Dolce Casa

This was one of the finest restaurants/​coffee houses in the area & we’ve been here on & off for 15 yrs. I was just about to make this a regular morning routine for breakfast while I’m in the area this winter and am just gutted that they are now closed. Just so sad-​was a true gem. Progressively healthy, laid back, artistic atmosphere without pretension, walkable in a weird zone with no healthy chill out spaces that are in the $$ range, great music, so much variety, perfect pastries, comfortable seating… I really feel there may never be a café this wonderful serving this client base again in Ravenswood proper. So sad, you will be missed!

So what is going on with this place? We were all set to try it out this morning but when my fiancé showed up, the doors were closed and someone came to the door and said they were closed. No explanation. Just closed. According to Unilocal,they’re open, so have they just suddenly shut down, or do they just have really bad customer service? Either way, Over Easy got our business this morning instead.

What a great place! All the makings of a neighborhood hub. The food is fantastic but unpretentious, the coffee is served hot and with a smile, and they have a comfy exposed-​brick seating area that makes you feel at home, with art on the wall that never seems to be the same. The owner and staff seems friendly and informative.
Long and short of it? Just as good as other local breakfast spots but you don’t have to stand in the cold for an hour to get it. You can just sit delighted at a window spot watching those suckers shiver ;)
The owner, Ross, is a sucker for puns! He just loves ‘em! I bring a new one in for him every time I visit. If you’ve got a good one, make sure to ask for him and lay it on him for me!

You know I used to come here a lot and I really enjoyed it. But it seems that they’ve really reduced their hours. They’re never open which is unfortunate because I live less than a block away and would frequent often if they were open more.

The Mozarella panini I ordered was very good with my Fresh OJ but the bill for two was rather pricey and portion size for the skillet my friend got was very small.

This place is fantastic. Admittedly, we typically eat next door at Over Easy, and have never given this place a try. Big. Mistake. Dolce Casa is a gem! We split a salad and panini, and both were outstanding. Fresh ingredients and perfectly concocted. Tons of different flavors. On top of it, the service was terrific. We can’t wait to come back and try the breakfast.

I had family in town so I decided to give this neighborhood spot a try for breakfast.
Big mistake.
The most-​egregious and unforgivable reasons I will never dine here again is simply due to their toast. Yes, toast. How could something so simple go so horribly wrong? It was the driest, thickest slab of cardboard masquerading as bread that I have every TRIED to bite through. I attempted to slather that hardtack with gobs of butter but they had served it to us COLD so the butter didn’t melt. I tried loading it up with jam but nearly lost a tooth trying to tear through the tough, inedible whole wheat shingle.
Further demerits were issued for giving my dad a mug with a crack in it which proceeded to slowly leak until he requested a fresh one.
The final blow was the price. We each ended up paying $ 15 – 20 for a mediocre breakfast sandwich and coffee. Not worth it and we won’t be back.

I’m in love with the menu here – pretty much everything sounded delicious, and when I finally settled on the Italian, it didn’t disappoint. Loved how all the flavors came together naturally – the pesto went very well with the arugula, which went very well with the toast and Parmesan scramble. Simple yet unique brunch option– this extends to the rest of the menu as well. The setup of the café makes it a nice place to work, with both couches and tables. Will definitely stop by if I’m ever in the area again.

Coffee is very bad. Tastes like luke warm water mixed with milk in a paper cup. Sandwiches are just ok.

I love love love this place. My sister lives right down the street and every time I visit her, I most definitely visit Dolce.
The ambiance is welcoming and very relaxed. I recently just discovered the books and games at the back of the restaurant. I picked up a game to play with my sister and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves while sippin’ on our drinks.
I have always enjoyed their coffee, but for the first time last week I tried their food.
I got the chorizo skillet (I don’t recall the actual name) but I really enjoyed it! It was served with roasted peppers that brought the dish to life. They gave a very fresh and vibrant taste. A little bit of that boom boom pow.
My only complaint is that the so called «chorizo» didn’t taste or look like chorizo. It tasted more like deli sausage, which was still delicious, but I was expecting chorizo… ya kno?
My sister got the breakfast sandwich w tomato and pesto. damn. was I jealous when I tried that because I was literally two seconds away from ordering it…
until next time Dolce.

I really love this place and it’s a perfect bikeride away. Today I sat out on their lovely patio and enjoyed an incredible iced latte and the Scot breakfast plate.
I really love this place because they have excellent metropolis coffee and and organic thoughtful created little breakfast plates. Today I had the scot, it’s the first time I’ve had breakfast here and it was really good. The plate came with a good portion of smoked salmon, capers, crème fresh, tomatoes, hardboiled egg and sourdough toast. It was perfect to sit out on the patio and get a little work done as well.
There aren’t many places like this around in Chicago and I’m really happy that they’re doing good business– I hope they’ll be around for a long time. They also have really great little cookie treats near the register called Alfies (locally made Argentinian Alfajores) be sure to try one of these, they’re outstanding!

This is not a review on their coffee!
So unlike alot of folks who love coffee, I dont get down with the gourmet stuff. Im not into all the artisan coffee even though coffee runs in my veins. I just like my own brew. No knock against any coffee shop anywhere for that.
What I do love is good breakfast. This place has it at a very reasonable price. Pretty much what you would pay for at a diner but with much better ingredients and dishes.
Portions are large enough to fill you up yet wont leave you lethargic from binging. Staff is super friendly and helpful.
I haven’t tried coffee from here so I cant say if its expensive or good or bad… Yet I can say the place ALWAYS has customers in here sipping coffee, so in regards to the java they have to be doing the right thing.
The place is smallish, and can get quite crowded on the weekends, believe me I live around the corner and see people lining up, but has ample seating and is configured in a more social seating which is pretty cool. Couches and stand alone chairs are all assembled to promote conversation between folks.
There are regular sit down tables for eating or using your laptop if you are an anti-​social troll.
Or you can just grab your stuff to go.
Perfect for a stop in on a workday for some coffee (if thats your thing) and an awesome breakfast with a staff that will engage you in friendly conversation.
All in all a great place.

Stopped by while I was in the neighborhood because I had a hankering for some top-​notch coffee. Dolce Casa looked like a very promising local gourmet coffee shop. The place was packed with hipsters so it had to be good!
Well, you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.
The ambiance was great and it made me wish I had a book to curl up with on one of their couches. Service was very friendly. I was totally feeling the vibes of this place until I was given my coffee… the coffee was horrible. Coffee is like pizza or sex in my opinion, even when it’s bad it’s ok! But this was not the case. I decided to tough through the taste to at least get my caffeine fix… and that was a mistake; I began to feel sick. I drink strong coffee every day and my stomach was churning… I think I had what was left in the coffee pot overnight.
I see that there are more positive reviews than negative, so it’s possible that my experience was an anomaly. If I’m in the neighborhood again, maybe I’ll give it a second chance.

Pretty cute café and clearly very popular with the customers. It was a decent place to spend an afternoon and I may or may not stop by again. I don’t particularly think the food here is worth the cost. The Classico panini is fairly small and I was not full at all after eating it for lunch. It’s kind of a puny little flat panini. The bread used also wouldn’t be my first choice for paninis… plus it was too hard. I also got the green acres juice which I thought tasted delicious but it was super small (12 oz) for $ 7!!! Totally not worth it. One thing I really like though is the kitchen right next to the cash register so you can watch them make all the food and drinks.
It was super warm and toasty when I first stepped in during the morning which put a giant smile on my face (may even have made me overlook the food thing). Then, of course they had to prop open the door and make it a freezing fridge temp. Come on, just because the sun is out doesn’t mean it’s warm outside…
And lastly, the music was annoyingly too loud.

After three separate visits, I’m officially in like with this place. It’s charmingly offbeat, has terrific food, and the staff is very welcoming.
Seriously, the food is great. They have several «foodie» type things, like eggs poached in duck fat, a charcuterie and cheese plate, a chorizo scramble, or you can go more traditional with standard bacon and eggs. I love their ricotta-​filled blintzes with lingonberry preserves, and the belgian waffle with fresh strawberries is a real treat.
Plenty of vegetarian options here too. Glorious salads with poached d’anjou pears or roasted beets; decadent panini with ratatouille or wild mushrooms, plus a couple daily soups. Even a simple grilled cheese is elevated with the addition of arugula pesto.
Whether you’re just in the mood for a latte, or desire something more substantial, don’t overlook Dolce Casa. It’s a perfect neighborhood spot for a cuppa joe, breakfast, brunch, or lunch.

So happy we tried this! Amazing coffee and both of our breakfast plates were very, very tasty. The seating was a little weird, but we quite enjoyed ourselves. Fiancé has «the Italian» and I had «the German». Amazeballs, both of them.

This is a great, cute neighborhood coffee/​tea café offering breakfast (didn’t see anything vegan) and a good assortment of looseleaf teas. While they lack a vegan option on the menu, they do have Hilary’s vegan cookies. Again, I love the ambience.

Big fan of this coffee shop, can’t believe I have not reviewed before today.
Their endless coffee mug is a dream for the person looking to study and stay awake. This chill coffee spot has a great menu for breakfast and lunch as well as a dedicated spot for musicians to set up and play for the crowd. We have popped in with our Scrabble board to while away a rainy afternoon with a fine pot of tea and a tasty pastry or as an alternative to their neighbor for brunch and have always had great service.
Free WiFi, multiple seating arraignments for comfort, great food, strong coffee… what more could you ask for?

All the reviews are true — this place is great for working (there are so many people here during the day, but I was able to find a seat pretty easily) and also a casual lunch. The staff is friendly and the ambiance is warm and homey — and, it’s WARM here. One of my weird criteria for being able to work in a café is that it’s not too cold. So I like that.
I haven’t had their food, but their menu looks pretty solid. And their house made chai is awesome — mix of peppermint and cinnamon.

Great little place. Lots of good options for coffee, tea, juice, and sandwiches. We were there for breakfast and had a good time. Sat outside their back porch taking advantage the beautiful day. We ordered the eggs benedicto, breakfast panini, and waffle with fruit. Last two were good, really good. The benedicto was good with fresh pesto, arugula, scrabbled eggs, and prosciutto. Unfortunately the sourdough bread it came on top of was too hard. In fact, it came out hard and burned. Impossible to eat as it was hard as a rock. I sent it back and it did come back better. The flavors and ingredient combination are good but that sourdough has to go.
I also had the fresh melon and mint juice which was great. Service was very fast and accommodating too. Will come back to give them another chance.