SoDo Restaurant + Bar

SoDo is one of my favorite restaurants. Chef Justin does an amazing job in the kitchen as evidenced by last week’s Test Kitchen Tuesday. The staff is warm and friendly and I’m always made welcome whether dining solo or with a group. The seasonal pumpkin jalapeño soup is simply amazing and the lamb burger is a favorite at lunch. In addition to a great menu, SoDo owner Joel Giandalia believes in the Reno community and is very philanthropic and supports many area nonprofits including Big Brothers Big Sisters. Whenever I’m asked for restaurant recommendations I always include SoDo.

I’ve been to two different group events at SoDo Restaurant + Bar in Reno.
Both times I’ve been quite disappointed.
The people are friendly but the food is just OK, nothing special at all — which is sad considering how expensive it is. And they wanted to charge us for coffee. Seriously?!?
Both times they set up a buffet.
Most recently they had what appeared to be tri-​tip that was extremely rare, basic Swedish meatballs and a pasta dish that was just shells and a basic marinara sauce.
If you’re vegetarian, plan on eating a LOT of salad.
For what we paid, I expected to get something much better than what I can fix at home (boil pasta and add Classico sauce — it’s the same thing).
Several other people in our group shared similar comments with me.
I do not plan to return.

SoDo is a fine place for a fancy-​ish lunch or dinner. It’s one of the go-​to places that my colleagues and I take guests or job candidates. In fact, I went here for a dinner when I was a job candidate back in February 2013! Consistency is one of its strengths. One can count on the food being good and the vibe being fun but not too boisterous. The décor is dark and cozy, but the huge windows make the space feel open. It’s easy to find nearby parking, and they take reservations directly and through OpenTable.
Another strength is the breadth of its menu: so many classic and contemporary options, including some Asian and Latin American inspired dishes. There are also a few vegetarian options, although not too many. I was surprised that there were only six appetizers to choose from on the menu of my most recent visit. My colleagues and I had the crispy crab and shrimp rangoon and the ahi tuna. The tuna was yummy, but the rangoon was just so-​so. I usually order the New York steak or the hanger steak, but today I went with the seafood pasta, and it was absolutely delicious.
Service is generally skilled and attentive, although not so much on this most recent visit. Sorry, Cat, but I have to call you out on not pouring equal pours of our first bottle of wine amongst the six members of my party. Poor person five received a 1.5 oz pour and person six (MY BOSS!!!) received a 1 oz pour. I was the most junior colleague in my party, and for this dinner I was in charge of making the reservation and ordering the wine, and I felt so embarrassed. Excellent service would have involved opening another bottle for us and giving my two colleagues appropriate 5 oz pours. Or at least giving us a discount on the wine. One can’t have a good colleague dinner if two of the members of the party don’t have wine, and the appetizers haven’t even been brought out yet. Argh!
Will I come back? Sure. I like SoDo. But it ain’t excellent in my book, yet.

I have been coming to this place since it opened and always ordered the Hangar Steak… Fast forward to last night and was so disappointed. It was so tough and chewy, potatoes were scarce, and in conclusion, won’t be coming back for awhile. The service was great, however, I didn’t help make the experience much better.

This review is for a dinner we had in the events room. The menu was a three course with several choices. I went with the Cesar salad which was crisp well-​dressed if not overly distinct from versions I have had elsewhere. For the main course I had the New York strip, prepared medium rare. The steak came out exactly as ordered and with a nice crust on it. Served with garlic mashed potatoes, a peppercorn glaze and fried onion rings. The flavors were bold and well balanced and I found myself scooping up every bit of the sauce that I could. For dessert, a delicious salted caramel brownie with vanilla ice cream that was so dense and rich I could not finish it. The event space is comfortable and perfect for intimate groups as well (there were about a dozen of us there).

What a great place for an upscale dinner. I got the bacon wrapped sirloin and it was incredible! The only reason for the 4 star rating is because of how expensive everything was. My entrée and one drink was $ 44 after tip, pretty pricey for sure.
If you’re looking for great food, atmosphere and are worried about price then this is the place for you. Great date spot as well.

The saw bass was by far one of the best meals I’ve had in ages. The service was spot on. My husbands hanger steak was to die for. We started with a Caesar yummy. Great restaurant. Steve was a great waiter. This place is first class

It’s been almost two years since I was last in, I liked the original chef.
The reason for the dry spell… the last time my food was so greasy. And the food just wasn’t the same. We stopped in at 4 pm, and the have a happy hour small plate menu which has finally been changed. Now the plates are all $ 4 and drink list $ 3. That doesn’t really change the overall pricing. I was excited to see about half the menu to be new items–
Here’s what we tried and thought–
Flatbread– crisp dough with tomato slices and drizzle of balsamic, no cheese really detected. Could have lived without it.
Pulled pork sliders– with coleslaw. Hubby enjoyed them. The one bite I tried was all fat.
Beefsteak sliders– lots of meat and cheese, ok flavor
Chips & toasted onion dip– generous serving of dip that had great flavor. I sent the chips back for being way too greasy. Second set was still oily, some to the point they were soggy. I did point this out to the waitress and the manager so they could let the chef know. It was a shame because it could have been my favorite plate.
Pork belly sliders– with pickled veggies Es good. The meat was one bid square in the middle of the bun.
Beef tacos– have lots of meat, some bites tough. A few sautéed onions and a cup of salsa. Again the shells had quite a bit of oil.
Service was good and restaurant was clean.
May go back and try the dinner, not sure. What a change in food from what I used to love about the place.

Great staff. Nice ambiance and interesting flavor combinations. Come hungry and willing to spend a little money, but overall a great place! I’ve enjoyed watching them progress! Also, killer happy hour for those late afternoon bites and drinks!

We went for dinner with friends last night and were impressed with them. The service was really good the restaurant was quiet and we could easily and comfortably chat.
My kale salad was very good as was the salmon. Best of all the atmosphere was good and the service was welcoming.

Been here a few more times 1 for lunch and 2 times for dinner. It keeps getting better and better.
What is really nice about this restaurant, is that it’s pretty quiet. Even when the restaurant is full, you can still carry on a conversation. I had the burger last night, and it was the best!
Kat was a bartender and our server. She is a complete sweetheart and always remembers your drink. If you haven’t tried it, do it!

Great dinner on a snowy night in Reno. Hubby and I went to have dinner at SoDo and try their Test Kitchen. I love the atmosphere at SoDo it is so romantic! I do not know what it is about the place, maybe because it is a smaller restaurant/​bar but it gives it an intimate feel. I love the dark browns of the interior and the neighborhood… cool place to spend an evening.
If you are not familiar with the test kitchen, here is how it works: you get a chance to become a part of their menu selection process and a three-​course dinner for $ 25…which is a steal when you taste their food!
For my first course I chose their Peppercorn Crusted Ahi Tuna with
pineapple salsa /​cilantro /​soy– lime vinaigrette. This was perfectly prepared! The portion size was perfect… not too big not to small and so FRESH!
Second course — Seared Duck Breast with brandied cherries /​parsnip purée! I love duck and I especially love duck with a cherry or berry sauce. What I liked best about this dish was the infusion of brandy. I could taste the brandy but it was not overpowering… effect…DELISH!
For dessert I chose the pumpkin cheesecake. I loved this dessert I was afraid it would feel heavy but it didn’t it was light but very filling! Although I have to say hubby ordered the bread pudding and while I loved my dessert… i was ready to fight him for his!
Add all of this to a really friendly server and snow lightly falling out the window, it was a great early week date night!

Great place to go for date night! Everything on their menu doesn’t disappoint. I love the patio seating, especially on these cool fall nights. For the few times that we’ve been here our waitresses have also been very attentive which brings me to my 5 star rating I can’t wait to go here again

The new items on the menu is AMAZING!
Thanks to Ronda and Stewart for making our anniversary perfect!!!
Had another great meal at Sodo!
Try the fajita wrap
Thanks Ronda

So I had my first experience at sodo on Thursday, and I must say that the food and service was amazing and I see myself going back for many more meals.
Katherine was our server at the bar and was amazing at everything that comes with her job, from knowing the food and suggesting certain items to her bubbly attitude, working well with the other employees and interacting with her guests.
The other servers that we had the pleasure of interacting with that night were Stewart and Kenya who also were amazing and so knowledgable with food and drinks for their customers.
Our chef for the night was Mike and I am speechless when it comes to complimenting him on his dishes we got the pleasure of enjoying, words can’t even express how talented this man is and how lucky sodo is to have him.
I would highly recommend visiting this place for an experience like no other restaurant in this town. Great atmosphere and amazing service all around great first experience for the books!!! Thank you all.

Really wanted to give this place more than three stars: great location, great ambiance, great plating, and great service. But sadly, the food wasn’t all that great.
We ordered the calamari, which had a wonderful texture– crispy on the outside, but soft in the inside. However, the softness inside came a price because I think, overall, the calamari were undercooked. Hence, it lacked that distinct calamari taste.
(Side note: How do you actually describe calamari? It’s a bit bland, but if you cook it right, it has a little salty taste that just *pops* with lemon and dressing. That flavor was missing here though.)
For my meal, I ordered the lamb burger (medium done). I was excited for it because I love lamb! But alas, I was disappointed again because the lamb was bland. I felt as if it was missing a lot of seasoning. Because the way it tasted, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had just plopped the lamb in the grill with no seasoning whatsoever!
I liked their fries though, dipped generously in their blue cheese sauce.

For dinner I had the Spanish pork flank steak. The entire dish was so flavorful. I felt like I kept getting surprised with every bite.
I only made 1 mistake, even though to my waiters defense he recommended medium, I got medium well. No complaints, still great, however i think medium would have been even better.
The brownie for dessert was the perfect blend of sweet and salty and cold and hot. Definitely for the chocolate lover.
As great as the dinner is make sure to leave room for dessert.
Next time I come I’ll be having the problem of ohhh I really want that again, but I want to try the others items too.
Can’t wait to be in town again or bring the wife.

4 star food– not 4 star service. My husband and I came in on a Friday night at about 7 pm. The bar area was full but the dining area still had several vacant tables. We were seated quickly and got our drinks quickly.
For an appetizer we shared the Buffalo meatballs. There were five golf ball size meatballs with a smoky barbecue sauce and some micro greens for $ 10. The portion was generous and I could easily have made a meal out of the appetizer. I had the beef short ribs entrée. The presentation was absolutely beautiful and it was also a generous portion for $ 28. The short ribs were very tender and tasty. My husband enjoyed his rib eye very much.
The food was excellent. Our service once the food came was non-​existent. This diminished the experience from wonderful to unremarkable. The venue is loud when it’s busy which wasn’t a problem for me but certainly makes quiet conversation impossible. The lack of adequate service was the big detractor tonight.

My husband took us here for Valentine’s Day! It’s a very cute little restaurant.
We got their early and it was a beautiful day so we decided to sit outside, well it got pretty cold pretty fast since it was the end of the day so we decided to go back inside. The staff was very very nice about moving us back and forth. Since we were being so indecisive.
Well, my husband had the pb&g drink and he loved it so much he had two. I had a Shirley temple since I’m pregos and it was exactly how I remembered.
We ordered the polenta appetizer and it was ok, but my husband. Loved it.
I ordered the lobster bisque soup and it was wonderful. For my entrée I got the Valentine’s Day special which was lobster and petite filet and my husband got the Durham ranch boar racks. Mine was so delicious I ate it all. Which I was very shocked because I don’t normally have room in my stomach. And the petite filet was not very petite. It was cooked to perfection a medium rare. The only bad thing was I had to add salt to the filet. Boo.
My husbands boar racks were very tasty. The vegetables that came with it were amazing. Carrots, turnips, and other very nice seasonal veggies. They were not cooked to the point where you couldn’t figure out what they were which I loved. All in all. We would definitely come back
Our many waiters we had accidentally. Was amusing, but they were all equally so nice and very pleasant. Love how they use local produce and meat also.

Reno Bites Week brought me in here for lunch. I arrived around 11:30 and there were only a couple other parties in there. The hostess asked if I would like to sit at the bar or a table and though I usually choose a table I went with the bar. I knew they would get busy and I didn’t want to take up space that a party of two or more could use when I was dining solo.
I decided to try the Lamb Burger topped with sauteed spinach, red onion, feta cheese and a cucumber spread. I asked them to hold the Kalamata olives because I am not a fan of olives. Burgers and sandwiches come with a choice of fries, potato salad, or side salad. I went with the side salad. I’m not sure what the dressing was but it was light and creamy and delicious.
When the burger came out I couldn’t believe my eyes. The patty was easily ¾ to 1 inch thick, cooked perfectly, and so juicy. I could barely get my mouth around it. The combination of flavors were good, too. The feta cheese was melted to almost crispy. I don’t think I have ever had it like that before but I actually liked it. You get the flavor of the feta without the thickness on your tongue.
I think I found my new favorite hamburger joint (not counting food trucks… LOL).