Sogno

Sogno's is our go-to restaurant in the area for Italian food, drinks, and dessert. One of my favorite aspects of this place is the ambiance, as it is just a very nicely put together restaurant. The service is also always great, with food never taking too long to come out. Here are some takeaways after eating here over a dozen times....Favorite menu items:- Roasted cod with risotto. The cool thing about this dish is that they make your different types of risotto based on what is in season. - Veal cutlet with prosciutto. The portion on this is huge and could definitely be split between two people if you aren't super hungry. - TIRAMISU! Not only is the tiramisu delicious, but they put it in cute little glasses. - Espresso martinis. The bar makes their own homemade cream for the drinks instead of Baileys which really puts them over the top!I will say, it's usually packed here, so I encourage you to make a reservation, or you'll probably have to sit at the bar.

A group of us came to Sogno for a birthday celebration. Service was great, and we were checked on often. I got the Sogno Cesare with chicken on the side, il fico, and Espresso Martini. Our table shared the Wagyu carpaccio, and Polpo alla griglia. My favorites were the Polpo alla griglia, and il fico. The il fico is very light and refreshing, slightly sweet and you can really taste the fig. Everyone enjoyed their food and had a great time. They do give a basket of bread and only olive oil.Sogno is on the pricier side, and I personally would only come here for special occasions, or a fancy date night. The restaurant is modern and feels intimate. They have indoor and some covered outdoor seating. They also have live music on some nights. For our celebration, they put us in a enclosed glass room, which was nice as it drowns out the noise, however you're surrounded by the rest of the tables on three sides so it feels like people are just looking in.

Considering the area's plethora of exceptional Italian restaurants (I hail from Calabrian immigrants), I had high expectations for the newish Sogno in Woburn. We made reservations for 6pm on a Tuesday, and nine of us were excited for our first visit. Let's start with the physical space: the restaurant's design is open and modern, located just beyond Woburn CC on the Winchester line. I loved the shiny red Vespa positioned at the door entrance. There was live music, though overall acoustics make it difficult to carry on a conversation without shouting. The bar sits in the middle, there's a back glassed "room", and all the details (glassware, artwork, monogrammed napkins, tufted leatheresque booths) would all seem to indicate a fine dining experience worthy of the RatPack.Here's where it all goes wrong, and it simply comes down to level of service and overlooked details that, with some tweaking, could propel this establishment to the highest level. You've gotta get past the sticker shock of the prices (C'mon! I'll pay for great food, but pasta dishes do not warrant extortion). We are not in Manhattan, nor are we at The Capital Grille (whose service is unparalleled and my benchmark). I enjoyed a very tasty Italian Margarita while others had the Sogno Sippers. The pistachio martini arrived without its whipped cream garnish (stated on menu) but was delicious. More later on bar garnish snafus. The bread service is wholly underwhelming. Sliced crusty (almost stale) white bread with EVOO. We were starving but asked for a bread refill. Another staff member removed the baskets and never returned with the additional bread. Our server, Jesus, was lovely; friendly and helpful in selecting which fish to order, but not sure where he disappeared to several times during the meal. Management should assign servers to one area instead of spreading staff all over the floor; these kinds of oversights are due to lack of training by management, IMHO. With lack of bread, I ordered arancini to share with another friend. I will say that the serving bowl was hotter than the actual center of the arancini. What I did enjoy was the lemony pesto accompaniment. Now if they can get those rice balls piping hot and perhaps a bit larger (for the price), they'd have a winning appetizer. Our entrees included the Branzino, Cod, short rib tagliatelle, ravioli, and lasagna. Everyone seemed to enjoy their entrees; my cod was delicious; I enjoyed the corn ragu; the mashed potato base was a bit runny, but fine; my friend wasn't impressed with the lasagne, made from very thin pasta sheets rolled into spirals and baked off in a cast iron dish--she said there was not enough actual pasta and too much ricotta; I tasted it and I enjoyed the flavor, but I got too much sauce, not enough ricotta; I tasted the short rib tagliatelle, which friends enjoyed; felt the short rib was dry; Our entrees were delivered by kitchen staff-no one knew who got what, and hadn't seen our server in awhile; there was no offer of fresh pepper grinding or cheese grating, and no one came to ask about refilling cocktails or water bottles. It is unacceptable not to check back after dishes are dropped. Another round of cocktails ordered: The Drunk Cannoli arrived without the scoops of mascarpone gelato, requests for "dirty rocks" were forgotten. Jesus ran to the bar to get the gelato, but no one had any spoons to plop the scoops into glasses. Two cappuccino were ordered. One had 4 inches of foam atop, the other had ¼ inch. The proclaimed expert on cappuccino said it tasted of instant coffee. Either they don't have a real espresso machine, or there is user error in making the drinks. I blame management for lack of training. Our tabs started to be settled up without ever being asked if we wanted dessert. The table ordered the tiramisu, which was a layer cake served with coffee gelato. It was tasty but certainly not traditional for die-hards. The order of zeppole (fried dough balls) came with chocolate dipping sauce and an orange cream "dip" and were well received. Jesus noted that they added an extra zeppola so that all the dessert eaters could have one. This was a nice touch. I would like to see Sogno do a few things:1.Have your servers watch The Bear, S2E7 "Forks", when Carmy sends Ritchie to train at a premier restaurant, then offer your staff training that aligns with Sogno's mission and price points. #IYKYK2. Customers who don't like their money can continue to patronize Sogno, but I sadly predict it will not last if it doesn't tweak the corner-cutting3. Pay attention without hovering and anticipate needs; wouldn't hurt to see the manager walking around talking to patrons 4. Serve drinks from a tray! Nothing more basic than a server walking a martini across the floor by hand, sloshing it around; this isn't Applebees. I tried to be honest but fair; spend your money as you wish, but if Sogno aspires to the luxury market, there's work to be done.

A winner every time... I visit this culinary paradise. It was a Monday night for Father and Son to meet up and enjoy a delicious dinner together and catch up... just a guys night out!I had called ahead for a quiet booth, in the corner that would have seated 8. But just the two of us. Kelly Sundberg, the GM had taken my reservation and said she be working tonight and would certainly come over to say hi. She did within 3 minutes and Liz, our waitstaff was our host. It's also "Restaurant Week" so they also had a three course Menu for $55 in addition to their regular menu. All looked great and we were both hungry. Besides being offered immediately spring or sparking water, freshly baked bread and oil with add-ins were delivered along with our drinks. A martini and a manhattan. Both perfect. A quick order of their famous meatballs appetizer for two while we perused the menu's was a welcome and fabulous start. Once done, we both ordered the broiled salmon, which came with elegant sides. I ordered the "sirloin tartare" complete with quail's egg and crispy prosciutto. Magnificent...Dinner arrived in heated plates without feeling any rush. They were watching our apps going down and timed the delivery of the salmon perfectly. Perfectly executed and delicious and sumptuous. A "10" for us both. Dessert was (in non Italian) their infamous donut holes served with three dipping sauces. To die for!!All in all, an extraordinary night of delicious food and the company of my son! You could not ask for a better combination...Thank you Ron Martigneeti, Kelly Sundberg and Liz for setting the stage for this amazing night!!Bravo...

Sogno has been on my want-to-go date night list for a bit.We started with the Waygu Carpaccio - it was good, but so thin I'm not sure it was worth the $24. You could barely taste the steak.I ordered the 16oz Ribeye. Came topped with Bone Marrow butter, and I substituted the risotto for the mashed. It was cooked perfectly, but I did have to add some seasoning. My wife ordered the Burrata Ravioli and she liked it. It could have been warmer, but good flavor.For dessert the only thing that was bad about the tiramisu was the size, it was fantastic! I could eat about 6 of them!!The Zepe donuts were also fantastic!!

Great food and fantastic service. We tried their lunch menu and it didn't disappoint and we plan to go back for dinner. The restaurant also has an outdoor patio and nice dining room. There is plenty of parking and it's easy to get to.They have function rooms available as well including an intimate one that is all glass. Very nicely decorated restaurant and very clean. What a treasure. We're so glad to find such a great Italian restaurant.

First time at this establishment after hearing great things about it. Atmosphere and service were top notch. The food missed the mark on flavor. I ordered the Orrechette with sausage and broccoli rabe. Very dry and lacking red pepper flakes. Needed to add fresh parm and pepper. My wife ordered Cacio e Pepe . Lacking the main ingredient Pepper. We will try it again and maybe stick with the apps. Bring your wallet.

If you want a great night out this is the place to goService number oneI recommend their pizzas for appetizers and even dinner personal sizeFried calamari excellent Roasted cod over squash risotto and shrimp was excellent Eggplant parm. Was great toScallop over gnocchi was fine tooBraised short rib over pasta great tasting

A friend of ours took us to dinner at Sognolast night and it was fantastic. First time there the food was spectacular. The place was absolutely beautiful. The owner could not have been nicer. He came directly to our table and engaged in conversation and was very kind We had a server named Jeremy. He was very informative. He took special care in our service poured our water for us Gave us great recommendations and was right on top of everything.He even explained how the food was prepared and the ingredients in it we had a wonderful experience we will be back

Excellent food, service and not one complaint to be had! I'd go back in a heartbeat and it's my plan!!Try it, you'll love it!!