Good Italian food for the OBX. A bit pricey. There was a bit of a wait so arrive early. Service was quick.

Had dinner here last night, the food and service was amazing!!! The serving portions were huge, definitely needed a box to go. The veal Parmesan was so good! Everyone in my dinner party was happy with their entree. Will definitely be going back! read more

My wife and I were looking for a place to eat . Do to this COVID joke, most places were either closed or had no dine in seating. So after asking someone at a seafood market, we went further down the road, and went into area called Timbuktu (?) and found a restaurant called La Dolce Vita. What a FANTASTIC restaurant! The service was great, and the food was EXCELLENT!!!!! The amount you get for what you pay for is definitely a good deal!! If you are in the area, you MUST stop in , ask for Simone, and she will take GREAT care of your party. Not a place to pass by !!!!!!!!! read more

We stopped by for the first time and we decided to sit at the bar and eat. Billy was our bartender and what a great and polite guy! Made us a couple of cocktails, which were great! Then we had some of their bread with some appetizers! Mussels and Calamari. It's hard to say which was better food or the service, so I'll just say again both were great. We will be going back soon , and recommend it to everyone highly! read more

We ate here both 10/5/18 for dinner and 10/6/18 for take out pizza. Both were outstanding. The dinner in, I had the spaghetti and meatballs which were delicious and a large portion. My husband had the chicken parmigiana which was also a large portion and he enjoyed it. The bread was great. The pepperoni pizza the next night was outstanding. read more

Amazing customer service, delicious food and huge portions. The manager is awesome and really worked with us to find seating that would help us feel comfortable during this pandemic. read more

Pros: Good service, tasty chicken parmasian, interesting blueberry salad, good beer. Cons: pene vodka was just plain tomato sauce, gnocchi was from a package (yuck!), not fresh or frozen. Conclusion: not horrible, but I don't think we would go back. Definitely not worth the 4 stars it got here. read more

Pretty good food but the portion sizes are way too by. I got the lasagna and the sauce was pretty good, but it was a little bit too sweet. The cheese was used very generously m, and overpowered the dish a little bit. The portion size was literally meant for 3 people, not one. Maybe one extremely stoned, morbidly obese pig could eat it, but that's about it. Will definitely return next year! read more

We loved La Dolce Vita. One of our best meals during our last trip to OBX. Great vibe and atmosphere. Fantastic food!

A very yummy dinner for our last night on vacation! They were a bit busy (it was a Saturday night after all) but our party of 8 was seated pretty quickly. Our table ordered the soup of the day, which was a roasted tomato and red pepper soup, bruschetta, and spinach artichoke dip, all which was delicious. Dinners consisted of the chicken fettuccini Alfredo, chicken Parmesan, veal Parmesan, seafood diablo, and a pizza. Everyone enjoyed their meals! My only complaint is because it was so busy, our table was neglected quite a bit for our meal. read more

I'm speechless. The chicken parm was perfectly cooked and the compliment of sauce and cheese made it amazing. The salads are great, the entrees are great, and the staff is very friendly. I could not recommend this place more! It's amazing! read more

I was shocked when I got a bill for $45 for two pizzas each with two toppings. The pizza wasn't great and it was relatively small. There is no way I'll ever patronize this place ever again. read more

Such good, authentic Italian food!!! Service is very prompt and the staff are friendly. We come every year on vacation.

The food at dolce vita was outstanding! I ordered their signature shrimp and crab penne a la vodka dish and was blown out of the water with how well cooked and flavored the dish was. Though a little pricier, the portions are large and it was enough to have a second meal out of my leftovers the next day. The reason why I have to unfortunately dock it from 5 stars to 3 was that my dining experience was soiled by the fact that they gave me a buzzer and had me wait a long time, for me to find out that they had been giving tables of 2 (I was waiting for a table of 2 as well) to people who just walked in over me, who had been waiting for 30 minutes at that point during off season for mine. I received no apology or acknowledgment of that when I came up behind them as they were seating a different couple that had just walked in (I held the door for them and overheard their conversation) and that was disappointing. read more

La Dolce Vita - Italian Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

Had dinner there on Tuesday evening, service was very slow and ALL our 6 entrees had excessive salt enough to melt Boston icy roads next winter. This really surprised us since many said this place was good. Too bad we do NOT recommend this place to anyone. Save your time, money and taste buds. read more

I was really hoping this place would be amazing. It was not. Far from it. From the beginning we should have known it was going to be bad. We showed up within 20 minutes of them opening for dinner. We were seated quickly, but had to wait for our server, Simone. When she finally showed up, we had been waiting for a few minutes. She took our drink order only to come back and tell my husband they were out of the beer he wanted. Then when he asked for sweet tea they were also out. We were a little unsure how they were out of sweet tea from lunch and did not think to make more. When my husband ordered his drink for the third time it was brought to him quickly. Then our waitress disappeared only to reappear and take our order then disappear again. We saw her talking with a friend that came in and she stayed with her for over 10 minutes. During our waiting time we started to hear pounding. Not sure what they were doing, but there was pounding on the wall for over 10 minutes - not a very peaceful wait. We had asked about the bread to be told it was not ready yet. At that point we had been there for almost 40 minutes with no bread nor was our dinner ready yet. We finally got bread just a few minutes before our dinner arrived. While the bread was good when we asked for another loaf we were told they charged money for extra. We agreed to pay for it because we are hungry, but frankly I have never been to a restaurant that wants you to pay their crazy expensive prices without a side dish and then pay for the bread too! This place does. Their entrees do not include a salad and the cheapest salad is $5.99. Our entrees were large and good, but not worth the money or time wasted there nor was it amazing food. Neither my husband nor I thought our meals were worth the exorbitant prices. We would never return and honestly there is better out there. Even Olive Garden is better then this and you will get out a lot cheaper. And our server Simone was probably the worst service I have ever received. She would completely walk by us without ever checking on us. She only had two other small tables yet she seemed like she could not be bothered to take care of us. We had our drinks go completely empty numerous times and we had to actually ask to be refilled. She also could not get me a butter knife to use with my dinner. The server taking care of others near us, I believe his name was Paul, was amazing. He answered all the questions they had and gave recommendations. Wish we would have had him, maybe dinner would have been a little nicer. read more

After a week long vacation, this was our final night dinner. And BLAMMO was it the best! Food - awesome. Service - equally awesome. Kind of a small restaurant, so either go early and plan on waiting in a small bar area or walking around the shops, but they took are cell # and called when our table was ready. Seafood Diablo was FANTASTIC. Great flavor and good heat in the sauce. My wife had the crab and shrimp vodka penne - also super delicious. Even the kids enjoyed their pasta dishes! Highly recommended - and we'll definitely return! read more

We stumbled upon this unassuming little spot and were happily surprised by both the friendly professional service and the great food. For starters the mussels sautéed in marinara had a delicious sauce with chunks of tomatoes and just the right kick of crushed red peppers. The sauce was so good that we needed more bread for dipping. I tried the entree special bolognese with pappardelle. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the bolognese was flavorful with beef, pork and veal. My date had the shrimp and pasta entree that normally comes with gluten free fusilli, but was pleased that the server offered to substitute pappardelle too. It was delicious with chunks of tomato and garlic. The shrimp were grilled to perfection with a crunchy exterior but not dry at all inside. Alas we has no room for dessert! read more

We were looking for takeout pizza and we had no real expectations other than this place came recommended. The pizza was some of he best I've had in D.C. Thin to medium crust cooked perfectly. Just call to order ahead! The pizza was awesome! read more

We did take out twice during our week in Corolla. The food is quite good, but the service and timing on the food being ready was horrible. It seems they don't know how to manage capacity in the kitchen for orders. Each time, the food was not ready at the time they indicated, and I had to wait 45 extra minutes for it to come out. When it did, some dishes were cold and others hot. Went back the second time hoping the first experience was an anomaly. The food was ready nearly 3 hours after we called in and 45 minutes after the pickup time they gave. Unfortunately, it seems to be their standard practice. They need to dedicate some staff just to preparing and dealing with take out. If they could get their act together on this, it would be a top notch option. read more

Every time we visit Corolla for our family vacation, we eat at La Dolce Vita. This weekend marked our 5th trip to both the Outer Banks & La Dolce Vita. This place has never disappointed us. Last night we were a large party of 13 (8 adults & 5 kids). Our server was excellent and attentive, and handled our large party with grace. The server & chefs also accommodated two vegan meals in the group, which are not part of the menu. Those meals, along with the other meals were all fantastic. This has become a family tradition and we love visiting La Dolce Vita every time we are in Corolla. See you in a few years! read more

I went here a few years ago and I remembered it being good so I decided to go back. IT WAS GREAT. We had Victor as our waiter and he was great. We ordered everything from crab cakes to chicken parm and we loved it all. I would highly recommend eating here. The only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars was because it was slightly overpriced in my opinion. However, it was still very worth it and tasted amazing. read more

I've had worse - but it's rare. The pasta was crunchy. The sauce was under cooked and tart. It was not given a chance to sweeten. The meatballs were mostly cheese. Everything was way over salted. My glass of wine was corked. The service was super slow. The waiter forgot to bring water glasses with the carafe of water. People who arrived after us were paying the bill before we got our food. We couldn't get the waiters attention - except when it came time to pay the bill. This restaurant is SO noisy, I couldn't hear the person across the table from me. We were in a booth. They said the restaurant was newly renovated, I could not tell that. I will be back in OBX next year and will steer clear of them. 'Upside Eat & Drink' and 'Agave Roja Mexican Restaurant' run circles around them. read more

Came here with my family. Had a nice variety of dishes. Restaurant was very noisy. So much so could hardly hear each other talk. That was the only negative. Service was prompt. Food was good. Clams Bianca was excellent. Great flavor. Noodles were perfectly prepared. Tasted home made. Seafood diablo was good but a bit spicy for my liking. Lasagna was very tasty and huge portion. Pizza was average. Worth a trip if you want Italian on the outer banks. read more

Had the crab & shrimp pasta; it was not bad but not out-of-this-world either. Service was pretty good.

A tad expensive, but absolutely perfect service (Tommy), the food was not only delicious but the serving was extremely fair. Perfect evening. read more

Our favorite place to eat so far in the Outer Banks. My husband had the chicken Parmesan and I had the Antipasto salad. Their fresh Rosemary bread and pesto with olive oil was fantastic! Our waitress Nadia was super friendly and attentive! read more

Let me start out by saying that when I come to the Outer Banks I expect good seafood, and I expect you to blow me away with your version of BBQ. I have been here before and had no reason to have low expectations, but I really walk in expecting little in terms of Italian food down there. Now let's start with the good, which will be most of this review - unfortunately the bad dropped it a couple stars. One more thing before I begin - why are all these Yelpers complaining about prices? You're in a tourist hot zone, where most all of the places are only open for the season. Every OBX restaurant review has some pricing issue, I don't get it. "For $8, the qualilty of the ingredients were dismal" - what are the expectations for an $8 salad in a sit down restaurant? Anyway...we had a 6:15 reservation, arrived at 6:20 and were seated immediately. Same booth that we had in the back last year. They actually asked if we wanted a booth when we made the reservation, nice touch. Bread arrives at the table with one of the better olive oils I think I've ever recevied with free table bread. Attempted to order a nice bottle of red wine when the waitress recommended the Troublemaker (wine). Two things, the same exact thing happened last year (which I found odd, not in a bad way, just more a like did this just really happen twice way) and two, Troublemaker was half the price of the wine I wanted. So thank you to kind waitress who gave me that cool flashback moment, and also wasn't looking at upping her tip, but was looking to get me a wine I would enjoy. She mentioned most of the staff orders some for themselves. Appetizers consisted of a deconstructed bruschetta and baked asparagus. Nothing spectacular, but exactly what one would expect from two relatively simple dishes. Hit the spot, no complaints. Two entrees were spectacular. The gnocchi with the Italian sausage special was so on the money. Gnocchi can be finicky little f#ckers, very easy to trasform into terrible belly bombers, but not here. These were light and fluffy, just the right texture. I was impressed. Spaghetti with meatballs was another wonderful entree. A couple of giant meatballs that were also just right, soft and moist. The sauce was damn good too. The chicken parm was well, chicken parm. Simple dish, simply made. The leftovers the next day were equally delicious. About halfway through the entrees we ordered another bottle of Troublemaker. We skipped dessert because the appetizers and entrees just stuffed us up so quickly. Plus it seemed dessert was going to have to be picked up off-site, I wasn't completely sure what that was about. So how can I give 2 stars when all the above sounds more like a 4 star place? Turning tables. I don't think I have ever been more rushed in my life, and most of my restaurant visits are in NYC. People are here on vacation, you can't rush them. The appetizers shouldn't come out at three different times. No entree should be placed on the table when more than half the appetizers are still there. This is Restaurant 101. And it's not like the waitress, or the mangeer type were bad people. The manager stopped over early on and I felt was sincere in his questions. And the previously mentioned waitress was helpful and sweet. I just didn't get the rush. It really left a terrible taste in our mouths. We were seated at 6:20, and our receipt was printed at 7:22. There is never an excuse for this, but in case you are thinking it was peak season, it wasn't, it was last week. We ended up taking half of the last bottle to go, only two of us were drinking wine. We will be back, but we will do a better job of controlling the service. If the rush-rush didn't happen I'd give this place 4 stars - easy. You should give it a go, just tell them you want to entrees after your appetizers have been finished. read more

My husband and two children (ages 11 and 6) walked into La Dolce Vita on a Thursday night in Mid-June. We were thoroughly soaked to the bone from getting caught in a thunderstorm. We had tried to go to two other restaurants....one turned us away due to being unable to accommodate all their reservations, and the other was packed. I guess when it storms, everyone runs for cover in restaurants in OBX? We were cold, wet, and starving, and were pleased that we were sat in 15 minutes. The dining room was pleasant and it was clear this was a family friendly place. The host staff was nice and helpful. Our waitress was very nice, explained specials well, and provided us with attentive service. She showed some good wine knowledge and convinced me to order something more "interesting" than a pinot grigio. The wine was nice, and I did enjoy it. I was looking forward to the meal....things were starting off great! The service, unfortunately, was the best part of the meal. I ordered a starter caesar salad for $8. I was quite disappointed to find that there was nothing at all special about this salad. I could do just as well with a head of Romaine and a store bought bottle of dressing. Actually, I could do better, as my romaine lettuce had begun to brown. For $8, the quality of ingredients was dismal. However, the bread that the server brought out was warm and tasty, and my family devoured it. For entrees, I ordered the Veal Saltimbocca for $24-26. Now, for the price, I was hoping for exceptional quality and preparation. I was excited, because I love Saltimbocca. However, the salad foreshadowed my disappointment. I was served a bed of well-cooked spaghetti with a somewhat bland and very oily sherry sauce. The veal was breaded and fried, which is fine, but the veal was tough. It could have benefited from a good 5-minutes with someone who actually knows how to tenderized veal. It was topped with the tiniest, almost non-existent piece of prosciutto and was fairly smothered in cheese. The breading on the veal lacked flavor, and was a soggy mess from the contact with the sauce. The only thing positive I have to say about this plate is the portion. I was hungry, and it filled me, but it was not enjoyable. Overall, terribly overpriced for the quality served. Fine-dining prices, but below chain restaurant flavor and quality. My husband ordered a special, which I forgot the name of. It was basically a pasta dish with a creamy tomato sauce. His sauce had much more flavor, and it was a better composed dish. Although again, for $24, what was served did not measure up to the cost of the meal. My children had the mozzarella sticks appetizer and the kid's penne with meat sauce, I think for $8-10 each. Again, nothing special. Although kid-friendly, the kid's menu is small and unimaginative and trite. My kids are adventurous eaters and were not thrilled by the options. Some kids actually like to eat vegetables, but you won't find them on their menu. And guess what....the kid's menu was even overpriced. $8-10 for a hot dog and fries, or a plate of spaghetti? Are you kidding? Food cost is probably $1, $2 max. Our bill was over $90 dollars for 2 adults and 2 kids. We regretted not going back to Metropolis down the street, where we spent $150, but it was money well-spent as the food was exceptional. All in all, I left feeling swindled. I remarked to my husband "It's like they are trying to maximize the busy season by over-pricing everything to help offset the lean months, taking advantage of tourists". I have no problem spending good money on great food prepared thoughtfully with good ingredients. But this is not the place to find that. They are not trying hard enough in the kitchen and they need to seriously examine their food costs/profit ratio. I also find it interesting that if you look up their menu online, the prices are not listed. What are they trying to hide? We will be back to OBX every year, but we will not come back here. I would give La Dolce Vita 1.5 stars if I could, but since we had fast and friendly service, and the food was edible, I rounded up to 2. read more

Amazing experience. Food was great price for the giant portion size. I will definitely come back next time I'm here and recommend to all my friends when they come!! read more

Cymone was our waitress and she was amazing! Took great care of us! If our drinks even got close she was on the spot! Made sure we understood the menu and took her time with us! I got the Spaghetti and Meatballs which was great. Fresh taste and awesome presentation. My girlfriend got a shrimp and crab dish in vodka sauce. The shrimp and crab were very fresh! Overall a great experience and anytime I am in the area I will stop by and get some La Dolce Vita! Great job Cymone! read more

We'll be sure to return next time we're in the obx. Great tasting food, lovely atmosphere... relaxing.

Wow, walked in with a party of 9!...and within a few minutes they found a way to seat us. The food was great and the portions were massive (really). The kicker was the friendly staff, fast plating, along with great servers (which was the icing on the cake, thanks Anna). Food not only came out fast, but was hot, presented well, and delicious. Our server was helpful in assisting with recommendations, and describing the meals. Really enjoyed the whole experience. Looking forward to eating there again, and again. read more

Pretty good food, it smells amazing in the restaurant when you first walk in. Mmmm, the smell of Italian homemade cooking...umm yum! Beautiful restaurant, and the back deck is such a nice spot to eat dinner and watch the sunset. Lovely place! read more

Great job tonight. We ordered apps, salads, main course and desserts to go... We had the Bruschetta app., While the tomatoes and basil were fresh as was the shaved parm cheese, there wasn't enough of the balsamic glaze, which left it a bit on the dry side, I wouldn't order it again. I had the lasagna with a meatball on the side. The portion was HUGH and very, very tasty. My wife had the eggplant, which came with a side of penne pasta. Very nice, she enjoyed it. I had a caeser salad to start which was also fresh and delicious. Or server, Louis, did a great job, timing everything perfectly from start to finish. This wasn't our first visit, it won't be our last. read more

We were so very disappointed with the long wait for dinner. We were seated at 715pm and got up to leave at 840pm to go feed our starving kids elsewhere. read more

Tiny little place. Making a reservation during high season is a good idea, but as we went during off season we went right in and had a seat. We had baked ziti with a meatball and eggplant parm. The eggplant was sliced thin so that the breading was crispy and the eggplant was soft... exactly how you want it. Absolutely delicious. The meatball was spectacular: it was huge, moist, and tastes like my mom makes. Can't beat it! On top of all that, we got fresh-baked rosemary bread with pesto olive oil for dipping and we were in heaven. Prices are a little high for Italian in my opinion, but seeing how it's a major tourist area and it's good quality it's worth it. read more

As far as dining goes in the OBX this is a 5/5. Took my parents here for dinner. Great atmosphere and a nice departure from the beach style eat-in dining. We ordered 2 baked ziti's w/o ricotta, which is not easy to find, and lobster ravioli. All were great and fresh. Drinks were good. The bread was fresh. The menu had a nice selection of salads and the salad of the day sounded very appetizing, we just weren't hungry enough to try it. We did go in the off season so that may have made the experience better. read more

A really cute restaurant in Corolla. The service was great, the setting, and the food! I got the pesto gnocchi, which was just heavenly. Perfect proportions of basil to oil and the pasta was very tender. Though it was a big portion, I ended up eating the entire thing (it was just that good!). A great place to go for a nice sit down when in the area. read more

This has to be my favorite place to eat so far since coming down to outer banks! It was phenomenal! You can call ahead if you have a big group and they are very accommodating. We ordered multiple appetizers which were all delicious including the basic mozzarella sticks to the specials of the French cheese plate and bruschetta. The entrees were amazing and they could make anything specific to a persons allergy as well! Below are the shrimp a la firenze and one of the specials of the night of ravioli and sausages! Everything on their menu was to die for so if you are in the area I would recommend stopping by and enjoying this great restaurant! Five stars hands down! read more

La Dolce Vita - Italian Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

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