Trattoria Sofia Reviews

What a wonderful experience! A classic Italian bistro, bustling with activity because the food is sooooo good! And wine prices are, for the most part, quite fair. We split several dishes, filling us up to just the right point. Our Lamb Polpette was perfectly cooked, piping hot from the kitchen and perfect with the two slices of toasted, buttered Italian bread. The Barbabietole Arrost "beet" salad was unlike any I had experienced previously. I'm not a huge beet person but the entire salad was tasty and the sauce slightly spicy, just loaded with flavor. We held off ordering more until after the first two courses, and ended up splitting pasta called Casarecce Alla Norma -- totally different from the sauce on the lamb, also slightly spicy, perfectly cooked al dente, and wonderful! Our server Roberto was attentive to everything throughout. Sofia is a Heights gem, and I can't wait to go back and try some other dishes.

Great atmosphere! We were seated in the enclosed air conditioned patio. Great design with an outside Italian country side feel! A real olive tree in the atrium. Out waiter Raymundo was great with giving us a history of the restaurant and dish recommendations. Tony helped us with wine selection. Our food was exceptional. We had Ricotta di pécora, the fried garlic flakes on it give a burst of unexpected flavor; olive Calde if you want to know what it feels like to sit at a table in Rome eating olives; polpo arrosto - the tomato pesto and also the basil and dill combination on a perfectly cooked octopus go for it! Caccio e peppe creamy and Margarita pizza with the taste of wood fire pizza oven were perfect indicators of a great Italian restaurant.

I am very surprised and SO disappointed! The food that I have ordered on two visits was superb, the atmosphere wonderful, and the service was OK. The disappointment was that on my 2nd visit I noticed on my check, a 3 1/2% non-cash charge! What is this? I eat out often, not only in Houston, but cities across the country and around the world and have never seen this. This is absurd. Their prices are already on the top side of the market. Sofia, accepting credit cards is one of your costs of doing business, just like your light bill. I will not return.

The other review was right.... The food looks nice but no flavor.... Chicken was dry... No flavor... Average ticket was 50 a person

The menu is limited. If you are looking for chicken or veal, the offerings are very limited - either chicken parmesan or a breaded and fried veal. The bread basket cost $8.00 and it was skimpy, we waited forever for it to be brought to our table. The service was very disappointing at best.

The service here is impeccable. From the moment you walk in until the moment you leave you are treated very well. The menu has a very good selection of Italian food. I personally had the swordfish, which was cooked to perfection and had a very fresh taste. The oysters were very good, having a grate selection of sauces to enjoy on them. The in-house fresh bread is available for a charge but is well worth the cost. The garnishes they provide are very tasty. There selection of desserts are very good. We had the raspberry gelato which had a crisp and fresh taste. Last but not least, there drinks are phenomenal! There signature drinks are amazing, and of course they will make anything you like. We had the lemon drop martini’s and there signature margaritas and they were awesome. Our server was very good. He was kind, informative, and attentive. We highly recommend this restaurant.

Perfect date night from start to finish. Seated right on time. We sat in the covered outdoor patio. Weather permitting, I think it’s better than sitting inside. It gives you a better Italian vibe and the ambiance is more enjoyable. Excellent service. Huge shoutout to our waiter. Dane was probably the best wait ever we’ve ever had anywhere. His knowledge about the drinks and food really elevated the experience. The man knows the food and cocktail menu like he made it himself. The food was incredible and didn’t take long to come out (which was a pleasant surprise for a packed Friday night). Cocktails: Dark Horse was great. If you love an old fashioned get it. Appetizer 1: Ricotta di Pecora (if you love delicious cheese dip and perfect bread, this is definitely the move) Appetizer 2: it was a special they had, 3 large lamb meatballs that were fantastic, in a delicious red sauce and served with bread. Loved it. Dinner: Bucatini alla Pesto. They nailed it. If you love pesto, get it. Very flavorful, delicious pasta. Dessert: tiramisu. Delicious, but with a modern twist. Frankly, it couldn’t have been a better first experience. The ONLY thing is that the parking lot is valet only for $6, but then again it’s the heights so why was I surprised. I parked down the street for free. Go get some of the best food in town. It’s pricey, but worth it.

We had a wonderful meal with excellent service. We chose to sit at the bar near the front door because we were watching the Astros game. We ordered the ricotta salsa as a starter and almost licked the bowl. Then split the charred salad. Finally we each had an appetizer served as a main dish. We asked that the food be brought out into stages NOT all at once and the waitstaff did a beautiful job. We were taken care of without being constantly interrupted. A truly lovely meal! We plan to return!!

We dined in for lunch on a Sunday. The less than half full valet only parking lot was an immediate turnoff. We had to park on the street, which I am sure the neighbors love. It is a lovely restaurant. The service is pretty good, but a bit disorganized. The food is good, but seemed overpriced. We ordered bread basket 3/5, Barbabietole Arrosta 4/5, Prosciutto Pizza 3/5 (too sweet, but overall a quality pie), Cacio E Pepe 3/5, and Pollo Alla Parmigiana 4/5. Nice wine list priced market upper end.

We heard nice comments from several friends, so we decided to explore it. On the Northern part of the Heights, it is not exactly convenient, but it is not that far. It was a tad challenging to find, since there was no sign on the building, so we actually drove by the first time. There is adequate parking. while the restaurant is not much to be looked at from the outside, inside it has charm. There is an indoor dining area and a relaxing, covered "outdoor" seating area. Despite the heat, we chose the latter and it turned out to be quite pleasant. There are fans throughout the place, so we had a gentle breeze at all times. Service was prompt, friendly and helpful. Sofia has a surprising list of attractive cocktails, and we highly recommend the Amaretto Sour and the Negroni Bianco. The Crudo di Pesce was beautifully presented, and delicious. The Roasted Octopus was another excellent choice. Our mains included a Veal Milanese and a braised Lamb Shank: both were perfectly prepared and reminiscent of similar dishes we enjoyed in Italy. The Mille Foglie and the Torta di Olio were a great finish to the meal. Sofia offers over 20 wines by the glass, covering most wine-producing areas of Italy. There is a more extensive list of wines by the glass, well-priced and nicely served. Overall, a delightful evening at a lovely Italian restaurant.

You will be less disappointed at an Olive Garden than this “oh so authentic” Italian. Definitely a one-and-done. Arrogant management is just unfortunate.

I was totally surprised by the 3.5% surcharge for the use of our Credit Card. They told us that there was a sign on the front desk…who reads the sign on the front desk as you are busily coming in and being seated? We had the same surprise at Rouxpour when we found out that we (just of the 2 of us) had tipped on top of the posted tip on our bill. Our fault for not reading the bill before we tipped. They told us that the sign was at the bottom of the door when we came in. Really???? The service and food at Sofia’s is excellent but we can’t reccommend it with this service charge.

Nice, diverse menu expertly prepared and brilliantly served. We are traveling and ate here twice in five days. The menu allows for picking and choosing a very tasty meal. When we were seated on our second visit, Caare, our server at the first meal remembered us from five days. We are not memorable people, but she even remembered what we had from our first meal there. She is the best ambassador any restaurant could have. The entrees were fresh and clean. My wife knows what I wants in wine and described her preferences. She was pleased with their offerings. The folks dining with us were pleasant and happy. The parking is accessible and this location is handy for people in downtown and the near Westside and Northside.

For starters the place is lovely, as soon as you walk in the mood is so fun...it reminded me of a restaurant in Chicago. It is busy even with a reservation, so be prepared to wait a few min, but the bar is amazing, and you an order while you wait for your table. The bar tender who served us was super friendly, and accommodating. When we got to our table, we were so hungry we ordered right away, and our server was fantastic, I hate that I forgot his name, but he was awesome. He was so helpful with suggestions, and they were all excellent. We started with the beet and labneh salad, and prosciutto pizza, the flavors were out of this world. We did get a bread basket too, yum yum....carb what?!?! I got the pasta with lamb, now if you have a flair for Mediterranean cuisine you will love it....if you do not like lamb steer clear and go for the monkfish which was also amazing. Now the in house chocolate gelato is to die for...you must try it...and the the butterscotch pudding was amazing. Can't wait to take the hubs, went for girls night...

Fantastic food, great service and overall a lovely meal. We had a variety of dishes and each one was exceptional. Highly recommended.

We had a reservation to sit in the terrace, but when we got there, there was a bit of a wait. We decided to just sit inside as we were hungry. Both inside and the climate controlled terrace are very nice and cozy. Our server was excellent, he was friendly, knowledgeable, and kept up with us without being overbearing. We got a prosciutto pizza and the whipped ricotta, both were delicious. My son got the chicken parmigiana from the kids menu and he really liked it. Both my wife and daughter got the Cacio E Pepe and added shrimp/chicken. They absolutely loved it. The pasta was so fresh and delicious. I got the Gamberi Fra Diavolo and although good, it was just 5 shrimp on a plate. Next time I will try something different, because everything was amazing.

Was excited to try this restaurant. It's quite attractive on the inside and has a very nice patio. Unfortunately the day we went it was very hot on the patio, in spite of fans blowing. We asked if we had our choice of ordering off the brunch menu or lunch menu, since it was only 1:00. They said we had to order off the brunch or dinner menu. OK so several people ordered the Bruschetta Di Granchio and they loved it. I ordered il Trittato and was not impressed. It was a potato and hash dish in a pasta sauce with egg on top. It was OK but I wish I had tried something else. The service was good albeit a bit slow. I might go back and try another item, but with all the great Italian restaurants in Houston, probably not.

Many options for seating at lunch. Bar, table or sorta outside but not really. Large Friday lunch crowd. Nice design and repurposing of old building. Very good Neapolitan style pizza. Excellent Cacio e Pepe. Split plate on your own…. not in kitchen. Valets ALL the time. Uncharge for non cash payments.

Expected more for the price point. And had one bad surprise. Was an early dinner reservation on a Sunday evening. The restaurant was pretty empty for most of the time we were there, as was the rather large parking lot —is all valet. So that was six dollars off the bat. The food was good but in my opinion over priced. The bread basket and spicy dip was at eight dollars, tasty, but up the type that you would get complementary at the most high end restaurants. Had the pesto bucatini which was very good, though on the smaller portion side. Also had One of the pizzas which at $19 again was pricey but was still very good. The setting was quiet and very comfortable. What surprised us the most was the monotone delivery by the server. Our server might’ve had a bad night or a bad day or whatever but truly would’ve appreciated some enthusiasm and maybe, just maybe a smile. Also, when served, a different person had to ask the two of us who ordered what. At this price point, should not be a “So who has the cheeseburger” type of service . They should know. The biggest surprise for us at the end of the meal when our leftovers were packaged up. We were waiting at the table for them to be given to us. We saw our server busy with other tables. Had to flag down another server and asked about The leftovers. He said you mean this and there was a bag of leftovers under our table, by our feet. Someone had to have walked by and just quickly left a bag. On the floor. Without making contact with us. It was very very strange and kind of disgusting.

Went for Sunday brunch. Overall experience was failure to provide value equal to costs. Positives: Beautiful interior and nice bar area. Pleasant greeting upon entrance. Requested outside dining and received nice table on patio. Very interesting menu with unique choices. Primarily Southern Italian based dishes. Server was friendly and took good care of us throughout the meal. Food was very attractive when presented. Good flavors on all dishes. Negatives: Was not offered a wine list nor asked about a bottle purchase despite ordering two glasses of wine. Food was good but use of Olive Oil was excessive. Wine by the glass was expensive in comparison of quality of selection. Was not offered coffee or desert post meal, simply received check. Of particular note, upon making an online reservation via Open Table was sent an email telling the time limit for the table (1:15 for parties of 2). Ignored it as "SOP" but we had wine, appetizer, and main courses for $115 and we were in-and-out in 1:05. Bottom line.....food was good but not great. Service was good but not great. Prices indicate it should be great. Hoping Trattoria Sofia finds it way forward in a city with so many great options.

Mediocre food, horrible service. Tony tried to make it right, but he couldn’t overcome the front line waiter. Appetizers were fine, but nothing I haven’t had before. My veal Milanese was meh - I’ve had better chicken fried steak. My wife’s swordfish was over salted.