Sotto

We had a nice dinner at Sotto when we were in town celebrating our anniversary. Reservations can be made over the phone (not OpenTable or Unilocal Seat Me)-I called to confirm the day of and everything was all set. Service was good – attentive but not overly done. The restaurant is small and you sit close together but it wasn’t loud.
Overall, the food was very fresh and tasty. We started with the broccoli rabe and sausage, which had just the right amount of garlic and oil – broccoli rabe wasn’t bitter at all. I had the fettucine special with clams, mussels and zucchini (very good) and my husband ordered the veal saltimbocca – he really liked the light wine sauce. He also had a side of rigatoni with bolognese sauce. We ordered the homemade tiramisu for dessert, which came in a little glass – very yummy. Bonus: The restaurant is BYOB and there’s no corking fee.
Finding the restaurant was a little tough (our Über driver just stopped in the middle of road!) – just walk down the stairs on Walnut bridge (?) and then it’s right there – a little hidden gem!

Got the seafood fettucine special of the night and was delighted by how delicious the hand cut noodles were. I’ve never been a big fan of Italian food but this place tucked underneath «the bridge» has changed my mind. Waiter was attentive and very helpful when it came to dishes. Ambience was cozy and never got too loud since it was a relatively small place – make dinner reservations on weekends!
Definitely coming back again for a dinner date.

I’m hesitant to Unilocal about this Rittenhouse gem, only because it’s a well kept secret and still has that truly neighborhood eatery feel. This place is hard to find if you don’t know what you’re looking for, but IF you manage to find it and get a table, you’re in for a treat! (If you’re walking on walnut you gotta take stairs is my only hint!) I love everything about this tiny place. Service is impeccable and it’s a place where Rittenhouse folk come to relax and dine with old friends and they stay awhile and enjoy themselves and you’re never rushed to leave. I love their grilled octopus and fried calamari apps and I’m also a sucker for their rotating specials. However my other friends tend to all have their own consistent go tos. This place is a BYO and it’s been such a joy to be coming here over the past few years to watch the cork walls grow of all the bottles that have been opened there. When people ask me for a truly local place that’s off the beaten path of your Garces, Starr, Vetri lists for a reasonable price. This is ALWAYS my go to recommendation. Bonus tip! For those of you parking the lot diagonally across the street runs a $ 5 – 6 all night special if you park after 5pm if your parking situation gets desperate around Rittenhouse.

Great food for great price! Was there this weekend to celebrate my sisters 30^th bday. Loved the eggplant parm, the special, penne al vodka, and pizza.

A neighborhood feel, this Italian restaurant is a nice change of pace in Center City, plus it’s a BYOB. The restaurant is filled with warm aromas from the kitchen and serves nice ‘homemade’ feel dishes. Nothing spectacularly creative, but definitely a solid meal!

My boyfriend and I went here for an early Valentine’s Day dinner. Thankfully we made reservations because when we got there we were reserved the last table in the small space.
The only reason I won’t give 5 stars is because our table was awkwardly placed in the restaurant; we were squished against the window, which we felt the cold air coming through. And because it was so busy, the service was a little slow to ask us about drinks. But once we ordered, we didn’t wait very long for our food (we both got Chicken Sorrentina– I highly recommend!) and our waiter was attentive despite the crowd.
Sotto provided us with an awesome dinner. It’s décor is very warm and inviting– just be sure to make reservations or avoid busy weekend nights.

I went here recently for lunch with coworkers and would definitely go back– after work though, so we can do BYOB! Great little spot– keyword «little” — they take reservations, which is super nice. The server was friendly and the food was great. I’d definitely like to go for dinner so I have more time to hang out and enjoy the place.

We have been hearing about Sotto for about 6 months (even though we found out it has been open for 3 years). We went on a Friday night, because we were going to a concert at World Café Live, and Sotto was halfway between our house and the Café. We LOVED it! It is small, so reservations are sometimes preferred, but they accommodated our drop in request to dine. (BTW, they are not on Open Table.)
My husband and I ordered the Caprino Salad. OMG. It was awesome! The salad was large, and the warm goat cheese was to die for. It had just the right amount of dressing, and the pine nuts were plentiful.
For the entrees my husband and I each had a special. He had the filet mignon special. He said it was so good he barely touched the accompanying sauce. I had the branzino. It was a full fish that was filleted in eyesight between the kitchen and the dining area (we asked if it was going to be filleted table side, and the waiter said he would love to do it, but there is not enough room in the dining area to do so). I would have preferred a touch more balsamic vinegar in the sauce, but I have to admit it was cooked perfectly. Both of our entrees came with mashed potatoes (yum!) and mixed vegetables. My husband liked the veggies more than I did.
It is a BYOB, so we walked out with a bill of about $ 90 (including tax and tip). It was worth every penny. Will we be back? YES!!! They accept most credit cards (I think I heard they don’t accept AMEX), so you don’t need to worry about bringing cash.

Delicious! I’ve dined here a couple of times and I haven’t been disappointed. Some may complain that it’s BYOB but that doesn’t take away from the fresh pastas, meats, and salads served here. I recommend this place to anyone who’s looking for a good, hearty meal.

Their gnocchi = god’s gift of chewy pellets of happiness to mankind.
Please eat them.
Yes.
Also byob.

We LOVE Sottos! Excellent, fresh food and great service! BYOB is an added benefit!

We went to Sotto to celebrate my birthday. We took our daughter and her boyfriend. They go to school downtown and had been here once before. It’s a little hard to find, but since the kids were here before, it was no problem. We ended up going up to Walnut St. to grab a cab for the ride back to University City. Seemed like it would be difficult to explain to a cab driver where the restaurant was located for pick up at the door.
We had an 8PM reservation. When we arrived the place was pretty full. We ended up being seated around 8:05 — 8:10. There is very little room to wait, just a small vestibule. If there are a few tables waiting and it’s cold outside, I can’t imagine that would be much fun.
Sotto is BYOB so we took a couple bottles of wine. They were quick with the wine glasses. Server was very thorough announcing the specials and we placed our order. Soon after the waiter came out with the bread. The bread was hands down, the most disappointing part of the meal. Average at best. There was olive oil on the table, but no balsamic or anything else to add. Considering how good everything else was, they really should improve on the bread. This is an Italian restaurant after all.
We started with the Eggplant Parmesan appetizer. We split it between the four of us. It was an excellent way to start the meal. For entrees, I had the Penne Delizie with the shrimp and scallops. Typically I do chicken parmesan, etc. This time I went outside the box and I am very glad I did. My entrée was set in front of me and the aroma was incredible. I took a bite and it was probably the best pasta dish I have ever eaten. Every bite was filled with incredible flavor. My wife had the Rigatoni Telefono. This was also very good, but did not stand out like my dish. My daughter had the Rigatoni Locanda. It was her second time at Sotto and she stuck with the same thing both times. Why mess with success? Her boyfriend ordered the Penne Carbonara. That was excellent as well.

5 stars Outstanding!
The Food, service, and consistency is worthy of all these great reviews. I love the beet salad, Caprino salad and all time favorite Pasta Locando add chicken with an extra side of sauce for dipping bread into! Yum. Mario is always personable and professional and makes everyone feel welcome.

I will have to give this a very negative review, I don’t belive in this business modo and I think people who intent to make a profit in such ways are not ment to be successful.
The waiter that took care of me and my companion was quite aggressive and seem very disconnect with what he does, even though he seem to be a sibling.
I ask for a glass of merlot and they guy gave a smurk, I thing he wanted me to order a whole bottle, but my friend doesn’t drink and it would be too much to have a whole bottle myself. And than with an aditude he took our order: grill veggies, pizza and a whole branzino. It took for ever, and when it finally arrived everything came at the same time! which I decided than that I would mind it to be honest; but this is what got to me and really wish that this owners earn the hard lesson of failure. In the menu, says that if you share the whole fish they have surcharge, bout 5 dollars more, which also I’m not in agreement with, but I guess if you think that bringing an extra plate or dividing the fish is worth charging more many? than maybe… Just maybe. Anyhow, I was ask if I wanted to have my fish dibouned to which I reply that I wanted to eat it whole on the bone. My companion had the pizza and the grill veggies, we decided to try a little of each other’s dishes, I served a little peace of my fish a couple of times to her plate and she share a slice of pizza with me. well I got charged EXTRA because I gave her a peace of my fish!!! Who are they to tell me who and how should I enjoy my food, and to give me a monetary citation for doing so??? This is unacceptable and low low busses ethics. Unfortunately it did. It end there, two couples sat next to our table and a lady order the same fish I did, well, the waiter pressured her to have it deboned, when he bought back the fish it was less than HALF!!! This guys are just sleazy people that want to make a dime with low business ethics and robe people.

This is truly philly’s best kept secret… Mario and his staff is world class. The magicians in the kitchen are unreal. Tiny BYO spot under the bridge.
If this spot is not 5 stars, I don’t know what is.
Go there!!! Your welcome!

Hidden the under the Walnut St bridge, this is a great place for anyone looking for an Italian BYO.
It is a small restaurant with a very intimate atmosphere. The ambiance is great with the dimmed lights and cork décor, but it can get a little loud when full. While it is set up for smaller parties, they are accommodating and seated two group of 10 while I was there.
The food is pretty good and prices are fair. While there weren’t a ton of vegetarian plates, they had some great vegetarian pasta and pizza options. Portion sizes were good, so you definitely will not be leaving hungry.
For dessert I had the a chocolate chip cannoli. While it was a little pricy, the cannoli tasted great and was a great finish to the meal.
Overall service is good and pretty quick making this a great place for anyone looking for an intimate Italian restaurant near Ucity.

This place is hard to find as it is tucked under the Walnut st bridge on 24^th. We tried the recommended grilled octopus app, but for the price, it was pretty sparse with the octopus and plentiful with the greens.
I asked them to make me the veal with the gorgonzola sauce used on another platter and it was awesome. They hesitated to make it, not having heard about it before, but finally did. We get it all the time at Spasso on Front St. Partner liked her dish too.

I came here last Friday night with the wifey and a good friend. We made a reservation for 6:30 and there were no issues getting seated. The food was really good! I had the carbonara which was excellent, pasta cooked perfectly, flavor was robust (I’m still thinking about it!) and the portion size was generous. Wifey had the pasta special which was supposed to come with salmon, but she substituted chicken instead. They still charged her $ 23 which is ridiculous, but at least she enjoyed it.
So, this place would have gotten four starts but for the overcharging — we asked our waiter about it and he didn’t seem to care. He said he spoke to the manager and «couldn’t help us».

Excellent BYO with fair prices. A little tough to find, its beneath the over pass along 24^th st.
Servers were very attentive and they hustled which I like.
We were able to get a reservation for 6 people by calling in at 3:30pm on a Saturday on a beautiful spring day for the same night at 8pm. The space is very small and packed that I was surprised we could get a party that size in (might have been a cancellation).
Apps were excellent, especially the octopus.
I had the fettuccine special that night (chock full of seafood). Noodles were a bit soft which I actually prefer. That was probably the best option among what was ordered at the table. One person got a meat dish which was huge.
Pasta portions were probably medium sized. Appropriate for the price.

I’ll tell you a secret. This Italian BYO place is a hidden gem! And when I mean hidden, I mean it’s under the Walnut Street bridge. The place is very warm and cozy, and the people that work there are so friendly! I’ve been there twice, and each meal was very good.
Recent excursion was delicious! I had the special which was duck pappardelle with truffle oil. Home-​made pappardelle! Rich and dreamy. I’ve also tried the grilled octopus and the chicken belladonna. These are excellent choices. Next, I want to try their pizza. The portions are bigger than average, and leftovers make for a great lunch.
Now that the secret’s out, I hope enjoy your next meal here!