The best Italian I've had since Rome! La Dolce Vita is somewhat of a hidden gem in the uncultured town of Leuven. Recommended to me by a fellow American staying at my hotel show was also fed up with the dull, cold, and rude treatment of Dutch non-speakers, my husband and I headed here on a cold, rainy night for some good food and hopefully some good company. Fortunately our new friend didn't steer us wrong, and we were happy to greet the owner with a warm 'buona sera!' After at first looking shocked to hear us speak Italian, he welcomed us and sat us at a table by the heater. It was literally the warmest welcome we've had in Leuven (husband is here for work.) It was nice and refreshing to see the Italian names of the food on the menu as opposed to Dutch words that can't accurately describe the dish. The food was truly great and authentic, my husband's lasagne was spot on with the béchamel. I had pasta with clams, mussels, and shrimp in a garlic oil (dairy allergy,) and it tasted like it came right out of a Roman trattoria. They make their own limoncello, and it was very good with memories of Iscia.
We decided to leave Leuven a few days early and head back to Brussels due to the Flemish hostility towards French people and unwillingness to speak French while their English isn't so hot, or we would have eaten at this wonderful restaurant everyday. It's a shame because this Italian restaurant needs to be on the map and visited by all Belgian travelers. read more