La Dolce Vita — Restaurant in Cancún

TOP-level restaurant and experience with surprisingly inexpensive price

If you want to have some food that is made with care and heart, if you get tired of the buffet in the all-inclusive hotels, or if you simply want a retreat from the beach, this is the go-to place in Cancun. This is definitely the biggest highlight in our trip to Cancun!!!

My girlfriend and I were exploring downtown Cancun and found this hidden gem. The restaurant has a very humble looking from outside and could be easily missed.

The place is decorated by carefully grown greens and AC controlled, which made the humid hot holiday day much more delightful for us. The owner was a elegant polite guy. He was very helpful on helping us choose the best item on the menu. The waiter/waitress were very kind and friendly as well.

The owner first gave us some free chef's special to try. The bread was seasoned with salsa, olive oil, pepper(maybe?) and a bit garlic. It has a nice looking as well as its taste. The pizza/naan is seasoned in oregano(I guess?) and olive oil. This reminds me more of the naan in the Jordanian dish, but with less strong spices. We ordered a seafood pasta and grilled jumbo shrimp for entree, along with several other items. The seasoning was just right and the texture was made very smooth. The food was definitely made with extra care and you can certainly tell that the chef does love this restaurant! If I have to be a mean picky customer, I would say the lobster bisque was a bit stronger/saltier than the average tone of the other dishes. I recommend having it with dipped bread. You will love it.

We ordered full courses of food and the bill only summed up to ~60 USD in total. This is a steal! They do accept credit cards and the waiter wasn't even asking for tips... If this is a restaurant in downtown New York or Chicago, I can easily imagine a 100 feet long line outside and a nearly 200 usd cheque plus tips for what we ordered. This is the type of restaurant that is worth planning a trip for. Too bad the location and price doesn't do it the justice.

I even feel sort of guilty that we got such a great experience with such cheap price. That is why I write this review here. I really wish the owner can keep running it like this and I could come back to...

The staff are extremely welcoming, friendly and do everything they can to make sure you have a memorable experience. The food is also delicious and they serve generous portions. There's also a new bar that has opened above the restaurant that is really swanky and perfect for a laid back night cap after enjoying a nice dinner downstairs. And more reasons I am glad that this place exists, before arriving I was alone looking for a place to eat but first I went into the oxxo to buy a sim card. A man started talking to me and followed me out of the shop but I didn't feel comfortable with him, he asked me to go to a cheap food place because he didn't have the money to go to a restaurant and I said "no I want to go here" after seeing on Google that it was close to where I was, it looked like a nice restaurant and had good reviews. The guy walked me to the restaurant but couldn't come in because he couldn't afford it. But I was really glad for that because I wanted him to leave me alone, but I didn't want to say it as it could have caused him to react in a way that wouldn't have been a good outcome for me. When I got in the restaurant I was placed on a table next to a married couple, towards the end of my meal we all got talking and I explained to them that I am a life coach and shared some of my life experiences.. To my surprise the husband offered to pay the bill in return for me giving his wife a coaching session. So I have a lot of gratitude to express for this restaurant and I will definitely recommend it and attend as...

We visited La Dolce Vita while on vacation from the US. The drive was about 25 minutes from the hotel zone and was well with it. One of my daughters has Celiac disease and we called ahead to make reservations and confirm that they had gluten free options available. They were so great with her and had GF bread, GF white pesto pizza appetizer, GF pizza (she said it was the best GF pizza she’d ever had) and gluten free dessert. For the rest of us, all of the food was so good. We had fresh bread and pâté appetizer, white pesto pizza, lobster bisque, and salad with apples and cranberries. Our other daughters has penne pasta with tomato sauce, spaghetti with tomato sauce and garlic bread. My husband and I had ricotta ravioli and lobster ravioli. We tried several desserts including chocolate mousse, lemoncello cake, tiramisu, and truffle chocolate cake. The staff and owner were so attentive and noticed my daughter was cold. The owner brought her a shawl to use. We’d recommend this restaurant to anyone and plan on coming back next time we’re vacationing in Cancun. This was the best meal and experience we’ve...