Sorrentino's Bistro-Bar - Edmonton

I just moved in down the street from this place and have been a few times for dinner, both alone and with friends. The service is fantastic, Eddie the owner came out to introduce himself and welcome me to the neighborhood. My server Stacy was absolutely sweet, and even brought me a free dessert after learning I had a hard day. The gnocchi Gorgonzola is so good I haven't even tried anything else. All of it is house made. You can go wrong with comforting and delicious Italian food, especially right in little Italy!

If you try to think of the longest standing Italian restaurant in Edmonton, you will likely come up with Sorrentino 's. Now an empire with six restaurants in the Edmonton area, three pizzerias, a cafe, cooking classes, catering, annual festivals, and tons of philanthropic work... Sorrentino 's is a force. It all started with Carmelo Rago, who came to Canada from Italy as a child and opened Sorrentino 's in 1979. It 's now 44 years later and the restaurant group is certainly the largest and most recognizable Italian restaurant brand in the city. Edmonton Journal has named them the Best Italian Restaurant 2020 and Favourite Italian Restaurant 2022. No matter what corner of the city you happen to be in, Sorrentino 's is likely there. I decided to pay them a visit on a Saturday evening and I specifically set my sights on the Little Italy location in the McCauley area. Of the six restaurants currently operating, this one is the oldest. All of the other restaurants boast massive, gleaming, modern dining rooms... But Little Italy remains humble. You can feel the roots of the business in the space. There are no more than ten tables in the dining room and as such, a reservation is necessary. The best part is that they have tried to keep the same atmosphere and food as the first year that they opened. It 's genius, really, to operate a restaurant that fully captures and maintains the nostalgia of the brand. The building feels a bit like an Italian villetta in the countryside, with dark wooden beams and a fireplace in the center of the space as a focal point. It 's warm, cozy, and feels special. Seated by the window, I could take in the room and feel the vibe of the history reverberating in the walls. I gazed over the wine list but in the end I asked if the bartender could make a Negroni $9.95). There was no cocktail menu in sight, but I was fairly certain that they would be able to make me this classic Italian cocktail. Our server confirmed that they could indeed. Made with gin, vermouth, Campari, and garnished with a slice of orange peel I 'm pretty sure this one was served with a slice of lemon instead), this cocktail has become my go to when I dine at Italian restaurants. I find that the slightly bitter flavour balances well and cuts through the heaviness of Italian foods, similar to how I love to drink a can of Brio when I eat a pizza. It wasn 't the best negroni that I 've ever had, but this no fuss version delivered the flavour notes that I was hoping for. A basket of warm bread and butter was also delivered to the table and I settled in happily for a delicious carb filled journey. An antipasti was a must and all of the classics are on the menu; from bruchetta to arancini. However, I was in the mood for the Calamari Fritti Flour coated squid, deep fried with canola oil, served with spicy tomato sauce $16.00). Something easy to share and fun to eat. First of all, I loved the plate that this dish was served on because it was refreshingly adorable! We squeezed the lemon over top and began to dunk the crispy rings of squid into the sauce. Delizioso! The calamari was cooked to absolute perfection, which can be tricky sometimes. The meat was tender and not at all rubbery. The fried batter coating was light and crispy without being too heavy. I loved the zesty tomato sauce but I wouldn 't exactly call it spicy. It 's so interesting that in Greece this same dish is served with tzaziki. In Spain it 's allioli. In Italy; sugo. All of these Mediterranean countries have their own similar versions and each are wonderful. I wanted to bring some freshness to the meal and looked to the insalate section for the answer. While I was very close to ordering the caesar made with anchovy dressing as per tradition) I had to go with the Bocconcino Fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil, oregano, EVOO, balsamic vinaigrette $14.00 for full size) because it 's one of my favourites. In retrospect, I probably should have ordered the sorrentino salad because it 's named after the restaurant itself. Beautifully plated and wonderfully fresh, I loved the bright slices of roma tomatoes. This salad is like eating in an Italian garden and the mild slices of bocconcini complimented the dish well. The olive oil and balsamic really punched this simple dish up in a delightful way. My only complaint is that I felt that the dried oregano was a bit heavy handed and instead I could have used a bit more coarse salt. When it came to my main dish it had to be pasta. It just had to be. There are hearty dishes on the menu that include several preparations of veal, chicken, and even braised beef short ribs, but I had to choose one of the delicious pasta preparations. There are nine different options to select from and for me, it had to be the Gnocchi Gorgonzola $24.00 for full size). All of the pasta dishes and the salads as well) are available in full or half sizes, which I think adds a great way to customize your meal and also helps to accommodate your level of ap

Nothing wowed me here except the restaurant itself. Food was good. Service was good. Nothing was something I'd write home about though. The Lamb was really good and my guests had the Veal Cannelloni and loved it. Apps were all underwhelming.

The service and atmosphere was top notch. We felt welcome right away, and this is surely a very cozy little restaurant. This was our very first time to a Sorrentino's. I've been to Buco in EPCOR tower, and never liked it (same family of restaurants). We received some surprise free bread which is always nice, however the butter that accompanied it was the single use refrigerated kind. Cold, hard, not easily spreadable. You know that yummy whipped garlic butter or just whipped butter in general with free bread? That's what was missing. If Old Spag can do it, you can! I believe in you. We had a set menu for Valentines (3 course). Started with a bottle of Malbec. Appies were great. I had the Arancini, the fiancé had the Calamari. Both were pretty good. We don't eat beef or pork, and so were limited to a chicken dish or cheese ravioli. (The other two were sausage and beef). We both opted for chicken. The menu said vegetables and potato OR pasta as a side. We were not offered a choice of side, I would have opted for veggies and potato. I didn't realize that it was an option until later; but wish someone had said it. The chicken was super plain with white sauce. Nothing special, very little flavour. Dessert was tiramisu... light and fluffy, not too sugary, a perfect end to dinner. Probably my favourite part haha. Overall it was okay for our first time out in forever.

Pretty much the same ideas of everyone else writing a review. Part of the problem is that Sorrentino's had a great and well published name in Edmonton. I am constantly reading through articles and on line publications on their cooking classes, special events, etc. etc. etc. So then you assume that it will be good. I am not sure if this particular restaurant is weak or the whole chain but I was not impressed. Things that were good was the atmosphere. Lovely cozy room with a fireplace, simple but pleasant décor, a real place to sit and have a great time drinking wine and talking. The Christmas tree and the fire place were a beautiful touch, and not many restaurants give this feel like home. Our sever was also good. She was frequent, friendly and helpful The food was where I had issues with. We were there with a big group of friends so we split some appetizers, and then all got a pasta dish. For appetizers we got the arancini, the salsiccia calabrese, and the beet salad. Out of all of them (and actually out of everything that I ate) the beet salad was the most flavourful. The arancini was possibly the worst I have eaten in the city bland, sawdust like texture, and the remainder on the plate was not passed around for seconds. Do not order this here. The spicy sausage with peppers was mediocre as best, but not spicy and a bit greasy. The beet salad had the most flavour but wasn't outstandish. I ordered the seafood linguini and my husband ordered the ravioli. Sloppy was the dishes. Fairly bland sauces for the both of them, fairly average ingredients composed them. The veal was not flavourful in the ravioli at all, and my seafood amount was decent but didn't seem fresh. I think there is one tired chef in the back plating food with average ingredients. If you like a place to sit and chat in a warm atmosphere with a glass of wine, for sure come here. But if it is flavourful food that you are seeking go next door to the cafeteria at the Italian center. My dishes there were much better and less money.