer in good bread) and spongy. The dessert was cold & soggy (but still good. of course we were hungry :)
I will definitely go there again but try a different dessert.

Went to eat dinner here on Saturday night, and left full and happy. Anyway the things we ordered (since my dinner groups always share food), Cesar salad, mushroom risotto, seafood linguine (with mushrooms per my request), Sausage and mushroom penne in tomato cream sauce, and some chicken fettuccine. Anyway all of them were delicious, especially the risotto, and the seafood linguine. The service was top notch from beginning to end, and the pricing was very fair. The $ 15 corkage fee is very reasonable (and a good way to still have wine with your dinner without breaking the bank). I think all in all the 3 of us spent about $ 25 each after tax & tip. Couldn’t spent more if we got desserts, could’ve spent less if we skimped on the appetizers and wine, overall very reasonable.
The rosemary bread with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar is a nice plus. The restaurant is quite small, but there was no wait for a table, and I was able to set up my reservation through opentable. The environment is also quite cozy, so you could come in casual or dressed up and either way you’d fit in.
The next time I’m in Seattle craving pasta, I know where I’m stopping in.
~G