Sotto meaning«below» in Italian is quite an intriguing establishment. It is a basement bar and restaurant that you can tell has had a serious amount of money pumped into it. The biggest problem I’d imagine they’d have marketing this place is its quite unusual location. Located on Equitable Place, it lies on a laneway that gets nowhere near as much foot traffic as the other Melbourne laneways. Sotto is also pretty much the only business in this laneway that is open during the evening. Marketing difficulties aside, Sotto does things pretty well. It has quite an extensive wine list and the food for the most part is quite tasty. However, it is not the cheapest place to eat or drink. Just recently they have started to have live jazz on a Friday night. The two piece is really talented and the girl’s voice is amazing. If this bar had a better location, it surely would be a lot more attractive and have a much better vibe to boot.
Jackie D.
Place rating: 4 Brunswick East, Australia
The address of Sotto is deceiving as it is not exactly on Little Collins street but tucked down a little laneway, next to a pizza place, underneath the Causeway Hotel. Traditionally, yes, it is for residents at the hotel but I was curious about what was downstairs whilst strutting down the lane and had to have a squiz — needless to say they were very excited to see a non-hotel stayer! I was very impressed by their happy hour($ 5 red, white and sparkling) and the service was AMAZING. The handsome barkeep was very attentive, brought over new drinks when we finishing up(he could see the thirst in our eyes) and ordered us a complimentary bowl of chips. I haven’t yet had the pleasure of dining here, but I honestly can’t wait to — the menu looks fantastic. It’s always exciting to find a new, secretive bar in the heart of the city.