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    Sophia's Grotto

    4.1 (464 reviews)
    ModerateItalian, Spanish
    Closed 4:30 pm - 9:30 PM

    Sophia's Grotto Photos

    Business Info

    SOPHIA'S GROTTO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Intimate
    Romantic
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Sophia's Grotto

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    Fatboy S.

    Would've gone 4 1/2 stars if available. Really good food - especially the pasta. Tasted fresh and homemade. Service was friendly and helpful. Nice outdoor seating. Really enjoyed. Would definitely return when/if in the area.

    Parma sandwich (add crispy chicken) with fries
    Kit D.

    LOVE LOVE LOVED my Friday night dinner here!!! My best friend and I came here as a party of 2 on a busy Friday night with no reservations, and were luckily able to get seated regardless with no wait. There is ample seating inside and outside, and the restaurant has a modern Italian feel. Parking is a little bit confusing, but we were able to find a small lot right by the restaurant. Service was quick and efficient, and the waitress was so friendly! We ordered drinks, and the restaurant ran out of the regular sized glasses, so we were able to get refills as needed due to the smaller glass size. For food, I ordered the Parma sandwich, which was very good. I was a little bit deceived though, as I thought it would be a chicken parm sandwich, but the sandwich apparently did not come with a chicken cutlet so I had to request it. I was not charged extra for this, which was quite generous. The sandwich was very tasty-- with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, greens, and prosciutto. The fresh mozzarella was one of the best I've ever had-- so flavorful! The fries were also tasty, and the portions were huge. I will so be back!

    Spinach ravioli
    Jake A.

    I visited Sophia's as part of Boston's restaurant week. We ate on their outdoor patio, which was calming and quiet despite some rather loud children. Our server was knowledgeable about the ingredients in the meals available, which I appreciated - she was easily able to tell me whether specific meals were vegetarian. I started with the arancini, which were rich and light and served with a slightly sweet marinara. The flavors married well together and led to a pleasing feel on the palate. For my main course I had the spinach raviol. The pasta and filling were delicious, as were the cooked vegetables alongside it. My one issue was the sauce, which felt a touch too acidic and didn't quite complement the other components of the dish. It was also a rather thin sauce, which made it difficult to get a good serving of sauce with each raviolo. For dessert, I had the tiramisu. This was rich yet fluffy, and the coffee flavor and the custard-like base worked well together. Overall, I had a great experience here. However, I'd suggest just ordering a la carte off the regular menu - there's no deal to be had by ordering off of the dine out Boston menu, and you'll have many more offerings to choose from, particularly if you are vegetarian.

    Cannelloni
    John P.

    Very cute little restaurant! Old world charm and decor. Looks like a little village inside and a large patio outside. Nice bar in the corner with lots of beer and wine options. The menu is pretty upscale with salads, small plates, entrees, thin crust pizza and sandwiches. We were greeted as soon as we entered and taken to a small table. Or server greeted us with a smile moments later, brought us water and drinks and came back three times since we couldn't decide what we wanted right away. We ordered a Boston Lettuce Salad with greens, vinaigrette, walnuts and blue cheese, cannelloni with cheese, spinach, Italian sausage and marinara sauce and arancini -risotto balls with mushroom and mozzarella and marinara sauce Really long wait for food. Especially since the people next to us who ordered after us got their food first with the same waitress and they ordered almost the same food. The sauce was a little sweet for me but my wife liked it We ended up asking for bread since none was offered but was provided. Bread was average. Cannelloni was good. Lots of cheese and sausage, lots of sauce but the pasta was a little overcooked. Still overall good. Arancini was good. Crispy on the outside, good flavors, but most it that came from the sauce. Perfect portion size. Prices are a little high but not completely out of range. I expected more. Atmosphere is a 5, server and hostess are a 4 and food is a 3.

    Chocolate mousse cake
    John M.

    Tucked away in a side alley (brightly lit though) is a Roslindale gem for dinner. Good for dates or a romantic night out, Sophia's Grotto offers delicious Italian dishes 90% authentic with a 10% creativity factor. service was kind and efficient, not pushy but personable and our waitress checked in frequently. Dishes were flavorful if fairly salty, not in the way you don't enjoy the food in the moment but you find yourself craving the extra glass of water later that night. Standout for me was the tapenade as the bread was warm when served and the flavor was very refreshing.

    Caserecci al Pesto.
    Kevin L.

    Tucked away in an alley way in the middle of Roslindale Square, Sophia's Grotto will transport you to a trattoria in Italy. Food, service and atmosphere are great. Not included in our photos are pictures of the Torino, a thin-crust pizza filled with mushrooms and drizzled with truffle oil, fried calamari, and cheese ziti with meatballs for our 3 year old. I highly recommend this place if you're in the mood for Italian. Pro tip: You can find free municipal parking just across the street next to the Citizens Bank parking lot.

    crab cakes, stuffed artichokes

    Went for restaurant week and loved our servers and food! really cute restaurant with a very homey vibe. Must tries: stuffed artichoke, cheesecake

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    10 months ago

    Sitting outdoors on a warm summer night with family, enjoying delicious meals and drinks - priceless.

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    11 months ago

    Love this spot, food is great, service is also excellent and the patio is lovely! Great for a date night or dinner out with friends.

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    2 years ago

    Great spot! feels like Italy when you walk around the corner and see the lights. Hidden gem. Wonderful food! Great staff!

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    2 years ago

    A hidden gem down an alleyway that opens up into a courtyard. The food and ambiance were fantastic. The fresh made pasta was delish!!!

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    Ask the Community - Sophia's Grotto

    Does it serve liquor?

    Yes! Great wines and cocktails too! My favorite, the Sophia Loren... yummy!

    View All 2 Questions

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    La Lechonera Restaurant

    La Lechonera Restaurant

    4.1
    (64 reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $

    I've been eyeing this place on my delivery app for a while and I finally ordered last night. The…read moremenu has so many tasty sounding dishes that it was hard to decide what to order, but I eventually decided on the ham and cheese sandwich, fried chicken and sweet plantains, beef/onions and rice with pigeon peas, and alcapurria. They offer different sizes for the meals so I chose small portions of each to try a few different options, but each helping was still quite large! The total for all of this food ended up being around $25 also so it was an amazing deal. The food itself was AMAZING: Ham and cheese sandwich - with lettuce, tomato, onions, and mayo, this sounds basic but it was SO GOOD. The bread was pressed down and nice and toasty, and the proportions of the ingredients were just spot on. A really great and affordable hot sandwich! Fried chicken and sweet plantains - the chicken was a little older since I ordered at the end of the day, but there was still enough moisture in it that it wasn't dry. The batter was also really well seasoned with different herbs and spices - it had a really nice rounded flavor rather than just being salty. The plantains were also nice and caramelized - a perfect sweet bite! Beef/onions and rice with pigeon peas - The beef was a little bit dry but still full of flavor and felt like it had been cooking in the sauce for a while so it was pretty tender. The rice and pigeon peas were really really good though - I will likely choose this as my side moving forward. Not sure how to describe it but it was really flavored with spices but not overly powerful in any direction. Really delicious rice. Alcapurria - My favorite! I had these in Puerto Rico and this version was nicely crisped with a ton of flavored minced meat in the center. The texture was spot on and just so savory and memorable. I want to go back to try the chicharrons, the tres leches cake, the chicken stew, the empanadas, and so many more things on this menu. It's really a gold mine for dishes and so so so delicious!

    Man I haven't been to this place in over 12-15 years. On the way home we felt like eating some…read moreauthentic Caribbean food so we stopped in. Place is under different management but the food still hits! Service was great also.Definitely will be back in the near future.

    Photos
    La Lechonera Restaurant
    Chicken empanadas
    Chicken empanadas
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    Tonino

    Tonino

    4.7
    (130 reviews)
    2.0 mi

    Another 10/10 visit to Tonino in the books!…read more It's such a hard reservation to get, but so worth it. I'm actually getting salivating while posting this review and looking back at my food pictures. I get the Eggplant & Ricotta Pizza as my appetizer and the Rigatoni Amatriciana as my entree each time I go - because they're consistently amazing. The service is always warm and friendly, and I also love the music playlist they play. Believe the hype & come to Tonino!!

    People rave about this place being better than the north end; I would say it's definitely more…read moreoriginal, and the approach to food is much more intentional. However, I don't know that it lived up to the hype that I anticipated. We got the pizza Bianca with ricotta with hot honey, which was basically just like plain toasted focaccia and ricotta (wasn't anything to write home about). The taleggio was 100% our least favorite and we didn't even finish half. We had asked the waiter to describe taste profile, which they said was a "little funky" and had asked for clarification if it was closer to blue cheese. Once it arrived, it was like a verrrrrry strong/stinky Brie on the inside. The balsamic didn't really contribute to the taste at all. Sad that we didn't like this/kinda made me feel yucky after eating. The cavatelli was very good- nice light creamy sauce with the sausage and bitter broccolini. Very well balanced. Forgot to take a pic of the tiramisu but it was good, too! It's kinda salty (they add sea salt to the top). Drink menu was limited. Had two different glasses of red wine but wish they had something more full bodied on the menu!

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Countneck Clams
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    Countneck Clams

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    Countneck Clams

    Sophia's Grotto - italian - Updated June 2026

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