Dolce Vita

This place was fantastic and I am already looking forward to my next visit!
I came here with a group of 18, so it was no surprise that our table wasn’t immediately ready when we arrived. We waited for about 15 – 20 minutes but where then lead to our table. This restaurant is huge! We were seated in our own private room which was good since considering how many of us there were, we were going to be loud!
The service, drinks and food were fantastic! I tried octopus for the first time and am looking forward to eating more octopus! It was perfect! We also ordered the Zucca pizza which I really enjoyed as well as the pizza with prosciutto on it! Most of time, time going to a restaurant with a giant group for the first time can give you the wrong impression of a place, but this place exceeded every expectation I had!

Useless when it comes to reservations. Not worth it.
According to the guy on the phone, they only take reservations for 6 or more. But I have come in and been asked if I have a reservation for a party of 2 or 4. So basically, nobody knows if you can make a reservation or not. And if you can’t make a reservation, the wait is 1 HR on weekends.

I liked this spot! It was a cute and hidden, date-​night spot :)
Disclaimer: the 3 stars is mostly based on two meals we ordered.
We explained to waitress that my bf is vegetarian, and she highly recommended the arugula pear pizza. Pear on pizza?! But, she said Vegetarians ordered it the most, so we thought we should give it a try! It was not that good. Weird combination of flavors for pizza.
We also order two appetizers: mushroom cheese appetizer, I can’t remember the name but that was tasty. ambiance was awesome, the food not so much.

Been here several times for pizza and pasta. The pizza is thin, fresh and always good. They have a great sauce to cheese ratio (I love sauce) and each bite carries flavor without being over bearing.

Service was great and pizza dough was authentic. We ordered marinara sauce and it helped the pizza. Would definitely try another pizza next time.
The butter salad with hazelnuts was fantastic.

It was one of my favorite restaurants. They have either swapped the valet company or changed mgmt I am not sure. They definitely had a diff security/​hpd officer that we weren’t used to seeing. Lots of people are allowed to give valet guys their keys and park their own in Houston. We’ve been here tons of times in our classic cars. We always just pull up and ask if we can park it ourselves and give them the key. They have always been so nice and said no problem. New rules, we get it, but the way it was handled wasn’t any fun. The police officer’s instant reaction was ‘You can go somewhere else bc even the owner doesn’t park his own car. Do you want me to call the owner now?’ Other parking options or even just a nicer reaction to our question would have been the best way to handle the situation.

I would come here for the shaved brussel sprouts alone. Finely shaved and mixed with pecorino and some kind of vinaigrette — AHHHMAZING. This places in my Top 5 Brussel Sprout experiences!
Dolce Vita also has some of the better neapolitan pizza I’ve had in Houston, but it is still a bit overhyped as a whole (or maybe I just have very enthusiastic friends). It is definitely a great date spot though — dim lighting, classy décor, nice wooden furniture, and awesome staff. If you’re going to come, I recommend visiting shamelessly early to beat the crowd! :D Otherwise the wait can get ridiculous.

Went for my sisters birthday. Unbelievable food! Pizzas are great, and I was a big fan of the vegetables. The shaved brussel sprouts were bomb. The only negative would be that it is very cramped inside.

By far the best pizza ever! Can’t wait to go back again. I recommend to make a reservation, the place get pretty busy! But if you want a good pizza a great ambiance this is the place to go!

Absolutely love the atmosphere of this little place! Very hip. You are presented with quite a variety of exotic pizza toppings to choose from. Great wine. I always have so much fun when I come here!

Came here with a reservation on a Friday evening and was promptly seated. Glad we had one because this place is busy! Complimentary valet.
Appetizer octopus with potatoes — ⁴⁄₅ loved the combination but too much red onion
Spaghetti, clams, and Ceci — ³⁄₅ — would’ve tasted better without the chickpeas
Salsiccia — ²⁄₅ — no tomatoes, rapini was bitter and strong taste throughout pizza
Calabrese — ⁵⁄₅ — almost like a pepperoni pizza
Melanzane — ⁵⁄₅ — very cheesy but delicious, not that much eggplant
Modo Mio — ⁵⁄₅ — got prosciutto, mushrooms, tomato, and cheese
Panna cotta with strawberries — ⁵⁄₅ — very smooth pana cotta
Chocolate cake with gelato — ⁵⁄₅ — liquid chocolate oozes out of cake topped with hazelnut gelato
Service was great but they are really eager to switch tables to accommodate more guests — we had just finished our pizza when they eagerly took our plates before we could order another pizza
Overall would definitely return!

How is this my favorite pizza place and I haven’t written a single review?!
My family gets together once a week for dinner and lately the trend is to try out a place where the parentals have not been to. One of the weeks, I picked Dolce Vita.
I always order their Zucca pizza, which is butternut squash, prosciutto, and cheese. Never a disappointment! The crust here is amazing and light. My brother-​in-​law tried their cheese pizza with truffle oil and it just did not compare to my Zucca.
My folks tried their pasta and a few appetizers. The pastas were decent. As for the appetizers, we tried their calamari (which was served cold and not fried), fried goat cheese ball (nom), and shaved brussel sprouts (think coleslaw with lots of parmesan cheese). I was not a fan of the calamari and would definitely order the brussel sprouts again.
You can only valet here. I don’t recommend finding street parking because you’ll probably get towed. For reservations, they only take parties of 6 or more.

I am originally from New York and my family has lived in NYC for years. I have never had pizza even close to NY style pizza (the signs that say NY Style pizza are lying to you). Dolce is pretty close with fresh ingredients and real mozzarella (my places use the processed stuff).
The service was solid and the martinis are awesome.

Not quite sure how this place has good reviews. Tried pizza a few years back and didn’t go back for a reason. Forgot about that reason hit remembered the pizza wasn’t that goods. Tried again twice in the last few months and the verdict is:
Eggplant parm not bad — ⁴⁄₅
Cacio e Pepe — ¹⁄₅ — not good at all — didn’t even finish it
Peas/​prosciutto macheroni — 2.5−3÷5
Fried artichoke appetizer — ³⁄₅
Weird because I think it’s the same owner as enoteca poscol, and that place is pretty good.
If u want good Italian, go to North Italia on Post Oak.
Also — smoking gun for a mediocre Italian spot — you ask for Parmesan for the pasta and they bring you the pizza parm and pizza pepper shakers. Not even fresh grated pepper.

Food quality:4.5
Service:4.0
Atmosphere:3.5
Value :3.0
Comments/​side notes: when you are craving good pizza and antipasto, there is no better place in Montrose. It’s a very casual atmosphere with very high end prices. The only negative is that it’s overpriced for what you are getting. You can’t go wrong with the margherita pizza. I got 2 last time I was there, it was that good!

Dolce Vita is the most authentic Italian food experience I’ve had outside of Italy. The wine list brings back so many memories of driving through Piedmont and Tuscan vineyards in a little Italian Fiat. If only the prices were as cheap! Even so, the wine selection is fantastic with many bottles you can’t even find at the downtown Spec’s. A personal favorite are the dolcettos.
The old converted house on Westheimer is the perfect setting for rustic cooking, with dark stained wooden beams and floors. The wood burning oven gives the entire place a hearty, warm feel while instantly instilling a craving for pizza in everyone who comes through the door.
Daily chef and wine specials have always been enticing and delicious, but the permanent menu is filled with favorites I find difficult to stop ordering. Rigatoni alla Carbonara should not be overlooked for its simplicity. The cured meat served on wooden paddles are well worth it, many cuts so thin they are translucent. Best of all they are not overly salty as is sometimes the case, especially with sausage. The dessert menu is also stocked with winners, I can never remember which chocolate option of the two available is my favorite but there are worse things than having to order two desserts. Don’t forget to finish off your meal the Italian way with a glass of Grappa or Limoncello!

Can here with my family for an Anniversary dinner and it’s a super cute place. The hostess when we walked in asked if we would be out by 8PM which caught us off guard and thought was really rude. So right off the back we had a bad taste in our mouth. Some of the food was a little salty like our appetizer but the 3 main courses we had were absolutely delicious. The dessert I had was the Pear Ricotta and it was definitely nothing special. My son ordered the Milk Chocolate Gelato and devoured it and the other person in our party had the Pumpkin Candied Flan and it was absolutely scrumptious! So besides the bad experience with the hostess the rest of our experience was good. The met my expectations but did not exceed them. Next stop is Pizaro’s to see how they compare :-)

This is my go-​to Italian spot in Houston. The boyfriend and I are frequent diners here, maybe 2 – 3 times a month.
We usually try a new bottle of wine but order the same food every time.
Brussels Sprouts
Beets
Roasted Cauliflowers
Bufala Caprese
Prosciutto e Rucola pizza
Orecchiette, escarole and sweet sausage
We usually sit in the patio area but it looks like they are currently renovating it. Service is always great.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS PLACE! This is my «go-​to» place for Neopolitan pizza in the Houston area. I go here for the food, drinks, and the ambience.
Whenever I go here, I usually order the bufula caprese as an appetizer, and pizza. I love the bufula caprese because their tomatoes taste fresh and the cheese is great. I usually order the margherita pizza, or the prosciutto e rucola pizza. I also love the calabrese pizza because the spicy salami is great! The amount of cheese and toppings they add are just right — not too much and not too little. I usually go with my boyfriend and him and I usually share two pies.
I love how the parking for the restaurant is complimentary valet parking, especially because the parking situation in that part of the city is awful. The valet parking is very convenient – and it’s highly suggested to tip them.
The ambience of the restaurant is very cute and relaxing. I usually sit by a window so I get to see the outside — and the cute candlelight makes the ambience feel soothing.
For great pizza and great environment, I recommend this place for a date, or to hang out with friends.

Great food, service, and cocktails. I got the Gin Daiquiri which was incredibly tasty. It wasn’t too sweet — I was worried about that happening with the whole ‘daiquiri’ name. I would definitely recommend getting this if you’re a fan of gin and tonics. The drinks came out in a timely fashion and everyone was happy with what they got.
For dinner I got the carne special: ribeye and mashed potatoes. I can’t remember what the sauce was, but it complimented the meat and mashed potatoes very well.
Ambience: average noise, but doesn’t detract from the intimate setting.
Wish I could put 4.5 instead of 4. Only knocked the restaurant for being out two wines that we asked for. But I think the server was having a busy night and there probably was some miscommunication, so not a huge deal!

We arrived here after a full day in Houston: Hungry, tired, and a bit thirsty ;-)
There were no tables available so we opted to. sit at the full service bar. The atmosphere is chatty, not loud, but certainly not quiet. It’s comfortable and busy. There’s a sense of privacy amongst the constant conversations around you.
We started off with some cocktails:
Flor del Sol: a light, sweet and crisp cocktail that leaves you with a refreshing taste on your mouth.
The Beard: A strong boisterous cocktail that smooths out as you make your way down the glass. I had two.
We ordered the mushroom ricotta rosa spread with pizza bread. Very good.
Then we had the Pizza Dalsiccia which was also very good.
Overall I think this place is fairly priced for what you get. It’s not out of this world, but you will leave very satisfied. La Dolce Vita translates as «The Sweet Life.»

I visited this place on a late Friday night. The waiter was very helpful in recommending and explaining the different menu items. You will definitely need to order more than one pizza in order to get full. The pizzas are very thin.
They have a large selection of wine which is always good. I just expected the pizza to be better… it wasn’t bad but with all the hype I expected it to blow my taste buds away. I was kind of bummed our when I noticed how limited the menu was, I expected more choices.

Great pizza place. Very fresh very authentic food. This is not ur regular pizza place. It will not have pepperoni. Has a very good buffalo mozzarella pizza. It is in a old converted house. Typical for other restaurants in the area. One negative would be the lack of a kids menu.
Pizza comes out with a nice light chewy crust.
There is a lot of other things on the menu besides pizza. However it is not ur typical Italian restaurant. If u r looking for an Italian place that you might find in Italy. This would be a good place to try

Ok… no matter what else you get order the shaved Brussels sprouts. One of the friends with us on this dinner experience dislikes them to the point of gag reflex. But she LOVED these. I don’t know exactly what they do to them… but they are near perfect.
Get some gorgonzola with honey. Yummy creamy cheesy goodness. Avoid the fava beans. It says wood roasted but that translates to charred and bland. The beets with horseradish was a fantastic app. If you like beets, you will love these.
Prosciutto E Rucola pizza — Tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula. It was good pizza. I won’t say it was my favorite. But everything was fresh and the crust was crispy charred tasty. I am a big ol’ toppings pizza gal. Ya know. Put some sausage and onion on my pizza. It don’t really need lettuce and fancy fru fru meats. So don’t take my review of the pizza to mean average or tasteless. For what it was, it was really good. It’s just not my thang.
I had a perfectly cooked bucatini with a thick red sauce. I loved it. The wife said it reminded her of Chef Boy-​R-​D. I didn’t taste that… but then I do love me some Chef Boy-​R-​D. She enjoyed the pizza more, so we were even.
I was kinda disappointed at the wine by the glass choices. And yes, their list is Italian red heavy.
Service was pleasant and efficient. The space was open and bright. The old house turned restaurant works well. Valet parking. I won’t say it’s one of my favorite places to go eat. It was good. But not rave on good like so many people do about the pizza here.
Sure I will go back. The wife liked the pizza and I loved the pasta and it’s in our favorite part of town. It was a-​ok. Nothing wrong with that.

Came here for Valentine’s Day and I’m satisfied with my experience.
I made reservations for my boyfriend and I for 5:30 and although something went wrong with them, the manager (?) sat us down quickly and apologized for the mistake. We got a table outside which was nice, and I must commend them on their choice of music!
Our waiter paid much attention to us throughout the night and made a couple of helpful suggestions to us as far as what we should try.
For appetizers, we ordered the shaved Brussel sprouts. This was actually my first time ever trying them, and to our surprise they were very tasty. It’s not a huge portion but it gives you something to munch on while you wait for your pizza.
As for pizza, I ordered the margherita and my boyfriend ordered the prosciutto pizza. Both came out in an timely manner. They cut the pizza for you and the portion is just enough to fill yourself up. We both agreed that the authenticity of this place was amazing, and the pizza was proof.
We decided to order dessert and got the poached pear. I hadn’t eaten a pear in so long! The chocolate sauce wasn’t too «watery» and had the right texture to stay on the pear. It’s definitely something new but great nonetheless.
Overall our experience was pleasant and we look forward to coming again sometime soon! Don’t forget to tip your valet guys on your way out :)