Ristorante Sofia Roma-Cucina Italiana — Restaurant in Rome

We were staying at a rented apartment around the corner and the host recommended Sofia. We popped by the day we arrived but it was full. Both inside and outside along the street. Lots of noisy people and they looked happy so seemed like a good sign. So we made a reservation for dinner a couple of nights later.

We had quite a tiring day when we came back. Table next to us were some Americans who praised the octopus. Service wasn't great but the place was crowded so we were fine. Being tired, we (my wife, daughter and me) got the Tasting Menu (see pictures). This included the octopus, which is a particular favourite of mine in other restaurants in Italy, so I was looking forward to it.

We ordered prosecco to start and it was a pretty nice one (see picture) - highly recommended! A little basket of bread came along and that was okay. We liked the breadsticks and the flat bread but the rest of the bread was so-so.

Okay, dinner started with the Amuse Bouche (on the black slate). The taste wasn't memorable and the base wasn't freshly fried; not very pleasant. The prawn taco was quite a let down - too much stracciatella so absolutely no balance. It could have done with a bit more citrus to amp up the flavour as well. The apple gel was totally lost.

Then the risotto. Texture was good and the red tuna went well in the mouth. But here the lemon was just overpowering; it wasn't "citrus scented" but rather somebody threw the whole lemon in there. Vanilla came out at the end. Kind of wasted as the base was well done.

The pasta dish, tagliolini, looked really good with the deep red of the beetroot. I polished mine off, but my wife and daughter who are a bit more fussy about their pasta didn't really like it. The main course, the much vaunted octopus, was actually pretty tasty. Tenderly cooked and with a nice smoked flavour. The pepper sauce, burrata and basil oil not so great. I would have been much happier with more octopus and skipped the sauces. In fact, our neighbour's octopus dish was at least three times the size as a main.

There was a pre-dessert (forgot what it was). By that time, we weren't really that interested in the food anymore. Dessert was three scoops of something (see the picture). I'm sorry but I totally forget what they were, and I didn't really eat mine.

In summary, we paid 60 euros each. Each of the main dishes was actually from the a la carte menu and we could have had large portions of each to share (with certainly the same amount of total food) for half the price. We all felt quite disappointed at the end and were...

With a menu that focuses on fresh daily ingredients transformed into culinary masterpieces with age-old family recipes, Sophia is a charming restaurant near the Spanish Steps in Rome. Named after the family’s Jack Russell Terrier, Sophia provides an intimate atmosphere making this the perfect spot for a date or a quiet, relaxing meal on your own. The hardwood floors and warm wall color provide an inviting, homey feel, while the archways between seating areas pay homage to ancient Roman architecture.

I dined at Sophia for lunch during my last afternoon in Rome, and couldn’t have been more delighted in the quality of the meal, the service, and the overall experience at the restaurant. Obviously a popular spot whether day or night, the restaurant was busy but I was treated as if I was the only customer they had to attend to. I never felt rushed, and the entire staff treated me like I was family.

I started with an appetizer of seared red mullet, served with ricotta cheese and a confit of cherry tomatoes. The fresh garden taste of the tomatoes mixed perfectly with the creamy ricotta and mild flavor of the fish.

No lunch in Rome is complete without a pasta course, and Sophia’s did not disappoint. I opted for the orecchiette with clams, cherry tomatoes and jalapeno green peppers. Light, fresh and flavorful, the pasta was homemade and delicious and the jalapenos added the right amount of heat.

For my main course, I chose swordfish, covered in panko and citrus and served with a chives, dill, and puttanesca sauce. Absolutely incredible. Probably the best cooked swordfish I’ve ever had – crisped outside, meaty and flaky inside - and the sauce was perfectly seasoned with fresh herbs.

I just had to try dessert, and decided on a decadent cheesecake with raspberries and red currants. Sweet, tart, and creamy. The best way to end my stay in Rome – highly...

My experience was so disappointing and out of sync with other reviews that I seriously wondered if every review was paid for to trick people into eating here. Maybe I just caught them on a bad night, but so much went wrong that I don’t think that’s the case.

First off the restaurant was busy but there was only one waiter doing most of the work and he was not that friendly and had too much to handle. They served an amuse-bouche that was some type of whipped brown paste which lacked much flavor but the flavor it did have was nauseating. My wife only took a small bite and the waiter commented that she must not have liked it.

We got the beef carpaccio and sea bass crudo appetizers, which were bland and forgettable but the most edible thing of the evening.

For our main courses we got the risotto and octopus. The octopus was rubbery and tasted fishy and served on top of soggy flavorless shredded potato served lukewarm. I had one bite and couldn’t eat another. The risotto was too lemony and had an unpleasant texture, making it hard to eat more than a few bites.

For these reasons we both left our plates almost completely untouched and just sat there finishing our bottle of wine. The waiter walked by our table back and forth to the kitchen for the next 20 minutes without saying anything about us not eating. When we asked for the check he just nodded and then disappeared and never brought it so we had to flag down the lady who had joined in from the kitchen to help him (maybe the owner?) She also didn’t say anything about the uneaten food and proceeded to charge us for both meals. I really didn’t care to argue as I’m not sure how Italians handle this situation so we just paid and left. On the way back to our hotel we stopped at the only tourist trap restaurant that was still seating guests and ate spaghetti so we wouldn’t go...