Good Italian food run by Italians. Fresh pizza and pasta was great. Hot chocolate was the best we've had so far in new Zealand as well.
The interior is very tastefully decorated. The place has a nice atmosphere and feels private because of the trees outside, although it's located in the corner on Te Anau's main street. The food was served nice and hot, and tasted absolutely fantastic. I had Penne Alfredo (chicken, mushroom and bacon with pasta in creamy sauce), and I highly recommend it. My son had a Cesar Salad and Prosciutto Pizza, and both tasted amazing. They even put the left-over pizza in a container for us to take away. I highly recommend this nice spot to anyone who'd like to have something flavoursome for lunch or dinner.
We were pleasantly surprised by our Valentine's Day 2020 dinner. The food was very good as was the wine. The presentations were artful. The decor is inviting. The waiter was overworked. Until they get their business more organized in the dining room, perhaps for a month or two, they need a second person to greet guests, and clear and reset tables. The service was often too slow. Tables sat dirty for the entire evening,
Great menu. Lovely staff who opened dining early for our hungry party. We had just completed a long walk in Fiordland so were tired and hungry. Nothing was too much trouble for this happy place. We all had a delicious dinner. Such wonderful choices and wine. Thoroughly recommended.
I’ve never been to Italy.
I’ve been told I’ve had very good and authentic Italian in America, but I have nothing in which to gauge this claim.
The Italian staff at Francesca’s assured me it was authentic, and the host gave me the basic genealogy of all the staff and chefs.
Holy cow. Best Italian I’ve ever had. The lamb was outrageously good.
The pasta is all homemade, and they have wood-fired pizza.
Incredible experience.
Great service & delicious food. We went two nights in a row because we didn't care for anywhere else in Te Anau. Roberto was a fantastic host as well.
Try the venison pasta & calzone - an actual 10/10 combination.
Great food, definitely the place we preferred in Te Anau. I enjoyed the spaghetti with crab and lemon for main, very fresh and full of flavours. I also recommend the cured salmon and pickled vegetables for starter, the plate was beautifully dressed, the flavours were delicate and interesting, the salmon excellent.
Don’t usually post reviews (this is my first ever) but the crayfish pasta here was amazing. Never had crayfish this fresh before - in fact all the ingredients were super fresh and delicious!
This is a little hidden gem. My wife and I ended up there almost by accident. It is not mentioned in the Lonely Planet guide and were only referred to it by the hotel's reception lady. It is amazing. We had:
1. The Lamb salad. Yes, there is such a thing and it is amazing.
2. The lamb (my wife) and the venison ragu (me). Incredibly good.
3. The beignets for dessert. The best we have ever had.
All are top notch. Koodos to the Lombardi family that have made not only a great Italian restaurant, but probably the best restaurant in Te Anau. The following day we went to Radcliff cafe (mentioned more on guidebooks), and although great and interesting, we felt that the La Dolce Vita has the edge. Definitely worth trying by anyone in town.
Food was pretty good, reasonable value (for Te Anau) and waiter was nice. Shame that they'd run out of pizza bases. Relaxed atmosphere
Not easy to make a real idea outside, but push the door and let the chief enhance you ! Just a bit longer to serve so if you want to eat there to take an drink outside, go here directly and have a drink during the meal preparation ! Enjoy, it’s really good !
This place is amazing. Not often you get the owner getting his hands dirty. AND checking on each dining table. A+++
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