For us, It is hard to find quality restaurants in the OBX that check all of our boxes. La Dolce Vita checked all our boxes. We loved the food, service and ambiance. It really couldn't have been any better. We used the call ahead seating and got sat immediately after we arrived. Shelby was our server and she was very attentive, knowledgeable about the food, alcohol and dessert menus. So sweet and friendly. Just the right amount of table touching. We noticed everyone and I mean EVERYONE (from host, bartender, other servers and the manager) work as a cohesive team. Each and every one of them stopped by at some point to pick up an empty plate, refill a drink, grab a lime off the floor that another server dropped or just to make sure we didn't need anything. We had the featured salad of the day as an appetizer - perfect amount for two. My husband had the biggest portion, best tasting lasagna he has ever had. I had the veal parmigiana. Both were plated well and look beautiful, you could tell the kitchen staff takes pride in their work. Both were delicious. We ended up taking half of it home and got the ricotta cheesecake to go (we now know we do not like ricotta cheesecake), the texture was great but it just wasn't sweet enough for us. If traditional cheesecake is too sweet for you, you would probably love it. We are hoping to have the same rental next year and will definitely be going back to La Dolce Vita. 5+ stars all around. read more

We just had an outstanding meal. We were a group of 4 and all of us were extremely pleased with everything. We were able to call ahead to ensure a table. The atmosphere was swanky and beautiful. Our server was Jackson and he was very helpful, kind, and prompt. We loved the Rosemary Bread, blueberry arugula salad, shrimp pesto gnocchi, chicken Parmesan, and the lobster ravioli special. Unfortunately we were too full for dessert-but it looked fantastic. We will definitely return!! read more

This is the 3rd or 4th time visiting this establishment. The food is amazing, the service is on point, it is very expensive for an Italian restaurant, but it's again very good!! I'm nitpicking but in most Italian restaurants I've been to, they all give you bread with some good olive oil to dip, thus place NO, I asked for some bread to go with my 29 dollar appetizer mussels in red sauce & didn't receive any!! Seemed a bit weird!! read more

Food was so good and atmosphere was super nice. They had a pretty long line of people waiting before they opened and some bigger parties had 3 hour waits. We got in pretty fast since there was only 2 of us. This is one of the best Italian restaurants i've ever been to! read more

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To start, very pleasant greeting by Shelby. Main dining room was full but she quickly prepared a high top near the bar. She said it would be 5 minutes but it was more like 3 and the table was ready. John explained the specials and took our order. Drinks came promptly and the food came out in a few minutes and was very good. A wonderful experience and good food. read more

I went to La Dolca Vita with my family when visiting the outer banks last weekend. It was recommended to us from a host across the street at another great restaurant so I took her word for it. The wait was not long which was surprising. It was only 15 minutes while other places were 2 hrs. I highly recommend going to dinner early to make sure the restaurants can accommodate your party since there are not many choices near. The staff at La Dolca Vita was very personable. The decor is beautiful. I loved all the mirrors around the restaurant & at each table. Our waiter was Grayson aka Batman (according to the receipt) lol. He suggested great recommendations and everything was SUPERB! I ordered the blood orange margarita from the special menu. It was one of the freshest margaritas I ever had. You could tell the mix was house made. The table started off with 2 of the homemade rosemary breads with the pesto basil oil & omg that bread was scrumptious. I tried not it eat it all to save room for my entree. We also ordered the Mussel Sicily with white wine to share. It was a very generous portion and the sauce was great. I dipped some of my bread in it and ate it with the mussels. For my entree, I ordered the Crab and Shrimp Penne alla vodka since that is a local favorite. The food came out piping hot & fresh. A really great portion size & lots of jumbo shrimp & crab meat. It was so good and I had leftovers to take home. Even though the table was stuffed after our entrees, who would we be if we did not indulge in dessert on vacation. We got a chocolate cannoli with homemade cream & homemade tiramisu. Let's just say the plates were left clean. My family & I had an amazing experience. I HIGHLY Recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting the outer banks. read more

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Went there for dinner on May 6, 2026. Very nicely decorated place. Now the overrated part. No bread for the table, first issue. I had the pasta limone and so did my sister. It was so darn lemony, we could hardly eat it. The shrimp were done well, but the pasta was so puckeringly lemony that it was impossible to enjoy. My sil agreed. They are doing this great dish wrong. read more

Food is incredible and the service has been excellent as well. Call ahead 30 minutes prior during summer season.

Food was excellent. Best calamari ever! Also the Special Mozzarella appetizer was awesome. I had their signature dish Shrimp & Crab in Vodka sauce so delish and huge portion, my husband had to finish. My husband had Shrimp Piccata Linguine was fabulous too. My son had Shrimp & Crab Fra Diavlo my son is very picky and he loved it. We were so full we had no room for dessert. We highly recommend you eat here. You won't be disappointed. Terrific atmosphere! Great wait staff (John) too! Very attentive and friendly. read more

We start our vacation here and end it here! The service was exceptional and the food was absolutely fabulous this year, as usual! Inside is very well set up with nice music in the background, but you are still able to talk at the table. Have to say my Clams Bianca was incredible! Like the picture says, there were enough clams to have a clam in every bite!! I also recommend getting the Rosemary bread to dip in the wine sauce, OMG!!!! I can't say it enough, if you visit Corolla, La Dolce Vita is a MUST!!! read more

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Food was amazing and fresh. Cocktails were also so very good. Great spot for a family dinner! Service was great as well.

Excellent! From the friendly staff, welcoming family dining experience and the delicious food- La Dolce Vita has hit the mark of a great dining experience! Our 11-month old twins loved it just as much as their parents! One downfall is parking- very tight, and crowded. Food: My partner had the lasagna- he loved it. Little different in that they have thinly sliced sausage throughout it but only added to the good flavor of the dish. I had the lemon shrimp dish- just as delicious as the lasagna. Portion sizes are large, even for the best eaters. We also shared the crab cakes as an appetizer, a little spicy, but very good! When we travel back to OBX we plan to stop in again for a great meal! read more

Had an awesome dinner! Make sure to do call-ahead seating around 4-5 especially on the weekends because seating for the night will go fast!Started with the rosemary bread and calamari, both were delicious. Bread is served with pesto in oil, which I never had before and tasted great. My boyfriend got the penne vodka with crab and shrimp which he said was his favorite meal of the week! I got the lemon shrimp penne, refreshing and lighter than the other heavier sauce options. Definitely a good spot to hit in Corolla. read more

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Good Italian food is so hard to come by where I'm from, so I was thrilled by the quality of food I received at La Dolce Vita in Corolla, NC. Anywhere that provides free bread with a fancy pesto-y dipping oil is alright in my book! I also appreciated that they don't pre-cut the bread, so it stayed fresh. I placed an order for pickup which was a seamless process. Although I picked up my food close to the time they typically close, the restaurant was still fairly full with patrons. I enjoyed the romantic low light ambiance of the bar area while I waited for my order. The staff was friendly and made sure I was taken care of right away. For my entree I ordered the Seafood Diablo. You could really taste the freshness of all of their ingredients. Although it was spicy it wasn't overdone and really added complexity to the dish. I could have eaten the entire thing although it was a large portion and I would have been in some serious pain. I remained steadfast in my restraint because I also ordered a cannoli and tiramisu to share with my boyfriend. They had two different flavors of cannoli, and I'm glad I followed the server's recommendation of ordering the chocolate one. It's probably one of the best cannolis I've had in a long time. It had a nice crunchy exterior with a delightful creamy interior. I was a little surprised by the tiramisu - it didn't taste much like coffee or chocolate but it was still light and tasty nonetheless. I will definitely return to get my Italian fix the next time I'm in the OBX! read more

La Dolce Vita - Seafood Diablo - Italian Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

Wow! We have been coming to Corolla for 35 years and I want to tell you this Restaurant is phenomenal Ann Marie Marzetti the owner is one of the greatest chefs ever my wife had Shrimp/Lump Crab vodka creamy sauce loaded with both sauce was perfect and heirloom tomatoes wow ! I had Shrimp Picatta so lemony smooth creamy sauce capers and heirloom tomato's we eat out often it's a shame we went here last night on vacation or we have eaten here a few times AMAZING Doug and Carol Swinton read more

Food was delicious, pizza, pasta, salad, hit all of them and were not disappointed. Service was pleasant, quick, and helpful in rushing food to stop the kiddos from losing their mind when we forgot ways to entertain. Thanks again! read more

What wonderful food and service. Planning on going back this week. The tiramisu was awsome

I was very impressed with this restaurant as we were craving some Italian food. They accommodated our large group with a "call ahead" reservation. The highlights from the starters was the special onion jam and fig bruschetta with goat cheese. The pastas all arrived fresh and perfectly cooked. I went with the chicken fettuccine Alfredo which I enjoyed but it was just a bit too salty for me to completely finish (large portion size too). Speaking of portion sizes, the lasagna was somewhat amusing how large of a portion it was. read more

We loved this place. Fantastic all around. The ambiance is great - upscale but still beach feel. The service is prompt and super friendly. The food was fantastic - I had the seafood pasta diablo (could use a bit more heat so I added red pepper to it) and others had their pasta with pancetta special and ravioli. I would definitely come back here again. read more

Exceeded my expectation. Delicious food and excellent service. Also love d the setting

Dinner for five with mostly Italian seafood specialties was great. We started with the bruschetta for four of us just as a taster and they bring bread with oil and pesto to dip. Sage had a pumpkin soup which had some lobster or crab meat and a nice garlic flavor. Two had clams bianco which come in the shells over pasta, but John devoured his. Joe got penne in vodka sauce with shrimp and could only eat half. I had the seafood fra diavlo, the waitress asked about spiciness and I gave the thumps up. It was spicy and delicious with plenty of seafood. I struggled but ate all the seafood but left some pasta. Ginnie had the pesto gnocchi with shrimp also great read more

La Dolce Vita - Seafood fra diavlo - was very spicy with loads of seafood, delicious - Italian Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

Very nice Italian restaurant in Corolla. The server was very attentive and the food was really good. Pizza was delicious and this Veal Parmesan was huge. read more

La Dolce Vita - Veal Parmesan - Italian Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

Pretty restaurant. Service and food were excellent. Nice atmosphere. Bread was delicious.

Five stars from us. Everyone smiling, welcoming and great service, not to mention delicious food! I highly recommend their signature dish - crab and shrimp penne ala vodka! read more

We make it a point to come here every summer! Their food is incredible and the service is always excellent. If you're in Corolla area it's a must visit! read more

Our first time at OBX. On our way back from Corolla Jeep Adventures, we stopped here for early dinner. The place is fantastic. Our server was super friendly and the establishment was very quaint. Our food was one of the best we had in OBX. For apps we ordered bruschetta with apple and walnuts. It was very good, for main dish we ordered the "bocatini" with chicken which was also delicious. Finished off with carrot cake Our drinks were strong but in a good way. Definitely recommend this place! read more

Can't go wrong here!! Whether it's a gourmet pizza, mussels, veal or shrimp diablo..... I've had it all and can vouch for it !! Staff is sharp and ambiance is romantic! Annie CAN cook!! read more

Was rejected as a large group of black women. We arrived at 6:30pm and they offered us a table at 8:30pm when they close at 9:00pm. There was other customers waiting inside but they asked only us, black women, to wait outside. So we left. I've never experienced this before and it was really discouraging because people were also staring at us. But it was an overall bad service. read more

Worst place ever! They shouldn't even be in business!!! We called and said we had a large party ahead of time and then they refused to seat us larger than ten people. I hope they shut down and never have a business again! So unprofessional!!! Do not ever go here. read more

La Dolce Vita - Italian Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

My sister and I were on a family vacation visiting nearby family in the area. Our aunt recommended La Dolce Vita due to the food quality and customer service. To my own shock, my heart fell to my chest seeing how the staff were treating its customers. An African American family entered the restaurent dressed far better than me and my sister were. As they were attempting to be seated a very rude and undisciplined staff members told them there was no space even though there were empty tables. How distasteful! On top of that, the bartender nearly threw them out the place for blocking the way even though my people were blocking the door. Calling yourself an Italian restaurant is a shame to the ancestors that paved the way for you people to even be able to open your mouth and disrespect your fellow humans. Do Italy a favor and seek another business venture. read more

I'm a women of Italian hertiage who was visiting family in the city. La Dolce Vita was recommended to me by my Aunt who raved about this establishment and its service. However, I was appalled upon walking into the restaurant in which I witnessed atrocious acts of customer service. I carefully watched as an African American family came in to the restaurant only to be told there was no space even though there were empty tables around the restaurant. Additionally, the bartender specifically targeted these people and told them to wait outside even though my white counterparts were blocking the opening of the place. For a place that cherished Italian heritage, just know your nonnas are highly ashamed at the way you treated your fellow human beings. La Dolce Vita should be ran out of business to save the face of the Italian community. read more

We have been dining here for several years when we visit Corolla. It has always been good. Today we ordered takeout for the first time, and that was a mistake. The chicken parmesan was big, but had a tiny amount of pasta with it. There was literally four bites of pasta. The lemon shrimp with penne had six shrimp total. Both dishes are $30. I would not recommend either dish for the price. I should have gotten my usual (lasagna) at least it would have been good for a couple meals (it's huge). My sister ordered the lemon shrimp six months ago and had loads of shrimp. I Certainly expected more out of both dishes for the price. read more

One of my favorite restaurants in Corolla. During the tourist season it's hard to get into because of its location next to the Timbuktu shopping center. Better to go off season. Great Italian cuisine and really good pizzas. Interior is modern and stylish, service is always great. Plenty of parking at the shopping center. read more

La Dolce Vita - Italian Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

Wicked good. Highly recommended Chicken parmigiana was outstanding and some of the best calamari we have ever had read more

Best shrimp we've ever had. The limone pasta and basil gnocchi left us wanting to come back for more. Will be back next season.

First time to the outer banks of NC and it was my good fortune to dine at La Dolce Vita on a Friday night. We arrived without a reservation at about 6 pm and were told either a wait for a table or at the bar. We chose the bar. Well how many bars have a beautiful marble countertop? We started off with a marinated mozzarella ball dish with heirloom tomatoes..so fricking good! We then ordered pizza and hands down the best pizza in NC! Go to this restaurant and you won't be disappointed or go home hungry! Great wine selection and fresh local beers too. read more

We had to wait for table but the buzzer allowed us to visit the local shops while waiting. The shrimp pasta I had was excellent! Service was also great even though they were very busy. read more

Really good spot that provided great food and service. We sat at the bar and ordered salads, shrimp entree and a pizza. read more

La Dolce Vita - Italian Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

I understand waiting over an hour for a table in a beach community during summer and that's what our party of seven did. Our issue was with the food. Four out of seven didn't want to finish their food leaving most of it. The chicken parm was hard, the bone-in veal parm was not appetizing. And the shrimp penne that two of us had was not good. The four photos are of the meals that were not enjoyable or eaten. No to-go boxes were wanted. Sorry to waste the food though. We won't be back. read more

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What is it with this place? We had had a perfect Outer Banks day. Party of 4, wanted drinks, asked to sit at bar. Were flatly denied by hostess, with a smug "we reserve the bar for full service only." I asked what that meant. She apologized and said we would have to.order food. Not a problem. My wife said we're great with that. She blocked again, saying there were only 2 seats, and that they didn't allow nonseated. Um, ok. She couldn't have made patronizing Dolce any more difficult. That's fine, and something we will remember on future visits. read more