Honestly I can't say enough good things about this hidden gem! The bar manager (Cassie) is incredible and always makes me feel super welcome! At my last visit, I had the delight of trying their lamb shanks and mushrooms, and I can easily say that they blew my socks off. My hats off to Cassie and the amazing staff here!!! Sorry to post sans a photo, but I was too excited to enjoy them. read more

This place is in a nice area and the service inside was great. The staff are all super nice and friendly. The food I thought was average though nothing special. The bread was cold I expected warm bread. I got the Linguini w/ clams and the clams were good but I felt like there was way too much sauce in the pasta. Did not expect it to be so soupy. Instead of a pasta dish it looked like I got soup with noodles on top. I was underwhelmed by the food for what they were charging for it. read more

Dolce - Italian Near Me - Rancho Santa Fe, California

This place is one of the best wine and cocktail bars in all of San Diego and largely due to their highly experienced mixologist Cory. Not only can he make cocktails on the fly just by giving him an idea of what you want, but he is just a genuine guy. I didn't have time to take pictures of the drinks because they were just too good. But I got a picture of the man himself just having an amazing time! read more

Dolce - Cory the mixologist - Italian Near Me - Rancho Santa Fe, California

This place was good.. but not great. The service was not super good, especially for a more expensive place like Dolce. I will say that they seemed understaffed, so this is more of a reflection on the owners/ management then the staff themselves. I ordered the charcuterie board as an appetizer and it was AMAZING! A little pricey, but the cheeses paired very well with the meats and they had honeycomb and jam that added a sweet touch. Definitely order this if you go here. For my entree I ordered the Penne pasta and was extremely disappointed. The dish tasted overwhelming of peppers and you couldn't even taste the sauce. I would probably come back here for the charcuterie board alone, but it's not my favorite place ever. The drinks were good too but pricey. read more

See all

Stopped in for early dinner. Food and service were both great. This had been our neighborhood "go to" spot for nearly twenty years. We are saddened to hear they will be closing. They will be greatly missed. read more

The service was a bit slow (took 20 mins to take our order) but the linguini and clams pasta was delicious. Seasoned well with fresh pasta. read more

Dolce - Italian Near Me - Rancho Santa Fe, California

OK for wine and maybe the cheeseboard so we decided to have Valentine's Day dinner here...what a disappointment. Waitress raved about the lasagna but the service was poor & it just wasn't that busy, lasagna & ravioli dishes were lacking real flavor. Salad was good but overall the meals were overpriced for bland dishes. Will probably go back for a wine with a friend but definitely won't order dinner. Too bad wanted to like this place as wine bars around here have become sparse. read more

The ladies serving us were great especially Casey. The food is straight out of Costco jugs and freezer food. $160- Happy Hour with two drinks each and four appetizers we were super disappointed. The processed lime green olives, blah chicken rubber fingers appetizer with oily dressing was basically uneatable. Husband thought the lamb chops were good. Couldn't eat the chicken fingers and was asked if we wanted it boxed... I said no without question as to why it wasn't eaten so was taken away. (Not on Ozempic). Bummer because the location and setting is very nice. read more

I love coming here! over the years I have been here for drinks only, drinks and food at the bar, and table service meals. I am always here with a group of friends. This is THE social spot to go with a group OR even for a romantic dinner. Food is always amazing, drinks are made perfectly and bartenders will happily customize to your preference. they do have a HH but not sure when or what the deal is, but I remember there were quite a few things on the HH menu. Thanks Dolce for being a great place to go! read more

I'm new to the area and happened upon Dolce while exploring the area. The restaurant is sooo adorable! Absolutely beautiful decor very modern, tasteful, and fun! I ordered the Margherita FLATBREAD and my husband ordered a Cesar salad with salmon. The food arrived and I was disappointed that my FLATBREAD was basically a mozzarella cheese pizza with five basil leaves on top. I usually order a Margherita pizza if I find it on a menu because I like the simplicity of the Neapolitan dish... very little sauce... Fresh tomatoes ... a few slices of cheese...and a few basil leaves. Simple. Sadly, there was so much cheese on the pizza the thin dough was soggy and a mess. I scraped all the cheese off and ate the edges that were not soggy. My husband said his Cesar salad was good. When the waitress came to leave the check I asked her if this was in fact their Margherita pizza... she said yes. I explained I was surprised because the menu said there were San Mazano tomatoes used and there were none. The waitress explained its a San Marzano SAUCE. I explained there's a discrepancy then in the menu description. It was a cute place... we may return only next time inquire further about the preparation of their dishes. read more

See all

We recently had happy hour at Dolce. The drinks are really well done. The pizza, in our case, was not well prepared. It was just a lot of cheese on pizza dough. I guess I am just spoiled by restaurants that prepare a wood fired pizza style. Next time we will have the same drinks but try different appetizers. read more

The HH is good and several of the servers are great. I just heard they are closing. Too bad. A spa to go in? I would move to Aqua Mare in Del Mar for their great HH as a substitute. Sorry to see Dolce go. read more

Very nice rustic old world style, it's small classy kind of a Tuscan feel. In Rancho Santa Fe Fairbanks area. Had the Wagyu Burger and Lasagna Pros: Location - If you live/work in the area, then you know how easy it is to get to. Wine - If you like wine, then this is a spot for you. Lots of choices at all price ranges. Food tastes freshly made but need a little more seasoning Cons: Price/Portions - The food is expensive considering portion size but what isn't expensive these days. read more

See all

Great friendly service paired with good food. Small and cozy. Arrive earlier and have a drink at the bar.

Dolce has definitely come down IMHO. We've returned for take-away following the COVID-19 shutdown. My favorite has been the Dolce Burger, but the quality of the meat has declined, as has the preparation. "Rare" was prepared "Medium" at best. The brioche bun was stale. And they tried to charge an uplift for blue cheese ... and for the bacon that is part of the menu description! The "half chicken" is little more than a chicken breast bounded out to form what looks like a half chicken. Tasty but not as advertised. Dolce has take-away, delivery (Grubhub), and dining in the restaurant. Social distancing is enforced, as is the face mask requirement. Major problem is that Dolce will not honor gift (bonus) cards bought last December beyond their June 30th expiration date ... despite 3+ months of COVID-19 lock down. read more

See all

We met here for a business meeting. The atmosphere was terrific, and the service was outstanding--our server was Gwen. She was amazing, and her recommendations were spot on. I would highly recommend this restaurant for any occasion. I come to the San Diego area often and will be back as soon as possible. read more

Service was fine, and it may have been the holiday staffing that resulted in our culinary experience. Went for Christmas Eve lunch with a group of 7, and spent around 500 after tip, very little alcohol. The food was just not very good. Best thing was the charcuterie. I got chicken on my salad top and it was so dry I didn't finish it (and I am a member of the clean plate club). My husband got the Waygu burger and they totally overcooked it :(. Perhaps we should have sent it back, but again it was Christmas Eve and a family member had selected the spot so didn't want to make a fuss. I am not one to normally spend more than $20 a plate but this was a special occasion, I have had better food in a Hospital cafeteria. Cute place but wouldn't recommend. read more

I've been here before, it's always good but never has been enough to bring me back more than once every few years. As for this visit, the start of my meal here was not that exciting. They're friendly enough here, but the couple next to us - seated after us - must be soigné at this restaurant, because they leapt to specially greet them, bring them surprise apps and get their food out long before ours. We had to ask for bread so I was sitting hungry and watching them eat something quite yummy looking. Also the salad with strawberries was much more bitter than expected. It's cool they are doing farm-to-table, but these were some bitter salad greens, with a dressing that didn't offset it, and not the sweetest strawberries ever. The saving grace was the pinenuts. Also the comp bread, once it came, was absolutely nothing to write home about - cold baguettes, not really worth eating carbs for unless you're starving. But still - I'm giving four stars. a) they have detailed tasting notes on the wine list by the glass, and still the server let me try two I was hesitating between. Good thing I tried, because the Malbec that sounded good was not at all my thing, and the Twelve Rows Cab she was recommending, which didn't initially sound that great, turned out to be quite interesting - more structured and somewhat less jammy than I usually like but overall a nice glass. More important, b) the special of the night, seared tuna with corn puree and forbidden rice was DELICIOUS. Then I didn't feel I'm in a cookie-cutter "Italian bistro" in RSF but rather a chef-driven restaurant with a whole lot of creativity. I don't usually get excited over seared ahi, it can be dry and boring - but this was SCRUMPTIOUS, I was very impressed with the cookery and/or the product. The corn purée was amazing, the forbidden rice (not too large a portion, just to tempt you) was yummy, and I *loved* the perfectly al dente green beans even though I don't normally like green beans. All told, a very pleasant experience (nice glass of wine and a fantastic entrée). read more

One of our favorites for an early happy hour with friends and a great wine selection. We also really enjoy the live music!

Placed an order on December 31, never received it. Ok, things happen, placed another order today, received half the order and the other half is unbeatable. Called to let them know about the missing items, all was said to us was, ok we will credit you back. Very unacceptable. Just a note to the business or new ownership, improvement, improvement and more improvement. read more

RSF crowd. Overpriced unless you go on happy hour. Meat heavy menu. Service was professional. Well run overall. Food was surprisingly good.

Came here on a whim in mid December and really enjoyed it. The food was great, as was the ambience. What I really liked and probably most of all was the quality of the service. read more

This place has excellent staff who show great attention to customers. I had a wonderful interaction with them. To top the great service, there's also great food. Gnocchi is to die for. It has a great umami flavor and the pastas that it comes in plump shape making them exciting to eat. read more

Dolce - Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Rancho Santa Fe, California

Really cool ambiance. Food is great, lot of tapas style bites, all solid. Angry Chicken, and Caprese Salad were delicious. Four stars just for the service, a bit "uppety", but I suppose it is Rancho Santa Fe. Seemed like the friendly service was reserved for the regulars only, but I'll still be back for a quick bite and great glass of wine! read more

We had such a great time for a double birthday lastnight. The musical duo, The Swinging Johnson's, was great and the tent atmosphere with the Christmas tree and little white lights was magical. The flatbreads are amazing, especially the short rib one! Dolce had their power out the day before and many COVID restrictions to overcome, which they did... with outdoor seating including porch, tent and romantic upholstered loveseats. Thank you for making it an amazing evening despite all the setbacks. read more

See all

I've certainly written many positive reviews for this restaurant. I want them to succeed, which is why I'm writing this one, as well. Perhaps there is a new chef, with Covid so much has changed in regards to staff. Restaurants should be given some leeway to get back on their feet. However, it's time to look at the practice of serving balsamic, olive oil and butter in little plastic cups....it feels like take out. Lamb chops were served cold, lasagna, their signature dish, was overcooked and hard on the sides. Mushrooms, delicious, but I counted about 12 on the plate. The pasta dishes and sprouts were good, as was the Salumni pizza. I think they need a refresh of this historically delightful neighborhood gem. read more

I ordered ther flat bread , and got a small round soggy doughy pizza . Waited 1 hr for entree and nothing . Service terrible & over priced . In the end i ask for bill & walked out . A real disappointment. read more

Wonderful and friendly service accompanied with beautiful decor during a last minute late lunch with a few friends. We enjoyed a perfect summer day in Del Mar after our visit to Pinnacle's Nail Salon. I believe we came across their happy hour as well and got to try a few different selections from the HH menu. Loved every bite! Flatbread flavors are delicious and the salads, a nice green addition. I believe we tried the Blanc flatbread, a steak flatbread, a sausage and onion flatbread, an olive tapenade with a burrata cheese (spelling? ) I didn't try any cocktails, but to top off the experience for my friends, they even delivered cocktails/we could bring the cocktails from the restaurant to the nail salon a couple doors down. We dined outside on this perfect patio setting. Our server checked on us and I believe the manager even came by to see how we were doing. Their attentiveness is refreshing! Highly recommend Dulce! read more

See all

The worst service ever. Took 30 minutes for brussels sprouts to come. They came out half cold and tasted terrible. Server didn't come and check on us wants to see how her meal was. Didn't take away the plates and the food was not so great and very overpriced. Won't be back read more

A great little gem hidden in the heart of Rancho Santa Fe! Food, and hospitality are great and the dining room and patios are very comfortable and welcoming! The manager, Courtney is fantastic! Very reasonably priced with great quality!! read more

Friday night 9/11 entertainment added to a beautiful evening at Dolce. The positive energy was felt. Loved all the smiles on everyone's faces. You have such a varied and tasty menu We hope you'll continue with the entertainment. Weekly would be so spectacular. It's so hard to find any outdoor entertainment while dining. The group was Stellar!! read more

Great spot for a happy hour, I love the Beets Salad, Cheese board was amazing , Angry Skewers we're good, flatbread amazing, nice atmosphere, great service and good wine, recommended. read more

I booked a table for two Friday afternoon for two people for Sunday evening at 6:00pm.Not too busy the day after Christmas. Simple request, quiet table either inside or outside with heater. When I arrived at the restaurant I did not know it was 55 degrees outside. That is a little too cold to have dinner with a date even with heaters. I asked the hostess for a booth and she told be they were all reserved. The hostess sat us at a four top table. I like those tables for business meetings, I'll remember that type of seating configuration if I come back. My view from where we were seated was great, a full view if the delivery of cases of liquor possibly Southern Wine and Spirits. I don't believe SWS made any deliveries on Sunday. The waiter was all over the place, I felt like he was doing us a favor being our server. He probably was calculating what the tip was going to be for two customers not ordering any drinks, sorry I had a long drive following our dinner.I enjoy being a good citizen and doing my part to protect other drivers on the road. When another individual brought our main course to us, I had to ask him for another setting of utensils only because I am not in favor of using the same utensils for my appetizer with my main entree. When the person brought over a new set of utensils, he simply placed both sets of utensils on my left side, not knowing that I was supposed to give my date her set of utensils to the right side of me. The lights and the music went up and down at least three times during our dining experience. In the future, before you open the doors to the public, please make sure that your deliveries are put away in the proper storage area. Also, practice LMVT before opening the doors for the public, "lights, music, volume, temperature". Please don't make sound levels and lighting adjustments while customers our dining. That sound checks should be done before the audience comes in! read more

The food is absolutely amazing and this place has to be one of my favorite Italian restaurants in San Diego. I prefer this one over their other restaurant in Carmel Valley (Dolce on the Highlands). I think the food at Dolce Pane E Vino in Rancho Sante Fe tastes a little better. I normally come here to get the shrimp fettuccine alfredo. It is delicious and I like that it's not too rich like some places. It's still good the next day too since it's hard for me to finish my plates. Recently, I tried the Jidori Half chicken and was blown away by it. The chicken is seared under brick and it comes with vegetables, potatoes, and a sunny side up egg. It is a bit spicy and more on the salty side, but I love it and I love how flavorful it is. For dessert, I got the butterscotch pot de creme and was happy with that as well. I could really taste the rich butterscotch. The service is good and the wait staff is friendly, attentive, and personal. A lot of the people who eat there seems to be regulars and it's more of an older crowd every time I come in, which makes sense because of the area. My recommendation: Jidori Half Chicken for main dish and Butterscotch Pot De Creme for dessert read more

See all

What a very cool little place, nestled in a small shopping center in Rancho Santa Fe. I would have totally missed it if not taken there by a friend. Excellent wine list and great ambience/decor. We often have the charcuterie tray at lunch time. Service is perfect. read more

NEVER ORDER FOOD!!... The $50 market price plate was such an incredibly small portion ... my 5 year old would be left hungry after eating this meal. read more

Make reservations, it's usually busy since there are not many places around. I enjoyed the atmosphere, service was great, food decent. My only suggestion would be to the owners to get a nice coffe machine, it would make my experience more enjoyable. read more

Love it here! Good food, good service and great atmosphere. Busy on a Friday night. Recommend making a reservation.

One of my favorite restaurants since I moved down to San Diego! Great selection of wine and yummy Italian food. The staff there is the warmest welcoming of people. Last time I came in I started with a glass of their new sparkling French rosé and a cheese board, then after switched it up to a Sancerre sav blanc and some mushroom and roasted squash gnocchi for my main course. Absolutely delicious I finished my whole entire plate of everything. 10/10 recommended to all my friends and family read more

Dolce - Cheese Plate, bread and oil/balsamic, rosé - Italian Near Me - Rancho Santa Fe, California

See all

We love this place, best food, best drinks, great location, fun times!! My favorite food is angry chicken skewers. and the beet salad.. read more

Dolce - Italian Near Me - Rancho Santa Fe, California