Dolce Gelato

I do not understand why this place has such high reviews. It is in a really convenient location for me, which makes it all the more disappointing. I am a coffee drinker. Not sweet, milky, sugar drinks. COFFEE. Their coffee at times has been so weak, it just tastes like murky water. Other times it has been ok, but that’s it.
Also, the service is terrible. I went in the other day and there were two girls working. One took my order while the other was busy and told me it would be a minute because I had come at the end of a rush. After standing there for 5 minutes, watching her talk to a guy in the back of the café, I approached the other girl to get my coffee.
I’ve never had the gelato, so I can’t speak on that, but for coffee, it’s terrible.

in my opinion, Vancouver, WA’s best kept secret Panini shop! The most delicious Panini I have ever tasted. — Especially the VEGGIE!
Love this place and would recommend it 100 times over…

The gelato was delicious and affordable. The people working there were nice too. Will go again!

Love this place, customer service is fantastic! Yummy coffee, good prices!

Had a panini and it was delicious! Also had the salted caramel gelato… YUM!!! Great service, nice homey atmosphere. I will be back!

By far One of the best Gelato cafes around. I want to start by saying the owner Mike went all out to help me out. It was the middle of the afternoon and I needed enough Gelato to serve 120 people. I had already pre order this somewhere else had no idea I was not getting it. Well I caledl Mike and right away he was ready to help me out. Everything worked out and the wedding party was happy. Thanks Mike

Delicious Panini’s and the lunch specials have been great since the new owner took over! It was spendy before, but now it’s definitely more reasonable. My only complaint is that sometimes their gelato is melty. It definitely tastes better in the summer. Seeing as it’s wintertime and they probably don’t sell alot of it, I won’t hold it against them. The service is excellent and they are always extrememly attentive and helpful. I wish they would sell a cheaper deli-​style sandwich for days where I have to take a quick lunch.

Yummy! totally delicious! delicious gelato! delicious lattes! everything was great! delicious hot cocoa!

The best panini I’ve had in a long time, plus a great salad, friendly service, and a delicious latte. I would recommend the half ham panini with all the toppings (tomatoes, pepperonis, onions) and the pesto sauce. The side house salad was excellent too!

Don’t get what the big hub bub is about this place. As gelato goes, I’ve had better. The salted caramel gelato tasted like old refrigerator, and the death by chocolate should’ve been named «Semi-​fredo chocolate soup» the two had completely different consistencies, and the caramel gelato ended up an island of crystallized meh in a lake of chocolate ooze… really not good. Maybe it was an off day, so I’ll try again next week.

Yum yum YUM!
This is such a cute and cozy place. I liked sitting by the fireplace and eating my ice cream.

Mouthgasm!
Tastiest gelato around.
For those of you who don’t know, its like fking amazing ice cream.
Made from the breast milk of goddesses! Or something like that…
Flavors constantly change!
Yum

First of all, a correction to Kim C.‘s review. You CAN get 2 flavors in the single scoop cup of gelato. Perhaps this was changed since her review was written in 2009, but I’ve never had a problem asking for 2 flavors in the small cup.
The gelato is very tasty and the flavors varied and fun. The paninis are likewise delicious. In fact, I used to think I didn’t like panini sandwiches until I tried them here. Than you for converting me!
I always get gracious service as well, and the ambiance is quite nice. I also appreciate that the tables and chairs are always clean. (There’s a gelato place in SLC I like a lot, but the tables and couches are always filthy, which is a turn off. Even though I like the taste of SLC’s gelato slightly better, I prefer Dolce Gelato because of this.)

Great venue, good service. Gelato flavors change often and are delicious. Also great coffee and breakfast sandwiches.

Dolce Gelateria Café is the best place for lunch in downtown Vancouver, bar none, if you like Panini sandwiches. It is also the only place to buy Gelato (Staccato Gelato — Portland brand) in downtown Vancouver that I am aware of… and I love gelato and ice cream, however for ice cream lovers check out Ice Cream Renaissance in upper downtown Vancouver, but don’t let the name fool you; they serve more than ice cream.
It is just a ½ block from Esther Short Park, which means you don’t need to hit one of the 4 chain restaurants downtown and still know you are going to receive consistent quality.
Besides their great paninis and gelato at Dolce, they have several types of quiche, coffees (fair trade), fruit some pastries and other drinks. I normally go for all the fix’ens on a pastrami panini including the pesto. Normally they have spumoni gelato and if I walk out with less than a pint, I consider myself to be a strong person that day.
There is a stack of Willamette Week right on the front counter and in the back are several large and nice couches to lounge on, not some beat up things found at the thrift store. The couches are located by wall to wall and floor to ceiling windows which add just enough light to Dolce to give it a nice warm feeling as the color scheme is earth tones of browns and reds throughout including the ceiling.
The staff at Dolce have always been friendly and gone out of their way to find something in the back, if they run short.
Mmmm…wish I could go there for lunch today, dang!

I’ve never had gelato before… and had no idea it had the same consistency as ice cream — only it’s rather healthier?! Sweeet. Got me a hazelnut waffle cone. Mmmmm.
ice cream BB!!!
gelato GG FTW!!!
Place was cool & cute, subtly intimate lighting? She was pretty, too, bathroom smelled nice, and now I’m going to hunt down that gelato place in downtown Seattle.

The location is convenient and the gelato is delicious — if I’m not mistaken it comes from Staccato in Portland. My personal favorite is the Honey Lavendar. So good!
This would definitely be at least 4 stars if they would just let you have 2 flavors for a small cup (like every other gelato shop I’ve been to in the Portland area does). I’m a huge gelato fan with a small appetite and I think that a big part of the pleasure is the contrast between the flavors. The responses I’ve gotten when I’ve asked (from plain old «no» to crazy talk about ‘contaminating the scoops’) has caused me to go elsewhere whenever possible.

We (our family of three) go here a couple times a month for perfect café mochas (just-​right balance of coffee & chocolate) and screamin’ good paninis. And do not be fooled into thinking their soup is just soup. We ordered the chicken noodle for my five-​year-​old and ended up doing a tug-​of-​war over who got to lick the empty bowl.
We like the fireplace on rainy days, and the cushy seats near the window are good for sprawling on. I like that their coffee is organic and fair trade. And they’ll give you a free taste of every gelato in the case — by which time if you don’t buy a scoop, you belong in the loony bin.
They are kid-​friendly — heck, just friendly, period — and if you want something fun to do with your kid after you all get hopped up on caffeine, go two doors down to Kazoodles Toy Store.

Oh hey that’s right! I’d forgotten that an awesomely delicious cup of coffee is actually served hot enough to both burn your tongue and do a number on your hand, even with one of those little cup sleeves.
Thanks for the reminder oh sweet Dolce Gelato.
And on a personal note, thanks for being my ‘longest week ever’ savior. I’ll probably see you tomorrow… if my taste buds grow back by then.

COOL!!!
I’m visiting Vancouver/​Portland/​Seattle for the weekend, specifically for my son’s TKD tournament: the Pacific Jewel (see:
) being held at the Hilton (see:
).
I was hungry for two things:
1) a free wi-​fi connection
2) food…
Dolce’s wins on both counts. It’s a short walk from the Vancouver Hilton. Unfortunately, I’m not staying there. The Hilton seems modern, nice and new. I’ll be at the Holiday Inn in Portland.
Dolce has a small selection of gelatos. Ask for a sample before you buy! I split a 2 scoop gelato with my son for $ 3.78. This was a better deal than paying $ 2.50 /​each for two singles! We had the THIN MINT Gelato and the SUPUMONI. Both excellent. Not quite the same as you’d find in Florence Italy but not bad for the US/​Vancouver!
Dolce’s also has nice panini’s and soup combos. My son had the
½ Pastrami Panini with Pesto and Salmon Chowder and I had a ½ Turkey Panini with Pepper Jack and Mango Chutney with a bowl of Tomato Basil with Ravioli soup. Yum yum yum. Good quality and not bad for a pricey $ 14.78 + a 2 dollar tip. Unfortunately, Dolce’s doesn’t have pizzas as the Hilton Concierge had mentioned…
Great décor and well lit in the back by the simulated fireplace.
Other pluses: super cute counter staff! Friendly too!!!
I like vancouver!!! Dolce’s is a fantastic choice over Quizno’s or Subway which are within easy walking distance of this great find.
Verdict: I’ll be back…