Dolce Vita Pizzeria & Enoteca

(713) 520-8222

500 Westheimer Rd
Houston, TX 77006 29.7447 -95.3873

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Neighborhoods: Neartown/ Montrose, Central

DOLCEVITAHOUSTON.COM

Price:

$$

Last updated 4.01.09

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Discover, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Family-Friendly Dining, Notable Chef, People Watching, Group Dining

Cuisine:

Pizza, Italian

What People Are Saying About Dolce Vita Pizzeria & Enoteca

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

In Short – Marco Wiles (Da Marco restaurant) brings his penchant for pizza to this casual, welcoming restaurant. The simple yet intriguing menu is based on authentic thin-crust Neapolitan pizzas and Italian antipasti. From a rocket-hot wood-burning oven handmade in Rome, the pizzas arrive crispy and slightly charred around the edges. Close to 20 kinds of pizzas are offered, with toppings like proscuitto, arugula, wild mushrooms and fresh herbs. A varied list of small dishes rounds out the menu. –

Editor's Tips

The Extras:
For dessert, try a bowl of creamy gelato. Choose up to three flavors including Mexican vanilla and pistachio.
Know Before You Go:
For a memorable meal of artful Italian fare in elegant surroundings, check out Da Marco just around the corner.
ambiance
74.23999786376953% positive
  1. The food is good - the ambience makes up for the imfamous slow serivce.
  2. expect good food properly prepared, prices in line with the decor, and an efficient, congenial, but not patronizing staff doing its best to assure return business.
  3. Go down the street to Empire Cafe or Pronto for good pasta at much better prices with similar ambience.
  4. The atmosphere is casual and lively, and the dining rooms are always full.
  5. The place is nice and cozy and the prices are better than I'd expected.
  6. horrible service, very noisy, mandatory valet parking
  7. If you havent been to Italy or arent used to the Italian style of casual dining you might be a bit confused but go with itit is a fun, different experience with the added bonus of fabulous food!
  8. The ambiance was very nice as well.
  9. Insist on sitting upstairs and enjoy a glass of wine + appitizers while you wait instead of whining- it will make the true relaxing ambience more apparent.
  10. This is a great place to take a date during the week, when it's not so crowded because it's cozy, has great wine (with informed staff on pairings for the beginners), and is pretty quiet - things for an overall a great dining experience.
  11. invited my friends to join me at Dolce Vita where I had been a few times and enjoyed the food and ambience.
dessert
87.5% positive
  1. Dark chocolate or Nioccola (nutella/hazelnut flavored) are my favorites Great date spot, great place to go on a double date.
  2. Good dessert, appetizer; mediocre entree, stinky cheese
  3. the food here is delicious its nothing like star pizza, dolce has reazonable portions i mean if u want a huge pizza with a galon of grease on i sugest you go to piza hut, the appetizers are supeb, the hostess that greeted us was great Adriana was her name
  4. It was a sheet cake for 20 people, so I hope the kitchen staff enjoyed it.
drinks
97.6200008392334% positive
  1. That campari and cava on a hot day is good and so was the bloodorange vodka drink was even better.
  2. This is a great place to take a date during the week, when it's not so crowded because it's cozy, has great wine (with informed staff on pairings for the beginners), and is pretty quiet - things for an overall a great dining experience.
  3. Warm beer b/c they ran out of cold - didn't seem equipped for a busy Saturday night.
  4. The manager was very friendly suggesting cavas and cool drinks on a hot day.
  5. Insist on sitting upstairs and enjoy a glass of wine + appitizers while you wait instead of whining- it will make the true relaxing ambience more apparent.
  6. The wine was good.
  7. While not a wine bar, the waiter was very knowledgeable about the wine options and answered all the questions of my wine aficianado friends.
  8. For wine I would go with the Cerema white label which is a Nebbiolo red which is hard to find and they have a great price.
  9. asked the Bartender to recommend a good 30-40 dollar bottle of wine and my bill had a 60 dollar bottle of wine.
  10. the food here is delicious its nothing like star pizza, dolce has reazonable portions i mean if u want a huge pizza with a galon of grease on i sugest you go to piza hut, the appetizers are supeb, the hostess that greeted us was great Adriana was her name
  11. If you want to go enjoy a good glass of wine w/ friends and have some interesting tasting (like pears + truffle oil) pizza this is a great place.
  12. Sat at the bar, watched the game and ate super Clam pizza with nice bottle of Italian wine.
  13. We were a party of 4, so we decided to sit outside and enjoy a glass of wine while we waited.
  14. Dolce Vita was fenomenal great host staff, great servers, and especialy great wine menu who ever does their wine menu does a great job.
food quality
84.56999778747559% positive
  1. Expected good to great food.
  2. Yes, Montrose real estate is expensive but that's no excuse to overcharge for this food.
  3. Starting with the basil and lemon martinis to the amazing truffle egg toast.
  4. invited my friends to join me at Dolce Vita where I had been a few times and enjoyed the food and ambience.
  5. The pizzas feature interesting flavors by Houston standards, and each I have sampled were wonderful with crispy (not soggy) crusts.
  6. The pizza was good.
  7. If your relationship is in need of a breath of fresh air, go to Dolce Vita!
  8. This is authentic woodfired oven pizza.
  9. It was definitely not the best pizza in town as others have claimed.
  10. So, heard the salad was a little fresh this evening?
  11. The food was just bad.
  12. The food to say the least, is mediocre.
  13. This is the best pizza I have ever eaten outside of Italy.
  14. Great pizza!
  15. expect good food properly prepared, prices in line with the decor, and an efficient, congenial, but not patronizing staff doing its best to assure return business.
  16. We used to here at least twice a month, whether for the delicious thin crust pizza or the simple and delicious pastas.
  17. If you like pizza, you will LOVE these - especially with the different well-paired varieties of toppings!
  18. We walked in to Dolce Vita this past Saturday night hoping to have a nice meal before going out.
  19. Great food but.
  20. Yes, there was a wait for a table, and the restaurant was a little cramped and noisy, but the food was wonderful!
  21. If you want to go enjoy a good glass of wine w/ friends and have some interesting tasting (like pears + truffle oil) pizza this is a great place.
  22. What's up with Houston way-overcharging for mediocre food?
  23. Amazing pizza!
  24. The gelato was not bad, and the appetizer (basically a red snapper sandwich) was really awesome!
  25. All-in-all, a great place for the adventurous food lover.
  26. really enjoyed the prosciutto for an appetizer - very delicious.
  27. Our favorite pizza is the one with the arugala and proscuitto, simple yet wonderful.
  28. Even though I live in Sugar Land, I will drive to satisfy my regular cravings for Dolce Vita's unbelievably good thin crust calabrese pizza, a pizza so good that I usually get greedy and horde a whole pizza by myself.
  29. For great Italian pizza this is the place.
  30. best pizza best service in houston
  31. I've always loved Dolce Vita's pizza because it is truly old world.
  32. The Houston pizza scene is pretty terrible, so this may be worth a try.
  33. The thin crust pizzas are delicious!
  34. also really like their Gnocchi with Bolognese sauce.
  35. good food but horrible, rushed service
  36. Such great thin crust pizza, I can eat a whole one myself
  37. will gladly concede that Dolce Vita has great food.
  38. The worst part is the food is good but there are other places that will take care of thier customers a whole lot better.
  39. have come to this restaurant many times in the past and have been a fan of the great tasting food, but not even that will ever bring me back into this establishment ever again.
  40. Good pizza - Quick Service
  41. Or better yet Carrabba's on Kirby, where the pasta is exceptional and priced right AND the service is excellent.
  42. My husband and I have been there twice, and each time enjoyed our food emensely!
  43. Great authentic Italian.
  44. The gourmet pizzas were amazing- the best thin crust pizzas I've ever tried.
  45. had never thought I'd like pizza with pears, but the waiter recommended it, and I was glad I took his advice!
  46. We had superb service and excellent food.
  47. love their eggplant pizza!
  48. It was delicious with fresh mozzarella and shredded basil!
  49. would especially recommend the robiola pizza (the cheese is heavenly, and the meat + leeks work well together), and ordering an extra egg on top, although horrible for your arteries, is great for your taste buds.
  50. It is really simple but the fresh veggies and good olive oil are the key to its amazing taste.
  51. the food here is delicious its nothing like star pizza, dolce has reazonable portions i mean if u want a huge pizza with a galon of grease on i sugest you go to piza hut, the appetizers are supeb, the hostess that greeted us was great Adriana was her name
  52. But it's not just the pizza, it's the spicy patatas bravas (potato in spicy tomato sauce), the beets with horseradish and waltnuts, the pizza bread piping hot from the oven that enhances the texture of the piping hot eggplant parmesan, everything accompan
  53. Very fresh chasse, the best prosciutto cut from a hand cranked slicer to minimize heat and preserve natural flavors.
  54. The pizza was amazing!
  55. Other than that, i would have given this pizza joint a 9 b/c their pizza is really good.
  56. If you are lookning for good food and a filling one at best, move on down the road!
  57. Good food Good service
  58. Everything from the pizza to the cappucino was wonderful.
  59. If you like to dine out, and you like excellent pizza, GO TO DOLCE VITA.
  60. great pizza, service and amazing little bowls
  61. There was no way we were going to stay after being treated so poorly and went next door to Indika where we had a phenomenal meal and great service.
  62. still think Palmano's Pizzeria was the best Houston's ever had for true Italian pizza.
  63. Go down the street to Empire Cafe or Pronto for good pasta at much better prices with similar ambience.
  64. The food was really good- it totally reminded me of my vacation to Rome-but from now on, I will be doing take out.
  65. love meeting friends here for a one-on-one meal, and recently took a friend of mine who came in town from Frankfurt, Germany, a vegetarian who, after a bite of the margerita pizza topped with fresh arugula, rolled her eyes in food ecstasy after the firs
  66. The pizza, a 12 incher was sparsely filled with a full 1 1/2" unfilled crust around the outside making it a 9 incher.
  67. Dry, stale crust with a minute splash of tomato sauce, non-existent cheese and a few springs of arugula.
  68. $14 for a tasteless rapini pasta special.
  69. If you're in this area, and need great pizza, then Dolce Vita is the place to go!
  70. Sat at the bar, watched the game and ate super Clam pizza with nice bottle of Italian wine.
  71. Great food
  72. The food is good - the ambience makes up for the imfamous slow serivce.
  73. If you havent been to Italy or arent used to the Italian style of casual dining you might be a bit confused but go with itit is a fun, different experience with the added bonus of fabulous food!
  74. mean, the food is good, but if service is that bad, I guess you have to decide if it is worth it to withstand.
  75. went home feeling nauseas from that nasty pizza and pasta.
  76. The pizza's are quite yummy and you can choose to try some of their more exotic toppings like rapini (kinda a little broccoli) or stick with a tried and true like the Calabrese (spicy salami similar to a pepporini).
  77. As everyone else writes, the pizza was amazing.
  78. also recommend the escarole, peccorino salad.
  79. Best pizza ever!
  80. If you're craving gourmet pizza, this is a good place to go.
  81. The pizza was worst.
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. While not a wine bar, the waiter was very knowledgeable about the wine options and answered all the questions of my wine aficianado friends.
  2. Dolce Vita was fenomenal great host staff, great servers, and especialy great wine menu who ever does their wine menu does a great job.
  3. If you like pizza, you will LOVE these - especially with the different well-paired varieties of toppings!
overall
96.30000114440918% positive
  1. great place to revive a relationship
  2. It is a great place to go out with the girls or a date!
  3. Dark chocolate or Nioccola (nutella/hazelnut flavored) are my favorites Great date spot, great place to go on a double date.
  4. If you're craving gourmet pizza, this is a good place to go.
  5. All-in-all, a great place for the adventurous food lover.
  6. This is a great place to take a date during the week, when it's not so crowded because it's cozy, has great wine (with informed staff on pairings for the beginners), and is pretty quiet - things for an overall a great dining experience.
  7. For great Italian pizza this is the place.
  8. If you're in this area, and need great pizza, then Dolce Vita is the place to go!
  9. If you want to go enjoy a good glass of wine w/ friends and have some interesting tasting (like pears + truffle oil) pizza this is a great place.
return potential
55.56000232696533% positive
  1. It makes me so sad because I love this place - but I refuse to go back or recommend this place anymore because this experience left such a bad taste in my mouth.
  2. expect good food properly prepared, prices in line with the decor, and an efficient, congenial, but not patronizing staff doing its best to assure return business.
  3. Conclusion: I would definately NOT recommend this place or ever return.
service
61.81000232696533% positive
  1. came as a single diner and might have been left on the outskirts of regular service, but the staff was really horrible and ignored me at best!
  2. Don't listen to the people who whine about bad service.
  3. had never thought I'd like pizza with pears, but the waiter recommended it, and I was glad I took his advice!
  4. Good Food as Expected; Excellent service which was not expected
  5. It was a sheet cake for 20 people, so I hope the kitchen staff enjoyed it.
  6. have been here many times, and NEVER had bad service.
  7. Expected poor service.
  8. It is also extremely noisy what with people's screaming kids and the bus boys constantly slinging dirty diishes into a tub on the front porch right next to diners.
  9. Service was great thanks to our waiter Jason!
  10. good food but horrible, rushed service
  11. The manager was very friendly suggesting cavas and cool drinks on a hot day.
  12. The service has been very disappointing lately.
  13. the food here is delicious its nothing like star pizza, dolce has reazonable portions i mean if u want a huge pizza with a galon of grease on i sugest you go to piza hut, the appetizers are supeb, the hostess that greeted us was great Adriana was her name
  14. The WORST service!
  15. horrible service, very noisy, mandatory valet parking
  16. The bartenders were helpful and knowledgeable also.
  17. Horrible service.
  18. Food was great - staff wasn't!
  19. The female bartender takes WONDERFUL care of my friends and I everytime we go.
  20. The hostesses as well as the manager were just RUDE.
  21. While not a wine bar, the waiter was very knowledgeable about the wine options and answered all the questions of my wine aficianado friends.
  22. The servers that attended to us were so helpful and quick with their service.
  23. The waiter recommended the items we had and it was worth it.
  24. Very good customer service.
  25. The staff was also very friendly and when seated by a door way promptly moved us to a table of our liking.
  26. The waiter was very pleasant and knowledgeable.
  27. agree that finding good help is difficult, but successful restaurateurs know how to train staff, and offer enough inducements to keep their best people.
  28. Our waiter was attentive.
  29. great pizza, service and amazing little bowls
  30. best pizza best service in houston
  31. We probably sat there no more than 20 minutes; rushed by our rude server after waiting over an hour for a table!
  32. The waitress was very pushy.
  33. We had superb service and excellent food.
  34. expect good food properly prepared, prices in line with the decor, and an efficient, congenial, but not patronizing staff doing its best to assure return business.
  35. The waiter recommended the Pizza with Proscuitto and Arugula.
  36. Service: rude hostess, unfocused, dirty fingernails, shoes are dirty
  37. There was no way we were going to stay after being treated so poorly and went next door to Indika where we had a phenomenal meal and great service.
  38. bad service
  39. Good food Good service
  40. The worst customer service and management.
  41. Dolce Vita was fenomenal great host staff, great servers, and especialy great wine menu who ever does their wine menu does a great job.
  42. Or better yet Carrabba's on Kirby, where the pasta is exceptional and priced right AND the service is excellent.
  43. However, I had 4 different waiters asking me if I am ready to order my next course before the previous one is even out.
  44. Nothing I could say could make her understand that I was not really asking to split the check, and she became more rude by the minute, talking about their "regulations" and if I didn't like it, too bad.
  45. Well, good, I said, since he should then have clear evidence of the disgusting treatment she is giving people while he is supposedly "out of town" (I asked to speak to him).
  46. Both times we had very good service.
  47. This is a great place to take a date during the week, when it's not so crowded because it's cozy, has great wine (with informed staff on pairings for the beginners), and is pretty quiet - things for an overall a great dining experience.
  48. mean, the food is good, but if service is that bad, I guess you have to decide if it is worth it to withstand.
value
80.7699966430664% positive
  1. The place is nice and cozy and the prices are better than I'd expected.
  2. The Houston pizza scene is pretty terrible, so this may be worth a try.
  3. expect good food properly prepared, prices in line with the decor, and an efficient, congenial, but not patronizing staff doing its best to assure return business.
  4. Hope they enjoy that extra 2 bucks, they won't see me again.
  5. mean, the food is good, but if service is that bad, I guess you have to decide if it is worth it to withstand.
  6. The prices for everything are extremely reasonable.
  7. Go down the street to Empire Cafe or Pronto for good pasta at much better prices with similar ambience.
  8. asked the Bartender to recommend a good 30-40 dollar bottle of wine and my bill had a 60 dollar bottle of wine.
  9. Yes, Montrose real estate is expensive but that's no excuse to overcharge for this food.
  10. The waiter recommended the items we had and it was worth it.
  11. The proscuitto was a huge square that was cut super thin and simply placed on top.
  12. For wine I would go with the Cerema white label which is a Nebbiolo red which is hard to find and they have a great price.
  13. the food here is delicious its nothing like star pizza, dolce has reazonable portions i mean if u want a huge pizza with a galon of grease on i sugest you go to piza hut, the appetizers are supeb, the hostess that greeted us was great Adriana was her name
wait time
56.25% positive
  1. The servers that attended to us were so helpful and quick with their service.
  2. We probably sat there no more than 20 minutes; rushed by our rude server after waiting over an hour for a table!
  3. Best dining experience we have had in a long time!
  4. the food here is delicious its nothing like star pizza, dolce has reazonable portions i mean if u want a huge pizza with a galon of grease on i sugest you go to piza hut, the appetizers are supeb, the hostess that greeted us was great Adriana was her name
  5. The food is good - the ambience makes up for the imfamous slow serivce.
  6. Dry, stale crust with a minute splash of tomato sauce, non-existent cheese and a few springs of arugula.
  7. but at that point I gave up promptly canceled all plans there and fortunately, was able to get us into Benjy's in the Village at the last minute and still have a great celebration.
  8. Nothing I could say could make her understand that I was not really asking to split the check, and she became more rude by the minute, talking about their "regulations" and if I didn't like it, too bad.
3 Star Rating: Average

02/17/11

Great food - service definitely depends on your server.

by txbusiness

The Pizza to me is the most authentic and best in town. I even don't mind the increased prices as I an not comparing this to a regular pizza restaurant.

I have eaten here about 10 times since they've opened. The service for me has ben generally efficient, if not overly friendly. I have to agree with other reviews that the hostesses are complete airheads. They have "forgotten" my sister and her friend, They waited over an hour for a 20 minute wait, because the hostess "forgot" they were there and seated everyone else! When they asked about their late table, they were told it was too late too eat as the kitchen was closed! Come on.

On the other hand, I have been there for small and large parties and the wait service was flawless.

Just be prepared for an adventure. :)

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

10/08/10

Best Italian food in Houston!

by blue eyed80

When I moved to Houston I was terrified by the Italian food that was offered in the restaurants. I have been to Italy many times and ate Italian food in other European coutries and was always satisfied with the taste.

Until I came to Dolce Vita there was nothing close to real Italian food - macaroni swimming in a sauce, pizza with a horrible crust...Dissapointment after dissapointment.

Finally I came here and finally ate a great pizza on a thin tasty crunch with wonderful toppings. Haven't found better pizza yet in Houston.

I haven't tried pasta yet as their pizza is so good, so no opinion so far.

Panna Cotta is also delicious and this dessert is not good everywhere...Thumbs up! I can also recommend cannoli.

Things I don't like are: vallet parking (just don't like the idea of vallet parking) and the fact that you can't book a table for fever people than six and I prefer to have a table booked and not have to wait by a bar. But their pizza is worth waiting...

4 Star Rating: Recommended

08/01/10

Great menu selctions, food and atmosphere

by IndoQ

I agree with DC Allen that this place offers an innovative menu selection for Houston. I wish other restaurants would venture out and get a little more creative and/or authentic with their offerings. The thin crust pizzas with interesting toppings are an exception to the usual thick crust versions with extra cheese. The salads are fresh and the greens (e.g., escarole) taste bitter as they should. The pasta is actually cooked al dente, also hard to find in Houston, and the sauce tastes fresh. I love the selection of vegetable and seafood small plates although I haven't gotten around to trying too many of them. The patio is enjoyable if it isn't too hot and the bar area is cozy. The manager approached our table once or twice and asked about everything which we also appreciated.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

07/04/10

Great food, sangria and atmosphere

by SAE4340

Same quality as Da Marco with more affordable price and friendly atmosphere.

Awesome Sangria!

  • Pros: Excellent food
  • Cons: Limited Parking - Crowded
2 Star Rating: Below Average

05/19/10

DO NOT VALET!

by Broulay

I love this restaurant. We used to here at least twice a month, whether for the delicious thin crust pizza or the simple and delicious pastas. Occasionally we'd even share the deliciously simple hazelnut tartufa. Unfortunately, on our last visit, the valet managed to put an 18 inch scratch down both doors or my car that I didn't see until the following morning. These were not small scratches so they had to have known but (obviously) denied everything (quite aggresively!) when I called and visited the next day. I haven't been back but was thinking about it until my co-worker emailed this morning to inform me that the same thing had happened to them Saturday night. It might be harsh to blame the restaurant but they employ these people so are ultimately responsible for their actions.

  • Pros: Great pizza & great pastas at reasonable prices
  • Cons: After repairing your car, you could eat at Da Marco cheaper!

The Details on Dolce Vita Pizzeria & Enoteca

Place Categories:

  • horrible customer service
  • best eggplant pizza
  • great place
  • favorite restaurants
  • recommended waiter
  • enjoy good glass
  • really awesome appetizer
  • rude hostess
  • very friendly kitchen staff
  • rude servers
  • extremely reasonable prices
  • worst pizza
  • delicious pasta
  • recommend peccorino salad
  • helpful bartenders
  • just rude manager
  • flavorful mozzarella
  • nice dollar bottle
  • generally pleasant flavors
  • boisterous diners
  • stale unfilled crust
  • bad taste
  • good food
  • great dining experience
  • not great wine

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