Zan Lee
I have known about La Dolce Vita for quite some time given that it was a former frequent stop for Frank Sinatra and many other Golden Age of Hollywood celebrities. I work very close to the unassuming building so I have been driving by it for many months but finally got the opportunity on Saturday to stop in for dinner. As mentioned the restaurant is very unassuming from the outside, I didn’t even know it was a restaurant until I paid attention to the small sign out front. Inside is a different story though, it has old world charm and is filled with dark red booths, low lighting, and is complete with a classic East Coast style bar in the front corner. Our server and the rest of the staff we encountered were very polite and all of our items arrived quickly from the kitchen. They don’t have a dedicated parking lot, however street parking is easy to find in this part of Beverly Hills or at worst there are a few expensive parking garages close by as well.
All of our dishes were fantastic. We started off with the Shrimp Fra Diavolo, which is prawns cooked in a delicious marinara, and the Clams Oreganata, which are Littleneck clams baked with bread crumbs on top. The clams were warm and tasty and although not many in number, the flavors were truly great. For our entrees we chose the Branzino Piccata, this was my favorite dish of the night mainly because of the piccata sauce and how well the fish was cooked, and the Lemon Bucatini, which was light and packed with lemon flavor. It was a great summer dish.
Overall a wonderful classic Italian dinner in a beautiful part of town. We both had a great experience and would recommend to anyone for any occasion although it would be especially a great call for a date or business dinner location.
Viviana Shanks
Happy to return to this institution especially now with the new management. Food is beyond amazing and the service is excellent. It felt amazing to see this place alive and well. Food was tasty and I highly recommend the table side Cesar salad and the meatball spaghetti! Will absolutely return!
Josh Shanks
So great to be back at this iconic Frank Sinatra haunt. Menu, service, and ambiance has all been improved under new ownership. It’s now a hot spot!
Eliana Kandel
One of my favorite LA restaurant experiences ever. Yes, our group of 5 waited a little while for our table, but we got to hang out at the bar with the excellent bar manager and chat with all sorts of people of all ages.
Service was great, everyone was nice, attentive and accommodating for food allergies in our group. They also gave us a round of drinks (and happily swapped in virgin cocktails for the sober folks) to make up for the wait.
Food was very good, especially the lemon pasta which is hard to find in la. (Seriously La Dolce Vita team, thank you for having this on your menu!!!)
Spot is beautiful, cozy, updated but you can still feel the old Hollywood feel to it.
Vibe was super fun, music loud enough to feel like a party, but not so loud that you couldn’t hear each other at the table.
Can’t wait to go back!
SB
Great vibe, food is good but nothing special. One comes here for the experience not for fine dining. They try to juggle a family trattoria experience with a more sophisticated LA dining one, with more or less success.
Shrimp appetizer and the shell less fettuccine vongole were great, veal chop good, the other dishes we ate were not memorable.
Service is impeccable, as it should be at this price point..
Acoustics and noise level are pretty bad which is an issue if you want a decent conversation but pretty great if the people you are with have nothing to say and you just want a fun time 😁
Travis Andres
Wow just Wow! 5-stars across the board!
Excellent friendly service and super-cool and sexy ambience. Small and cozy without feeling cramped.
The food is to die for! (Even better than most of the ‘celeb-chef’ owned places around LA)
Perfect Caesar salad made the way it should be. Tuna tartare was superb.
Even the staple spaghetti & meatballs were just done perfectly.
Can’t recommend enough!
Nathan Troudt
Great environment, history & service. Menu is on the smaller side, (most likely because of the smaller kitchen) but they make up for it with amazing service & quality.
Alexander Ingram
Great atmosphere and vibe. Unfortunately the food wasn’t as good as I was expecting, and the booths were tiny!
Natasha Sofia
The incredible vibe, the hospitality is immaculate and the food is phenomenal! Very excited we had a catch-up team meal here. I can't wait to be back!
Tony Burt
Stopped in for a cocktail. Great vibe and service. Drinks were delicious too 👍🏽
Yarom Limor
Awesome place. Excellent food and service. Can't wait to return
Daniel Gonzalez-Gomez
Absolutely amazing! The food was perfect (meatballs are a must), service was exceptional with flawless ambience.
David Newhardt
This restaurant has that intangible quality that elevates a meal from mundane to memorable. The room is right-sized, properly lit, and is as comfortable as your favorite outfit. The menu is full of dishes that have been honed over the years to become perfect. Other restaurants go out of their way to try to impress patrons with flamboyant presentations and experimental creations; La Dolce Vita eschews such extravagance by presenting diners with sublime flavors, clean, elegant plating, and classic dishes polished to perfection.
But the best part of the treasure is the staff. Attentive always, invisible when apt, they always have a sincere smile. After your first visit, they will remember you and greet you like a treasured friend.
Last, but by no means the least, is the cozy bar, staffed by magical mixoligists. Cocktails that you've enjoyed for years take on new life in their hands. The wine list is balanced, and the staff recommendation are not to be dismissed.
La Dolce Vita is the type of restaurant that we all hope to visit, but rarely do. Don't pass up the chance to create a lasting memory.
Robbie Hutton
I had a great time dining here tonight!! It is a wonderful restaurant in Beverly Hills. It reminds me a lot of old Beverly Hills. The food is excellent!! I like that they give you so much time after dinner to talk with your guests. I like the Reagen booth. Where Ronald Reagen and Nancy Reagen would sit. It is truly a great place in Beverly Hills!!
John Clements
Amazing food! Felt like I was back on Mulberry Street, Little Italy NY. This place is a real gem �
Gary Brown
There are places you go to eat. La Dolce Vida is where you go to dine! Wonderful staff, fabulous food, great atmosphere!
Mark Menslage
Incredibly disappointed that I made a reservation a month out from my birthday for the ‘The Sinatra’ booth and it was not honored. It was instead given to a party of six as we were a party of four. Was disappointed that our waiter copped an attitude after we declined to spend $100 on a bottle of wine. Was very disappointed at the size of my entree, the Chicken Parmigiana, for that price it should have filled the plate as it does at Dan Tana’s! They did provide us with a piece of Tiramisu and sang happy birthday which was unexpected at this type of restaurant. They also gave our party some of their homemade Limoncello, although we don’t know if it was for the birthday celebration or for the fact that they didn’t honor my initial reservation. Will never go back and will advise anyone who asks not to recommend this establishment. I will say that our time at the bar prior to dinner was excellent, great drinks, atmosphere and service!
Megan Morgan-Cohen
Delicious Italian Fare with Classic Hollywood Ambiance. My best friend treated me to a dinner last night with my first visit to La Dolce Vita. I had an idea of what to expect - the dark brick walls, cushy, dark leather booths, candle light, and tasty Italian dishes - and La Dolce Vita did not disappoint. As soon as we walked in we were warmly greeted by the host and seated (15 minutes early!) at a corner booth near the bar. We started with wine and a dish of prosciutto-covered melon slices (it's amazing how a dish so simple can be so delicious). For the entree, I had the Ravioli special (stuffed with veal and cheese topped with a shiitake marsala sauce) and my friend had the Veal Scalloppini Marsala - both dishes were amazing - hot, fresh, rich, and tasty. After consulting with the friendly wait staff, we decided to finish our meal with the house Tiramisu. While I'm not usually a huge Tiramisu fan, I think I will definitely have to return and treat myself to an order of it for dessert again soon. <br/><br/>Many of the patrons dining there seemed to be regulars. I could see it being a great spot to go after work in the evening to relax and unwind. The atmosphere is cozy and classy with that "Classic Hollywood" vibe.
Bob Lerch
Appalling Experience with La Dolce Vita. I suffered an inexcusable experience with La Dolce Vita. I made a reservation almost 2 months in advance (52 days to be exact) to secure a dinner for my girlfriend's birthday. I scheduled her birthday plans around this reservation which was to be the grand finale of the day. We flew into LA the night before and the first voicemail I received when we landed was that our reservation was canceled. I was immediately upset as this effectively left me no time to reserve a table at a more hospitable restaurant and, as a result, clearly ruined our birthday plans. I was confused why they would wait 51 days to call to tell me that my reservation was cancelled; do they not review their books regularly? Surely, it seems that accommodating confirmed reservations would be a priority at any quality restaurant, so I called for an explanation. Kim answered, I explained the above, and again she said our confirmed reservation was canceled. She offered no explanation as to why she waited until the last minute to notify me and offered no compensation in any form for their incompetence. Instead she said it was "a tough economy;" I was stunned by such a shameful cop-out. So, I asked to speak to a manager. The next minute or so was filled with a back and forth with the basic message that he would tell me the same thing and "has worked there for 40 years" (I guess somehow implying that he is above speaking to upset guests on the phone or spending time to alleviate customer concerns). I insisted on speaking with him and it was at this point that the true character of this restaurant was exposed. In one classless statement, Ruben said "there is nothing we will do for you, don't call me again" and then hung up. Obviously, I was offended and now feel compelled to share my story with other would-be diners since the restaurant's management does not care and would hear none of it. A simple google search reveals plenty of alternatives in the area. There is certainly no need to trust any important dates with La Dolce Vita.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes