Great food, amazing patio and fantastic professional service! I would definitely come back and bring my whole family! read more

La Dolce Vita Cucina - Coconut panna cotta, chocolate lava cake and gelato - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

La Dolce Vita Cucina nailed it for lunch. The fried calamari misto arrived perfectly golden and crisp, paired with a bright marinara that cut through the fry beautifully. The linguine alle vongole was a standout -- plump, briny clams tossed with al dente linguine in a garlicky white wine sauce that we happily mopped up with bread. The fettuccine Alfredo with chicken was rich, silky, and generous with the noodles (my kid couldn't get enough -- literally). Great portions, great flavor, great vibe. Five stars, easy read more

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The restaurant is nice and roomy with a nice bar in the center. We went during Happy Hour. We ordered the calamari and Arugula salad off the Happy Hour menu. The calamari was ok. It didn't taste fresh. The Arugula salad was salty and had to much dressing on it. The main course was off the regular menu. We ordered the Salmon served with Escarole and white beans and cherry tomatoes and the Tagliatelle Funghi E Tartufo pasta. We shared the salmon and the pasta. The waiter was nice enough to split the dishes for us. The Salmon was perfectly cooked and had a nice buttery taste. The pasta was delicious. The pasta was tasty especially with the black truffle that was added to it. The whole dish was great. For desert we ordered the Panna Cotta Noce Di Coco. It was a nice portion and it was really good, served with fresh berries. Overall the main course was really delicious. The calamari did not seem as if it was fresh and the salad was too salty and had too much dressing. Other than that, I will go back to try their other dishes on the menu. read more

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We had a truly wonderful first visit to this Italian gem, and thanks to Roberto--attentive, friendly, and effortlessly funny--we felt like regulars the moment we walked in. His warm hospitality set the tone for a memorable evening. The food delivered in both flavor and presentation. A warm bread basket, featuring a mix of breads and focaccia, was a thoughtful touch to start. The meatballs with polenta appetizer was outstanding--rich, comforting, and generously portioned enough to pass as a main. For mains, I had the Alaskan Halibut Filet with spring vegetables and a pea purée. The halibut was slightly overcooked, but the vegetables were perfectly prepared and the sauce tied everything together beautifully. My son ordered the Frutti di Mare, which was exceptional--the seafood was fresh, and the sauce struck a perfect balance, enhancing the dish without overwhelming it. We sampled all three Negronis (the perks of living just around the corner) and unanimously voted for the Classico. Each version was well crafted and added to the evening's charm. The space itself is lovely--simple yet warm, with classic booths and lots of wood, a welcoming ambiance. It's the kind of place that works just as well for a casual dinner with friends as it does for a celebratory gathering. Overall, a fantastic neighborhood spot with excellent service, flavorful food, and a cozy atmosphere. We'll definitely be back. read more

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This has become our go to place. Couldn't find parking at the Italian beef fest so we pivoted here. Sat outside on their patio. Beautiful evening with great food. I have loved everything I have ordered. Prices are reasonable, staff is very nice. Great place! read more

Overall the food was underwhelming which is unfortunate because i really love the vibe of this place. The decorations and bar area are beautiful. Also the service was good as well. For me the food fell flat as well for my party. We really wanted to like this place but unfortunately the food wasn't quite up to par with the rest of the restaurants good qualities. Polleto The Cornish Hen was good but personally was not a fan of the pesto seasoned potatoes. Risotto Pretty bland unfortunately, especially for a specialty dish was expecting a bit more flare. Spaghetti and Meatballs were underwhelming as well. They weren't very flavorful and a bit too dense. Feels like they needed something to lighten them up. read more

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Absolutely fabulous little find in the Irving Park Portage area. Two down to earth chefs with 20 plus years of experience in Italian cuisine, the food was authentic, fresh, and portions were perfect. Interesting nightly specials, great atmosphere. Staff and our waiter was so friendly and welcoming. Delicious house made bread with olive oil and wonderful balsamic. Had the margarita pizza, fresh made pizza dough. Generous size steak cooked perfectly, pasta was al dente, and super delicate fresh white fish with broccoli. We will absolutely be back! read more

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Reservation for 4 last night. A group of women celebrating. Endless laughter, catching up, great food! The decor here is very modern and welcoming. Staff was amazing!!! Food delicious. One of the best ribeye steaks I've had! read more

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The meal was amazing. The service is great. The drinks were perfect and the price was right. What else can you ask for! Portage Park is lucky to have such a special place. read more

I did take out. The Linguine Frutti Di Mare was fair, but the calamari was very chewy. The pasta definitely was the star of the dish. The Tagliatelle Funghi e Tartufo was great and I would come back for it but I added meatballs to it and I regret that. The meatballs were below average. When I picked up the food, the ambiance of the place was beautiful, perhaps I would go in for a drink but food was not very satisfying. read more

My son's birthday. I remember it was called something else. I live a few blocks away, so he walked in. Happy surprise. I found one of my favorite things on the menu. Pizza napoletana., and a pasta Bolognese. I don't think it was called that. Both excellent. A completely new bunch of faces. I think it was the manager, said goodbye on the way out. That touch made the difference. Service was very attentive with my drinks. Only had two. I think the menu was completely different. Thank you, my son's birthday was great and food options were as well. read more

Loved the atmosphere, the food was spot on, the drinks were amazing and the service absolutely terrific. Will definitely be back again.

Living out on the NW side there are a small handful of places that I think....if they were further east they would be written up, over run and appreciated more. This place is a treasure from the menu, to the waitstaff to the inviting, very human owners. If I were a rich man........everyday, oh, they'd chase me away. The current salmon dish is better than most of your friends, go alone, I did, but I felt like I was in the home of family. Yeah, I did have five beers, but still.......go read more

Great addition to the Portage Park/Irving Park area. Excellent food, service and ambiance! My wife, son and myself sat in one of the curved booths in the bar area. Our meals were all excellent, with all the sauces having a depth of flavor that was not reliant upon oversalting. Decent wine selection - - their markup appears to be much less than the normal restaurant markup - - so you're getting better wine for your money. Really nice dark wood/clubby atmosphere. Not a bland storefront space. We will definitely be back! read more

Such a pretty establishment! They incorporated some of the decor from the original owners over the decades. We loved that it's not in a high traffic area, easy to find parking and the food and service were great. We started with an arugula salad and their homemade roasted pepper & potato soup. My husband ordered a pizza and because I couldn't decide between two specials (risotto with a bolognese sauce & pasta caccio e Pepe), our waiter suggested an appetizer portion of each! What a great idea. They were both very tasty. We didn't finish our meals so we could have dessert. We ordered a chocolate gelato and a coconut panna cotta. The panna cotta was delicious! It's the only item I took a picture of. They're going to be opening an outdoor seating area in back surrounded by beautiful pear trees. Will definitely be back read more

La Dolce Vita Cucina - Panna Cotta - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My wife and I shared the beet salad. It was tasty and the waiter had it split on two plates which was nice. We enjoyed a modest Chianti which was $48 and priced appropriately. For our main courses my wife had the rigatoni with meat sauce. She enjoyed the meal but felt the meat was mushy. For my main course I had spaghetti with meatballs. First, the dish was way over salted. Second, there could have been more pasta and less sauce and far too many meat balls. Lastly and most disappointing is my meatballs were freezer burnt. So much so, I couldn't eat them. I shared with my wife and she agreed they had a strong flavor of freezer burn. I explained to our waiter the issue assuming the chef would apologize and crickets. They removed the charge for my meal. That is not what I wanted. I wanted the chef to address the issue and tell me he wouldn't freeze them going forward. Well, that wasn't in the cards so we won't eat there again. This is a bummer since we live blocks from the restaurant. I'm of the opinion when I eat out where there's a chef, meat should never be frozen; and if it is, there should be protocols in place to insure quality. Especially at $28 for spaghetti and meatballs. David, Your response to my review is appreciated with the exception of your inference "I was having a bad evening." This comment was untrue and not necessary. Further, the freezer burnt meatballs were not a subjective opinion, but the opinion of two people, my wife and myself. As for the chef taking ownership, this really wasn't a must. As you accurately noted, my wife and I were looking for accountability and assurance the issue would be looked into. As I previously indicated, we didn't request nor did we want a free meal! It should be noted as well that we tipped the waiter on what would have been the full check amount. Please read my review again. We had zero issues with the service we received from our waiter. Were we unhappy, absolutely but you telling me I was having a "tough evening is way out of line and not true. I'm retired and enjoy every day! read more

I enjoyed a lot of small bites here as well as a glass of wine and everything was lovely. Parking also wound up being pretty easy. This is a welcome addition to the neighborhood! read more

A wonderful gem of a restaurant in the neighborhood. A great spot for date night, family lunch/dinner, or to catch a game. My husband and I celebrated our anniversary there and it has become a family favorite in our household. The restaurant itself is beautiful and welcoming, the staff are always so kind and attentive, and the food! Where do I begin? The presentation is always on point and everything is very well seasoned and fresh. The sangria is my absolute favorite, always so refreshing. The desserts are top tier. It's so hard to choose at the end of our meals. Highly recommend this restaurant. A great addition to the area. read more

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Tried this restaurant for the first time and it was such a miss! I had high hopes. Unfortunately many in my party did not like the food, noodles weren't al dente,rib eye was not served correctly. Was given "well done" when it was asked to get it medium rare. It took us 40 mins to get serviced for even drinks! Waiter was not attentive. Another hour to just get our food. Waiter wasn't checking up on us. It was hard to get his attention and we even asked someone else and was told "I'll get your waiter for you". It was just not a good experience. I get it, it might have been busy but we did have a reservation for our party and it just wasn't a good experience. Does not mean it's a bad restaurant because of this but customer service does need improvement. However- Atmosphere/ambience was lovely. read more

Excellent place!! Food and service were amazing!! portions and flavors of food and drinks were very good, I worked for 20 yrs in an italian restaurant and this place exceded our expectatives I highly recommend this place to anyone who want to try Italian food . read more

Stopped in twice, very nice inside and service is friendly and quick! The first time there we wanted to try the bistecca but they were sold out. We started with the prosciutto bruschetta, really good, loaded with prosciutto. Then we had the chicken parm and this other special, can't remember the name but it was pesto and shrimp. Both tasty and fresh, love the tomato sauce, it's not overly acidic or too sweet. Since the bistecca was sold out they gave us complimentary dessert, tiramisu is good, basic, the pannacotta was delish!! Our second visit we had the pancetta soup, it was meh, very greasy and bacony. Caprese was good, the tomatoes were perfect! We both had the bistecca and it was just okay. The sauce was broken, the steak was a bit under seasoned and we both had different portions. That was a bit disappointing since their social media shows a different presentation. Since this restaurants in the neighborhood we'll probably give it another shot. read more

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We had a table for 8 including one senior, who needed easy access. They had us well set up for our reservation and we had excellent service all night. Everyone enjoyed their entrees and drinks with some stand out pastas and risotto that evening. We'll be back read more

Neighborhood place so was really looking forward to it. The place has great ambience and the waiters and everyone at the restaurant were top notch. Very cool booths! Unfortunately the food was only OK so 4 stars. It wasn't that they were reaching too far, it was that it was meh. I always look at value also so its a 7 out of 10 restaurant that costs like its its a 8 out of 10 restaurant. read more

Food is delicious here ,I had the halibut and my wife had the steak ,both dishes were cooked perfectly ,the pasta is home made , the gelato is also home made drinks are delicious great service and very nice ambiance . Had the time to interacting with Roberto the owner and he was very kind , I would definitely recommend this place , we had a date night but it's also kid friendly ,give it a shot , you will not be disappointed . read more

La Dolce Vita Cucina - Bistecca tuscana - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The decor is very nice. I sat by the door since I came in for couple drinks. I didn't notice they had lunch specials so I also got food. It was a good portion and creamy mushroom pasta. The service was excellent. They sat me quick and gave me my space. They convinced me to get a dessert and it was delicious. I also had an espresso martini with it and it was good too. The pickle back shot with four roses is a good deal too. read more

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We came to this neighborhood gem Italian restaurant for lunch today. The dining room is already decorated and had such a cozy and festive atmosphere. The service and the food were top notch! If you are looking for a nice restaurant without high downtown pricing, La Dolce Vita is the perfect place. We've dined here twice already and the service was consistently attentive and thoughtful. The restaurant has choices of high tops, booths or regular dining areas, as well as a nice private patio. The chefs in the kitchen not only make delicious food but also pay attention to details to make sure their customers have the best dining experience. Since my husband and I decided to share every dish, they divided every course into two portions and beautifully dished for each. That's professionalism right there! The salad was dressed perfectly. The pasta and the cacciucco (cioppino) came out piping hot. You can probably see the steam from the photos. The fettuccine was homemade in the restaurant and cooked with a perfect al dente texture and chew to it. The chef really knew how to handle his pasta! And the ragu sauce was flavorful. The meat was not ground but cut into small chunks so they are tender and still have a bite to them! The strawberry, walnut and pistachios gelato with really good biscotti was the perfect dessert to finish this wonderful meal. We will definitely come back again! It's a great holiday dining option. They will not disappoint! read more

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The restaurant has a lovely ambiance with the dark wood decor, beautiful bar and inviting booths. Staff was very welcoming and attentive. Pinot noir was unexpectedly good - will go back just to try more wines and enjoy the bar. Interesting pasta menu. A bit pricey but I guess this is 2026. Might be nice to add some bread on the table or add a small soup/salad to the dinners - just an easy way to add more value for the neighborhood diner. I had the gnocchi which were delightfully delicate and freshly made. Looking forward to bringing my family and local friends. read more

It was Monday evening and our tried and true places were closed so based on a few decent reviews we decided to try La Dolce Vita Cucina. BIG MISTAKE. The cocktails were meh, the olives old, the clams in the Spaghetto Alla Chitarra Vongole tasted like they were beyond their sell by date (we ate two of them and stopped) and my Penne Alla Butera was mediocre at best.Oh, then there was the food poisoning and vomiting at 3:30 am in the morning. Don't go ! $130 for food that makes you sick isn't a very good investment. read more

Put this new restaurant on your must go list. The food was super yummy, wide selection of drinks and great service. For a Thursday night the place was well attended. Cozy atmosphere. Will definitely go back. read more

Owner/Manager/ Bartender Robert is fantastic. I had the meatball appetizer. They were about the size of a cheery tomato and buried in sauce. The taste was underwhelming. I've had better meatballs from a package. Would have been nice to see 3 large ones with less sauce. My friend said his salmon entree was underwhelming. Atmosphere is great. I hope the place has great success as this neighborhood needs a place like this. read more

New neighborhood spot, Highly recommend ! I tried this restaurant last night with a group of girlfriends. It was fantastic. The service was spot on , great martinis , food was delicious, cozy ambiance. The beet salad is amazing and all our pastas were delicious. The orecchiette pasta with the peas and sausage was a crowd favorite as well as the risotto that was on special for the night. But honestly all 5 pasta dishes we tried were . Only thing i didn't think was as great as everything else was the tuna tartare was sort of bland but loved the concept of being on a potato chip. Creme brulee for dessert was a great choice & they did that amazing as well I'm so excited for this to be in our neighborhood and will definitely be back!! read more

So excited about this new addition to our neighborhood! Loved their fried calamari and frutti di mare. Beautiful ambiance, great service, and delicious food. read more

La Dolce Vita Cucina - FRITTI MISTI - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This place is terrific. Food is great, with freshly made, innovative approaches to Italian standbys. Spinach gnocchi with fresh tomatoes was outstanding but the spaghetti and meatballs was a winner too. Restaurant is lovely and outdoor patio is supposed to be open soon. Service was quick without being rushed. read more

Went for the first time with my daughter and my boyfriend for the first day of restaurant week. greeted with a smile, the ambiance was beautiful, super chilled. Waiter was super helpful, and attentive. food was amazing, fresh. loved it read more

Great ambience, good food and great service. This Italian restaurant in Portage Park has yummy menu items as well as compelling specials. Don't miss the crème brûlée for dessert. read more

Great Food and atmosphere!! The food was delicious and the service was excellent! A great date spot! We are happy to see this addition to the neighborhood!! read more

Excellent for large parties!! We had a group of about 19 people to celebrate a birthday and the seating in their back room was perfect. The service was excellent and our server was incredibly attentive and professional. The food was great, we had multiple apps for the table and everyone ordered an entree and commented how much they enjoyed their dish. I highly recommend this restaurant if you have a large party. read more

I went here in late Oct. We had drinks and they were good. We ordered spaghetti amd salmon. We did not like meatballs. They were wierd color and did not taste homemade. The salmon better. The portions are small. We met one of the owners. We enjoyed are time with him.. I hope they improve .. i want and need a great italian restaraunt near us read more

Love La dolce vita cucina. Food is great and everyone is so friendly High recommended read more

We were hopeful this would be good as it just opened down the street from us. They did not disappoint! Wow, such an amazing staff. The service was a 12 out of 10. The food was very delicious and we tried 8 different dishes and all of them were amazing. We tried 2 of the specials and 4 pastas. Everything was so good. Bravo! Also, fabulous martinis ;) We've now been back 3 times...Love the off menu options, talented chef back there! Appetizer size pastas, great idea! read more