Very underwhelming, but cute décor. Shrimp pasta was thick, but lacked flavor and had a funny texture.
Jo P.
Place rating: 5 San Francisco, CA
Wow! This place is just amazing. It’s a lovely restaurant tucked away in between the Spanish Steps and the Bernini area. I highly recommend it. First of all, we were greeted by very welcoming staff. I think they change up the menu now and then. My husband and I ordered the cheese platter to start off with. It was delicious especially with the bread that they serve as starters. We had an insalate(salad) made of arugula, sliced red lettuce, pomegranate with balsamic vinaigrette. The first course we had was the fettuccini with shrimp in white sauce and pecorino cheese. This was the best pasta I’ve had in a very long time. The fettuccini was freshly made. For the second course, we had the roasted rabbit with«cicorietta ripassata». My husband are that up! He didn’t even share. I would recommend this place and I would definitely come back again. Next time, I would try their risotto with swordfish.
Larry D.
Place rating: 2 Rolling Hills Estates, CA
Very disappointed Food was okay but small portions and high prices for what you receive. I’m not at big eater but left hungry Larry D.
Kaz H.
Place rating: 5 Bayside, Queens, NY
A must go when visiting Rome! If you want to experience great service & spectacular food, Sofia is the place! Everything from the apps to the dessert was phenomenal! The menu changes according to the season but the shrimp coated in pasta app was delicious & the Tiramisu… I was just amazed! Lets just say I would come back to Rome just to eat here again! This place will not disappoint you if you’re looking for a great meal & wonderful time!
Troy P.
Place rating: 5 Manhattan, NY
Delicious risotto and roast chicken, in a small, friendly, contemporary and comfortable restaurant.
Darby W.
Place rating: 5 San Francisco, CA
What a charming and delicious experience! Everything was perfect and delightful at Sofia. Start the meal off with some Prosecco? Yes, please! Finish off the amazing pasta you just had with a yummy cookie? Sure! And in between, be prepared to have your tastebuds seduced. Pasta perfecto! Try the cheese and meat platter. Simply amazing with some type of quince/orange marmalade and cheese so good I had to close my eyes while I ate it. I felt like a little elf running around a mushroom forest the fungi was so earthy in the rind. No; I am not taking any drugs. Seriously! I could almost smell the forest! And the mortadella! And the capicola! Sumptuous. We found this place completely by accident! I hope our«trip» is also your treasure to find! Buono fortuna! Priced very reasonably, too. We are like royalty for a little over € 100.
Olga S.
Place rating: 3 Fredrikstad, Norway
We were six guests and we all had starters an one more dish + desert. Mushroompai too salty, we had to send it back, no problem. Friendly waiter. The rest was OK. Suckling pig was tasteful but very small portions, hardly a mouthful. Vine was good. I will come back if I knew the portions were bigger.
Ali Y.
Place rating: 5 Maltepe, Turkey
Perfect. Went two days in a row. Excellent gourmet food with a kind service. Excellent wine list and excellent dessert. Go there, no brainer
Morgan G.
Place rating: 5 Haddonfield, NJ
As a foodie and someone who has eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world– this was by far my favorite restaurant in Rome and I would have to say my favorite restaurant in Europe all together that I experienced. The pasta was incredible– homemade and some of the freshest if not the freshest that I have ever had in my life. The pancetta in the one pasta dish I had literally melted in my mouth it was so well cooked. I can’t help but laugh at the Unilocaler who compared this amazing restaurant to Burger King in a review below mine– I can’t help but question his level of sanity or whether or not he is being paid off by a competing restaurant because my experience was so completely different. I was able to enjoy meals at many Michelin rated restaurants along my trip and I enjoyed my meal here just as much if not more! I’m already planning my next trip to Europe and making sure that when I visit Rome I eat at Sofia’s again. Make sure you try some of the pasta dishes– some of the best if not the best I have ever had in my life and that says a lot!
Joey B.
Place rating: 1 New York, NY
C’mon, this isn’t a real restaurant. They don’t even try here with the food. This is a place for the kind of tourist who eats Burger King all week and wants a «fancy night out» somewhere with cute décor and a waiter who holds a hand behind his back while pouring your drink. Avoid at all costs(unless you’ve been eating Burger King all week, in which case, why are you even on Unilocal?)
Wendy C.
Place rating: 3 Cincinnati, OH
I almost feel bad rating this place 3-stars. The servers were so sweet and the place was so super cute! We went for lunch. But the food … It’s just ok and come on, that’s what we come to do — eat. The presentation of everything was good and we got a starter prosecco taste complimentary. The waitress got our order wrong, instead of beef tartar, she ordered us bull filet or basically steak. When it came out and we were like, uh we didn’t order this, at first she was taken aback but another more senior waitress stepped in and without hesitation told us we will get what we ordered and the filet was on them. It was super sweet of them. Ironically, it was probably one of the better dishes that we had. My friends got the 2 fish dishes — steamed bonito & swordfish — and felt like the bonito was too fishy tasting, not fresh tasting. I tasted it and I thought both lacked flavor overall. I got the red sauce pasta with bacon and cheese … It was a bit over salted and one dimensional in flavor. We did have some decent grilled scallops but they were slightly over cooked and were served with some weird vegetable that looked like onions but tasted like maybe bland crunchy potatoes. It wasn’t horrible or anything, just an odd pairing that probably could have had something that elevated the dish. When the beef tartare came out, it was actually pretty good — good texture but we were mostly full already. Though as other reviewers mentioned, portion sizes of the fish dishes were not very big either. I am sad to give this restaurant 3-stars given the super nice people who run it, but given the other raving reviews, I felt like the food quality needed more conversation.
Winfred S.
Place rating: 5 Irving, TX
We checked out this place after the reviews on Unilocal.This is definitely a «foodie» place. We had the grilled scallops with fennel and spinach and walnut salad. Both excellent. We also had the local fish, Bonita and the pasta, Strozzapareti Amatriciana. All excellent. We washed this down with a bottle of Pinot Grigot. Ready for to walk off the calories tomorrow.
Chrissy M.
Place rating: 2 Apollo Beach, FL
I relied on my other Unilocal reviewers when picking this place and turns out that wasn’t such a good idea this time. Ambiance? Yes. Service? Yes. Food? No. First off, I wasn’t thrilled with how many things sounded on the limited menu, but I had faith because the pics from other reviewer’s looked delicious. I started off with the scallops, which tasted very average and were lukewarm. Next, I went with the servers suggestion and chose the linguine with mushrooms. This was the best dish of the night but it was still average. The temperature of it also indicated that it had been sitting in the window for too long. My third course was the filet, which I had to send back because it was undercooked. I’ve found that in Europe they tend to undercook meat, despite how I order it, so I won’t hold that against them, but it really just tasted average. Not thrilled by any of it. The service was fabulous. We had two servers(one that I suspect was the owner) and another very sweet girl. Both Spoke English very well and were lovely. However, I wouldn’t go back.
Don m.
Place rating: 4 Santa Rosa, CA
Went as a result of Unilocal reviews. GPS had a little trouble finding it. As I was a single and heard they’re busy early, I showed up around 10:40PM. A few people sitting outside and maybe 6 – 8 inside, most of them finishing up. Was probably the only tourist — a good sign. Restaurant is small, but intimate and charming. At first, was a little disappointed in the menu — only a single page. Then, I remembered Gordon Ramsay’s dictate — Use the best ingredients in a few dishes you do well. Well, they do their dishes well. This is a modern take on Italian. No meatballs, carbonara, pizza, etc. I started with the soufflé of carrot with cream of zucchini. Not bad, but would have preferred the scallops which they were sold out of. For my main, I ordered Strozapretti ali Amatriciana di Pachino. Ever had it? Me, neither. Wow, what a perfect dish. Sauce was complex, flavorful and had me wanting more. Spaghetti was perfectly cooked; made me realize I’ve never truly had al dente pasta. (By the way, had three glasses of a dry house red that was perfect with my meal.) Dessert was a Valrhona Chocolate cake similar to what you see in a lot of American restaurants, but few as good. Service by the owner and a back waitress were great. My meal was 59euros and well worth it. No photos, but a lot of memories. A perfect place to take a date r someone special.
Jeanette R.
Place rating: 4 Mercer Island, WA
Cutest little spot near the Spanish steps. Food was very good and a welcome change from the typical fare you find in Roma. The owner was frantic working hard serving the tables, and I’d say that her one helper could use a bit more smoothing out… she was a bit rough and not so friendly. It’s hard to find good help — right? Lovely fresh pasta and sliced steak. Make a reservation, as this place fills up.
N E.
Place rating: 5 Los Angeles, CA
Great restaurant! We found this place on our last night in Rome. We wish we had found it on our first day there! Previous restaurant recommendations from our hotel were very touristy. We discovered Sofia just by walking around the neighborhood and it did not disappoint. It’s a small place, owned by a young couple. I think the husband may be the chef and the wife ran front of house. She made us feel very welcomed and her suggestions were spot on. Fantastic food and wine. If you don’t want to eat at a tourist trap with mediocre Italian food, check Sofia out.
Micah C.
Place rating: 4 Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Wonderful meal in Rome! We visited Rome last weekend and in typical fashion I was mostly focused on the food. I found Sofia during a search of restaurants near our hotel and it had just the right amount of reviews; e.g. Too many = tourist trap and too little = unknown or possibly bad. We had dinner there with another couple and ordered with some Sicilian red which was reasonably priced and flavourful. To start J and I got the scallops which were perfectly cooked and kicked off the meal in a great way. Up next we ordered the hare ragout and white seafood lasagna. Both were excellent but the real surprise for me was the rabbit! The meat was tender and the seasonings were perfect. After that we shared the seared red tuna as our main and once again, we thoroughly enjoyed it. Great texture and the tuna tasted quite fresh. When it was time to order dessert we realised that we had completely overdone it on the carbs and we literally had no room left! We all enjoyed our meal at Sofia and would happily return.
Andreas R.
Place rating: 5 Rome, Italy
Cute and small resturant with superb food and a good wine list. I had the prawns for starters and the red tuna filé for my main course. Both were superb and I have nothing to complain about. Might no be a good place for a big company but for two people it is perfect and I would recommend it to anyone I know. When we were finished they helped us order a taxi to our hotell. Big +++ for that :)
Amy Jo A.
Place rating: 5 Davie, FL
This lovely little restaurant is owned by a husband and wife team and they run another two doors up. In an upscale area of Rome but many choices are around. We went for Valentines Day. Pre fix menu which was great and included dessert wine and tasty dishes. They did in fact turn people away because they had reservations and those tables didn’t all show up. Shame because in Rome reservations matter. décor is just right, food just right, menus lovely and staff attentive. Couldn’t have asked for better on the most romantic night of the year. Thanks Sofia.
Nicolas L.
Place rating: 4 Linkebeek, Belgique
Petit moment de calme pour achever un week end en amoureux… Quelques tables, musique jazzy, plats choisis revisitant la cuisine italienne traditionnelle… Un peu trop de sel parfois, mais davantage de chaleur humaine encore. La définition de la dolce vita. Né pas rater le tartare de thon rouge, et le tiramisu!
Mikaël R.
Place rating: 4 Venelles, Bouches-du-Rhône
Très bon dans une rue peu bruyante. Les plats sont raffinés pour un restaurant Italien malgré quelques longueurs entre chaque plat. Surtout né pas manquer le moelleux au chocolat.
Regina N.
Place rating: 2 Sacramento, CA
SALT, SALT&MORESALT! Glad I wasn’t a snail. stay away Theo(aka Turbo)!! FOOD — — — — — — — — — — — — * Rosemary focaccia: came out piping hot in a homemade-looking bag with a tag that says«made in Italy.» Cute. It has a generous amount of rosemary and salt, which is good as a snack alone, but after several pieces, it was too salty. * Monkfish in Kataifi wrap: expectations were built after tasting this dish. The fish was moist and soft, perfect with the crunchy coating of fried Kataifi noodles. The pineapple sauce was very light and super-tart red currants added a nice refreshment to all that richness. Damn worthy. Unfortunately, that was all. * Pumpkin Risotto: creamy, and pumpkin flavor wasn’t overwhelming, but it was oversalted. * Strozzapreti Amatriciana: this would’ve been a great pasta dish if it hadn’t been for the bacon. Bacon is already salty on it’s own, but this one was inedible! My tongue pruned up after eating this. Switching between this plate and the pumpkin risotto tasted like I was eating the Dead Sea! * Blackberry tart: Looks delish, tastes like sandpaper. It was definitely overbaked. We cracked open the tart and it was almost hollow inside with no blackberry or custard filling. SODRY. what a waste of dessert :( SERVICE — — — — — — — — — — — — Great service! We came in without a reservation for dinner and was seated immediately. Our waitress brought our ordered water out fairly quickly and was attentive when we were low and wanted to order another one. She even noticed and complimented on my newly bought Coccinelle bag. Punti! FARE — — — — — — — — — — — — Average pricing for the portion size. Unilocal says price range: €€€ but I’d say this place is more €€. Pasta dishes come pretty hefty. AMBIANCE — — — — — — — — — — — — The restaurant is rather small and dark. Tables are tiny and packed tightly next to each other. We sat next to two other patrons and were almost elbow to elbow. But that’s expected in European eateries. Very intimate setting with low lighting and small candles on the table. MYTHOUGHTS? — — — — — — — — — — — — Great spot to take your dear if you want to «accidently» brush up on him/her because of the ‘small space.’ Also great spot to take your other deer. you know. since they like salt licks.
Pierre M.
Place rating: 3 Paris
Un ilot de talents culinaires au milieu de la médiocrité des restaurants touristique? oui et non. La carte des vins est étoffé, les plats sont variés, viande ou poisson, se présente comme tout restaurant italien: premier plats(pates), second plats et dessert. J’ai pris pour ma part une sélection de fromage en entrée, et un calamar farci en plat principal. Les produits sélectionnés sont bons, oui, et la cuisine est correcte sans être sensationnelle. Le vrai problème est que celà a un prix. C’est cher. Mais c’est le quartier qui veut ça, et puis c’est romantique et plutôt bon. Probablement le meilleur restaurant indien du quartier. hé oui