Dolce

12/28/08

Do not go here for NYE

by nohappy25 at Citysearch

Do not go here for new year's eve. We gave $500 prior to new year's for a table and they made us wait for 2 hours outside and there were tons of other people in the same situation. They basically overbooked the place. The manager refused to speak with us. I refuse to go back there after they ruined by NYE 2008 and gave no sympathy to us when we complained the day after.

• Pros: worst service ever, overpriced drinks, no management skills

06/25/08

Great Place!!!!

by cas34 at Citysearch

Dolce still is a great Philadelphia standard, even after not visiting for two years. The waiter was able to recommend a resonably priced Italian wine that was wonderful. The specials were terrific and even the menu, with it's excellent mix of standard and eclectic pastas and entrees gives any patron something fun to eat. It ia great spot for a casual night out or a special occasion. One of Philly's best Italian!

• Pros: Great Food and Service

05/17/08

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

by queenbeatrix at Citysearch

Dave -- the owner -- is HORRIBLE. We had a reservation tonight and were asked to move to 3 different spots and waited about 30 minutes for our table because they gave it away to a party that was ONE HOUR LATE. Before we sat down, the hostess (L) told us that we would get a free round of drinks for the inconvenience. As we ordered, we told the waitress that the first round was free and she said she would confirm with the hostess (and never followed up). However, when we got the bill, they charged us for all of the drinks and added a 20% service charge. When we confronted the owner, the hostess denied that we ever had the conversation and the owner said that he never authorized the charge. So we ended up paying for an entire round of 10 people's drinks when we were explicitly told that it was on the house. TO TOP IT ALL OFF, on the way out, we were stopped by the bouncer and prevented from leaving the restaurant because there was a miscommunication that we hadn't paid the bill so we were literally held back until he could confirm that the bill was paid. Finally, it took a good 15-20 minutes to get our car from the valet. All in all, the service was HORRENDOUS and the food was average, at best. THE OWNER IS AWFUL.

• Pros: Nothing, but the bouncer (Mike) is awesome
• Cons: Worst service ever, Mediocre Food

03/03/08

Best Authentic Italian in Philly!!!

by bellasera at Citysearch

If you like really great "authentic" Italian food, this is definitely the place to go. I haven't had Italian like the"9th Street sausage and peppers" and the amazing variety of pastas (done to perfection) since my grandmother from Italy made me nice home-cooked meals. I was really impressed with the service as well. All I can say is that I left Dolce pleasantly filled and happy....and haven't stopped talking about the food since. I normally wouldn't spend the time to write a review, but this place deserves it! I will definitely be back and will be telling everyone I see about how great this place is!

• Pros: FOOD, service, atmosphere, cleanliness

02/01/08

Great Service, OK Food

by jackiewatson321 at Citysearch

I had reservations at Dolce on Tuesday for Restaurant week and was pretty nervous after reading the other reviews on City Search, but after going I could say that from my own experience it was great! My server's name was Fernando and I couldn't have had better luck since I was eyeing him on the way in. He promptly visited my table and served our drinks before our food had arrived. We ordered the Bruschetta, Calamari, and two filet's. The food was ok the only kink in the plan was the time it took for our dessert to arrive, but Fernando assured us it was on its way and even gave us a few laughs while we waited. Too bad I live outside of the city otherwise I'd visit more often. He recommended coming by on a Friday or Saturday night when the DJ was there and even offered to dance with us. Overall the experience was great even on a busy Restaurant week day. I highly recommend it!

• Pros: Service

01/31/08

Worst Experience Ever

by TDoubles23 at Citysearch

The plan to go to Dolce / Paradigm began with high ambitions. I invited in friends from out of town to celebrate New Year's Eve. We reserved a table and I paid $450 in advance (this price included two bottle service bottles).

Upon arriving at the club, they would not seat us at our reserved table until 11PM, and we had to pay for our drinks until we sat down at our table! To make it worse, they left dinner tables on the dance floor all night, so there was no dancing. They also didn't allow the DJ to set up and play music, so we listened to an Ipod mix all night. To top it off, my jacket was stolen from the club, and they kicked us out of the front door before I could even look for it. I lost a cell phone, an expensive jacket, and over $200 cash.

To make things worse, they charged an extra $200 to my credit card several days later. They have been giving me the run around ever since.

My words of advice, don't go to this place unless you want to get robbed!

• Pros: None
• Cons: Worst service of all time

01/01/08

WHAT A WAY TO START YOUR YEAR!!!

by prbori23 at Citysearch

Me and my girlfrind had bought a table for new years eve. We wanted to go somewhere loungy and comfortable for the two of us. Well the young lady in charge of the tables had told us to come around 11pm, so that they can accomodate there dinners. Well we arrived around this time and was informed that our tables weren't ready yet and that they will be ready in a few. Well few from 11pm turned into 1145pm and new years arriving with no table. No one of the staff was in a urgency mode to get these tables flipped. The managers I'm guessing hide in the back because there was no face taking responsibility for this horrible night. All the ecknowlegdement we got was a round of drinks. Not to mention we weren't the only table that was going through this. I believe that 85% of there bottle tables for new years were never sat. I'm not sure how the other folks ended there new years but I ended up riding in our car receiving the new year in the car. All i can say is that this place has no sense of management or guest satisfaction and I can say this with confidence because I'm a manager myself of a philly establishment. Just wanted to share my story for you future clients.

07/30/07

Great food. Terrible curse of a server!

by ams253 at Citysearch

First let me make it clear that the food was great and we probably would have had a much better experience had we been blessed with a good server. I don't really see why it was so difficult for our server, eric, to ensure us a good dining experience. It was not too busy and it seemed like we were his only table. We had a lot of questions about the menu and he was not too helpful. First of all, we waited about 10 minutes at our table before he even came over to offer us water or drinks. I personally was ready to leave, but my friends begged me to cope. Finally, our server came over and he was dressed all but professionally. He was wearing sneakers and a reddish/burgundy belt topped off with a wrinkly black shirt. As if it could get worse, he reaked of cigarette smoke and was obviously out back enjoying a pack or two or three while we were waiting for him to greet us and offer us drinks. Finally we got our drinks and they were great and then came the food. I had the rigatoni with shrimp and my friends enjoyed the lasagna and the lobster fra diavlo. We all loved our meals, but they took forever to come out. All three of us needed parmesean cheese but eric was nowhere to be found and we had to ask another server for it. He never came to ask us how it was and we sat with empty plates in front of us for at least 15 minutes. When he finally came to offer us dessert he only had one menu and assured us he would bring two more, but never did. The desserts were pretty good and came out promptly, but with no spoons. To make it worse, we all finished our desserts before the coffee came out. I may come back, but I'll be crossing my fingers and hoping we get a decent server next time.

• Pros: Great food. Cool floor.
• Cons: Bad server. Hoping for better next time.

07/13/07

Great dining, atmosphere, and food.

by superdiner99 at Citysearch

My husband and I made reservations at Dolce on 3rd and Chestnut in Old city, a fine choice of restaurant if you are looking for tasty authentic Italian food. They have a great selection of specialty martinis and traditional Italian cocktails. The pomegranite cosmo was my choice for the evening. We were seated promptly with fresh warm bread placed at our table. Our waitress was very friendly and gave us great suggestions as to what we might like on the menu. We ordered salads which came out shortly; the crisp fresh greens and tantalizing dressing made it easy for us to clear our plates. Our appetizer of sauteed calamari in red sauce came next, and may have just been the best calamari we have ever had. It was tender, not at all chewy like many places serve. It was a perfect portion, just right to get our mouths watering and our stomachs ready for the main course. My husband ordered the lamb chops which came out looking fabulous, like a work of art. I ordered a dish of angel hair pasta paired well with fresh arugula and italian bacon. Both of our entrees were fabulous, and surprisingly affordable. The entire dining experience was so pleasant and enjoyable. We could not have asked for a better evening. I would like to thank the staff at Dolce for providing us with such a wonderful dining experience.

• Pros: service, food, and atmosphere was outstanding

07/13/07

Romantic Atmosphere

by mmi112psu at Citysearch

I took my boyfriend to Dolce on a Saturday night for his birthday. The lighting was perfect for an intimate dining experience...service was prompt but not invasive, and the server presented dessert for my date with a candle...a chocolate fudge cake that was to die for!! Would definetely reccomend Dolce for date nite. Plus, you can order off of two menus; Dolce's and it's sister restuarant next door called Paradigm.

• Pros: ambiance, desserts
• Cons: parking