Sapore Di Mare

What a fun, hidden gem in Joppatowne!! We decided to try Sapore Di Mare on a whim, and are so glad we did! Authentic Italian food, delicious, homemade flavors, and casual, dining room style eating makes for yummy place for a family meal that won't break the bank. We have already been back a second time, and look forward to returning soon!

This place is really good and I’m so glad we stumbled on it while in town. Everything we had was delicious. My son wanted to lick his plate clean and said how good it was. The sauce was really good! The service was great and the inside was clean. Looking forward to coming back soon to try more! The prices are also reasonable.

The specials board always has excellent dishes. See the photos of the daily specials in Nov 2024 & Mar 2025. Our favorite black & blue pork chop has a wonderful blue cheese sauce over a slightly blackened healthy sized pork chop. The generous fettucine is served with a rose sauce that is very tasty. See the photo. Always consider a starter. The Caesar Favorite (Mama's special) salad is our favorite in the county. All kinds of antipasto-like items are added including roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, chunks of fresh mozzarella. We split it onto 2 plates for two. See the photo. The lasagna had so much of the wonderful delicate tomato sauce, it was covered. This is the real authentic lasagna of Italy. For a tasty pasta with a kick, the Salmone Al Pesto has a marvelous creamy pesto sauce, & a heaping of small fresh button mushrooms. They say it's only 6 oz. of salmon but the whole plate was covered in large segments of it--it's large enough to take home for a second dinner. I recently tried the puttanesca. A low-priced main course. This is the freshest puttanesca I've found. Only the freshest tomatoes are used. The pieces are chunky. A few delicate pieces of anchovy give a rich flavor with all the black olives & many capers. This is a really tasty & filling meal. The spaghetti/Angel hair is tender & seems to be home made. Everything's so fresh. It's a winner. Mama makes her own Tiramisu. The delicate sponge soaked with flavor is something not to be missed. Get it when you can. Alternatively, the Lemon Drop cake (see photos) is light lemony & refreshing. The hefty layers of cream between the the sponge layers reminds you of a light English trifle. Two great desserts. The service is attentive, friendly, knowledgeable & extremely helpful. This is a wonderful place for authentic Italian meals. While considering the menu, try the complimentary bread made in the pizza oven. It's flavorful & irresistible.

This place has always been a local favorite of mine, I grew up coming here with my family often as a kid. I hadn’t been in a while and my friends and I remembered the delicious bread and oil they serve. We decided to come for lunch one day last week and this place is even better than I remember! The bread was warm and pairs deliciously with the oil. Everything we had tasted great. Portions were large so we had leftovers. Prices were great. Our server was quick and kind. We definitely want to start coming more often again!

Everything was delicious here on my visit. The Chicken Chesapeake is a high recommendation, the calamari was tender and tasty, and the after-meal espresso was boldly refreshing. The staff were very welcoming and happy to have us dining with them.

This restaurant offers authentic Italian cuisine in a simple, cozy setting. The service is warm and welcoming, and the food is absolutely delicious. It’s definitely worth adding an extra 10 minutes to your trip to stop by and enjoy a real, satisfying meal.

Our server moved us through without feeling rushed. We had our drinks and. food within the 5 minutes of sitting down. They do a great job of staying attentive to every table. P.S. the cheese pizza and bread is great!

Great service, the food was okay, and casual atmosphere. The wall art made me feel like i was at an aquarium rather than a restaurant because of the theme and the busyness of it. I would've given a worse review if it weren't for the service. I'd go back simply because of the employees.

Had dinner with my parents and wife on Friday night. Our server was friendly and attentive and did great handling our dine in order as well as a rather large "to go" order on top of it. Luckily we got a table right away because the dining room was packed as usual. I ordered the Chicken Chesapeake which was out of this world. See photo attached for review! Chicken breast, lump crab meat, and jumbo shrimp in an old bay rose cream sauce. Served over angel hair. Wow! I'm not sure that I'll ever order anything else from here. I was blown away at how good this dish came off. Crab and shrimp went perfect with old bay sauce which was just right in the amount of old bay to not overpower the dish. Five stars!!!

I consider this a hidden gem. They're off the main roads tucked away in a community. The food is fast and good, the people are nice, and I've never had a bad experience.

Terrific pasta and awesome pizza as well. This place doesn't look like much on outside but the food is incredible. Definitely give a recommendation

The best pizza in town - no ifs, ands or buts. I'm originally from near Boston -- Sapore stacks up with them.

Husband had the flounder... it was very good I had the chicken Chesapeake based on previous reviews The positive was the old bay/ sause... very tasty My chicken had that hard muscle in multiple pieces.. I only got 3 shrimp and I could not even see/ find the crab meat... so I was disappointed for it being the most expensive on the menu They did give a nice portion... I brought half home

A delicious Mother's Day meal. To start, the fried calamari was perfection(and I'm a squid snob ) My Gnocchi with peas and prosciutto was delicious. my husband ordered the Cod over Angel hair pasta with olives and tomatoes. He loved it. The kids got stuffed shells and penne à la vodka with Crab. Everybody was thrilled with their meals and we had crème brûlée to finish. Very high-quality food and a very reasonable price! Delicioso!

They do a lot for our community. They do some of their dishes very well. Do wish they would switch up their specials. They aren't specials if they are the same every week lol

Good Italian spot that in my opinion is a cross between a carry out and a fine dining restaurant. Very good eggplant Parm and shrimp corn chowder. Salads are decent portion. Pizza is pretty good but better if you eat there. Service is always solid and ownership is very engaging. Nice little spot deep in Joppatown.

Every time we order takeout from here we are always pleased with our meals. I have nothing bad to say and I would recommend giving this place a try.

Love this restaurant! The food is authentic Italian and delicious. The employees are courteous and helpful. And the prices are reasonable.

The pizza is good. Food is inconsistent in quality. Good calamari. Needs lights in the parking lot.

Food here is excellent, I love the pastas! So fresh and delicious. Also the crab appetizer is phenomenal! Pizza is so cheesy and meaty good!

Nice variety on the specials and menu! I had the flounder special over angel hair pasta. Very clean and perfect size. My cousin loved her crab/scallop dish from the menu. We split a house salad, nice selection on the ingredients. Don't forget the bread and dipping sauce, it's worth the calories. The dessert looked good but we had wine instead.

This place is SERIOUSLY a gem. Just moved from New York recently and I can honestly say the pizza here is TOP NOTCH. Nice thin crust with the perfect bite and perfect amount of cheese, sauce, and toppings. Seafood is super fresh. Bolognese was a hit. The complementary focaccia was amazing as well. It looks like they also offer American food/sandwiches (like cheesesteaks, burgers) which seem to be popular as well.. looked around and really a 50/50 split for those ordering Italian/pizza vs the sandwiches. Really interested to try them! Came for an early dinner and it was already half-full. Line for pickup orders was consistent. Just means that this place is popular for a reason - because of the food. Service was really on top of it even though it was crazy busy!! WE WILL BE REGULARS!

Always good food whenever we get it delivered great pizza ! Will recommend to anyone in the area for sure

Great mom&pop Italian restaurant. The staff is very welcoming and the atmosphere was very relaxing/easy going. We were seated right away and our waiter was very attentive. I had calamari abs the Fettuccine Bolognese-both were delicious.

If you find yourself dating/engaged/marrying a wrestling fan in Maryland, then you'll also find that you will be making many a trip to the small town of Joppa, MD. What's in Joppa, you ask? Apparently, Maryland Championship Wrestling at the lovely town Amish/Dutch market that hosts several amateur/professional wrestling events. And if you go to enough of these things, sometimes you have to take a break from watching grown men (and women) in tight shorts pummel each other while making mouth noises and slamming their feet to get some dinner that isn't ocean fries and Wendy's. Enter Sapore Di Mare to save the day. By the looks of this place, off the side of Joppa Farm Rd, with a billboard down the road advertising this place, you don't expect it to be so good. In fact, it just kinda looks more like a carry-out/delivery joint and less of a restaurant. BUT HOLY MOMMA MIA, everything you would consume in this place is delicious. This is a complete family owned and operated restaurant, it is soo authentically Italian it will blow you away. First of all, the red sauce. Let me just drink this by itself. Rich tomato sauce with the right amount of garlic to scare vampires away. This is clearly someone's grandmothers recipe. We had the red sauce with the meatballs and the lasagna. The soups and salads are awesome. I hadn't had Italian Wedding Soup in years and it was on the specials for the night and we also ordered the MD crab soup (with the tomato broth). They also split up a rather generously portioned Greek salad for us. The greek salad was just how I like it: with GIANT BLOCKS OF FETA!!! The soup and salad was actually enough of a meal for two people but since we don't know our limits we continued onto the meatballs as a side and a lasagna slice to share. The lasagna was more than enough for two people. I basically ate the sauce and cheese and avoided the noodles but from what I heard, it was one of the best lasagnas ever. The meatballs were soft and super flavorful. The best part of the meal, a dinner for two with 2 soups, one salad, meatballs and lasagna was $26. Total deal! That's way cheaper than the autographed picture of Ric Flair you'll end up taking home and putting in some obscure corner of the basement. Woooo!

I've been dining here for years! My favorite is the Italian cold cut, something about the onion and the oil they use together that just does it for me! It's the prefect sized sub with some fries for the perfect meal, they're pizza is pretty good too!

The spaghetti sauce tasted like it was straight put of a dollar tree can. It tasted really cheap, service was good though. Should work on those cooks.

My husband and I live in the area and we've been wanting to try Sapore DI Mare out for some time now. We decided to get to-go for our anniversary dinner. We got Caesar salad, garlic bread (as well as the complimentary bread), Penne Caprese, Shrimp Diavolo and cheesecake. The portion sizes were great! We had enough food for the next night too. I think because we were eating to-go, the croutons and garlic bread were a tad soggy and not as crisp as we expected. Other than that, everything was delicious! We look forward to going back.

The food came out quick and was very good! The atmosphere was not that of a fine dining restaurant, but the food and service was great!

Maybe the best Italian food in Hartford county. Rose sauce is outta this world. And the calamari is fresh

Well I've been trying to hit this spot for about 6 months but something always pops up until today. First impression: Tiny but clean. Organized. To the food....based off of Yelp I ordered the corn and shrimp chowder to go. I grabbed a slice of pie for the drive home and that impression was.....they didn't heat the slice enough. Ugh. Second opinion was of the sweet pizza sauce. Pretty nice but this is totally mall type pizza which I like. When I got home the chowder was very good. Very good. Next time I will dine in and retry the pie and one of the several pasta dishes. This is not a fancy place but defiantly worth another try.

Local restaurant with great authentic Italian food. Everything on the menu is delicious. It is great atmosphere to dine at. The service is great and the owners are very friendly.

The shape of the building reminds me of an old Pizza Hut, but rest assured, Sapore di Mare is much, much better than that. Three of us came here for dinner on Labor Day. We all had the pizza and we all LOVED the pizza. This is the best and freshest pizza I have had in a very long time-- homemade with much care. We give a big thumbs up to the Meat Lover's pizza, Bianca pizza, and the Hawaiian Pizza. And be forewarned: one medium pizza from Sapore di Mare is enough for two-three people but order it for yourself anyway so you have amazing leftovers the next day. I was also strangely taken with the Monster Truck rally that was showing on the television here. Sapore offered desserts, wine, and beer, as well as a friendly staff.

Very good Italian cuisine,very reasonably priced. Service is good, with very pleasant atmosphere.

Amazing local spot in Joppa, MD. Super friendly and great food. A staple in my dining out or take out.

The food is excellent and generous. First visit and it was quite enjoyable! The ambiance is a bit lacking but I understand under the current circumstances.

Amazing service, the bread they give you when seated is so good! We got the rustico sandwich which was so fresh and amazing.

When my all-time favorite restaurant closed without warning, my husband went on a quest to find me a replacement Italian place. He found this little gem. Great pasta, great calamari, great subs. We've been 2 weeks in a row now, and the waiter remembered my order when my husband walked in (I wasn't even there yet!) it's just a little sub shop carry out with a few tables and booths, but what it lacks in fanciness, it more than makes up for in flavor!

Food was really good , I got the pork chop , which was excellent, with pasta and an order of the chicken Chesapeake which also was good , the chicken was so tender . They gave good portions and everything was tasty . I would like to try their pizza next time .

I was floored when I realized I have never reviewed this place? Sapore is Little Italy in Joppatowne!! The lasagna is amazing, the calamari excellent. The marinara served with the calamari is to die for....fresh tomato chunks and so delicious. I always ask for extra!! The pizza is true NY style and very very good. I only wish they had a 12" version available as you can only order 14" and 16". The linguine de Sapore is an amazing dish. Loaded with calamari, large shrimp and clams over pasta with a delectable homemade sauce....you can't do better!!

We've heard of this place for quite some time and I regret not trying it sooner but we were a big fan of Joe's in Rumsey Island who had the pizza with the "Pizza John's" style pepperoni cups filled with grease that we LOVED, and when they closed down, I forgot about this place until recently. We have only had the pepperoni pizza but this is our new pizza go to. The crust was perfectly crispy and soft with so much flavor! The sauce and cheese were the ideal ratio and the pepperoni, although not those lovely grease cups, had SO much flavor!! We did carry out but the service was fast and friendly. I can't wait to try the salad, soup or pasta after reading the reviews and seeing the pictures of the dishes!!

Love the food here. Very nice low key establishment with great choice of dishes. I highly recommend it. The crab cake is good, but don't expect "the best crab cake" ever. I love the way they serve it though, it is awesome!

Excellent food and great service, well recommended. A bit out of the was, but definitely worth the journey.

The bread they give you as you get seated is so good! The employees are very friendly and welcoming. I ordered the crab mac and cheese which left me enough to eat for dinner the day after. The place is small but tidy. Definitely recommend!

I've been coming to this little Italian place for several years with my family and it's always been such a treat. Family favorites include the calamari (best I've had in the area by far!), the veal Marsala, eggplant parm sub. Salads here are also huge. Service has always been impeccable- every server we've had has been very accommodating and professional. Always so hard to resist their bread and garlic oil! Everything on this menu is so tasty. You can't go wrong.

I ordered pizza and wings to go and it was really good. I'm from Jersey and picky about pizza. It was the best pizza I have had in Maryland. I will definitely be back again and I look forward to trying some of the pastas.

"Taste of the Sea" is what this little, unassuming Italian restaurant translates to. And I must say, my favorite dish here is one with seafood! I've been here a fair few times as its so close to some relatives. They always sit five or six of us right away and the food comes out fast! Sapore di Mare may not look like much from the outside but inside, look at the murals! Man they take me right back to Italia! There's not much sophisticated about this place- handwritten white board lists the specials, paper menus, plain tables and chairs, and neon lights that ring around the ceiling. But who cares about that! The food is what matters most! Right, so back to my favorite dish- I think it's called the Chesapeake Special, it's never actually on the menu but always listed at the bottom of the specials. Angel Hair pasta cooked just right with juicy crab meat, and this creamy, delicious sauce with Old Bay (I think it comes with shrimp too but I asked to not have it) I mean can you be more B-More than that? Mmmm so good! Most recently I tried another special with Roasted Eggplant, Prosciutto, and Mozz with Tomato sauce over penne. Not the best execution, but great flavors in the sauce. My biggest gripe is that I don't think they could have sliced the eggplant any thinner and given me less of it- I ordered the eggplant special...give me eggplant! Next time, we'll have to leave room for the desserts than sounded so delish!

This place is delicious! The waitress was lovely, the kitchen was fast and the food was amazing! The bread they bring out right away is to die for. The prices were VERY reasonable. I completely recommend!

Love it. Love it. Love it. Fantastic Italian restaurant with incredible specials and wonderful menu staples. Great service and they are closely knit to the local community. I recommend the Chicken Supremo!

A real Joppatowne gem. Authentic Italian food. Best pizza from nice people! Not to be missed.

This was our favorite place to go after we got off the boat but we haven't had a chance to visit since before the local marina closed. Tonight was our first time back and we were so happy to see the restaurant had the same good quality delicious food as before. We ordered the antipasto, the scallop and crab old bay Chesapeake, a chicken cheese steak and pasta for the kids. The scallops were huge and flavorful with a nice hint of smokey grill. Lots of crab meat and a tasty sauce. The antipasto was a work of art the plenty of greens, mozzarella, salami, prosciutto, artichoke hearts and fabulously rich balsamic vinegar. Good selection of beer (peroni) and wine at decent price. . . Well be back again soon!

Best pizza around and great calamari. Owners are friendly and so are workers. Delivery and pickup if you can fit in their parking lot it's small.

This place has drastically changed granted where in a pandemic but all of my other favorite places stayed consistent so no excuse!! Drove 30 minutes to get this pizza. The pizza use to be soo good !! Now it was the worst pizza I've had ! The sauce tasted weird like too many herbs the cheese didn't have the flavor it use to. Definitely won't be back unless they get the old cooks back cause this pizza was definitely a miss!

Here, you might say, we have our very own remote location of "Little Italy" from Baltimore, right here in Joppatowne...without the long drive. The food here is so authentic, and delicious. The lasagna, the spaghetti, the cannoli, the pizza....all of it. Many say, even their crab cakes are among the very best. The restaurant has a very quaint, friendly atmosphere, and everything is also available as carryout. Theirs is my VERY favorite pizza. While i generally get toppings elsewhere, here i always get the cheese pizza. It's sooo good. You'll have a great meal at Sapore, i assure you. Chuck

I'm from NH and I am traveling back up the east coast to home , looked up top places to eat at and this one was at the top . This is a diamond in the rough Italian eatery that's hidden on a back road . The food was amazing ... I'll be back here next summer when I come back through ...

I've been living in Joppa for 10 years and this is the go to spot for Pizza! The cheese pizza is amazing!

Came back tonight after a rough last visit. Was quickly seated and offered a beverage. Ordered the salmon special. Bread and drinks were brought out in a very timely fashion. Main course of salmon was phenomenal!! Prepared with olives, spinach and angel hair pasty. It was a very very good dish. Had the cheese cake for dessert. Filling made from scratch competes with authentic New York cake from downtown. I'll be back!