Dolci Cafe Italiano

Fantastic Food, no matter what time of the day the food is deliciously prepared. We live in Escondido, and it is WORTH the drive for fabulous food and great service. The staff knows how to provide a wonderful experience. From a savory lunch pasta or panini to a fantastic dinner of Chilean Sea Bass. Even their Spaghetti and Meatballs are the REAL deal. Oh, and let's not leave out the Limoncello Cake. I've had it as an appetizer. Yum! To sum up my review, Dolci Cafe Italiano = Chef's Kiss!

My husband and I have been taking our family to Dolci for the last couple of years, and the food and wine are always superb. We have been about six times total. I usually get the Chilean Sea Bass or chicken piccata. My son loves the seafood pasta dish that has 5-6 types of seafood with a spicy marinara sauce. Last time, my husband tried the calzone, and he said it's one of the best he's ever had.

Cute little spot in a shopping center in rancho san diego. I loved their food and the ambiance is very special, definitely a casual place for the family to have lunch at.

Such a delicious Steak and eggs breakfast. Me and the hubs come back every week for more delicious food and service. Guillermo is super friendly and knowledgeable.

Great neighborhood spot! My go-to is the Mediterranean salad (fave salad ever!) and the Fettuccini Primavera sub arrabiata sauce :) Hubby swears by their calamari and lamb shank! But the best thing about this place is hands down Tony, the server. He's not always there when we go but when he is, it makes all the difference! He deserves a raise bc this place wouldn't be the same without him! Always smiling, upbeat, helpful and professional!

Went to lunch with 3 friends. Good and drink were delicious! Tony our waiter was off the charts! So pleasant and helpful. It was great being treated so nicely after many restaurants are still grappling with Covid effects and surly staff. Thank you, we will be back.

I'm a regular as of the last 6 months and my friends are now hooked too for brunch. The atmosphere is peaceful with a soft breeze on the patio dining area. The service and food is top notch. The parking near the entrance is plentiful. I'm almost afraid to boast too much about this hidden gem in Rancho San Diego because I love not having to wait to be seated. The breakfast menu is not big but they focus nicely on getting it all right and deliciously.

Thank you to Tony, Rick, and the chef at Dolci! We started with the bruschetta and a lovely red wine. Then, we indulged in the Chilean Sea Bass and a plate of creamy lobster ravioli. I can't wait to return for another wonderful meal!

This was my first time visiting this Italian restaurant, and I have to say it was incredible! I’ve tried other places before, but none of them felt quite right until now. This one is truly chef’s kiss! The food was absolutely delicious, and the service was just as great everyone was so friendly and welcoming. We came to celebrate my friend’s birthday, and she had already told me how good it was. She wasn’t wrong! I’m already looking forward to coming back. Highly recommend checking it out! P.S. The special dish ravioli with lobster and shrimp was amazing! 😃 and the pizza!🍕

Dolci Cafe Italiano never disappoints! We’ve visited a few times now, and every experience has been consistently excellent. Most recently, we ordered the calamari, pizza, and sweet potato fries, everything came out fresh, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. The calamari was crispy and tender, the pizza had that perfect wood-fired flavor, and the sweet potato fries were addictively good. On a previous visit, we tried the lasagna and the tomahawk steak, both were outstanding. The lasagna was rich, cheesy, and comforting, while the tomahawk steak was a showstopper: beautifully cooked, juicy, and packed with flavor. (Great price too) Beyond the food, the service is always warm and attentive. You can tell the staff really cares about creating a great dining experience. Whether you’re stopping in for a casual bite or a special dinner, Dolci delivers every time. Highly recommend!

Our server Tony recommended the Off menu specials the Crab cakes starter, and the boneless ribs entrée also the scallops entrée. All his recommendations were excellent.

Okay… this is by far my favorite Italian restaurant. I have visited Dolci Cafe three times now. One of my favorite dishes is the Linguine Gamberi. What a delight 👌. And you can never go wrong with the Fried Calamari or Bruschetta Presto. We have also tried the Fettuccine Cartoccio, Capellini Scampi Fra Diavola (delicious) and the Dolci Chicken Mac & Cheese.

We had a great dinner. We haven't dined here for a long time. The last time was when they first open many years ago. Our server and the other staff members were great. They were all friendly and attentive. Our server knew everything dish on the menu and gave us a brief description of the ones we were interested in. The one thing we noticed is that they don't hurry you to make a decision and this just shows excellent service. The food is delicious and every dish we ordered was cooked perfectly and flavorful. Their Bruecetta is now one of my favorite in San Diego. Thier food is comparable if not better than some restaurants in Little Italy. With excellent service and delicious food we will definitely return for another wonderful meal. 1. Filet Mignon 8oz Gorgonzola cream sauce + balsamic reduction + portobello mushroom + chef daily sides 2. Lamb Shank Ossobuco style + cooked in red wine sauce + served with saffron risotto 3. Bruschetta Pesto Fresh mozzarella + sliced tomatoes + basil pesto + balsamic glaze 4. Limoncello Cake

We ordered delivery and I really appreciated this note after I mentioned my food allergy (picture the exorcist vomit scene)! Thank you very much Bella! The pasta and pear salad were delicious. Our birthday dinner was a success. Thank you very much! Don’t worry if you can digest dairy, they will put delicious cheese all over it for you.

Nice Italian restaurant! The food is good. All their pasta dishes are good, as well as the pizza. While not pictured here, their spaghetti and meatballs is a great dish (the meatballs are tasty and extremely large -- will probably take home leftovers). The service is nice. Soft, freshly baked bread as well. Overall, worth checking out.

Wonderful experience I really enjoyed my Medium rare burger. Special thanks 🙏🏼 to the Owner . And Tony for his over and beyond service. Top tier quality food & highly recommended.

Our family had a delicious breakfast here, we would definitely recommend it. Food and service was great. We got the Dolci Benedict, the Banana and Nutella Crepes, the Fruit Bowl and the Pesto Buschetta and we were extremely satisfied. Thank you to our server, Roberto. We will definitely visit again (when ever we're in town).

My fav place for Italian. We love Italian food and we love to go and try new places but we always come back to our favorite place. We really like all their pizzas and pastas. If you are looking for authentic home made Italian food , brick oven pizzas look no more.

Amazing, epic, enchanting dining experience. Tony, a long-time server, brings a memorable warm & bright welcome to accompany every guest with their ridiculously fresh and impressive level of quality food. It would be my pleasure to suggest this place for Breakfast (on weekends), Lunch, or Dinner. My only suggestion is to serve breakfast every day of the week as the menu is super yummy I could barely choose♥️ :)

Nayeli Balderas

This was my first time visiting this Italian restaurant, and I have to say it was incredible! I’ve tried other places before, but none of them felt quite right until now. This one is truly chef’s kiss! The food was absolutely delicious, and the service was just as great everyone was so friendly and welcoming. We came to celebrate my friend’s birthday, and she had already told me how good it was. She wasn’t wrong! I’m already looking forward to coming back. Highly recommend checking it out! P.S. The special dish ravioli with lobster and shrimp was amazing! 😃 and the pizza!🍕

Michael Anderz

Dolci Cafe Italiano never disappoints! We’ve visited a few times now, and every experience has been consistently excellent. Most recently, we ordered the calamari, pizza, and sweet potato fries, everything came out fresh, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. The calamari was crispy and tender, the pizza had that perfect wood-fired flavor, and the sweet potato fries were addictively good. On a previous visit, we tried the lasagna and the tomahawk steak, both were outstanding. The lasagna was rich, cheesy, and comforting, while the tomahawk steak was a showstopper: beautifully cooked, juicy, and packed with flavor. (Great price too) Beyond the food, the service is always warm and attentive. You can tell the staff really cares about creating a great dining experience. Whether you’re stopping in for a casual bite or a special dinner, Dolci delivers every time. Highly recommend!

Alan Ambito

Our server Tony recommended the Off menu specials the Crab cakes starter, and the boneless ribs entrée also the scallops entrée. All his recommendations were excellent.

Y S

Okay… this is by far my favorite Italian restaurant. I have visited Dolci Cafe three times now. One of my favorite dishes is the Linguine Gamberi. What a delight 👌. And you can never go wrong with the Fried Calamari or Bruschetta Presto. We have also tried the Fettuccine Cartoccio, Capellini Scampi Fra Diavola (delicious) and the Dolci Chicken Mac & Cheese.

Mullen Teodoro

We had a great dinner. We haven't dined here for a long time. The last time was when they first open many years ago. Our server and the other staff members were great. They were all friendly and attentive. Our server knew everything dish on the menu and gave us a brief description of the ones we were interested in. The one thing we noticed is that they don't hurry you to make a decision and this just shows excellent service. The food is delicious and every dish we ordered was cooked perfectly and flavorful. Their Bruecetta is now one of my favorite in San Diego. Thier food is comparable if not better than some restaurants in Little Italy. With excellent service and delicious food we will definitely return for another wonderful meal. 1. Filet Mignon 8oz Gorgonzola cream sauce + balsamic reduction + portobello mushroom + chef daily sides 2. Lamb Shank Ossobuco style + cooked in red wine sauce + served with saffron risotto 3. Bruschetta Pesto Fresh mozzarella + sliced tomatoes + basil pesto + balsamic glaze 4. Limoncello Cake

Melissa Reed

We ordered delivery and I really appreciated this note after I mentioned my food allergy (picture the exorcist vomit scene)! Thank you very much Bella! The pasta and pear salad were delicious. Our birthday dinner was a success. Thank you very much! Don’t worry if you can digest dairy, they will put delicious cheese all over it for you.

John Bathke

Nice Italian restaurant! The food is good. All their pasta dishes are good, as well as the pizza. While not pictured here, their spaghetti and meatballs is a great dish (the meatballs are tasty and extremely large -- will probably take home leftovers). The service is nice. Soft, freshly baked bread as well. Overall, worth checking out.

Taif Makadsi

Wonderful experience I really enjoyed my Medium rare burger. Special thanks 🙏🏼 to the Owner . And Tony for his over and beyond service. Top tier quality food & highly recommended.

Evelyn Rios

Our family had a delicious breakfast here, we would definitely recommend it. Food and service was great. We got the Dolci Benedict, the Banana and Nutella Crepes, the Fruit Bowl and the Pesto Buschetta and we were extremely satisfied. Thank you to our server, Roberto. We will definitely visit again (when ever we're in town).

Arely Loredo

My fav place for Italian. We love Italian food and we love to go and try new places but we always come back to our favorite place. We really like all their pizzas and pastas. If you are looking for authentic home made Italian food , brick oven pizzas look no more.

amelia o*s

Amazing, epic, enchanting dining experience. Tony, a long-time server, brings a memorable warm & bright welcome to accompany every guest with their ridiculously fresh and impressive level of quality food. It would be my pleasure to suggest this place for Breakfast (on weekends), Lunch, or Dinner. My only suggestion is to serve breakfast every day of the week as the menu is super yummy I could barely choose♥️ :)

We had an amazing experience at Dolci Cafe Italiano thanks to our waiter, Tony. His service was outstanding — super attentive, friendly, and really made the whole meal so much better. He went above and beyond and truly elevated our visit. Definitely ask for Tony!

We've been about 5 times and everything we have tried is fantastic! The food comes out piping hot and the flavors are mouth watering. I have sent others here too and now they are repeat customers. Mouth is watering just writing this review. For those of you who think it's too off the beaten path, it will be worth the drive!

Tony was absolutely amazing and enthusiastic. He remembered all of our orders and went above and beyond to Cather to our large party. He’s friendly and overall a great waiter. Highly recommended this place and Tony!

George the owner goes out of his way to make every guest feel welcome, and you can tell how much he cares about the people who come in. The staff is sweet, attentive, and genuinely happy to be there, which makes the atmosphere even better. The food is flavorful, and the portions are HUGE. You definitely get more than your money’s worth, and it always tastes amazing. Between the service, the food, and the overall vibe, Dolci truly feels like a hidden gem that everyone needs to try!

I would like to give Dolci Cafe Italiano a huge shout out and a stellar review! AMAZING FOOD, SERVICE AND ATTENTIVENESS! We have found ourselves very irritable at lunchtime in our office because we have been ordering the same old lunches for years...one of us for 24 years! We sent one of the owners of the company I work for out on a mission to find new lunch spots. This is how we found Dolci! We ordered 6 different items to share so that we could try several items. Grande Lasagna Bolognese, Americana Pizza, Italian Fest Panini, Fettuccine Cartoccio, Dolci Chicken Mac & Cheese and Penne Michealangelo. Every single item was so delicious. The flavors were rich and the portions were generous! It gave the feeling of FINALLY being satisfied with lunch which we have not had in a very long time! We all agreed we needed a nap after lunch because we stuffed ourselves in the most gluttonous manner! The only problem is that we were so stuffed no one wanted to get back to work! We are very pleased with the quality of ingredients, the order being ready on time and even after driving 15-20 minutes back to the office the food was still hot! Thank you Dolci! We look forward to ordering again with you in the very near future!

Maria Finner

Tony was absolutely amazing and enthusiastic. He remembered all of our orders and went above and beyond to Cather to our large party. He’s friendly and overall a great waiter. Highly recommended this place and Tony!

Hanan Sako

We had an amazing experience at Dolci Cafe Italiano thanks to our waiter, Tony. His service was outstanding — super attentive, friendly, and really made the whole meal so much better. He went above and beyond and truly elevated our visit. Definitely ask for Tony!

Reyna Sund

We've been about 5 times and everything we have tried is fantastic! The food comes out piping hot and the flavors are mouth watering. I have sent others here too and now they are repeat customers. Mouth is watering just writing this review. For those of you who think it's too off the beaten path, it will be worth the drive!

maru

George the owner goes out of his way to make every guest feel welcome, and you can tell how much he cares about the people who come in. The staff is sweet, attentive, and genuinely happy to be there, which makes the atmosphere even better. The food is flavorful, and the portions are HUGE. You definitely get more than your money’s worth, and it always tastes amazing. Between the service, the food, and the overall vibe, Dolci truly feels like a hidden gem that everyone needs to try!

Janine S

Thank you to Tony, Rick, and the chef at Dolci! We started with the bruschetta and a lovely red wine. Then, we indulged in the Chilean Sea Bass and a plate of creamy lobster ravioli. I can't wait to return for another wonderful meal!

This place is super cute, has mostly outdoor seating with a net surrounding it; so no bugs. I got the banana nutella crepe which looked super good when I got it and couldnt wait to eat it when I got home. The servers that were there were super nice to me when I walked in. Took my order fast and got it out fast. The only thing is that the crepe was $9 which I didn't expect it to be that much, but the taste makes it worth it.

This is a nice casual Italian restaurant to go to. We started with the arancini and pesto bruschetta. The bruschetta was really good! I had the Fettuccine Carticcio, which was supposed to be spicy, but was not. The seafood was cooked well, but the red sauce was a little bland and needed that spice it was missing. My friends had the "white pizza" and loved it. Another friend had one of the specials that had seafood and rigatoni with a pesto/cheese sauce (very mild pesto flavor) and enjoyed it. Then for desert we had the limoncello cake and tiramisu. Overall it was a good dinner, but with only one server and two helpers, service took a long time and was not the best it could have been.

First time I ate there it was very good The service the food was excellent I enjoyed every moment

What a great find... This place is small, has a nice ambiance, and has GREAT service. The food was delightful with a lot of great specials being offered. It isn't the best food I've ever had, but it was a solid 4 out of 5. We enjoyed the restaurant so much that we will be putting in our regular rotation!

This wasn’t the best Italian restaurant. The pasta was not authentic but the lamb was tender. The sauce wasn’t too bad but could use a little salt. The service was not great. It seemed the waiter too busy to even refill water. I don’t think I would visit this establishment again.

The food is edible but far from authentic Italian. I've eaten here thrice and been let down all 3 times and 100 dollars later

Exploring and craving Italian food, I came across this location which has great reviews. Upon arrival plenty of parking , mid day place was empty with no wait time. Place is nice and clean and open with outside and indoor dining, I liked their gluten free options but disappointed because no bread is available to order during lunch hours only dinner and I love to enjoy my pasta with bread. I ordered the penne Michelangelo gluten free pasta, sauce was bland little oily and the pasta was cooked well. The order of the fettuccine cartoccio had several sea food, sauce also oily and the calamari was inconsistent with some under or overcooked. Lastly was the grande lasagna bolognese and it was overstuffed with ricotta cheese overpowering everything and a little oily as well. Not sure if its a place I would come back to but was disappointed with the oily, bland sauces and the no bread with pasta.

Nice cosy restaurant, good food. Only wished they offered bread with their dishes. How are you supposed to finish the sauce 😕 that's why I'm giving a 3 stars 🌟

Maria Flores

Exploring and craving Italian food, I came across this location which has great reviews. Upon arrival plenty of parking , mid day place was empty with no wait time. Place is nice and clean and open with outside and indoor dining, I liked their gluten free options but disappointed because no bread is available to order during lunch hours only dinner and I love to enjoy my pasta with bread. I ordered the penne Michelangelo gluten free pasta, sauce was bland little oily and the pasta was cooked well. The order of the fettuccine cartoccio had several sea food, sauce also oily and the calamari was inconsistent with some under or overcooked. Lastly was the grande lasagna bolognese and it was overstuffed with ricotta cheese overpowering everything and a little oily as well. Not sure if its a place I would come back to but was disappointed with the oily, bland sauces and the no bread with pasta.

Julio Ramirez

Nice cosy restaurant, good food. Only wished they offered bread with their dishes. How are you supposed to finish the sauce 😕 that's why I'm giving a 3 stars 🌟

Main course was tasty. As for appetizer we got kale salad which was served with half blackened avocado and raw pine nuts. Kudos to Chef for not bothering to cut off the black half. Nice job. Typically, pine nuts should be toasted for flavor and I guarantee the menu lists toasted pine nuts, but didn't bother to check again. Decent service. Tried and done.

Veronika G

Main course was tasty. As for appetizer we got kale salad which was served with half blackened avocado and raw pine nuts. Kudos to Chef for not bothering to cut off the black half. Nice job. Typically, pine nuts should be toasted for flavor and I guarantee the menu lists toasted pine nuts, but didn't bother to check again. Decent service. Tried and done.

Slow service, mediocre food. Had to get up and get my own crushed red peppers. Never got a water refill even after asking. Not much to like about this place.

This was my first time here, and the server was very attentive. The pasta with chicken and creamy tomato sauce wasn't my favorite dish. We ordered the shrimp pesto pizza, which was quite good. They don't offer bread as a starter. Also I was opening my cloth napking and a super dirty knife was inside with the clean ones. That make me think if they really wash their napkings. I don't recommend this place if you come from far.

We used to go there often, but the owner George came to say hello to us but totally ignored our daughter and son-in-law. They felt it was rude and so did we. Then George got upset because I was ordering food and asking for food that didn't have onions,

Carole Brown

We used to go there often, but the owner George came to say hello to us but totally ignored our daughter and son-in-law. They felt it was rude and so did we. Then George got upset because I was ordering food and asking for food that didn't have onions,

may be good when you dine in but once you pick up there’s barely any sauce noodles are hard bread is hard to chew very nasty for 30$ and i’m italian don’t be lazy at night

I ordered a Filet mignon and this is what I got yesterday after waiting 45 minutes. It was an inferior cut of meat to begin with and then it was not prepared as I asked, Medium. Instead it was a well done hard to chew piece of meat. Lack any flavour. One if my friends ordered also a filet mignon and hers had a filet mignon cut, but it was also overcooked. My other friend ordered a lamb osso buco and was overcooked and risotto was drowned in brown sauce. His risotto arrived 10 minutes later all the meals were served. In regards to my filet mignon I felt that you were assuming I didn't know about cuts and you wanted to get rid of a piece of meat that was there. Not going to this place anymore and will not recommend. Maybe new cookers, new waiters and waitress but definitely bad service so far.

i been go to this place too many time but thise time the food was cold and not fresh. owner or was very rude never go to this place again 👎👎👎🙁

The worst Italian food I have ever had. It's not fresh and my friend found a hair in her pasta when we complained the manager was extremely rude. We were celebrating a birthday and they ruined the day. The service was horrible they never greeted us and the tables were dirty with leftover food. They overcharged us on food we never ordered or received. Definitely never going back.