Sonata Restaurant

Sonata Restaurant reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. S

   Stephen VIP

   Baltimore13 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on April 12, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   One in our party ordered a steak done, medium. When it came, it was bloody rare. The waiter took it back and returned with the same steak with sauce on it. Once the sauce was removed, it was apparent no one had cooked the steak any further. By this time, the rest of us were done with our meal and we are running up against the time window for a show which made it uncomfortable. The waiter said that they she would comp a dessert, which she later said management wouldn’t do so she offered to pay for it out of her own. She said it was the least they could do. She later said management said they would pay for it, but our concern is they probably deducted it from her salary. Overall management was to blame for what was a very bad experience. Not the way to run a restaurant.
   

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2. L

   Lan

   Tampa3 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on April 11, 2025

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 4

   We made our reservation an hour and fifteen minute before our show. Long wait time for a server to come to our table. Long wait time for our drinks to arrive. We ordered 2 drinks, one appetizer and two entrees. End up paying for only the 2 drinks because the app (octopus dish) was fishy and extra salty and had to cancel the entrees because our show was about to start and didn't want to engulfed my food in 10mins. We took care of our server. We were told that they had a new kitchen staff in training.
   

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3. C

   Charles

   Washington DC9 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on April 11, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   Although a smaller menu, the food portions and flavors were good. Fried deviled eggs, the crabmeat salad with fried tomatoes were substantial and tasty. The 3 scallops were massive and came with a nice base. The server was very good, and tired to make up for other shortcomings. Very convenient place to grab a meal before the show. However it took an hour and 20 min from arrival to entrees being served. Leaving about 20 min to eat before the show. Part of that is despite multiple hostess and being seated quickly no server was assigned or available for 15 min for ours and another table. Apps came in a ok time. If we go back I will either go two hours early or order everything as soon as they pour the water to avoid chocking down 200 bucks worth of food quicker than I would like. I will say they did comp us two drinks for the kitchen issues which was nice.
   

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4. M

   Maria

   Washington DC1 review

   2.0

   Dined on April 11, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   If you’re planning to dine before a show in this restaurant- DON’T! The food is overpriced and not palatable. We ordered the red curry coconut short ribs for our entree and we thought it came from their dessert menu. What’s supposed to be a savory dish was extremely sweet, even a simple dish of mashed potatoes was sweet. Very disappointing experience.
   

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5. D

   Dan VIP

   Tampa11 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on April 5, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 5

   We tried Sonata for the first time recently. It’s a beautiful space with a wall of glass overlooking Saint Petersburg Harbor and Tampa Bay. The dining area looks very upscale and classy, as were the table settings. The menu is somewhat limited. Unfortunately, the food and the service were disappointing, especially at this price point.  our dinner consisted of bread, one appetizer, two entrées, one dessert, two cocktails, one glass of wine, one soft drink, coffee, and tea - $212 (without gratuity). At this price, I expect polished professional service and better food that is served hot, not lukewarm. If you are attending a show at the Mahaffey theater, it is convenient. Next time we attend a show, we’ll make dinner reservations elsewhere downtown as there are many better options.
   

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6. R

   Robert

   Unspecified2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on April 5, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Sonata is a great place to go before the concert. Appetizer courses are generous enough to be an entree.
   

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7. H

   Heather

   Washington DC4 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on April 2, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   We had a 5:15 reservation and were going to a 7pm show. After checking in at 5:15 (the hostess didn’t even greet us- I had to say something)they take you one group at a time in the elevator to your table which took about 10 minutes for us. When we were seated it was very obvious they were understaffed and rushing around. They poured 1/2 glasses of water and I had to ask for a drink menu since the hostess forgot- but no worries- the waiter was very nice and apologized. We ordered a drink and bread service. Bread service was not worth the price. 6 of the same rolls with butter and also whipped honey - usually bread service means you get a small variety of different delicious breads- these really should have been free. At 6 we finally got to order dinner and our waiter felt bad so brought us more bread-that was nice-but our dinner didn’t arrive at the table until 6:40 so we had to rush to eat it. Steak frites looked like a few pieces of cut up steak that were not cooked consistently- some rare some well done- and covered in a sauce- too much sauce. Fries were way over seasoned and they charged $41 for that! The pork osso buco was very flavorful and I would get it again however the presentation was not great. Unfortunately, while we wanted dessert and after dinner drinks, because dinner service took so long we had to pass and rush down to our seats. Could have been worse- the table of 4 sitting behind us (that were seated right before us) was served dinner at 6:55- which they returned to the kitchen bc they wouldn’t have had time to eat. The quality of the food and the service absolutely do not match the prices they charge. Lesson learned and probably won’t go back-
   

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8. J

   Joni

   Tampa10 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on April 2, 2025

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 2

   This was our first time at the Sonata and it will be our last. There were two of us dining. We had 5 pm reservations and tickets for The Great Gatsby Ballet at 7 pm. We arrived on time and were seated fairly quickly. We told our server we had 7 pm ballet tickets. She took our cocktail order first and came back a few moments later and took our appetizer orders. The appetizers came out first at 5:30. They were tasty, but they were not hot. They were warm at best. We didn't send them back because the service was so slow. Still no cocktails. I noticed tables that were seated after us already received their cocktails so I mentioned it to our server and she said our cocktails were taking longer because they were more complex to make. We ordered cocktails off the menu and didn't ask for any kind of modification. What a bunch of nonsense. At 5:38 she took our entree orders and at 5:40 we finally got our cocktails. It's 6 pm and still no entrees. Our server apologized and said our entrees would be out shortly. We were still hungry so we ordered the bread. Other tables who were seated after us were eating their entrees ncluding a party of six. At 6:15 we still didn't have our entrees so we told the server to cancel them. She apologized and said the prior chef poached all of the kitchen staff and they were behind because so many people coming all at once and having a large party. She said she would send the manager Aaron to our table. He never came. Very unprofessional. I heard other servers telling tables they would send the manager over too. Our server returned with our checks at 6:38 pm and I told her the manager never came. She said he must have gotten sidetracked. She never offered to comp anything off our bill for our inconvenience. We sat through a 2-hr ballet still hungry which is unacceptable. The Sonata should open earlier than 5 pm and take fewer reservations since they can't get cocktails and food out on time. Would not recommend.
   

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9. S

   Sheryl VIP

   Tampa52 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on March 15, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The pork burnt ends were amazing. So was the scallops and the short ribs. The chocolate chip butter cake was an amazing experience.
   

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10. J

    James

    New York City2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    This is an excellent place to have dinner before a concert. The service and food choices ae vey good.
    

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