Reviews for La Dolce Vita in Sarasota, FL
La Dolce Vita is an absolute gem of a restaurant whose modest, unassuming location in a Stickney Point strip mall completely... belies the eatery’s charming intimacy, authentic Italian dishes and superior service. I’ve gone with groups of five, fourand two, and each time have been impressed by the attentiveness of the wait staff and the friendliness of Tina, the delightfulowner. The scratch-made food is fantastic, just don’t expect heavy mounds of pasta smothered in red sauce. Each dish gets highmarks for creativity, presentation and, most especially, flavor. I’ve visited Italy several times and would rank La Dolce Vitaright up there with the best food from the “old country.” Read more
Best Italian food I have had in Sarasota. Good service. Owners are a delight !
Cannot recommend this place enough. My family of 6 has very high standards for Italian food, and La Dolce Vita blew us away. We... are from Rhode Island, which has calamari as its official state appetizer, so we have lofty expectations there as well. We gottwo orders of calamari for an appetizer, and it was delicious. It was very fresh, perfectly crisped, and had (to our delight)legs in addition to loops. Two of us ordered the Frutti de Mari; one had the Parpadelle alla Bolognese; one had the Linguini,Vongole, e Pomodorini; one had the Lasagna alla Bolognese; and one had the Saltimbocca di Vitello alla Romana. Everyone was veryimpressed with their meals. They tasted very authentic, and were clearly prepared with a great deal of care. We also had alovely conversation with one of the owners, Tina, during our meal. She was very sweet and welcoming. She told us that she andher husband, who have lived in Italy most of their lives, visited Florida in 2015. Upon their visit her husband said, "thisplace needs a good Italian restaurant," and they certainly delivered!!! Later on we learned that Tina makes the restaurants'desserts herself, from scratch! We tried just about every dessert offered, as well as a latte and a cappuccino. Everything wasincredible, and my whole family stated that they want to go back again, despite only having two more nights of vacation.Multiple servers attended to our table throughout the meal, and all of them were lovely. Zero complaints, and lots and lots ofgreat things to say about La Dolce Vita. Definitely a must visit. Read more
Last night we had another Incredible meal at La Dolce Vita. Don’t let the shopping center location deter you . This hidden... gem offered some of the most authentic Italian cuisine we found this side of Italy. The pastas are fresh made in house by Mauro(chef/co-owner). The desserts are all baked in house by Tina (Maître D’/co-owner). Everything from the fresh baked bread withdelicious olive oil to start … all the way through to their after dinner signature limoncello made the evening a trulygastronomic experience deserving of a Michelin Star! Tina, Mauro and staff make you feel like your a guest in their home ratherthan a customer in a restaurant. We take all of our visiting friends there and are never disappointed. Read more
We fell in love with La Dolce Vita with the intimate dining experience, exquisite wine knowledge staff and the gastronomic... delights!!! La Dolce Vita was appropriately busy however we were well cared for, all evening! I feel fortunate to find thisFirst Class Restaurant for dining when I am in Florida! Bravo ???? ???????? Read more
What an awesome experience, straight out of Italy. We would have never found this gem on our own but where introduced by a... friend on his invitation. Tina, the co- owner greeted us at the door like we were family! We were welcomed by the serving staffequally as warmly. We were informed that everything was home made including the desserts. I had to take a picture of the breadand oil/garlic as it was sooo tasty. We had a tough time deciding what to eat but it didn’t really matter what was chosen, itall was sooo delicious. An added touch to the evening was the singer. Even Tina belted out a couple of tunes. The end of theevening was fun when it turned into a bit of a karaoke with a family at the next table. We were introduced to Mauro, theChef/co-owner and husband of Tina. What a wonderful duo providing passion into both the authentic Italian cuisine and the guestexperience. We’ll be back again & again! Read more
Not only the food is great, the staff is amazing. 10 stars complements to this restaurant. The owner shows the love to every... guest. Thank you Tina! Read more
By food, I only mean the desserts. I haven't had the food here because I've heard such bad reviews on it, but we went in for... dessert one night and they were all incredibly delicious!! We all 3 got something different and shared. Quite pricey though! Read more