It brings a NYC vibe to the North Jersey cigar scene and is, as owner Eddy Sujak calls it, “a special place.”
At Sofia, one can expect to brush elbows with those of discerning palates. The kitchen, led by executive chef, Pasquale Frola, serves imported wild and line-caught seafood from the Mediterranean, dry-aged USDA Prime meats cooked in a wood burning oven, house-made pastas, and baked-on-premises desserts. The bartenders, led by top mixologist, Luigi Tarantino, mix one-of-a-kind cocktails using traditional methods with exotic ingredients and mixers imported from Italy.
Sofia can seat up to 150 guests in five different intimate settings, including al fresco dining on the patio or in the garden, a traditional dining room, an indoor garden dining room with an all-glass retractable roof, and a cigar bar. Hand-painted tiles imported from Morocco, reclaimed barn wood, and luxurious furnishings adorn throughout.
The cigar lounge features an elegant, built-in humidor stocked with premium cigars, a chic bar, ambient lighting, cozy seating and a cuttingedge ventilation system. Smokers are welcome to bring their own cigars but there is a USD 10 cutting fee per cigar. Memberships, which include a list of perks, are available for USD 2,500 a year. Ever since the indoor smoking ban was enacted in 2006, places like Sofia have become nearly extinct in New Jersey. It is one of only three remaining cigar bars in the state.
“This place is a dream come true,” Sujak says. “We need to preserve places like this.”
