Sotto: Candlelit Italian dining in Cincinnati, where every dish sparks a memorable dining experience.
Sotto is a candlelit Italian restaurant in Cincinnati at 118 E 6th St. The menu earns praise for goat cheese bread, octopus and tuna appetizers, wild boar pasta, pork ravioli, black truffle dishes, and wood-fired branzino. Guests note attentive, knowledgeable service—with staff such as Heather and Nevarre—alongside a memorable atmosphere and the Italian Stallion cocktail. On busy nights the dining room can be loud, and reservations can be hard to secure.
118 E 6th St, Cincinnati, OH 45202, USA
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Expertly grilled dishes like branzino and pork loin, cooked over an open flame for rich, smoky flavors.
Fresh, artisanal pasta options including short rib cappellacci and tagliatelle con porcini, made in-house daily.
A variety of starters such as tartare di fassone, goat cheese bread, and octopus appetizers to begin your meal.
An extensive selection of Italian and international wines, paired perfectly with our menu offerings.
Intimate settings for special events or groups, offering personalized service and a unique ambiance.
Overall rating
Amy Dunlea
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).
Nick Kessel
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.
Kristin Hughes
We had an absolutely unforgettable experience at Sotto! From start to finish, this was the best meal and dining experience I’ve ever had. Every dish was exceptional, but what truly made the night was our waitress, Heather. Heather took the time to thoroughly explain all of the food options, answered every question with patience and expertise, and went above and beyond to make sure I felt completely comfortable being pregnant. Her care and attention were so genuine and thoughtful. As if the incredible service and food weren’t enough, she surprised us by gifting us the sweetest baby onesie (pictured) when she brought out our boxed leftovers. It was such a touching and unexpected gesture that meant so much to us. Sotto delivers not only outstanding food, but an experience that feels truly special. We will never forget this night, and we can’t wait to come back. Thank you, Heather, for making it so memorable! 🙂
Will Zhang
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!
Kati Payne
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.
