Wonderful, friendly service. Nice decor, great welcoming atmosphere! Excellent bread! Oil and Balsamic Vinegar were superb as well as the house made butter. Excellent tap water, no after taste! Very good wine list - we loved the Valpolicella Ripasso! The Burrata was wonderful and excellent Balsamic Glaze! The Gnocchi di Patate al Quatro Formaggi was superb! The Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca was also amazing! read more

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What a great Italian restaurant! The owner actually waited on us tonight. He made me spaghetti with Bolognese sauce which wasn't on the menu. Made my wife the Pappardelle pasta with shrimp with a red sauce which also wasn't on the menu. Both were delicious. Service was spot on. Cute and simple decor. Try it out I'm sure you'll love it! read more

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This time I had lasagna and my husband had their specialty trenne dolce italia. Wow! Just so wonderful! The pasta was al dente, so happy for that. The bread service was crispy with seasoned butter. We could not eat more. But we will be back for more with friends who visit! read more

Dolce has wonderful authentic Italian food and the service is excellent. The fresh Italian bread deserves an award all on its own.

"So very delicious, from appetizers to dessert. Knowledgeable servers who explain every dish, top notch chef who creates them. Salted caramel gelato is all time fav dessert, tops any dessert - anywhere else Thank you Dolce Italia read more

Delicious food and excellent service Don't be fooled that it is in a strip mall - the food is wonderful I had red snapper piccata - tasty and we all shared prosciutto parma. It was enough for the four of us. read more

Very small, intimate place.. This is the kind of place I love. Locally owned with the owner there to greet you. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The bread came out warm and with a choice of olive oil , balsamic or butter. I tried both The butter had red peppers in it . The olive oil and balsamic was also of great quality. We ordered the eggplant napolean. Melt in your mouth eggplant , mozzarella and a tasty red sauce. fruite de mare with linguine was also excellent. Little pieces of fish, clams, mussells and squid with linguine . Yup I had dessert . I paid for it later believe me but it was delicious. Blueberry ctostada with vanilla ice cream. Excellent place and I would recommend it to anyone I gave it four stars but if it is the same the next time I go I will go higher. read more

Food was made fresh and delicious. Offerings were different than the usual fare at chain Italian restaurants. Small inside with intimate seating. Felt like I was Italy. read more

What to say to describe how sad and awful the food is here? I've had tv dinners when I was in college 20 years ago that were made with better ingredients, and tasted better. All I can really say?! Ouch. This food is a disservice to the community. Cheap prego meat sauce. read more

Dolce Italia - Penne alla Bolognese Also know as prego meat sauce on cheap penne. - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

I was in town for 1 day to pick up and drive a car back to Massachusetts. I knew in that 1 day, I must go to Dolce Italia! They never disappoint. Everything, from service to the food to the atmosphere...top shelf! Can't wait to go back. read more

We were very pleased with our meal here tonight. The ravioli appetizer was really special and beautifully plated. The house special pasta was inventive. The triangular pasta with a creamy plum tomato sauce with meatballs was excellent. As you enter you are greeted by the owner. This is a small restaurant with wonderful food. Even the bread with sundried tomato butter was made on sight. It is certainly our new favorite Italian place. read more

Dolce Italia - Special appetizer 1/2 portion fried cheese ravioli in red pepper cream sauce - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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Excellent as always. Great, intimate restaurant, with excellent food and service. Would not hesitate to recommend this restaurant.

Arranged for entrees and salads for a dinner party at our home with good long time friends. Food and portions were sensational, the care with which the entrees and salad were prepared and packaged for us were beyond exceptional. GREAT help and SENSATIONAL dining. read more

Best Italian in Sarasota. Small place, so you may need a reservation, but well worth it. The food is amazing. This is a must stop whenever we travel to this area. read more

The Gnocchi was overly gummy and flavorless. Pasta dishes were over cooked to the point the noodles were falling apart. Sauce lacked depth of flavor and portions were very small for the price. read more

Dolce Italia - Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Lasaña was over cooked but the ambience was nice Except it was very crowded and difficult to talk.

A great dinner We visited Dolce Italia last night knowing it was going to be great, and it was. We were greeted as soon as we walked in, our reserved table was ready. It is not a large place, making a reservation is important. I was initially thinking about having lasagna but after reading other reviews I switched to Trenne Dolce Italia with Sausage, one of Dolce Italia's signature dishes. Wow, I highly recommend this wonderful pasta dish. Definitely add the sausage. The triangular shaped homemade hollow pasta was so good I found myself running out of noodles while I still had quite a bit of sauce remaining, a delicious situation. To me, using the term sauce kind of understates the tomato based thickness and texture with all the sausage and mushrooms and cheese involved. Before the pasta I had their Cesare Salad, a nice light refreshing flavorful start. Dolce Italia participates in Savor Sarasota. Savor Sarasota is an annual event where lots of area restaurants offer fixed price (prix fixe) dining for a couple of weeks (6/1/23-6/14/23). For this year the prices are 25 for lunch and 40 for dinner. For my 3 course meal, both the salad and pasta dish I wanted were on their Savor Sarasota menu, and now I also get a dessert. Sweet. I selected Pistachio Tartufo, a scoop of pistachio gelato covered in chocolate and rolled in Graham cracker crumbs. Great finish. The cold and the chocolate really stood out to me. Fun to eat. Everyone I was with completely enjoyed their food. One person had the lasagna and loved it, making me think every dish just might be great. The restaurant moved a block away since my previous review. It is now a little larger, still tight, I'll call it cozy, and has about a dozen tables. It was rather loud, we contributed to that with our non-stop talk. To be expected with a full house, adds a little life to the room. The pace of our meal was fine, not rushed and no long waits for food. Mathew and the staff, while very busy, still took good of us, including helping my wife decide what to order, an ordeal in itself. We had a great dinner and highly recommend Dolce Italia to our friends. read more

Dolce Italia - Pistachio Tartufo - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

This has become our favorite Italian restaurant in Sarasota, and we go back again and again. The service is always friendly and attentive, and the food never disappoints. The portions are very generous, which usually means we take dessert home--but the Chocolate Vesuvio is so delicious that we make sure to order it every time. The wine selection is excellent as well, and Matt always has great suggestions. Every visit feels special, and it's consistently one of the best dining experiences in town. read more

Small, quaint Italian restaurant in Gulf Gate. Delicious food, great service at reasonable prices. We ate there last night. The zucchini appetizer was incredible. The spinach ravioli was AMAZING! I also noticed a lot of takeout being picked up. Because it's small, it's best to make a reservation for dining in. read more

Food was excellent. Small little restaurant. You will need a reservation. The meatballs are really delicious. Our table of 3 loved the food. There is a sewer odor you will notice upon entry. It fades once you get into eating. Otherwise a 5. read more

We had a reservation last night for their Savor Sarasota dinner. The service is incredible. The eggplant and shrimp appetizers were great. The pappardelle and lamb meat balls and the papa bolognese were steaming hot and very tasty. Their pappardelle is the widest that we have ate. Enough food to bring some of the entrees home with the deserts. We love the murals on the walls. This is one of the best restaurants in this area and definitely with the best Savor Sarasota menu. Incredible! read more

Dolce Italia - Pappardelle bolognese - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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AMAZING!! Great staff, service and the food was out of this world! The restaurant was small but very cute and clean! Loved it read more

Dolce Italia - Pistachio dessert - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Tell your friends and family! Best Italian food this side of the Atlantic Ocean! Every dish is prepared with a creativity and delicacy that leaves you coming back for more. I usually order the specials, and the house Pappardelle was the best pasta dish I've ever eaten. Matt and the staff make each table feel so at home - it's always a special experience at Dolce. We'll be back! read more

Great service amazing food &Wine are to go to spa and Sarasota Beach and deserts forgetsbotit

Great fresh pasta was the highlight but very small entree portions which don't include any pasta. I left hungry. Definitely not kid friendly in any way. read more

First time going heard positive things about DI. Atmosphere: very cute, cozy and electric; if you like small places, buzzing & loud. I happen to love this environment with friends night then hits the spot. Service: super fast, like lighting fast. Pleasant but so fast you cannot review them, it's : order, food/wine, food delivery, ask for dessert, check. Food: Italian upbringing with amazing cooks it was disappointing. Chicken piccata chewy not all eatable had to cut out parts, pasta and sauces meza- mez. Floury and bland tasting. Non-Italian heritage probably thinks it's amazing which is great. Wine: selections very good. Dessert: not ordered Price: reasonable We will give it a second try with great hopes that it was just an off night. read more

The service was impeccable, the owner and 2 waiters were extremely attentive and kind. They provided great wine pairing recommendations as well! Of course the menu all looked amazing and it was very difficult to choose, but every single dish DID NOT DISSAPOINT! The seafood linguine was in a wine and tomato sauce. The pappardelle was an uncommon dish yet so so delicious! Their most popular dish the Trenne Dolce Italia lived up to its reputation! The pistachio tartufo was an amazing gelato crusted bite size, easy to share dessert. The restaurant is a small quaint family owned restaurant with a very calming ambiance. For a busy Saturday night at 7:30, the food was fast and tasty and the service was top notch. It would be a big bummer if you didn't try Dolce Italia while in Sarasota! We will absolutely be back! Big kudos to the owners, waiters, and chef for an impeccable experience! read more

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What a lovely place, it's so cute inside. The service was excellent and knowledgeable. I had the pappardelle and it's incredible. The only miss is the white wine selection, they are under par in taste. read more

Dolce Italia - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

The food, service and performance of Dolce is undefeated. Every year we come to Siesta Key, and we always plan a visit to Dolce. They haven't missed a step in any visit and enjoyed this one so much, we actually went two nights on our trip. We brought my my in-laws and they enjoyed it so much they wanted to go back the last night of our vacation. Between us we got 8 different entrees the two visits and each were exquisite. We also brought two kids and both were treated like family. The service is always casual to make you feel at home yet professional and well attended. And desserts, ugh so good. The almond tiramisu, gelato nutella (my son said "best thing I ever ate") and the pistachio tartufo were all so so good. If you're going to Sarasota and want Italian food, go here! Simply the best. read more

I literally love this place. the service is always SO GOOD. Trenne is the perfect dish. Cute interior. you've got to go.

Great family owned Italian restaurant! Love this place! Great food and service! Intimate atmosphere read more

Good place for a special occasion. Quiet, small feel like home dining area with only about 10 tables. Service was great Food was good but a bit pricey ($100 for two people...no appetizers, no dessert and shared a salad) had one beer and one glass of wine...to me it seems a little much, but then again, it's hard to eat out at a nice place these days and not spend a fortune. read more

very good service from Taylor trenne dolce very good meal ambience very good Italian background music we will be back good specials read more

Dolce Italia - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Phenomenal food, excellent service, cozy ambiance. Matthew & Taylor will treat you like a king & queen! read more

Dolce Italia - Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp & Fried Crab - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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What a gem. Small quaint establishment. Elegant and tastefully decorated. I was greeted immediately upon entering. I was the only one in the restaurant as I came just as they opened but they were ready and I didn't feel awkward. I ordered an eggplant dish for an appetizer and WOW! It was cooked and seasoned perfectly. It came out quickly and was nice and hot. My main dish was a pasta dish with mushrooms, sausage and tomatoes. Again, WOW! I wish I lived closer as this would be a place I would come to frequently. I did order tiramisu to go as I was too full. It looks amazing. I highly recommend the place read more

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Hi! We had an amazing experience at this restaurant. When you arrive you are personally greeted by the owner himself. The restaurant is authentic and cozy and warm. I had a delicious Pinot noir. We started with salads for appetizers. I had the Caprese and my wife had the Caesar salad. It was the best Caesar salad I've ever had in my life. For the entrees I had the Snapper Picatta which was cooked perfectly and full of flavor. My wife had the lasagna. We both cleared our plates. The prices were very affordable and the service was excellent. For dessert we had the molten lava cake with ice cream which was fantastic! Definitely will visit again. Thanks! read more

I'm from Northern New Jersey where there are nothing but top flight Italian restaurants. I was not expecting such a home run here. Everything from the food to the service was a grand slam. While looks may be deceiving, this place was one of the best restaurants I've been to. For as good as the food was the cost was incredibly affordable. At twice the price it would still be well worth it. read more

Loved it! We had a nice bottle of pinot grigio to go with our napolitan eggplant appetizer, trenne pasta and papardelle with sausage (a special). Both pastas were delicious but the trenne was a little better. The lemoncello cake was very good, my wife prefers more coffee flavor in her tirmisou. All servers and the owner are personable and helpful. Almost forgot - nice warm bread to start. read more

Not as expected. Spegetti with tomato soup is not Italian cuisine. Service is fine but this place is basically a hole in the wall. Stall anxious to go home. They try to take your meal away as soon as you stop to digest it. Wouldn't go back ever. read more

Thank you Matthew and entire staff for the amazing dinner and service on March 28. Serving 45 guests ordering off the menu for rehearsal dinner and in a very timely manner is no easy task. Dolce has such a great vibe. You and your staff are exceptional! read more