Dolly's

I have wanted to visit Dolly's in El Cerrito since I first saw their Parmigiano Reggiano cheese wheel pasta. We finally made it there, and it was nothing short of fabulous! Dolly was out of the country, but her hubby Shenal was a fantastic host and chef! Dolly's is tucked away in the Peppermint Tree Plaza on San Pablo Ave. It's a tiny, unpretentious spot where you can enjoy your meal at the counter surrounding the cooking area. I love watching the cooking process and interacting with your chef and host during the meal. While they only serve beer and wine, they have an extensive selection. I enjoyed a Riesling and a glass of Daou Cabernet. We ordered the cheese wheel fettuccini with prosciutto and the crab and shrimp ravioli with pesto sauce. Both were amazing, but the fettuccini alfredo was the best I've ever had. The sauce was like velvet, intensely rich and cheesy with wonderful nutty tones. I'm drooling all over again! Shenal started the process by scraping the interior of the cheese wheel to loosen up some of the delicious aged cheese. He then takes the alfredo pasta and stirs it in the giant wheel with tongs. It was served draped in prosciutto with more fresh cheese. It was a wonderful meal and experience. I'm excited that Shenal and Dolly are looking for another spot to open another location in this area!

I didn't realize how small this place was! My kids wanted to try the cheese wheel for their birthdays so we traveled from Concord to come here. They were not disappointed and loved it. Note though we sat at the counter - 8 of us fit snugly across the lower bar in front of the cheese wheel. Service was great and they were super nice. They don't take reservations technically but they were expecting us and we had a great time. We hope they grow and expand near us!

Omg this review for me has definitely been long over do it's a must must must try I don't think I ever want to go to another place for fettuccine Alfredo ever again and just writing this review is reminding me of all the other stuff we got to try and omg everything was delicious best part I got to take my kids and enjoy a really nice meal and let's say I brought the whole family never have felt such at home.Service was 5/5 especially with dinning out with smaller kids and a group of friends great service. The ambiance in the place just feels super homie perfect when you want some Italian food .Check out the pics you will see how much my kids truly enjoyed this place!

I'm kinda surprised this place gets such good reviews on Yelp. The staff is incredibly friendly but the food could have used a lot more flavor.

This place is great! Cozy, small space with friendly service, good wine options, and delicious food.

Saturday, Dec. 28 - drove 30 minutes, looking forward to enjoying some good Italian food only to find the restaurant temporarily closed until the first week of January. If you're going to shut down for the holidays, be a responsible business owner and update your business hours or add a holiday schedule.

Very friendly gentleman greeted me and my wife as soon as we walk in the door. Sat us down and asked if we were new or returning customers. Told the gentleman it was our first time and welcomed us. Than gave me and my wife some suggestions, but we knew what we wanted. We order the meatballs and fresco cheese n tomato's. Great starter before we got the main course of the parmigiana fettuccine out of the cheese wheel. Everything was so good and the pasta was so cheesy and delicious. Will be returning for more.

Hmm.. I wasn't sure what to expect, I just saw all the great reviews online. I came here for dinner and it was really lovely. First of all, the owner is so sweet. Like, wow. Secondly, I wasn't sure what the cheese wheel pasta was all about but holy Parmesan! It was so good, yummy and fresh. I plan to come back and bring my kids because they'll enjoy watching the pasta being tossed in the cheese wheel. I also ordered the burrata and meatballs to start. Delicious, delicious meatballs... my eyes were bigger than my stomach because I was almost full by the time I got my fettuccine. I will totally be back. It is small inside with limited seating, but I enjoyed sitting at the bar and having a convo.

Came back with friends and tried a few other dishes. Another amazing experience!At this point, everyone is coming here for the Cheese Wheel Pasta, so I'll just plug a few other things:Dolly's started off and is still a wine bar. We had a really nice Riesling with our meal.We like all the pasta dishes, but the Grantortellone Con Funghi Porcini Pesto + Burrata is a fun taste experience between the warm firm and slightly chewy pasta and cool creamy burrata. Not to mention the pesto flavor sensation.Got to try the desserts this time around and they are fantastic. I've always been "meh" on flan, so I had low expectations for the Panna Cotta. But it completely changed my mind. Super creamy and indulgent. Plus the mango purée flavor is on point.We went during a less busy time, so we were able to chat a little with Dolly. She's a wonderful host. We were seated around the bar as she was finishing the dishes and it felt like we were at the chef's table. We'll be back as long as our waistlines can handle it!

Toni M chose this delightful restaurant for our monthly lunch. Unfortunately, Lori could not join us. The restaurant is small with just a few tables. There are several other restaurants in this strip mall, and there is parking, but it is usually full. Dolly, the owner is warm and friendly.I ordered a lot of food. I started with a small Caesar salad, the dressing was delicious. I mentioned I like anchovies and Dolly added some extra for me. I was getting full so I put it aside I wanted to enjoy my main course, the parmesano Regiano cheese wheel pasta. The hot pasta is swirled in the cheese wheel. The pasta was al dente and covered with the cheese. I enjoyed it, however when I come back I will order something else, I like more saucy pasta. Some of the plates that went past the table looked intriguing. Even though I could not finish the pasta, I had to try one of the imported desserts. I wanted them all but decided on the LemonCello to go. This was a sorbet in a hollowed-out lemon. I enjoyed this treat. I had a lot of leftovers.