Winchester Restaurant History

The following restaurants have previously occupied or currently occupy this location.

Cafe Sofia Restaurant

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Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Wonderful! This is my all time favorite Indian restaurant. The soups and sauces are out of this world. I always bring my out of town visitors here and they are amazed that such a wonderful Indian restaurant is here in Winchester. Chef Shiv and his staff makes you feel right at home. — Anonymous Reviewer

Thursday, August 11, 2016

So a is a great restaurant! Chef Shiv is warm, friendly, and welcoming. Service for me has always been great, even on days when he was short on staff. His food is delicious and reasonably priced. It is the best Indian food I have experienced in this country. The chai is marvelous! If it were a bottomless cup, I would drink so much of it, he would go out of business. He makes that wonderful naan in his kitchen, so it is always fresh and plentiful. If you've never eaten there, go and try it a few times. Try different dishes at varying spice levels to see what appeals to you the most. If you don't like it, go back to bland McDonalds. — Anonymous Reviewer

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Just wow... the food is amazing! My husband and I come from Chicago and I must say hands down the best Indian food we have tried. Definitely some changes to the "normal" Indian food, but it made it a lot better. The owner and his wife took the time to say hello and he obviously knew a lot of his customers there by name. Really a family restaurant, I will stop by more often. Thank you for the awesome food experience. — Anonymous Reviewer

Monday, November 9, 2015

I remember visiting Sona a few years back . . . before I moved to Winchester, and I found the food to be quite good. However, my last couple of visits were utterly disappointing. Their Chicken Tikka Masala was more like 'chicken in ketchup' just not at all pleasant.

I know enough about Indian food to know that dishes such as this are not really truly authentic Indian Cuisine. They're more of a hybrid of Indian cooking techniques and spices used to create dishes that appealed to the English Colonial powers... and for all I know, they're really good at authentic Indian Cuisine, but Chiken Tikka Masala is my personal favorite and is the dish I will order at any new Indian restaurant to give myself a basis for comparison.

I've heard form other friends that have said "the food here used to be quite good but it's gone downhill" I could not agree more.

Maybe their chef changed or something . . .
— Anonymous Reviewer

Sunday, April 13, 2014

This is one of my favorite places to eat. Each dish is made spicy (or not) to order and all of the menu items that I have tried are delicious. It is a relaxed atmosphere and our meals are not hurried. Prices are very reasonable and include a drink, salad, soup and main dish. — Anonymous Reviewer

Saturday, March 22, 2014

if you would never have Indian food you should eat here your first experience should be what a good northern Indian cuisine should be by far some of the best around. — Anonymous Reviewer

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Great food when they don't run out and selfishly Wish you would deliver as you advertise you do. Nonetheless, Winchester is fortunate to have such authentic Indian cuisine! — Anonymous Reviewer

Friday, February 10, 2012

We felt special at Sona as first time visitors who would love to try different cuisines'when possible.' We drove from Berkeley Springs, WV to Sona, after seeing a web listing. I have an allergy so did not know what to expect. The verdict: I can't express enough how fresh, filling and delicious the food was, the attentive service of the staff or the welcoming atmosphere. We began by ordering a veg soup and garlic cauliflower appetizers and it was delicious. From the bread to our entrees we enjoyed every bite and it was reasonable in cost. The staff explained that just about everything on the menu could be made vegan and our wait wasn't long for what was delicious Indian food. In addition, my having a serious allergy didn't seem to make any ruffle with the staff as they were clear and concise on what the ingredients were in the food served. The staff had no problems with my specific request. In the past, I could only eat at one restaurant in nearby Maryland but now can add Sona which I deem safe for my body and very gourmet delicious. The chef came around to different tables and was delightful in making sure everything was ok. This is how it used to be in restaurants where people cared about there product. This was not fast food at all!!! I hope to return often to Sona. Wonderful place! — Anonymous Reviewer

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Sona's food is amazing and the owner Shiv is such a courteous host! On our first visit he came to our table and explained different dishes to us (my boyfriends first time trying Indian food) and then rather than suggesting a menu item he listened to our likes and dislikes...went to the kitchen and made a dish off the menu for each of us. All of the food is delicious and full of flavor! Sona is a gem in the Winchester area. — Anonymous Reviewer

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Great food but WORST service I've ever had! It was as if the staff had no idea what they were doing....after 30 minutes we had to ask for our glass of water, we watched our appetizer be given to another table who JUST SAT DOWN, and after an hour of waiting as no one checked on us we waived down our waitress and she wanted us to re-place our order b/c they lost it...REALLY? So as we got up to leave our waitress said loudly "you need to pay for your drinks." I guess the whole $3 for our 2 cokes was worth more to them than us walking out due to our order being lost and NO ONE checking on us OR apologizing. NEVER will we return...and that's too bad because their food is delish! — Anonymous Reviewer

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Delicious food, HORRIBLE (customer) service. I've eaten there quite a few times and the food is consistently wonderful but after our experience last night, I will NEVER go back and NEVER recommend anyone to go: After waiting 25 minutes, we had to flag our waitress down to inquire about our appetizers. She said she'd check on them. 10 minutes later a different waitress asked if everything was ok. After explaing her it has now been 35 minutes and we still have not received our appetizers, we requested our appetizers to be brought out and meals to be boxed to go. It is now 8:45 and a third waitress FINALLY comes around to fill our water glasses. We ask her to bring our appetizers out along with our meal boxed and 5 minutes later she brings a whole meal out...UN-BOXED. She explains how it was already plated when she went back and started defending herself and the kitchen and then tried to point out how busy they were. Any kitchen should be set up to accommodate the amount of seats that are in the restaurant. instead of apologizing and taking it back...only to realize it wasn't even our food. As we got up from our table and walked to the front, everyone could hear her say "You still need to pay for your drinks." Gladly we would pay. As we got to the front, our initial waitress asked "How can I help you?" as if she had no idea what was wrong. She said "Don't worry about paying for your drinks. Just don't tell anyone." The least they could do is comp our drinks and an apology would have been nice too. It is very clear there is no organization and communication between any of the wait staff along with poor timing skill in the kitchen. Who knows how long we would have actually sat there if we had never spoken up. No delicious food is worth this much trouble. — Anonymous Reviewer

Sunday, October 23, 2011

I've dined at Indian restaurants where you get restaurant food. I've been to ones where it tastes like cafeteria food. But at Sona, it's like you've been lucky enough to be invited over to someone's house for dinner. The dishes are so authentic and prepared with such care... they are beyond compare. The chef/owner's passion for quality is evident in every aspect of the dining experience. Absolutely loved it. Sona, alone, is a reason to come to Winchester. — Anonymous Reviewer

Sunday, July 10, 2011

I've eaten at Sona's since they opened and I've always been a fan. The quantity of food received has definitely declined during the last year or so. I ordered a take-out order of butter chicken and was disappointed by the small portions received for 16.99. I'm used to Indian food in larger cities where quality and quanity never suffered even in the smaller establishments. Even when eating in the restaurant at lunch, there might be 5 or 6 thin slices of chicken in the sauce and just a small portion of rice. They will serve you more rice and unlimited naan upon request to their credit though. It is nice to have quality Indian food in Winchester without having to drive to Loudon county but I find myself going quite infrequently when I remind myself of the value received. I find myself waiting for the weekends when I'm near Loudon county and its environs to eat where portion size and quality are equal. I haven't given up on you Shiv because I recognize quality, but I just don't come nearly as often. — Anonymous Reviewer

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Absolutely amazing food. My sister and I love spicy food, so the chef offered to increase the heat level and at a 15, it was just right (the scale they offer when you order is 1-10). Everything had great flavor and the staff were all very nice. The best Indian food I have ever had. — Anonymous Reviewer

Sona Restaurant

2900 Valley Ave

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Sona Restaurant

Winchester Restaurant History

This is one of my favorite places to eat. Each dish is made spicy (or not) to order and all of the menu items that I have tried are delicious. It is a relaxed atmosphere and our meals are not hurried. Prices are very reasonable and include a drink, salad, soup and main dish. — Anonymous Reviewer

if you would never have Indian food you should eat here your first experience should be what a good northern Indian cuisine should be by far some of the best around. — Anonymous Reviewer

Great food when they don't run out and selfishly Wish you would deliver as you advertise you do. Nonetheless, Winchester is fortunate to have such authentic Indian cuisine! — Anonymous Reviewer