Dolce Vita Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar

Had a fairly early dinner, 5:00 pm. Glad we made reservations since the place soon got crowded.Staff were friendly.Ordered whipped ricotta dip. SO good. It was creamy and just enough sweetness to top the toasted bread. Definitely a repeat appetizer.Shrimp scampi - shrimp was very tender, pasta was cooked a little bit more than my personal preference, yet all very tasty.Chicken Parmesan - big portion so can definitely be shared. Plenty of sauce and noodles to accompany the chicken.The place was filled with lots of noise, but we were so engulfed with our own food and conversation it didn't stop us from enjoying our dinner.Would go. Ask for the appetizer and to try their other homemade pastas.

Alonzo was the best. Such great recommendations, cocktails, and conversation. The whole staff is wonderful and the food is GREAT.If they'd serve pisco sours, that'd make it even more perfect ;-)

With reservations, our only option for seating for two was a 2-top by the front door. With temps in the mid-30s. It was not a pleasant dining experience as the door was frequently opened for new guests and multiple take out orders.Our pasta was stone cold within minutes of being served.Dolce Vita has an enclosed foyer. Sadly, with entrances on both sides and the front door in the middle, it creates a wind tunnel for the front half of the restaurant.SOLUTION: Close off one of the 2 door entrances AND consider installing a garage heater(s). https://www.homedepot.com/p/DuraHeat-34-120-BTU-Ceiling-Mount-Hardwired-Electric-Forced-Air-Garage-Heater-with-Remote-Control-EWH9615/324590729 In the absence of a solution to combat the cold of winter, we'll only come back in the spring/summer.For point of reference, we dined here in mid-November and had an amazing dinner as we were seated in the Wine Bar. Tonight, our $100 bill would have been better spent at Anita's up the street for 1/2 the price and with a heated dining room. Bright spot: Lilly was a lovely server.

Service was fantastic as always. This place has wonderful braised beef, will say I came earlier in the night and feel the later you order it the better it will be. Definitely recommend the Aracini and the Braised meats are great here. Desert is fine, the chocolate ganache was okay and the pizza rolls were mid but definitely do the job. Overall the service, ambiance, and entrees were so good with such a good price point to quality that this place consistently deserves 5 stars.

My husband and I just had lunch at Dolce Vita, a Fairfax City gem! The food was delicious and savory, and the service was just wonderful. Lily was an ideal server who made great suggestions and was the perfect level of attentive. Both pasta dishes were top notch and the garlic bread was to die for!

I love this cozy restaurant. My partner and I decided to have lunch here while we were out running errands. Although it was noon, it felt like dinner for us since we start our days early. We enjoyed some Italian red wines and ordered the Ricotta dip with grilled bread as a starter. I would add a small side of additional toppings for the Ricotta (honey, walnuts, salt/olive oils) as you eat down through the layers. It was delicious but the top layer was the best. We also ordered the grilled octopus appetizer with artichokes, veggies, and potatoes which was absolutely delicious! My partner tried the make your own pasta option, which he really enjoyed choosing noche with rosa sauce, chicken adding in veggies at $1 a piece upcharge. We ended our meal with a delightful crème Brulee for dessert.Our server was pleasant and attentive during our lunch stay. The atmosphere was romantic and quaint. We will definitely be back for more dates :)

Always a good time and never disappointed. The menu changes regularly it seems. Been going here since pre Covid and have noticed some changes but you have to roll with the times. This is where I take folks for good food and a good time. Not the fanciest restaurant but probably My favorite when hosting out of town folks. Clean, semi quiet, almost romantic. This is the place to go.Edit: I forgot to mention the food. This is grade A eats with food made with pride. I feel the staff cares about the food and it always tastes exquisite to me. This is my go to Italian restaurant.

Been going here since 1995 used to be my favorite Italian restaurant in Northern Va. Since the Pandemic (basically since 2020) both some of the food quality but especially the service has been getting worse and worse. Tonight's service was exceptionally perturbing I won't go back anymore. Oh and whatever you do DO NOT order the eggplant parmagiania it's horrible but I will miss the lobster bisque.

Although I'm a long time residence of Fairfax I had never been to Dolce Vita! There were4 of us for lunch today. 3 of us had entrees with salads and they remarked on the freshness and exceptional flavor of salads. The entrees varied from veal to Fettucini Alfredo w/chicken and all were exceptional. I was not particularly hungryso I ordered the Fig and Pig pizza.It was delicious! Great values forreally delicious food. Can't wait to go back! Great service and ambiance in the wine bar added to our overall wonderful experience on a cold Sunday.

After giving up eating American pizzas (oily, a lot of meat, thick bread) because of having tried certain Italian chain pizza restaurants, I thought that was what Italian pizza tastes like, mozzarella, tomato and good bread. But this fig and pig is totally next level thing. If you are getting tired of tomato flavor in pizza, try this one with fig jam on top. The jam provides the right amount of sweetness to pair with the salty prosciutto slices.Lobster pasta is ok, but not as umami as the other one with mussel and clam and shrimp and scallop inside. Fettuccine Al Frutti di mare