Officina Wine Bar 82 — Restaurant in Sorrento

• We visited this restaurant in August 2024 + had forgotten to post this until our friend recommended where to eat in sorrento…. This review is to strongly advise you against.*

Was expecting high things from the reviews on Google but was immediately let down from the start of service. I want to make it known that our waiter is the ONLY saving grace of this disastrous night, and unlike the owner was actually understanding of our experience. The night unfolded as such: Decided to opt for the a specific white wine which wasn’t available so was offered a slightly more expensive option which was disappointing in taste but we move, these things happen. 2.Ordered the tapas for two (€60!!!!) which came out cold - ribs, meatballs and croquettes all cold and the rest of the dishes plates were roasting hot which implied they were microwaved. Also the “home-made tomato sauce” lacked any flavour and came out with each dish like a tinned soup…..0/10 Told the first waiter about the underperforming dishes - who tried to tell us the croquettes were better “cold” and then proceeded to scoop the mess onto our plates while running away with the platter of cold dishes. We at this point wanted no more food as the taste alone was so disappointing. Our second waiter (man with glasses who was the only positive of this night) empathised with us and tried to come to some compromise by offering us a fresh platter (he obviously had no idea that waiter #1 would try fix the issue himself - see part 5) which we turned down but said we will stay for the wine and thanked him for his hospitality. After telling waiter #2 we no longer wanted the food due to it being cold and frankly store-bought in flavour, we continued on with our drinks expecting our bill to be dropped / cancelled… but NOOOOOO waiter #1 plonked down the now re-microwaved plates of HALF BLOODY CUT FOOD to us !!!!!! Not even fresh plates. Yes you heard me right - the same plates of food we cut and dissected were plopped back down in front of us (bite marks and all) S H O C K I N G service …. We could have maybe moved on from the terrible experience but to be re-served the slop we got the first time is a complete joke. 7.We then got the bill which asked us to pay for half our tapas which we hadn’t even touched, along with the wine which we agreed was fair …. half the bill for what though???? We touched none of it. You’d think that’s all but no, we were “greeted” by a man who looks like to be the owner (some of his staff wear a shirt with his face on it … that says it all really) of the restaurant to be talked down patronisingly athe asked did we even know what the meat was (it was ribs… I don’t think it needed a masters to figure that out buddy) and that due to the fat content that it was cold while also telling us that we had to pay half because we had eaten some (we had two bites of cold food and left everything like it was served) ….clearly someone who has absolutely not a breeze about food. When I actually got the second to speak I told him that (a) we hadn’t eaten the food and the stuff returned to us was in fact reheated chopped up food from the initial incident while pointing to the cornel of food waiter #1 threw down on our dish and which like the rest of the meal hadn’t been touched and (b) despite the fat content on anything that meat shouldn’t be served cold unless it’s a specific dish. His ego was obviously hurt at this point because he went on to tell me about how Italians make real sauces and how he doesn’t care about money so I could get away with paying nothing. Luckily for him I kept to my first promise and told him I would pay for the bottle of wine as he stormed off in a little huff. Once again waiter #2 came to the rescue to apologise once again - GIVE THIS GUY A RAISE. So for my review - I give 1/5 only for the waiter. The food was dire and the hospitality was lacking well … hospitality. I’d advice the owner to spend more time in the food industry than photocopying his face onto tee-shirts and pinning up tacky oil paintings of his dog...

Don't know where Eleanor Burke went, but it wasn't this bar! This place is amazing - superb food, amazing atmosphere and attentive staff. Perhaps Eleanor got out what she put in, which was a big fat zero!

If you're in the area, check this place out - you'll only be disappointed if you're dead from the neck up!

On a more relevant note, the experience at Officina '82 is superb. The environment / atmosphere is unusual and eclectic, whilst being very welcoming and sumptuous. The manager and team are highly attentive, and tune their refreshment recommendations based on your personal whim - I was introduced to a couple of excellent "surprises" by trusting the manager!

Entertainment is top-notch. Yes, there is live music (the saxophanist is brilliant), but just the buzz of the bar, the interaction with fellow diners is very uplifting. Ultimately, though, the food & drink are exceptional, catering for every palate (and exceeding most appetites!).

If you read these reviews and decide not to go, you're doing yourself a disfavour; the best bar in Sorrento by a mile, run by a team who clearly take pride in delighting...

Don't think twice... just go here and you won't regret it! We saw this wine bar advertised on the tourist map and it was a 1 minute walk from our hotel, so we decided to check it out. We didn't know the concept and allowed the server to offer suggestions and wine pairings to go along. We got a 1/2 board of food with 6 or so different dishes from the local area. Each one was unique and delicious, but our favorite were the meat balls. It changes slightly each night, so you can go back and enjoy it multiple times like we did! Then we also got a wonderful biscotti with local dipping liquor and finished up with tiramisu and lemoncello.

As for the wine, they had so many different wines by the glass and bottle. They let you try different ones before you buy, which is really important for me. We had a mix of reds and whites and enjoyed all of them. While this wasn't something we planned in advance, it ended up being one of our best memories in Italy and the most fun we had...