Sofia Burwood Italian Pizza Restaurant — Restaurant in Melbourne

Food was much better than previous visits. 9 of us dined from 4-80 years age group so we are a great test of the suitability of all age groups. We shared plates between us and started with the Family size cheesy garlic pizza. We ordered the salad with seafood and it was really impressive for a family type restaurant. We also ordered the spaghetti bolognaise, carbonara fettuccine and a ham & family size pineapple pizza. While all the food was nice, the pizzas are not the light stoneground type but a bit heavier but certainly good value for what they are with plenty of topping. I really recommend smaller serves of pizza and a good serving of salad if you’re going to start with the cheesy garlic as entree. The portions are fantastic and great value for sharing. The ambience was fairly bright lighting and suitably peaceful when not busy but quite noisy when the place is full. Of course the upside of that is if your kids are loud or misbehaving, nobody notices. If you don’t like the noise I’d recommend an early or late dinner not in that 6-7.30 time slot. The staff are wonderful, over and above. Very attentive and happy to accomodate most things. The management run the whole place well. The food is served promptly. Being that the place is always busy they don’t need my advice but if I wanted to soften that noise I’d divide the place into sections with fake plants or mini partitions to take the noise level down a little. It’s a huge place so it’s good really as I’ve heard noisier in smaller places. A great family restaurant perfect for catch ups and family birthdays with...

Sofia’s, a Transcendent Culinary Journey Through Italy 🇮🇹

Let me be clear, this wasn’t just a dinner, it was a revelation.

From the moment I stepped through the door, the aroma of wood-fired perfection wrapped around me like an old Italian love song. The ambiance strikes a delicate balance between rustic charm and quiet elegance.

The penne bolognese was everything it should be, rich, slow-cooked, and deeply comforting. The sauce clung to every piece of pasta like it had nowhere else to be, packed with flavor and clearly made with love. 🍝

Then came the curveball! A half tropical, half Aussie pizza. The tropical side was sweet, smoky, and playful. The Aussie half? A bold, savoury masterpiece with ham and egg, perfectly baked with a crispy base, smothered with a delicate tomato sauce and topped with delightful crispy golden cheese, that seemed to stretch for metres on end. 🍕

The service? Impeccable. Thoughtful, intuitive, and warm without being overbearing. The kind of hospitality that makes you feel like family, not just a guest.

This isn’t just a restaurant. It’s a portal. A love affair. A reminder that food, when made with heart and heritage, can speak a language deeper than words. 💚🤍❤️

If you’re looking for an unforgettable night that’ll ruin you for all other Italian food, look no further than Sofia’s. ╰(´︶`)╯♡

Run....

Arriving there, the reception lady looked like she didn't want to be there. Young waiter who set the table had zero care with noisy placements complete with dirty cutlery and cups turned upside-down.

We ordered oysters, 2 steaks and a risotto. Unremarkable and forgettable oysters first. Then they got our order wrong and served one different cut of steak, cooked both steaks rarer than we asked for and the meat was of such low quality complete with sinewy tendons. Moreover the vegetable sides were so bland and the miserable chips would stand no chance against your local fish’n'chips. Sauces chosen were mushroom and Dianne, for the Dianne they took regular mushroom sauce and just threw a couple of capers in to try to pass it off as a different sauce. Who are you fooling? How insulting.

But the villain-of-the-day was the risotto. It was the worst risotto we have ever eaten. The arborio rice was mushy and broken up into such little pieces that we suspected it was not real arborio grains. The seafood ingredients were undersized and not fresh which we could detect a cheap prawn & scallop frozen mix being the culprit. It really was like we got served microwaved instant risotto from hell.

We dined at Sofia's Burwood for the nostalgia but it turned out to be a nightmare instead. After this experience, we will never...