Dolce Cafe in North West Leicestershire

Dolce Cafe may not serve Italian fare, but it's a charming spot with a varied menu, and a variety of tempting cakes. The atmosphere is cozy, and the staff are friendly. If you have a sweet tooth and enjoy a relaxed cafe setting, this place is worth a visit.

The Number 8 Panino is to die for!!! 30/10 sandwich amazing cafe ❤️❤️

A lovely little cafe hidden from the high street in Ashby. Their cakes are tasty and my children love their hot chocolate and milkshakes.

Both dolce and us seem to have had terrible reviews by an ITALIAN person from the circus held in the bath grounds. I love dolce amongst other fabulous cafes in Ashby, we use them frequently and rate them highly. The person in question was the rudest , most arrogant demanding person that my staff have ever served! Dolce said the same too! Dolce, don’t change a thing, we love you ❤️

Witnessed a pretty unpleasant situation here. Member of staff throwing out a customer for complaining about portion size. A bit abusive and racist tbo. I'm sure the member of staff was just having a bad day but totally unacceptable.

Parmigiana was kind of nice, very close to original one.. side salads was english and unfunny. SANDWICH WAS A SCAM.. 7 pound for FAKE FOCACCIA BREAD , few old mozzarella slices (not that fresh..) and the cheapest MILANO SALAMI EVER .. (not sicilian salami.. but northern italy indistrial one) .. 85% of menu is made of ENGLISH FOOD.. NOT SICILIAN.. As Italian i feel DISAPPOINTED TO ABUSE OUR CULTURE FOR MARKETING.. i have been in several italian places in this country.. but this one doesn't deserve.. even more with a hi-pricing as this place.. P.s. Buffalo Mozzarella was slightly acid.. means that was not fresh/up to expire.. Staff attending politely but not warm at all..

13 quid for Victoria sponge and what used to be called a frothy coffee nice quiet sit-down and cake for Sunday lunch :-)

Had the breakfast wrap with slaw - absolutely delicious! Side salad included spiralised veg which just took it up a notch. Lovely staff, clean toilet and really good value.

Had panini and tea - really nice, good price, clean!

We stopped for lunch when passing by, enjoyed & highly recommended. We both had wraps, well-prepared fresh ingredients very tasty. Drinks ok too, my wife had a mocha which she said was excellent, I had coffee which was good but not great. Nice interior friendly staff would have been 5 stars other than the coffee.

Lovely local café with wonderful service and different Italian style food.

Nice place to grab a coffee and some different grub, all with that Italian style. 👌

Love this place. Nice coffee and cakes. Seating both inside and out. Friendly staff. Customer toilets. A couple of minor things let it down. They are: it is a bit small and can be a cramped. The other is, the coffee cups are a bit small, but the coffee itself is nice.

Met a friend here recently. Lovely cafe right in the centre of Ashby. Friendly, welcoming staff, comfortable seating and good coffee all at sensible prices.

Ci andai circa 20 anni ed era un bellissimo localino. Molto simpatici i due proprietari siciliani, uno ricordo che si chiamava Biagio

Just very good value genuine friendly staff. Food delicious and affordable good value for money thank you

We had the bestest Chocolate cake ever x

I have always found the food to be lovely and reasonably priced.

That extra bit of care made all the difference!

You can get a great panini here if that's your thing, also different choices of ciabatas and sandwiches to choose from.

been going here for ages best milkshakes ever🤤🤤

We had a cappuccino and it was the best one for a long time .Thank you

We'd been to the Antique & Collectables fayre in the leisure centre with friends. We all needed a drink and saw this lovely little place. We had coffee & cake and it was delicious. Very cosy with tiny tables but everyone managed. Our first trip to Ashby and really enjoyed it.

Very good place for an iced latte!

We would highly recommend the Dolce cafe we have had lovely fresh Italian bread with prawns and salad. All delicious!! Staff very helpful and kind. 😀

I'm a student at the sixth form in Ashby and I make it a priority to walk down once a day during my free time at school and sit and have a tea and a sandwich. These visits have so far been wonderful, with hot tea and brilliantly made sandwiches. The staff are very friendly and hard workers and I will always refer to this cafe to my friends as 'the special little cafe next to the grocers'.

Cute little café tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Ashby. The cakes are always delicious, the coffee is the best in town, however I would highly reccomend trying their smoothies they're mouth wateringly good. Seriously walk straight past all of them big chain cafés and support a brilliant small local business.

Lovely coffee and great soup but seating cramped .

Lovely friendly cafe! Had a panini, almond tart and a latte. Was all delicious

Absolutely stunning cafe , the food is top Draw , alls fresh ! Great staff and the cafe is all ways clean , out side tables as well.

Lovely coffee and cake. Nice atmosphere. Good toilets. Highly recommended.

A very quaint little café in the heart of Ashby, lovely food, friendly service what more could you want!

Lovely milkshake, good price Lovely food Lovely hot drinks Lovely staff

Great cafe, coffee and hot chocolate are to die for and thier soups are always great! They are one of the only places open on a Sunday so great place to stop off for a Sunday walk (outside seating for dogs!)

These were the best coffee ☕️ & sandwich 🥪 Very calm & cosy to dine in.

Smallish inside but don't let that put you off. Helpful Staff, quick service. We each had a tasty sandwich which was made fresh and cappachino's. Bonus is that it is Open on a Sunday.

My wife and I were very impressed with this establishment. Diligent and attractive staff. To my critical eye, they appeared to have been really well trained. A warm and prompt welcome from them, and good ambience, busy, but not too noisy. Quick service considering that the dishes were prepared to order. My wife liked her Insalata Caprese - with BUFFALO Mozzarella and FRESH Basil. I had a wonderful Mixed Salad (My Italian is not good enough to describe it in Italain, but in French 'copieux et bien composé'.) Will come again on our next visit to Ashby. Highly recommended.

Have been going there for years now food is great and homemade and the coffee is good. The staff are very friendly and the prices are good. I usually have the Mediterranean tart there or the scones both are very good.

Dropped in for my regular Latte coffee plus a tea and toasted tea-cake for my mum - she loves it here. Friendly staff and many local people - so enjoyed our stop.

We called in for lunch on a wet Sunday afternoon. Throughout, the staff members were pleasant and helpful and we enjoyed a toasted sandwich and a tuna sandwich with salad accompaniment. Good sized teapot and plenty of additional hot water. Tables a little bit small and cramped but otherwise everything was very good.

Called in here for a snack after visiting the castle nearby. The grand children had pancakes with Nutella and milk shakes....which they really enjoyed. My husband had carrot cake...a huge slice...unlike some portions you get! I had a tuna panini with salad....excellent tea and coffees! Really enjoyed it!

Stopped off at Ashby, on way from S. Wales to N. E. England, in search of non-motorway services food and found a real gem in the Dolce Cafe. Had savoury scone with crispy bacon and Mediterranean tart between us. Both accompanied by coleslaw and salad. Food was really delicious and portions just right for a lunch. Coffee (flat white and latte) was also very good. It was very reasonably priced and the staff were friendly and efficient. Will definitely return when doing that journey again.

Great coffee, tasty panninis and fast wi-fi. Not a big place so quite cosy, and the locals are all friendly.

Popped in here with my Fiancee for a couple of ice creams. Asked for 2 x 1 scoops of Vanilla - after she pointed out that half weren't available... I asked for my second cone to be in a waffle, as they were only 50p extra. She then asked a school girl to ring it through the till and told her it was a 1 scoop and a 2 scoop cone. I mentioned that I only asked for one scoop in each to which I was told "I'm not filling it up anyway". She then proceeded to break the cone. The child on the till gave me 20p back from a fiver, as I mentioned it should be 50p the "lady" serving the ice cream told her I was correct. Didn't even look at me once! I hope the owner of this shop is on holiday for a week as this "lady" really should't be there

I can’t remember such a miserable person serving at a cafe. Who then forgot half my order and sat and had a break leaving the others to have to retake my order. Whilst we all make mistakes it’s the way things are handled. I noticed that this place had only a few patrons whilst most others in town were very busy. I should have guessed why before taking s seat. What made the staff so miserable I will never know but it is off putting and you are made to feel unwelcome. Twice I had my order taken and when it did finally arrive it was still wrong. Salad not crisps! And my tea was cold. When i left the lady behind the counter didn’t acknowledge me leaving- too busy on her phone. Awful.

As always, great food and superb coffee. Always get a friendly welcome. Whole family are regulars. Great smoothies also.

Staff seemed unfriendly and surprised they had to serve. Had no panini's left and most of what I wanted was gone. No conversation, wasnt sure whether to wait at counter for food or sit own. Waited 15 mins for a basic roll, table was messy. Seem more interested in their family/friends visiting and getting in the way. They need to sort the drains out but I suppose its the councils fault.

Lovely little cosy cafe, can also sit on pavement outside but a bit narrow. Nice coffee, cakes and ice cream.

The proprietress of this worthy establishment is Clare, aided & abetted so professionally at the time of our visit, by Sally & Lorraine. A quick scamper thro' the menu & yet again the Mediterranean Tart came first, served with fresh salad. A word about the salad...the MT, it goes without saying, was its usual mouth watering delight.

We popped In here when visiting the town on the recommendation of family and we weren't disappointed. We had coffee and found the cafe, comfy and welcoming.

Very tasty sandwiches, I had a very good bacon and mushroom on brown with a side salad. Pleasant staff and service.

have been in a few times and had lots from the menu (milkshakes, coffees, ice creams, smoothies etc.) and all is really nice and good quality

The coffee is really good, the staff are very friendly. The tables though are very small and very close together so it can get noisy and feels cramped when they are busy.

Yes, that's correct you lucky people, Dolce Cafe is the place to come for that sweet life experience. Great menu, busy at times, but what do you expect? Full of life, chatter, aromas from the servery, coffee on the counter, one could imagine being in a small cafe in Siracusa in SE Sicily!

We often pop in for a coffee to Dolce Vita as its one of our favourite cafes in Ashby. Yes, at busy times it can be noisy with the coffee machines going, but that doesnt deter us as they have a good choice of coffees, a varied menu and good value for money. In addition, the lovely Rachel always has time for a quick chat and makes us feel very welcome.

Always a lovely experience, fresh food and drinks, friendly staff. Not the cheapest place in ashby but fresh and nice,

Busy cafe, ran out of most things we tried to order and cakes were frozen and hadn’t thawed enough for us to purchase. We had hot chocolate which was very nice & piping hot . The staff were friendly and apologetic. On the whole a disappointing visit .

Called in for a tea and coffee, WELL priced , PROPER tea bags in the pot , 2 cups too, Coffee hot , both served with a caramel biscuit , Pleasnt service too.

After attempting to get served lunch in a pub up the road but finally giving up due to invisible staff, we wandered down the road and came upon Dolce Cafe. Greeted by such a lovely friendly young man, food was quick, clean surroundings, bread very soft, prices reasonable, 5 hygiene rating!!! Will be back definitely, thankyou.

Estábamos pasando por Ashby y parado para el almuerzo. Este pequeño café era justo lo que estábamos buscando. Fue la comida del domingo y muy tranquila. Nosotros nos limitamos a pedir bocadillos y una copa cada uno. No fueron largas estar preparado y era muy agradable. El pan era encantadora y fresca y vinieron a cenar platos de tamaño medio. Tuve ensalada y col en el lado y mi marido tenía patatas fritas.

The cafe is always busy and is quite noisy. It is also quite a dark cafe but it is in an old building so they can't really do much about that! Coffee is always lovely and hot. Service is quick and friendly.

Just wanted a quick lunch and this place had gluten free wraps, bread and sweet corn fritters (unfortunately sold out). All in all good value and a nice find.

Personal amable, limpio, agradable decoración y recién preparados. Café costa sobre la carretera es normalmente muy llena, pero esta pequeña cafetería local ofrece mejor relación calidad-precio. Almuerzo del niño'' tiene una gran variedad de sándwiches en lugar de la habitual jamón, queso, y tamaños de buena parte con un sándwich y 3 acompañamientos adecuados, en lugar de dos triángulos pequeñitos que no satisfacer a un niño pequeño. La ensalada para mi panini estaba recién lavada y planchada, que creo que siempre es una buena señal. Muy contentos con nuestra comida. La única limitación es que las mesas pequeñas hacen difícil asiento una familia en las horas punta.

Un fabuloso lugar para reunirse con amigos para tomar café y tortas caseras o de una comida ligera y una copa de vino. Sándwiches son hechos a la orden, lo cual es genial para mí, ya que no comer mayonesa o mantequilla y las chicas son siempre capaces de acomodar. Un servicio personalizado a un buen precio.

A veces ocupado será imposible encontrar un asiento en este café popular. Es muy popular. Dicho esto, el ruido es increíble cuando lleno de gente. La acústica resultó ser difícil de tolerar para nosotros, así que a veces simplemente ir a otro sitio concurrido, simplemente porque de este. Sin embargo, el servicio es muy bueno y los alimentos a la venta todos bien, aquellos que lo hemos intentado. Cuando preguntar si sirven té descafeinado, la respuesta fue, por supuesto, un asunto que todos cortésmente a los clientes confianza podría ser requisitos. Servicio es rápido, artículos sirven en la mesa una vez que haya pedido. Ten cuidado con los bollos, lleguen con mantequilla, mermelada y nata. El Ambiente italiano original y sabor griego han sido perdidos en recientes reformas, pero el entorno es muy agradable. Aseos disponibles. Movilidad llevada ligeramente comprometa como el número máximo de tablas se han distribuido, pero estar al aire libre está disponible durante todo el año; esto es bajo un toldo así el clima húmedo ha sido prevista. No hay aparcamiento está dedicado al café como Ashby tiene una buena gama de aparcamiento disponible alrededor de la ciudad.

This cafe has a delightful ambience with friendly staff who will bring food and drinks to your table. The coffee is of a high standard and served hot, they do cooked breakfasts and appetising Italian fare on ciabatta bread. Soft and not abrasive music is played and there is good wi-fi. Frequented by both locals and young professionals. A charming place to while away an hour or so and an oasis in a busy life. Highly recommended.

Nice quaint little cafe. Friendly staff, clean, good food and wifi. Good Prices. Got outdoor seating also.

Moved to ashby a couple of years ago ,this family run Sicilian coffee shop is brilliant , not just for coffee, the cakes are freshly made ,sandwiches/ paninis are so nice @ reasonable prices .They also make milk shakes & smoothies.I must say that the milkshakes are awesome especially the butter scotch one .The place is always very clean.you pay for the coffee then take your seat , they bring the coffee to you ( I like this a lot saves you standing up like in other branded coffee shops .Must go this place ..

I went here with my 2 month old daughter , normally I love this place but I can defiantly tell you I will not be visiting here again after today! I was made to feel very unwelcome because my daughter was in her pushchair . The cafe is very small so I thought I would go to the back of the cafe so I wasn't in the way of other people . I sat down at a table out of the way where I could rock my daughter in her pushchair , I didn't realise that where I had sat was apparently the fire exit ? Rather than asking me nicely to change table an older lady that works there came over to me and said very very very abruptly "you can't sit there!" She reluctantly helped me to another table where I could sit with my daughter. I can not believe how rude she was and I will be telling other people about it who have children. To make matters worse the food was awful!!!!

I would guess it seats around 20 people and it's not as commercial, easy to find or big as the Costa across the road. However, it's more comfortable and cosy (especially compared to the new schoolroom type decor in Costa) and you're able to hold a conversation without competing against a full clamour of music. Cakes are home made and the coffee is good. The milkshakes also come large and are recommended by my son.

I went into here with my husband and four children for lunch one Sunday. I must say we have been here before for drinks and ice cream and it was lovely but we found the service slow and the food a little disappointing. It sounded so lovely on the menu but not that great once served, for the price we expected better quality and nicer presented portions. Having said that i would go back and give it another go as maybe it was a particularly bad day. Ice cream and coffee fab though! He staff are very friendly and helpful.

The food and drinks are good quality but the staff don't always give the warmest of welcomes... Smile! it makes customers want to return :)

Pleased to find a pleasant café open on a Sunday. We had an egg sandwich and a prawn sandwich. Both were very enjoyable and served with a nice fresh salad.

Un posto dove poter trovare dell ottimo caffè, degli ottimi cappuccini.... ricordo che a pranzo venivano serviti diversi piatti molto buoni e appetitosi...me ne ricordo uno se non sbaglio?!... era un panino cotto al punto giusto, servito a metà con tonno pomodoro maionese o forse una salsa all aglio...molto gustoso...sicuramente consigliato!

Being locals in ashby, its always nice to be served with a smile. Dolce is affordable and offers lots of choice for homemade italian food!

Coffee and lunch was great, nice little cafe, food is very good, fresh, and the coffee good, they also do lovely hot chocolate! Worth a visit!

Called in on a Sunday for coffee and a toastie. Really clean, relaxed atmosphere. Service was good. Nice atmosphere. Toastie was made up fresh. Just a really nice place to spend an hour. I would recommend it to everyone.

A lovely friendly atmosphere with polite and helpful staff, a great place. I have never eaten here but the coffee is absolutely superb.

We called in this Cafe by chance for lunch whilst visiting Ashby. Everything was great. Staff, food, hygiene standards, atmosphere, value for money etc just spot on as far as we're concerned. What else could you ask for ?Would absolutely return when in the area again and would certainly confidently recommend this Cafe.

Great place to enjoy coffee and a snack. Good coffee, nice food. Clean and pleasant with friendly staff.

Not a big café but lovely friendly atmosphere. We often meet for a chat but this time we were so comfortable, and the coffee was good, so we stayed for two cups. I was buzzing for the rest of the day.

Called in for a quick coffee but couldn t resist the lovely sponge cake packed with strawberries an cream! Mmmm .... Definitely call again

Dolce cafe has often been our cafe of choice over the other places in Ashby but I'm sad to say it's going downhill. The lovely coffee they used to serve is now a weak watery headless disappointment. Sandwiches are still nice but I always used to say this was the only place I ever really enjoyed the side salad because of the delicious coleslaw accompaniment but this has gone and you are asked to choose between salad or crisps on the side - it sounds so minor but it's these little differences that used to elevate Dolce Cafe above the other contenders and justify the slightly higher price. The staff have always been a little sullen so I can't really complain about that changing!Come on Dolce, give me a reason to choose you over the competition!

I visited the Dolce Cafe the other day with my wife. Despite having lived in Ashby for a number of years this was my first time to the Cafe. My biggest review point for visiting any cafe is the quality of its coffee. And I must say it was a very average cafe latte that was delivered to our table; with a weakish taste, little body and no head to it.The cafe itself was quite nice, and the food looked good (although we didn't have any). The service was OK, nothing one would write home about nor really want to return to.I won't be rushing back. Although Ashby is not festooned with quality cafes ... perhaps somewhere else next time.

Dolce offers good coffee a wide selection of cakes and light bites and some authentic Italian dishes. Good for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

This is a lovely little coffee shop with pleasant surroundings. it is a bit cramped but makes a very pleasant change from the chain coffee shops.

Always love it in dolce cafe. Friendly,cosy,good food and great coffee. Even when Costa opened I still prefer the smaller local one.

I tend to head for a Costa Cafe here I had the choice as there is one almost straight across the road, Costa although are run of the mill are very consistent in the food and Coffee , but the Dolce looked inviting with plenty of customers seated with an Italian theme of the type of menu.From making our choice we ordered and did not have long to wait for the coffee we ordered which we both agreed was well above average for taste, from studying the menu both the specials board and table menu we both thought the choice was excellent with the option of making up your own option of ingredients for paninis, sandwhiches and baguettes etc, there is also a good selection of what looked like homemade cakes.Our food was presented and cooked well although our wait seemed a little longer than average we had time to relax and not being rushed. What I did observe was probably only four more people entered the cafe after ourselves, but the customers already there making up about two thirds of the tables were still there when we left, obviously lagging it out because of the cold as no one appeared to be ordering any more items, this practice if the place had been busy as we all know is annoying people sat at tables whilst people waiting.Well worth a visit if in Ashby de la Zouche although there quite a few 'quaint' tea/coffee rooms to choose from here

Me and my wife visited here this Saturday afternoon for a spot of lunch whilst shopping.The cafés presentation is really nice and the menu has plenty of choice.We had a hot drink and panini each. The ingredients were lovely however it wasn't cooked properly. Both paninis were luke warm but not like they had been left out, they weren't cooked. The cheese hadn't melted and the bread wasn't hot. The water in my wife's tea pot was only tap water warm too so a poor show really but nothing that perhaps staff being more attentive can sort.Due to the amount of nice cafés in Ashby though I don't think we will be giving this place another try.

Went to this establishment on a very cold day.Sat down and had a look at the menu and orderd at the bar.Watched the coffee been made.No training on how to make a coffee.Did not tamper the portafilter therefore when it was filtered through it was like a waterfall of brown water and not beautiful golden coffee.This is supposed to be an Italian Coffee Shop.The food was pretty crap as well/Soup was a thin watery offering with noodles in.I think it was supposed to be minestrone..not sure.The servers behind the counter really need to smile because they do not look happy in their jobs.Glad i do not ned to come to Ashby again soon!!!

Had to wait 15 minutes for 2 lattes and a piece of cake . One member if staff was polishing cutlery , surely helping clear the orders should be more of a priority . Very disappointed , won't be returning .

Excellent coffee served with a smile, and much better than the bog-standard American outfit across the road.

Great atmosphere, friendly and courteous staff. Interesting menu. A great place to meet friends for a catch-up.

LOVELY food (cakes, sandwiches, baguettes, bruschetta and more) and GREAT coffees. Location nice. Service seems to focus more of being quick, efficient and helpful rather than overly friendly or talkative. Sweeteners available on request. No more pricier than costa across the road, but coffee is actually better (IMO)

Excellent choice for breakfast ranging from fruit and yogurt to bacon and egg focaccia. Fantastic coffee and all made with a smile in a lovely clean and trendy environment.

Good coffee, That was the best part about it. If I was looking for somewhere to serve me coffee for work, this would be great.The food however was very average. I'm pretty sure that the coleslaw was made with salad cream and the bruschetta was cheese on toast with a bit of salami.Cake was a bit better than average. Service was pleasant even when the place was full. Not bad, but could be better.

This is a nice little coffee shop in Ashby. It is a little overpriced, but they do accommodate for gluten free diets and have high chairs and a children's lunch available, so ideal if I am having lunch/snacks out. They have baby change facilities in the toilet. Very small overall, compared to Costa across the road, but less queuing and more of a family feel to it.

Have visited to eat in and take away, both times with my partner. Both times we thought it was slightly overpriced but nice. We have tried paninis, sandwiches and salads, with copious amounts of coffee (and I've sneaked in once to have a cake too but don't tell him that!). The coffee is always good, the paninis were tasty but as I said a little overpriced for what you got, the salad was great when I was on a low-carb diet (and the cake was delicious!)The manageress apparently lived in Sicily for a number of years which is where she took her inspiration. I think I've seen that it's licensed too.

We have visited Dolce Cafe numerous times and always found the staff to be pleasant & helpful, the food is suitably nice (though not a huge range) and the coffee very good. Definitely a nice alternative to the other coffee shops in Ashby.

I recently visited here for lunch and was very disappointed - obviously food is not their priority. I ordered the soup of the day - the waitress didn't know what the flavour was so had to check. After about 10 minutes a small soup mug of tinned mushroom soup arrived which was distinctly lacklustre. I know that the cafe never claimed the soup was home made but I think the cost of £3.70 is expensive for what I received - I don't even think it was either the quantity of a full tin or even made by Heinz! This might be a nice place for coffee but I would avoid the food unless you can afford to be ripped off.