La Dolce Vita - Detroit

La Dolce Vita - Detroit reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. C

   Christopher

   Detroit / Eastern Michigan1 review

   3.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 2

   Overall decent experience. Building could use an update, decorations were sitting on the floor.
   

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2. A

   Akilah

   Detroit / Eastern Michigan1 review

   1.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 1

   A Disappointing and Underwhelming Brunch Experience at LDV After weeks of anticipation and repeatedly suggesting this place, my boyfriend and I finally made time to visit LDV for brunch. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the most disappointing dining experience we’ve had in all of 2025. We typically dine more casually, but on this occasion, we made an effort to dress up and enjoy a more upscale brunch. Sadly, that effort was not rewarded. From start to finish, our experience fell short—both in service and food quality. To begin, the breakfast potatoes were, without exaggeration, the worst I’ve ever tasted. They were bland, under-seasoned, and had a stale, buffet-style texture that suggested they’d been sitting out far too long. It’s baffling how a kitchen can send out potatoes lacking even the most basic seasoning—salt. Next, the menu itself felt overly commercialized and rigid. Despite the lack of creativity or complexity in the dishes, substitutions are not allowed. This inflexibility, combined with the subpar food, made for a frustrating dining experience. Our server was in training, and while I understand the learning curve for new staff, the level of service suffered as a result. The lack of attentiveness and experience was noticeable and further contributed to the overall disappointment. We ordered two separate entrees—the LDV Platter and the Steak and Eggs—both of which were poorly executed. The steak was unseasoned and overcooked, while the eggs lacked flavor and any semblance of care. It felt like no one in the kitchen had even tasted the food before serving it. Both dishes were not only bland but also uninspired, which was especially frustrating given the price point. Another concern: the automatic gratuity for a party of two. While I believe in fairly compensating service staff, it’s disheartening when restaurants shift that burden onto customers rather than taking care of their employees directly. I’m embarrassed to have chosen this restaurant.
   

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3. N

   Naomi

   Unspecified1 review

   2.0

   Dined on May 20, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   Honestly, it could have been an off night for the kitchen or something, but the food was disappointing, especially when compared to its price points.
   

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4. D

   Derek

   Cleveland / Akron / Canton1 review

   1.0

   Dined on May 11, 2025

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   We've been here multiple times before and this was such a disappointment. I'm not sure if they have new owners in the last few years but the vibe was off, the ambiance was poor, the service was blah and the food was blah. I used to tell everyone this was one of our favorite Detroit restaurants but not anymore. The Italian aspect of it is completely gone its just a restaurant trying to be fancy.
   

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5. A

   Arthur

   Detroit / Eastern Michigan4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on May 11, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Overall, our experience was awesome, as usual. I was worried because it was Mother's Day. But everything was on point.
   

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6. G

   Gary VIP

   Los Angeles2 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on May 11, 2025

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Our waiter Devon was terrific considering the circumstances. Had. Reservation today for brunch for Mother's Day and they were out of almost everything; the items they were out of impacted almost everything on the brunch menu. No lobster, no chicken, no potatoes.
   

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7. D

   Daeauna

   Detroit / Eastern Michigan7 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on May 11, 2025

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   Made a long awaited return to a community staple, only to be humiliated by the manager/owner. It is my belief that the restaurant bit off more than they could chew with accepting too many reservations for Mother’s Day. My family paid the deposit for our party’s reservation only to arrive and not be able to order and of the items from the brunch menu. When we checked in for our reservation a party of 20 checked in ahead of us. That would have been the perfect time to inform us that due to venue being quite busy that they may run out of menu items and that there would be no substitutions. We were seated without this warning. The service was very slow but the waitress was very warm and polite when she did come to us. We placed a drink order that took a while to receive when there was no one at the bar and plenty of servers in the premises just standing around. Before ordering our entrees, we were told they were out of lobster and would add extra shrimp to the entree as a substitution. They were also out of the seasoned potatoes and would sub hah brown which was fine. When we order our items, the waitress returned in record time to inform us that they were out of the items that 3/4 of the items that my party ordered. We asked to speak to the manager and were told he claimed to be too busy. We insisted that the waitress go speak to the manager and have him come to our table as a courtesy. When he arrived, he was nothing but rude, condescending highly offensive and dismissive. He in no uncertain terms told us that there would be no substitutions and that “common sense should told us this. He then went on to say that if we “didn’t like it, we could leave”. This annoyed us even further and even annoyed the larger party that was also seated in our area. They even attempted to come to our defense. The owner did offer to refund our deposit which was great but he told us “ I said you can have your deposit and you leave, since you don’t like it”. Check Yelp & Google for more
   

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8. J

   Jeff VIP

   Detroit / Eastern Michigan4 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on May 11, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   Service was slow and waitress was not very attentive until after we were all done with our food. We got one refill of coffee when we asked, food portions were good but ran out of items on menu.
   

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9. J

   John VIP

   Detroit / Eastern Michigan60 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on May 11, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   Drive an hour for Mother’s Day. Was never told when reservation was made it was brunch only till 3. Booked 1245. Was told brunch only well after we got there and waiting for drinks. Then we learn they were out of lobster till dinner, so any decent option is gone. Leaving the brunch menu options looking like a IHOP. Paid for the NA drinks and left. Sad experience. Last time couple years ago they were out of lasagna 3pm on a Sunday. Menu always looks great. To bad won’t ever bother again to try it and find out.
   

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10. D

    David T

    Detroit / Eastern Michigan1 review

    2.0

    Dined on May 11, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3

    Went for Mother’s Day brunch. Our reservation was at 12:15. We were seated timely and our waiter was nice but they were basically out of everything on the brunch menu as it seems they were not prepared for the crowd. They had to know the crowd they were expecting as you needed a reservation and had to leave a deposit.
    

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