Trattoria Sorrento

The service is awful– want to have a good time and not worry when your food will be on your table? Avoid this place.

So I came here last night for dinner with my best friend — and the experience was a bit awkward.
We had a reservation for 6pm, and the staff seated us immediately. But the restaurant was completely empty. We were the only one’s there, so it was extremely quiet, and the waitress kept coming back to check in with us. Being alone in the restaurant wouldn’t have been so awkward if we couldn’t hear the staff’s conversations. While we were looking at the menu/​catching up with each other, the bartender seemed heated about something and was yelling to another staff member.
The décor in the restaurant was beautiful. It was very cutesy and we loved looking around at everything — but once again, felt a little awkward doing so.
The waitress was really nice, but she was very soft spoken, timid, and nervous. We had to squint to really understand her, and when she would repeat back orders to us, she would repeat them wrong. To her credit though — she got everything right and obviously meant well.
When I asked her what dishes she would suggest for a vegetarian she gave me a good list of solid options and she told us that she could make any dish that lists meat in them, without the meant and fully vegetarian — which I appreciated. Luckily Italian food is usually very vegetarian friendly so I’m faced with tons of options, but I just wanted her opinion in case there was a special dish that really stood out.
The man who brought our food to us and cleaned up our table seemed very angry at the world and was very blunt. Not very friendly until the end. At the end after we thanked him he was very nice and friendly.
It’s hard to explain how awkward we felt — we aren’t awkward people. Something was just off.
Eventually more people filled the restaurant and there was more noise in it but it was still awkward somehow. Maybe it was because of how quiet the place was? I don’t remember hearing music. But I think it was the entire situation.
In regards to the food — everything was fantastic. The bread and butter that they brought out in the beginning was a bit tough, but still tasted good. We started with Garlic Bread — it looked delicious, and was delicious. I asked for marinara sauce on the side so they brought some out for us. It was yummy to dip. But after a certain point the garlic bread got tough too.
My friend got the Penne Vodka with Peas (no mushrooms), and I got the Cheese Tortellini with pink sauce. The tortellini tasted fresh, and the pink sauce didn’t taste or feel heavy at all. The entire dish felt light. Probably every place I’ve gotten this dish or a similar one before, it felt super heavy. But I liked that this felt light and I didn’t feel gross after.
I might be back for that tortellini again. Not sure. It wasn’t a terrible experience, the food was fantastic. The awakward vibe might deter me from coming back though.

We went to Trattoria Sorrento on Saturday night. It was my first visit. So many restaurants in Bethesda. At 9 pm, we were the only customers. It crossed our mind to try something else. Fortunately, we stayed. My girlfriend and I always order bread and ask for oil, balsamic vinegar, Parmesan and crushed garlic. Italianophiles would say our palates are ruined but we love the dish. The bread was fresh, crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside. The waitress was very cheery and amiable. I was in the mood for fish and she recommended the whole Branzino. I had it with a side of pasta and vegetables. The fish was perfect, flaky and moist with exactly the right amount of salt and seasoning on the outside. My girlfriend had Pappardelle with spicy marinara (she only eats whole wheat pasta and not everyone has it) and spinach and mushrooms. She enjoyed it all. We are thinking about a return in the next few weeks and will bring our friends. If is is empty again, we can have the entire place to ourselves!

Aesthetic Appeal & Atmosphere: The atmosphere is welcoming and has a traditional Italian trattoria interior.
Service: The service was lacking charm. Our waiter could have been more friendly. When an unexpected and unmentionable incident occurred, our waiter was unapologetic and didn’t even offer much to soften the situation. The owner did come by to briefly apologize. I would have thought that we would have received a discount on the receipt or be comped in some other fashion… but alas they did not try to recover and did not show interest in trying to salvage our visit. It would be difficult to revisit this restaurant.
Meal Quality: Our entrees of manicotti and eggplant parmesan were good and quite flavorful. The price and value factor were quite good.
Aesthetic Appeal & Atmosphere: 3 of 5
Service: 1 of 5
Meal & Drinks Quality: 4 of 5

We booked a reservation well in advance for Valentine’s Day and called twice during the week to confirm the reservation. We were slightly surprised at the immense gathering of people right in front of the entrance but it was bound to happen on a semi-​holiday. The problem was the gentleman working as the host that evening, although nice, was entirely unprofessional. He neither checked nor wanted to hear what times our reservations were and would seat larger groups first irrespective of the reservation times (i.e. seating a later reservation’s group of 4 before an earlier reservation’s party of 2). He even sat down groups without reservations! I can’t place all the blame on him as the restaurant failed to place measures to prevent over-​booking on a busy night. However, the experience almost ruined the beginning of a hopeful night.
Thankfully, the food (frutti di mare, grilled calamari, vongole alla linguine) was good (even factoring in the overcooked noodles).
I can only hope they don’t overbook on an anticipated busy day or at the very least respect reservation times in the future. I probably won’t be back though.

This place is OFF THE CHARTS! The beet salad, the pasta, the lamb chops, the desserts, the coffee, the wine… The whole meal, ambience and warmth of off the boat italian experience is unique and savory. Will def be going back, this place is just awesome and so are the owners! Thank you! Grazie mille!

We have lived here for 25 years but had never tried Sorrento. It was very nice and will definitely go on our short list of small, friendly places to go for a quiet dinner. My wife has a number of dietary restrictions and the staff worked hard to find something for her. Even the chef came out to talk to her to make sure he was making something she would enjoy. She liked it very much. I liked the variety and original dishes — not just the usual Italian options.

Perfect meal start to finish. Outstanding beet salad, perfectly dressed with a light vinaigrette. Followed by home made pumpkin ravioli with s very delicate sauce. The whole, grilled Bronzino, which David filleted table side, was the best we ever had. My husband was in heaven when the owner brought out ricotta pie just like his mama made — dolce vita!
Great staff and the food is five stars.

My wife and I went here for a quiet anniversary dinner and had a great experience. The waitress was very nice and accommodating. She told my wife that she was welcome to customize her dish, so she got her ideal meal of Penne Al Pomodoro, which she said was delicious. I got the Linguine Alle Vongole with white wine and garlic sauce and it was very good. She genuinely thanked us for coming and we will definitely be back. Loved the family neighborhood feel!

This place is great. Some of the dishes have a bit too much cheese, but overall a really good choice for dinner.

We’ve now been to this restaurant 3 times, once with 2 kids, and twice by ourselves. We have used
certificates each time, which makes it quite affordable. The good — endearing family, including grandmother who cooks, runs the place. Décor is a bit dated, but perfect for less formal meal. Some of the food is superb. I loved my beet & gorgonzola salad, and will go back anytime for the cheese tortellini or gnocchi in creamy tomato sauce (pretty rich, but delish). I tried the calamari fritti appetizer and found the seafood high quality. My husband loved his Branzini filet, and he & teenager have enjoyed the Chicken Marsala.
The bad — the pizza isn’t wonderful, and the bread is poor quality and often completely stale whereas good bread is great with pasta/​sauce. Desserts are good but not stellar. Tiramisu was a bit dry/​off (it might have been a bit past its prime), but they cheerfully replaced it with an Italian cream cake which was super fresh & moist. We haven’t ordered wine but it looks affordably priced. I feel the hostess/​owner is a lovely woman who got to know us very quickly (it helped that we’ve gone on weeknights — I can well imagine they get overwhelmed on busy weekends as mentioned in many reviews).

This place is an absolute disaster. Saying the service is terrible just doesn’t cover it, so I’ll go through it in detail.
We arrived less than 5 minutes after our reservation, which did not appear to be a problem at first. The hostess sat us at a clean table that did not yet have plates or silverware, but said she would bring them. We waited for our server.
Over 10 minutes later, a busboy finally brought the plates, silverware, and ice water. After placing my date’s silverware, the busboy dropped mine in the middle of the table and walked away, apparently exasperated that my left arm was on the table while he was trying to place silverware. Where are my manners?
Disturbed but not yet ready to abandon our dinner, we waited about 5 more minutes for bread to arrive; still no server.
Our server finally arrived between 20 and 25 minutes after we were seated. We ordered a bottle of wine. We gave her our IDs. She left with them. After about 5 minutes, my date spotted her serving a large party. Our IDs and wine were missing in action.
A few minutes later, the hostess returned with our IDs and asked a second time what we would like to drink.
About 5 minutes later, a full 30 minutes in, we still had not received drinks. We still had not ordered an appetizer.
We decided we had had enough and walked out.
Luckily, our night was saved by another Italian restaurant across the street (La Panetteria), which was the complete opposite of this dumpster fire.
The food at Trattoria Sorrento could be phenomenal, but I will never know. No guest should ever have to endure such horrendous service.

I should’ve heeded the reviews. The service was way below par. The waitress kept apologizing for all her mistakes and the terrible slow service, but nothing was comped and to add insult to injury they charged us for an extra entrée. When we ordered three coffees and one hot water, they charged us for the hot water. I would not go back here again. They’re too many other good Italian restaurants.

Unilocalers… I came here last night upon the reviews I read. And, this place did not disappoint. The service was great and the food was wonderful. I had the daily specials. I started off with a seafood (shrimp and crabmeat) bisque soup. It wasn’t the typical American style bisque with heavy cream. It was tomato based but didn’t taste tomatoey… thank goodness, as I’m not a huge fan of tomato flavor. It was simply delish with a lot of seafood. For my entrée, I had the Osso Bocca with homemade pasta and a medley of fresh vegetables. The braised meat was divine and the pasta was so tender. I’m not a fan of cooked carrots but the medley of vegetables were seasoned just right. I loved every bite that I could eat. They do not skimp on portions. I had to take some home. My friend had stuff spinach and cheese homemade ravioli with a marinara sauce. It was delish too. We both had dessert. I had the tiramisu and the espresso in it was too bitter for me, and the waitress noticed I didn’t eat my dessert and she took it off the bill. My friend had the cannoli and said it was a bit sweet. I also had an Italian martini… I drank it but it was too sweet too. I will definitely be back!

Love this restaurant. I’ve been going here for years and have gotten to know the Italian family that runs the restaurant. They are very sweet authentic mom and pop restaurant, and their children work as the servers. This restaurant is good for a traditional Italian meal– I have no had one dish here that I did not enjoy
Recently, I attended their opera night with my family and was presently surprised (considering I don’t have a particular affinity for opera). The opera singers were very lively, the prefix for 4 courses for 60 $ was delicious! Started with shrimp bisque, second course was gnocchi in a tomato sauce, third was salmon or meat, and the fourth was tiramisu. I loved this night and everyone at the restaurant was having a blast. Truly a perfect dinner and a show!
They do opera night one Sunday every month! If you like opera, you would love this!

Great food. Nice area. Great time. It’s an amazing Italian restaurant. Great for date nights!

We are regulars at Sorrento, loving the delicious dishes this family run restaurant consistently serves. One thing about being a regular is you have the opportunity to work through the menu! Beyond the daily specials — order the fileted bronzino served simply with olive oil and garlic when they have it – we love the fresh pastas with the cavatelli with crab meat becoming a recent favorite. Food is always served in a no-​nonsense way that makes you feel like you’re part of the family.

I thought this place was just ok. I’m kind of a snob when it comes to bread at Italian restaurants. The bread was kind of hard and they just gave us those plain tabs of wrapped butter. I prefer the soft warm ciabatta bread with olive oil and spices for dipping. I ordered angel hair with shrimp and crab in Alfredo sauce. I didn’t think the dish had that much flavor at all. Our server was nice but she seemed a little distracted by one other table that she seemed to know. At the end another server had to take our check because he noticed it was sitting there for so long. I’ve had much better Italian food.

I love their Pizza and their customer service. They are all on top of their game.
A surprise was the italian sangria.

Came here two months ago and had an enjoyable dinner. The calamari was quite good, and the entrees were delicious. I ordered the Capellini Cardinale, which has a light tomato cream sauce with crab meat and shrimp. The sauce was super tasty, and it tasted great as leftovers too! My friend got the Gnocchi Al Pomodoro. As other reviewers noted, the gnocchi was really light– unexpected but so good!
Overall, the dining experience was good. Most of the staffers were friendly, but our waitress was seriously slacking. Everything was fine until we wanted our check, which took her over 40 minutes. There was a line out the door, so it didn’t make sense to us why they didn’t try and get us out the door quickly. The table next to me waited over 20 minutes just to be greeted. They need to hire another waiter/​waitress or replace her with a more competent one.
Despite the waitress, I would definitely consider coming back here again.