Came here with a group of friends for dinner. The staff was extremely friendly, they moved tables around, turned on the heaters when we asked and accommodated our every request.
We ordered Frutti di Mare and the flounder special. The portions and food were good. The flounder topped with shrimp in a butter sauce was good but the Frutti di Mare dish was the best. The combination of shrimp, mussels and scallops in a spicy sauce was delightful, I was upset I didn't order this for myself.
My complaint is that the price is a bit high for the amount of food you get. A dinner for two with a glass of wine and a beer was $75. Yes the food was good but for that price you would expect some of the best in town and I feel like I can find similar dishes for less at other spots in Charlotte.
Delicious and different. We are new to the area, I am buying groupons to try different places. I bought a groupon for dolce ristorante. So glad I did! We checked out the menu before we went. Some people in my family only like Alfredo or pizza. This was not the place for them. Too bad because the rest if us thoroughly enjoyed our meal!! The special was a group and shrimp dish - yummy! The Milanese chicken took up the plate and was tasty as well. We ordered a delicious Cabernet. Even with the group on. Dinner was pricey. The restaurant was cozy and intimate and the service was very good. Will definitely go back.
This restaurant is actually very amazing. The atmosphere is nice, with outdoor or indoor seating. Nice decor, and most important of all the food was very good. Good potions, well balanced meals, and the sauces is delicious. Ask for the appetizer special. It is wonderful! Will go again!
Went for our 17th anniversary used a groupon, I read some negative reviews & I must say those people have no taste!! Best food ever!! Great, speedy service! Even talked with owners daughter and told her it was our Anniversary, they brought us 2 glasses of wine to celebrate. We will be back!
All that needs to be said is, "Gnocchi Tuesdays!" They make homemade gnocchi Tuesdays only and they are perfect pillows of potato dumpling goodness. Yum!
Very nice. Took advantage of my Groupon. I was surprised at the meal. I had salmon that was excellent., The spices and sauce was very flavorful yet didn't take away from the flavor of the fish. The meal was accompanied with polenta and vegetables that were very nice. My wife had chicken scallopini accompanied with an excellent salad.
This may not have been the best Italian restaurant I have ever visited, but as a world traveler, I would gladly go back again and I will. It was quite authentic.
The waiter Ray was a very pleasant chap and nice to have as a server.
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Standout Sauces. Admittedly, I'm not Italian, but I do love Italian food. In my opinion, Dolce serves up some of the better sauces I've had at our local Charlotte restaurants.
I've been here twice and had their famed gnocchi on one occasion. It was ok, but I didn't think it was any better than Luce's version.
But their sauces are a standout. Really flavorful. And not too rich. Take, for example, their penne a la vodka. The sauce has great depth to it, like you can tell it simmered for hours before it made its way to your plate. The garlic provides a wonderful zing to it. I added shrimp for $2 more, and they gave me more than expected. And hurray, the tails were removed (I hate it when restaurants leave the tails on!)! My hubby--who never eats creamy sauces--kept stealing bites from my plate, he loved that sauce so much.
His fra diavolo sauce on the linguini with shrimp and mussels was well balanced as well. This is not your standard marinara sauce.
We didn't have reservations one visit, and they were able to fit us in on the patio. It was cold outside, but the heaters warmed the place quite well. And there were nice touches on each table, like fresh holly. We'll definitely choose the patio again!
Service was outstanding both times. The first time was during restaurant week, and they very efficiently managed a full house. On our second visit, we arrived right after eight parties had just submitted their orders, so our server said it would take some time to get our meals. I'm glad she warned us, and I don't mind waiting if I know the reason why. Even so, we only waited about a half hour.
Dolce is definitely at the top of our list when we want Italian food. I'm already craving the vodka sauce again, just writing this review!
GO On Tuesday!!. For the gnocchi, I had this with the prosciutto etc and it was so fabulous I almost ordered a second helping! The bruschetta was fresh and chunky, very sophisticated. I loved the tiramisu. It is pricy but so worth it.....gnocchi made only on Tuesdays, a MUST on your bucket list...
Stopped in for lunch. Setting is nice, staff is attentive and friendly, and of course the food was outstanding. Well worth a shot if Italian food is the order of the day.
Local Gem. My husband and I go Dolce frequently, we love the food, we love the people. They have a great wine list and the food is amazing, I've never had anything that wasn't prepared perfectly. It feels like an authentic Italian Trattoria. The Osso Bucco over saffron risotto was life altering, I still dream about the luscious flavors of that dish.
The food is absolutely delicious. The gnocchi was the main dish I asked for and it was to die for. As for the dessert we mentioned to the waitress that it was my daughters birthday and they brought an amazing chocolate cake with candles on it.
As for the appetizer definitely recommend asking for the bruschetta!
The restaurant is kid friendly and very cozy. It makes you feel like you’re in little Italy.
Our waitress was very friendly and made sure to answer all of our questions.
I have passed by this restaurant 1 million times and never went inside! I can’t believe I’ve been missing out all this time! The atmosphere was so fun!! Between the homemade pasta, homemade bread and homemade desserts. I never wanted to leave! Service was excellent! Food came out really fast too!! I will be going back! Photos do not do it justice!
Legit Italian food with great service that goes above and beyond. My kids took me for Mother’s Day which can be a bad day to review a restaurant, but we didn’t feel crowded or rushed. The food was excellent, drinks were delicious, and the cannoli was in my top 3 of all time. We wanted a couple of things that weren’t on the menu, and were instantly obliged. If you’re concerned about individual cocktail prices, ask before ordering, as there is no cocktail menu, and they were on the expensive side. The upside is, if they have the ingredients, they will make anything you desire.
The only negative at all was, to me, a big one. They advertise and tout the fresh, homemade pasta. Although we arrived 30 minutes after they opened for dinner, they were already out of all homemade pasta.
Will definitely return, though, and hope they made a larger batch.
Food taste unique and authentic but too much oil in the sauce. Wait time was like 10 minutes. Sat outside with the family and there was water on the floor where we sat. The waitress cleaned it; however I noted more water after the cleaning. I guess there is a leak somewhere. They should have observe and not allow people sit there, as it jeopardizes customer’s safety. I hope they fix the problem before someone falls.
Tucked in the corner of a Harris Teeter dominated shopping center, the ambience is like a small Italian bistro in Tuscany. The staff are personable, adding to the ambience. I had the veal with lemon caper sauce, which I thought was good. But my wife was not as enthusiastic. Pasta dishes were large portions, some of our party took home leftovers. Service was prompt for a busy restaurant.
The food was delicious. I wasn’t planning on finishing the whole dish, but I did because the food was really good and well-seasoned (unlike other Italian restaurants where I found their pasta dishes to be way too salty).
The atmosphere was very homey — the kind of atmosphere that you get when you dine in a local restaurant in Italy where the food is cooked with the owner’s grandma’s recipe.
Our server was welcoming and hilarious. He made our time there really fun ☺️
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This is stop 2 on my quest for the best Italian in Charlotte. So far it is the top choice but I have a lot more to try.
The meatballs were the star of the show by far. They had such a great taste!
The shrimp diavalo was a close second. My husband and I both decided when we come back we are going to ask for that dish but over pasta for an entree. The sauce with the shrimp was the tastiest sauce of the entire meal.
We also had the prosciutto with burrata and the stuffed mushrooms. Both were very good as well.
For my meal I had the Bolognese mainly because on this tour I have one of us try the simple meal with a standard red sauce. It was good. The meat in it was perfect. I wanted a more flavorful sauce though. My friend got the gnocchi and it had some chunky sauce with it. I took a spoonful of his sauce and mixed it with the Bolognese and it was perfect. If I get Bolognese here again I will ask for a bowl of that other, more tomatoey sauce to mix in.
The gnocchi was pretty good although I'm not a huge fan so I can't say a ton about it. Obviously the sauce was good though.
I also tried my friends veal marsala. It could have had a more masala taste in my opinion but the meat was wonderful and veggies that came with it were top notch amazing.
For dessert I had the tiramisu. Also something I try on this tour. It was pretty darn good. Not the best I've had but it was a pretty perfect blend of flavors, not too dry, not too moist. I'd definitely recommend. I also tasted the limoncello cake which was mega lemony. I liked it but my friend thought it was too much. I also tried the cheesecake. It was pretty good but I believe it was ricotta based and I'm not super fond of that texture. The strawberry puree on the top was quite good.
Also had a cup of cappuccino which was pretty delish.
A couple notes. The wine list is decent. I don't think the servers are very well versed in it though. I asked for a great deep red and the guy recommended a Malbec from Argentina. I'm sure it was great but I was in an Italian restaurant with a ton of Italian wines on the menu so I thought that was odd.
The restaurant is small so you're tightly packed and close to other tables.
The bread with beans they give everyone was ok. I felt like the bread was a bit stale tasting to be honest but they do give you some pretty tasty vinegar for the table and that was yummy on the bread.
We have been to this restaurant time and again and have never been disappointed. We were there as a group of 8. We had timely service. We had David waiting on us. He did a great job describing the specials, suggesting the wines, and attending to our every request. Our stuffed mushroom appetizer was good. The freshly made in house pasta took each dish to a new level of excellence. I had the special of the day: fresh pasta with shrimp, crab and lobster in a creamy sauce with sun dried tomatoes and spinach. It was perfection. I’ve never had a better pasta dish. Compliments to the chef. My husband ordered the chicken Parmesan which he loved, though it could have used a little more sauce. Everyone in our group was very happy with their choices. Dolce Osteria will continue to be our favorite Italian restaurant in the Dilworth area.
Rita outdid herself yet again! Portions were a good size. Extremely fresh ingredients, especially the calamari, everything was perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection. Not dry at all, chicken and veal dishes were tender and juicy. Desserts amazing - it was hard to pick a favorite! The stuffed mushrooms and the meatballs are excellent. Dolce is a must try for sure!
Excellent homemade pastas superior sauces. Fresh seafood. Can't ask for more service was excellent. A nice wine list not expensive.
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