Sophia's Ristorante Italiano — Restaurant in East Naples

Unfortunately we did not have a good experience at this establishment. Our first impression was the host at the door who was gruff and very unfriendly. A staff member escorted us to our outside table, stopped abruptly, and without saying anything turned around and went inside. We stood outside, a bit dumbfounded, wondering what was going on. After several minutes someone came out with the setup for the table where we were to be seated. Zero communication with us, but we finally figured out that the table wasn’t ready for us even though we had a reservation. At 15 minutes not one person had come to our table. At 20 minutes my husband went into the restaurant and asked if anyone was coming out to serve us. At 25 minutes we got water and asked if we could have bread. At 35 minutes we got our bread and asked if we could put in a drink and food order. At 45 minutes, someone finally came and took our order for drinks and an appetizer. The bread was delicious, but the calamari was tough and we sent it back. We again asked if someone was coming to take our dinner order… at this point we were at 55+ minutes of waiting, and were close to leaving. When the waiter finally appeared, we advised we would stay if we could be assured that our meals would come out in a timely manner. The meals were delivered within 10-12 minutes, but our salads were not served beforehand. When I asked about the salads, mine was brought after the entree was served, although my husband declined his at this late point. The salad was half wilted, but thankfully my lasagna and my husband’s bolognese were very good. We were not charged for the uneaten calamari, but there was no acknowledgment or apology from the management for the terrible service or issues with the food. We would have had a more satisfying experience if we dined at the Olive Garden. At Sophia’s prices, you would certainly expect more. As a footnote, the times listed above are 100% accurate… I began taking notes on my phone when it was apparent the evening was on a bad road right from the beginning. We overheard a woman at the table next to us saying she had been going to this restaurant for many years, and had never had such poor service, so apparently we weren’t the only ones that had a significant issue. Two stars only because the bread and entrees were good, but the rest of the experience was...

The food at this restaurant was excellent. We are vegetarian so we had a limited selection but enough so all 3 of us could try different items from the menu. First of all, there is a really nice Bentley limo parked right outside of the restaurant so of course we had to take a picture with it. It gives you an idea of how profitable an upscale restaurant is in Naples.

Next, we went for dinner in summer time so it wasn’t busy at all and we were seated right away (without a reservation). We were celebrating Father’s Day (a couple of days late).

The warm bread and olive oil were very good. In fact, we asked for a 2nd basket of bread since the bread was so good. Each of our main course items came with a salad. We all got the House Salad and were not disappointed.

Then, we ordered 3 different vegetarian items. I ordered an Eggplant Parmigiana and it was likely the best eggplant parm I’ve ever had in my life. It was full of flavor and so easy to eat (the eggplant was cooked perfectly and thoroughly). My wife ordered the Penne Pasta ala Vodka and it was very good but bland for our taste (we are used to eating flavorful and spicy foods). So, my wife added salt and pepper as well as red chilly pepper flakes to make it flavorful. My daughter ordered the Gnocchi and it was very flavorful and tasty. It did not disappoint at all. She enjoyed it very much.

The portion of each item was generous and we all had plenty leftover to take home for a full meal the next day (having grown up in a third world country and having seen a lot of poverty, I don’t like to waste food).

The price of each time was $32, $31, and $29, respectively so a bit more than your average Italian restaurant price but then again, this is Naples so things are expectedly more expensive.

However, none of us was disappointed with the flavor and quality as well as the quantity of our food. We highly recommend this restaurant (at least once, if the prices are prohibitive - there were meat items for $50+ on the menu). We happened to have purchased a $100 gift card for $70 from the local Costco so that helped convince us to try a new...

We previously had a less than great experience at Sofias but figured it was an off night, so why not give it a second chance? We were severely disappointed with our dinner at Sofia's tonight. We were very excited to enjoy time with family and enjoy some delicious Italian food. We rarely saw our server, Cale, but we were absorbed in conversation and didn't mind much. Appetizers came and were delicious! By the time salads arrived we were ready for refills but did not see our server. No big deal so we wait patiently. Entrees arrive and one order was made with the incorrect sauce so we notified the waiter and he assured us it would be corrected and brought out immediately. 30 minutes passes and still this person is without food and our server is no where to be found and we are waiting to ask for refills. After inquiring about the missing meal (everyone else is now finished their dinners) he tells us the kitchen is swamped bc the error happened during the rush and we just had to wait until it was done. We asked to see a manager but he never came to speak with us. We informed him we will not being paying for the meal that has STILL not arrived and would like it packed to go. Finally we order a second round of drinks after having finished eating while still waiting on the missing meal and one of those drinks never arrived. Luckily it was not rung in so we didn't have to pay for it. The missing meal would not have been so frustrating if he had apologized or sent a manager over to try and smooth things over. We get it, things happen! But he did everything to seemingly hide from the table and not face us. Along with missing drinks and severely lacking service, we will certainly not be back to Sofia's as this is our second negative...