Sotto: Indulge in Authentic Italian Dining in Cincinnati

The restaurant was underground, which was very cool. There was candle lighting everywhere, and there was a place you could see the pasta being made. It’s very dark, which is relaxing. I wasn’t a huge fan of the goat cheese bread dish; it was pretty small and underwhelming in flavor compared to the rest of the dishes. I most highly recommend the short rib pasta, kale salad, and pistachio gelato. All of this was some of the best food my boyfriend and I had ever had. We got 2 pastas, one meat dish, 2 sides, 2 desserts, and 1 drink for 153. It ended up being 200ish with tip and valet. I think the experiences is definitely worth the money. The sage butternut pasta was good, but feels more like a dessert than a dinner to me. I also liked the chicken, but enjoyed the flavor profile of the short rib pasta I had more. The service was excellent. They come to check on you often, pour you more water, and they in depth explain the menu. We were celebrating my early birthday and my boyfriend’s late birthday, so they brought out candles with dessert which was a fun surprise. We were sitting in a corner, but it still was a little bit hard to hear each other. The place was pretty packed. The chocolate mouse was good, however I didn’t love the bottom chocolate layer or the hazelnuts on top. Our server gave us Caramel sauce for the dish which was excellent. The actual mousse and caramel were very good, I just didn’t love the chocolate bottom layer and hazelnuts like mentioned.

Amazing experience. My Wife and I had a reservation at 10:15 and ended up showing up very early but they got us seated immediately. To dip our toes in we just had some dessert and some drinks at the bar. I had the Chocolate Budino and my wife had the Ricotta Donuts. We both had the Amalfi for drinks. Both of which were absolutely amazing. My wife normally doesn't like Vodka but she's a fan now. Bartender and staff were extremely friendly. Very cozy setting and atmosphere. We can't wait to come back for a full meal next time.

We had reservations at 6:30p on Saturday night during the beginning of the biggest snow storm in Cincinnati. I thought for sure folks would cancel, but no, they were still being seated when we left. That is a testament to how good this place is. We have dined here before, but this is my first review. The place is dark and lit by real candlelight. The music is upbeat and on the louder side, but not so much as to take away from conversation. Our service from Nevarre was great. He was knowledgeable, attentive, and spaced our food out perfectly. We started with two lovely glasses of wine: a Chianti and a Falanghina. For Antipasti we chose the prosciutto and arugula salad and the tartare di fassone. The salad was perfectly dressed and Italian in all ways. The tartare was fantastic!!! The breadcrumbs add crunch and the flavors were so balanced. I only wish it was served with toast points or bread. For Primi we chose the tagliatelle con porcini and the short rib cappellacci. Both dishes were DIVINE! For Secondi, we chose the branzino this time. The pork loin is fantastic, but we wanted to try the fish. It was cooked with crispy skin, a kiss of smoke from the grill, and on a bed of chippy-chopped broccolini that was a nice compliment to the fish. We took the chocolate budino home for dessert and it was good, but not a must-order. This place deserves every bit of hype it gets on all the social platforms. I highly recommend taking any out-of-town family or friends here to give them a taste of the Cincinnati restaurant scene, and what Chef David Falk is known for (Boca and Nada too).

Very cool restaurant down in a basement with a casual but upscale aesthetic. I guess it's hard to get an actual table unless you book in advance so we sat at high top table which was communal. I didn't mind sitting with other people but I did not think their high top chairs were very comfortable. We ordered a grilled bread appetizer (pictured), black truffle pasta, breaded porkloin with capers, asparagus and had their ricotta donuts for dessert (pictured). The black truffle pasta was underwhelming for the price of $58 Ala cart. The breaded porkloin was flavorful and very tender, but presentation was lacking. We both had non-alcoholic Spritz drinks that were delicious. Our waiter was charming and on point with service. I will definitely come back when I am able to book in advance to get a table and I will skip the black truffle pasta. Happy dining!

Went for my birthday and reserved the tables about 3 months before. The service was great, our main waiter and others were prompt and friendly. The food and drinks were excellent, we tried a few things such as: The appetizers: - oil packed tuna 10/10 - goat cheese, hazelnut honey, grilled bread 9/10 The mains: - pappardelle al cinghiale - wild boar 5/10 not my thing - cappellacci - short rib -10/10 AMAZING - tajarin con tartufo - black truffle. 9/10 - had to try it while available Dessert: - riccotta doughnuts with sauces 9/10 Drinks: - The Italian Stallion - Zero Zero Bellini

First time. Service, ambiance, food, & drinks were all top-notch. Goat cheese, tuna, & octopus appetizers were all delicious. The tuna app sounded a little off to me, but was absolute heaven. The wild boar, pork ravioli, & black truffle dishes were all culinary experiences I won't forget. The Italian Stallion was an added bonus. Looking forward to my next visit already.

Great food, great service, classic dark restaurant atmosphere, very very loud. Tartare tasted great, the cappellacci was light and delicious, the branzino was wonderful with crispy skin and great flavor (little on the salty side) The service was very very good, they switched the forks & knives after every dishes The noise level was pretty bad the Friday night we dinned in and I was having hard time listening what the server said. Knowing how hard to book a reservation here, I would imagine this noise issue is pretty common . Definitely will be back again!

Excellent meal and experience. Fairly pricey, but worth it, IMO. Black kale Caesar salad was great, as was the goat cheese bread. Octopus (squid?) appetizer was good as well, worth a try if you've never had it. For the entrees, the wood fired branzino was fantastic, make sure to leave the skin on, it really adds a lot of spice/flavor. The short rib pasta was pretty good as well, although a little too rich with the sauce. Wild boar pasta was good too, but nothing standout. Interesting atmosphere that overall adds to the experience, with dim lighting, lots of candles, and exposed stone walls. It was pretty loud, which was the only thing detracting from the experience.