I guess having grown up with outstanding homemade Italian, I am a bit stricter with my star assignment.
We, fortunately, got there on the early side on a Saturday evening, so we did not have to wait.  The  "no wait"  ended with the couple that came after us.  It got VERY crowded and since they do not want ALL the people blocking the front door, they tell everyone to move to the end of the bar.  Well, I am here to tell you, there was no room at the end of the bar either, and that is where the kitchen is located, and it was a total traffic jam.  One very nice, but unknown to us, man turned around to our table and just started talking to us.  We have a new friend.  The ratio of people leaving vs. the number of people coming in would cause the fire inspector to have a cardiac arrest.
Bread was warm, not too crusty, but the butter was fresh out of the refrigerator (not spreadable). Â I liked that the house salad was served in a large bowl so you could serve yourself. Â We found the meat sauce to be rather bland and our entrees were okay, hence the overall star rating. Â However, if you are ever there when they have Dutch Apple Cheesecake for dessert, give it a try. Â YUMMY.
I am sure there were a lot of locals and we did get to speak with the owner, Joe, everyone was very friendly. Â The tin ceiling does not do much to absorb any of the sound, but it looks cool.
They will take a reservation for a party of 7 or greater, which takes up a number of tables, so be prepared to wait and wait, any night except Monday or Tuesday, or so we were told.
I took my wife here for a early Valentines day meal on a Tuesday. They had a good amount of customers, but we're not overly crowded. The atmosphere was good. Not to loud and there were other couples present. The food was very good and very flavorful. It was all prepared well and brought out in a timely manner. At the end of our meal we had coffees and split a desert. Parking was a breeze with the many village lots available. I would highly recommend This establishment.
Review Source:I came here with some of my Tuesday dinner buddies and there is nothing more exciting then when we try a new place. Â More specifically trying a new place that is small business. Â I've never been to downtown Lemont before but this place is in a nice, quaint location. Â I walked in and I literally felt like I was in an old mob movie about to ask a favor of the Godfather. Â I mean this in the best way possible.
I had a fever, and the only cure was eggplant.  I'd been eating myself heavy and meat silly that week so it was only thing that made sense to me without all the carbs.  You get a side salad and a little thing of pasta with your meal.  I had the eggplant parmigiana and it was LITERALLY the best eggplant parm I've ever had.  I can't really put  my finger on whether or not it was the eggplant that made it so good or the amazing marinara sauce.  My husband had this wonder seafood pasta.  The name escapes me but it had calamari, clams, muscles, shrimp, and scallops in it.  So very very good.
We were about to close out our bill and a waitress walked past us with their HOMEMADE tira misu (which by the way you can smell the coffee in it from across the room). Â Of course we all put our credit cards away and decided all 8 of us would share the tira misu. Â I tend to live my life with no regrets, but if there was only one it would be that I didn't order my own tira misu.
We went there first time tonight. Â Food was good but the waitress was not too friendly. Â Like someone said in others review that they are doing us a favore. Â I am server and bartender too so I know a bit about friendliness and hospitality. Â The hostes was very nice though and very friendly.
Review Source:This place nails it on all counts: food, service, value and atmosphere. The eggplant parmigiana was the best I ever had. Fried calamari was cooked perfectly.
Joe runs the place and was a pleasure to talk to. He is very passionate about the restaurant and very, very proud of his chef. He told me the eggplant would be the best I ever had and he was right (not boastful).
This place has the look and feel of a neighborhood restaurant (which it is) from any decade. The number of regulars is a testament to how good this place is.
I plan on going back soon as there are so many other things on the menu that I want to enjoy.
I love this place. Â The food is always good as well as the drinks. Â The bus-boys are always great but not the waitresses. Â The waitresses are never horrible but they can sometimes be a bit off. Â However, the food is so good that I'm willing to overlook it, yes I'll take a little bad service for great food! Â I highly recommed there prok chops or any of their daily specials. Â Tute a tavola a mangiare!
Review Source:Yum! Yum! Yum! I absolutely love this restaurant. It is small, romantic, and the food is wonderful. The past few times we were there the service was not the best, but I think what the waitress was trying to do was not rush us, so we could enjoy the ambiance of the restaurant. It worked out alright and even if the service was horrendous.....I would still come back. That is how great the food is. I always order the eggplant parmesan and my husband loves the chicken Alfredo. The bread and oil is great and we usually get the fried calamari for an appetizer. Go and enjoy, see for yourself what real, authentic Italian food tastes like.
We still have to hit up the new one in Plainfield. If its as good as the one in Lemont, we may end up as regulars. It's right by our house.
Been wanting to try this place for a while and finally went this past weekend. It's definitely a little smaller then I expected, and on the weekend when it's crowded there is hardly any room to walk. We had to wait 45 minutes for a table. Being in downtown Lemont its also a little bit of an older crowd in here. That being said the food was really good and reasonably priced. The fried calamari appetizer was right on, and had Cavatelli with Marina and a side of meatballs and they were both very good. The marinara tasted home made, and not like canned tomato sauce. I would recommend trying this place out, but make a reservation, or plan on waiting a while if you go on a Saturday.
Review Source:I LOVE this place. My boyfriend took me here during the first few months of dating and we've continued to go back. We most recently shared our anniversary here. His father's employer frequents the place and his son actually ran into us there and bought us glasses of wine during one of our first times there. I love the people who work here as well as its intimacy and decor. If you plan on getting there past 6pm on Thursday-Saturday, expect a long, long wait. We've waited up to 2 hours to dine here (but that is also because we drove 40 minutes to get there). I get mostly the same things, the Capellini del Angelina is my go-to and of course I tried to get the owner to change it to Cappellini del Tessa. No luck. So many things on the menu stand out to me. My counterpart is always satisfied and normally tends to jump around the menu with his choices.
A free salad comes to the table which is a great starter. One of the biggest disappointments about this establishment is that they took one of their BEST items off the menu and that would be their stuffed mushrooms. I had dreams that I was nestled tightly inside of one, and then they go and take them away?! How could someone let this happen!?
Definitely check this place out. Like I said, we take a little drive for this place and it is always worth it.
Who thought you could find great Italian food in Lemont? Â Certainly I didn't think we would when we moved from Chicago to here. Â We had heard great things from our painter who is in love with their "pork chop special" on alternate Wed evenings so we thought we'd give it a try. Food was great, probably some of the best fried calamari I've had anywhere and their caprese salad was terrific made with heirloom tomatoes. Â We haven't had their pork chop special yet, but their other chop and pasta offerings are exceptional.
Wish the place was a bit bigger and they took reservations, but in a way that adds to their uniqueness. Â Have met very few restaurant owners when actually dining at their places, but this owner chatted with us both times we were there. Will definitely be back..many times.
We have eaten here twice now, once w/little kids, once w/out. Â Both times, great, friendly service, really nice atmosphere. Â Food is really solid, salad comes in a big bowl (like Olive Garden - love that). Â Menu is large, great choices. Â Solid spot for dinner. They do not take reservations and they get pretty busy, FYI. Â Smaller restaurant but cute and yummy.
Review Source:Love this place. Â Have been going there for the last 10 years. Â The new ownership has made the transition- without any changes, especially in the kitchen. Â The calamari is the best I have ever had, in fact don't order it anywhere else, as I have been spoiled by it! Â Have never had a bad meal- and the nightly fish specials are just great. Â Good service, good people. Â Yes- it can be a bit loud, but that is OK with me. Even having to wait, and it can be an hour, is fine with the great bar staff.
Review Source:Best Italian food I've ever had! I've never had a bad meal here. Service is good. Wine selection is nice. Expect to wait for a table on most nights but it's worth it! Prices are on the  higher side but not for the portions. I always have enough to take home for lunch the next day. The salad is wonderful also!
Review Source:I love this place! Â The ambiance, food & service is probably the best in the area, for my money. Â It's small and a bit too loud (excess noise is my reason for no fifth star), but it's coziness and very friendly wait staff is the charm that keeps me coming back. Â
Starting the evening at the bar while waiting for a table is always a good experience as well. Â Having a great wine/martini selection, this place will keep you entertained in the event your wait for a table is going to take a while. Â If you're in the presence of good company, believe me, you won't mind a bit.
I'd definitely recommend making a special trip out to Lemont just to try La Dolce Vita. Â When you're finished with your meal, take a stroll around the area, too. Â Character just oozes from the pores of the limestone buildings and neighborhood establishments that surround it.
La Dolce Vita always serves up large portions of great food. The only downside to this restaurant is that it can be very noisy or you can feel very cramped because the tables are rather close together. The service is great and you recognize the staff on return visits, which is a major plus knowing that your server is knowledgeable.
Review Source:Solid little gem of an Italian restaurant in Lemont, an area that is pretty sparse on the restaurant selection. Â My three star rating is as compared to all restaurants I've been to, although for the slim pickins in Lemont, it would probably be a 5 star.
They have an extensive, reasonably priced wine list, the calamari was fab, and the linguine del mare was delish (although my clams were a little overcooked). Â The in-laws and the hubby liked their dishes as well. Â Two apps, salad to share, four entrees, three glasses of wine, four beers, tax and tip only set us back about $150. Â Not bad.
The food is usually amazing and the service is prompt and friendly once you get seated. Â The baked goat cheese appetizer is a great bet. Â If there is a fish special noted on the chalkboard, ask for it because the chef can do no wrong when the pesce is fresh. Â I would especially recommend the skate and monkfish specials. Â The osso buco and marsala chicken dishes are also great.
The reason I didn't mark La Dolce Vita higher is two-fold.  First, the incredible din in the restaurant makes it almost impossible to hear anyone at your table when this place is busy.  Because of its small size (no more than 15 tables), a bar bustling with tipsy customers competing with the sounds emanating from several TVs, an open kitchen and tin ceiling, the sounds are literally thrown back at you from every corner of the restaurant.  Second, the wait for an open table tends to be quite long and customers are not provided adequate space.  Almost every time we have come here  we have had to wait between 15-60 minutes while scooting out of the way of other customers trying to squeeze in and out of the restaurant.
We hit La Dolce with Mom and Dad "Lo" on a Saturday night (05/17/08). Â We decided to head over early as we knew that they get slammed and the wait could take a long time. Â As Robert mentioned, it's a small spot so going early would be advised, unless you're willing to sit at the bar for awhile.
Big positives now that the non-smoking laws are in effect. Â Although they provided non-smoking sections before, it's such a small space that it never really worked and you ended up sniffing smoke no matter where you sat.
My dad called ahead and ordered a full Chicken Vesuvio for appetizer. Â Even the waitresses were amazed at the idea of having it for an appetizer, but for 4 people it was fantastic. Â If you ordered it once you sat down, it could take 40 minutes for them to make it, so maybe while you're waiting for your table, if you think if it, order some up in advance, you won't be sorry.
MK and I both had the Ravioli. Â They are large and very well-filled and we both had the meat sauce which was good. Â MK also ordered a side of Italian sausage. Â It was very tasty as well.
My mom ordered the Eggplant Parmesan which she said was "great" and my dad actually ordered the Cheese Ravioli's as well.
We probably would have stayed for dinner, but Mr. Aidan was being a cranky pants and we had to get out of there. Â Good experience, good food.
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