Dolce Italian - Philadelphia — Restaurant in Philadelphia

So excited to try Dolce after hearing such great thing only to be left disappointed. Well, maybe not disappointed per se, but not thrilled by the experience we had which could be summed up as a solid “C” or average at best. We got a fantastic two person booth near the kitchen so we could see what was going on…only to be greeted with a number of fruit flies buzzing around our food. We went on a Wednesday, so not a busy evening with more than half the tables unoccupied, only to be met with such limited service it was just bizarre. As an Italian restaurant, we were excited to try the food, so here are the do’s and maybe pick something else… Meatball appetizer- three meatballs over creamy polenta topped with red sauce. Overall solid dish. However, for my taste, the meatballs were very dense (and I mean VERY). I prefer mine meaty but fluffy, so these felt heavy in my stomach. Tasty dish nonetheless. Fritto misto - generous portion of calamari and shrimp (more calamari with 4ish shrimp) with zucchini “chips” on the side which were a nice touch. Wish there was wayyyy more sauce provided with the amount of food that was on the plate, because there just wasn’t enough to dip. Also, it would appear the marinara came right from the jar (or fridge) because it was COLD when we were dipping (unclear why it wouldn’t be heated up when you’re eating a warm dish of food…just sayin) Pappardelle alla bolognese - al dente large noodles covered in lots of sauce which was great. Only downfall was when you got further down it seemed that the noodles weren’t mixed enough with the sauce because they formed a clump in the bottom of the dish. Good flavor, but nothing ‘wowing’. Margherita pizza - decent sized pie. The crust ended up being kind of gummy because the crust wasn’t crispy enough, and the mozzarella ended up in these big, congealed balls of cheese because the pizza itself/pan was not hot enough for them to remain melted.

Overall, fine meal. Average. Unsure if...

For $164 (before $20 tip), I expected more. Service: reservation was made through OpenTable; special requests - birthday dinner, "table away from the kitchen by the window" oblivious hostess seated us at the back, by the kitchen (can the staff see OpenTable notes?). Restaurant only had one other table dining when we arrived, on time, at 7:00 p.m. after asking to move to the table towards the front, the hostess seemed put out and walked away, upon which I moved to a table closer to the front. Service by 1006/shayd was awful, basically 'self-service' — we had to ask for, everything. Note: plenty of the staff were standing around throughout the evening (many at the back, gossiping, munching on something, and drinking sodas); with so few diners, this was perplexing. Food: the fruits de mare (fried calamari appetizer), breading was thick and undercooked (white not golden), zucchini chips were cold. Truffle ravioli was good but very al dente. When ask about the veal entree, Shayd stated there were two options: veal with parmesan or breaded, I selected the parmesan variant. What showed up was a large piece of quarter inch thick meat (straight from Stouffer's or Olive garden) heavily breaded, covered with a full cup of tomato sauce, then completely topped with a thick layer of mozzarella—and, obviously, microwaved (see pic). Already exasperated, I chose not to send it back. Cocktails were good, perhaps the source of the...

Ate here for lunch during restaurant week. It was good but service was on the slow side (it felt like it server was working the whole dining room). We did the 3-course prix fixe menu- Meatballs, spaghetti, and the cheesecake and the chocolate cake. We took the dessert to go mainly bc we were full and partly the service.

The meatballs were fresh and def good, I should have saved them for the spaghetti. I enjoyed the spaghetti a lot. It was homemade pasta and the sauce was just right for the dish. My spouse did not like it- he said it was like Chef Boyardee - I totally disagreed lol. Different tastes I guess.

I would def eat here again next time we are in Philly except maybe I’ll do dinner instead of lunch.

Overall the experience was good, our waitress was excellent but it just seemed like a staffing issue(which to be honest send to be everywhere anymore).

Update 01.11.25: we are staying at the W and decide to eat here bc of convenience and the food was good last time. The service still leaves a lot to be desired- it’s not the waitstaff bc they are phenomenal, but it seems like the restaurant understaffs on purpose!! There was one waiter for the whole place this evening and one assistant- not were top notch. It’s a shame bc I really like the spaghetti and sauce, and the meatballs are great and I hate most meatballs!!! Not sure why they staff so low on a...