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Hours
Sun
12:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Mon
12:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Tue
12:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Wed
12:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Thu
12:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Fri
12:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Sat
12:00 pm - 10:30 pm
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What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Ratings and reviews
Travellers' Choice 2024
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Food and ambience
Italian, European, Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Details
About
Since 1983 La Dolce Vita Centro has been consistently rated as one of the top restaurants in Cancun, serving fresh seafood and homemade pasta, owned and operated by Tim Savio and Juan J. Casal. Dolce Vita means "Sweet Life" in Italian and that is how an evening here will make you feel. Our loyal clientele highly recommend the award winning signature dish Boquinete Dolce Vita, a local snapper topped with shrimp and mushrooms, enclosed in puff pastry, and served with lobster sauce. The service is refined and friendly, and dinner specials change daily to match the season. Ourdiverse wine list from around the world complements the dinner. La Dolce Vita is an ideal setting for small groups, business functions, parties, rehearsal dinners and other special events. Dress code: Casual, no cut off shirtsleeves for gentlemen. Private parking and free valet parking service.
PRICE RANGE
$27.00 – $54.00
CUISINES
Italian, European
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner
FEATURES
Takeout, Reservations, Seating, Parking Available, Validated Parking, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Free Wifi, Discover, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service
Contribute
5.0
2,638 reviews
Excellent
2,260
Very good
246
Average
83
Poor
30
Terrible
19
JEFFREY T
1 contribution
Dec 2019 • none
For 10 years we have had a family gathering at La Dolce Vita on both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Juan, the owner, greets us with hugs at the door. The entire staff is warm and friendly providing efficient and professional service.
The menu is extensive and reasonably priced with nightly specials offered. Complimentary pate and pesto flat bread are brought to the table to start the evening. Assorted Seafood, pasta, vegetarian and meat dishes will fulfill everyone’s desires and also includes gluten free dishes. From appetizers to desserts everyone leaves the restaurant pleasantly full with a smile on our faces and anticipating our next visit.
We love you Juan and we love La Dolce Vita.
Written 1 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GlobalNinjaTraveler
45 contributions
Feb 2020 • none
While Cancun has some fine cuisine it is difficult to find a place with great wine, food and service. La Dolce Vita is absolutely one of them! Juan Casal and his experienced and tenured team welcome you to the restaurant as a dear friend welcomes you to their home. The salads and appetizers are fresh and delicious! I always struggle between their daily special and their incredible pasta dishes. Last night it was their 'Trip-pasta' dish with 3 types of yummy pasta. With Juan's guidance we selected a full bodied Valpolicella that was fantastic. The team decants the wine, bringing back memories of the way a guest deserves (and the wine) deserve to be treated. We celebrated a birthday with a group of six of us and the staff really made us feel special. We finished with one of their delicious coffee drinks.....and then an after dinner drink. [Don't judge, we are on vacation! :-) ]
This is a cab ride from the hotel zone but absolutely worth it. Prices are less than the fine restaurants on the hotel strip but you do pay for cap fare there and back. We have been going here for years and look forward to it each time we are in Cancun.
Written 18 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laurien h
Toronto3 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
Affordable fine dining. The food is amazing. All of the sauces are gluten free and incredibly fresh ingredients, vegetables, seafood & meats. I loved the homemade sausages and breads especially. I had to return for the pizza. Beautiful thin crust, classic and unique.
Bruschetta appetizer on homemade bread was delicious and the orange peel dark chocolate muse bouche was sublime.
The service is classy, attentive and welcoming. Classic formal table setting with heavy actual silver, silverware and waitstaff in waistcoats.
The restaurant is beautiful, airy and feels like a Roman hall with its arches and plant greenery growing everywhere.
The allergy awareness and protocols were thorough and safe, in my experience.
Written 12 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
petdocj
Delray Beach33 contributions
Oct 2020 • solo
I found this little gem purely by accident. A wonderfully happy accident as it turned out. The meal and service rivaled anything i've had in NY city at a fraction the cost of an average meal in my home town in florida. From an hors d'oeuvre of the fluffiest pate i've ever had(it literally melted in my mouth) to the seafood artisan pizza. Everything was terrific. And i was only wanted a local restaurant away from the hotel zone that had decent wine. The servers were friendly but very experienced and professional. The venue was quaint and called to mind an italian piatzza. I will DEFINITELY come here again!
Written 1 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kristine N
Cancun22 contributions
Mar 2020 • none
We have been dining at La Dolce Vita for about 20 years on our vacations in Cancun. It continues to deliver top notch Italian food and service in a quaint downtown location. On our recent visit we started with the special salad of the day, which was very good. One member of our group ordered the shrimp special, one had a veal and mushroom entreé, one had fish and I had spaghetti with a sausage and fresh tomato sauce. All of the entrees were very good. After cheesecake for dessert, we were offered liquors on the house before departing. It was another memorable night at La Dolce Vita!
Written 10 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kelly
Prairieville25 contributions
Feb 2020 • couples
After several nights in the Cancún hotel district, we were looking for something different. I felt like pasta, so a quick search for “Italian restaurants near me” found this top-rated restaurant. It’s been around since 1983, and it’s clear to me now why it has been successful.
A short taxi ride into downtown Cancún later, we were dropped off right at the door. We stepped inside and were immediately greeted and seated.
From start to finish, the food was top notch. A complimentary quail pâté served with small toast rounds and a plate of flatbread topped with fresh pesto and olive oil was brought to our table. This was a nice surprise.
I ordered the lobster bisque as a starter, and my husband ordered the eggplant parmigiana. We also ordered a bottle of wine that we recently discovered we loved - they had a good, solid wine list. Reasonable prices.
The bisque had chunks of lobster, and clearly had been made with a very highly quality stock base. Delicious. The eggplant parmigiana was (pleasantly) not breaded and fried, and the cheese was bubbly and had just been brought out from under the broiler. Perfect.
My entree was the veal in a fresh porcini mushroom sauce on top of fresh, perfectly al dente pasta. Lovely. My husband ordered the special, which was a filet of fresh redfish topped with a sauce of onions, mushrooms, etc and served with a side of pasta and fresh vegetables. He ate the entire plate!
I was too full for dessert, but hubs ordered the limoncello cheesecake. I had to take a bite. Wonderfully creamy and not too sweet, with a tart lemon top.
Finally, a gentleman I assume was one of the owners came around with a cart of complimentary aperitifs. There was a good selection, and he explained them all, as well as explaining that this was a tradition and a way of thanking us for our business. I chose the chilled limoncello, and my husband ordered a Mexican-branded ouzo. Both were a delicious way to end the meal.
The waitress even helped us order a taxi, and packaged my leftovers very nicely. Such wonderful service. Thank you for a great meal and a wonderful night out! We will be back!
Written 26 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Day D
22 contributions
Mar 2020 • none
I have been returning to Cancun for 34 years and always have La Dolce Vita on my list for restaurants to go to each year. They have never failed! The food is delicious, the service is impeccable and at the end of the meal they come around offering an after dinner drink on the house. The only drawback I have is that it is right on the road and you do hear traffic but you can still have conversation.
Written 10 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bethan
2 contributions
Mar 2020 • friends
This was a great restaurant with a great atmosphere. Both the pizza and pasta options were excellent and the menu is vast and has good gluten free options. The hospitality made the meal even better - we were given complimentary appetisers and dessert along with a free shot to finish! Highly recommend
Written 10 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maggie H
Lexington4 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
You won't stumble on this place but it's worth finding. We come to Cancun once a year for one week and always go to La Dolce Vita at least once. We are greeted like old friends. We remember the waiters and they remember us. Great bruschetta - best I've ever had. That comes as soon as you sit down. Later you get a flatbread (like a tortilla) with fresh herbs and pesto. The pasta dishes come in two sizes. We two had 1 soup, 2 small pasta dishes and 2 desserts and were very satisfied.
Written 11 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paulina
2 contributions
Feb 2020 • couples
I did my visit based in TripAdvisor's reviews and unfortunately it was one of my biggest disappointment ever.. especially that I love Italian food and after 2 weeks of eating only Mexican specialities I wanted to eat sth more familiar with my taste.
In my opinion the biggest problem is tomato sauce, never eaten worse one, that is simply destroying main dish like pasta, ravioli or whatever else.Sauce is super liquid, extremely sweet and is really far away from real Italian tomato sauce that should have been nicely red, half liquid and have a simple taste of tomatoes (with salt..).
However I would like to appreciate the service and fact they offer small sweet and drink at the end of the dinner. Also, there is parking next to the restaurant in case you are coming by car.
Written 15 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kathy S
3 contributions
Nov 2021 • none
Every year on our annual trip to Cancun, my husband and I and my sister and brother-in-law travel from the Hotel Zone to downtown Cancun for a meal at La Dolce Vita. We are never disappointed. The food is delicious, the staff are friendly and attentive, and the owner greets us every year as if we were old friends. We ate at La Dolce Vita on the last night of our stay this past November and it was the most enjoyable dinner we'd had all week. (The other nights we'd gone to pricey restaurants in the Hotel Zone that were crowded and incredibly noisy, with loud blaring music that made conversation impossible! ) Next year we will get to La Dolce Vita at least twice, if not more.
Written 26 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tiggernbd003
Fort Collins131 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
This restaurant is such a very special place and a real celebration of friendship, family and romantic dinners. I would say it's better suited to adults. The food was delicious and superior to any other Italian restaurant in Cancun. The service was fantastic, with waiters very well trained in the art of meeting your every need. I had the special of the day which was beef tenderloin with pasta-wonderful. Try the quail pate. A nice selection of wines. If you indulge in desserts, try the lemon cheesecake. I wouldn't even consider any other Italian restaurant in Cancun.
Written 18 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dave A
Mississauga9 contributions
Feb 2020 • none
La Dolce Vita is one of those very special restaurants you want to visit more than once. My wife & I ordered the red snapper special and it was very special.
I love it when food provides multi flavour complexity. Of course the fish was perfect but also the vegetables were also delicious. and the bread,and the pate.
Every bite was wonderful.
The service was attentive but not "in your face", with attention to detail only the better restaurants provide. Friendly, relaxed, helpful.
We will certainly visit La Dolce Vita on our next trip to Cancun.
Written 23 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Oleta R
2 contributions
Sept 2020 • none
My boyfriend and I were in town for his birthday and his favorite cuisine is Italian. I searched local places near our resort in Cancun and this one came up with pretty good reviews. We made a reservation online and were greeted promptly upon our arrival. The wait staff were very friendly and knowledgable of the menu. We picked out a bottle of wine to share based off of our waiters recommendation and it was great. We were still looking at the menu when we were served a complimentary appetizer. Never had quail pate before but it was divine. They also brought out another appetizer of a flat bread with pesto sauce. We ordered the fried calamari and both of our entrees. Our portions were nice in size (you can order the smaller portion if needed). We barely had room for dessert but why not. A few nice dessert choices. Needless to say we were stuffed!!!! But happy! The waiter overheard it was his birthday and offered him another drink on the house but we kindly declined as we we couldn't consume anything else.....lol. Our experience here was very pleasant and made for the perfect quiet birthday date night dinner. Highly recommend.
Written 17 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa
2 contributions
May 2021 • none
We had a lovely meal here. We ordered goats cheese Ravioli and Italian sausage spaghetti dishes respectively. The flavours were very complimentary within the dishes.
We also had a pizza to share. A waiter helped explain about the condiments for the pizza and it also had a thin crust and base which we really liked.
The restaurant seemed to take COVID/hygiene seriously with waiters wearing face shields/masks. They were sanitising seating areas and took our temperature on arrival.
Overall it was a lovely meal and the price seemed to be fair for the service and food quality.
Written 29 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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