LDV Pizza Bar

Did LDV go out of business? I just stopped by at 7pm on a Wednesday and it’s closed, no sign on door.

Not impressed. I love the food but I called today to get take out and they were unwilling to take our order because of a private function. I mean I understand turning people away if they came to the restaurant and there was a private function but takeout is money coming in and I wouldn’t turn that down. Kitchen is open, ovens are on and I’m not ordering for 100 people. Just not impressed.

This was our first time at LDV and wow what an experience! It was amazing! Everything we ordered we loved! You have to try the forno fries and the fried mozzarella. We tried almost all the pizzas between the 4 of us but everyone agreed the pizza Jerimiah was by far our favourite! But really any pizza you order you can’t go wrong! Our new favourite pizza place for sure can’t wait to go back!

I come here often, and I don’t even like pizza. No seriously, I could live the rest of my whole life and never eat pizza again, and I would look back on it, old and grizzled, without the least bit of regret…
However! This place is great! The pizza is the thin crust Neopolitan style. It’s pretty good, if you like fresh baked crispy thin crusts, fine cheese, and cured meat toppings… you know, fancy pizza. For me though, I don’t even look at the menu anymore– I always get the chicken entrée. No idea why it is so good, its grilled chicken breast with veggies and salad, but somehow the slice of grilled lemon they serve with it makes it all so good! I would eat that meal once a week for sure! They have a GREAT list of beers on tap, and exotic bottles too. A bit pricey on the beer at an average of $ 8 per pint, but it’s crisp and cold, and i’ve always gotten a frozen glass, so I don’t mind the extra buck for that service!
the fancy parmesan-​garlic fries are also amazing!
Servers are generally fantastic, it’s a real great local place.

I have always been a fan of this place… great pizza, friendly staff and best of all: Loud and lively as a true Italian restaurant should be!
They have a fantastic private room which is ideal for bigger groups and private parties… along with a TV and sound system and all.

I came here for a birthday party last night; which was great considering I’m usually in the neighbourhood and still had not tried this place though it was on my list.
It did not disappoint. Our waitress was attentive, the breeze coming through the window was lovely, and the décor throughout really made you feel like you weren’t in Calgary anymore. A true urban escape!
We had the fried mozzarella, the pizza al pollo, and the capriciossa (I think that’s what it was called). All delicious! The fried mozzarella pieces were huge so they’re only served in pairs. Being three girls our server recommended two orders and that turned out to be just right for us.
They have an excellent selection of beers including fruli — it is always a treat to see fruli on a menu.
Another wonderful thing about the place is that the acoustics and environment never get too loud so you can always have a comfortable conversation with your table mates. That’s a big deal for me as I am generally soft spoken and usually have to repeat myself a few times. Sound is so often overlooked when it comes to restaurant design, I find.
I cannot wait to come back and try the tiramisu.

Enjoyed another amazing dinning experience at LDV Pizza Bar for my friend’s 40^th birthday birthday. Rocco and his staff made the event truly exceptional with the delicious in house constructed artisan deserts. Try the Crazy Calabrese, Calamari and Meat Balls. All of which are phenomenal choices.

I am amazed that so many people from a few different sites give LDV Pizza such a high rating. I take it users haven’t had quality pizza before or skewed reviews do to culinary inexperience. My friend and I ordered two different pizzas with a tainted impression from the server that the pizzas were huge in size, but they weren’t that large at all. The pizzas arrived on the table and I wasn’t really impressed, as there wasn’t many toppings on them. The crust was satisfactory, the toppings were unique by scarce, the pizza didn’t fill me up, nor did it present itself with a gourmet style either. The atmosphere was pretty weak, the service decent and the décor unique. However I came here for the pizza and left disappointed. I won’t come back again for pizza as there are too many better pizza choices in the city. I would give the pizza a 5 out of 10, and as such I would not recommend the pizza to my friends.

I don’t even know where to start… LDV is as good as it gets for what they’re trying for — LDV is the epitome of ‘Neighbourhood Pizza Bar’ — Kids are welcome early in the evening and it becomes more ‘sport bar’ like as the evening goes by… I personally think that the pizza is absolutely the BEST in Calgary (sorry Pulcinella, Without Papers, Una and Double Zero… LDV has you beat hands down…). Aside from Pizza, DO try: the meatballs — fantastic; weird to say but try the ‘Italian Fries’ — increadible with rosemary and some aioli on the side; and the Gnocci is ridiculous — there must be someone’s Nonna working in the kitchen because it’s THAT good!
Just as an aside, it’s awesome to see Rocco (son of Franco — from La Dolce Vita) get this place started and ROCKING (!) — it’s often full of people from the neighbourhood and just people looking for a good meal… I just know that I’m lucky having another great place in my ‘hood where I can have an excellent meal, good service and often see people I know.

It’s a nice, classier version of a pizza joint. Good for an intimate date, or for a group of friends to eat and have a beer. I really enjoyed the calamari here (the dipping sauce is amazing), and the pizzas are well cooked and have great, quality ingredients.
The service was okay, it’s more the type you’d expect at a fine dining restaurant, where they don’t really go out of the way to be overly warm, but are more in the background making things happen without being seen/​heard.
It’s located above La Dolce Vita. Prices are average to above average (for a standard pizza place).

Probably a 3.5 experience but I’m rounding down for no particular reason.
We ended up upstairs after finding the main dining room closed for what seems like a grad or wedding.
The weaker rating is likely because I was hoping for something different for diner but ended up in a pizza bar and got pizza. The pizza is alright — it’s thin crust from a wood burning oven similar to those from naples but not quite.
When it comes to Napoletana there is only one kind for me — margarita. With that said my frame of reference for it is quite large now. It’s all I ate in Napoli when I was there and it’s my fav style of pizza. LDV cooks their pizzas a bit longer than ideal, possibly uses different crust (although they use double zero flour) but I found it tough and not as bubbly. They also cheese the pizza western style and the extra cheese really cuts the flavour of the sauce. Unfortunately pizza with no toppings MUST highlight the sauce or it’s just filler. I wouldn’t say it’s bad, but it was a good try. I wouldn’t order it again which might be a bit of an issue in a pizza bar.
It was a nice day and we got to sit at an open window looking down on the street. It was almost like having a private balcony and was quite nice.
We also tried the bruschetta here which I quite liked. My FI enjoyed his pasta dish but forgets what he ordered.
Overall I’d go here again if invited but I’m not sure I’d seek it out specifically.

Dale has been enquiring so I thought I would comply.
Our friends will eat here at least twice a week, excellent beer selection (bottled or on tap) and the San Francesco pizza is actually to die for. Like, don’t bother ordering any other pizza cause that is the real winner right there.
If you go the LDV and order a pizza that is not San Francesco, it’s like going to McDonald’s and ordering the filet of fish, and you instantly regret your life and decision to consume that and you realize you should of just got franken-​nuggets in the first place.
I digress.
Order the San Francesco pizza.
They have also managed to find the best arugula in the city. I don’t know how. I don’t know who they are paying to obtain this, but it is an excellent crop.
I really like the food here, the service is quick and amiable. We have enjoyed their bruschetta: nice big chunks of tomato accompanied with grilled (what they claim is pizza) bread. The dessert is also fantastic, the marco polo or the chocolate cake are real gems.
The space itself is lovely, very cozy and you can see into the kitchen.
LDV is what brings me to Bridgeland.

One of my usual struggles is finding good food and good beer on a Sunday night (After 9 pm). Most restaurants are either close on Sundays or close very early.
So after looking at our options for a Sunday night, we decided to try this place. The restaurant has a warm atmosphere and the wood burning oven in the background looked very promising.
The beer menu is large, however, the tap beer options are not that interesting. Most of them are pretty standard (e.g. Heineken and Peroni, 8 $/​pint). There are more interesting options on the bottle section but I usually prefer the tap. BTW, their tap beer menu on their website looks much more interesting than the real thing. I believe the online version is not updated.
We ordered the bruschetta to start and three pizzas (Crazy Calabrese, Pizza al Pollo and capricciosa). The bruschetta was very good, the bread toasted in the wood burning oven with garlic and olive oil and the tomato topping were excellent. We all enjoyed it.
The pizzas were all delicious. In my opinion, the most important part of the pizza is the crust which was perfect. All of the pizzas came with a crispy thin crust cooked to perfection. My personal favorite was the capricciosa, but I also enjoyed other pizzas a lot. I will definitely go back there to try other items on the menu specially appetizers.
So next time, you are looking for a good pizza and beer on a Sunday night, I highly recommend this restaurant.

my favorite spot for pizza and gnocchi for family dinner. the gnocchi are some of the best I had, soft with a nice tomato sauce and finished with fresh basil. It s a family friendly place.
highly recommended.

As an avid diner and an industry veteran, I am passionate about receiving decent customer service in a restaurant setting. That noted, I had the WORST experience of my 42 years this past evening @ LDV Pizza in Bridgeland…
— We sat for 20 minutes before being greeted/​having our drink order taken (I walked to the bar and brought the next 2 glasses of wine to the table myself).
— There was absolutely no check back on the food and our plates were not cleared the entire time we were there.
Here’s where it gets worse. On our way out, I asked to talk w the manager «Rocko.» I shook his hand and explained to him…
— That we just received the worst service I have ever experienced in the industry.
— It was the 3^rd time I had never left a tip in my life and could not possibly have seen myself leaving one in this situation.
— I would never be back.
— I would do my best to ensure that my friends and large social circle did not waste their hard-​earned money on such a sub-​standard dining experience.
Now a decent establishment would take this type of feedback to heart and do their best to rectify the situation. «Rocko’s response? This upstanding gent told me I was a piece of s#*t, he didn’t need people like me in his restaurant and I should leave before he called the cops. Seriously… this did indeed actually happen!
Now the food… if you like your striploin over-​cooked, the thickness of a piece of bacon and the texture of a pork chop, then LDV might just be the place for you. An absolute disgrace to Calgary’s dynamic dining scene.
Update: Looking at „Rocko ‘s“ response to my review it is evident (and not surprising) that he simply does not understand the concept of customer service. I have experienced his lack of business sense and his inability to properly staff a restaurant first-​hand. He and his staff put out a poor quality product and apparently expect patrons to remain hush about it.
I thank my friends, family and colleagues for the numerous comments I have received with regards to the fact that they will absolutely, under no circumstances provide LDV with their business. A boycott is a valuable tool with regards to informing an establishment that sub-​standard service (and goodness knows there is enough of it out there) is simply not acceptable. In the event of ambiguity, let me once again make it clear that LDV will never receive another hard-​earned $ 0.01 from me or anyone who asks for my opinion.
The truth is that the restaurant industry is and always has been over-​crowded. Those that put a good product on the table via sharp service in a comfy atmosphere survive. Those run by egomaniacs like „Rocko“ who chose not to value their paying customers opinions fold.
Lest I forget…“Rocko» is a big boy… I had no idea that he was incapable of handling a firm handshake. Unless I am recalling the situation incorrectly (which is quite possible given being so taken aback by «Rocko’s» temper tantrum), I had to remind him of the definition of assault and ask that he remove his hands from my body… exactly the type of experience that the majority of restaurant goers are looking for I’m sure.
For me and my gal, it was a most unenjoyable evening from which we will most certainly recover. For LDV Pizza it is their livelihood; if I were «Rocko,» I would spend less time making up excuses and roughing up patrons and a little more time on fixing what is clearly a broken business model.

Tonight I went to the LDV Pizza Bar with a large group of friends. I had no idea what to expect but when I walked up the staircase to the second level of the restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised. Evening sun and fresh air were pouring in through the open balcony windows. Great for the beautiful summer weather! It was casual but could be a very romantic dinner spot as well.
Our server did an excellent job of taking care of our large group. There were slight delays with everyone’s food coming out but we were still very well taken care of. The pizza was classic Italian thin crust pizza and the fries and calamari we had for appetizers were tasty as well. My only complaint was with the dessert pizza. I shared the Nutella, mascarpone calzone with a couple of other people. Once it was cut up, the piece I received hardly had any of what I ordered, namely the Nutella and mascarpone. It was all dough! Only the people served the middle sections had the good stuff. Anyway, I’ve had better dessert pizza but overall, I was very happy with my experience at LDV Pizza Bar. The service, food and ambiance were excellent.

Love the food, hate the service. The service is really disappointing, it makes me not want to go back as I am always frustrated by the end of my meal. That said, the pizza is as good as it gets.

Awesome service and terrific food!

Upstairs of La Dolce Vita is a LDV (La Dolce Vita) Pizza Bar.
Since there are not many pics of the place on Unilocal or online, I came here blindly!
The building is sooo cool! A big white building with Juliet balconies and vines climbing up the walls. I’ve never been to Italy but it seem very Italian!
Inside of LDV is very cozy, dimly lit ambiance. There is a section with a fireplace, and the tables are set up so that it’s not a giant room and you can have some privacy with your company.
They have a fairly large selection of beer.
Good service.
The pizza is the thinnest pizza I’ve ever eaten. I would have liked it a little crispier but that’s personal taste. The pizza prices ranged from $ 18-​$ 24… avg being $ 21 /​pizza. The pizza size is approx 10″ pizza.
Not a large menu but besides the pizza rhere are salad options, a few pasta options, and also side options (e.g. Truffle fries, etc).
At 6pm we found parking outside with no problems.
Great alternative to the other pizza places on 17^th or Kensington if you don’t want to wait in line or deal with crowds or finding parking!

We weren’t hungry, so L and I shared the Salciccia ($ 15.00) pizza. However, if you have an appetite, you could definitely eat an entire pizza plus a salad. The crust was thin and crisp — the toppings consisted of a soft milky white layer of cheese, finely sliced red peppers and spicy, garlicky sausages. The pizza was enjoyable but the Argentinian wine ($ 9.00) was even better (Torrontes, Salta, 2010). Next time, I’ll order it by the bottle ($ 34.00). The wine had fragrant floral notes with just a hint of sweetness. I thought for value — LDV offered more bang for your buck than Cibo. Add in the relaxed atmosphere and great wine prices, this was a place I’ll return to with my friends.