This past summer, Marco Wiles, the owner of Dolce Vita put its property on lower Westheimer up for sale, which would have meant that Houston’s best pizzeria – easily its best pizzeria since its inception in early 2006 in my mind – would be shuttering. I wasn’t even sure that it was still open until a co-worker alerted to the fact that it was. I had to visit at least one more time.
It was as tasty as always last night, with the Neapolitan-inspired pizzas featuring a flavorful and thin crust somewhat charred on the bottom and topped with a judicious and thoughtful, often vibrant, mix of very good ingredients. Both the Taleggio that’s topped with plentiful arugula, thinly sliced pears, along with the noticeable aroma truffle oil, and the Calabrese, a slightly artisanal take on the pepperoni pizza, were more than satiating. Paired with a very reasonably price rosé from the Veneto, and a lively setting, it was quite an enjoyable dinner.
We had to ask the waiter when the restaurant was closing, hoping for some more time for at least another visit. Surprisingly, he replied that it’s not. Seemingly, Wiles could not get the price he wanted and decided to keep Dolce Vita going. This is great news. In what turned out to be very dispiriting research into the city’s margherita pizzas, Dolce Vita was the best I had, which further confirmed its primacy among the local pizza joints. With an engaging wine list, cocktails, and very well-done dishes beyond pizzas, it’s really much more than a pizza joint. But, I’ll continue to go there for the pizzas.
Dolce Vita
500 Westheimer (between Taft and Montrose), 77006, (713) 520-8222
dolcevitahouston.com
It was as tasty as always last night, with the Neapolitan-inspired pizzas featuring a flavorful and thin crust somewhat charred on the bottom and topped with a judicious and thoughtful, often vibrant, mix of very good ingredients. Both the Taleggio that’s topped with plentiful arugula, thinly sliced pears, along with the noticeable aroma truffle oil, and the Calabrese, a slightly artisanal take on the pepperoni pizza, were more than satiating. Paired with a very reasonably price rosé from the Veneto, and a lively setting, it was quite an enjoyable dinner.
We had to ask the waiter when the restaurant was closing, hoping for some more time for at least another visit. Surprisingly, he replied that it’s not. Seemingly, Wiles could not get the price he wanted and decided to keep Dolce Vita going. This is great news. In what turned out to be very dispiriting research into the city’s margherita pizzas, Dolce Vita was the best I had, which further confirmed its primacy among the local pizza joints. With an engaging wine list, cocktails, and very well-done dishes beyond pizzas, it’s really much more than a pizza joint. But, I’ll continue to go there for the pizzas.
Dolce Vita
500 Westheimer (between Taft and Montrose), 77006, (713) 520-8222
dolcevitahouston.com
