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    Dolce Osteria

    3.9 (324 reviews)
    Open • 11:30 am - 2:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 9:30 PM

    Dolce Osteria Photos

    Business Info

    DOLCE OSTERIA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Intimate
    Romantic
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Dolce Osteria

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    Bolognese and meatballs

    This place is wildly overpriced and completely misses on basic quality. I paid over $40 for spaghetti and a side of meatballs, which would be one thing if the food delivered. It didn't. The pasta was overcooked, gummy, and had an off taste. This is the most basic dish on any Italian menu, and they couldn't get it right. What makes it worse is the pricing is misleading. The online menu is not clearly separated between lunch and dinner, so what looks like one price turns into something much higher at pickup. When I questioned it, I was met with attitude instead of a clear explanation. If your pricing structure is confusing, the least you can do is handle it professionally when a customer asks. Also worth noting, the last time I was here there were roaches crawling up the wall, which is why I hadn't been back in a long time. I gave it another chance and regret it. Between the poor food quality, confusing pricing, and unprofessional response, this place is not worth it. There are far better options that actually deliver on both quality and service.

    Mussels in white wine sauce

    My fiancé took me here on my birthday. All the food was absolutely phenomenal. The service was amazing and the ambience is very sexy and great for date night. I had an amazing time and will definitely be returning best Italian food in Charlotte by far.

    Linguine alla Genovese
    Hailey A.

    INCREDIBLE pesto!!!! Get the linguini genovese with fresh pasta - I could eat this every single day. Beautiful spot, packed and so popular! Highly recommend going for a girls night, splitting a bottle, and eating some delish pasta!

    Meatballs
    Mercedes S.

    This is my second visit to this location in a month, which speaks to how much I enjoy the food here. Tonight was just as exceptional as my first experience, with amazing, genuine, and personable service, along with great food.

    Godiva mousse
    Daisy S.

    We had a great experience! We visited for restaurant week this year as we haven't visited Dolce before. And honestly for restaurant week it was a fabulous experience! The portion sizes were great, there were an array of options, and the flavors were on point. Boyfriend had: lobster bisque, skirt steak, and limoncello cake. I had: dolce salad (orange dressing is so fresh!), ravioli (I brought some home), and the Godiva mousse. The service was great - folks were attentive, waters were filled, and that says a lot for such a busy time. The space was a bit tight so we were bumping up against the table behind us. For restaurant week I think that's totally fine though because it's super busy and when we left there were multiple parties waiting. Would totally try again another time!

    a slice of chocolate cake
    RA C.

    We celebrated my bonus Mom (a.k.a. soul sister) birthday at Dolce Sunday. As you would expect, service was incredible and the food amazing. I'm sorry we didn't get to introduce her to Rita - this was her first visit- but the staff took great care of us, and brought her a fabulous slice of chocolate cheesecake! Stuffed mushrooms and grilled (not fried) fresh, tender calamari for an appetizer. AMAZING crisp, fresh bread with cannellini beans, and robust olive oil and balsamic. Fresh seafood pasta dish with Rita handmade fettuccine (she has been wanting to have that forever), lightly breaded cutlet with arugula in light lemon sauce and broccoli in garlic (like my grandfather used to make), chicken parm again with homemade pasta, and ravioli in bolognese. We tried each other's dishes, I just can't get enough of the chicken cutlet. The breading is so light and crisp, the chicken thin, and tender. Perfectly cooked! The chicken Parmesan cutlet was a little thicker, but just as tender and so flavorful. Can I tell you? The only thing we had leftover to take home was a little bit of broccoli! They said this was the first time they cleaned their plates off, lol! The homemade bread was wonderful, especially dipping it in the creamy sauce from the stuffed mushrooms. Everyone tasted the chocolate cheesecake, it was perfect and I'm picky with my cheesecake because believe it or not, I don't like a dense/heavy cheesecake. This chocolate cheesecake literally melted in your mouth and I want to say the texture was whipped, so light? Just wonderful seriously. Not sure if that was done by Rita's pastry chef, but if so? I think I found my new, annual birthday cake, lol! Cannot wait to go back again and after seeing all the pictures from the pasta making classes? That's on our to do list too! Thank you, Rita and thank you to the wonderful staff at Dolce, we appreciate you so much - you made her first visit, and her birthday, unforgettable (her words, not mine)!

    Chicken Parm with linguine
    Lisa F.

    Was scoping out Italian cuisine restaurants in my Yelp app & came across this gem. Made reservations for Saturday night. We were greeted at the door by smiling faces & seated promptly. While we looked over the menu we enjoyed a glass of red wine & an Manhattan from the bar. Even the basket of bread they put on the table was delicious! We had 2 baskets, lol! We got the shrimp diavolo appetizer & ate it up so quickly I forgot to snap a pic. The shrimp: so tender & juicy, the sauce: spicy & flavorful I ordered the chicken Parm with linguine along with a side of broccoli. The chicken was nice & thin, perfectly cooked & the sauce was perfect. My boyfriend got the seafood pasta dish ( I forgot the name) and he cleaned his plate! He said the sauce was also spicy & he enjoyed every bite of it. I think we found our new favorite Italian restaurant!

    Lobster gnocchi
    Suzanne S.

    This review is so close to a 4, and I feel like if I'd visited at another time (not during Restaurant Week) it would have met that rating easily. I made reservations online for Friday at 7 pm for 4 people. I love how easy they make it for me to do this, but you do have to book with a credit card. They tell you that if everyone in your party doesn't show, you'll owe $25 a place. I'm not sure if they'd follow through with that, but it is worth mentioning. Not a big deal for me as I am pretty anal about schedule, so would update accordingly. Turns out, one in my party had a family emergency a few days before our reservation, and I needed to modify to 3 people. I couldn't do it online, as it said no tables were available, but I was able to call the restaurant and they were able to easily and cheerfully make the change. We arrived and were seated quickly, and given only the menu for Restaurant Week. I get it, LOTS of customers, you need to make it as streamlined as possible. I will also add that the RW dinners in general range from $35 to $50 a plate. Dolce was at $50 a plate. I had high expectations. The choices on the RW menu were plentiful. We three chose different appetizers, entrees, and desserts and tried each other's. For my appetizer, I chose Eggplant parmesan. I'm so glad I did. It was surprisingly light and so delicious. The presentation of mine was not great, but the taste more than made up for that. The entree I selected, upon waitress's recommendation, was Lobster gnocchi. It came with spinach in a creamy red sauce. The sauce had a good flavor, but the gnocchi were very mushy and doughy. I wish they'd been pan-fried for a minute in a skillet to give them some texture. The worst part was the lobster's texture was off and tasted like fake crab. After picking it apart carefully, I'm 100% convinced I was eating fake lobster. So disappointing. Surely this is not what they do for their regular customers? But to charge the max price for restaurant week, I was disappointed. And kind of felt duped that I wasn't told it was fake lobster being billed as real lobster. I'd have most certainly chosen something different if I'd known. My friend had pasta fagioli with mussels or clams (out of the shells) and she let me try it. The clams tasted straight out of a can, almost like those smoked oysters that are small but whole. It was disgusting. My friend saw my face and said she felt the same way and ate around them as best she could. Dessert was wonderful. I got the cheesecake, my friends had tiramisu and limoncello cake. All were wonderful but we all agreed that the cheesecake was the best. Creamy, rich and homemade. Normally, I would give a restaurant another try after Restaurant week, but the switcheroo with the lobster really left a bad impression on me. It was a dirty trick. Next time I'll just go to Aria.

    Birthday chocolate mousse cake was fabulous (& I don't like mousse usually). Limoncello cake was amazing too.
    Kelly B.

    The ambiance is lovely here- perfect for a special date but comfortable & family friendly. In fact, one waiter was seen walking the aisles jostling a customer's baby for her so she could read the menu. Our waiter was Ferdinand & he was a true delight. He was full of helpful information about the menu & good humor to keep us laughing. We were celebrating our son's 26th birthday & he certainly made the occasion memorable for Michael & the rest of us. I almost forgot the amazing food- the reason for our visit! We all got the same thing- a special- so that wasn't smart in terms of sampling & sharing but it was delicious, every bite. Appetizers & salad & wine & bread were all spot-on. We will definitely come back when we are next in town.

    Bruschetta
    Alisha J.

    I have heard so much about this place that I knew I needed to try it! It did not disappoint! It is now my favorite Italian place in Charlotte! We went for lunch. Keep in mind they are only open until 2pm for lunch. The place is very intimate and it has a home like feel. It's like your at your Italian grandma's house for dinner. The food was absolutely divine. We had the mussels (in the white wine sauce) and the bruschetta for appetizers. Let's start with the mussels. I promise they put something in the sauce that made you want to dip every piece of bread in it and soak it up. I really wanted to drink it. The bruschetta was so fresh and delicious. I could eat it every day! I had the amatriciana pasta and my friend had the penne alla vodka with shrimp added. Both were amazing! It was so good that I forgot to even capture a picture of these! I think we savored every bite! The service was amazing and I enjoyed the experience from the very moment we walked in. You have to try this place especially if you love great authentic Italian food. The icing on the cake is that they make fresh pasta which is amazing! Don't wait any longer, just run to this place and try it! I'm sure it will be amazing!

    Ravioli
    Brittany S.

    LISTEN. Hands down, easily the best Italian cuisine in Charlotte. Authentic, fresh, tasteful, full of flavor, portions are perfect and you will leave full and satisfied. My partner and I love it here and for two people with entrees, salad or appetizer, dessert, and a couple of glasses of wine, look to spend about $150 which isn't bad at all for the quality. This spot is always packed so be sure to make a reservation in advance. They also do pick up/to go orders if you call ahead. Rita is one of the sweetest souls and is the cherry on top of visits here! Love love love Dolce.

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    4 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Food was great, so was service. Will be returning asap, sat outside and the outdoor area was great as well

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    3 years ago

    Cute restaurant in Charlotte. Small, comfortable, great service and the Vongole is very good. Nice wine selection. Highly recommended.

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    Page 1 of 9

    Ask the Community - Dolce Osteria

    Do they do anything for birthdays or special occasions?

    I celebrated my birthday here and they surprised me with a special dessert (didn't even tell them, they overheard us) which was a great surprise. Not sure about other occasions

    Is the pasta made in house?

    Yes if you ask for it

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Exotica Indian Kitchen & Bar

    4.5(144 reviews)
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    Flavor is good the salt level is much too high. Food is good. Service blah- especially for how…read moreslow it is. Server just looked in my direction and kept moving - I definitely could have used a napkin or two. Portion sizes are good. Very nice ambiance- relaxing and inviting. Half the salt would have made this a 4.5/5.

    I stumbled upon this place last summer with a friend and we sat at the bar and just to head there…read morespicy cauliflower and the bartenders selection. Everything was fantastic. The last couple of times I've been was with my work group. We ordered several items for our table and then we also ordered entrées. Each time I visited this location everything is very nice and clean and the food as spicy as it is is very well seasoned and tasty. All of the sauces and curry creams were cooked to perfection hot in temperature not too hot to enjoy. Our servers were very kind and patient and courteous to us as we made our decisions. They also made perfect combination for our selections. And the best selections for drinks and desserts. Since then, I've even ordered on Uber eats and my food came just as perfect. This is a great go to place for good Indian food. If you're in the uptown area it's located below the Green parking lot, which is across from the Knight theater. It's just a good place even if you want a good drink at the bar. Enjoy!

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    Exotica Indian Kitchen & Bar - Bar seating

    Bar seating

    Exotica Indian Kitchen & Bar - Lamb Vindalho

    Lamb Vindalho

    Exotica Indian Kitchen & Bar - Beautiful seating.

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    Beautiful seating.

    Dogwood Southern Table & Bar

    Dogwood Southern Table & Bar

    4.1(55 reviews)
    1.3 mi•Uptown

    Disappointing overall. Went for dinner but they didn't have their regular Dinner Menu available…read morebecause there was an AC/DC concert that night and their kitchen isn't able to deliver their regular menu on busy nights. Ridiculous. The Dinner Menu is posted on front of the restaurant AND online, with no mention the limited menu was the only option. Our server told us he completely understood our dissatisfaction, and said that we were welcome to go elsewhere. At that point, we didn't have the time to shift gears or we would have done so. While 3 of 4 couldn't get what we came in for, the food we had was good. Duck & Dumplings was probably the best dish. Two got the Shrimp & Grits and said it was good. My Ceasar Salad with chicken was pretty tasty, too. Service from Devon was very good and food runners delivered food to the right spots without prompting. I went back later in the evening for a bite and cocktail at the bar and I was completely ignored. Bartenders kept just clearing and taking orders from people walking up. Infuriating. Its a shame that the restaurant is just poorly managed.

    I recently stopped by the restaurant in the Charlotte Westin: Dogwood Southern Table and Bar. The…read morespace was airy, modern and light with a 360 degree bar, high ceilings and well spaced tables. I was intrigued by the item "Chef's Bite", that's it, no further explanation. As I suspected, it was an 'amuse bouche' offered from the kitchen. Today it was a Deviled Egg with a mustard-forward center, even containing black mustard seeds for flavor and crunch. As a fan of Sicilian arancini, I ordered the Dogwood's version as an appetizer. I was surprised to see several small rice balls, the size of hush puppies. I was expecting a single larger offering; 'arancini' after all mean orange in Italian. The risotto spheres were stuffed with pimento cheese and instead of the typical marina sauce, the kitchen had substituted a tomato jam with a subtle sweet finish. It was a successful southern riff on a Sicilian standard. Although I had been directed to order the Duck and Dumplings, my eye drifted to the Shrimp and Grits. I hadn't had much Carolinian food this trip.... The dish did not disappoint. It was amply loaded with flavorful shrimp and accented with good-quality andouille sausage slices, all over a well executed plate of grits. Service was prompt, professional and knowledgeable. This one is going in the book to return to.

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    Dogwood Southern Table & Bar
    Dogwood Southern Table & Bar
    Dogwood Southern Table & Bar - Fresh cucumber lemon drop

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    Fresh cucumber lemon drop

    Arbol Eatery

    Arbol Eatery

    4.5(44 reviews)
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    Located inside the Carillion office tower on trade street you will find Arbol Eatery tucked away…read more It is a small and relaxing cafe that serves coffee, smoothies, and some delicious sandwiches including a very good quesadilla! It kind of has the vibe of a hotel lounge with comfortable couches and chairs for seating. Their menu isn't large or extensive but they do a great job with what they provide. I could see myself coming here regularly if it was located closer to my office. The amount of plants is a nice bonus as it adds to the relaxing atmosphere. The name Arbol Eatery really suits it. If you find yourself wandering Uptown and are in need of a quick bite or maybe just a place to lounge you should head to Carillion and find this place.

    While visiting Charlotte, we stopped by Arbol Eatery and were honestly impressed! We tried four…read moresandwiches -- El Italiano, El Cubano, and Chicken torta -- plus the Caprese, and each one had its vibe and flavor. The standout for us was definitely the Cuban -- a super creative take on a classic, with that perfect balance of "original with a twist." El Italiano was a close second, packed with flavor and just the right texture. The torta was solid too, just a little spicy for my like, but I never checked if it was, and the Caprese made for a fresh, lighter option, it was missing the fresh mozzarella and fresh tomatoes. Service was fair. Overall, the place has a chill vibe, the food came out quickly, and we'd come back to try more of the menu.

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    Arbol Eatery - Interior

    Interior

    Arbol Eatery - Chicken Quesadillas

    Chicken Quesadillas

    Arbol Eatery - Breakfast  croissant

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    Breakfast croissant

    Dolce Osteria - italian - Updated September 2026

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