Since he first arrived on the Strip more than 10 years ago with Carlo’s Bakery and Buddy V’s Ristorante, Cake Boss TV star Buddy Valastro has been anything but subtle. His Las Vegas expansion has been well documented by TLC’s cameras and celebrated by fans who routinely rush him for autographs at the bakery every time he’s in town.
So the idea of Valastro opening a hidden speakeasy inside one of his most famous Strip restaurants might seem slightly off-brand, but all the more intriguing.
Buddy Valastro
Dolce Notte, tucked inside Buddy V’s at the Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian, is a treat to find. The speakeasy sits behind a nondescript wall, where the Valastro family portrait hangs. A host guides you to the secret entrance, the door hidden in plain sight.
“Whether you want to throw a party in here, whether you just want to sneak in for a cocktail, or you just want to chill out and get away … you could come in here and just disappear and not know where you are,” Valastro says.
Inside these walls, sounds of a bustling dinner service melt away. Valastro’s wife, Lisa, designed the moodily lit room with coziness and nightcaps in mind, anchored by a bar serving handcrafted cocktails and tapas-style bites.
To Valastro, Dolce Notte conjures the cool atmosphere of Frank Sinatra’s days, back when live music and late nights fueled our appetites in more ways than one.
Prime ribeye panino at Dolce Notte
Menu highlights include the Osestra Caviar Bombs ($22), decadent, salmon-topped parmesan puffs stuffed with cream cheese (fair warning: once you start with these, you might never stop); the mini paninos ($20), featuring tender cuts of prime ribeye and a dusting of cheese; and the fresh lobster fritto misto ($24), crisp and enhanced by a lemon basil aioli.
Dolce Notte’s cocktails don’t disappoint. The Il Cervo combines Dalmore 12-year whisky with blood orange ginger beer, while the Bello layers pineapple Amaro with notes of burnt cinnamon, mint and vanilla.
And Dolce Notte isn’t Valastro’s only recent unveiling. Carlo’s Bakery, his flagship, has also reopened after a full renovation, with new savory sandwiches on house-made focaccia and fresh breakfast offerings.
As much as things change, Valastro says the core values of his concepts will always stay the same.
“The culinary rock stars in my life were my mom, my grandma, my wife, my mother-in-law, my father and my aunts,” he says. “I want you to come and eat the food here and feel like it was prepared by Grandma. That’s something that I think we’ll always try to do.”
DOLCE NOTTE Buddy V’s Ristorante at Grand Canal Shoppes, 702-607-2355, venetianlasvegas.com. Thursday-Sunday, 8 p.m.-1 a.m.
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