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    La Dolce Vita

    3.3 (24 reviews)
    Closed 10:30 am - 11:30 pm

    La Dolce Vita Photos

    LA DOLCE VITA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Classy
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

    Recommended Reviews - La Dolce Vita

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    Tess B.

    La Dolce Vita has always been a place my family goes to when we've had special family dinners. Like a true Italian restaurant, it has a great range of pizzas and pasta (the tortellini has never disappointed me) and to my father's joy (no judgement) colourful cocktails that they whip up upon request. I prefer the coffee myself but, I'm not one to judge. Mains can get a little high-priced the further you go down the menu but it's Park Road right? Why else would you go here except to impress someone or spend a little bit of money? A previous boyfriend of mine took me here in an attempt to assuage my grumpy demeanour towards him and suffice to say, it worked. You can't be mad at someone when they take you to La Dolce. Guys, take note. Whenever I've gone here, someone in my dinner party has always asked about the Eiffel Tower that sits on the restaurant's top because it's pretty hard to miss. We've asked countless times but never gotten a straight answer. Maybe because they think it adds to the restaurant's mysterious charm. But, has anyone told them that the Eiffel Tower is French, not Italian? Cynicism aside, this restaurant is a treat for the palate and a wonderful choice for Italian fine dining.

    Stephanie A.

    It seems that previous reviewers mainly have nice things to say about this place but to be honest, I do not get the hype. Maybe it is because the place is situated in such a renown location, maybe it is the "Eiffel tower" they have parked at front. I don't know, I just think I have had better pasta, coffee and gelato from other places. I have eaten here maybe once or twice, and come here for coffee a few times too. What I can say about the food is that it was not memorable, I don't remember it being awful, just not mind-blowingly good that I felt I had to share my experience with someone. As for the coffee, I blatantly do not like it. I found it very very bitter. Maybe it is the Italian way of making coffee that I just do not like. This is not a bad place, if you want to eat in a pretty looking restaurant on Park Road, Milton than 'La Dolce Vita' is the place for you. If it is just coffee and dessert you are looking for, may I suggest looking elsewhere?

    Marianna S.

    Nostalgia drew me back to this sidewalk café located on Park Road - or what I like to call the Mayfair of Monopoly. Back in my university days, I was in love with its European style, the mini Eiffel tower which lit up at night, the well dressed, midnight inhabitants sipping cocktails and saying mysterious and wonderful things. These days I find the Eiffel tower on an Italian restaurant both incongruous and gimmicky. On my last visit, I ordered the creamy chicken fettucine with sundried tomatoes, cheesecake of the day (Rum and raisin) and a side of fries with aioli and ketchup. The fettuccine was pretty tasty though a bit heavy on the cream. The cheesecake was fine but I was annoyed because I wanted to order gelato. However, I was told by the waitress that I couldn't order gelato as I was seated in the wrong area. Huh? La Dolce Vita is split into two seating areas but it didn't make sense that I had to be in the main café to order gelato. After all, didn't my main and chips transverse the dining areas without consequences? It wasn't the waitress's fault of course, and on the whole the staff were very friendly. It's probably just as well I now live on the other side of town - in a suburb I like to think of as the Pall Mall of Monopoly. La Dolce Vita, otherwise known as 'The Sweet Life' should only be enjoyed once in a while.

    Tas M.

    Been coming here for some 7 years now, food is always of good quality, as well as the service. Tonight I had the Spaghetti Marinara, it was very hot with plenty of seafood through out . Washed down with a very cold " Stella " would highly recommend for a first date .

    Lovely alfresco dining in Park Street

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    10 years ago

    We had the gnochi and Mediterranean salad. very good food, nice atmosphere, and friendly staff. wifi is also available.

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    10 years ago

    At $140 for a primo, a secondo, two coffees and a bottle of wine it is pretty steep and not at all good value. Not so sweet a life.

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    Review Highlights - La Dolce Vita

    Oh, and the eiffel tower out front, that's also on the 'tacky tourist landmarks' lis

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    Penny Coffee Co - Avocado on toasted sourdough with marinated feta, spiced chickpeas, pomegranate salsa, sumac labneh, dukkah and lemon. Very, very good.

    Penny Coffee Co

    5.0(2 reviews)
    3.3 kmDutton Park
    $$

    I've made a few trips to Penny, some just for coffee (takeaway and sit down) and a few with food…read more Across the board, Penny is outstanding in terms of Brisbane's cafe scene. The baristas are exceptionally skilled, and there is a selection of roasts to choose from. While I normally like my coffee black, something that isn't too hard to make, I've had a few flat whites from Penny which have been excellent. A friend of mine asked if they're able to pull a piccolo using soy milk, without the milk splitting. Despite indicating that the barista don't need to try if they haven't made one before, they produced one (after two failed attempts) by slowly adjusting the extraction to the point where they could add a shot to soy milk without producing soy cheese. Doing this despite explicitly not needing to is the sort of above and beyond that earns long-term customers. The food is similarly stellar. The avo on sourdough may at first blush seem like a pricier version of what everyone else is doing. The flavours in Penny's version are, however, inventive and balanced to a point I haven't had elsewhere. There's a nice balance between the feta, dukkah and pomegranate where you can taste all of them without one overpowering the other. The vegetabowl is similarly great. There's just enough of each ingredient that you can taste them, without the dish being overpowered by one note. Penny's interior makes maximal use of the space. There are comfortably sized tables out front and inside, and some bar seating by the espresso machine. The best seats in the house, though, are out back, and include a few longer tables. The staff at Penny are attentive, friendly and great at pulling a coffee and making food.

    What a gem! Penny is the best cafe in the area by far. It is rare to find a cafe that provides an…read moreexcellent choice of coffee (try the home brew) and delicious breakfast. The staff is friendly

    Photos
    Penny Coffee Co

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    Bar Merlo UQ

    Bar Merlo UQ

    4.3(12 reviews)
    3.1 kmSt Lucia
    $

    Ah BarMerlo, near the Duhig Library where Unicard is located. It can't help but get extremely busy…read morehere, really packed and in this quaint little corner of the main court, I suspect many if not most of all the thousands of university students have come to get their regular caffeine fix. And fix you can get with your double shot affogato, or cappacino. If you're lucky enough to be able to get a seat at one of the cosy little tables underneath the massive trees that point the way to the union complex, the atmosphere has been good to you. you can spend a while chatting away, reading a book watching the anxious and steady stream of students walk on by. The coffee is smooth, the coffee is aromatic, the coffee is Yelpingly high quality for a university coffee place. I love this place, the biscotti is really nice with your coffee too if you ever get the chance. The Chai Latte's are nothing to be scoffed at either, with the creamy frothed milk, how can you not just love it.

    I am a BarMerlo UQ regular. And by regular I mean I go there almost everyday, sometime multiple…read moretimes a day. Being a humanities student at the University of Queensland, I practically live in the Social Science and Humanities Library, where Merlo is located. They have probably the best position of any of the cafes on campus, connecting to the library but also having plenty of outdoor seating jetting out into the iconic sandstone encompassed great court area. I have spent all too many hours sitting with a coffee here, watching the crows, chatting with other students, reading, writing, and even having meetings with my thesis supervisor. Merlo gets pretty busy but they are well staffed for it and even when there is a giant line up you always get a smile. They churn their coffees out pretty quickly so you never have much of a wait for either takeaway or table service. And the coffee is good. I regularly get either their smooth latte, delicious iced coffee in summer or delectable hot chocolate with marsh mellows in winter. The food is also good. They have a nice selection of foccacias and toasties as well as some chocolate cookies that are true indulgence. I adore this Merlo, not only because the service is good and the coffee and food hit the spot but because it is beautifully situated and has become such a prominent part of my university years. I totally recommend BarMerlo UQ if you find yourself on campus.

    Photos
    Bar Merlo UQ - Fruit toast

    Fruit toast

    Bar Merlo UQ
    Bar Merlo UQ

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    Lakeside Cafe - Cake & Latte

    Lakeside Cafe

    3.3(3 reviews)
    3.5 kmSt Lucia
    $$

    This clean and modern outdoor cafe is a breath of fresh air amongst the hustle and bustle of…read moreUniversity life. They serve a variety of specialty caffeinated drinks, baked goods and both a full breakfast and lunch menu. The lunch menu is vietnamese inspired and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality. The fresh rice paper rolls stuffed with lettuce, herbs, pork and noodles were prepared perfectly. Too often places over steep the rice paper wrapper in water for way too long, making it too soft; the rice paper wrapper here is served, as the Italians would describe it, "al dente." The combination vermicelli salad had a delightful variety of flavourful toppings, including: BBQ beef, sausage, spring rolls, and sugarcane prawn cakes. The pho, noodle soup, was served with the more traditional 'Shahe fen' style rice noodles (linguini shaped) rather than the thin vermacelli noodles used in many American and Australian restaurants; a delightful touch. The servers are all dressed quite sharply in white collared shirts and the cafe has a lovely water serving station with your choice of orange or lime infused ice water (presented in beautiful glass dispensers). This is basically a casual but classy cafe that compliments the lake view to perfection ... and for a reasonable price.

    Absolutely awful service and will not be going back. Owner was extremely rude despite us having…read morebeen there each morning for the past few months. Was denied a table (there were at least 15 free tables) despite spending over $25 between us as it was not a 'main meal' which would have only been $12.

    Photos
    Lakeside Cafe - Views of the UQ lake

    Views of the UQ lake

    Lakeside Cafe - Vermicelli combination

    Vermicelli combination

    Lakeside Cafe

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    Mr Beans Coffee - Hot chocolate

    Mr Beans Coffee

    3.3(6 reviews)
    3.1 kmSt Lucia
    $

    This small shop is notable for having cheap combos of a toasted waffle and a drink. One brisk…read moremorning, I thought the hot chocolate was worth a try and it was. The waffle was quite basic and was premade and toasted up briefly to order, but for the money you can't complain. I enjoyed the hot chocolate. The difference between a small and medium hot chocolate was $.20, making me wonder why anyone would get a small. They had some costlier but nice looking breakfast bowls that I might give a shot, but for their main attraction it seemed fine, but nothing to write home about.

    While Mr Bean's Coffee isn't the smoothest in the world, I got to love these guys simply because of…read morethe convenience and the awesome staff. Mr Bean's has a number of coffee carts hidden in and around campus, great for that quick caffeine hit between lectures. They also do a mean waffle. Seriously, try their waffles. The staff are pretty awesome, especially the tall skinny guy, Andrew I think his name is, who knows his stuff and can recommend good flavours to add to spice up your next iced coffee or latte. You can find Mr Bean's espresso bar near the main refectory next to Boost Juice or at one of the three mobile coffee carts in and around the uni. They definitely are the place to go for a quick caffeine hit.

    Photos
    Mr Beans Coffee - I always get my cinnamon bun hot chocolate and take it to the grass behind the great court and sit under the plumeria tree. Relaxing!

    I always get my cinnamon bun hot chocolate and take it to the grass behind the great court and sit under the plumeria tree. Relaxing!

    Mr Beans Coffee
    Mr Beans Coffee - Maple flavored waffle

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    Maple flavored waffle

    La Dolce Vita - italian - Updated May 2026

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