Sogno Toscano – LA
In LA, an Italian cafe experience from a top New York-based specialty food supplier
Sogno Toscano’s name – “Tuscan Dream” – isn’t particularly well-known outside of the specialty food industry, where the New York-based company sells hundreds of imported Italian ingredients ranging from olive oils to meats, cheeses, pastas, and vegetables. In mid-2023, the company opened its first West Coast “lifestyle cafe” in Santa Monica, followed by a late 2024 opening at The Grove, and our first impressions of the latter are positive but qualified.
At The Grove, Sogno Toscano’s seating is split between two floors of a small traditional indoor cafe space and a nice collection of outdoor tables near % Arabica, Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill, and the Cheesecake Factory. Hostesses and servers either possess or impressively mimic light Italian accents, conveying a gently jovial hospitality during the seating and service process. On our visit, there was no push to order wines, cocktails, or desserts, which has been atypical of sit-down Italian restaurant experiences here for many years.
The four-page menu consists of salads, soups, a handful of appetizers (including charcuterie and cheese boards), sandwiches, pizzas, pastas, and entrees. Fans of Italian food will find no surprises here, apart from the decision to offer thick, oval-shaped “Pinsa Romana” pizzas rather than trendier, thinner Neapolitans; the Diavola we ordered with spicy salami and fiore di latte mozzarella reminded us in texture and flavor of lightly elevated school cafeteria fare, the only miss in our otherwise good meal.
A “Salumi Experience” promised four meats, olives, and taralli crackers, but overdelivered by arriving with nice portions of five cured items – salami, mortadella, prosciutto, soppressata, and bresaola – plus cups with creamy burrata-style cheese, fruit jam, green olives, and taralli, as well as accompanying sliced focaccia. Similarly, a Tuscan-style Bufalina schiacciate sandwich popped in both flavor and visual appeal thanks to an idealized combination of baby red tomatoes, Bufala mozzarella, prosciutto, and arugula on large focaccia slices. Every bite blended flavors and textures so perfectly that we almost forgot the $28 asking price, which is the same across most of their sandwiches.
We haven’t visited Sogno Toscano’s Santa Monica location, which doubles as a showroom, enabling other restaurants’ chefs to explore the company’s imported products. But The Grove cafe is nice enough to feel worthy of the general public’s attention. We wouldn’t be surprised to see this small chain expand to Orange County, where there’s already a well-established appetite for high-quality Italian products, and willingness to pay for them.
Stats
Price: $$-$$$
Service: Table
Open Since: 2023 (CA), 2024 (LA)
Addresses
189 The Grove Dr. Unit H-2
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.879.9443
Instagram: @sognotoscano