Sapori’s Trattoria

Sapori’s sat patiently on my bookmarks list since early 2013. It watched as every other restaurant before it was unchecked and reviewed. Still, it held steadfast to the belief that it’d one day be able to prove its worth in the Collingswood dining scene… and it finally got its chance.
I booked a month in advance for my birthday dinner on Monday evening. This was probably unnecessary but I was a little overeager. After last year’s horrific dinner at a «renowned» restaurant in the city, I was determined to celebrate getting old with a good meal. Sapori’s certainly delivered!
My party of four was seated in the left dining area. It was cozy and semi-​private, since most other parties were on the right side. We began with fresh bread and sweet potato-​something dip. I’m not a sweet potato person at all, but this dip was outstanding. Look past the interesting texture and try it!
For our starter dish, I chose the Carpaccio di Carne. My family wasn’t too keen on the idea of the dish (they stated they «like their cow hot and cooked») but I thought it was INCREDIBLE. Think thinly cured filet mignon under a rucola salad adorned with shavings of sharp cheese. My grandmother ate some salad. and I made sure no sliver of meat or cheese was left behind.
For my main, I spent a looong time (days in advance, actually) deciding. Finally, I went with their stuffed chicken. That may sound basic, but it really wasn’t at all. The chicken thigh was stuffed with a bunch of fun stuff (cantuccini, butternut squash, provolone, sage, pancetta, and scallions) and served in a zesty lemon sauce. Delicious! It was paired with spinach and red beets. I wasn’t a fan of the beets personally, but the spinach complemented the dish nicely.
Of course it wouldn’t be a birthday without dessert, so my mom and grandmom chose crème brûlée and my cousin and I opted for tiramisu.
Now, I’ve been to Italy several times — most recently last month — where I’ve gorged myself on many a tiramisu. But this one was divine. I don’t even use that word, but seriously — SO good! You must try it. You may feel like you’re back in the Old Country! Sigh! Love, love love. Dare I say it rivaled the ones I’ve had from my family in Italy?
Sapori’s is a great option in Collingswood for a special occasion or any other reason. I look forward to many return visits!

This is by far my favorite Italian restaurant! It’s small, intimate and has so much charm. I have never ordered anything that I did not LOVE! I don’t understand how people can say the food is bland! I would say it is far from bland! My father in law is right off the boat from Italy and a great cook and he even loves this place! But I understand everyone has their own opinions. I always had excellent service! In fact I’m treating my friend for lunch for her birthday at Sapori bc it is her favorite too! I am always shocked when I see low ratings for places like this. You can just tell when you eat the food that they put so much love into their cooking and the fact that Franco (I do not know him personally by the way) comes on Unilocal to give a FREE meal to an unhappy customer and addresses concerns of people who rated his restaurant low is so admirable! Come on! Now that’s someone who puts heart and soul into food and truly cares about his food and guests that come in and eat. Sapori is creative, flavorful, and unlike any other Italian restaurants around. I tell everyone I know about this place and I’m happy to tell everyone on Unilocal too. I never post reviews on here but seeing the 2 or 3 star reviews bothered me bc it doesn’t deserve them. Again, everyone has there own Opinion but I feel like if people LOVE Olive Garden they should stick with rating other fake Italian restaurants and not a place like this. I personally love this place and appreciate all the hard work and dedication the owner and workers put into make this restaurant so much better and different from the rest.

We just got home from our first visit to Sapori, and we cannot wait to go back! Firstly, the restaurant is warm and inviting, with an old world vibe; very welcoming staff at the door, as well. The meal began with a butternut squash and olive oil dip and bread. It is so tasty and interesting; just the right amount of light, sweet, and salty flavors. Since it was our first time, we went all out: an appetizer, shared paste course, and individual entrees.
Appetizer:
We shared the olive app special: green olives stuffed with veal sausage with a light dipping sauce. Wow, we’re these good! Fried, but not too heavy, and so flavorful. We could have eaten 100 of them.
Pasta:
They generously allowed us to get half portions of 2 different pastas, instead of sharing one entrée-​sized portion (the menu doesn’t say this is an option, but the server offered it). We had the cassarecce con zucca, which had smoked mozzarella, mushroom, and a mascarpone sauce. It was incredible; not at all heavy for a creamy sauce. Then, we had a half portion of the panettone con salciccia e funghi, which was light and had a home style red sauce that we loved. Yum. Next time, we will do just a half serving of 1 pasta for an app, but we were going all out tonight because we like to do a smörgåsbord at a new place, so our tummies will have to deal with it.
Entrees:
My bf had stuffed rabbit. Neither of us had had rabbit, but we both had wanted to try it. It was a special and had a sausage stuffing, with a side of mashed potatoes and broccoli rabe. It was amazing! I want to try rabbit again soon, l; it was so tender and flavorful. I had the manzo con ricola — a flat iron steak, lightly breaed, topped with greens, cheese and tomatoes, and served with mascarpone mashed potatoes. Wow; it was amazing. I took some home, but it was remarkably delicious. I think it was medium rare; I said chef’s choice, and it was perfect.
Dessert:
We rarely order dessert, but we did tonight, since we were trying a new place. I had the pistachio panna cotta. It was heaven. My bf had the cheesecake, which he loved. The crust was cannoli shells. We both had espresso (I love eaperesso, so no sweetener needed; it was the perfect strength for me). They gave us a complimentary taste of a chocolate liquor and a lemon cello. Yum, and much appreciated
All of that was a reasonable price, too! Our server, Vincent, was great. He was attentive and not afraid to give us suggestions — we asked him to help us choose most of our dishes, and he didn’t steer us wrong! He made the already wonderful dining experience even better! Hopefully he is working the next time we come in, which will be very soon. We are sold on Sapori!

Evidently, Collingswood has a diamond on its hands, and does not know what to do with it. There are many Italian quote unquote restaurants in Collingswood that are actually Old School South Philly gravy and pasta places.
Sapori not only challenges themselves and others, but challenges the diner just a little bit.
Think about having fresh zucchini flowers sauteed, think about old school Italian Grandpa tripe, think about new cuisine Seafood, all with fresh pasta and genuine Palermo wait staff and Chef De Cuisine Franco.
Sapori is that and more, with a changing menu not only every week, but everyday. If you have a problem, Franco comes out of the kitchen and gives you a big hug and explains what’s going on with the food. Then you taste it, heaven.
You’ll be very happy, which is why Massimo — the cultivated head waiter and master of the floor — will have cleared the field before you even order. What makes Sapori work, I think, is that all cuisines of Italy are respected and interpreted by Franco.
None of this is huge plates of gravy and pasta. If that’s what you want, go somewhere else. If you want a trip across Italy at a great price, and Stellar quality, Sapori is for you.

Omg it was so awesome! So authentic. From beginning to end the best Italian in the area.

This is probably my favorite Italian restaurant in Collingswood. I like the rustic feel of this place, the ability to buy a bottle of wine if you forgot it, and their dishes are more authentic than some of the other places on the avenue. Another thing I enjoy about this place, is the dip that comes out with the bread. It’s very different than what you normally would find at Nunzio’s for example. I can’t wait to go this spring and sit outside of their new patio. One area that this restaurant can improve is a more polished wait staff. I’ve always had good service here, just not great.

The table enjoyed the fresh bread and eggplant dip to start our meal. We also split the beef carpaccio and penne pasta with eggplant and sausage. Good but not necessarily memorable. Everyone really enjoyed their mains. I had the gnocchi ragu– loved the sauce, not too heavy but tons of flavor. My two friends raved over how tender the chicken and veal dishes were. For dessert we enjoyed the chocolate hazelnut gelati. I would probably order the cannoli next time.

My company used to come here every year for our annual holiday dinner, but we became too large (jumped from 15 people to 50+) and stopped. This was unfortunate as the owner and staff at Sapori’s has always gone above and beyond what we expected. In all these years, I have never had a meal that has not «wowed» me. From start to finish you feel like you are at home and dining with your family.
My grandfather came over from Palermo years ago and if he was still with us, I am sure he would rave about the dishes. This is hands down my favorite restaurant.
It’s been some time, but my wife is treating me for my birthday this Saturday and I am already drooling at the anticipation.

Bland, bland, bland! Tried this for the first time the other night. We were initially charmed by the welcoming atmosphere and the good service, but our enjoyment ended once we tasted the food. We started with the antipasti, which was a collection of vegetables that pretty much all lacked any distinctive flavor. The olives, the eggplant caponata, the red peppers: all tasted the same. The only thing on the antipasti plate that had any real flavor was the bruschetta, although it required some extra dashes of salt and pepper. Also worth noting: the only meat on the plate was one thin slice of prosciutto. One slice. At $ 12, I expected more.
The entrees were extremely underwhelming. Mushroom risotto lacked basic seasoning. Also, it was not a real risotto. Any Italian will tell you that risotto is smooth and creamy; it should spread across your plate. This risotto clumped up and was hard as a rock. A whole white fish, filleted tableside, wasn’t bad — but the sides that accompanied it were. Sauteed spinach had no flavor and I strongly suspect wasn’t fresh. Broken potatoes tasted like hash you’d get at a diner.
Desserts (mascarpone cheesecake and pistachio panna cotta) were the only parts of the meal that had any real flavor. We won’t be returning.

Had a great dinner. I had some fresh, home made pasta and the pork shank was delicious. Beautiful and cozy restaurant. A great date place. It is byob so bring your wine.

How others here can criticize this place for small portions and no flavor have either lost their minds, or don’t know what Italian (specifically Sicilian) food tastes like. REAL Italian restaurants rely on quality, not quantity of ingredients, and expect you to order several courses to «fill up». Another reviewer gave this place a lousy rating, then recommended a Veal Parm «gravy» joint. Good luck with that.
The seafood here is first rate. The mussels are he best I’ve had. They are small for a reason. Smaller mussels are more tender by far, and more intensely flavored. Saffron is used here. Saffron is expensive.
The homemade pasta at Sapori is excellent. Homemade by hand.
Stop comparing this place to Olive Garden and gravy joints. It is an insult to a fine restaurant.
I have no commercial connection to this place, just a happy customer.

My husband and I’s favorite restaurant. We try to come as often as we can here. Delicious food, great ambiance, and the service is fantastic. We love all the servers there especially James. Chef Lombardo has an amazing palette — let him cook for you, you won’t regret it

Came here for dinner on a Monday night. Didn’t need reservations but totally forgot to bring a bottle of wine. The best way I can describe the menu is old school Italian. I’ve lived in Philly for over two years now and been in the dining scene where alot of places are «new American/​Italian» that it’s almost refreshing to see this menu.
We started with some complimentary bread and olive oil. And had the mussels in red sauce as an appetizer. Both were ok.
However, I really enjoyed both pasta entrees that we ordered. The first was the lobster fettuccine in red sauce. Yum. The fettuccine sat on a bed of pesto sauce. And the second was a gnocchi with a veal-​pork-​beef red sauce. The bechamel really turns it up a notch I think. I loved the gnocchi so much I switched dishes with my date but ended up getting mad that my date didn’t leave me any lobster.
I liked the service because unlike some other establishments, they actually allow you some time for uninterrupted conversation.

Our third time there and the food has steadily declined. Our second Christmas Eve and very disappointed. Service wait staff excellent. Food a few steps below Olive Garden. Scallop appetizer anemic at best. I needed a microscope to find the bay scallop. The «28 day aged NY strip steak» was some kind of boiled meat. Squid ink pasta had no taste. The best meal was a meat sauce pasta for my grandkids. One would think that Christmas Eve the calamari would be real and not just frozen rings from Costco. My dish, Veal Marscopone was a step above an MRE I had in Afghanistan. I think the staff knows, they never asked, «how was everything ». Third time is a charm we will not be back. Again the staff were excellent and very affable and attentive.

We had a reservation and still had to wait a half hour for our table. The food was good but not memorable enough to go back.

Great food love our waiter. This try italian food

Service was ok… I got the seafood with arborio rice. …surrounded by clams and mussels. …I have no idea where in the world. …you get clams and mussels. .so tiny. …literally. .As big as my pinky nail… also…3…farm raised shrimp. …In my seafood dish…3…can you spare a couple for God’s sake. …
4 pieces of grilled squid… but. …When in the world are restaurants. …
Going to stop skimping. …never. …ass long as this place is rated 4 stars… They will keep giving skimped dishes. …
I had 1.75 $…worth of food on my plate. …The owner is counting his money. …As we pay the help… and he is laughing all the way to the bank…
The best Italian restaurant is. the Maplewood. .on the black horse pike. .
Take the drive. …

My husband and I went to Sapori for our wedding anniversary and we loved it! We made reservations ahead, which is highly recommended because they tend to be busy. We arrived at 7pm and our table was ready. The waiter brought bread and a zucchini paste that was delicious. We initially ordered the carpaccio and mussels as appetizers, but then the owner recommended the stuffed zucchini blossoms so we added that to our order. Both my husband and I agree, it was one of the best appetizers we have ever had. For the main course I had the special, which was a «dorada» fish. The fish was whole, and the waiter brought it to the table and filleted it right there. The fish was perfect, fresh, flavorful, and cooked just right. My husband had the tortellini, which he enjoyed very much, although he kept «stealing» bites of my fish.
For dessert I had he crème brûlée and a espresso, both were great.
It was a great experience! the staff was friendly, and the food fresh and flavorful. The owner came out every so often and talked with the customers, it felt like you were dining at a small town restaurant where everybody there is a local.
They are going to open an outdoor area very soon, I can’t wait for that.

After exploring several Italian options in the area, my family decided on Sapori’s one weekend. I chose it because it seemed to have some lighter non-​pasta or meats-​smothered-​in-​cheese options. Our waiter uncorked our wine and brought out the complimentary bread with the pesto sauce. Though it’s free, it was a huge letdown. The pesto was mixed with cream and we all really missed the freshness of real pesto and would have much preferred that.
The 7 of us started with calamari and mussels appetizers, which were good but not special. The mussels came with one or two slices of crostini but it had sunk to the bottom and sopped up all the sauce. We would have loved to enjoy it on the side. The tomato sauce was a little on the saltier side but still fine.
Many of us got seafood options for our entrée. I got the cacciucco di pesce: red snapper and shellfish in a white-​wine saffron sauce. The sauce was delectably savory and a perfect portion. I dipped some extra bread into it at the end.
The special that they had were extremely interesting. My aunt got the special fettuccine with lobster that was incredibly rich but delicious. My dad got the octopus pasta. They were also very understanding about substitutions. My mom thought the seafood risotto allo scoglio sounded great but is very picky about her risotto, so they let her play it safe with a pasta substitution.

I made my third visit to Sapori’s Trattoria last Sunday, January 18^th to celebrate my birthday. Due to the severe conditions of the roads, we considered staying closer to home. I am glad we decided to stick with our plans and did not let the weather deter us from missing on an excellent dining service.
Our waiter was one of the best waiters I’ve encountered at any restaurant, the best at Sapori’s. If we never received menus this guy could have sold us on every dish possible just by his pure enthusiasm as he was explaining the specials. Just when we thought we knew exactly what we wanted he would mention a dish that would send us back into deep thought.
To start our dining service, we settled on the grilled octopus and the antipasto. This was the first time I’ve tried octopus, so I don’t have anything to compare it to. However, if I use the food at Sapori’s Trattoria to gage the level of perfection, then Sapori’s has set the bar. The antipasto was plated with roasted eggplant, olives, mozzarella, provolone, prosciutto, peppers, and a few other items unfortunately I am forgetting. Not to take anything away from the overall essence of the antipasto but the roasted eggplant was probably my favorite item out of everything. The Antipasto we received did not resemble the antipasto in the pictures posted from other customers posted on Unilocal.We had the same, but fewer items. I felt there was no need to raise the issue as we had another appetizer and we both were getting entrees.
I initially considered the fettuccine with lobster but, I eventually went with the «Manzo con rucola». Flat iron steak lightly breaded, flash seared, and topped with rucola, shavings of grana and bruschetta tomatoes, served with mascarpone flavored mashed potatoes. The steak was cooked exactly how I requested. I am not one for so many toppings on my steak but the flavors collaborated with one another. The wife ordered Risotto allo scoglio. Risotto with mussels, shrimp, clams, and calamari sautéed in a white wine-​roasted tomato garlic sauce. Now the wife and I have had seafood pasta and seafood risotto before, but not like this. Chef Franco’s risotto was something special.
Chef Franco is a professional when it comes to creating creative and scrumptious Italian dishes. Since the first time I walked into his eatery, I found his culinary creativity, yet authentic cuisine, intriguing. This is the reason why I choose to dine her for special occasions, or if I am just in the mood for great Italian food. I look forward to increasing my visits this year.