Sofi Restaurant

Francesco was our amazing waiter. When he found out we had lived in Italy, we had great conversations! The calamari fruit was amazing! And the pasta pescatore was delicious! They brought us tiramisu since we were celebrating our anniversary! It was a great experience! Highly recommended!

Sofi Italian Restaurant in Chicago was absolutely fantastic. We chose the coursed meal, and it far exceeded our expectations. Each dish was prepared beautifully, full of flavor without feeling heavy. The pacing was perfect, everything came out quickly and smoothly, but never rushed. Our waiter, Masimo, truly elevated the experience. His attentiveness, warmth, and thoughtful recommendations were some of the best service we’ve ever had. He knew exactly when to check in, made us feel cared for, and clearly takes pride in what he does. One of the things that stood out most was how balanced the meal was. Even with multiple courses, we left feeling satisfied and nourished instead of overly full or sluggish. The portions were generous but thoughtfully curated so you could enjoy everything without it being overwhelming. The atmosphere was quiet, polite, and relaxing, the kind of place where you can actually enjoy your conversation and settle into the moment. Overall, Sofi delivered a truly memorable dining experience. Highly recommend, and we’ll definitely be returning.

A fantastic Italian restaurant! I’ve been there a few times, busy or slow, it is a great place for some quality Italian food. The ambience is cozy and a wonderful place to have a date. The service has always been excellent. Highly recommend it.

Had a great experience at this wonderful Italian restaurant. The service was awesome and staff very friendly and knowledgeable. The food was the star of the evening. We had a large group and had the opportunity to sample several dishes. The veal, seafood and pasta were perfect. Had the pasta with lobster sauce and large prawns, and panacatta custard for desert which was incredible. Highly recommended for a large group or quaint couples night out.

Great Italian restaurant! Good appetizers and pasta. Highly recommend the caprese salad! Good wine selection as well. Perfect for a group outing while we were here in town for a conference.

My aunt and I were shopping and walking around the city, and were recommended this place by locals. Asked to be seated outside and we had the most handsome and kindest waiter! He was just so sweet honestly, and the food was divine!! I got a tortellini pasta with prosciutto for the main and the leek and potatoe soup as a starter . My aunt got Alfredo and bruschetta she’s a simple girl. The food was amazing though . Would love to come back in the summer !

The Valentines Day service was awful. Took forever to order our drinks (waiter didn’t even ask if he wanted drinks) with no check-ins after. The food was serviceable but not comparable to Italian spots in Chicago of a similar price point. The atmosphere was poor given the ceiling with a huge brown water stain on it and the fact that we were seated by a door where you can see into their storage area. I’m sure they have some very talented chefs working there that are mad they’re getting screwed by the fact that the front of house has already made the customer feel annoyed and ignored before the first bite.

Went here for my birthday and ordered from the pre-theatre menu, it was fantastic! We tried the tuna carpaccio, meatballs, risotto, and a penne dish. The tiramisu was so good, and I got some espresso after dinner which was great. My only criticism is that the meatballs were just a tiny bit dry but the sauce was great. 100% would come here again!

Beware of the 20% service charge added to the bill. While it is the payor's responsibility to scrutinize, I was disappointed to see that 1). the charge was not stated on the menu (it has been explained to me that a Chicago ordinance states it must be) 2). the waiter did not mention that the fee had already been added when presenting the bill or 3). assuming it was noticed while we were still present and upon seeing a "tip" of over 20% also had been left, a reminder that we were leaving a gratuity in addition to the service charge. Over 40% of the subtotal (about $100 of which was in alcohol) was paid as gratuity and charge. As I have said for years, the indoor smoking ban, the highest sales tax in the country (sans Old Orchard in Skokie at 13.25%), I am just as content have a can of tuna at home. I do not work for free, nor do I expect others to, but informing the customer up front and of a possible oversight is simply good business practice. Thursday, February 6, 2025 I retract my comment regarding not being informed that my dinner mate had left a gratuity in addition to the service. It was brought to my attention that he telephoned the restaurant a day or two later and Sofi agreed to refund the amount left as a tip. My apology for the misreporting.

The food here was so good! We really enjoyed our meal. They had gluten-free pasta, which was a bonus for me. The desserts were all great as well, and this really felt like a true Italian trattoria. The food came out really quickly, but the service in between that was pretty sparse- we were waiting to flag someone down for the bill for a while. However, that didn't take away from how good the food was. We would definitely return!

Nice restaurant with a good service. We saw a review on channel 11 about it which is why we went to visit it. Honestly we expected a little bit more in terms of food quality. Service was outstanding though and the dessert was very good. The risotto was a little bit on the bland and stiff side. Nonetheless it was a great pleasant visit

We went for Mother's Day and had a wonderful time. The food was amazing, best we've had in years. The restaurant was just small enough to feel cozy but not crowded. The service was perfect. We felt at home and very full.

For the last 5 years since moving to the area my husband and I have enjoyed dining here as our preferred neighborhood Italian restaurant because when you become a regular, there's no point in going anywhere else. The management and professional waitstaff are all from Italy, and they are warm, knowledgeable and generous. You will never be rushed from a table here as you dine the traditional Italian way. We always bring friends and family here when they visit because we always have a special experience here. I particularly appreciate how you can customize a dish to your liking - I always order the cacio e Pepe with bucatini, extra pepper and grated pecorino Romano and it never misses. But I've tried nearly every dish and it's always fresh, consistent and authentic. Whether you opt for the more formal white table cloth experience inside or casual al fresco on the patio, you'll always feel comfortable dining here. Grazie Mille to the folks who run this restaurant - they're doing so well, they are expanding it to include a Roman style pizzeria that I can't wait to try.

We had a nice meal for eight conventioneers mid week. Pretty high- end place that charges top dollar. The food was very good but the wine service was truly lacking. One of our group is quite well versed in wines and noticed a lot of bait n switch and we even sent one wine back that was suggested to us. They were out of one of their popular specials which started the ordering process over again. I ordered a Hendricks martini and they did not have cocktail onions on hand. Other than that, my appetizers and meal were really quite good. Shared calamari and a lovely shellfish pasta. Mixed results but a good meal. Buyer beware.

Sofi Italian was just a wonderful experience! The restaurant has a welcoming old world feel, the staff is extremely professional, and the food was great. We had the Tropicale and Misto salads as well as the rigatoni with a Roman-style sauce and the house made spinach ricotta ravioli. The outside seating reminded me of an Italian cafe - it was not open when I was there in early May but I imagine when the weather is nicer it will just be delightful. The restaurant itself is located on a charming street. We were looking for high quality comfort food with a nice atmosphere and this experience was it!

Sofi has this amazing patio space with an Italian menu that feels and tastes nonna-cooked Perfect spot for summer nights. I rly like the baby octopus app. It has this nice charr and gets served with Yukon potato and pesto relish. Tastes like you're on vacation!! Their pastas have yet to disappoint so choose whatever sounds good Baby Octopus $18* Arugula Parmigiano $9 Orecchiette Pugliesi $22 Lobster Fettuccine $38 Fettuccine Bolognese $12 Panna Cotta Custard $7 Tiramisu Classic $7 주변에 식당이 별로 없어서 주기적으로 가는 3곳중 하나! 이쁜 테라스석과 이태리 집밥 스타일의 메뉴가 여름밤이랑 잘 어울리는 공간이다 여행가서 아기자기한 마을 식당에서 먹는 그런 맛이다. 애피타이저는 문어 추천. 감자랑 페스토 조합이 베리굳. 파스타 중에선 실망한 적이 없으니까 취향따라 주문하기!

Food: we ordered 3 appetizers + dessert to share and it was a good amount of food for 2 ppl. The baby octopus is very very good. tuna carpaccio was a bit soggy which is not to my liking. The scallop is only 2 (a bit disappointed that it's only 2 ). They give you free bread like they do in Italy Service: impecable! Very attentive waiter, I think one of them was Italian. Ambience: very nice outdoor terrace :) Price: a bit too expensive imo, that's why the 4 stars.

Great appetizers. We tried the arancini, the artichokes in cream sauce and fritto mare. All were good but the first 2 really stood out. Wild boar pasta was amazing. Short rib gnocchi amazing Risotto was good but I didn't read the menu and the seafood had so much calamari and mussels others would probably be thrilled but it was too much for me haha Our server was so accommodating with our need for separate checks and a separate bill for the wine! Desserts were good. Tiramisu, crème brûlée and cheesecake but I will say their version of cheesecake was amazing!

Small Italian restaurant that seems to be neighborhood oriented. I was visiting the town and this was close to my hotel so why not. On this particular Friday night, there was no need for reservations as it was wide open. Service was bit slow, and considering how empty it was - this was surprising. Food is good - but that is all. Not great. Flavors are there but are pretty mild and I tried ordering dish with most flavors somehow that did not work out. On a positive side Tiramisu was amazing!

My server was good. The decor was good. My food was good. Pretty simple. Nothing was great or extraordinary but it was good. I had the veal with mushrooms, a side of gnocchi and a tiramisu for dinner. While nothing was particularly spectacular, good should never be dismissed. The food was good. Nothing on the menu had anything new better or different from that of other Italian menus but good is good.

Absolutely divine! Every appetizer we ordered was better than the next. The ambiance was so warm and cozy, just loud enough to create a fun vibe, but also intimate enough for conversation. I ordered the sea bass for dinner and it was so large, I made two meals of it. The fish was outstanding but the rice with Lima beans - wow! - I want to eat this dill and Lima rice all the time. Great service and overall a lovely place for a meal.

Pretty standard but good Italian restaurant. I started off the meal by ordering the Polpettine meatballs ($14), which were made from veal and pork. These were a bit smaller than normal meatballs but standard in quality. The tomato sauce was pretty ordinary. The Pappardelle Cinghiale ($26) was cooked to an al dente level and the pasta itself was decent. There was plentiful wild boar meat in the sauce, which was pretty tender. The Rigatoni Sofi ($22) was great. The smoked bacon bits were delicious and the pasta itself was cooked well. The pink sauce added a tasty creaminess to the pasta and was added with a proper amount that didn't overwhelm the pasta. The restaurant itself has a pretty standard nice Italian restaurant kind of environment. There were plenty of empty tables on a Friday night. Our waiter was moderately friendly and attentive, although it was a bit odd that he did not know the prices of the desserts when asked. Overall, Sofi Restaurant is a very good option if you are looking for classic Italian food in the area, but don't expect anything out of the ordinary.

Thought I posted a review, but I guess not. I was in Chi Town last month for a conference. Wanted to find a quiet and quant place in near my hotel. This is it. The staff were attentive, but not overbearing. I had the filet. It was overdone, but edible. Spinach was a good recommendation from the waiter. That olive oil! I know they don't make it, but it's amazing! Will definitely return.

This place is small but very cute. I recommend you to make a reservation a day or two before going, it was packed. For how busy it was, the service was good and the waitress was attentive to my SIL and I. As a complimentary, the restaurant will provide a bread basket. For dinner, I had RIGATONI SOFI, it was excellent with a great pair of cream and smoked pancetta. I wish there was pea in this dish, which would have went well with the dish. The sauce was not too much or heavy. Also, my SIL got the LOBSTER RAVIOLI, which they give you 5 ravioli's. She felt for the price they should have provided more ravoioli's. I would recommend this place to others and would come back for other items.

Absolutely amazing in every way. Can't wait to try the pizza place they're opening next door. Phenomenal experience all the way through. Service was wonderful.

Sofi's is a northern Italian restaurant run by an Italian family, the cooks, the servers, the bartenders- it's the real deal. The decor is wonderful with the exception of the bright television at the bar that is always on. This could be limited to enhance a dining experience. In the summer the outdoor seating is ample and it's a great place to kick back in the heart of Printer's Row, all nestled into a great little economic corridor on Dearborn with a park, wine bar, book store- lots of shops seconds away. The food is as great as the service and Sofi's does it all with old world pride.

Staff is phenomenal, timely, knowledgable & Italian. Excellent menu options and wine list. We ordered the lobster ravioli and it had spinach (personally did not love that combo) but others may - that enjoy spinach. Also the "sofi" pasta - heavy bacon flavor. Neither dish bad - but not a favorite. They were good. Ordered the ricotta cheesecake - a bit grainy but lovely, delicate taste with strawberry. Ambiance was quaint and perfect for conversational dinner!

Yummy! Our dinner was delicious and we liked eating al fresco on the patio out front. Our server(s) were quite friendly and checked on us regularly. My husband lived his Bronzino, and I got the chicken Parm, minus the Parm, add a spicy red sauce underneath, again I appreciated the kitchen allowing me to alter my order. Yummy food,, good people watching, good date night spot!

I had an excellent experience at Sofi on a trip to Chicago. It's a gem. Great friendly service, great food, great price for the quality. I had tge Veal Ossobuco. It was perfect!

We went to Sofi for valentines dinner. They were quite busy. The service was excellent, and food was good. The salad and scallop appetizer were great. Well seasoned and well cooked. The desserts were great as well (the Panacotta and Nutella crepe). However, the entrees had issues. My salmon was overcooked to the point of being fishy. My date had the wild boar stew which came on pasta. It was a bit dry and lacking in wild boar. Overall had a very good time, and except for the entrees, the rest of the meal was excellent.

The ambience was great. We sat outside and there is not a lot of traffic on that section of Dearborn so it was very enjoyable even though you were on the street. The service was very good, our waiter was very charming and attentive. Food was good. I would recommend this restaurant.

Food was decent Italian food but JASPER's service put it over the top. He made a point to make sure we were seen as customers and was highly educated on Italian cuisine. His recommendations were personalized and amazing. A true gentleman. The hostess was amazing too, I didn't catch her name but she had black hair with blonde streaks. Both deserve a raise and recognition without question. Ambiance was intimate and cute, perfect for a date night.

The outdoor seating is just perfect in the Chicago summer. It's next to a calm street so traffic noise is a minimum, and the bike lane leads to great people watching. The service was very friendly and gnocchi was delicious. A great wine selection too.

I came here during Lit Fest in the summer. They normally are only open for dinner but were open during the festival. Sat outside. Had a great Chianti and a wonderful simple salad with some bread and olive oil. Waiter was very polite and friendly, but felt rushed. The wait staff were running around and we're busy but were very professional. I would definitely come back to try a meal there.

If you are the timekeeper type beware. This business operates with some grace, meaning, your 7, may be 715, etc. They work with what they are dealt, there is a balance and an art to this. We made initial reservations; but due to traffic had to cancel and adjust. We were within 10 minutes of our reservation, but not everyone else was, so we waited. The good news is that they are all about working with you to help you make your time table. In our case, we had tickets to an event at the Roosevelt Auditorium. The bar promptly provided us with our drinks of choice while we waited. We were seated. We were diligent and had scoped out our culinary plan while we waited. Our hostess, and server were both lovely, and were both very sensitive to our timeline. They took good care of us and turned us around in good fashion. We lucked out with this random pick. The venue was small and cozy. The service warm and friendly. The salad was lovely, the soup, warm and inviting, the mussels were ok. I do not think the broth they were in were anything to write home about, not bad, but not great. Bear in mind that I have prevented servers from removing my mussel bowl before because the broth was THAT good. Broth is serious business, you either nail it or you don't. We had a short window, so we were not able to linger long. Having said that, we need to come back and linger longer. The only ding if any I can offer here is that virtually any cocktail, ANY, has a flat rate of $18. Was my cocktail good? Yes. But was it 18 dollar good,? Are two entirely different questions.

Sofi's is my favorite dinner spot. The food is delicious. Service is extraordinary. Wine recommendations are always excellent.

I had heard great things about this Italian restaurant, so I finally came with my family. We ordered a lot because we were hungry - started with baby octopus and scallops as appetizers. These were delicious and paired nicely with the refreshing salads - arugula and Mista. Both salads were very small though. My favorite pasta was the oil based seafood spaghetti - I'm not sure what the name was as this was a special that was highlighted by the waitress. This was delicious and had a variety of clams and other seafood in a tasty oil based sauce. We also got another special pasta - a lobster based red sauce with jumbo shrimp on top. This was our second favorite with great rich flavor. The rigatoni we ordered wasn't that great - the pancetta made it taste too bacon-y. Finally, we had to order a variety of desserts to share, but nothing was too special or standout. The warm apple pie was my favorite with the ice cream. The ricotta cheesecake was warm, which was strange but otherwise rich and tasty. The chocolate lava cake was standard - you can't go wrong with this. The tiramisu was also standard. Our service was excellent and everything was delicious just nothing special compared to other Chicago Italian restaurants. Definitely a more classic style - brightly lit, so it was great for a meal to catch up with family.

Very nice Italian resturant, we frequent it with my coworkers when visiting Chicago. It is close to to everything and the food is amazing.

Was looking for a bar to have a drink at on this nice night Chicago had on Friday. We were surprised with 70 degree weather in October, so I had to take advantage of being out this day. Every single restaurant I went to....the bar was full. My friend and I stumbled across Sofi Restaurant. I couldn't be any happier that I did! The ambience was so nice and elegant. It gave those true authentic vibes of an Italian restaurant. We sat at the bar, we only wanted a drink. Love love love my bar tender! My drink was so delicious. Let's just say I'll be back the next week. Food smelled so good and in on it!!

Great service and delicious food. The entire staff made us feel welcome and wanting to go back to try their pasta dishes.

We were walking by on a Saturday evening when we thought Italian food sounded nice. They were able to seat us immediately. Service from then on was a bit slow. We ordered drinks and dinner and waited another 10-15 minutes before we were given bread. Once the food got to our table it was delicious. I love a good bolognese sauce and Sofi's passed the test. Overall, it was a pretty good dinner.

We went with high expectations due to reviews we had read. We were disappointed. The service was competent and that space is nice, but the food was very average. Much better takes on Italian food are available at lots of places in Chicago.

Recently dined here with some colleagues visiting from abroad. The highlights include good dessert, nice olive oil at the table, and the octopus. Sadly, however, the service was heartbreaking, particularly since our guests were extremely excited about an authentic Italian experience. Plates were being pulled off the table while folks still had forks in their mouths. The service felt condescending, impatient, and rushed. For the money we paid, we would have expected a bit more kindness. Will not return.

Just went here last night to celebrate a friend's birthday. It was EXCELLENT!... Nice and cozy decor. The greeter and server were VERY nice and EXCELLENT as well. I'm soooo surprised I did not get to this place before yesterday, as I have been working in the area for well over 20 years. We used to go to SRO next doors when I was open (had the best turkey burgers). Was sorry to see them close. But anyhoo, we had a range of menu items to eat. Their bruschetta, lamb chops and lobster ravioli were Excellent. I personally had the bruschetta and their Chicken "Emiliana". It was great, though I didn't realize it originally came with prosciutto on it! So, I had to send it back, but they gave me a new one without. I saved about half of it to have room for dessert. We had the tiramisu, warm apple pie and I had the raspberry sherbert. All were also Excellent. The server also gave me an excellent choice for wine and their Italian Lemonade for my wife. We will definitely come back as couple in the near future on a date night. A friend of ours used to live in the area and she RAVED about their ricotta spinach ravioli, maybe we will get that and their branzino next time. Overall, Excellente' A+++ Gone...... -JV

Had the rigatoni sophi. It's a true test of good pasta dishes, the pasta was Al Dante just as it should be. Sauce so tasty, you are glad they brought fresh bread to soak it up. Just right with the recommended Malbec.

I've visited Sofi quite a few times for birthdays, and just dinners out. It's been great every single time. The service is great, the food is great, the atmosphere is nice. I will continue to frequent Sofi as it's a wonderful Italian restaurant, a gem!

After work, I was in the mood to try a restaurant new to me and I think I just found a neighborhood favorite for myself. I called in my order and picked it up. From what I saw, they do have a small patio for dining. Every person I came in contact with was very friendly from a server who happened to be coming out the door to service a table to another person who gave me the bill. I ordered the seafood linguini pasta. The guy over the phone mentioned they could change the pasta to a different one if I liked but I chose to stick with linguini. The dish was absolutely fantastic! It was not heavy with cream and other sauces most other restaurants. There was just something so authentic and plain delicious about the dish. It made me feel that I was eating a true Italian dish. Anyway, as you can tell, I would order again. I also ordered the ricotta cheesecake for dessert. It's different than what I'm used to (meaning no Graham cracker crust or any crust for that matter) but I still enjoyed. You can tell it was homemade and could truly taste the ricotta. I'm eating there again tonight. Yes, it was that darn good. They have a 3 course special for $30 so why not? Highly recommend Sofi!

There are many better restaurants in Chicago than this one. Meatballs are terrible. Wine selection awful. Service lackluster . The bread is cold. Bucatini was delicious. Bolognese was ok. Dessert not great. Go to Siena Tavern. It was amazing.

Cute place and very delicious food! We loved every part of dinner and cannot wait to come back.

The last night of my conference in Chicago in February, my friends took me to this little gem. I'm not well-versed on Italian food, but my friends (who were speaking Italian with the waiter) apparently were! The price was a bit high for me compared to the quality of food, but all in all I thoroughly enjoyed my pappardelle cinghiale and Italian beer (not Peroni, which made me a little bit sad). The bread was also good, but with a larger party late at night when I was tired, I was ready to head back to my hotel after the main course rather than experiment with their dessert (most of my friends are skinny folks, too, so they had little desire for sweets, apparently!). If you're staying at the Chicago Hilton, this place is definitely worth going to, but it fills up fast so make sure you get a reservation. They fairly easily accommodated our party of 8 people, but for a party much larger I'm not sure how they would make room, at least in the part of the dining room where we ate.

Staff was all friendly and nice. The food was good especially the bolognese and the eggplant appetizer.

I deleted my original review because I was harassed by the head chef of the restaurant on both yelp and open table, however this is unacceptable behavior and I know my opinion should be shared ESPECIALLY after these two incidents. My boyfriend and I attended for Valentine's Day where I booked a reservation a month in advance. We were seated 30 minutes late along with many other couples alongside us. No apologies from anyone. The food was cold, tasteless, and extremely unimpressive. I forgot to mention in the first review that there was red lipstick all over my wine glass when I received. Like kind and nice patrons, we still tipped and thanked our waiter, although I was disappointed that they didn't take anything off our bill for making us wait 30 minutes for our reserved table. I have been shocked at the responses from the head chef on my posts and find this behavior to be extremely inappropriate. Aside from the bad experience and food, this alone should make it evident not to attend.

I really wanted to love Sofi. It is nearby, and it looks so quaint and warm whenever I walk by. I dined with them during summer, and both the service and food were lukewarm then. I ordered a pasta dish, which was cold by the time it arrived to the table, and the pasta itself was chewy and tasteless. But, because Covid impacted small businesses, and especially the restaurant industry, I decided to give Sofi another chance. This time, my partner ordered the leek-potato soup. It tasted like onion soup as the ratio between leeks and potatoes was off. I ordered the arugula parmesan salad, which was unwashed and poorly dressed. How hard is it to prepare a good arugula-parmesan salad? Get fresh arugula, wash it, inspect it, prepare lemon-vinaigrette, dress the arugula and massage the leaves to soften them. Then, sprinkle with kosher salt, fresh pepper, and freshly shaved parmigiana. There. That's the recipe. Perhaps Sofi's chef can read it and use it next time. Instead, I got the sad salad you see in the picture, and three bites into it I discovered a dead bug. Yep. Don't say you haven't been warned... Unless of course you enjoy bugs in your food. In that case, give them a shot before they get shut down by the Dept of Health.

The place is alright not great. The food was not hot like I like it but it did have flavor. The lobster bist was plenty but not enough crab for the portion that you received. I had to ask for a refill on my drinks at least 3 times before I actually got a refill would be my only complaint. The waitress was warm and friendly which complimented everything else.

This restaurant was fantastic. The food was awesome and the service outstanding. This will be my go to spot in Chicago

Restaurant Week customers BEWARE. If your entire table does not order from the Restaurant Week menu at this restaurant, a 20% "service fee" is added to your total check that is not reversible. so my $59 risotto cost $89! we have been patrons of this restaurant for at least 5 years, but we will not be going back there. Supposedly this fact was stated in the menu, but we did not see it, and have never experienced anything like this at other Restaurant Week restaurants .

I would say this was a subpar spot. The calamari wasn't great (lightly battered, shrimp wasn't deveined), my gnocchi with pesto was alright, nothing special. My partner ordered the lobster ravioli and it tasted very salty. Service was alright, nothing exceptional or bad to note. I don't like leaving these types of reviews but felt like it was necessary to since both the yelp and open table ratings were high.