La Dolce Vita — Restaurant in Tartu linn

If you are looking for a nice Italian food and you are ready to close your eyes on the staff, then you might consider this place for eating out. If you hope to have a nice and caring staff, then this spot unfortunately won’t leave a nice impression. I reserved a specific table for my partner’s birthday 11 days before the event. To my letter I attached a picture with a Google Maps screenshot and specific cute spot that we wanted to reserve. I got a reply from them by the end of the day and not gonna lie they seemed super friendly.

When we arrived at the restaurant 10 minutes before the agreed time we right away noticed that our spot was taken. Needless to say, the impression was already ruined. We hoped to hear at least an apology. When I told the waitress we had a specific table booked she looked at me half-smiling and told me that there had been a mistake and then offered us a table that was in the middle of the restaurant and did not seem comfortable at all. I had to ask for a better spot myself. Once we found one and decided on what to order we had to wait 15-20 minutes for another waitress to come. Staring directly in the direction of the staff did not help them realise we were ready to order. Meanwhile, girls seemed to not pay attention to other customers either. During this time they only took care of tables that were not yet taken. They just ran with menus and that was it.

There was also a waitress who joined the no-bra club, who really seemed to be uncomfortable when trying to hide her missing lingerie with a cardigan. Not that we have any issues with women not wearing their bras, but it was a really weird experience to see a waitress nervously checking her cardigan every secod and not being able to focus on visitors.

Speaking about the food, the dishes were truly delicious. We got 2 pizzas and were really satisfied with the quality. Home wine was not the best though. The waitress that served us was the only friendly girl we could notice among them. Others did not really seem to take care of customers.

If you are ready to close your eyes on the mentioned above then you most probably will be able to enjoy great Italian cuisine, but if the list I shared makes you concerned, then I highly recommend checking places around and not wasting your special days on the...

Evening was chaos and the restaurant obviously does not want to keep its customers. We had reserved a table for 10 people many days in advance. When we arrived and we were asked to sit at a table that had space for a maximum of 6 people. We asked to get an additional table for our party, but it was not possible to get. However, there was more space for other groups. The warm meals were brought to the table even though we said it out loud that we weren't done with the starter yet. Thus the main meals got cold because the foods stayed on the table for a long time. We had to ask for forks and knives because there weren't any at our table. We arrived for dinner at 18:00. At 19:40 the waiter asks if we can leave already at 20:00 because they have double booked this table and the next group arrives at 20:00. We said NO because we hadn't even ordered dessert yet and we have booked this table for this evening many days ago. Communication was absolutely poor. No one asked our opinion about the food. No one asked if we wanted to buy more to drink and our water glasses were empty continually because we had been given the same amount of water as for groups of 4. We waited at the table for at least 40 minutes for our bill and had to go and ask them for it. 7.We expressed that we want a clear compensation because the evening was a mess. Waiter called the boss and they give us -1euro from each bill. Our party brought approximately 200e to the restaurant (and would give more if someone would have asked during night if we need wine or food more , but they didn't). Poor compensation and absolutely not enough.

Sometimes mistakes can happen, but they must be corrected on the spot. This place did not want to ensure that we would come to their restaurant as paying customers again. Very...

I visited La Dolce Vita in Tartu some time ago, and while I wanted to like the place, the experience left a lot to be desired.

The waitresses were genuinely friendly, but they seemed understaffed. Tables stayed dirty for long periods, and it felt like they were constantly rushing between too many tasks at once. One of the servers even had a swollen face from crying, which was heartbreaking to see—and from the stories I’ve heard about the head chef, sadly, it wasn’t surprising. Sitting outside didn’t help either—the kitchen staff were frequently yelling loud enough for the whole terrace to hear. It wasn’t just me who noticed; other customers looked uncomfortable and anxious because of it.

Drinks were fine, but the Scaloppine di pollo al vino bianco was disappointing—just three small, dry chicken breasts for €20, and no side dish included. You have to pay extra for that… interesting. My partner’s pizza was the highlight—it was actually very good.

Overall, I’d say the pizza team deserves credit, but the kitchen management and overall atmosphere need serious improvement. For now, the stress in the air...