We loved this place so much, we broke one of our own travel rules and ate there again the next night! Of the 8 entrees, 2 appetizers and 3 desserts we had, none disappointed. Incredible food and amazingly attentive service!

We were visiting from Miami and stopped in to this restaurant. The food was really good and we were attended to by the owner. The egg plant lasagna was excellent and the vibe was homey.

Franco the owner served our table. I couldn’t decide on what I wanted and asked him to make me something. He did not disappoint!!! It was a great meal and good service. Worth every penny! Can’t wait to go back!

What a GREAT experience we had here! After a day of tiring out our 6 yr old grandchild at the Childrens Museum, we met my sister and her three kids in the North End for dinner. No reservations. It was restaurant week. (You know where this is going). After unsuccessfully trying to get into 3 places, the owner saw us walking the streets and looking at their menu, he said you hungry? You come in my place. We take good care of you. This is 4 kids 9 years old and younger at 6 pm. Place wasnt too busy - maybe they werent participating in restaurant week was the only thing we could figure because the food was FANTASTIC! I grew up near NYC and have had my share of decent Italian food - this was top five easily. Owner and staff couldnt have been nicer, and the picky eaters in the group even said how good the food was, eating things they normally dont. We spent a little over $30/person because of the tip we left, and we didnt drink much (adults had a glass of wine, and two beers total), so under $30/person seemed more than reasonable, considering the food quality. Will definitely go back when in the area again.

Home made Italian for sure. The flavor pairing of the appetizer was outstanding. Unfortunately the entrees fell far short for the price.

Eight of us visited this North End eatery to celebrate a graduation. The owner was our waiter. The menu is vast, and if you crave something somehow not on the extensive list, he will have it made for you. We asked him to recommend red Italian wines, and he did not disappoint--they were terrific. The prices were fair, the food & portions generous, and there wasnt a clean plate on the table. We went with no expectations, as it was a random choice. Id call this experience the best Ive had in Bostons North End. Highly recommend.

Thank you for having us tonight, we had a great time. The food & service was excellent.

Wow, what an amazing experience.This place is top notch!

Excellent choice for a restaurant in the North End, and Boston overall. Delicious menu, exquisite wine list, amazing atmosphere, and the best service by Franco himself to our table. I surprised by wife with our wedding anniversary dinner celebration at Dolce Vita, she was in love with the place and with Franco :-) We will definitely come back!

Really quality ingredients prepared well. I had grilled octopus and a Caeser salad. The salad could not have been better and the grilled octopus was fork tender and the accompanying pototes and veggies were marvelous.

A unforgettable experience, exceptional food and wonderful service. Greeted at the front door, the owner, invited the two of us to a romantic table. Red wine, sparkling water and delicious garlic bread soon found its way to the table. House salads followed by Carbonara. The lights dimmed and the owner began singing happy birthday to another table. Then the entire restaurant joined in. The lights came back up and two musicians began playing, walking table to table.Thank you for a lovely evening.

The garlic bread is better than the bruschetta. we were rather disappointed with the bruschetta, needed more salt and maybe some balsamic. the fettuccine bolognese was good but not great. the penne dish had a great flavour but the pork tasted really chewy and strange. clam pasta dish tasted flavourful. the aura is nice and the servers are extremely talented and polite. all women are referred to as Bella which I think is so flattering. the owner is great and he hires musicians to play accordion and violin on occasion. theres a large selection of pasta dishes so Ill probably be here again to try some other dishes out.

Awesome. Sang Happy Birthday to my daughter

I had the opportunity to dine here 12 years ago on a company trip. This was the greatest dining experience of my life and really wanted to share a like experience with my wife. We had the opportunity this past week and we wasnt let down. We enjoyed our anniversary there and the meal of course was unbelievably good. I realized that my wife was feeling likewise when I looked across the table and her eyes were welled up with tears.I wish to thank the owner who made us feel like family

Mr Graceffas la Dolce Vita simply is a wonderful, relaxing dining experience that is hard to find these days...the cuisine is fresh and utterly delicious...Look no further to have that memorable dinner in Italy...right here at home! Gracie, Franco!

Our favorite restaurant on Hanover Street in the North End. We always feel welcomed by the owner as if we were at his home. Everything we have is always excellent. What we especially love is that they will make what you want (within reason of course). I asked for the Veal Milanese to be prepared a certain way with an arugula salad and cherry tomatoes ...no problem! The veal in a francese sauce....no problem! They’re great!!

Really not recommended!! Just don’t go there! The food isn’t tasty at all and just super expensive and the service is absolutely horrible! The worst service I got in a restaurant, do yourself a favor and pick different place

Wow! My first time in this North End restaurant and it was an amazing experience! Franco is everything you would expect of Italian hospitality! thank you so much! I will be back!

We booked dinner on Saturday night for a party of 10 coming in from all over the country to celebrate my sister’s 70 birthday and I couldn’t have been more delighted with the whole event. Every course was absolutely delicious, from the antipasto plates, to the scrumptious dessert at the end of the meal. The owner Franco was a maestro directing the employees in serving, and his patrons in having a really fun time in celebrating. I would highly recommend Dolce Vita for your next gathering.

The owner greets you at the door and from the moment you step into this truly authentic Italian restaurant, you are treated like family. We didn’t use menus as the owner asked us what we like, then he told us what dish they will make for us. Such a fun experience, and the food was absolutely delicious!

Excellent experience! 120% Covid compliant with barriers and seating. The owner spoke to us personally and took care of everything. Highly recommended

Absolutely amazing Italian food. The owner was out front to greet us and the wait staff is beyond fabulous...and thats even before the food! If I had 3 months to live, I would fly to Boston & eat here every night.

This is as authentic Italian as it gets. The owner of the restaurant was extremely hospitable. He definitely runs a good show and amazing restaurant. In my opinion this place is the place to go! I ordered an eggplant Parm and it was delicious!

I have been a customer of Dolce Vita a few times now and I make it a point to enjoy a meal and drink here whenever I spend time in the North End. I made a reservation for my friends and I to partake in drinking some delicious martinis before a 10pm show. When we arrived at our reservation, we were seated and greeted. We noted to the waiter (who also happened to be the restaurants owner) that we were here just for drinks and dessert. Immediately after stating that, we felt an uncomfortable vibe and an unwelcome atmosphere. We proceeded to order espresso martinis, which typically in the north end are staples. All seven of our espresso martinis were wildly inconsistent. Some of ours tasted as if the bartender forgot to add any ingredient besides the vodka, others were so diluted with that it tasted like I just consumed four shots of straight espresso, while others were a watery cold brew tasting mess. I gave it another go and ordered another martini in hopes that the bartender was just overwhelmed before and that’s why they arrived terrible last round. I received my second and it was just the same- $15 for straight espresso in a fancy glass. At this point, 8 shots of straight espresso later and a riddled mess from all the caffeine consumption, I requested our check so we could make it to our show. When we put down our card and cash, we heard the owner say to the staff to “make sure to take a picture of the card”. We all looked around in disbelief and asked in if indeed he did state to take a picture of our credit card. He giggled and said “it is for tax purposes..” I have never heard of that before, and some of us felt I comfortable with that idea, so we put as much cash down as we could to avoid multiple cards being potentially scammed. To top the night off, the receipt for the card arrived back with $100 more than it should have been charged. We politely waved him down and he said “oh yea I charged you wrong-I just realized now..” Moral of the story- check your receipts at Dolce Vita, don’t waste $120 on the worst espresso martinis in Boston, and don’t go for only drinks and dessert unless you would like to be treated like a waste of their time. I have never been so disappointed in a restaurant experience, and I sincerely hope they do better.

Would give 0 stars if I could. Went here a couple years back with my husband and as we were looking at the menu outside, someone who we thought was a passerby told us it was a great place and to try it out, so we did. Later we found out that this “passerby” was actually an employee of Dolce Vita luring people in. That should have been our first red flag as the place was almost empty. We waited awhile for our food and it was not worth the wait. The sauce on my raviolis had a musty flavor, it tasted so old, it was vile. My husband got chicken parm and the chicken was so chewy, the texture was repulsive. When we brought it to the owner’s attention, instead of replacing the meal, he said “no it’s good, we tenderize it”. Very unprofessional, rude and not worth the trip. Save your money!!!

Excellent, excellent. Wonderful good and staff.

Oh my gosh! The food was delicious! Save room for dessert! The Bomba was the BOMB!

Fresh in house pasta. We stopped in on a friday for cocktails and decided to have lunch on a Saturday. Place was empty as it was early. My wife had a soup and salad and they threw together a seafood pasta ( shrimp and scallops) in a spicy plum tomato sauce for me. Everything was excellent. No rush and relaxing.

Was drawn to dolce vita after our original pick was at max capacity. The owner was sitting by the window and lured us in (as did our hunger). Incredible food, the owner and wait staff was incredibly attentive and accommodating (we left around 1130-1140pm)Food was delicious, Prices are very reasonable. Unforgettable date night and you now have loyal patrons. Thank you!

When we were looking at the menu outside this wonderful gentleman with a heavy Italian accent popped out the door to personally invite us in for dinner and guaranteed wed love the food. Best Pesto Ive ever had. ❤

Shrimp was the size of my fist and so fresh it tasted like it had been harvested same day. I picked Dolce Vita over other eateries in the area because of the hospitality Franco showed me as I walked by. I liked how you didn’t have to worry about the menu as much as just tell them what you’re in the mood for and they create something delightful with quality ingredients.

Solid spot to get Italian food in the North End. The food is delicious and the staff is very disappointed.

Delicious Italian food. Definitely $$, but owner talks to everyone and helps you order.

We ate here on a Saturday evening, before 6pm without a reservation. The maitre d acted like he was doing us a favor by seating us. The waiter took our drink order and asked us if we would like regular garlic bread or a combination of garlic bread and bruschetta -- so we chose the combo. The bruschetta vegetable mix itself was good but the bread was burned so much that we had to eat around the burned parts. The waiter hadnt mentioned we would be charged for the bread, but it was $7.95 when we received the bill. My wife was interested in having an appetizer but the waiter pushed us to order our main courses. My wifes manicotti was good. My gnocchi marinara sauce was bitter. We had a glass of pinot grigio that tasted fine. We also had a glass of red that was supposed to be a cabernet but tasted like it had sat in an open bottle for too long. Our entrees were about $23 for the gnocchi and $26 for the manicotti. Overall it was overpriced food, average service, and a lack of quality control. We cant recommend it as there are so many options in Bostons Little Italy area.

Beautiful place. Great food and phenomenal staff. The owner makes sure everyone is taken care of

Atmosphere can be worked on. Food, split on that. Desert excellent

Wow! What a great experience. Excellent food, personalized service, and great energy in the patrons. We are from Chicago but treated like family here. Thank you so very much!! Such a pleasure dining in this establishment.

At least a decade ago I had a dinner here, when I bit into my first bite it all came back. Delicious!

Went there on a Sunday night cuz everywhere else was packed with long lines. Ordered the $30 shrimps and scallops, which came with only 2 small scallops, shrimps and lots of mushrooms. Even so they were over cooked and had barely any flavors.

The best place. food is phenomenal and the owner is down to earth and makes you feel right at home. Place is so great and highly recommend.

I moved from Boston 15 years ago and still come to this place every time I visit. This is by far one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve been to. The food is phenomenal, the service is amazing, the atmosphere is great and what it makes it real special is that the owner checks on every single table. Yesterday we went there to celebrate my 12 year old’s birthday and to our surprise the owner and waiters had the whole restaurant singing him a happy birthday and the owner’s voice was also amazing. This place is the true Italian dining experience.

Wonderful restaurant. Delicious food. Great people. Couldnt ask for anything more.

Good food but small portions for the prize

Immediately seated when we walked in the door. Sat by the window which was nice and sunny. Prompt service and great prices.We tried the garlic bread which was fantastic. I ordered the fettuccine bolognese and my boyfriend had the salmon alfredo. Both were out of this world delicious! We scraped the plate. Servings were generous portions and there was extra bread as well.Wait staff was attentive and made sure we had full glasses and made sure we had everything we needed.Definitely reccommend! You wont be disappointed.

Fantastic staff. Great service. Lovely spot in Boston. The food was excellent. Wonderful Easter dinner. Thank you!

Service was great, but the food was not good

I was only in Boston for one day and this is the place I chose to dine, and Im so glad I did! The pasta was so fresh, the service was excellent and the prices were very fair.

Likely the best gnocchi I have ever had.

Best gnocchi I have had in my life, fresh pasta was incredible.

Always a great evening at Dolce Vita. They treat you like family!

Long story short, the server made us feel unbelievably unwelcome, and made a point to express his disappointment in us just wanting drinks and desert and even bumped the shoulder of ever female at our table purposely and (and pretty hard) upon serving us. The home made deserts all came out of a pre packaged bulk box and the owner who rang us out wrote down all of our card information after swiping the card after I asked him to not take pictures of my card like he claimed he had to do “for tax purposes” (which he didn’t do for a single othertable through the entire time we spent in the establishment) to top that off he over charged us by 100 dollars and watched our table as we got ready to leave and as soon as I pointed the receipt out to another person at our table he came right over, without us saying anything to him, and told us he charged us 100 extra by “mistake” (it was no mistake, he knew the exact overcharge amount without us even pointing it out to him and hovered around our table hoping we would overlook it and leave) he then blamed it on one of his servers and they both chuckled about it like it was some kind of joke. Over all this place was terrible, I will never be back and I’ll be sure to express my dissatisfaction in this restaurant in any conversation I have about getting food in Boston.

Franco my friend, the food was delicious and your hospitality was wonderful

This place was fabulous! A proper old-school restaurant serving simple, delicious Italian food in a very family atmosphere (not the customers - the staff!). The waiter kicked off the ordering process with What do you like? We can make anything you want!. I ordered off the menu anyway, selecting the Spaghetti Carbonara in the traditional egg sauce. It was really great - very light and pasta forward rather than being drowned in sauce. We had Creme Brulee for dessert. It wasnt the usual delicate little custard with the burnt top though, it was much deeper than usual and more of a flan texture but was SUPER good. The stuff of dreams! Then a Grappa to finish off before a nice long walk around the North End for digestion. I cant express enough how great our meal was. One of those Italian meals thats hard to find in most of America that makes you say ah - now THATs the stuff!.

Im pretty sure the owner waited on us. Cheery fella 😊

Wonderful food, attentive staff and the owner was excellent at helping us choose wine that would pair well with our meal! Definitely returning again ☺️☺️☺️

I was visiting Boston over Labor Day weekend and decided to eat at Dolce Vita. Everything from the appetizers to the desserts were amazing. Being Italian and coming from New Jersey, I felt like I was having a home cooked meal. The owner Franco was very welcoming and friendly. He is a wonderful person and has a great establishment. I highly recommend this place if you are visiting Boston. Eating here was one of the highlights of our trip!

The staff was fantastic, the owner was walking around and very friendly. The waiter said “we’ll make anything you want, you name it we’ll cook it”. had a great veal piccata dish. Definitely recommend going!

Really good food but the plates aren’t that big.

Our favorite restaurant in the North End. Great place to entertain clients and friends. You will not find a more gracious host than Franco Graceffa - its like going home to Grandmas for Sunday Dinner. If you are going to visit Bostons Little Italy, put Dolce Vita Ristorante at the top of your list.

Incredible homemade Italian food. The food, the service and the atmosphere were all impeccable.

The staff is extremely friendly. A place you feel like your at home at! Best Italian food, a must see in Boston

Greatest service ever fantastic food have the owner order for you off the menu.

Great food and Love the Setting!!!

Franco is amazing. We had an amazing time tried so many dishes. Could not ask for a nicer time.

Went to dolce vita last night for some drinks and dessert before heading to a comedy show across the street and what a mistake it was. There was 8 of us and because of the restrictions we made 2 reservations for 4 and 4 so we werent violating anything. What seemed to be the owner said we could be seated together which was really nice of him. And thats where the niceness ends. He said he would get us bruschetta and garlic bread and we tried to interject to say we were only getting dessert but it was too late, they brought the bruschetta over 30 seconds later. Okay fine well eat it since they went through the trouble of making it and it was pretty bland tbh. Moving on, the owner came back over to make food suggestions and thats when we said we were just getting dessert. As soon as we said that, the entire atmosphere changed. He started angrily picking up our plates and saying give me your plates, if you need dessert then you need dessert plates. We were all very uncomfortable and felt horrible and out of place. Now, we made this reservation for 845, our comedy show started at 10. By 930, we still had not received our dessert. It felt like we had just been neglected and tossed to the side. No one would look at us, no one checked in. BEWARE CREDIT CARD PAYERS: when it came time to pay the owner saw us pull out a credit card and we heard him say to the waiter make sure you take a picture of the credit card. Excuse me, what? Take a picture of my credit card? On your own personal phone? He said it was for tax purposes. That didnt sit right with anyone so we tried to put down as much cash as we could but still needed a credit card in the end. The total was 300 and we put down 140 cash so the credit card should have been charged 160. We get the receipt back and the owner charged my card $255. I flagged him down and before I could even say he charged it wrong he goes ahhh yes I charged you too much. We asked for receipts to show us he voided the transaction and really wasnt apologetic at all. He just kept saying mistakes happen. Make sure youre getting charged the right amount and be aware they are taking pictures of your cards!! They do for sure but the fact that he wasnt apologetic made it worse. We left as fast as we could and will never be back.

Wow!Amazing food. Better hospitality. Family run. Right at the entrance to the North End. Had lasagna and daughter had veal picatta. Both excellent. Wine was very good. Nice evening. Highly recommend!

The owner Franco is the most engaging and friendly person you could want greeting you! He made sure we had an amazing time and truly made the night for us. The food was delicious and the entertainment was so much fun! Highly recommend!

Great atmosphere. The food was delicious the service was very good the only thing is we ordered the Coppa Mascarpone & Fragole it sounded so good but what we got was frozen rock hard gelato but it was more like vanilla ice cream. We where so disappointed. Maybe they can rewrite the description of this dish. There was no sponge cake at all.

Amazing. All of the ingredients were so fresh. The hospitality was great. The owner makes it known that if you dont like something you dont have to pay for it. Not that that would happen because everything is amazing. The meatballs were fantastic

Nothing compares to this experience: Its like the owner invited us into his own home. He greeted us, sang to us, ordered our food, hugged us, shared a toast with us! His 93 year old Dad sang to us while playing the accordian!

Had the tastiest Italian dinner at Dolce Vita this past weekend. The owner was going around table to table giving suggestions and being very friendly. My wife and I loved it. Highly recommend Dolce Vita Restaurant!

The best Italian food, period!Come and see Franco!!!

The owner is so rude and his employees touched us wanting to fight us. He was raced telling us to go back were we came from !!!

Best meal in a long time!!! Can not wait to return. From service to food five stars!!!

A top spot for quality Italian food. a favorite evening place of mine. there was fast, efficient, and courteous service. the bill was fair for the quality of food.

Always make a point to stop when we are in the North End! #Bolognese

My wife and I have been dining at Dolce Vita going back to the days when they were located down on Hanover Street in an upstair restaraunt. The owner Franco and his staff are user friendly. One waiter, James, has been serving customers for years.If you need help with menu, they will make recommendations. If you want a special, non-menu dish, they will prepare it, provided they have ingredients. Lobster ravioli is my wifes favorite. I favor veal parmagiana. The food is great, wine is excellent, atmosphere is friendly and cozy. What else could you ask for? If you looking for non-corporate Italian dining spot, head to Dolce Vita. You will not regret it!

Great risotto dish with shrimp and asparagus.

I havent been to the North End in 35 years and was so looking forward to an amazing Italian meal and I was not disappointed. I had the Veal Saltimbocca and it was fabulous. But I have to say, dont leave without having the bruschetta, you will kick yourself in the butt if you do.

Had a delicious scallop pasta here, good service and vibe

Nice little place near the end of Hanover. Food was well priced for what it was. Employees are aware of every table since we were asked three times if we wanted grated cheese.

The most accommodating and best Italian in boston!

Great staff! Left my sunglasses and waiter tracked us down to give them back. Nice dessert and good drink menu

Good lasagna

We arrived in Boston late and they stayed open and fed us. Everything was awesome, the staff was very personable and accommodating. The owner, Franco is numero uno.

Atmosphere is wonderful. A very nice surprise when the owner came out and sang a song. Food was spectacular the only thing that could have made this night absolutely perfect would have been a little better service. Had to wait a little longer than you should for a relatively small restaurant. But I would still come back because everything else was so good.

We went to this place because it was impossible to find a table in any other place. Service is not that awesome, for example our red wine was served at tea temperature (!!!) and the solution was to put in a bucket of ice which took an hour to cool down. The bruschetta was one of the worst I ever had and the parmesano on salad tasted like nothing.

My girlfriend and I came to your restaurant on Thursday and with the stress of dealing with the city we came in not in the best of moods. Were from Maine so the city had us both flustered. But we were greeted with a warm welcome from the owner and our server treated us very well. The food was great and as soon as we got our food our moods did a 180. It was the best Italian food weve had. But what made the experience better was the atmosphere and feeling of being treated so well. We will definitely be back!

Red sauce Italian spot that feels cozy yet touristy. They were able to accommodate our party of five at 7 pm on a Saturday. Food was under-seasoned despite the good smells emanating from the kitchen. I’ve had better Italian food in Dallas; find another spot in the North End.

Great service. Old school Italian restaurant. Food was very good although the shrimp pesto needed to be redone as it was not very hot. But the staff was great about it and on the second try it was perfect 👌. Enjoy.

Great atmosphere, great food. Really old school vibe with the decor and occasional Italian singing/accordion!

Lovely manager, and fabulous food

Fantastic food and a wonderful staff.

Fantastic, simply the best Italian Restaurant I know.

Food was amazing, service was excellent!

Nice quaint atmosphere. Superior waitstaff. Owner on site and accommodating. Food was wonderful, gnocchi and veal with mushroom dishes. Very nice. A little pricey when you accept all the recommendations, but worth it.

The food here is WONDERFUL. Service is quick and waitstaff are friendly and helpful. Im not always a member of the clean plate club, but at Dolce Vita I devour my food ravenously.The ambiance is also great. The store front opens up so there is a nice breeze and sound from the North End coming in. Definitely in my top 5 favorite restaurants in Boston. 1

Amazing Italian food and experience. I couldnt begin to tell you how happy I was to get a table as a walk in. Everything is great, incredibly authentic and amazing staff. The violin player was an amazing touch.

My company booked a table for 20 people here and we were all treated like family. Franco was welcoming from the beginning and made sure we enjoyed ourselves throughout the entire night. The staff was attentive and the food was absolutely delicious, could not have asked for a better night! Will recommend Dolce Vita to visitors moving forward. Thank you Franco and staff for a great evening!

Very good food its worth the price