Sotto Enoteca

Fantastic service and great food! We tried this place for restaurant week and we are so glad we did. The décor maybe left a little to be desired and it was a bit drafty, however, our server was probably the best I’ve had anywhere. Warm and attentive; I felt very taken care of. Our food came out promptly and with good timing. It was all delicious. Thank you for a wonderful evening! I have been telling people about the place all week!

One employee for the entire restaurant. If you want bread, you have ask. When dinner is served it is disappointing at best. No pepper or parm is offered with you Italian entrée. the prices are outrageous for the portions. Avoid this place at all costs.

I will preface my review by saying that we wanted to have dinner at Trattoria Delia next door, but when we called for a reservation they asked if we’d mind sitting in their wine bar. We said that was okay as long as the menu was the same (which it is) — and were excited for our visit… until we actually arrived. We walked in the door of Trattoria Delia and were brought down a back hallway to Sotto. When we were walked into Sotto, the vibe was TOTALLY different — a stark contrast to the beautiful, cozy, warmly colored, fireplace-​laden Italian place next door, this place was cool and almost industrial looking. Not our idea of romantic. It certainly didn’t help that there wasn’t a single other person in the place besides the bartender.
We reluctantly sat down at our table of choice and began perusing the menu. When the bartender came over to take our drink order, I tried to order something non-​alcoholic — starting by asking for a Shirley Temple, which they couldn’t make because they didn’t have grenadine (really? a bar with no grenadine???) and then I asked what else they could make that was non-​alcoholic and was offered a Mexican Coke. I decided to stick with water. My husband ordered a beer, and we continued on. We should have probably just left right then and there.
From that point, we decided to order some calamari. It arrived and was okay — a bit chewy — but not terrible. The bread and butter was also decent, but again, nothing spectacular. By the time we ordered dinner, I was happy to see a few other patrons in the establishment; although they were all brought in the same way we were, meaning that no one actually came into this place intentionally — we were all people who really wanted to dine next door. We ordered our meals and as we were waiting, we heard the bartender assisting other patrons with his favorite saying of «we don’t have that» or «we’re all out of that». He must have said one of those two phrases 10 times while we were there in about an hour’s time. Really? It was a Saturday night at 7:30pm, and this place (from what I heard) is pretty brand new — how can you be out of so much?
Anyway, on to dinner. I ordered some sort of «pasta parmigiana» which sounded from the description like eggplant parm over pasta with meatballs and sausage on the side. When it came, it was more like a meatball/​sausage stew with some pasta mixed in, covered with a couple slices of fried eggplant and coated in cheese. It wasn’t terrible but definitely not what I was expecting, nor what I really wanted. Also, the meatballs had a very strange and interesting taste — I think they were veal, which is fine, but they had a weird spice in them that I wasn’t a fan of. My husband had the homemade pasta with duck, which was actually pretty good but I felt like the noodles were a little too thick and doughy. He liked it, though.
By the time we were asked if we wanted dessert, the place was packed with people either eating here because they couldn’t get a table next door, or people waiting for their table. And due to the fact that there was still just one bartender to wait on all of us, there was a lot of grumbling and discontent going on. The people sitting behind us waited at least 20 minutes to place a drink order, and would have left if not for the fact that they were just waiting for their table next door to be ready.
Needless to say, I wouldn’t recommend this place and will not be returning.

A wonderful little room just around the corner from the Flynn that specializes in Italian wines, a few creative cocktails and high-​end beers, and a menu of apps and small plates. Highly recommended not just for the quality of the food and drink but also the knowledge and attentiveness of the bartenders. On a super-​charged weeknight in Burlington (Bernie Sanders’ official Presidential campaign kickoff) Sotto Enoteca was an oasis of calm and quiet celebration.

The food is pretty tasty here-​this is more a review of the service I received while a patron. I don’t consider myself a picky person when it comes to service; as a server myself I like to give the benefit of the doubt & generally over-​tip. However, again while the food was good, the service from our two tag-​teaming servers was pretty awful. We were one of just 3 – 4 tables the whole night so the staff didn’t seem too busy and they spent most of the time chatting together at the bar-​not even looking over to check on their tables and completely inattentive. They wouldn’t clear our plates long after we had finished eating, only refilled half of our table’s waters which I thought was weird, and admittedly forgot to bring food out. In addition, we had split the check 3 ways-​a pain, I know– and had written down the totals, they had knowingly overcharged one of the folks at our table-​said if we didn’t like it they could go back and void it.

I love the ambience of this place. Cozy and classy… feels like it belongs in the theatre district of NYC. I can’t speak for the food but the cocktails were great.

4.5 stars. This is an intimate, classy, and small wine bar that also serves delicious appetizers from Trattoria Delia’s menu. The waitress was really accommodating and helpful. She recommended a white wine and red wine, which were both good. She also came around all the time to make sure everyone was good. She was fantastic with refills. Another thing I loved about her is that she stayed open past 11 pm, which is past their normal closing time because she didn’t want to kick out the customers.
For the food, she recommended several delicious looking appetizers. I ended up getting the Scamorza, which smells, tastes, and looks delicious. The description of it is «prosciutto di Parma, smoked mozzarella, extra-​virgin olive oil.» This took some time before we finally got it. The portions are really small, but it was absolutely delicious. I love all the ingredients and together, they make a wonderful impression on all your senses.
The one qualm I have about this place is that it gets really cold if anyone opens the door. I wish they could get rid of the door directly linking it to the outside. Visitors can get in through Trattoria Delia.
Overall, the ambiance, service, wine, and food are excellent. I would give this place 5 stars if it weren’t for the coldness. Of course that’s hard to help. The atmosphere is still very casual even though it is a classy place. It’s dark and romantic inside, which is perfect for a date.

Snug spot. Very big city. Sophisticated wine offerings, and the food’s from Delia – what’s not to love? Bartenders are very much of the current craft-​y persuasion. I’m sure the cocktails are good, but I’m always there about the wine.
Great addition to the scene.

One star for the ambiance and the décor– very quaint and cute and small and cosy, just loved it. One star for the super service and the delicious wine and lovely pairing suggestions. The food was disappointing. I had the duck confit which was at a perfect cuisson, tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, but sadly on the salty side. The eggplant had fabulous flavour until, again, a mouthful of salt tore into my taste buds. My dining partner had the calamari, which sadly felt like freezerburnt, soggy, chewy bites. Lacked in flavour and left you with a watery and bland taste in your mouth. The pomodoro accompaniment was light and decent but I would’ve paired the calamari with a sauce that had some bite to counteract the blandness of the squid. I do have to admit I have had worse– but never at such a seemingly classy place, these were almost on par with a take-​out Greek fast food joint. I will try something different next time.

Great food!

Great little wine bar! So friendly. Had a gorgeous sauvignon blanc with a tiny snack plate of pretzels. No ordinary pretzels. Try them — so yummy.

Ummmm– we LOVED this place! My boyfriend and I just moved to the neighborhood and decided to go there for a glass of wine and a few appetizers. Our bartender/​waiter was so gracious and knowledgeable. He was also incredibly friendly and he had wonderful taste in music:) By the way that «glass of wine» started as cocktails, then moved to wine, then a beer. I didn’t really want to leave.
Enoteca is separate but attached to Trattoria Delia, but has a vibe of a place where you can hang out and nurse cocktails and order small dishes as you go along, rather than formal dining. Our cocktails were great, the wine was delicious, and the calamari and our prosciutto wrapped mozzarella were to die for. It is a small and intimate place and highly recommended!

I really love Sotto Enoteca. It’s a wine bar located in a little basement on St. Paul Street, but it also serves small plates of food and has a wide variety of beer and craft cocktail offerings. The setting is small, warm and intimate. Maximum seating capacity is probably around 30 people.
Owned by award-​winning Trattoria Delia (located just next door), Sotto offers many of the starter items located on Trat’s menu. There is a salumi plate, cheese, plate, duck confit, snails. In total there are about 10 small plates to choose from with occasional specials offered.
Sotto’s wine selection is extensive. Tratorria has won awards for its wines and is showing its affinity for good wines by opening Sotto. Sotto, besides being a place one can just go for a drink to start out or end the evening, can be a dinner destination in and of itself, or serve as a waiting room if you are having dinner at Trattoria next door.
The food and drink quality at Sotto is very high. In many ways it reminds me of some of the better Enoteca’s I’ve wandered into while exploring towns in Tuscany and northern Itally.
I’m torn between giving Sotto a four or five star review. In my estimation it’s five stars, but I realize that it may not be for everyone (not everyone wants to eat snails and have a $ 10 glass of wine). Also, when it’s packed it can be quite noisy and in the winter when the front door opens a cold breeze may blow in and give you a chill.
If you are into fine food and enjoy wine and/​or beer, you are sure to find something at Sotto that will appeal to you.
PS. Sotto doesn’t yet have a website. On its Facebook page it links to Trattoria’s website, which is a very old one and doesn’t seem to mention Sotto at all. Trat should consider contacting Flavor Plate, a local restaurant website company that offers quick and amazing customizable Web templates for just $ 40 a month; at this point most of the restaurants in town are happy customers.