Sophia's Fine Italian Cuisine

Our party of 4 enjoyed a fabulous dinner last night at Sophia’s! Talented Chef Luigi hit it outta the park w/ his culinary creations. Brady, our server, was incredibly attentive, welcoming, & did a great job in preparing black truffle risotto in a giant Parm/Reg cheese wheel. The decor vibe is elegant, calming coastal blues w/ sweet noir portraits of Sophia & Victoria on the walls. Great air circulation. Tasteful lighting. Very clean. Sophia’s is a fantastic addition to Anna Maria Island!

I don't even know how to begin because everything about our dining experience was perfect. I seriously can't remember when I had a better dining experience.

We had family in from Germany and wanted to take them out for a nice dinner. We live in Tampa and didn't know anything about the restaurants in the Anna Maria Island area.

I Googled best restaurants on Anna Maria Island and came across Sophia's. We made reservations and showed up on time. The place is small but I could already tell by the table settings we were going to have a great dinner. There was a tropical storm coming in, and I guess everybody else canceled their dinner plans because we had the place to ourself.

We were greeted by our server, who made us all feel comfortable. He told us about the specials and took our drink order. Everything on the menu had some familiarity, but it seemed it was all just taken another step to raise the bar.

For instance, our Ceasars salad was a whole head of grilled romaine with the dressing and shaved parmesan on the side. The dressing and flavor of the grilled lettuce was amazing. One of our appetizers was Burrata Sophia with mozzarella (real mozzarella, a soft ball, not sliced) and crispy prosciutto. We also had deep-fried calamari and vegetables. They were fried with just a light breading and were perfect.

For dinner, three of us ordered the ribeye, which was covered in arugula and tomatoes. They were cooked to order and tender with a great flavor. Three of us had the pesto gnocchi with two huge tiger shrimp. Again, it was cooked to perfection. I love pesto, and this pesto was perfect. One of us ordered a special pasta dish that was finished tableside where the server shaved an actual truffle into the pasta while mixing it in a hollowed out parmesan wheel. Amazing!

Then we had to try the desserts. The cannoli was crisp and the cream light. The bread pudding was delicious, and the take on tiramisu was original and delicious.

Honestly, I can't say enough about this place. You will love it!

We are a little persnickety about where we dine. Every time I hear great things about a new place on AMI, I make a reservation and we check it out. There always seems to be something not up to par; whether it be service, ambiance or food. Tonight, however we were pleasantly not just surprised, but blown away by Soohia’s. We don’t get this caliber of food in NY. The chef is the real deal.. My husband’s veal was the best he has ever had and my ravioli was so delicious. They better get a larger dining room!

Felt like I was back in Italy. Brady was very attentive as a server and chef Luigi prepared all of dishes expertly! Highly recommend this little-known gem of a restaurant!

Was the best authentic Italian food I’ve ever had. I will not go anywhere else in the area. The service was great as well and the wine!

My husband and I had dinner here while staying on Anna Maria Island. Amazing food and experience! Amazing wine list, creative food. Great service from Brady. Owned by Chef Luigi (from Naples) who kept popping out to check on us. Beautiful amuse of shrimp bisque brought out, and we enjoyed three seafood dishes. Varied, dialed in menu. Oh and the chocolate almost dessert was the BEST!!! Can’t recommend this place enough!

I took my husband by surprise in an early happy Father’s Day ❤ and he said that it was his best culinary experience ever. Let me tell you that my husband is half Italian, he was amazed by the fresh home made pasta

I felt like I was eating in Italy. The atmosphere was amazing. Chef Luigi is the real deal. After he made our meal he took the time to come out and make sure everything was perfect. IT WAS. His menu has something for everyone. It is one of the last of the best kept secrets on AMI.

My partner and I had dinner there last night. We’re both p/t island residents and were recommended by neighbors to experience Sophia’s. What a fabulous surprise. The menu was creative, our server Brady was on point, the food was delicious and Chef Luigi popped over to the table to check in on us!
PS the braised short ribs entree was excellent!

Chef Luigi is absolutely authentic! Italians are funny, we don't eat at Italian restaurants. I love this place it's truly authentic, delicious and feels like home. The service as well is perfect. Highly recommended, 1 of 3 restaurants on this island I enjoy and gladly will spend without concern. YUMMY!!

10/10!!! 5 star dining on beautiful island Anna Maria. The food, wine, so authentic! Chef Luigi definitely put his heart on the dish he made! Brady, our server is definitely the best server I have ever met. So professional! I made reservation ahead of time. I had the best gnocchi shrimp paired with white wine and my husband has ribeye with pesto paired with red wine. The dessert we had was Pistachio cannoli. Everything was super delicious!! Worth every penny and every minute we were there! Love this place.

I’m from NYC and Sophia’s was phenomenal! The chef makes a fresh mascarpone cheese which was delicious. The burrata was a great starter and it was my first time having crispy prosciutto which when paired with the burrata was a good balance. We were a party of 4 and ordered the following: lasagna, 2 rib eye steaks and the gnocchi. The steaks were ordered medium rare and they were perfectly cooked and compared to NYC steak houses was equal if not better. The pasta was fresh and the portions were very generous. The Texas man does not know anything about what a lasagna should taste or look like. That lasagna was excellent! Now on to dessert…the bread pudding was heaven with just the right amount of sweetness. Everyone, and I mean everyone!, who wants Italian food should come here and enjoy this menu.

The best Italian food in Manatee County. We had the white clam sauce and linguini and the ribeye. Both were cooked perfectly. The ribeye was the best steak either of us had ever had, cooked precisely as ordered. The linguini and clams were likewise perfectly cooked: just al dente enough and the sauce was light and flavorful. Brady, our waiter, was excellent, offering helpful information, attentive without being smothering. I cannot recommend Sophia's highly enough.

We had a delightful evening . The atmosphere was delightful
And totally transformed from the morning’s breakfast cafe which is also delicious . pretty linens and table lighting set the mood for a special night. We enjoyed watching and receiving table side serving of the risotto and my Branzino. Highly recommend the grilled Caesar salad . I am Gluten free but found a nice choice of all courses. Our table had four deserts and one was better than the next . Highly recommend n

Can't say enough about how amazing this restaurant is!! Truly authentic italian food. Best meal we had on our trip. Chef Luigi personally greets you at the table to make sure everything is to your liking. And our waiter Brady was also amazing.

We ate breakfast here twice during our trip. They have great capaccino as well as good food.

Great new restaurant on AMI! We shared a delicious burrata between three of us to start and enjoyed excellent pasta for our entree, with the all'amatriciana a particular highlight. The chocolate lava cake dessert is well worth the wait and was a light way to end our meal. Brady the server is friendly and attentive and Luigi the chef (who is from outside Napoli) came out and said hi later in our meal. Several amuse bouches and other gratis surprises appeared throughout dinner too. Can’t recommend Sophia’s enough - it’s absolutely worth a visit!

Incredible authentic Italian food. Everything was made from scratch and the waiter and chef were great. We will be coming back a lot. Had the ribeye, burrata, pork chop, and braised short rib pasta.

Amazing Italian bread homemade pasta little spot with so much amazing food and it’s tucked away. Do not miss when here

One of the best dinners on the island. fantastic, authentic Italian food. Very impressed. Celebrated a birthday there & can’t wait to go back.