Coastal fusion Mediterranean cuisine in Washington D.C. at Dolce Vita Coastal.
Do you wish you could travel to Italy, Morocco, Spain, and Greece for a fresh Mediterranean meze night with friends? Well, now you can be transported there via coastal dishes and restaurant décor right on our very own 14th Street! Dolce Vita Coastal is an ambitious and unique take on Mediterranean cuisine that is sure to impress with its food from its wood-fired oven.
The menu is divided into meze, meaning small plates that are meant to be appetizers or to share, salads, and large dishes, which really offers something for everyone. This is a great restaurant to visit if you or someone in your party is a vegetarian; the veggie options are mouthwatering and abundant.
To start, my group ordered some individual glasses of wine. Dolce Vita Coastal has over 150 bottles of wine to choose from; we couldn’t just pick one! I opted for the Arcaia merlot, from Italy, the selection of wines by the glass from the four countries of focus was so enticing I had to choose one of those. My friends also had a selection of the Mediterranean wines, and everyone really enjoyed their choices.
Dolce Vita Coastal’s meze selection is vast with 28 different meat and vegetable options ranging from $9 – $24. These sharable small plates offer something for everyone! My table ordered several plates to share amongst the group so that we could try as much as possible. A few of our favorites that we ordered were: the brussels sprouts, prosciutto and chorizo flatbread, Moroccan potatoes, Iberian croquettes, and the beef souvlaki. These were each amazing so I can only imagine how good everything else on the menu is. It is clear that I will need to go back so I can try more dishes.
The brussels sprouts were one of, if not the most incredible variations of the dish. I have ever eaten. The sprouts came drizzled with creamy labneh, tossed with lemon honey and pistachios, and decorated artfully with pomegranate seeds and a beautiful red spiral edible decoration. Every bite of these brussels sprouts was packed with fresh flavor, balancing tangy and sweet with the savory-ness one would expect from roasted brussels sprouts. This is absolutely a must-order!
My second favorite dish of the night was the prosciutto and chorizo flatbread. Made in Dolce Vita Coastal’s wood-fired oven, this flatbread was fabulous. Shaped in a unique oblong fashion, more like an oval short-rimmed bowl than a flatbread, it was plated so beautifully I didn’t want to eat it and mess it up! There was an eye-catching garnish and a delicious sauce swirled on the plate framing the flatbread perfectly. While this flatbread looked anything but traditional, its flavors shone through with standouts like chorizo, prosciutto, cherry tomato, and mozzarella. Eating this wonderful plate transported me to the coasts of Italy and Spain. The only thing that would make this better is if it were a full-size pizza so I could eat more of it!
Dining at Dolce Vita Coastal was a true delight. Its interior is elevated but not stuffy, featuring hand-painted murals and chairs of electric blue velvet. You really feel the warmth of the Mediterranean through the décor and friendly, attentive service. Visit Dolce Vita Coastal for your next date night, or get together with friends for a meal you will not be disappointed with!