Eduardo was an amazing server! He was incredibly attentive, made sure we were taken care of, and gave us great recommendations. We had the grilled calamari, lasagna bites, and Margherita pizza. Eduardo gave great recommendations for drinks and we loved every minute of this.
AnitaS
Our server was very energetic and attentive to our needs and questions. But the drinks and food were not worth the money. The bartender did not know how to make a Hugo Spritz - it tasted like watered down lime juice, the branzino dish was overcooked and the pizza was very soggy. We were disappointed.
This is a pop up so expect it to be intimate. I think it only seats 14 total. Although there were 7 people including my party and it felt packed. The seating is not quite private so be prepared to share your table (and your conversation) with strangers. They only have 4 options for snacks and I didn't know what 3 of them were so I passed. (Who is ordering pork belly?) The drinks were expensive but DELISH and the bartender really put a personal touch on them. Yum. Overall we won't be back but it was a cute attempt.
Kenya
The hanami experience was not what I expected. It was just a tiny bar area, with a few chairs. No real menu besides drinks and a few appetizers. We ended up eating at the actual restaurant. Food was good but you barely get any food. Nice experience but will probably never return.
We have been to Via Sophia often and it has either gone downhill or we went on a very off night. Some suggestions for the restaurant: -don't have 4 employees at the host stand while customers' water glasses go unfilled and empty appetizer plates sit on tables for half an hour. -wait for customers to sit down and then hand them menus rather than putting the menus on the table and walking away before they are even seated -have servers give customers time to look at the menus before they recommend their top three favorite items from each category of food and drink -don't recommend top three favorite items from each category without being asked and subject customers to awkwardly sit in extended polite silence while you read the majority of the menu to them -ask customers if they've been there before...maybe no recommendations are needed -don't wait over half an hour after appetizers have been consumed to return to the table to ask for entree orders -clear empty appetizer plates before entrees are delivered -bring silverware to the table before food is delivered...if steak has been ordered, bring steak knives without having to be asked -put some seasoning on steaks so that they have some flavor...at least some salt and pepper -don't bring the dessert menu and ask if anyone wants dessert when customers are still eating entrees -don't have a guy in a suit who is not the server awkwardly interrupt conversation and start asking questions about our experience without first identifying himself
Hoda
I was not impressed with this place. There are more cons than pros. The menu is very limited, the place is extremely noisy you cant hear the person sitting next to you, and the tables next to the bar are not comfortable to sit at as people standing at the bar keep bumping into you. Portions are ridiculously small and the truffle pasta dish I ordered was too salty with no hint of truffle, and it costs $25! All in all, a bad experience for me and I wont recommend it to anyone. The waiter was very nice though, which partially made up for the rest of the sub-par experience.Parking tip: leave your car for The Hamilton Hotel valet and pay $10 for dining in the restaurant. Don't bother circling for parking on a Saturday night.
Gene B
First, they gave away our reservation. Second, when we sat down they did provide us with water, but no bread. We never got bread for the entire meal. We asked multiple times.It took a while for the food to come out. They actually forgot one of the meals for the table.Once the food arrived, we all agree that it was tasty and especially the pizza.. The New York strip was well cooked. The Bronzino was average. The scallops were below average. And the salmon was OK.Our server especially was problematic given that he would disappear for many minutes at a time.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Margherita Pizza
David Gardner
Popular after work meeting spot for drinks and light bites. Wait staff don’t seem to realize this is the appeal and push for full dinner orders the moment you sit
The food here was unreal. Nice dim romantic lighting, but still a lively atmosphere. HIGHLY recommend the Bucatini, or the Funghi pizza. The service was really fast, the food came out super quick! The only thing I’d comment on that was less ideal is they may seat you really close to other people, we were seated same bench a foot away from someone else and it’s a bit hard to hear. Overall definitely would come back!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
The food and service was excellent. The location is perfect for a walk to the Mall. We enjoyed great cocktails and app. The main course was delicious and reasonably priced. Overall we had a memorable experience.
Food was okay, ordered 2x NY strips, they weren't super tender, one wasn't the correct cook that we asked for. It was very loud inside the restaurant side without people at the bar. It's a hotel's restaurant so it is what it is but for the cost of the food I didn't feel that it was on par with other restaurants charging the same price or slightly more. It was convenient as it was inside the hotel but I don't think I'd eat there again.
We waited 20 minutes to be seated, despite being a time for our reservation. We also ordered drinks which didn't arrive until after we finished our main dishes. Very poor service and no apologies from the staff.
Arvind S
Everything was good including food and service. However portion slices are really small, especially considering the prices of the dishes are pretty high. So good food, but not great value for money.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Susan DC
Enjoyed a happy hour at the bar. Service was friendly and quick. Pizza was delicious.
Eduardo was an amazing server! He was incredibly attentive, made sure we were taken care of, and gave us great recommendations. We had the grilled calamari, lasagna bites, and Margherita pizza. Eduardo gave great recommendations for drinks and we loved every minute of this.
Our server was very energetic and attentive to our needs and questions. But the drinks and food were not worth the money. The bartender did not know how to make a Hugo Spritz - it tasted like watered down lime juice, the branzino dish was overcooked and the pizza was very soggy. We were disappointed.
This is a pop up so expect it to be intimate. I think it only seats 14 total. Although there were 7 people including my party and it felt packed. The seating is not quite private so be prepared to share your table (and your conversation) with strangers. They only have 4 options for snacks and I didn't know what 3 of them were so I passed. (Who is ordering pork belly?) The drinks were expensive but DELISH and the bartender really put a personal touch on them. Yum. Overall we won't be back but it was a cute attempt.
The hanami experience was not what I expected. It was just a tiny bar area, with a few chairs. No real menu besides drinks and a few appetizers. We ended up eating at the actual restaurant. Food was good but you barely get any food. Nice experience but will probably never return.
We have been to Via Sophia often and it has either gone downhill or we went on a very off night. Some suggestions for the restaurant: -don't have 4 employees at the host stand while customers' water glasses go unfilled and empty appetizer plates sit on tables for half an hour. -wait for customers to sit down and then hand them menus rather than putting the menus on the table and walking away before they are even seated -have servers give customers time to look at the menus before they recommend their top three favorite items from each category of food and drink -don't recommend top three favorite items from each category without being asked and subject customers to awkwardly sit in extended polite silence while you read the majority of the menu to them -ask customers if they've been there before...maybe no recommendations are needed -don't wait over half an hour after appetizers have been consumed to return to the table to ask for entree orders -clear empty appetizer plates before entrees are delivered -bring silverware to the table before food is delivered...if steak has been ordered, bring steak knives without having to be asked -put some seasoning on steaks so that they have some flavor...at least some salt and pepper -don't bring the dessert menu and ask if anyone wants dessert when customers are still eating entrees -don't have a guy in a suit who is not the server awkwardly interrupt conversation and start asking questions about our experience without first identifying himself
I was not impressed with this place. There are more cons than pros. The menu is very limited, the place is extremely noisy you cant hear the person sitting next to you, and the tables next to the bar are not comfortable to sit at as people standing at the bar keep bumping into you. Portions are ridiculously small and the truffle pasta dish I ordered was too salty with no hint of truffle, and it costs $25! All in all, a bad experience for me and I wont recommend it to anyone. The waiter was very nice though, which partially made up for the rest of the sub-par experience.Parking tip: leave your car for The Hamilton Hotel valet and pay $10 for dining in the restaurant. Don't bother circling for parking on a Saturday night.
First, they gave away our reservation. Second, when we sat down they did provide us with water, but no bread. We never got bread for the entire meal. We asked multiple times.It took a while for the food to come out. They actually forgot one of the meals for the table.Once the food arrived, we all agree that it was tasty and especially the pizza.. The New York strip was well cooked. The Bronzino was average. The scallops were below average. And the salmon was OK.Our server especially was problematic given that he would disappear for many minutes at a time.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Margherita Pizza
Popular after work meeting spot for drinks and light bites. Wait staff don’t seem to realize this is the appeal and push for full dinner orders the moment you sit
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Margherita Pizza, Grilled Calamari
The food here was unreal. Nice dim romantic lighting, but still a lively atmosphere. HIGHLY recommend the Bucatini, or the Funghi pizza. The service was really fast, the food came out super quick! The only thing I’d comment on that was less ideal is they may seat you really close to other people, we were seated same bench a foot away from someone else and it’s a bit hard to hear. Overall definitely would come back!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
The food and service was excellent. The location is perfect for a walk to the Mall. We enjoyed great cocktails and app. The main course was delicious and reasonably priced. Overall we had a memorable experience.
Restaurantji Recommends
Food was okay, ordered 2x NY strips, they weren't super tender, one wasn't the correct cook that we asked for. It was very loud inside the restaurant side without people at the bar. It's a hotel's restaurant so it is what it is but for the cost of the food I didn't feel that it was on par with other restaurants charging the same price or slightly more. It was convenient as it was inside the hotel but I don't think I'd eat there again.
We waited 20 minutes to be seated, despite being a time for our reservation. We also ordered drinks which didn't arrive until after we finished our main dishes. Very poor service and no apologies from the staff.
Everything was good including food and service. However portion slices are really small, especially considering the prices of the dishes are pretty high. So good food, but not great value for money.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Enjoyed a happy hour at the bar. Service was friendly and quick. Pizza was delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Great food! Highly
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4