Sofia’s Restaurant in East Windsor, CT.

Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com

Sofia’s Restaurant in East Windsor, Connecticut had been a place I went fairly often 5-10 years past. For no special reason that changed. A few weeks ago, by invitation I returned. Set on a hilltop intersection, Sofia’s remains popular.

The middle dining area now includes a bar located in the rear and lighting is dimmer.

The exterior had been under renovation the last time I was here and is now complete. The interior has also undergone change. Three side-by-side dining sections have booths and tables, however the middle section now includes a bar located at the rear of the space. Lighting in this section seems dimmer which I prefer. Large screen televisions have been added to give a sports bar feel, and on this day they were tuned to a New England Patriots game. Go Pats! Upon entering Sofia’s, the first section leads to a busy pick-up counter; the cooks can be seen preparing pizza and more.

We were seated in the third section where light streams in from large picture-style windows. Excessive light is not my pleasure so the server accommodated a request to close the blinds nearest to us. A small banquet room is still in the far right back of the restaurant and was in use.

Giving it a retro feel, when I first discovered Sofia’s each booth had small jukeboxes. As they seem to be from most gathering spots these days, the jukeboxes are gone. It is a shame “Generation Z” – those born post-Millenials, post-GenX and post-Boomers – will never know the fun of crowding into a booth on a Friday night with friends as everyone lines up quarters to feed a hungry jukebox, then waiting to hear your song selection. Back in the day it was known I would be looking for the buttons to press to hear Lionel Richie’s “Truly.” But I digress.

A sprinkle of Parmesan and the house dressing.

The menu is much the same as I remembered it to be with a large number of choices. They have dinners – pasta, chicken, fish as well as grinders, sandwiches, burgers, salad plates, pizzas, appetizers and desserts. Almost immediately after we ordered our entrees, a basket of warm rolls was served. From a choice of soup or salad with dinner, salads topped with the House Italian dressing were chosen. The salad was as tasty as ever. I sprinkled Parmesan cheese over mine which made for the perfect extra flavor.

So good, a generous portion of sea scallops.

Great reviews for the Baked Manicotti.

Broccoli & spinach.

I do not profess to be a food critic able to detect every nuance of seasoning. What I can say is that the main dishes we ordered were excellent -generous portions of sea scallops and stuffed manicotti served piping hot. The menu also has smaller portion offerings available to children and seniors. Dessert selections appeared to be fewer than before but it was a moot point because we opted not to order dessert.

Sofia’s remains conducive to conversation and good eating. Sofia’s is back on my radar!

Sofia’s Italian Restaurant, 136 Prospect Hill Road, East Windsor CT,06088, 860-623-9477  http://www.sofiasrestaurant.com