Dolce Vita Italian Grocer

Normally we come just for the world's best gelato. This time we also ate dinner. We had the meatballs and the bruschetta. Both were fantastic. And the bread that comes with the meal is so authentic. Hard crust, soft middle and piping hot.

This place is the best hidden gem in Arizona. Food is fresh and delicious. Service is wonderful. We ordered the Sicilia specialty panini and it was the best sandwich I’ve ever had. 2 people split it, and took the other half home with us. Came with fresh Italian bread and fries and you will get more quality food here for an affordable price. I highly recommend this place to everyone.

What a hidden gem! My husband and I have become regulars, The owners are amazing and keep a great selection of Italian foods. Most Italian places focus on the candlelit ambience, this place focuses on the quality of food, which is always excellent. Fresh baked breads, beautifully aged cheeses imported from Italy, fresh made pastas!! All incredible.

Great gelato! Best in the valley if you ask me. It was rather crowded when we went in (on a Tuesday night). The environment was very clean and welcoming but we decided to take it to go! Good place for couples, dates and older kids. Unless your toddler is incredibly well behaved you’re better suited checking out the bounce place next door! The price was $$. I got 3 small gelatos for $15.

HOLD! MY! BEER! This place is THE greatest Italian food ive encountered outside of Italy itself! First off the vibe is unique. Its a restaurant slash grocer slash gelato parlor. The staff was super helpful! The owner recommended the sauceless pizza and sheeesh was he on point with that bad boy! Never thought the absence of marinara could taste so good! The staff joked with us and carried conversation and made it a great experience! Im super glad we found this place on Google Maps. This place is for sure underrated.

Best bread! Love their gelato!

Unfortunately my $15 panini was missing the pecorino romano cheese. Very disappointed. I have been coming here for 5+ years and always have ordered the same thing and added lettuce and tomato to my panini, but today I was told over the phone that they don't add anything to their items and everything comes as is. From a business owner perspective that is definitely cutting out your options for customers on something so simple. I would understand if it was changing the dish completely, but adding a side of pesto sauce (which I've requested in the past and been willing to pay for and was told no) or adding lettuce to a panini isnt out of the ordinary and it just rubs paying customers the wrong way..

Tried this little Italian side restaurant. Shared an order of lasagna. Not as spicy as I expected. Somewhat bland and cold. Kinda spendy. Bread was tasty and so was the peach cobbler gelato.

Such a wonderful spot to get gelato! Every time I come, they always have new flavors. So delicious. Wonderful service, each person is so lovely.

We made reservations for their Valentines Day special. It was our first time ever actually eating here so we were excited to try it, as we live nearby and have always had the intention of going. The portions of food were insanely huge! They served an appetizer, Prosecco, a pasta, and main course, and a dessert. We needed to get a box after every course in order to save room for the next. I was very pleasantly surprised with all of my dishes. Unfortunately I don't remember the names of all of them, but we started off with the croquets and dipping sauce, followed by the asparagus and speck pasta. I then received the tuna dish, which had the most flavor of any tuna dish I've ever eaten (although slightly over cooked), but still really good. Then the tiramisu was excellent! I would highly recommend. The shop itself is such a unique place to dine in that it's definitely worth a stop. You can purchase any of the imported pastas, sauces, meats and cheeses from the counter and as a bonus it's attached to the gelato shop!

This place was a real gem. I had just a procedure done on my wrist & was looking at the prospect of making the dinner I had planned with trepidation when we remembered it was boy scout night. I resolved to get dinner on the way back use it as an excuse to explore. Found this place en route & likely wouldn't have found it otherwise. It's kinda tucked into a corner right next to another Italian restaurant & really leads with their gelato. Sure enough you walk right in to a counter of delicious looking gelatos with about a dozen flavors I'm looking to try BUT if you go through the little arch way you find a sparsely decorated yellow room with a handful of tables, a few shelves Italian groceries, & some of the most delicious Italian food in the area. It's so hard to find legit good Italian food I don't really try anymore. It always tends to be over sauced & bland. No so here. Everything we saw served looked absolutely drool worthy we had a hard time picking our dinner. Me & husband each grabbed a pasta dish & we picked out a pizza (per the recommendation of the guy that helped us). I'm fairly sure the guy that helped us was mentioned in an earlier negative review. The guy has an inherent attitude that I could see rubbing the wrong person the wrong way. However we found him to be passionate about his food & his business & really enjoyed him. I hope him & his crew continue to do what they do & we look forward to coming back.

Gelato was amazing, so creamy and delicious! Prices were reasonable, I'll have to try some of their Italian specialties they have in their cafe.

I didn't get to eat here, but had take out instead. I ordered the lasagna and it came with bread. Everything was phenomenal. I also had the Biscoff cookie gelato and it was delicious too.

I've browsed here before, but never eaten here and now I wish I'd started several years ago. We attended a panini event tonight and it was splendid! I can't possibly pick a favorite (and we had a LOT), but each sandwich was excellently prepared and a perfect temperature. The service was courteous and friendly, and we felt very catered to the entire evening. It's a cute little place and we felt very comfortable! There was one sandwich in particular that featured provolone, and my goodness. It was like eating provolone for the first time. It was SO. GOOD! I'm full to the brim while writing this, but already excited to go back!

Barbara F is nuts!!! This place is wonderful!!! I am from Chicago and it's really hard finding good authentic and not overly priced restaurants here in AZ. The owner is a hoot- so friendly and wanting to share his food knowledge!!! Gelato has the best flavors in AZ. All the Panninis are fabulous made with wonderful homemade bread- gnocchi with pesto awesome and lasagna delicious!!! Avoid the calamari though. Great place!!!

Very expensive for 3 meat balls 2 rice balls with no pasta or anything and these were gross Will not go back

Dolce Vita's food is just like my mom used to make. The owner is from Sicily, and makes the best Italian food I've had here in the valley. I'm from NY so I'm picky about my food. The first time I ate there I asked the owner if my mother was in the kitchen. The store / restaurant is small but the products are real and imported. I highly recommend that anyone who loves Italian food STOP in and enjoy!

Less than $20 bucks for 3 delicious gelatos in the hot AS summer to help us cool down. I got the espresso which was delicious and not too sweet. Both my kids got strawberry and I tried some and it was delicious.

Maybe best gelato in Mesa. Great quality, great selections, flavors rotate constantly. Price is a little steep but don't mind paying for quality. Cute little spot - not much seating - usually busy during typical "ice cream" times - evenings and weekends.

Went in for pasta shells came out with shells, balsamic vinegar, prosciutto, and a fresh made deli sandwich. I love this place true authentic family run Italian grocer. The sandwich (Parma) was amazing light olive oil prosciutto tomato mozzarella toasted ciabatta. Anything you need from the Deli I assure you they will have.

Although I have not had any of the delicious looking food from the other side of the wall, (except for the tiramisu, which by the was is completely amazing!) I certainly have had my fair share of gelato. One night when the wife and I ventured in to get some of the frozen goodness, I decided to try the affogato with the dark cherry gelato. I could not eat it fast enough. It was so good. I wanted more, but my stomach was full. Now, when we go there, that is the only way I will get the gelato. Not that it's not good without it, it's just BETTER with it.

super awesome store and restaurant!!! came in with my sisters on saturday evening. we shopped for our dad for christmas gifts, and got a few goodies for ourselves:) the guy at the meat counter was so much fun to talk to, and get advice!! we tried deli samples, and got some delicious espresso, and fruit gelatos!! the gelato was as smooth as butter, light and delicious!!!!! the fruit flavors are dairy free too!! lots of goodies in the store, dessert case, and deli!! must try!! great clean store too!!

Beat Gelato in town! When we crave dessert, this is the place that we would come to. Perfect for summer get away.

HOLD! MY! BEER! This place is THE greatest Italian food ive encountered outside of Italy itself! First off the vibe is unique. Its a restaurant slash grocer slash gelato parlor. The staff was super helpful! The owner recommended the sauceless pizza and sheeesh was he on point with that bad boy! Never thought the absence of marinara could taste so good! The staff joked with us and carried conversation and made it a great experience! Im super glad we found this place on Google Maps. This place is for sure underrated.

We've been faithful customers for the last two years at Dolce Vita. The food is tremendous. The gelato is outstanding and everything else is probably somewhere between those two. We were recently there for Arizona restaurant week and once again as always we had a fabulous time and took a bunch of food home for extra meals. Fabrizio is the man to speak to when you're not quite sure what to order but I would highly recommend the eggplant Parmesan.

Great food and service! Very pleased to have found this amazing authentic Italian restaurant/deli. Will be back to try the paninis.

Gelato is amazing, many choices of flavors. Service very friendly. I had salted caramel and stupify flavors in small container and was greatly satisfied

What another delicious experience, this is not a review about their famous ice cream, no, it's for their fantastic Thursday Appertiff Night night, from 5pm to 7pm. You order a from a list of Appertiff drinks and with that you receive a wonderful array of Appetizers. Charcuterie player, with cheeses, cured meats, fresh baked breads. Then meatballs, in a zesty tomato sauce, pizza, eggplant parmisan and even freshly made donuts, such a value! We were there with a party of 4 and we couldn't finish it! Now the service is a little slow, but enjoy the easier pace of things, go with the flow. The owner is there and he is very kind and works hard, everything is surley worth the wait. If you have room stop for gelato across the room, that's out of this world as well!

An unassuming spot that surprised us! My family and I had an awesome lunch here. The panini was epic to say the least. The meatballs were delicious. The affogato was served in an ice cream sundae bowl which was interesting but hit the spot. The prices were reasonable and the service was excellent. The chef even checked how the food was. We ordered so much food we had to take leftovers! Grazie.

A must to stop by if dining at Alessa's! Always love stopping in for goodies, and they have a wide range of imported goods from different areas of Europe. The staff has always been friendly, and the store is both clean and well stocked. Be sure to check out if you are in the area!

The food was quite good, that being said my friend asked for cheese on her dish, and told the owner she knew it wasn't done that way in Italy but wanted it anyway. He refused. I think at $24/pound for Romano he just too cheap to grate it over her dish. Also, no fresh ground pepper really? The clincher was a $16 glass of Chianti. The other wines were $8.00. Sure I should have looked. Just a warning to others. There is another Italian place next door to this place that was packed.

Divine staff - the girls behind the counter are attentive and cheerful, as well as accommodating! My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed our dinner-in lunch! I am gaining my health through a zero carb diet, and it was so refreshing to find easy & delectable choices for both of us! She is still talking about the Dolce Vita panini (fresh bakery bread made from their own recipe) and my charcuterie board for one was full of Italian imported meats and cheeses! I have one complaint- they are located too far from my home!! I wish they would open a location in Cave Creek! They also make the finest gelato- all others PALE IN COMPARISON. You may think you've had gelato before... but once you try Dolce Vita's - you will know everything else is an inferior second. I recommend Stupify and the rare Panna Cotta flavors (award winning).

I rarely give negative reviews and am typically very patient and understanding. However... we had been wanting some really authentic and delicious Italian food and figured this place could be a hidden gem. First off, it's not. The staff was rude and unfriendly. Very quick to get us out and basically got insulted for asking for garlic bread, which I felt was pretty unnecessary. The food was bland and mediocre. The meatball park looked like a frozen meal out of a microwave. Lasagna was plain and quite small. The only reason they are getting 2 stars is that my carbonara was decent at best. Again, I typically feel that places don't deserve bad ratings but this was a really off putting experience. Would never return. Save yourself and just go to Alessia's next door...

The owner yelled at me and made a scene! We bought gelato from the gelato side and found a table to eat it on the deli side. My mom decided to buy cookies from the deli side. As we sat inside eating gelato and cookies, my husband grabbed a beer from the cooler and went to purchase it. The cashier lady told him NO and said something about dine-in only. My husband was confused, but walked away. I was also confused, so I went to ask the lady why she wouldn't sell him the beer. She was very defensive and said that we did not buy any food. I explained that we were sitting there eating gelato and cookies, and asked if that was not classified as food? She said "that's the rule, you can talk to the owner". The owner came out,and I very calmly told him I was just confused about the 'rule' with the beer. The owner started raising his voice, yelling at me that "this is the rule!" I calmly told him that he didn't need to yell at me and to talk to me like an adult, that's when he got VERY upset and told me "Now, I'm angry! You get out and don't come back!" This is very upsetting. We've been coming here regularly for years, and have never had a negative experience. We love this place, I was not looking for an argument at all, and now I can't come back!? Good Riddance.

A remarkably expensive mini super market carrying Italian food supplies. The prices are remarkably high. I bought a few cans of Scungilli in a NY supermarket for 19.99. This place is selling the same can for $39.99. I won't be back.

Casual place with memorable food. Clean place, fantastic service, we felt kinda like family. We got there mid-day because we knew it would fill up later. It a new favorite,

This is a small wonder of a place. They make sandwiches and have a daily special of some great Italian dish. The grocery is a great place to get authentic Italian groceries. And the adjoining gelato place of the same name is astoundingly good. Service is quick.

Their gelato is so good! They also have authentic Italian food. I had the pizza with mushrooms and it was great. Will try again when I am on that side of town.

Fantastic family owned business, very authentic flavors. They make their own bread, so definitely try one of their sandwiches on focaccia. Good size portions - next time I'll save room to try their award winning gelato!

This gelato is so amazingggggg! It's the best I've ever had and I've been to Little Italy in many cities. Taste just like in Italy! I cant wait to go back and to also try the food!

Best Gelato in Mesa, and maybe Phoenix. Do not miss the Stupify and African Chocolate.

What can I say, this was a little piece of Italy in Arizona. They have been here 20 years: we have been here 20 weeks and am so glad we found this place. The front is a little grocery market with excellent products. I finally found semolina where I do t need to order it on Amazon. They also had pasta that you can't find anywhere. For lunch we had the Tagliere for two which was delicious. The mortadella just melt in your mouth. The prosciutto was outstanding. The cheeses were delicious. And the bread, made it. For dessert we ordered Sfogliatelle which are baked fresh and cannolis to take home. Since the Sfogliatelle are baked fresh they do take time, but so so worth it. The cheese center is piping hot and melt in your doesn't even begin to describe it, while the outside is crispy flaky perfection. The only downside was that we couldn't find room for gelato so. We will be back.

Great place for a tasty lunch. The premium sandwiches will easily feed 2-3 people! Staff was friendly and attentive (but not smothering). Definitely a new addition to our regular lineup!

Excellent food and a fun place to go. My wife is gluten free and Dolce importers all of their flower from Italy so not a problem for her eating most everything they have.

I ran in on a Saturday evening to grab a sandwich before my daughter's play at the theater next door. I ordered my sandwich they said 10 minutes. I ran back to the theater to use the restroom. When I returned the cashier told me it would be 15 more minutes. I explained that I didn't have that much time to wait I asked them to make my sandwich cold. They told me no, so I asked them to cancel my order. The cashier asked the manager (possibly the owner) to cancel my order. The manager was incredulous with me. He told me to never come back because he was losing money. I explained that saying never come back is poor customer service. He told me that I'm a poor customer because I left and came back when they told me my food would be ready. I explained that I had picked up a sandwich the night before and a gelato later that evening with no problems. I also informed him that blaming the customer for a lack of training of their staff about how to give approximations Is unacceptable. He continued to call me a poor customer after I told him to have a good night and was exiting the store.

This was my wife and I first time to Dolce Vita. While the strip mall view was skeptical, the service and of course the food was pure Italian beauty. While we stood in front of the deli counter looking at the menu, this burly guy said in broken English to grab the only table for 2 left in the place, and he'd bring us a menu. There was no sign saying seat yourself or posh greeter. So we sat and we're handed a menu and told about a $33.00 special offered. We ordered from the menu a Gnocchi and a meatball with spaghetti dish. We were served a basket of rolls that were super hot and crispy on the outside yet fluffy and yummy on the inside. As the burly guys says "No garlic bread here; that's not Italian". Or main course food arrived a little later that normal, but the restaurant was really busy. Though they both arrived piping hot in nicely served dishes. All I can say about the food is WOW! The gnocchi was deliciously baked while covered in a tasty red sauce and blanketed in mozzarella. The flavor and hardiness of the meatballs while nestled a top of perfectly cooked noodles, with the yummy red sauce was a delight to enjoy. We could have eaten all up but held back as to have leftovers the next day. We then went through the store to try the Gelato. While there were so many choices to choose from, we settled on one large fruit of the forest and my wife had a large South African dark chocolate with the amaretto. After having this gelato I don't think we'll ever eat ice cream again. In closing, we'll definitely be back to try more!

I have been coming to dolce Vita for many years. I enjoyed today's visit. The food was good. The young boy taking our order did not allow me to change the Parma ham in my sandwich for cotto ham. He said the owner doesn't allow this. Shame the owner was in Italy. The sandwiches and reputation do not allow for such arrogance. That being said , the young lady allowed the change when I got up to complain and it was one of the nicest sandwiches I have had in a long time. Lovely bread, fresh ingredients...just the right ratio of gorgonzona to ham. Bravo. The pastas were good however the carbonara was the firm favorite. Qe had ordered a pizza however no pizza dough was left. The gelato is the best around. The 4 of us finished every drop. Recommend a pit stop here.

Gelato was so yummy. Service was beyond excellent! We will be back. We had a small meat and cheese board. It was delish.

The gelato here is some of the best out there. I've only ever come away happy! Plus, the small grocery features lovely pasta. You can come for food, too! It's always delicious. This one is in my regular rotation.

Ver small. Went at 3pm. No hot food til later. I left. Didn't smell Italian at J all Won't be back.

So much better than icecream! So much so we used to drive from east Apache Junction to get Gelato here. It's a shorter drive now.

We stopped at Dolce Vita after eating at Alessia's next door for dinner. We had to have some authentic gelato to round out our meal next door. The gentleman behind the counter answered all my questions about flavors and was very kind and offered me tastes of the flavors I had questions on. We settled for Madagascar Vanilla Bean and Hazelnut and they both were delicious! We will definitely be coming back!

Great selection of flavors here. Last trip we tried hazelnut & South African Chocolate. Both were amazing. One flavor I'm surprised to see missing was pistachio(my personal fave) Definitely one of the best gelato spots in the valley. Last few times we visited was in the evening on a weekend. Lines regularly go out the door. Also not much seating inside. You've been warned

100/10 I love the cold panino with speck! Delicious. I tried most all the cold sandwiches. The gelato is fantastic, try the stupify flavor. And love the grocery store option to grab anything I need for dinner.

Pretty decent place for gelato and next door is a deli mini market. My bf got their signature favorite and I got mochaccino. If you get a small, you could probably share with another person. I barely finished mine. They have all sorts of flavors to choose from. Anywhere from red velvet cake to strawberry. I like places that give you samples! I'd come back again if ever in the area.

I've been here a few times. I simply go in for the sweets. The options are all delicious and worth a scoop or two. Great prices for what you're getting. Friendly & quick staff. Will always suggest to family and friends. Especially after a meal from nextdoor! Thank you for a great experience

This this place was expensive and the old man that runs it is grumpy! Seriously Yelp wants me to have a few more comments, but I really don't think I should.