Nestled in the heart of Sandy Hook at 105 Church Hill Road lies Sugo Gastrobar, a restaurant that offers rich and flavorful modern Italian cuisine with a contemporary twist. From brick oven charred pizzas and fresh homemade pasta to savory desserts and a large selection of wine and specialty cocktails, Sugo Gastrobar has something for everyone.

The restaurant features a sleek, modern contemporary New York aesthetic. Dark wood tables and chairs line the restaurant, alongside the gray walls brightened with splashes of gold and decorated with gold-rimmed mirrors, which work together to create a cozy atmosphere for guests when they sit and dine.

Enrique “Ricky” Rosario, the primary owner of Sugo Gastrobar, used his over 20 years of experience in the restaurant business as the foundation for what he wanted to achieve with Sugo Gastrobar. This carries over into the restaurant’s infrastructure, as Sugo has a unique custom bar with a curving wall, which Rosario said he was super passionate about thanks to his history with bartending.

Rosario claimed that he was largely inspired and influenced by his business partner of around ten years, Daniel Camporeale, who he describes as his mentor.

One of the biggest lessons Rosario says that Camporeale showed him was the importance of being unafraid to mix tastes and textures from sweet and salty to soft and crunchy; that someone might not like something by itself, but built together, it has an effect. This comes after Rosario tried a dish filled with things he dislikes made by Camporeale, and yet he liked it with everything mixed together.

Rosario said that, at that moment, it was like his “brain exploded,” and that he wanted to try so many different things. It was that creativity and passion that eventually carried over into the menu for Sugo. The goal for the restaurant, Rosario added, was to not just offer traditional Italian cuisine, but to also modernize it.

“So you have those traditional dishes on the menu. You’re gonna find chicken Parmesan, you’re gonna find your carbonara, all the stuff that you see in a typical Italian restaurant, but you’re also gonna find dishes that are eclectic,” Rosario said.

The menu aims to capture the authentic Italian dining experience, featuring flavorful meat and fish dishes such as the Pollo Scarpariello to fresh pasta dishes like Gnocchi Bolognese. Salads are made with fresh and locally sourced ingredients, and dressing, pastas, bread, and more all made in-house.

Sugo’s chef, Edgar “Douglas” Paz, works to experiment and push his creative boundaries to continue creating new and flavorful dishes.

“It’s hard sometimes because you have an idea in mind that you want to try, and it might not work out,” Paz said. “Sometimes you feel sad, but you have to keep trying … It’s a part of the job. Try, try, and try again.”

Rosario said that, with Sugo, he wants more than anything else to create an amazing dining experience for anyone who walks through their doors.

“I just want people to enjoy themselves,” Rosario said. “You come out because you want an experience from beginning to end, from how you enter the door and are greeted to what you end up eating. You’re paying for an experience. So every step is as important as the next one and the last.”

Sugo Gastrobar boasts numerous recurring events to keep things fresh. Happy Hour is every weekday from 3-6 pm at the bar or patio only, where wine by the glass and beer are half-off, and all specialty cocktails are only $8. Every weekend from 11 am-3 pm is Bottomless Brunch, which offers bottomless Bloody Marys, Mimosas, and Bellinis. Then on every Monday from 11:30 am-10 pm is Half-Priced Wine, where every bottle of wine is half-off all day long.

One of the biggest events is Sugo Sundays, a special deal available only on Sundays from 3-9 pm that lets people choose one dish from each of the three offered courses for a fixed price.

Sugo also offers catering as well as reservations for private events.

Sample Of The Menu

Brunch: Available every Saturday & Sunday from 11 am-3 pm. Includes the classic Chicken & Waffles, a dish with house made waffles and free-range chicken drizzled in hot honey maple syrup and paired with home fries. Another dish is the Brunch Burger, which is a kobe beef burger, fried egg, Canadian bacon, cheddar, and chipotle aioli packed on a brioche bun.

Lunch Specials: Available Monday through Friday from 11:30 am-3 pm. Provided through a prix fixe menu, which offers a several-course meal served at a single fixed price. Hungry customers can power through their afternoon with their choice of a salad or soup of the day for the first course, an entrée such as Penne Primavera or Gnocchi Bolognese for the second course, and a dessert of either Gelato or Sorbetto for the third course.

Small Plates: The light crunch of the Grilled Octopus is paired with fingerling potatoes, red onion, and a habanero-lemon aioli for a flavorful plate. Another option is the Arancini, which is prosciutto-infused risotto alongside rich parmigiano cream.

Insalate (Salads): The large selection of salads made out of local organic greens consists of classics such as the Caesar Salad, with hearts of romaine, focaccia croutons, shaved Parmesan, and Caesar dressing, alongside the Sugo Salad, which has mixed greens, cherry tomato, roasted red pepper, fresh mozzarella, and balsamic dressing.

Pizza: Among the large selection of brick oven charred pizzas is the Balsamico, which consists of chicken, caramelized onion, and mozzarella finished with a balsamic reduction drizzle. Another is the Prosciutto Di Parma, consisting of San Marzano tomato sauce, prosciutto, baby arugula, lemon vinaigrette, and balsamic reduction.

Pasta: One of the many fresh homemade pasta dishes is the Penne Sugo, which is penne covered with San Marzano plum tomato sauce and topped with a dollop of basil ricotta. There is also the Sunday Gravy, which consists of short rib, braciole, meatball, sausage, and ragu sauce over rigatoni for a zesty, mouthwatering kick of flavor.

Carne e Pesce (Meat and Fish): A highlight is the Pollo Scarpariello, a juicy, organic French cut chicken breast on the bone paired with sausage, roasted potatoes, cherry peppers, onion, and garlic, finished off with a white wine sauce.

Dolce (Dessert): The restaurant’s signature Sugo Cake is a runaway fan favorite. A warm, fluffy butter cake with brown sugar topped with a scoop of cold vanilla gelato and a drizzle of raspberry syrup, this sweet treat creates a perfect blend of taste and texture that keeps people coming back for more.

Wine: Sugo boasts an extensive wine collection, consisting of different types of pinot grigio, rose, chardonnay, pinot noir, Italian reds, and more.

Specialty Cocktails: For specialty cocktails, there are highlights such as the King’s Vacanza, a spin on the classic Pina Colada with Papa’s Pilar blonde rum, Coco Lopez, and pineapple. Mocktails include the Blood Orange Crush, made with lime, blood orange, and ginger beer, and the Sparkling Sangria, made with alcohol-removed sauvignon blanc and prosecco, peach, apricot, and blueberry.

Beer: Sugo also carries many different types of beer, including Amstel Light, Corona, Allagash White, Guinness, and more. There are also several non-alcoholic options, such as Peroni 0.0 and Original Sin White Widow Non-Alcoholic Cider.

Sugo Gastrobar, located at 105 Church Hill Road in Newtown, is open Monday through Thursday, from 11:30 am to 10 pm; Friday, from 11:30 am to 11 pm; Saturday, from 11 am to 11 pm; and Sunday, from 11 am to 9 pm.

Catering options and table reservations, as well as reservations for private events, are available online. For more information, visit sugogastrobar.com, call 203-304-9334, e-mail sugogastrobar@gmail.com, or follow the restaurant’s Instagram @sugo_gastrobar.