Villa Sophia — Restaurant in Paris

Thursday, 24 July 2025 at 18h00 Antipasto : 15 € / Salade Caprese. Buffalo mozzarella, tomato, lettuce, pesto sauce. Pizza : 21 € / Quattro Stagioni. Tomato, mozzarella, mushrooms, ham, peppers, artichoke. Dessert : 11 € / Tiramisù. Classic homemade.

Food: 5/5 Excellent. I was first delighted by the crisp Caprese salad which had a nice balance of light flavors and firm texture. The pizza was absolutely delicious. The crust underneath the ingredients was thin just like pizza traditionally made in Italy. The slices of artichokes were quarter slices. I had a full artichoke as a pizza topping! I loved it! The tiramisù was divine. It was better than many tiramisù I have tasted in Italy. It was light, airy, but with a strong café mocha flavor. Beautifully crafted!

Service: 4/5 Very Good. At first the waiter seemed in a bit of a rush but afterwards he slowed, warmed, and began smiling. He was consistently polite, professional, and attentive. He promptly took my order and within 10 minutes I had my salad. Each course set a good pace without dragging or feeling rushed. I deeply appreciated that each course had new cutlery provided. From beginning to end, I dined for 90 minutes. It felt leisurely without being excessive.

Ambience: 5/5 Excellent. I felt transported to an outdoor Italian café. There is a faux lemon tree with branches hanging lemons from the ceiling. Three or four large black-and-white photographs of Sophia Loren adorn the few walls. It feels 1950s chic without being a cliché. It is a nice blend of charm and innovation. The ambience definitely added to the dining experience.

Cleanliness: 4/5 Very Good. The ground floor was immaculate and I cannot fault it. The basement toilets were clean and visibly accommodating but I believe a nice perfume could be a welcome addition. It could be something simple like a stick diffuser with a tasteful lemon or fig scent. It would add the impression of clean crisp air which any basement toilet anywhere in Paris will benefit.

Value: 5/5 Excellent. 47 € total. The portions were extremely generous and almost approaching American supersize. I could have shared my pizza and tiramisù with a second diner. I noticed that most of the fellow diners were asking for takeaway boxes as they finished their meals. I too requested a box since I could not finish everything. As a patron, this is incredible value. I believe it is my first time in Paris in the last three years. As a manager, I could see reducing some portions to reduce potential waste and improve profits. The rating depends on which perspective you prefer. I choose 5/5 as a patron.

Overall: 4.6/5 Excellent. I loved it. Whenever I desire some delicious, quality, upscale but affordable Italian cuisine, I will choose Villa Sophia. The competitors, Loulou and Pink Mamma, are just overexposed overpriced underwhelming Instagram filler. Villa Sophia is authentic. I will definitely be recommending this restaurant to my colleagues...

I went for a quick drink and dessert with a friend of mine while visiting Paris. I walked in and asked for a table for two, the lady showed me to our table. She pulled out the table and chairs making room for us as they were pressed against the window and there wasn’t much room for us to enter. Moments later the male server almost tripped over my chair that was located right next to the staff podium. He seemed very frustrated with us straight from the get go although I did not select the seating nor did I place the table and chairs there (if the table and chairs are in your path simply remove them and don’t allow seating in that area). We proceeded to order 2 espresso martini’s , 1 creme brûlé and a tiramisu. A few minutes later the male server drops off the drinks, a tiramisu and is about to place down something that looked like an apple pie. Before he even placed it on the table I corrected him to to let him know that was not what I had ordered . Seems like an easy fix but apparently not for this gentleman. He begins to argue with me about what I ORDERED. Continues to repeat “you ordered a tarten tarten “ which i honestly had no idea was even on the menu or what it even was . He continued to insist on what he said I ordered which was honestly ridiculous because the whole reason I entered the restaurant is because I reviewed the menu outside and already knew what I had planned to order. It was then that I decided not to even bother arguing with this man as you can tell he had no manners and seems to just be miserable. He walked off all flustered and started looking at us and talking with the other server etc. A few minutes later he had the female server drop of the creme brûlé (the correct order). He avoided our table seems like he had told the other staff members to avoid us as well as no one checked up on us to see how the food and drinks were and if we wanted to order anything else. I would like to mention the restaurant itself is decorated nicely, the menu sounds incredible and the creme brûlé itself was the best I have ever had, but the male server ruined the whole experience for myself. He made us feel uncomfortable and I no longer have any intentions of going there for dinner. The establishment should definitely follow up with their staff and let them know this is not the way to deal with customers. The most upsetting part is that i was very easy going with the whole situation as a mixup can easily occur but I could not tolerate the arrogance and disrespect . I had to call upon a third server to ask for the cheque and still tipped on top. He never came back to even say thanks. Honestly a disgusting human being , the service industry is...

Where do I start?

Apart from the horrible, depressing atmosphere with no music playing whatsoever, they decide to have a pitch silent environment which created the most depressing atmosphere ever. Furthermore the margherita pizza I ordered was so far off from authentic Italian food. Just a typical American cheese pizza with a disturbing amount of oil.

The service needs its own paragraph due to the extremely rude and unprofessional waiters. My girlfriend accidentally spilled water on the table and the servers didn’t offer to help, despite witnessing it happen. We asked for 5 napkins since we used them to clean the table, and they brought us 2 napkins. As we were ordering our food, the waiter was extremely unprofessional and rushed us, as if he had to be somewhere. We then asked for the waiter and he simply looked and ignored us. On top of being extremely unprofessional, rude, disrespectful and arrogant they had the audacity to force us to tip.

Not only was this the most disgusting restaurant, it was also the most expensive restaurant for the worst food and experience I’ve ever had. To top it off, everyone who ate here went home feeling sick. Awful stomach pain for everyone!

Despite some negative reviews, we thought we would give it a chance. And yet, we somehow surpassed the other comments and had an even more traumatic experience. Do not recommend whatsoever. Disgrace to be called a so called “Italian...