La Dolce Vita - Te Anau

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.