We had attempted to have our 38th wedding anniversary at a steak house which was a miserable experience. We left and had dinner at this adorable restaurant. We were greeted by a smiling server who told us to grab a table. She instantly came over and took our drink order. She came back, took our dinner order right away. We noticed how she continued smiling, laughing to everyone, making you feel like you were family. The food arrived and OMG! My husband had the lasagna and I had the penne bolognese. What a terrific meal! We had mentioned to another terrific server how happy we were to have come here to celebrate. Much to our surprise she came back with a tiramisu which was plated so nicely. Needless to say, we could not have asked for a better anniversary! Thank you to the wonderful people at Pinocchio's for giving us more happy memories! We will be back! read more

Pinocchio's - Tiramisu to die for! - Italian Near Me - Sonora, California

The McClean was divine after a day of sledding and the Pinocchio, French Dip and meatballs were excellent! Service was great and they have rocket ice in drinks which was an added bonus. Went back for some minestrone too since it looked so authentic and great for cold weather. The restaurant is so well decorated and even the bathrooms are well done and immaculate. 5 stars all around! read more

Delicious food, amazing caring staff and a cute place. What more could you ask for ? I love love love the Cricket, French Dip (with beef) and the NY Grinder. It's a family favorite and they treat you like family, too! read more

Pinocchio's - NY Grinder - Italian Near Me - Sonora, California

Unfortunately it was the worst meal I have ever eaten there. We decided to try the new location which is beautiful but the food was definitely underwhelming. I ordered the lasagna which tasted ok but still cold in the middle with a $5 side sausage which was so over microwaved the top half was dark brown and super dry and hard. My guest had the spaghetti which she described as going to somebody's to eat spaghetti and didn't know how to cook it, the noodles were good it was the sauce, it tasted like straight tomato paste. We have eaten multiple times at their old location and the food was always delicious and we always praised them for doing a great job but this time it will be a while before we go back! read more

After a day of snowshoeing at Dodge Ridge we decided to try a meal at Pinochio's Restaurant in Sonora. What a wonderful meal! My wife had the Pesto Chicken, My son had the Chicken Alfredo and I tried the Chicken Caesars Salad . They were all delicious!! We really enjoyed the meal and the friendly service. We are definitely looking forward to returning. My son said that it was the best Chicken Alfredo he has ever had, and that is saying something! See you soon Pinochio's! read more

Pinocchio's - Authentic Italian Hot Sauce! - Italian Near Me - Sonora, California

New location New staff. New excellence. We had a fabulous meal. I am in awe of the minestrone soup. So good we took a quart home. Stop by and step into the Pinocchio experience we did. Can't wait to go back. The sweet conolli desert. I dream about it. read more

What a cute place ! But be ready to ask for a to go box when you order . Try the meatball soup , hard to explain but it has a very nice flavor profile . It's not Olive Garden Italian it's the real deal . Check out the Disney Pinocchio collection read more

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Pinnocchio's was so so good. After watching Wizzard of Ox in Colombia we decided to try this place out in Sonora. We ordered their lasagna and Pesto dish and the sauces for both were incredibly good. The service was very friendly and great. We will totally come back again. read more

I ordered the lasagna and side meatball. I was greeted with a smile as soon as I walked in. Service was awesome. The atmosphere was pretty cool. Food was really good. I just finished working in that area and wish I would of eaten here sooner. read more

Pinocchio's - Italian Near Me - Sonora, California

Had to take my daughter to DMV for a driving test she was starving because she just got out of school. Stopped here and got her a sandwich. She ordered a pesto chicken sandwich and a lemonade. Sandwich was a good size and she loved it ! She said it was very tasty and she looks forward to coming back and trying other sandwiches. read more

The soup and sandwiches are to die for. And the service is great love this place. That's about it they have recently moved but they are well worth finding it and go get yourself lunch today. read more

We recently ate here for my son's birthday dinner and we had such a wonderful experience! The service was fantastic, the atmosphere was fun and the food was delicious. We wanted to make the night special so we all ordered whatever we wanted and loved everything and the price was a lot cheaper than we expected! We really enjoyed every minute. We are already thinking about our next visit, which is going to be VERY soon. This is one of our favorite places now, no wonder it's been here forever, it's a gem! Keep kicking butt Pinocchio's you guys rock! I'm the only one who took pics of my food because my husband and son started devouring their food before I could snap a pic lol! But we also got the cricket, fettuccine Alfredo, spaghetti and meatballs with sausage to take home, and cannolis and tiramisu and all were so good we loved every single thing. read more

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Been years since I visited the restaurant. Fast service to eat in or to take away. Good value for the price.

Excellent sandwich called the Grinder.. So big split with my daughter. Great service fast and friendly. The inside was very clean and had pictures on the walls. Reminds you or a cute Italian town. Will definitely go back. read more

Pinocchio's is a third generation family-owned and operated Italian restaurant that is looking forward (in about 15 years) to a century in business. If you're a Disney fan you can admire their amazing collection of Pinocchio (the movie) collectibles. None of the above diminishes the excellent food. (I have eaten **every** item on the menu.) The Cricket sandwich is their best-seller. The Italian bread this hot cold cut and cheese comes on was developed by retired owner Joe. It is amazing. There isn't any item on the menu that isn't excellent. Oh, and superior service, too. I hope I am still chowing down on Crickets when Pinocchio's turns 100. read more

Order the Cricket! Order it Large. Take home the rest. If it does not make it too tomorrow at lunch you should have eaten it at the restaurant! it amazing. good lasagna as well. i always show up within an hour of closing. read more

This place is legit. I wish I had taken pictures of the food when it came out. Giant portions. You can also tell the sauces are made fresh using family recipes. Tastes like home cooked food. Service was great, food was prepared fast. While we ate, a stream of locals came in for takeout. Many seemed to be regulars recognized by the staff. So glad a multigenerational family joint like this can thrive here. We lost so many places like this back home. Apparently, they're moving to a new location in a couple months. Great place to eat after exploring Gold Country. read more

Our family have been going to Italian restaurants for many, many years so we looked forward to going here. Yes, it is too pricey for what you get. The side salad was adequate but bring enough dressing. I had to wait awhile to get more. The pasta sauce was very bland. Add some Italian spices please. Bland we all said. Staff were very polite but were on skates. You need another 2 servers. Garlic bread OK. MY spouse said I make much better marinara/red pasta sauce. I'm not Italian!!! We will go back to try a sandwich soon. If you have no tastebuds this red pasta sauce is for you. Atmosphere is very cute and entertaining. I also thought sauce was too tart and too acidic. Anyway good luck to the family. I will go back and see if sandwiches are better than Subway. read more

Food good! Tasty Italian dishes. Good Service, friendly environment. Warm staff, cozy

This place was amazing! Great food- service and I am Jiminy Cricket/Pinocchio obsessed and they have everything! read more

Great food and great service. The sandwich was amazing and enough to take home and have the next day. Will be back. The friendly service welcome you in and made you want to come back. It was packed so you might have a wait but it will be worth it. read more

What a find. I was out in the Sonora area and found this gem on Yelp. Was looking for a good sandwich and I found it here. Ambiance all for Italy, good feeling coming in. Staff was friendly and attentive. The waitress recommended The Cricket a fan favorite. I chose the NY Grinder because it had lettuce and tomato. Wow this is by far one of my best sandwiches. Fresh baked sesame roll. I started off with Sicilian Sausage soup that was delicious as well. Next time I'm in the area I will definitely be stopping in. read more

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I like eating at Pinocchio's the first time I ate here. I was with a few crewmates and one of my captains who took me here and it was amazing! I got one of the sandwiches. I forgot what I ordered, but it was so good. The next few times I got the pesto pasta and it was really good too. I suggest sticking with the sandwiches though! And their decorations are so cute. There's a bunch of Pinocchio stuff AnyWho Pinocchio! read more

Best Italian food I have ever had hands down!! Staff is very friendly and willing to help me make a choice for my meal. I will definitely be making the 1+ hour drive many more times. Well worth it. Olive Garden take notes. read more

Pinocchio's - Spaghetti and meatballs - Italian Near Me - Sonora, California

I've been coming to Twain Harte for decades. Stopped in Sonora today to get groceries. I had never even heard of Pinocchio's but the pictures of the sandwiches looked good so we tried it. It was fantastic! The server recommended the meatball sandwich. It was delicious. The large sandwich was actually two sandwiches. I will be having the second one for dinner. My kids loved their sandwiches as well. We finished off with the lemon gelato, mango sorbet and dark chocolate gelato. All were excellent. The lemon tasted like frozen sunshine. The service was great and the decor was adorable. I especially enjoyed the family history posted in the lobby. I can't wait to come back with my husband and other two adult kids. read more

Simple little restaurant in a strip mall. We enjoyed giant bowls of scrumptious pasta along with garlic bread and Gelato for dessert. I wish I had ordered a salad and pasta, and then split it with my friend. We all had leftovers.so bring your Tupperware. Service was wonderful. read more

Favorite sandwich restaurant. Always delicious. Their Italian food is amazing also. Service is excellent.

Wow talk about not putting two and two together lol. First of all I'm not from around here but was passing through and ask hubby to find me a place to eat and he pin me this spot. I honestly walked in not realizing the whole theme to the restaurant I swear I felt like a little kid in Disneyland lol. Wow i was very surprised and couldn't stop smiling this place is so frikn cute and so good. Our waiter was amazing. The service was awesome and the food was delicious. I had pesto pasta with a side of garlic bread and my son got chicken sandwich. I really fell in love with this place definitely would make it back for a road trip. read more

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1st time eating at Pinocchi's... they get busy. We asked a waitress how big the sandwiches were; she said 12" So, we ordered a roast beef sandwich to go so that we could enjoy it at Lyons Dam and we ate a chicken cranberry salad while waiting. The sandwich wasn't 12" ... each half seemed closer to 8". The salad & sandwich were ok but not really memorable. Needless to say, we had more food than expected, which helped make up for the $50 check. read more

Pinocchio's - Roast Beef sandwich - Italian Near Me - Sonora, California

Love the food and the service. I go get a sandwich and only have to wait 5 minutes tops for the food to be done. The workers there are super nice, respectful and the restaurant is nice as well. Highly recommend their food and service. Always down to go there for food. read more

Great food, a little pricy but good, it would be nice if a salad or soup wasn't so expensive because most of the menu doesn't include a side, it nice to have salad with pasta but to have to pay $5.00 or more for some lettuce makes you skip it read more

Taste and service!!! Had been looking forward to out of town guest and decided on this restaurant. We watched our food sitting in the service window while our server was on her cell phone. read more

Horrible food with no taste and extremely expensive. We came here as a family of 5. I tried everyone's food and non of it was good. No one liked their food and it cost us way too much. Lesson learned. We will go somewhere else next time we visit Sonora. How can you mess up Garlic bread? Service was good and the atmosphere was cool. read more

This is a definite visit for amazing Italian food! Service is always top notch, as is the quantity and quality of their food. Their flavored iced tea is perfect as well. read more

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Awesome as usual... we go there at least once every other month ... have been known to visit a couple times in a month... can't wait to check out your new place when you move although you will be further away it will be worth the drive... food is always good and the service is stellar read more

We ate and left no crumbs. So good we forgot to take a photo. Friendly staff, fun decor for the kids to look at and stay entertained.

We've become regulars here. High points are excellent pasta dishes, enormous toasted sandwiches - half a sandwich is more than enough - outstanding large meatballs, good salads. and the best clam chowder ever on Fridays. It can get busy at peak hours. Great, comfotable vibe, friendly fast service. They are relocating to a larger space soon, we will certainly follow them there! read more

Came here for dinner after arriving in Sonora to go to the snow. Italian food is usually decent, and this place was highly reviewed, so I thought why not? Service was meh at best. They were friendly enough, but it took 10 minutes for them to take our order after being seated. And we had to flag them down every time we needed something after our food came. As far as the food goes, there was a lot to be desired. We got a meatball sandwich, a cricket, and a kid's meal of spaghetti with bolognese. The cricket is supposed to be the best sandwich they have, but it wasn't great. It doesn't help that they were out of one of the meats (so to make up for it, they just doubled another salami portion) and didn't include the onions/peppers, but the sandwich didn't compare to any I've had from an Italian deli. The meatball was just okay. Flavor was there, but it was extremely messy, and the amount of sauce they put on it made the sandwich fall apart. I probably ate less than half of it in sandwich form. And I ended up eating half the spaghetti dish. The bolognese sauce tasted watery, extremely tangy, and just not good. I ended up smothering it in Parmesan cheese to help mask the flavor. I get that Sonora isn't a big city, so good food may be hard to come by (explaining this place's popularity), but for anyone visiting here who has access to good Italian food, this place will probably be disappointing. read more

This place never fails to provide delicious food. I typically get the cricket with peppers and onions with a side of au jus with a salad. It should be noted that I hate hot sandwiches and just about every meat besides Turkey. However.... I cannot get enough of this sandwich. The customization options are fantastic and plentiful. The sandwiches themselves are large enough that I can barely finish a 1/2 size. We've had them cater several work meals also, and the pastas and lasagnas are amazing as well. I've never had an issue ordering online and picking up. The restaurant itself is fairly small but was recently renovated and looks great. Can be VERY busy during peak hours so keep that in mind. Overall, love this gem! read more

Moved to Sonora in the last years and trying to support all the wonderful local businesses here. Pinocchio's did not disappoint! Love the history of their establishment in the Sonora area and just the first sampling was wonderful and we will definitely return! I have a gluten allergy and they had several options for me. I had the cauliflower bread bites with meat sauce for dipping and it was truly authentic and delicious Italian 'gravy' I also had the "small" cranberry/walnut grilled chicken salad which was very fresh and the small was very big! My German boyfriend had the soft pretzels with beer cheese sauce and was very happy. Please support this wonderful local business! read more