La Dolce Vita

We visited Little Italy yesterday from Pittsburgh and decided to stop at La Dolce Vita for dinner before a concert at Severance Hall. Upon being seated we were immediately given water, and someone followed up right behind with fresh bread and butter. I ordered the Pesto Omar and my husband ordered the Abruzze. We both had a bowl of wedding soup. The wedding soup was warm, light and really well done. The egg was fluffy, I wish I saved my bread to dip some into the broth! Our entree arrived and the Pesto Omar was easily one of the best pesto cream sauces I have ever had! My husband enjoyed his dish as well.The atmosphere here feels very much like we are somewhere else beside Cleveland Ohio. My husband and I said we felt like we were at an Italian Nonna's house somewhere in south Florida! We saw the owner a few times buzzing around tending to tables which is always appreciated! We declined dessert because we were stopping at Presti's after dinner before our concert, but we were given a complimentary plate of fresh berries & mascarpone which was a perfect touch to end our meal! The only reason I gave 4/5 stars was after we had eaten we saw a waiter walking around offering freshly grated cheese, and that would have been such a nice compliment to both of our meals! We definitely know to wait for that until next time! We will absolutely plan to come back the next time we visit Cleveland!

This place is awful. Take the worst wedding food you've had and somehow make it worse. We were seated in the second room and you could see the guy that served the bread take a bunch of frozen rolls out of bag and place them in the toaster oven in the next room. He didn't use gloves either when handling any of the bread. Ordered the Abruzze and it was bland and used pasta that came from a box. Skip this place and go literally anywhere else in Little Italy.

We had a great dinner here!Complimentary bread was ok, but the appetizers were solid. Meatballs weren't the best I've had in Cleveland area but not bad, the ricotta on top was great. Caprese salad was very good and fresh. We also got a free sample of the cacio e Pepe that was very deliciousMy entree was the gnocchi with the pink sauce and a meatball added. The gnocchi was good, sauce was very flavorful. I've had better gnocchi dishes and would've loved some mushrooms or other veggies in there but not bad. My companions all enjoyed their mealsService was absolutely great, it was the birthday of one of our party and they brought out complimentary fruit and tiramisu. Waitress was very attentive and helpful. Vibes inside were great too, very lively and fun without being too loud

Service and ambiance were great. Casual vibe inside. Received bread and cacio e pepe as a complimentary appetizer, and fruit with cream as a complimentary dessert. Servers were attentive and provided helpful suggestions. The seafood pasta and gnocchi were both tasty. We also ordered the Sweet Life Trio appetizer. It was good, but I don't think we would order it again (although we did really enjoy the meatball!) This is a good casual date night spot, and we recommend making a reservation for sure!

I look for Cacio e Pepe wherever I go. So when visiting Cleveland my search sent me here. I'm glad it did. Along with the caprese salad, appetizer trio and gnocchi in pink sauce. We were very happy. The service was excellent and everyone was really friendly. The complimentary berries and cream was a nice added bonus.

Overall Experience: 8.3/10Another mainstay in Cleveland' little Italy, they are one of the most active and bustling restaurants in little Italy. A decorative interior that focuses in Italian history it feels like you are transported to a busy restaurant in Italy, or what I would think what Italy would be like from a person who has never been.Food: I had the sweet life trio and pesto omar. Although the photos are taken at different dates, they both serve a great representation of what to expect in portion sizes currently. The food tasted really good, in my opinion not game changing and life altering, but something that feels so much like home. The meatball is flavorful and juicy, the eggplant parm is still crispy and soaks up a perfect amount of fresh tomato sauce, and the Hungarian hot is a little spicy, but meaty and delicious. They give complementary bread and butter, and an amazing fruit dessert at the end included in the meal too.Marks: The pesto omar was a little low on flavor, it seems a little watered down. I really enjoyed the other pasta in the photo which my girlfriend ordered. In addition the service is a little understaffed, and it was more difficult to get the attention of the servers or workers. Although they were nice and accommodating, it took a large sum of time to get their attention and multiple inquiries to get what we needed. Overall: An amazing restaurant in Little Italy and still one of my favorites. Beautiful and delicious pastas and appetizers + amazing service for a fair price. I would come here if Im too tired to cook for myself and or taking someone/ group out.

Little Italy's most charming restaurant (as voted by me). I love the mix of furnishings and wall hangings. In some places in some hands it just works, and at La Dolce Vita it works. The atmosphere is pretty relaxed, but it could also suit a special occasion.The service has always been friendly. Terry, the owner, frequently circulates with a bowl of cacio pepe and will stick around to chat if you're amenable to it (on our last visit we learned that the walls were painted green by the Russo brothers when they filmed their 2021 movie Cherry there). He's a charismatic guy. The rest of the staff is also very helpful and accommodating (and didn't roll their eyes when my boyfriend's mother asked to move to a more reasonably sized table for our group post-bread and water service).On my last visit, two people at our table ordered specials - the lobster linguine and braised short rib. They're not there all the time, but if they are go for it. They have a menu of set pasta dishes plus the option to order the pasta and sauce combo you prefer. They also have small plates, salads, flatbreads and a few entrees. We had the Hungarian hots to start and they were SO good. My brother - picky eater - went so far as to remark much later in the evening how good they were.Monday night is Opera Night, which you have to reserve in advance. I went to one and it was a charming experience. It's a prix fixe menu, I really enjoyed most of it outside of the chicken entree (I don't typically go for chicken). In the summers Opera Night is outside on the patio, I'm excited to check that out.

A place past its prime. Very outdated with food to match. The only thing it has going for it is location. Otherwise, you can find much better Italian restaurants nearby.

The atmosphere of this restaurant is really cozy, almost like you're having dinner in someone's living room. The dishes are made home-style as well, as if someone's grandmother is cooking for you.I loved both these things and about La Dolce Vita but sadly the food we ordered was not up to par. A few of the dishes like the Chicken Marsala were too aggressively seasoned with salt. Another dish that was marketed as a daily special, a linguine with scallops, shrimp and clams, was drenched in a sauce that was way too thick, making the dish so rich that it bordered on being inedible. Finally, the service was quite slow as the waiter would disappear for periods of time.I wanted to love this restaurant and had fond memories of eating here as a kid but frankly we were a bit disappointed with the food here. Maybe we came on a bad night or ordered the wrong things on the menu but I can't, in good conscious, give this place more than 3 stars.

We had a pleasant meal. The wait staff was nice and patient. We were considering a dish when a member of staff became aware and provided a sample for us to try. My wife ordered the halibut dish, which was excellent. I ordered a more traditional Italian dish which was very good, as well. After dinner (no dessert said our full tummies) the waiter brought a light dish of cream and fruit. A nice end to a nice meal. The restaurant felt like a homey aged Italian establishment we visited in NYC little Italy some years ago. A nice experience.