As it prepares to expand and move, Chapel Hill’s La Vita Dolce is revealing more details about what patrons can expect in its new home later this summer.
The Southern Village café and gelato shop owned by Annie Johnston teased its upcoming move in January, revealing it would transition into the 700 Market Street unit previously filled by Johnston’s Market and Moss restaurant which closed last June. As she retained the space, the entrepreneur quickly got to work crafting a new vision for La Vita Dolce that could help it further become an “all-day café” and utilize three times more square feet than it currently has at 610 Market Street.
“This expansion is an open invitation,” Johnston said in a release on Wednesday. “Drop in for coffee in a cozy corner, a midday break on a shaded patio, or a post-work reprieve at an intimate bar. No reservations or obligations, just a chance to get out, connect, and enjoy something special to sip or savor.”
The plan is for La Vita Dolce to keep operating at its home of 11 years until the week before moving into the expanded space, with Johnston targeting early July for the grand opening. Having more room to operate will allow for the business to more effectively offer an all-day menu and experience — an idea the entrepreneur said is “years in the making, finally coming to life.”
“We knew we needed a larger space, and one that could evolve with the day,” Johnston said. “Creating an environment that feels just as natural for a morning latte as it does for an evening martini is incredibly difficult. But our new space does it so well.”
The café owner described the future setup as a way to progress through the day. The coffee and gelato counter will be toward the entrance of the space, allowing customers to quickly grab their coffees, smoothies and breakfast sandwiches or pick from La Vita Dolce’s 18 house-made gelato flavors. The transition to the dining room, which is off to the left of the entrance, is meant to welcome people later and later in the day — featuring the majority of seating and a different atmosphere where people can unwind for dinner or a cocktail.
Using the old Market and Moss space, the expanded La Vita Dolce will have evening restaurant and bar seating separated from its cafe and gelato counter, which is toward the front door. (Photo via La Vita Dolce/Annie Johnston.)
Having the full kitchen previously used by Market and Moss chefs also allows Johnston’s staff to expand La Vita Dolce’s menu. The entrepreneur said new options to expect from the café include an updated breakfast sandwich with red pepper aioli, an avocado club sandwich, and a Vietnamese chicken salad. For the evenings, patrons can pick between bar snacks like smoked salmon dip and prosciutto stuffed peppers. La Vita Dolce will also adopt a more extensive seasonal cocktail menu — which will consistently feature at least one coffee or matcha-inspired option in an allusion to its morning operations — as well as an expanded wine selection and local beers. Johnston added that the business’ popular Wine Down Wednesday series will also move to the 700 Market Street space, and additional programming is in the works.
The Garden Party Martini will be one of the first seasonal cocktails offered at the La Vita Dolce bar once the expansion is finished. (Photo via La Vita Dolce.)
Once it transitions to its new location, La Vita Dolce’s hours will adjust to be open slightly later. On Mondays and Tuesdays, the business will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays will feature operating hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturdays will be 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. — with the new bar opening at 5 p.m. for all four of those days. Sunday hours will continue to be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Featured photo via La Vita Dolce on Facebook.
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