Mccaffrey’s Dolce Vita

I would give zero stars if Unilocal would allow me too. We drove an hour to eat here attempting to try it based on the recommendation of a friend. Given that it was a Sunday night during a holiday weekend, I made a point to call the restaurant before we embarked on our travel. The woman who answered the phone told us they closed at 8, but that the kitchen was running behind so they would still serve us if we arrived at 7:45. So how were we greeted when we arrived at 7:45? The woman at the front yelled at us, refused to seat us and was incredibly rude. An older gentlemen then came to the front — and after learning we had drove an hour to eat there and taken the time to call first — proceeded to accuse me of lying. One of the most bizarre restaurant experiences I have ever had — and I have years of experience working in restaurants. These people need to reconsider whether they should be working in a customer service business.

Not that great. Service was super nice, but it took awhile to get our check and the food was uninspired.

A couple weeks ago I was in the Decorah area for a work conference. Some of my colleagues and I stayed at the lodge across the road from here. We had heard good things about this place and decided we must try it.
For starters, the service was quite slow. We watched two tables who had been seated after us get their food before we did. When we finally did get our food, it was less than impressive. One of us ordered the filet… medium. It came out well done and flavorless. A couple split a pizza and said it was mediocre at best. I had a cuban sandwich which was incredibly salty and had whole peppercorns under the meat that were just off putting.
When we finally got our bills, we were informed there is a $ 1.50 charge to pay with a credit card… which is illegal unless you are a government entity. All in all… we spent over two hours here which is two hours of my life I’ll never get back.

Great atmosphere, service, and food at special Father’s Day brunch (2015).
This place is tucked away in the woods, a little bit hard to find if it weren’t for some special signage. I had the bangers and mash, Others had traditional breakfast fair including stuffed French toast.
The staff was friendly and accommodating. We sat on the patio, although indoor seating was available and looked nice as well.

First of all, I think that directions to this location could be better marked. The interior and exterior is beautiful. Our service was mediocre. Constantly, we had messy plates on our table, and our server didn’t bring out new silverware when our desserts came. We eventually received it. The house salad is fresh. I had manicotti, which is very heavy. There is too much cream and unneeded fat.

When we came for lunch — vacationing from California to visit Seed Savers Greg Brown Concert– the place was almost empty. Owner Jim and wife had a chance to sit and talk. We had a hilarious conversation. By late afternoon the parking lot was full. Place was packed. We Ended up staying 8 hours. Greatest dining adventure ever. We filmed a bunch of it. Turned it into a goofy commercial

Going back again this summer after 6 years.

Came out for the Sunday Brunch. Had the Irish bangers and mash. Excellent flavor! Mimosas are also great. Will definitely be back.

Lovely restaurant tucked away in the woods but average food. Had the chicken noodle soup and a greek salad and was not impressed. Perhaps I should try the pizzas they re known for next time.

Not very good. Meatballs were not different than meatloaf. Sauce taste like Pregeo and service terrible.

Most disgusting pizza I have ever eaten. Seriously, this place is known for their so called brick oven pizza?!? Really? Because when I ordered a pizza it was worse than gas station pizza. The mushrooms were clearly from a can, the pizza was burnt, and the pizza sauce had NO flavor. My friend ordered the shrimp pasta dish, which was JUST OK, hence the 2 star rating and not 1 star. I believe my pizza cost me around $ 15, total waste of money. If you are in the decorah, Iowa area, you are better off spending a little more money and going to La Rana.

Awesome pizza. Best in town. All fresh quality ingredients.

I’m not crazy about the food, and the drink menu is sparse, but the ambiance is excellent! They have live music in the summer, which is excellent if you’re looking to find some culture around the Decorah area.

We took a day trip to Decorah and had lunch at McCaffrey’s. The food was excellent and the owner was really cool to talk to. The pizza had fresh ingredients and tasted delicious! We had the junkyard pizza. I would definitely recommend it again!
The only reason I rated 4stars was because of the price and serving size. The pizza was spot on but it seemed a bit light for the price.

I visited McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita while on a two van camping /​trout fishing trip. After cleaning the fish at Twin Springs, I decided to check this restaurant out.
The atmosphere is very warm and inviting — a very classy look. The service was friendly and the food was excellent. I had a Blue Moon and the seafood stuffed manicotti. (The total was about $ 18)
So why did I reduce the rating a star? I thought the taste was five stars but was a little disappointed by the serving size. The salad and two manicottis didn’t fill me up enough. I loved the seafood but there was not much of it — mainly sauce. What there was tasted wonderfully.
If you are a big eater, you might want to order something additional. Only one slice of the tasty bread came with the dinner… you might ask for additional bread!
Overall, I really liked Dolce Vita and would recommend others give it a try.

Was introduced to McCaffrey’s by a Decorah native I was visiting so I don’t anticipate being a regular, although after trying their pizza if I am within an hour of Decorah I will reroute. McCaffreys has a nice selection of local beers as well as an impressive selection of wines. It was a Sunday so we sat at the bar to watch football while enjoying a local brew.
For an appetizer I tried their spring rolls which are hand made and very fresh and rolled in a rice paper with a proprietary sauce that really accented the freshness of the rolls.
The pizza was amazing I tried the Greek pizza with gyro meat, feta kalamata olives and a homemade tzatziki sauce. The crust was thin and crispy and the wood fired oven was a welcome addition to the traditional setting of the restaurant.
Overall great experience, thanks to McCaffreys for providing a great traditional wood-​fired pizza

WOW! I Loved this Restaurant!
A gentleman came to our table towards the end of our meal, and he asked how everything was. I told him the food was excellent, and I loved the atmosphere, it was excellently decorated (loved the fall colors inside), and just a nice place to be. Turns out he was/​is the owner, and he and his wife own the restaurant. But, I’ll stop there, and get into my review.
Interior — clean! Loved the pine ceilings, and darker green walls. There were vines (fake, you know the ones) that run up along the border between where the walls ended, and the high vaulted ceiling started. Wrapped around the vines, were white lights. I mentioned the «fake,» as the vines were not real, but they added a wonderful, wonderful touch to the interior. Up above, on the loft, there were some wooden statues, the kind of the bear, etc., and more vines, and lights. I’m not writing this very well, but the interior was very nicely decorated, very homey.
There were 8 booths along two of the walls, 7 tables in the center, and 6 seats at the bar. Yes, it can be a bit crowded, but by the time we had been sitting for only about 20 minutes (we went at 5pm), the place was packed! O’h, there is an outdoor seating area, which I wanted to check out, but didn’t. My sister said there are several tables, and some picnic type tables too. There were coverings (like umbrellas, but bigger), with white lights outside too. It looked so pleasant, especially with the wonderful fall colors.
Food — the food was very good! My husband and I split a pizza, on which we had Italian sausage, mushrooms, and bacon. This was some of the best Italian sausage we have ever had, or at least, had in a very long time. When we order pizza, we usually order sausage, sundried tomatoes, bacon. This is such a good combination. We’ve had it quite a few times, and have found a few places here at home (in Denver), that can do it. They didn’t have sun dried tomatoes, so we had the pepperoni instead. Still, it was a very good pizza! Wood fired, thin crust, and nicely done.
My brother-​in-​law had the Capellini. My sister had a vegetable pasta. She also had a small dinner salad with ranch dressing. We all tried the dressing, and it was one of the best ranch dressings we had ever tasted — definitely homemade — pure deliciousness! My niece (the one who is attending Luther College) and my nephew, split a pizza.
Service — not too bad, but they could definitely hire about 2 more wait staff.
We asked for some of their specialitys bread. We had the garlic and the jalapeño. Both were very good.
All in all — definitely very good! 4 stars, and well worth the time and the price! This restaurant is secluded, back in the woods, and so worth the trip!
Thanks, and we’ll be back!

Idyllic setting just out of town, bet it’s magical in winter, our friends say the owners do a great job with lighting then. Friendly, comfortable, bakery on site.

The thai kickin chicken was spicy and fresh and the sausage was augmented with pineapple. Both pizzas were good. The atmosphere and service were teriffic, very friendly and accommodating. Loved the location and would like to return for friday nite music series.

We only had dessert… It was a out of the box cheese cake. Good enough, but I could’ve picked one up at the bakery for less $.
A bit loud inside!!! If we go back to try the pizza I might adjust the rating. La Rana is still our favorite Decorah haunt.

The setting alone is worth 5 stars, the wood-​fired pizzas another. We’ve tried the Margherita, the Thai Kickin’ Chicken and the Veggie. All terrific — and fast! Lots of variety and welcoming, friendly owners and staff. Always make it a point to have dinner at least once here when I’m in town.