We had a lovely dinner tonight in downtown Gilroy. This restaurant was recommended to us by a friend. We called a few days ahead to make reservations. I'm glad we did because the place filled up quickly. Cafe Dolce Vita is a classy Italian restaurant with authentic Italian cuisine. There is some street parking, but it fills up fast. There is a parking lot a few block up on the same street that has more availability as well as behind the restaurant building. The inside is very modern with a lovely bar with 3 screen TV's. Right now, they only serve wine and beer. They have a really cool old fashioned espresso machine, that is more for decor. There is a modern one behind the bar for espresso's, cappuccino's and cafe lattes. The building is long and narrow. So there is quite a bit of seating that goes all the way to the back of the restaurant. Our waitress was very attentive and kind. We were brought a bottle of cold water for our table and fresh bread and garlic infused olive oil to dip the bread in. It was very good. Since it was an our first time we decided to try several dishes that we would share. We started with the Antipasto plate. This plate had a combination of fresh mozzarella, cold cuts, olives, roasted bell peppers, artichokes, eggplant and zucchini. It was a huge plate full of deliciousness. We had to stop ourselves from eating it all, so we would have room for everything else. They kindly wrapped up what was left for us to take home. We then ordered the rest of our meal. We ordered the Pappardelle di Napoli, Pollo Marsala and the Short Rib Tortelloni. Our entrees arrived quickly and they were all amazing. The Pappardelle di Napoli had large shrimp and baby shrimp with fresh tomatoes and spinach in a white wine sauce. It was so delicious. The pasta is made in house and was cooked perfectly. The Pollo Marsala was so moist and had a wonderful flavor from the Marsala wine. The mushrooms absorbed the sauce and made the dish more flavorful. It was served with a side of vegetables. The short rib Tortelloni was on their daily specials menu. The tortelloni were generously stuffed with short rib meat, in a white wine sauce with bacon and tomato. That was my husband's favorite dish, tonight. For dessert, we ordered the tiramisu and the Spumoni Bomba. Both were very good. I would say my favorite was the Spumoni Bomba and my husband loved both desserts equally. Service was excellent here. The owner, Aldo, came to our table to see how we liked our food. He was so hospitable and friendly. He is from Napoli and I could tell that he has a passion for food and making sure his customers are enjoying themselves. We had a wonderful experience and we look forward to coming back to try other menu items. read more

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Finally got to try Cafe Dolce Vita after a couple friends recommended it. Went there for lunch with my mom on a Saturday afternoon right when they opened. I called the day before and made a reservation, but it turned out to be unnecessary because the restaurant was pretty empty. The interior is beautiful with white table cloths and brick walls. We were seated in the window and it was fun to people watch while we ate. I enjoyed the small, hot loaf of bread they brought us after we sat down and the garlic olive oil dip. For lunch I ordered the lobster ravioli, which I have mixed feelings about. I knew it would be rich, but it was REALLY rich and the taste of butter (I think) was overwhelming. My mom had a beet salad with grilled prawns and candied walnuts. She loved it. One of the reasons was because it was so different from anything she'd had before. The restaurant got busier as time went on and a few more couples were seated for lunch. I understand they get very busy for dinner and you really do need a reservation. There is street parking and parking in a lot in the back. read more

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Great spot for even just a glass of wine. We stopped in for a glass of wine and when they were out of our first choice were offered tastes of similar wines before making a choice. We tried two white Italian varietals and really liked the Arneis. Service was warm and friendly and bread with olive oil and garlic was provided as soon as we sat. We didn't order food but the items we saw being served looked delicious and well portioned. We visited this spot in its previous incarnation and it was great to see it now thriving as a bar and restaurant. Regulars were treated warmly by staff. Ambiance is sophisticated and upscale compared to other spots in the downtown area. Next time we'll plan on dining along with the wine. read more

Cafe Dolce Vita - An offered taste - Italian Near Me - Gilroy, California

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This restaurant is absolutely sparkling new, bright and light. My daughter and I went here for lunch and had a wonderful meal. The calamari and prawn dish was lightly breaded and not greasy. Really a lovely way to start the meal. I had a chicken breast with a light sauce and the freshest vegetables cooked to perfection. My daughter had the tortellini with sausage which she enjoyed. Dessert was a plate with chocolate covered spumoni. The service was good, but I had to wait too long to get the bill. read more

I've been looking forward to the opening weekend f this restaurant. They seemed to have everything dialed in even though they are new. Great service and ambiance and the pasta was delicious. Will definitely be returning! read more

Cafe Dolce Vita - Eggplant pasta- delish! - Italian Near Me - Gilroy, California

Ambience...gorgeous simple yet elegant. Service...from the moment they opened the door early to take a reservation for later in the evening, they set the tone for the welcoming experience. Our server, what an absolute gem. She was friendly, witty, engaging, and totally attentive. Food...exceeded expectations it was so delicious! I had the Vitello Al Limone, and it was absolutely the perfect dish! The fresh vegetables were just right, and I ordered a small side of pasta with olive oil and parmesan which made a wonderful accompaniment, along with my glass of Pinot Grigio of course. You must end the night with some profiteroles and a cappuccino! Molto Bene! Mangia e goditi il pasto! read more

Cafe Dolce Vita - The end...profiteroles! - Italian Near Me - Gilroy, California

A breath of fresh air to downtown Gilroy! When we walked in at 6:15 for a reservation for 8, we were promptly shown to our table. On our way to the table, Aldo stopped me, shook my hand, and welcomed us in! They have done a great job with the interior. It is very warm and welcoming. I had the veal scallopini with lemon sauce and capers. My honey had the salmon (which they blackened for her) that was a super large portion. The food was excellent. For dessert we shared the Spumoni Bomba, and it was the bomba! Lots of great stuff on the menu. We will be back to try other dishes. I know they just opened, but the service was a tad slow. But we will be back!! read more

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Do I remember this place? OH HECK YES!! A friend on mine recommended Cafe Dolce Vita to me today while I was TKB in Gilroy. Wifey and I stopped in about an hour before they closed (they close from 2 to 5pm then reopen at 5-9pm) As I walked in I was so impressed by decor of the restaurant and how they had everything laid out, simple beautiful. They have both table seating and booth/table seats. Wifey and I were handed a menu with the day's specials listed on the front, we were also handed a wine menu and bread was quickly delivered to our table with an olive oil / roasted garlic and herb dipping mixture. Ok now for the good part: I ordered the antipasto " prosciutto, mortadella, zucchini, Clemente, olives, salami, artichoke, a big ball of mozzarella, and more "$20" I honestly thought that was a typo when they brought us the large plate loaded with antipasto! And the flavor...OH... MY...GOSH!! My wifey was looking at me funny because I couldn't help myself as I was apparently make those mmmmm noises as I was eating. The flavors were just incredible, even the salami was buttery soft. Wifey ordered a double espresso and asked for cream on the side, they brought her warm frost milk! Who does that?!? Just incredible and the coffee was probably one of the best if not the best espresso's I've ever tasted. Wifey ordered their Blue cheese gnocchi in a white sauce "she loved it" how good was it really?? Well I don't like blue cheese at all and I actually like it. "Which says a lot" I ordered the the risotto De Mare special Comes with risotto, clams, shrimp, squid and other fruits of the sea. Now here is where it gets interesting, I have had this dish many times in many different places and it has always come with a red sauce. Not here, the used and olive oil base with wine "and who knows what else " all I got to say was the flavors were light and it was absolutely incredible "not heavy at all" super delicate and incredibly delicious Lastly for dessert we ordered the spumoni ice cream " chocolate, pistachio, and strawberry " with hard shell chocolate. Again soooooooo gooood! The service was also incredible!! Honestly the whole experience was a perfect 10! read more

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We were very impressed by their dishes. Will definetly be back! Thank you for the great food, Cafe Dolce Vita! read more

Cafe Dolce Vita - Antipasto- appetizer - Italian Near Me - Gilroy, California

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Really yummy. Made a reservation, sat by the front window, only 2 tables there and I am always picky. Only beer and wine until liquor license goes through. But who needs alcoholic beverages when the food is fabulous. Fresh pasta and all ingredients are great. Was a birthday, complimentary tiramisu was delicious. I have been twice and will make it a regular treat. Service is mostly good. A little pricey but worth it. Give it a try. read more

Maybe one of the best dishes I have ever had. The salmon's special with an amazing sauce. Best of the best. read more

Cafe Dolce Vita - Italian Near Me - Gilroy, California

My parents took us out to dinner tonight and we have been watching to try Café Dolce Vita for quite some time now. We entered in and the ambience right away is very inviting and bright and beautiful artwork on the walls. Everything looks fresh and clean. The staff is incredible. The owner Mr. Aldo was a blast to speak to and practice my Italian. He is a very kind man that you can tell loves what he does for a living and that is to serve others. He has built an incredible team of people that is running that restaurant like a well oil machine . Our service was incredible. Our servers name was Shelly and she was absolutely amazing Portuguese and Hawaiian right up our alley as we are also Portuguese in Italian she was attentive and was running around working so hard and being such a friendly face to all of her tables it was beautiful to see someone actually enjoy being at their job. Shelley definitely is an asset to this restaurant. We also got to run into an old friend David Leal that I grew up with and my dad hadn't seen him in over 30+ years and it was great to see a smile on my dad's face and have him light up when he saw David and spoke to David about old times and my grandmother. We all ordered delicious entrées. Our favorite was the tortellini with the ham and peas à la Tommaso I believe was delicious. Also, the Basa fish was very delicious and delicate the food menu here is extensive with so many options that are all equally delicious sounding. We ended the night with the cannoli we must have and try cannolis everywhere we go and this was a 10 out of 10 cannoli very authentic delicious and drizzled in Ghirardelli chocolate sauce was incredible. Highly recommend this spot for all of those who want to have a glass of wine speaking of wine. We had the watermelon seltzer. It was absolutely delicious from the bar. Beer and wine available and it was perfect thank you to the staff for making our dinner experience so exquisite. I'll give you my three language languages. I was speaking for thank you the first is my Portuguese roots, which is. "Obrigado" the second is my Italian root Grazie and my Hawaiian roots mahalo thank you in three languages lol read more

Cafe Dolce Vita - Italian Near Me - Gilroy, California

We had an amazing experience at Cafe Dolce Vita in Gilroy! From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, the service was outstanding, and every dish was fresh and full of flavor. It's great to see another local restaurant delivering such a wonderful dining experience. If you're looking for a new place to enjoy a delicious meal, I highly recommend giving Cafe Dolce Vita a try. We'll definitely be back! #Gilroy #SupportLocal #CafeDolceVita #GreatFood #ExcellentService read more

Cafe Dolce Vita - Italian Near Me - Gilroy, California

As an Italian foodie, everything from host to waiters welcoming us in as we sat all the way to the back. Highly recommend making reservations- phone call only . Finally- A true Italian restaurant with great selections of real Italian wines like Barolo! Food - Wow ordered the Beets Salad (shared it) it was a big portion and lots of beet chunks. Delicious . Dinner: Lobster Ravioli's were homemade and exquisite. So creamy and well balanced. My husband had the Veal with Capers in wine sauce. If you like tangy lemon- this is ur plate. Everything was delicious and definitely coming back!!! read more

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Absolutely wonderful place. They've done a great job of redecorating from the previous location. The menu is well laid out and offers strong variety keeping within the Italian theme. My one knock with the location is that when it is busy it does get a touch loud since there isn't much sound dampening. Would totally go back, and have been back, again. This is the new anchor for downtown. read more

I met Aldo for the first time tonight here (even though we lived in Los Gatos 8 years, visited his original restaurant on Winchester Boulevard plus frequented Aldo's Cafe on N. Santa Cruz an abundance of times. Aldo was surprisingly friendly, cheerful, and welcoming (we frequently hear how intense the restaurant business is)!!! Ambiance was outstanding, Brandi was adorable, the food was on point (just as our favorite go to restaurant in the entire Bay Area - Aldo's Cafe is). I was able to get a photo of the appetizer and the dessert - sorry too hungry to take a photo of the entrées!! Wonderful overall experience, so thankful for this place being here. Would strongly recommend and will absolutely return (and will bring family and friends along in the future). read more

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I am writing to share my disappointing experience at this new Gilroy location on Jan. 24th. My friend had recommended the restaurant, and I was eager to try it. After finding no website or reservation information online for the Gilroy location, I assumed walk-ins were welcome and arrived with a guest around 5:45 PM. Upon arrival, we were ignored by the host, who continued a personal conversation with several people in the waiting area. When I finally caught her attention to ask for the wait time for two people, she rudely informed me that they were not taking reservations for the night. When I asked where I could find reservation information online, she abruptly stated that reservations must be made via phone ONLY. I noted that this was not specified on your social media platforms, but the overall lack of professionalism made us feel unwelcome. As a result, we decided to leave. I will continue to frequent my regular establishment in Morgan Hill, where the service is consistently respectful. I hope they address these service issues, as this was a very poor first impression. read more

Everything was wonderful! Highly recommend and will be back. The food was phenomenal. I got the gnocchi in a truffle sauce on the specials menu and it was spectacular. A member of my group got the other gnocchi on the regular menu in a blue cheese sauce and that was also delicious, but only if you like blue cheese. We also got the short rib ravioli on the specials menu and my husband was a huge fan. We ended with a recommendation from our waitress, the dessert with strawberries in cream - which was also yummy. Can't wait to try more! Service was good. The restaurant itself is beautiful. read more

Cafe Dolce Vita - The Gnocchi in a truffle sauce on the specials menu was very delicious ! - Italian Near Me - Gilroy, California

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Flawless!! This was my first visit and for a dinner party of 12. I usually like to check out a place before inviting others but due to other reviews, I was confident we would have a great event. They accommodated our every request including table set up, decor and present table. I was also excited that none of my guests had ever been there which is sometimes hard in a small town. Everyone was blown away by the food, including my Italian ex mother-in-law. It was so fresh and delicious, quality off the charts and very reasonable, like I would even say too reasonable, if that's even a critique! The service was amazing, calling out Shelly as lead. They were ultimately professional while still being so calm and chill. Several of us were very late and no one rushed us, didn't drive the process, let it happen as I initiated the next steps. Aldo was present and charming and icing on the tiramisu! All of the staff, even after off shift offered to help us move presents and decor back into our cars. Above and beyond and I can't WAIT to go back! Flawless! read more

Oh my goodness! We just had the most amazing meal. Our reservation was at 5:00 to celebrate my 80th birthday. Our table was in a perfect spot and our wait staff was very attentive and friendly. The meals were colorful and the food was delicious. We followed up dinner with tiramisu that topped the meal perfectly with a cup of great coffee. This restaurant will be our first choice when we have a night out! We were treated so well, from the first phone call to make reservations to the gentlemen who sang "Happy Birthday" at the end. Thank you all so much for a memorable evening! Susie & Rick read more

Welcome to Gilroy, Dolce Vita, and thank you for raising the bar in eateries. Management has brought experience and taste to this restaurant - well-trained waitstaff and outstanding chefs. Attractive, low-key decor. Respectably sized menu - not too large yet offering plenty of choice. We enjoyed a pasta dish that was not drenched in marinara sauce, instead, allowing us to savor other flavors. Salads were fresh. Soup was generous in fresh vegetables. It's good to have a local source of quality food. read more

This review is for Gilroy. I give it a 3 1/2 stars. The food was tasty and well prepared. The table service ie. clean dishes and silverware after each course was appreciated. The pacing of our meal was very uneven. Our dinner lasted 2 1/2 hours, way too long to sit and wait for food. We mentioned that to our server. A few minutes later the owner graciously came to check on us. But by then we had waited longer than acceptable. Our food did finally arrive, it was hot and nicely plated. Excellent execution on the veal. I would say the most objectionable issue was the NOISE level. As the evening progressed the level got even louder. Comfortable conversation was not an option. Food is tasty, atmosphere could use some toning down as that is part of the dining experience. read more

Wonderful new place in downtown! Great food - Great staff! Especially Shelli. The calamari is delicious! read more

First note: MAKE A RESERVATION! We walked in as they opened & were seated right away. Our waitress was so kind & very attentive, she mentioned good thing we got there early as at 6:00 it would be packed. Sure enough - it was packed & atmosphere is just lovely. The food was fantastic & yes we were comparing to previous "Aldo's" in San Jose/Los Gatos. This is better plus ... they have his famous Lemoncello! We can't wait to go back. read more

From the moment we walked in we were greeted and seated promptly (made reservation). The ambiance was nicely upscale, the service was wonderful and our Server Beth is fabulous and made our dinning experience an absolute 10! Food was awesome I'd recommend the crab raviolis, we had a nice red blend wine from Besson I'd also recommend! Can't wait to return!! Thank you Beth! read more

Excellent food and great ambience. It's so nice to have a new restaurant in downtown Gilroy! Our service was excellent as well. We will be back! read more

Food and services is always over the top. Staff and the owner Aldo are always friendly.

Welcome addition to the culinary black hole that is Gilroy. Staff was attentive and friendly. Restaurant was well appointed and attractive. Pricing is bordering on the high side. Food was good. Menu variety was only so so. A lot of fish and veal dishes. Some people may find that limiting. We were there on a Thursday night about 5:30 and the restaurant was packed. Reservations are highly recommended. Hopefully once the new vibe wears off there is enough to make this a go. We need quality restaurants in this town. read more

Great food, Shelly our waitress was attentive and the cafe is very nice and relaxed. I recommend this restaurant.

Who reads a 5 star so I'll make this short. Everything was amazing. Staff was very attentive and knowledgeable. Food was top notch. Tip my cap to the owner for such a great establishment. Hopefully the downtown around it can fill in to suit read more

This new restaurant is just what downtown Gilroy needed! Excellent food. First-Class service. Upscale - yet relaxed vibe. Amazing selection of beautiful desserts. Looking forward to my next visit to Cafe Dulce Vita! read more

We have been waiting 8 years for a restaurant of this calibre to be added to our south county life. This wasn't just, "good for the area," this was world class! #southerncharm read more

Cafe Dolce Vita - Spaghetti w/meatballs - Italian Near Me - Gilroy, California

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Loved everything about this restaurant! Aldo, the owner was happily visiting with all the customers, food was delicious and service was excellent a must go to. I wish they were open on Sundays. read more

We had the best date night here! SO happy this restaurant opened downtown! The food was absolutely delicious, great atmosphere, and awesome service! read more

Food was amazing! Service was excellent. Very pleasant and friendly place. The owner walks around to greet people and asked how the was the food and whether you needed anything else. Love the decoration it feels like you are in a little part of Italy. read more

Best veal sacllopini I ever had in my whole life and I am no spring chicken. It was outstanding. There were 10 of us and we all loved it

Soooo delicious, fresh pasta and great service. We had the tortellini and fusilli pastas followed by spumoni for dessert. Everything tasted home made and full of flavor. Will absolutely be back! read more

Soooo good.... food was excellent. Good size portions... service very prompt... got a 5pm reservation... otherwise, a 2 week wait. Everyone loved it. read more

Beautiful romantic restaurant and delicious authentic food! Beet salad was crisp and delicious. Gorgonzola gnocchi were decadent! New York steak fantastic! Veal cannaloni divine! Finished with spumoni-perfection! Five star service! Yay Gilroy! read more

I have had numerous amazing meals. Aldo is great. So happy he brought his restaurant to Gilroy!!!