The Facts:
Pizza: Dolce Vita Italian Bistro Pizzeria
Business Category: Locally-owned
Website: https://www.dolcevitasc.com/
Location: 3823 SR 81 in Anderson, SC (2 miles south of I-85
exit 27)
Date of Review Visit: October 10, 2018
What I Ordered: Three Little Pigs Pizza (14” pepperoni,
sausage, and bacon pizza); Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $18.73 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
The Micro:
Crust: The crust at Dolce Vita has medium thickness, but
what really steals the show is the crust’s texture. It is thin and crispy underneath, while it is
crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside around the edges. The pizza looks underbaked due to the white
sauce described in the next criterion, but in fact my pizza was baked to
perfection. Score: 10/10.
Sauce: Dolce Vita uses an odd white garlic sauce rather than
the usual red tomato-based sauce. The
sauce did not taste the least bit garlicy, which for me is a plus: I do not
like the taste of garlic. The flavor was
zesty for the most part, but occasionally I got a bite that was too spicy for
my taste palette, probably due to spices in the sauce. Score: 8/10.
Cheese: This pizza’s tasty cheddar and mozzarella blend appears
in great quantity but does not produce much grease. What’s not to like? Score: 10/10.
Toppings: All toppings have a fresh taste, but none of them
are even slightly spicy. The sausage
even had a little pink in it. The bacon was
not too crispy or salty, which is rare.
Score: 9/10.
The Macro:
Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pizza has a very white
appearance due to the white sauce and the large amount of cheese. The dining atmosphere has a touch of upscale
class: real metal silverware and Italian music playing through the speakers. Alcoholic beverages are a main feature on the
menu, so the dining room might get loud later in the evening. Note that Dolce Vita is only open 4-10pm on
most days. The service was a little slow
to refill my Dr. Pepper but fairly attentive overall. Score: 9/10.
Value: The quality is excellent, but it is expensive even
for a 14” pizza. They only make one size
of pizza (14”), so bring a friend or be prepared for leftovers. Score: 4/10.
Taste: The overall taste is quite different due to the sauce
but also quite good. The occasional
over-spicing in the sauce is all that holds this score back. Score: 19/20.
The Final Judgment:
Anderson just got a nice new entry in the upscale pizza
space. I may not come here weekly due to
the price, but Dolce Vita is an excellent if slightly different choice for
those special pizza occasions. Score: 69/80.
