07/13/09

Good Neopolitan Pizzas

by DCAllen

I've visited Dolce Vita twice now, once with my husband and parents and again with a group of 25 women. Each time the service and food were superb. If you've been to DaMarco's you won't be disappointed with this sister restaurant. I've had the cheese and meat board, the brussel sprouts, and a couple of different salads that were all of the highest quality. The pizzas feature interesting flavors by Houston standards, and each I have sampled were wonderful with crispy (not soggy) crusts. Dinner companions have thoroughly enjoined the nightly specials as well.

Bottom line: if you are looking for American style pizza go to Romano's on West Gray, but DV has the best thin crust Neopolitan style pizzas in Houston.

By the way to the previous reviewer, it is not illegal to record a phone conversation so long as one party consents, in your situation, that was the manager.

• Pros: Very inventive menu for Houston
• Cons: Loud in the upstairs dining room; overwhelming truffle smell

06/29/09

Good food Good service

by rlajr4u

The manager was very friendly suggesting cavas and cool drinks on a hot day. Very good customer service. The pizza was good... it was the prosciutto, basil, almonds and tomatoes pizza. Crust is thin and crispy and generous servings of prosciutto. Ordered a olive oil, garlic and calamari spaghetti (made to order) ... good try but a bit watery....

I'd still go back for the pizza and try the other pastas...

That campari and cava on a hot day is good and so was the bloodorange vodka drink was even better.

• Pros: Friendly manager
• Cons: made to order spaghetti so so

06/17/09

Manager has major problem!

by FoodieinHouston

Several weeks in advance, my friend made dinner reservations for 12 at Dolce Vita Pizzeria to celebrate my birthday. The day of the reservation I called to speak to the manager, as I wanted to arrange for something special for my friends and I to share; an antipasti plate and/or desserts, and wanted to arrange to pay for that separate from the rest of the bill, as a treat for my friends. Well, first the "manager", Patricia, couldn't get passed the fact that I was asking to pay for something separate. She kept insisting that they don't split checks/no separate checks, no way. 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. Then she referred to the reservation book and after insisting that we never had a reservation to begin with (she later found it, misspelled) she claimed she wasn't going to be able to hold the table as we hadn't reserved it with a credit card (the friend who made the original reservation was asked for a cc, but told she didn't need to leave it as long as she called in advance to confirm). For trying to bring 12 people to dinner at her restaurant and trying to arrange something extra special on top of that, all I received was major attitude and argument from the so-called manager. When I told her that I thought Marco Viles would be extremely disappointment in how this conversation had gone, she actually had the gall to tell me that the phone call was being recorded (illegal last time I checked). 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). I would have been happy to give my credit card if she had broached the topic in an acceptable manner and I would have gladly reexplain what my intentions were (there may have been a language barrier?), 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. I even arranged for appetizer pizzas...in honor of my never, ever going to Dolce Vita. There are way too many great restaurants in Houston to ever bother giving them any business. Shameful!

• Pros: We'll never know!
• Cons: Horrible management

05/29/09

very expensive for what you get

by molcas

bad service

expensive

regular quality

never going back

they seem they're doing you a favor

bad,bad,bad

• Pros: we will have to find one
• Cons: everything

05/12/09

Rude and arrogant wait staff

by corire

I visited this place with 2 girlfriends and we were completely disappointed with the service. My friend ordered some parmesan cheese for her pizza and they brought her a little plate with about a spoon of shredded cheese, when we got the bill we noticed that they had charged us 6 dollars for it.

The waiter kept clearing the table and making it obvious that he wanted to sit somebody else, he picked up our pizza trays without even asking if we wanted to take our leftover pizza (there were several slices in the tray).

We did not enjoy our dining experience and I don't believe we will be going back.

04/15/09

Great Food, Service & Ambience

by csn26

My fiance and I tried Dolce Vita out this past weekend. The gourmet pizzas were amazing- the best thin crust pizzas I've ever tried. We also ordered an appetizer and dessert recommended by our waiter and they were also very delicious. The waiter was very energetic and very attentive. I liked the music- it was a mix of popular top 40 hits. I didn't get a chance to try the mixed drink, but had a pinot grigio by the glass which was great. I didn't like the fact that it was valet only, but the property is pretty small. Overall- great experience and we'll be going back.

• Pros: Food, Service, Ambience
• Cons: Valet Parking Only

02/25/09

Pathetic Pizza

by VBj

We shared a poor excuse for a pizza here last night. Dry, stale crust with a minute splash of tomato sauce, non-existent cheese and a few springs of arugula. Our over attentive waiter gave us no time to look at the menu. Thank goodness we only ordered the one pizza. We ate it (not the burnt edges) only because we were so hungry. Three waiters appeared as soon as we finished, clearing and wiping down the table as we sat. Very annoying. And the music and the traffic noise was horrendous. We would never consider ever going there again. I have spent time in Italy and this type of pizza is nothing what you would ever have there!!!

01/22/09

don't be intimidated by the menu....ask!!

by lisalinman

I had heard alot about Dolce Vita so i with a girlfriend decided to check it out. We went on a Wednesday because we heard how amazingly busy it gets on the weekend. What a great choice!! We decided to sit at the bar after looking at the menu hoping the bartender could help with our selections. After explaining to the bartender that we had never been in before she guided us through the entire menu and every selection she made for us was amazing. Starting with the basil and lemon martinis to the amazing truffle egg toast. She helped us choose wine for each course and we left feeling full, happy and educated on the all italian wine list. it was refreshing to go to a new place and have someone guide you through the experience without making you feel like you were an idiot for not knowing everything there is to know about italian food and wine. can't wait to go back and take my friends to show off my new food and wine knowledge!! Best dining experience we have had in a long time!!

• Pros: new and interesting items
• Cons: can be kind of noisy

01/19/09

Great food but... horrible service, very noisy, mandatory valet parking

by missarugula

I will gladly concede that Dolce Vita has great food. Their pizzas are crisp and inventive. I also really like their Gnocchi with Bolognese sauce. However, I cannot bear the thought of going back. Each time I have been there (at least 4 times) we've had sloppy/forgetful service which got extremely aggravating after a whiile. 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.

As other reviewers have noted, they have a tiny parking lot which is lorded over by the valet parkers and you have to park with them in order to park there. I guess it doesn't matter that we are coming there to potentially spend $50 a head for food and drink.

Last of all, someone needs to tell the owners that burgundy walls with a large oil painting of a bald old man is simply not something one wants to look at while eating.

01/09/09

best pizza best service in houston

by guevara2

Dolce Vita was fenomenal great host staff, great servers, and especialy great wine menu who ever does their wine menu does a great job...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 i think, she quoted us 30 minutes and thats what we waited she was great she took our wine up and also our appetizers, our server was great and very funny too he greeted us right after we got sat by adriana, he was verry attentive in the good way, we spent about 120 buks with a bottle of wine and our 2 pizzas, 4 appetizers, 2 salads, and 2 desert.....GREAT JOB YOU GUYS!...i will so go back

• Pros: great service from the valet to the hostess, to the server