I hosted my mother's retirement party here recently and it was a pleasure to work with Michelle Kenney (the owner) of La Dolce Vita. Her sweet restaurant is the perfect spot to host a party of 40. We were looking for a great spot in Ventura, Oxnard, and Camarillo and decided on this restaurant in Heritage Square because from the start, Michelle was quite professional and communicative with our needs as we prepared for the event. We had access to an extensive menu, a sound system to play music, and a full-service wine and spirits bar. Everyone enjoyed the food, ambience, and atmosphere of the restaurant situated in a restored Victorian in the beautiful oasis of Heritage Square in Downtown Oxnard. In the summertime on Friday's, bands play in the courtyard adding to the ambience of the Square.
La Dolce Vita Restaurant: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theldv.com%2F&s=7aa968c2be0d16a1c7cddbddf551de55e948ef03c9b09c8092526c1eafb661ca" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.theldv.com/</a>
First time coming out to La Dolce Vita (or LDV as people call it) and it was definitely not what I had expected (in a good way lol).
On a Friday night, they had a DJ mixing some fun dance songs and I've been dying to go out dancing for the longest so I definitely worked the floor LOL They also have some comfy couches, chairs and cushions when you're tired of getting cray cray on the dance floor which is great.
I ran into a old high school friend who bought and took a birthday shot with me. I think we had a red headed slut and it was pretty strong. I also had the BJ shot with my other birthday friend and that cup was too big to fit inside my mouth so I had to pick it up to down it lol
Good times all around here and I still kept partying the birthday night away with a bruised knee from walking over here lol :D
Heritage Square is nice, the restaurant was decorated nicely and I love the ambiance. Â However, the service was very slow. Â It took forever to get my appetizer and drink. Â I had the coconut shrimp and they were overcooked . Â I think they were sitting in some orange marmalade that seemed to be old and dry. Â I had the stuffed Portabello Mushroom Florentine. Â It was overcooked. Â My friend had the lasagna and it was uneventful. Â It felt like we waited an eternity to get the bill when the waitress could clearly see that we were finished (she cleared off the table). Â Â Sooo...I would give the ambiance a 10, but the food a 2. Â I don't think I will ever go back.
Review Source:As part of a Sunday Ventura County Wine Trail Package - A lunch was provided as part of the deal. Â We were pleasantly surprised to have one of the best mozzarella sandwiches. Â Although they do not make it in house - you can tell that it was fresh and the bread exceptional. Â We were not expecting much since this was part of a tour but they really outdid themselves. Â We got a full tummy with the sandwich, salad and even dessert this along with the cute building and atmosphere made for a perfect lunch - if in the area again I would check this place out for their standard menu.
Review Source:What a great place! It is on Heritage Square in a really beautiful old house which I took a peak through all its rooms. While the meal was set for our wine trail group, this staff did a wonderful accommodation in the meal for my gluten-free needs and also being allergic to strawberries. The others in the group loved their meal too. I would love to someday come back and have a dinner.
Review Source:I enjoyed my latest visit here due to the fact that the food is always fantastic, but also because they have just added to their wine list. Â The prices are fair, but the portions are always large and my husband and I tend to split something and always leave full. Â This resturant has good and easy parking in a lot and is nestled in the Heritage Square between B and A streets. Â The bar downstairs is a great place for a premeal drink and sometimes has live music. Â The only down side is that it is a bit out of the way, but if you have time for the drive along the coast it makes for a great night out. This is one of those reasturants were the food, price and ambiance all fit together for a nice night.
Review Source:The boyfriend took me to la dolce vita for dinner and I really enjoyed it. The service was wonderful and the food delicious. The restaurant is pricey, but its a fancy place and the food portions are acceptable for such prices. La dolce is a very nice restaurant wonderful to spend an anniversary dinner.
Review Source:My boyfriend and I decided to try this restaurant because of the Oxnard Restaurant Week. We tried the premium dinner, which was $38/person, and came with a three course meal. You'd think that restaurants would prepare the best of their food during restaurant week, but unfortunately, from appetizer to main course to dessert, it just kept getting worse. The place was very nice, however, I don't know if it was the thin walls(?) or the tables being so close together, we can literally hear everyone's conversation. There was a group of girls and this one girl kept talking like 100 mph - which also ruined our dinner. I didn't think she even paused to take a breath! She was across the room, but I kid you not, no matter how much wine I drank, I could not block her out. Aside from that, our server Miriam was amazing. It was great service. As for the food:
Crispy Calamari - too much breading. Overcooked. Chewy
Insalata di Casa - supposed to have beets, didn't find it. greens were not crunchy. The dressing was too sour to even enjoy. We couldn't eat it.
Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms - pasta was bland - no flavor whatsover. Mushroom overcooked, dry, and chewy. There were spinach on the side, which was tasty, but the  whole meal just didn't blend.
Beef Tenderloin - was not cooked at the right temperature. the marinade overpowered the flavor of the meat which ruined it. Totally ruined an expensive piece of meat. I really wasn't that impressed with the risotto either.
Creme Brule - was not creme brule. the texture made it taste like pudding or custard.
Bread Pudding - too mushy to enjoy. couldn't eat it
The wines were okay, most that were recommended lacked fullness in flavor. The irish coffee was amazing. For a bill of $110.00, I would never go back there again. It's money well spent on another restaurant that can actually serve edible meals.
I have been to La Dolce Vita twice now, first with a group and last night with a friend before checking out the Christmas lights on F Â Street.
I absolutely love this restaurant. The service is impeccable, the food is delicious and it is beautifully decorated. I am going to check out their Sunday brunch next time.
This is the second time I've dined at this charming restaurant. It's located in Heritage Square, an architectural area of Oxnard that is ripe with history.
We both loved the food at this place, provided by Rebecca Shapiro who was on hand to wow us with several creations. Â Just loved the Tomato Basil Soup, the Pumpkin Ravioli and the Pork Loin.
Owner/chef Michelle Kinney also offers cooking classes, does catering, and there's even a cookbook available.
This food is creative, without being all over the board. If you like a homey atmosphere, and good solid food, this place is for you.
Service was attentive but when the food was served, it was poorly timed. We were a large group so not a huge deal. But the waiter came back 3 times with wine and kept saying, "oh, I forgot your martini" and then would come back and do it again. Ack. Roasted vegetable ravioli was pretty good, though a tad skimpy on the serving size considering it didn't even come with a salad or soup. I was afraid the location would be sketchy being that its in Oxnard but it seemed safe enough.
Review Source:We recently moved to Oxnard and was looking for nice adult restaurants in the area. La Dolce Vita was listed in the Chamber of Commerce brochure. Went on-line and saw they had LIVE JAZZ on Sunday. Hubby and I LOVE Jazz, so we went and it was the place was PERFECT! Warm friendly, FUN from the moment we stepped in as strangers, we left as friends. Went upstairs for dinner, the food was FANTASTIC! Â What a fantastic find!!
Review Source:I have been here twice. Â Both times, it was late afternoon before the dinner rush, so the place was nearly empty. Â However, the service was very slow even though there was maybe one or two other tables with guests.
The food wasn't memorable. Â My MIL found something in her pasta, but honestly, I think that was a fluke, and not common. Â
The place is cute, Heritage Square is cute, but after two visits with slow service and just OK food, I can't get excited about La Dolce Vita.
This past Sunday after church my husband and I decided to try somewhere we have never been...La Dolce Vita! Heritage Square is a nice, cute area of Oxnard. We are somewhat new to the whole area. We really loved this place! Where we lived before had a restaurant that closed several years ago but they served the most wonderful brushetta sauce and bread...we've tried to find some like it at any restaurant that serves brushetta. We've never found it as good as what we used to have....until this Sunday! Wow...La Dolce Vita's is just like what we loved. The bread that came with it was warm and came in little squares..delightful. We finished off the first bowel and they brough us another! Our mains were great too..I had a pasta with a creamy meat sauce (a red sauce)..husband had a seafood pasta (his favorite, what he bases his opinion on) that he loved as well... just enough seafood in the dish-mussels, scallops, shrimp. We both had leftovers. I am a coffee-holic..and the coffee was rich and served with real cream..a nice touch. We were too full for dessert! Â We both brought home enough for another meal. The service was wonderful but we were the only ones in there except for a customer who came in to pick up a takeout meal. Sunday afternoons most people seem to head to the "chains"...yuck! We will be back for a nice evening dinner.
Review Source:Beautiful setting - love Heritage Square! Â Service was fine, good wine list.
Unfortunately, our food wasn't so good. Â My husband had steak, and he said it was kind of tough. Â I had chicken cacciatore, and the chicken was really dry. Â It wasn't a busy night, so not sure why our food wasn't cooked right.
I haven't been to the bar in years, but it was pretty cool then - I would check it out again.
Loved their food when they were in Port Hueneme - maybe just hit a bad night.
Traveling through Oxnard and La Dolce Vita was recommended to us. So pleased we decided to give this restaurant a try. Started off by being served a complimentary basket of herbed bread and secret bruschetta. Chose the flight of wine to start and each selection served us was delicious. Seared scallops for the appetizer that were out of this world. Portabella mushroom and spinach with a sauce served over a bed of linguini was a perfect blend. Ended the dinner with bread pudding and a caramel sauce. The entire meal was fabulous and, Maria, our server was friendly and watchful to our needs. The entire experience was fabulous. Positive this would be considered a four forks restaurant anywhere. We recommend it highly and wish it wasn't so far away from our home! Thanks for a great evening.
Review Source:In response to the sad review I gave La Dolce Vita, someone sent me a message saying they were sorry and would refund our mandatory gratuity in the form that we paid (i.e. credit card). I sent them a message back saying that would be great, but then I never heard back from them again. What? Did they think I would just give them my credit card number & cross my fingers for a legitimate refund? This is ridiculous.
Review Source:Well I must say i was very disappointed. Went here with my daughter, the service was absolutely horrible. The food I have to say has really gone down in quality. The food and service was much better when she was located in Port Hueneme. My daughter had the chicken fettuchini which came out hard and dry from sitting under the heat lamp too long. I had the gnocci with chicken and it was not good at all.
Review Source:Cute building outside, but once you get inside you feel like you've walked into a senior citizens' restaurant (which is fine- if that's what you're going for). I ordered a vodka-cran and it tasted like they used fruit punch for the cranberry juice. the service was so-so, the food was so-so, the reviews made this place seem much better than it is...maybe it's a "good" restaurant if you're from the area...but does not compare with what you get in the Pasadena or Los Angeles areas. My partner and I were not impressed.
Review Source:La Dolce Vita was a great surprise. Â I would have never thought that such a tremendous restaurant would exist in Oxnard. Â The charming home setting along with the great tasting food made it a wonderful night. Â The staff was friendly and the service was great. Â Just the right portions and wonderful taste. Â I would definitely visit the La Dolce Vita again.
Review Source:We had the whole patio terrace to ourselves. The roses were beautiful, our server was kind enough to turn the heaters on, and the food was pretty darn good.
I could imagine being out here on a warm summer night, music playing in the courtyard, enjoying a nice glass of chilled Moscato and whispering sweet nothings into the ear of my significant other.
******lapses into dream state******
Seriously though, my only gripe was there were lots of spiders hanging out near our table. Good thing my hubby isn't afraid of them like me.
This little restaurant is located in a craftsman style home that was moved to Heritage Square in Oxnard. Â The food is truly wonderful. Â It is a little bit Tuscan style along with the usual Italian fare.
The LDV bar is very cozy with a fireplace and live entertainment.
One of the best hidden gems in Ventura county.
This review is for the LDV lounge and not the restaurant.
I had been meaning to check this place out for some time but could never gather people to go out because of the negative perceptions people have about Downtown Oxnard. Luckily, a friend visiting after a year from being stationed abroad that was up for anything agreed to come. His persuasion power was greater than mine (being MIA for a year does that) and so we spontaneously gathered some people and went.
So we went a Saturday night for karaoke night. This place is located in the Heritage Square in Downtown Oxnard. The location is pretty nice, but largely isolated at night. I figured there would only be a few people in lounge when we paid it a visit. I was wrong this place was packed! Full capacity!
There were a few things that I really liked. One the crowd of people that come here are very welcoming. Sometimes I feel that people around this area have very conflicting attitudes, as if they are prove that they are the highest rollers and alpha males. But this group of people just wanted to have a good time, they didn't make singing intimidating. The age group that went were probably people in their late 20s and some in their thirties. Our group, early 20s, were probably the youngest people there but it didn't really feel awkward.
I also really liked the extensive song selection and the fact that they offered a good amount in Spanish because well you are in Oxnard! This made me believe that this place is actually targeting people from our community! I've been to other karaoke bars that are bigger and sometimes you submit a request and never get it! This lounge is not too big but it works to its' advantage. People actually get their chance (or two).
The bartenders were attentive. Like I said this place was packed but you could get to them quick! I think they had 4 or 5 beers on tap and a full bar.
Welcoming people, good atmosphere, fun songs and a couple of drinks. I had a blast, I'll probably return in the future!
I've lived in the Ventura / Oxnard area for over 10 years and never knew this place existed.
Restaurant is housed in what used to be a victorian home and is very nice. Â There is a lounge / bar downstairs but I didn't check it out.
This is one of those places that if your there at the right time with the right crowd then it's lovely but if it's crowded or if there is 1 loud table then your night is kind of screwed.
When we arrived we were sat on the 1st floor in the "main" dinning area which is basically a large living room with about 10 tables set in it. Â Very nice, romantic and unique. Â Unfortunately 2 tables away from us were two couples that were very loud and obnoxious. Think sitting by Fran Dresher and Jim Carey. Â You get the picture.
We asked to move to another area but waitress said the upstairs was full due to private party so we decided to make best of it.
The food was very good, the wine selected good and we got to see a old lady roll down the stairs. Â No, seriously.
As we are eating dinner about 5 women are coming down the stairs from the upper dinning room and one lady slips rolls down the stairs, into the wooden room separator panel and into a couple's table. Â Luckily she got up and did the "i'm ok, I'm ok" thing and all went back to normal.
So - aside from loud and obnoxious guest and old ladies rolling down the stairs this place really is quite nice. Â The food is really good and it could provide for a nice romantic evening sans the loud mouths and stair rollers.
I went here because I was hungry and it was close-by. I got Pinot Grigio and a plate of Chicken Marsala. Both were good but not stellar. Awkward appetizer of bruschetta, with what? Foccacia? Not even toasted? No sir, please pass me a dinner roll, even those sad ones from Vons..As for the service, well let's just say I was the only one there at the time and they still took awhile getting me all I needed.
Review Source:The one time that I went, there was a concert going on in Heritage Square so I went to the basement where this bar is at.
The bar is cool, very chic, small, and intimate, good selection of beer, good atmosphere, and the people are locals that are not pretentious, this was during happy hour at six though, I don't know how this bar acts at 11pm and up. Good cheese sticks too. I'm curious to go during Karaoke hour.
Always here everytime my wife and I are in Oxnard for karaoke in the lounge on Thursdays or Saturdays. KJ Leigh is always on top of things. Probably the best songlist in the County.
The lounge feels like home with comfy chairs and couches near the fireplace. Bar staff is attentive and quick despite bar being crowded. The patrons come from all over the area, good mix of people. Never had any conflicts or felt uncomfortable at this place.
They also provided catering for our  wedding reception at Heritage Square for 175 guests and went off without a hitch. In addition to the food, they provided the tables, linens, chairs, and the cake for an excellent price.
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