Stepping into Trattoria A’Vucchella feels like walking into a corner trattoria in Sorrento. Co-owner and “cook” (his words, not mine), Pasquale De Martino, brings his decade-long limoncello-making know-how from his Sorrentine past—along with homemade pasta, rich red ragù, and warm hospitality that makes you feel like family.
A Sorrentine Stage in Bridgeport
CT Bites beautifully calls Trattoria A’Vucchella “the epitome of a hidden gem,” tucked right across from the Bijou Theater. Co‑owner Pasquale De Martino opened the restaurant in 2014 with Jennifer Galletti and Thomas Bepko, inspired by the pure tastes of his childhood in Sorrento—think pasta, not prefab casseroles, and limoncello, not lemon water.
Pasquale is no ordinary restaurateur—he owned a limoncello factory in Sorrento for 10 years before trading it for a trattoria in Bridgeport. I joked he probably knows Mario, the lemon farmer from Amalfi I wrote about last year—what are the odds? Pasquale also hosts culinary tours in Italy and takes pride in an Italian wine list that’s one of the best in the state.
Food That Feels Like Home
The vibe carries you straight to Italy. We started with a Negroni and an Italian margarita with limoncello—both bright and graceful. The Beef Carpaccio arrived crowned with Arugula and Parmigiano. For mains, my Carbonara (see my recipe) was impossibly authentic—rich, balanced, and made with fresh pasta. My wife’s Bucatini all’Amatriciana (see my recipe) was just as wonderful, the tomato sauce bright and the bucatini perfectly al dente. We went right back with friends, and I have the Spaghetti all Nerano, nothing short of amazing. My wife got the Pollo Marsala, impressive. Others got the Stinco di Maiale which looked like a Sunday labor of love, the Pollo Scarpariello was fantastic and the special, homemade bowtie pasta with shrimp and basil – wow.
Google reviewers rave about the littleneck clams in white wine, honey tripe in tomato sauce, and homemade pastas like Ziti Genovese, a true Sunday ragu made with just onion, beef, salt, and wine. They also have brick-oven pizzas, which I haven’t tried yet but will be first on my list next visit. The dough philosophy is pure poetry: just Caputo 00 flour and water, fermented and rested through an 18-hour to 24-hour process—then baked in a wood-fired oven for a 90-second crust that’s light, airy, and divine.
Desserts That Shine
We ended with tiramisu and blueberry cheesecake, both decadently perfect. Pasquale’s lemon touch is never far—desserts and limoncello are made in-house, just as one expects from an ex-limoncello factory owner.