Sortino's Italian Kitchen

Name: Sortino's Italian Kitchen
Address: 7000 Kalahari Dr, Sandusky, OH, United States, 44870-8628
Telephone: (419) 433-6653
Price range: $30 and under
Rating: 4.3

4.3

479 Reviews

$30 and under

Italian

Top Tags:

Sortino's Italian Kitchen is a new age red sauce restaurant where old-school Italian cuisine meets the modern age. Sortino’s Italian Kitchen is a casual restaurant and bar that brings the Kalahari a tradition of hospitality established by Giorgio and Giacomo Sortino more than 60 years ago when they opened the original Sortino’s Little Italy restaurant in downtown Sandusky, Ohio.

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Dec 9, 2023

7:00 PM

Booked 9 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Italian, Steak, Bar / Lounge / Bottle Service
Hours of operation
Dinner Daily 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(419) 433-6653
Website
https://www.kalahariresorts.com/ohio/things-to-do/dining/sortinos-italian-kitchen/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Chad Vandegrift
Private party facilities
We don't have a private room, but we accept parties. Please contact the restaurant for more details. 419 - 433 - 6653.

Location
7000 Kalahari Dr, Sandusky, OH 44870-8628
Neighborhood
Sandusky
Parking details
Private Lot
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 479 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.3

4.3 based on recent ratings

4.2Food
4.5Service
4.3Ambience
4Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Cleveland / Akron / Canton
Kid-friendly
Cleveland
Kid-friendly

479 Reviews

OT
OpenTable Diner
Cleveland
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined 7 days ago
1. Overall 2
2. Food 1
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 2
Lasagna was a dish served in a puddle of grease/water and barely warm. An inch of standing liquid, in a "baked" pasta? If i can pour it into a glass, I certainly don't want to eat it.
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ZP
ZachP
Naples
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 22, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Good spot, service is good every time. Food is always very good as well.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on November 10, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Don’t worry about making a reservation. We were 20 minutes late being seated because some other party’s that did not make a reservation had been waiting 1/2 hour. So I guess it was only right for us to wait.
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JB
JeffreyB
Columbus
59 reviews
vip
5.0
59 reviews
Dined on November 9, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Good food. Good Service. Reasonably priced. Close enough to visit often!
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MK
MarkK
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 4, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great food, service outstanding, so much food worth every penny!
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SK
SuzanneK
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 28, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Food was really good, better than I expected from a restaurant at Kalahari.
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LV
LauraV
Cleveland
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on October 28, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Very good italian food the recipes are legendary! Comfortable atmosphere, can go fancy or casual. A great place to go for special occasions, went for our anniversary. Matt our waiter was great
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JH
JosephH
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 24, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Food was delicious. The restaurant was very clean . Staff was very friendly. Great place to eat .
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PL
PennyL
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on October 15, 2023
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Decent Italian food, I've had better, but worse also. What made the experience so fantastic was our waiter! He was funny, warm and very welcoming.
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JF
JeremyF
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 14, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Really great food great compeny and got to meet the owner himself
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SS
SheilaS
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 9, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our server was wonderful Food was very good. Wine selection was well varied.
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J
Jess
Pittsburgh
3 reviews
3.0
3 reviews
Dined on October 7, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
The wedding soup was disappointing. It was basically broth. Thankfully we did get credited for it. Our waitress Kaylee was very accommodating. The translation from our order to the kitchen was misunderstood. Our pizza did not come out the way we ordered it. Despite the frustrations with the food, we still enjoyed ourselves.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Cleveland
4 reviews
2.0
4 reviews
Dined on October 7, 2023
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Food was not great, but service was OK. Food was very pricey for it being subpar.
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L
Lisa
Cleveland
21 reviews
vip
4.0
21 reviews
Dined on September 29, 2023
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
All of the food was delicious and our server, when asked, gave a perfect recommendation of what to get.
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B
Bdot
Central Coast
23 reviews
vip
5.0
23 reviews
Dined on September 26, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Food was fabulous!! Large portions !! Customer service was excellent. It was great to see and speak with the owner during our meal!!
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D
Ditasflipflop
Cleveland
11 reviews
5.0
11 reviews
Dined on September 24, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I have eaten here several times and not once been disappointed. The spaghetti and meatballs are top tier. The service was outstanding. I think it is one of the best dining experiences in the area.
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MC
MichaelC
Pittsburgh
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on September 22, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great little restaurant! Make sure to go while George is there. Great to talk to and spend some time with. We look forward to going back again the food was excellent!
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C
Conference
Cleveland
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on September 14, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
It was expensive and they were out of the house red wine and didn’t have another house option in red.
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TB
TrishaB
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 9, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
We started at the bar where Chris made a fantastic drink! Followed with a fresh, authentic Italian dinner. The best part of our night was our chat with George, the original owner. I love that he still continues to visit with diners, share memories, and most of all show gratitude for their business. that kind of customer service cannot be beat!
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J
James
Cleveland
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on September 8, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 2
Disappointed at the change from the original restaurant. Ambiance and unique experience are gone. Original bread dipping oil far better that what was served. Should not have added vinegar to the recipe. Too much cheese and sauce on the food now. It masks the true flavor of the dish. Food is still good but now too "Americanized". Trying to fit a Sandusky institution into a glorified food court environment just doesn't work well.
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TN
ToddN
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 5, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I like the atmosphere of the restaurant, how attentive the waitress was and how authentic the Italian food tasted. Thanks for having us, we will be back in the near future!
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K
Keysha
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 3, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Loved this restaurant! The food was delicious and the portions were extra large. If you get the veal parmigiana plan on sharing or having lots to take home. The atmosphere is nice as well, italian music and art, hanging lights, etc. Would definitely recommend and would go again.
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F
Foodie
Cleveland
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on September 3, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 2
I’d say, it was OK. I was hoping for great but was disappointed. Wait staff was disorganized and scattered. Took a long time to take our order and bring drinks. Calamari was overly salted, meatballs were meh and italian salad was bland with dressing only being oil. Best thing is the bread.
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FD
FallonD
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 27, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Food arrived quickly and was authentic Italian. Delicious.
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DO
DanielleO
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 23, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Food was delicious, portions were large. The service was efficient and friendly.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Pittsburgh
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on August 22, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great dinner. Our server Devin was awesome. We will be back.
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SM
SharonM
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on August 21, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
We were very excited to try Sortino’s as it was my sons choice to eat here for his birthday dinner at the Kalahari. Our waiter was very honest and helpful when we were ordering…completely appreciated his honesty. The wait time for our food was reasonable. Our food was hot. The portions were big…if you don’t have any room in your mini fridge, it would be better to have slightly smaller portions with a slightly smaller price tag. According to the boys, the fettuccine Alfredo was good…although not as good as mom’s (mom is not Italian). The baked ziti had a lot of cheese…maybe too much cheese. The Chicken Parmigiana was really tasty although the size of the portion was ridiculously large (my husband ate maybe 1/3 of it and he is not a light eater). And the cheese ravioli was way too salty! The ravioli was really good but the sauce was way too salty. I was offered a different dish but turned it down. All I wanted at the time was a refill on my drink…that took forever…I was done with my meal before the refill came. Just a tip to the waiter, it’s okay to ask someone to pass the glass down to the end of the table to refill the water glasses instead of reaching across the table and dripping condensation from the water pitcher all over everyone’s food. This was a very pricey not so good experience for the 5 of us.
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D
Disappointedlocal
Los Angeles
2 reviews
vip
1.0
2 reviews
Dined on August 21, 2023
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 1
The food was undercooked and uninspiring from the table bread to pizza. For the prices they command, one would expect better food and experience. There is little charm or uniqueness about this place as it seemed no better than a low end Italian chain. The charm of Sortino’s is long gone.
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SR
SusanR
New York Area
111 reviews
vip
5.0
111 reviews
Dined on August 19, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Incredibly delicious, authentic Italian food. Started with the 2 huge meatballs with marinara appetizer. Then Veal Milanese and sausage and peppers and a huge shareable side of roasted broccoli. We shared and loved everything. Large portions so we took half home. We declined bread, but saw huge loaves being delivered to tables. Yum. The owner visited many tables with lively conversation treated everyone like old friends. Many were repeat customers. We will go back too.
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LS
LaurieS
Columbus
6 reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Dined on August 14, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
One of the best meals I’ve had in some time. Highly recommend the bruschetta and spaghetti and meatballs. We enjoyed all our dishes. Portions are large — enough for two people.
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p
poppy
Cleveland
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on August 13, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
We had a great dinner. Our waitress (Gabriella) was helpful and had a great personality. Our meal was delicious!
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GP
GabriellaP
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on August 12, 2023
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The bread and butter in beginning was delightful. The chicken marsala was ok but the pasta with it was just drawing in marsala sauce. The spicy pasta with steak and veggies was not great. There was one piece of broccoli and like 4 pieces of peppers. To make it spicy they pour hot sauce in it. It was like eating a bowl of delicious noodles and sauce ruined because all you could taste was hot sauce. Not even spicy, just hot sauce. NOTE to chef: you use cayenne or red pepper to make pasta sauce spicy. Not hot sauce.
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NR
NiseR
Detroit
8 reviews
5.0
8 reviews
Dined on August 12, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our waiter Matthew G was amazing. It was our first time there and he was very helpful in choosing our entrees. The meat and cheese appetizer was delicious. Matthew was very personable and made sure that we had everything we needed throughout the meal. I chose the shrimp cocktail and tomato and mozzarella caprese for dinner. Lite and delicious. This was the best restaurant that Kalahari had on property. Highly recommend.
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R
Rusty
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 9, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Eggplant Parm. was the best I've ever had as was the mussels in maranara sauce. Originally from Sandusky, our past was filled with memorable italian restaurants. Now living in Nova, Oh. though, it's been many years since we've had good italian food. Sortino's went beyond our expectations. Not keen on its location at Kalahari but look forward to dining there again. The dinner was to celebrate my husband's 84th birthday and you folks truly outdone yourselves. He enjoyed the shrimp alredo and shrimp cocktail. We both drooled over the delicious cannoli and apple crostata. THANK YOU so much for making his birthday a special memorable event. May God Bless you all!
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CB
CoryB
Detroit
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on August 9, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 2
It’s in a resort so it over priced. The bread was odd for a Italian restaurant and not served warm. The waitress seemed new and inexperienced.
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CM
ChelseaM
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 8, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The place was amazing. Our server was amazing. Def will visit again.
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RC
RobertC
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined on August 8, 2023
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 4
Our waiter was was very poor. Was always in a rush, rude and did not explain anything prior to ordering. Every time we had a question or a request it was like we were bothering him. The food was ok but not high end. The sauces for the Spagetti and Alfredo were watery, not something you would expect at place like this. Probably did not drain the pasta properly. Appetizers were good.. it was a good thing for the waiter he got the mandatory tip for the large party as he would have got none for that poor service. Its probably why he was so rude and short to begin with as he knew he had a mandatory tip coming. If you go, be a small party so they don't apply a mandatory tip and you get stuck with a crappy waiter who doesn't care. Reflects poorly on the resort.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Toronto
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on August 7, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Lovely Italian dinner, food was excellent, generous portions, reasonably priced, friendly service. Our server Elyse (might have spelled wrong, sorry) was top notch and very personable. Would return and recommend.
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A
Aldomichael
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 6, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Dinner was super authentic and excellent. Had a wonderful waitress, Ciara, who was very experienced and great with our kids. Going back again tonight.
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NC
NathanC
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on August 4, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Ravioli only came with 4 pieces. My sone finished his ravioli before I finished a slice of pizza. Wife's fish was 2 star at best.
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Safety precautions

Cleaning & sanitizing
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Common areas deep-cleaned daily
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Contactless payment available
Physical distancing
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables

Screening
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
- Staff temperature check required

FAQs

Sortino's Italian Kitchen offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (419) 433-6653.

Sortino's Italian Kitchen is rated 4.3 stars by 479 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Dec 9, 2023

7:00 PM

Booked 9 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Sortino's Italian Kitchen

7000 Kalahari Dr, Sandusky, OH 44870-8628

Additional information

Neighborhood
Sandusky
Hours of operation
Dinner Daily 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Italian, Steak, Bar / Lounge / Bottle Service
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Private Lot
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Chad Vandegrift
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
https://www.kalahariresorts.com/ohio/things-to-do/dining/sortinos-italian-kitchen/
Phone number
(419) 433-6653
Private party facilities
We don't have a private room, but we accept parties. Please contact the restaurant for more details. 419 - 433 - 6653.

Sortino's Italian Kitchen

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Menu

What 479 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Safety precautions

Cleaning & sanitizing

Physical distancing

Screening

FAQs

Does Sortino's Italian Kitchen offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Sortino's Italian Kitchen restaurant rated?

Is Sortino's Italian Kitchen currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information