SONOMA Restaurant — Restaurant in Worcester

Sonoma is a shell of its former self. The pandemic really transformed this restaurant. What was once a premier Worcester eatery has turned into an overpriced rip-off.

Despite the other negative reviews and my own recent negative experiences, I had so many wonderful experiences at Sonoma in the past that I was willing to give it another chance. I was once again greeted by the obnoxious sign that begs your patience in light of "staff shortages caused by the pandemic" - an excuse that you may be waiting upwards of 10-15 minutes just to be seated. Thankfully, this wasn't the case for me. I had a nice server and she did a nice job being attentive throughout my lunch, though the restaurant wasn't near full capacity.

My first course was the Tuna app with white noodles set at market price and pictured below. The dish was average at best, and contained very very little tuna. The white noodles at the bottom of the plate where hard as a rock and tasted like something you find in the microwave aisle. However, when I got the check, I was absolutely mortified at the price of this dish - $28. This is a laughable price given the proximity of Sonoma to the Sole Proprietor, who sets their comparable tuna dishes far lower. For reference, I have included a picture of the tuna app I ordered at the Sole Proprietor which was less than half the price with nearly double the tuna. I understand that when something is set at market price, you are entering a territory where prices can vary from week to week. I suppose I should have asked just to clarify. Nevertheless, for $28, I at least expected the dish to be prepared with some finesse, and not box noodles.

I also ordered a chicken Caesar salad which was just ok. Nothing to be too excited about. The entire bill after tip came to well over $50. I would be happy to pay this price if the overall experience was elegant and refined. It was not.

While Sonoma seems to be working on the courtesy of their staff, the quality and quantity of their food has really gone downhill. I will not be returning to Sonoma - look to the Sole Proprietor, Willy's Steakhouse, or Leo's for a fine...

Ugh. Unfortunately, this is not the same Sonoma restaurant, that resided in Princeton. My husband and I had been to Sonoma in Princeton many times, usually for a romantic dinner or celebration. Besides the gorgeous atmosphere and the impeccable service, there was always an entrée that we’d talk about for days. Besides the tapenades and wine list, this is not the same Sonoma we loved. I booked a dinner out with my husband to celebrate his birthday. We frequently dine out in Worcester, so decided to see how the new location was going. The hostess was great. The atmosphere in the dining room is quite different than we were used to. It was bright, no piano playing, and we could clearly hear the kitchen door and dishes being done. Not to mention, the mulitple ambulances with sirens driving by. Our server was good, not the impeccable service that once was at Sonoma, but very good. The clam fritter and pork belly were very good! However, the entrees have much to be desired. I got the rib eye and my husband the duck. I am curious where the meat is from, as they are a “farm to fork” restaurant. The cut of beef was not good quality, it was very chewy, very poor quality. My husbands duck was cooked great but lacked in taste. He asked the server about the cranberry sauce that was supposed to be on the duck and she insisted that it was “clear”. The duck needed a sauce, and if it was clear, it was also flavorless. We decided against dessert, as I had a birthday cake at home for him. However, the server brought over a nice small cup of whip cream with a candle to wish him a happy birthday. I must also give credit where credit is due and that is the wine menu! I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant, as there are MANY better options in Worcester, with amazing food, great atmospheres and service, and worth the money. This was not worth what we paid. It is unfortunate, but this restaurant, in our opinion, did not survive the move. If you are looking for a romantic restaurant, worth the money, with impeccable service, “Deadhorse Hill” on Main St. is my choice. We should...

This was the worst dining experience I’ve ever had. My partner and I were there for Valentine’s Day and there was the preset menu that was $95/person. We got to the restaurant for our reservation at 6:30 and we were brought to our table immediately. It wasn’t until 7:15 that anyone came to our table to take our order; there were only about 5-6 other tables full when we got there. Three times throughout the night my partner had to get up and ask someone to see where our waitress was to ask for water (once) and status on our food (twice) and we were waiting around an hour between each course of the 3 course meal. No one came to check on the food as we were eating and my partner’s $95 steak was cooked to the wrong temperature and was extremely bloody. By the end of the night we had to flag someone down to ask for the check. We bet over-under 30 minutes to get the check for the first time after asking for it and as it was nearing the 25 minute mark we saw our waitress coming over with a check — which she left at another table for another couple — after which we just gave her our card to run without getting our check because we really just wanted to leave. Tables who had been sat an hour after we had were getting their food, eating, paying, and leaving far before we even got our dessert. By this point we were one of 2 tables still left in the entire restaurant after having been there for 3-3.5 hours mostly spent waiting on our $200 meal. I asked to see the manager at the end of our meal and she gave us a $6 bottle of wine as an apology and asked us to come back. Overall a terrible experience, the food was not great and the portions were small. This $200 meal/experience was not even worth $50 for the food quality, taste, and experience. Extremely...