Menu from Sorellina in Hoboken, NJ — Sorellina in Hoboken, NJ

There are restaurants you visit once, enjoy, and move on from. Then there are restaurants that quietly become part of your regular rotation. Over the past few months, we have found ourselves returning to Sorellina in Hoboken few times for a relaxed dinner (although sometimes, the noise level was a bit annoying). In this post, are some of the dishes we tried, but know that they change the menu often, so dishes below might not be available. Regardless: it gives you a good idea about this place.

One of the many things that makes Sorellina stand out is its Negroni Bar. The Classic Negroni delivers exactly what you want: bitter, herbal, balanced, and refreshing. But as I love bourbon, I also enjoy their Forza Negroni: the bourbon adds warmth and depth while keeping the character of a traditional Negroni intact. If cocktails are not your thing, the wine list offers plenty to explore like the Canaiuolo Toscana Rosato Montenidoli 2023 ($15) that I got once. Fresh, crisp, and easy to drink, it paired beautifully with the food and felt like the perfect wine for a casual evening. Another refreshing option is their watermelon frozen margarita ($15), that is not only made with tequila, but also curaçao. Or you can opt for their mocktails that they regularly update, like the Very Berry ($8), that combines blackberry, cinnamon, lemon and club soda, or more recently the Autumn Orchard ($8) with apple, cinnamon and lemon.

Although I admit that, as a French person, I always expect bread to come to the table (for free by the way), I always enjoy their homemade bread basket ($8). There is something comforting about freshly baked bread arriving at the table, especially when it is made in-house. Their bread basket is composed of semolina, rosemary focaccia and Carta di musica, a very thin, crisp, cracker-like flatbread from the Italian island of Sardinia. It is accompanied with cultured butter, black sesame butter with an interesting nutty flavor and richness, and olive tapenade that is always a favorite.

Homemade bread basket at Sorellina in Hoboken, NJ

Among the starters, we can never resist arancini, and the Smoked Provolone Arancini ($16) is not to miss: golden and crispy on the outside, the arancini reveal a creamy interior with the rich, savory flavor of smoked provolone. They are comforting, satisfying, and disappear surprisingly fast, dipped or not in the marinara sauce. The Corn Arancini ($16) are equally memorable: the sweetness of the corn creates a nice contrast with the crispy coating.

If arancini are not your thing, but you want something fried, the fried calamari ($18) are a good option: crispy, not rubbery, they are perfectly cooked. On the vegetarian side, you can get some salads, like the Summer salad ($16), composed of red butterhead lettuce, cherry tomatoes, breadcrumbs and parmesan or get their cheese plate ($18) where you It iscan pick three cheeses. We went for Espelette Marbled, a sweet and smokey goat cheese, Vampire Slayer, a garlic cheddar (nice name) and Red Rock, a creamy blue cheddar. It is always appreciated to see a nice selection of cheeses instead of deli sliced ones and Sorellina does not disappoint.

Of course, a visit to Sorellina would not be complete without trying some of their homemade pasta. Over the past few months, we have sampled several dishes. The Cacio e pepe conchiglie ($34) combines black pepper pasta, milk-braised pork, and pecorino for a rich and comforting dish with plenty of depth and flavor. The 3 cheese tortellini ($30) offers a creative mix of cheeses paired with walnut pesto, Castelvetrano olives, and sunflower kernels, bringing together creamy, nutty, and briny notes in every bite, although I would have liked them to be more cheesy. If you enjoy a little heat, the Spicy potato gnocchi ($28) is a great choice, with pillowy gnocchi coated in a tomato sauce and topped with crispy garlic that adds both texture and flavor. These gnocchi are a must have for sure. And sometimes, simplicity is the ultimate test of a kitchen. The Spaghetti al pomodoro ($27), made with tomato and basil, lets the quality of the ingredients shine through.

For dessert, we tried both the Rainbow cookie cake ($14) and the Buffalo ricotta cheesecake ($14). The Rainbow Cookie Cake was the clear winner for us. The combination of almond cake, raspberry jam, and stracciatella gelato worked really well together, bringing sweetness, nuttiness, and a refreshing creamy finish to the plate. The Buffalo Ricotta Cheesecake was good, with a light and creamy texture that we enjoyed, but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Seeing hazelnut cake on the menu, I was hoping for something closer to the rich, chocolate-hazelnut flavors of Nutella. Instead, the hazelnut notes were much more subtle. I also was not particularly fond of the Chianti-poached pears or the wine sauce, which added flavors that didn't quite work for me. For me, the cheesecake itself was enjoyable, but the accompaniments were not something I would specifically order again. If I had to choose between the two desserts on our next visit, the Rainbow Cookie Cake would be an easy decision.

What keeps bringing us back to Sorellina is not just a single dish or drink. It is the comforting Italian-inspired dishes that consistently deliver. In a city with plenty of dining options, Sorellina has become one of those places where we know we will have a great meal, a great drink, and an enjoyable evening every time we visit (besides sometimes the noise level as I mentioned before).

Enjoy (I did)!

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Sorellina - 1036 Washington Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030

Sorellina in Hoboken, NJ

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