Sogno — Restaurant in Woburn

We recently dined at Sogno to celebrate my husband’s birthday while a dear friend was visiting from out of town. Given its proximity to our home, we thought it would be a convenient and enjoyable spot for the occasion.

We arrived a little early for our 7:15 PM reservation, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to place our orders until nearly 8:00 PM. The delay stemmed from an odd interaction with our initial server. After ordering cocktails, we requested to have our 2018 bottle of Guado al Tasso decanted (not served) - a necessary step for a wine of that caliber and price ($250+). However, the server refused, citing a rule that guests cannot have two drinks at once (which is Massachusetts law, though the law maintains more than two, not more than one). This made little sense, however, as decanting is a preparatory measure, not service. Given Sogno’s impressive wine list, this policy (or misunderstanding of it) seemed particularly frustrating. She claimed that she was going to decant it and put it on a separate table, but instead disappeared.

After she disappeared for a good half an hour, another server - a gentleman who was both professional and attentive - took over our table. While we greatly appreciated his service, the transition felt awkward, as if we had somehow offended the first server with our very normal request, which briefly dampened the celebratory mood.

That said, the live jazz covers of modern and classic hits helped set a wonderful atmosphere, and the food was delicious and presented with care. We started with the wagyu tartare and the eggplant appetizer, both of which were wonderful. For the table, we shared a couple of slices of pepperoni pizza on the side before diving into our mains: cotoletta di vitello alla Valdostana, osso buco, and tagliatelle alla Genovese. Everything was cooked to perfection, and we ended the night on a high note with pizzelle and zeppole for dessert (and a candle!).

Despite the initial rough start, our second server made up for it, and we enjoyed the rest of our evening. Sogno has a lot to offer in terms of food, ambiance, and wine selection - but hopefully, they can provide better clarity on their service policies, especially when it comes to decanting and maintaining service with tables so that guests do not...

My friend and I dined at Sogno's in Woburn last night, and we learned from the owner, Mr. Martignetti of Martignetti Real Estate, that the word "sogno" is Italian for "dream." He told us it has been a life-long dream to own an Italian Restaurant, and during the course of magnificent dining experience, it was I who felt he was dreaming! The restaurant itself is exciting and modern (both inside and out), and as we were seated at a roomy, upscale booth I immediately recognized our server, Giovanni. I first met Giovanni several years ago when he worked for the now-closed Strega Prime of Woburn, and is among the very best, professional servers I have encountered in my life. We began our dinner with a charcuterie board and an order of carpaccio di tonno (tuna, fried artichokes & capers, pickled green beans and Lemon). Both of these appetizers were delicious and exquisitely presented, and followed by the grilled swordfish, potato & onion puree, winter citrus and chicory salad, kumquats, and lemon and a perfectly grilled filet mignon served with vincotto & bone marrow butte and a side of broccoli rabe. My dining partner and I especially enjoy consuming fine cuisine in leisurely, relaxed (and ideally beautiful) environments, and on these points (and many more!) Sogno's did not disappoint! Our server, Giovanni, allowed us to drift lazily through the exquisite experience, and demonstrated with excellence that he remains in in a class of high-end service rarely experienced these days. My dining partner and I unanimously agreed that we must return to Sogno's in the very near future as much for the promise of Giovanni's outstanding service as for the amazing food. Finally, I highly recommend making reservations if you intend to check this place out. The restaurant was packed and humming on a Wednesday evening - can't imagine what it is like on a Weekend! Thanks Giovanni, for a truly memorable experience, and thank YOU Mr. Martignetti, for bringing your wonderful dream to life so that world...

It was our first dining experience there and we were very excited as we love to treat ourselves to something very “fancy” a couple times a week.

We made reservations and as soon as we went up to the hostess desk, we got the “you can’t afford to eat here” kind of attitude. As we waited for our table to be set up, there was just loads of awkward stares. One of the women told my husband that he had to take his hat off because of the dress code. Fair enough. Never have we ever heard that one before, especially around here but ok, we can respect that. He was just going to take it off when we got to the table. Then, the woman who brought us to our table, told him that he needed to take his hat off. He politely asked if he needed to do it now or when he gets to the table and she proceeded with a little attitude that he takes it off before we get walked to our table. Again, we understood but really? There was a woman at the lounge area with a hat on the whole time, there were people coming in with converse sneakers paired with yoga pants and sweatpants/sweatshirts (not business casual at all by the way) but wearing a plain hat was a huge no no.

We dine at a lot of nice places including restaurants at The North End, Martha’s Vineyard and Eddy V’s to name a few and we were never ONCE told no hats. We personally think the restaurants in those areas would be considered way fancier.

The food was ok and the drinks were good. Still managed to spend $300 for decent food and left the waitress a very Generous tip as she was amazing to deal with.

We know that this will not change anything but in our opinion as customers, dull it down with the no hat thing. Let people be comfortable when they come in to your restaurant to give you business. We are fellow restaurant owners and we’d definitely prefer business over potentially kicking people out with a ridiculous...