We live less than 10 minutes from Sophia's so that's one reason it is our go to place in Columbia, but consistently good food is the primary reason we go there. Our out-of-town guests have all commented very favorably on the great food and service. The menu for lunch and for dinner changes daily though some of the favorite dishes stay the same. We recommend Sophia's without hesitation. And...as a bonus, Sophia's has some of David Spears great murals gracing the walls. Don't miss them. He is one of the region's top artists. An immense talent. read more

The wait staff was nice. My parents are vegetarians and our server was very helpful in identifying what they could order and requesting the meat be separated on an appetizer we shared The Pasta Buonasera was too dry for me. I didn't like it. I had some of my mom's Three Mushroom Penne, and that was good. My dad liked his Mediterranean Pizza. The Antipasto Plate was sort of a disappointment. There was a lot of the roasted garlic and fruit. It felt like way too much money for only a few cheese slices and not many other fresh options. The hummus was nice. read more

We have ate here twice in the last month and absolutely loved it both times! I ordered the mahi mahi the first time - delicious, tried one of the pasta dishes the second time, both were very good. My husband ordered the brandy crème filet and only had good things to say about it. Cant wait to return read more

Good food and I lived their dessert. I was pleased, but not blown away. Wait is a bit on the long side when they're busy and I wouldn't say it's necessarily worth it unless you're looking for a slow evening near where you live read more

Our first dinner experience here was absolutely terrible. Horrible waitress. Gave it a second shot today and had a much better experience at lunch. Service still left much to be desired but the food was great. read more

Awesome ravioli!!! Our waiter was very nice too which was appreciated. On the pricier side but definitely worth it :-)

We went for Mother's Day brunch and it was really nice. The food was delicious and our waitress was super nice. I definitely recommend it!

Really, really good food. Fun atmosphere. Appetizers are all delicious. Great selection of pasta dishes. Good wine and sangria. They do a great job with takeout, too. read more

Great place to eat. Food was awesome. Our server seemed a bit disinterested and left empty glasses on our table and never refilled my water. I was also a bit disappointed that when I asked for the rest of my food to go, boxes were brought to the table rather than the server packing it up. Five stars for the food, but only one for the service. read more

Hey Sophia's do you take constructive criticism? Great, stop putting sugar in every one of your entrees. Everything there is sickeningly sweet besides the steaks and the mahi mahi. It's terrible. read more

Disappointed in the porterhouse, way too salty, but then again, probably shouldn't order steak at Italian restaurant! Bruschetta was very good as were the Brussels sprouts. Music was awful for an Italian restaurant but then maybe I'm just old school. read more

I love the menu at Sophia's. I'm never disappointed and I enjoy the variety of dishes. Their service depends. I have had good and bad experiences. I love coming here for date nights, especially during the warmer months when you can sit on the patio. read more

"DAMN DELIGHTFUL" 5 of 5 bubbles Reviewed May 31, 2016 The food here is delicious and fresh - ever single time we eat here. It is a must visit place. Food is creative and beautifully prepared. Best food is Columbia. read more

Once again Sophia's comes through. Every Sunday I take a blind and a deaf person out to brunch. Minty was our server and could not have been kinder. The food was outstanding as always and the hostess go out of their way to make my journey with these fine ladies as smooth as silk. Everyone at Sophia's makes sure you have a very special experience! read more

Went to Sophia's for the first time because I've heard good things and because it is frequently in the running for the Best of Columbia voting. I was incredibly disappointed with the service I received. I went with a friend at 6pm on a Tuesday night (hardly the busiest night and time for dinner service) and had to wait nearly 10 minutes for our server to come to the table to take our order. Additionally, we weren't brought the complimentary bread and oil that every other table around us had and we weren't told the specials; unfortunate, because the shrimp and lobster tortellini looked like it would have been really good. After we placed our order, it came out in a reasonable amount of time and the food was delicious. I had the Tarragon Crab with Salmon and my friend had the Ravioli Carne and both were delightful! We also ordered the Spinach Dip. In the hour and a half we were in the restaurant, our server only checked on us twice, and once was to ask me rudely if I was done with my plate yet, that I was still eating off of. Then, the staff was putting together tables for a large group and the way the tables were situated, the woman they seated on the end might as well have taken a seat in our laps. There was no space between our seats and there was plenty of space on the other side of the table for it to be moved away from us. The worst part was that we could see our server just standing around, seemingly purposefully ignoring us. After we were finished, she brought the checks and then we got our cards ready for her and they sat on the table for about 10 minutes before she came back to get them. Overall, the food was great but the experience was ruined by our server: Lizzie W. She just didn't seem to want to serve us. I guess because my friend and I are in our 20's she assumed that we wouldn't leave her a good tip even if she put forth a lot of effort as our server. Well, when you don't even do the minimum amount of work for your table, you haven't earned a respectable tip. I'm a very generous tipper and I still left a 12% tip even though the service was insulting. Just because a table of young adults sits down doesn't mean that you can ignore them on the off chance they weren't going to tip you enough. And it's especially obvious that the server wasn't doing her job well, because all of the other servers around her were doing a good job. If we go back, we'll make sure to get seated in someone else's section. read more

In some of the other reviews they say dull menu and too many sauces. I agree so this is my fall back place when other restaurants have long waits. The service is good and this is a good place to bring colleagues for dinner. They need to overhaul the menu. Once they do this, my review will have 5 stars. read more

We liked everything about this place. Attentive service. Fresh, hot food. Unique and special pasta dishes. We made room for dessert and those were excellent as well. Go early before there is a wait. read more

Maybe a bad night! Waited for a table, then once we were seated, waited and waited for a server, ordered our drinks, then waited and waited, then saw our server brings appetizers to a table that were seated after us. Finally, got up and left. But my Coke was good! read more

This was one of the places we took my in-laws when they came to visit and we wanted to go "somewhere different". I wound up being the only one to really enjoy their food for whatever reason and everyone tried to eat off my plate. Some of the flavor are too strong or combinations don't work well for the dish. The service was fine and we did enjoy ourselves, but you go to a restaurant for the food... read more

Average Italian food,the service was good and friendly. Honestly nothing stood out good or bad. Just average.

Really good! Italian food with incredible flavor. Drinks were great. Service was impeccable. Brought our little man with us and they could not have been friendlier/accommodating! read more

Found this place while doing online search for great places in Columbia. Overall very good reviews so we gave it a try. They do not take reservations so we went in knowing there would be a wait. We were told about 20 minutes so we went to the bar to order a drink. A shorter, dark haired female bartender walked over and placed a couple menus in front of us and walked away without saying anything or smiling. I don't know what it is about us or the servers in this town, but this was the 2nd place that we were made to feel like we were not wanted. We waited 3-4 minutes and I wondered if we had become invisible. Finally my wife waved her down and asked about single malt scotches and she very disinterestedly asked what she was looking for. We ordered a couple drinks and sat for 15 minutes without ever being looked at again by that bartender. Our pager went off and my wife & daughter got up to be seated. I waited to see if I could get her attention and finally another cute blonde bartender asked if she could help me. I asked for the bill and she quickly obliged with a smile. Dinner server was better. A young man who told us he had only been server for a few months. He was enthusiastic and very pleasant. Fairly knowledgeable about the dishes he liked, but not much about things he had not tried. Food was just a bit above average across the board. Had some good values on their wine list. Overall good experience in dining room but would not recommend the bar read more

I've eaten at Sophia's several times over the past few years and it's consistently good. They now have a Sunday brunch menu, which we ordered from yesterday while celebrating my Mom's 92nd birthday. The breakfast steaks were wonderful, and the Huevos a la Flamenca Pizza highly flavorful! When we mentioned the occasion to our server, he brought my Mom a fabulous chocolate cupcake with ice cream and whipped cream -- on the house. We left feeling very satisfied with the entire experience. read more

Very good lunch options. I had the ahi tuna tapa and a side salad - very good! Service was great. Definitely would recommend.

I don't understand the rave reviews from so many people in town. Maybe my expectations were a little inflated, but Sophia's fell short from the moment the food showed up. At first I thought the menu prices intimated the quality of the food, but I guess they simply reflect this restaurant's reputation. The complimentary bread had a peculiar taste that I can only compare to airliner food: gummy and bland. Much more importantly, the main course, lamb, was a disappointment. Slightly over-cooked and slightly under-flavored. This is not what I expected for almost $20 an entree. read more

We have been here maybe a half-dozen times over the last few years, always for brunch. Casual, yet classy would sum up the atmosphere, which I really enjoy.I have had the Monkey Bread (it's basically a giant delicious, fancy donut!), the Eggs Benedict (I prefer mine served on English muffins, not biscuits) and the Tiramisu French Toast (VERY decadent!). This trip wasn't too different--brunch for three. Here is the summary of our experience: Diner #1: Juevos a la Pizza. "It was basically breakfast on a pizza. No ingredient overpowered another. It was slightly spicy with interesting chunks of veggies. Overall, it was good." Diner #2: Lobster Quiche. "Scrambled eggs, with lobster placed on top of a puff pastry and served with a white sauce and roasted grape tomatoes. Overall, tasty. My problem is that I am not fond of tarragon, and it was a little too overpowering for my personal taste. Overall, this was an interesting presentation and the amount of lobster was fairly generous." Diner #3: Composed Antipasto Salad, "I would give it a B-, individually, the components were pretty good. The plate had a piece of tuna in the middle, surrounded by artichoke hearts, olives, feta cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers. The Ahi with the dressing was good, although the flavors of the veggies, dressing and fish really didn't blend all that well." The service was good, atmosphere is nice and the food is creatively presented, but not over-the moon crazy good. So for that, our party of three bestows three stars into the foody universe. read more

On one days notice, we showed up with 22 people for a wedding rehearsal dinner. The food was fantastic! We had two servers taking care of all of us at two tables in the back. These two did a great job making sure everyone got what they needed. From appetizers to desserts, everyone loved it! read more

My favorite restaurant in Columbia. The bread is always fresh and warm, and the pastas are always wonderful. I have also had the hummus, which is also fantastic. read more

Really good food, poor service. It's unfortunate. I like to get good service. Never had it here. I've had awful to ok service. Like I said, good food, but if you care when you get it or when your drink is refilled, you may be better off at Olive Garden. After being ignored at a near empty bar for twenty minutes tonight, I did not order dinner and left. That will be my last time at Sophia's. read more

Excellent food but very surprised that our salads were brought the same time as the entrees. This has happened twice now and caused all at the table to juggle plates to have enough space on the table read more

Party with friends celebrating 25 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed. You should have seen the big blue bus! Wow. They are on a Legacy Tour. Stopped at the MO Capitol Building 31 March 2015 read more

I had the spicy sausage in penne pasta twice this summer and it is probably the best dish I've ever had in a restaurant.

Great italian food. Good selection of pasta, entrees, wine, etc... Great service too. Definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Columbia.

I always enjoy my meal at Sophias. The Morrocan Shrimp are fabulous. The spice blend with the oil is so yummy we always ask for extra bread to soak up every last drop. They used to have the best pork chop I've ever had. I think it was brined and cooked on the bone so always moist. Served with grilled polenta and veggies in a balsamic sauce/reduction. The pork chop is still prepared on the bone but the sides have changed and not for the better. They have been replaced by a ginger/ apple side with soft polenta. Flavor overkill. Sophias, please bring back the old Patchwork Porkchop!! In the meantime, I will have to get two Moroccan Shrimps. read more

I would give this restaurant ZERO stars, if I could. When I visited this restaurant, we witnessed the owner or manager demoralizing the employees, screaming at them in them in front of customers in a very offensive and condescending manner, for a mistake in a customer's order. The staff seems competent, but must have a hard time living up to their potential due to the awful management. TOTALLY unprofessional and complete lack of class demonstrated by the owner. The guy seems like he has some serious anger problems. His arrogance made us feel extremely uncomfortable, and we never want to return. read more

The food was luke warm, which means it was either precooked and microwaved. Service is very slow, expect to wait for everything for a very long time. read more

My experience tonight was awesome! The manager was so helpful and understanding. I believe his name was Brett. One of my fiends ordered pesto in his pizza and he was allergic to it and he assisted us so well. The manager and other service were awesome! I will recommend to friends. read more

Usually, we are at full speed on I-70 passing by Columbia, MO. This trip we decided to stay overnight on our way from Colorado to Ohio. Eating at Sophia's was great surprise of a fine chef combined with an easy and comfortable place to have dinner. As 10 hours of driving, we did not want a big dinner, so we split a full salad and the salmon. Worked great, tasted great. Had a glass of malbec from Argentina. Added to that a couple of great desserts and we had a great end to a long day. We'll be back next time through. read more

Went to Sophia's for a business dinner and ate the Applewood Pork Chop. It was decent. The waiter was good (a little slow). Ate the Gooey Butter Cake for dessert and would rank it at below average. Overall, this was an okay--but not great experience. read more

Great atmosphere and cuisine! The crab cakes are great...don't forget to taste the slaw they come on. The brandy creme filets are great! I would have given 5 stars if he wine list was better. Only one Bordeaux on the list and it is average at best. Service is friendly and I would highly recommend! read more