Sotto Review

Fantastic service and the short rib pasta is amazing!

Great ambiance and style. The food would have been better if the kitchen wouldn't have over salted our dishes. Out of a 6 entrees, 3 were very, very salty. Maybe just an off night.

Best Italian restaurant in Cincinnati. Any dish is great but do not miss the goat cheese, hazelnut and honey starter and ricotta doughnuts for dessert

Had a great meal on business travel in Cincinnati on a Monday night. Did not need reservations and was able to walk in and get a seat at the bar where I ate. Started off with some sour dough bread and a grilled romaine salad. For dinner I had the wild boar tortellini and finished with a flourless chocolate cake. It was all very delicious, but the standout was the tortellini - super yummy. Great service. I would come again.

The atmosphere,service and food is perfect! I mean even the restrooms are beautiful and tidy. By far still my favorite for years! I recommend often to my clients.

My husband and I went for my birthday. Tried to go for our anniversary but couldn't get a reservation even three weeks out. Food was wonderful. I had the short rib cappellacci which was so flavorful and my husband had the lamb sausage pasta which was also delicious. We shared the insalata and some bread and oil. The insalata was simple but surprisingly delicious. Finished with the ricotta doughnuts. They were indulgent and definitely a sharing portion. I ordered a cocktail (Milan rougue) and it was too sweet. Ambiance is romantic and loud enough to be comfortable without being too loud to hear each other. Definitely a new favorite.

Unreal food. Atmosphere to match. Get a reservation asap

I cannot praise this place enough. Really great atmosphere and even better food

Staff is excellent. The food is to die for. I highly recommend Sotto.

Small portions but excellent Italian fare. Romantic setting

Awesome Food and service. Little pricey but homemade pasta and dishes are worth it. Meg was an excellent server. Love the rustic atmosphere.

This place is packed for dinner, it took me 30 min to get a seat at the bar for one.

Food was fabulous but my only issue is with service time. Appetizer cam quickly within 15 minutes of ordering but I main course took forever. I asked the server to bring my main as soon as it was finished cooking regardless of my appetizer but it still took a grueling 35 min after my appetizer arrived.

All in all, good atmosphere, really good food even if it was slow.

Omg! If your ever in downtown Cincinnati Sotto is the place to eat! Went for dinner and had the bistecca! I have never tasted a steak so tender and delicious! Such a friendly staff and the environment was awesome! Will definitely come back!

My favorite truly modern Italian food in the city. The experience is always enjoyable and the atmosphere is dim (maybe even dark) but lively and has great design details. The ricotta doughnuts top off an excellent meal.

Non-authentic, expensive italian food thats honestly not that great.

Great setting and service.

We started out with the goat cheese bread which was surprisingly amazing for me since I don't like goat cheese typically. Alongside the bread we got the black kale caesar salad which we were so happy that we got as well since the flavors were so delicious and savory. Definitely some of the best appetizers I've had. The pasta itself was a little disappointing, though still pretty good. We got the cacio e pepe and the tajarin con ragu to share which was filling but we felt the apps had a little more "oomf" to the experience. The ricotta doughnuts were really scrumptious and definitely lived up to the hype. Our waitress Shannon was super nice, and was really great with service and helping us decide on what to get. We're glad we finally got to visit such a nice comfy spot for a date!

Awesome experience, the atmosphere and food are incredible.

I love this place. The athmosphere. The server Nathan was the BEST. I trully recommend this place.

Excellent food but small portions for the price. Love the ricotta doughnuts

Good food with an awesome atmosphere. Kinda pricey though.

Meal was pretty good. I would reccomend each person ordering an appetizer off the left side and then a pasta dish off of the right side. Dont mess around with the non pasta dishes!

There is some good but there were some things that could improve.
First, the entry had an inch or two of standing water. My date had some very nice brand new shoes on so she did not appreciate stepping in to that.
We were greeted very nicely and service at the bar was outstanding. We were educated on their wine selection and given samples.
We were seated promptly and our drink orders taken right away. The wine service was excellent all night.
Service for food however was very slow and they were not busy at all. This was the theme through the evening. It took quite a while for the server to arrive. After the salad we waited at least 30 minutes for the entree, maybe 45.
We knew what we wanted before being seated and it still took well over 2 hours for dinner.
The place is very cool, rustic. They make the pasta fresh on site.
We both ordered the cappellacci. I was shocked at how small the portion was and that the short rib was unrecognizable. If I wasn't told there was meat i would have never known. This was some sort of tiny meatballish morsels attached to pasta swimming in a butter soup. It tasted good but what wouldn't if it's drenched in butter. My date had to dump the butter soup out.
The Caesar salad was not great either. I assumed by the description that it had some Kale in it because Caesar of course is usually Romaine lettuce. No this was all Kale, no croutons, a large amount of dressing and some sort of grittiness to it, like sand.
After the entree we waited another long time and dessert was offered. The selections were not appealing to me. My date did get the gelato which they poured a shot of espresso over. Wow.
So, at an Italian restaurant I left hungry. I didn't think that was possible. Usually you are asking for a box.

Everything was really good. I had the short rib ravioli, very good.

Favorite favorite restaurant in Cincinnati! Literally not just the best Italian but the best DINING EXPERIENCE from beginning to end. Every dish is soooo good and presented beautifully. Even selections you have never had will just be good because ITS SOTTO! Awesome ambience. Everything is fresh. All the waiters and waitresses are as food as you can ask for. Just keep in mind, this place is so good they are almost always booked up in the evening and you NEED A RESERVATION. You can always wait for bar seating which is also going to be a good experience but you will be elbow to elbow. Love this place. Best in Cincinnati in my opinion!

My boyfriend and I ate here last week for my birthday. I had been wanting to try Sotto for awhile now, and I was not disappointed. Our server was excellent. He asked us if we had any dietary restrictions (we're both vegetarian), and then he went through and highlighted all of the vegetarian options on the menu along with his recommendations. Everything we ordered was amazing, and the dessert we ordered even came with a candle for my birthday. My only caveat is to make recommendations well in advance. We went on a Tuesday and it was packed. I made reservations about 6 weeks ahead of time. I'll definitely be coming back here for future special occasions!

Freaking amazing..although it was a bit loud.. top 100 restaurant for sure. the truffles and Short rib your absolutely perfect. Marry me.

An interesting fine dining experience. A little bit weird that its basically in a cellar, and that what looked to be a hobo directing people in. Nice atmosphere but a little too dark and very loud (our family had to basically yell to hear each other). Food is good, but of course, expensive. Bonus fact: there is ice in the urinals.

AMAZING FOOD. I don t believe it matters what you order here. Pasta made fresh every day, one can certainly taste the difference in the real stuff vs. dehydrated. Vintage ambience adds to the great experience. We will be back when we are back in Cinci!!

The Tastiest Food, the Most Romantic Atmosphere! Sotto has become one of our all time favorites in Cincinnati. Romantic, dim lighting and leather booths make for a cozy date, while big tables and separated dining rooms allow for bigger groups too. Food is excellent and different each time we have gone. The Blue Oven Bread is so good, and you must have the little donuts for desert (like french beignets), come with a multitude of amazing dipping sauces!

I am obsessed with this place. Pure Italian awesomeness. Real northern Italian cuisine... not the garbage tourist Italian that most places serve. The black truffle pasta is so good i could scream. Pasta is fresh. For dessert, i often get the budino, with gianduja mousse and candied hazelnuts....completely o*****mic. Like i could return here day in and day out. An absolute gem. Not to mention the decor was cozy and service always great. My grandmother would be proud.

Can t...stop...thinking.....about...Sotto

Favorite dinner in the city! Excellent cocktails. Must have the beef tartare and short rib pasta.

Cool space in downtown with interesting italian food. Our server was SUPER knowledgeable about the menu but unfortunately the service was not attentive and my food was delivered cold. If you can't get the basics right, I don't care how sexy your space is.

Amazing upscale Italian food. Just started serving a smaller menu for lunches.

Interesting atmosphere, attentive staff, phenomenal food. The food really was excellent. Highly recommend a reservation on weekends (will need to look decently in advance of your day if looking for Friday or Saturday)

I love Sotto. Hands down this is the best restaurant in the city.
Must try the donuts.

Sotto made sure my boyfriends birthday dinner was one to remember. We were surprised and delighted from start to finish. The team was very genuine, down to earth, and knowledgeable, the food was phenomenal, and the atmosphere was beautiful and intimate! Even with COVID regulations, it was an incredibly comfortable and safe dining experience. This wasn t our first time at Sotto and it certainly won t be our last.

Delicious food, great service, cool atmosphere. Definitely recommend!

Excellent food! It was neat to go to the restaurant that was the former 5-star Maisonette. The new spacious elevator that I took down from Boca's was great! Being handicapped I used to have to go through a back alley through the Maisonette kitchen.

Good food, the decor is exquisite but the pasta where unusually salty.

Interesting menu, very busy establishment. Really great atmosphere having been the La Normandy. The service was definitely not up to par. I have given this three and a half stars if that was an option

Amazing food and drinks. Make sure you go there with plenty of wait time

Nice setting. Dishes were good, not the best pasta I ever had, but pretty good indeed. Fair prices. I would go back, I would also recommend it.

This spot is first-rate and spacious, the meals was enchanting and the rates were very affordable. fast, efficient service and very affable staff members. Recommended.

Great atmosphere, food and service! Love the ever changing menus!

Great vibe, great food and great service. I had the gnocchi which were out of this world. It may be more fair to call them potato pancakes than gnocchi.

Reasonably priced.

We were only in Cincinnati for a night and were really eager to try out Sotto. They fortunately were able to squeeze us in and they did not disappoint! First off, the interior is super intimate and romantic with candles lighting up the whole celar. We made sure to order a good sampling from the menu and we were very happy with every dish.

Delicious! Amazing, knowledgeable, and friendly staff

Very cozy with almost a speakeasy vibe. Some of the best Italian food I've had!

Oh, so delicious. Recommend the stellato for a drink. GREAT service at the bar, cozy atmosphere. Will return.

Rustic Italian hand made pasta. Candle lit underground restaurant a must see!

Great cuisine. They had GF pasta for one of us but would've been great if they had whole grain pasta for diabetic customers. Lovely ambience. An expensive place.

Went here for a birthday dinner with friends. Awesome atmosphere, great service and delicious food!

Have the doughnuts. Great service and atmosphere. Everything tastes delicious.

Overpriced for portion sizes. They recommended getting several items from the menu to make it more like a tasting event and the price adds up quick which wasn't worth it in my opinion. I liked the ambiance the most

Amazing food and atmosphere. Easily the best food we ve had outside of Italy. Love their selection of Italian wines and good variety of primi items.

We also really enjoyed having Meg as our server. She was very personable and we thoroughly enjoyed our conversation! Highly recommend talking about Italy with her!

I loved the decor and ambience, and my server was excellent. My meal was simple and tasty, a different take on what I usually expect from an Italian restaurant. Since it was my birthday, I was also brought a small dessert which was delicious.

This place is amazing the venue is neat. With awesome decor. Our waitress was amazing. We all got a side for me the bruschetta was like nothing I had before. We each got a pasta to share and the steak for the main course. We ended with fried donuts to share ! We plan to do this again soon!

Pricey, but a cool experience. I would suggest at least coming here once and checking it out. Great date night place

Great restaurant in Cincinnati good atmosphere very warm and cozy. Recommended reservation there bar seating is open. Get the doughnuts for dessert

One of my favorite places to eat in CIncinnati, I love the candles on the table and the food is amazing. It def is great for special occasions.

Had the four course meal since I went with a large party, food was good. The only dish I really didn't like was the breaded pork loin with capers. It didn't have much taste as if it was not seasoned and had a strong oil taste/smell.

Intimate atmosphere with great pasta options. Cocktails are top-notch too. Try the doughnuts for dessert!

Meh. Not worth going. Food was fine not great! Stick to Nicolas or Boca. Very disappointing.

Fantastic, interesting food. Really cool location. The ricotta donuts were perhaps the best thing I've eaten in a long, long time.

I try to eat well and I visit a lot of restaurants. Sotto was what I consider to be high end Italian. Homemade pasta, great fish, all around solid menu. The ricotta donuts for dessert were really good too. This was one of those open kitchen places too that was proud to showcase their food prep. The kitchen was super clean and shiny.

Couldn't have had a better experience here. The food was out of this world and the bartender was super friendly/helpful/knowledgeable about the whole menu.

One of the best meals I have ever had. Everything was exceptional and that includes the service staff. The atmosphere is stunning. I will be back every time we come here to visit

Beware: DINNER AT SOTTO MAY BE YOUR NEW FAVORITE MEAL YET. I can't wait to return. Red wine flight, the service, prosecco, goat cheese pistachio pan starter, pork with capers and bread crumbs. The Autumn 2020 Corn Tortellini is unlike any other. Everything was amazing. P.S. Romance is in the air. Very "couple" friendly.