Sofie’s Steakhouse — Restaurant in Charlotte

After driving by Sofie's Steakhouse many times we decided to try it out, and to say I was not impressed is an understatement. When we arrived to the restaurant around 7PM on a Saturday night there were roughly 10-15 people at the restaurant, mainly sitting at the bar. I found this to be odd given that the restaurant advertises as a premium steakhouse and upscale restaurant, since other steakhouse restaurants are nearly impossible to make reservations same day. After sitting down is when things really began to go down hill. We sat at the table without menus for about 10 minutes, and then waited another 5 or so minutes for the server to return to take our appetizer/drink order. At this point we're confused as the music is loud, and not what a "premier" or "upscale" restaurant is typically. We ordered the Bangin Shrimp appetizer, which was $15.00, and it was 8 shrimp that were simply just battered served with a mayonnaise/ketchup sauce. The menu stated that the sauce would be a "sweet chili aioli," which clearly it was not. In addition to the appetizer we ordered a beer and the Underground Heat cocktail, which was absolutely delicious, I ended up ordering two!

After the appetizer we went ahead and ordered the $30.00 Prime Ribeye (medium rare), and the $32.00 8oz Fillet (medium rare). These two entrees come with a baked potato, and salad. Sadly, the ribeye and fillet were sent from the kitchen first, and then 5 or so minutes later the salads arrived at the table. At this point I cut into my fillet and noticed my fillet was well done instead of medium rare as I had ordered. The ribeye was beyond burnt as well. I return the fillet as it's way over cooked, and it looks as if it was a different cut of meat. At this point the manager/owner comes over from the bar, where he's been drinking from the time we sat down at our table (high top table beside the bar).

He at this point tells us how his chef has been with him for 10 years, the meat is cut in-house, how meat loses color after it's cut, etc. I appreciate that he came over and talked to us about the two entrees, but right after goes to the complete other side of the restaurant, mind you he's been right at the end of the bar since we sat at our table. The fillet comes out again with the baked potato, and once again it's cooked incorrectly. This time the steak is rare, and when I mean rare it was cold in the middle. Not to mention it was thin, which further tells me this was not the cut I ordered from their menu. Lastly the baked potato was served with a piece of butter that would not melt. To complete the food review I'll end with the salad as it was brought out last from the initial attempt from Sophie's, it was a salad that even a rabbit wouldn't eat if it was starving. It had no onions, no croutons, no cheese, but it did have two tiny tomatoes that were ready for the trash.

The cherry on top of this "premium" and "upscale" steakhouse came when we ordered the check. Needless to say we just wanted to pay and leave, and get a pizza and ice cream. So, after asking for the check the DJ begins setting up beside our table and the bar. At this point the large bar area with high tops is rather full, but no one is ordering food, just drinks.

This place isn't a "premium" or "upscale" restaurant as it likes to advertise. The prices for it are rather expensive for the atmosphere, and simply not edible based on the two "steak" dishes that were cooked incorrectly twice. We spent $106.00 for two people, not including tip, and recommend you go to a REAL premium and...

Our hostess and waitress were both very kind & professional - no wait to be sat and very wonderful service (refilling our drinks & all that!), so if we return it will be because of the people, not the food. We stopped in for the first time last night: my husband ordered a pizza & I ordered the seafood pasta, which said on the menu it came with shrimp, calamari, & scallops. Those are my 3 fav seafood options so it seemed like the perfect dish for me (I’m vegetarian but also eat seafood). As you can see in the photos, the seafood pasta has bits of salmon in it along with 4 shrimp, but had absolutely no calamari or scallops in it. This substitution with no advance notice when ordering the dish is really unprofessional & for a substitution like salmon in seafood fettuccine, that’s disgusting - a lot of people don’t eat salmon & want to know if they’re consuming it, such as pregnant women... I haven’t been out to eat in so long & the dish was $22.00 on the menu so it was very uncomfortable to bring this up with the waitress (I really thought I must be going crazy, there’s NO way they’d sub calamari AND scallops for shredded salmon & not tell me in advance). She was very kind, and she came back to the table & explained that the chef told her yes he’d made substitutions because there’s a seafood shortage for those items in the CLT area right now... at that point we were mortified this hadn’t been communicated to the wait staff or customers at all, especially at the time of ordering. I shared the experience with a few work colleagues & they were all equally surprised this type of substitution with no communication would happen. For $22.00 a dish, you really need to mark that on your menu & communicate that to customers or just say that you’re out of that item unfortunately. It also made us feel like, “Who knows what type of fish was in our seafood nachos?” if there’s a seafood shortage. Giving 2 stars because of the incredible hostess & waitress & they had nothing to do with the bad experience whatsoever, if anything our wonderful server was the best part. Wish it’d been a better experience foodwise but it was somewhat scammy and I felt compelled to share the photos. People work too hard for their money these days to save up to eat out & be duped with a different lower caliber meat the...

Subject: Misleading Facebook Event Post and Venue Usage Concern

Dear Sofies Restaurant Management,

I hope this message finds you well. As a loyal customer since the Firewater days, I have always appreciated the warm atmosphere and social experiences at Sofies Restaurant. I have always tried to be supportive of this establishment due to my long time association with it.

However, I am writing to express my disappointment regarding a recent experience. On Tuesday, June 25, 2024, I came across a Facebook post advertising a Live Jazz event at Sofies Restaurant, which depicted and invited guests to enjoy live jazz starting at 5 PM. Excited about the prospect of enjoying both music and socializing, I visited Sofies Restaurant that evening after work.

To my surprise, upon arrival, I was turned away at the door and informed that it was a private event. This detail was not disclosed on the Facebook post, which led to confusion and inconvenience. Furthermore, it was unexpected to find that the entire facility was being utilized as a party venue rather than the sports bar and restaurant atmosphere that its supposed to be.

This is not the first instance where regular customers of Sofies have been caught off guard by unexpected changes related to events. As someone who values transparency and accurate representation, I found this experience concerning especially being a long time regular customer.

I believe that clear communication with your patrons is essential for maintaining trust and satisfaction. I believe the inconsistent business practices are making long time regular customers re-think continuing to support Sofies and will choose to spend their time and money elsewhere. Therefore, I kindly request that you review your advertising practices to ensure that future promotional materials accurately reflect the true nature of events and the overall atmosphere of Sofies Restaurant.

I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your response. Please feel free to contact me at if you require any further clarification regarding my experience.

Thank you for your understanding and prompt attention to this issue. Please do...