About
AboutAbout Us
Sotto is a Finnish pizzeria chain making authentic Neapolitan pizza with a short menu and big flavors.
The Sotto Story
Sotto was born in Helsinki in 2023 from a shared obsession: Neapolitan pizza the way it should be — and accessible enough for everyone to enjoy.
How it all began
The founders were friends who shared one belief: good pizza shouldn't be reserved for an Italian holiday. Pizza has been eaten in Finland for a long time, but somewhere along the way the most important parts got lost — respect for the dough, the right oven heat, and that moment when a just-finished pizza hits the table.
We wanted to make pizza we'd actually want to eat ourselves — and serve it at a fair price. Not pretentious gourmet, not mass-produced frozen bases. Something in between, made with care.
About the pizza, honestly
Neapolitan pizza isn't a recipe — it's a craft. The dough proofs for 48 hours before it ever touches the oven. The 00 flour comes from Italy, the tomatoes from near Naples, the mozzarella from real cow's milk. Ingredients alone don't make a pizza, but without them you can't make this one.
An open flame above 400 °C bakes each pizza in about a minute. That's the moment when the crust bubbles, the base picks up its black stars, and the toppings begin to wake up. Once you've eaten a pizza made this way, eight minutes in an electric oven feels like a different food entirely.
Approachable, not fancy
Sotto isn't a fancy restaurant. Sotto is a good restaurant. The dress code is whatever you're wearing, reservations aren't required, and the menu fits on one page — as it should. You can order at the counter or through our online store. No new app to download, no account to create.
Our goal is for every visit to feel like the pizza was made just for you — without rush, with a warm vibe, at a fair price. The same promise holds in Helsinki, Tampere or Turku, at lunch or on a Friday night.
Where we're headed
We're growing — not for the numbers, but because good pizza should be closer to home. Our goal is to become the most popular Neapolitan pizza chain in Finland: the place you mention to a friend when they ask where to eat tonight.
We open new restaurants city by city, and every new Sotto is as good as the first. Practice matters more than promises.
Sotto in numbers
Small numbers that say more than a ten-year forecast.
- 2023
- First Sotto opened
- 48 h
- Dough proofing time
- 400 °C+
- Live flame in the oven
- 00
- Italian flour in every base
What we believe in
Authenticity above all
Neapolitan pizza is a precise craft. We use Italian 00 flour, Neapolitan tomatoes and a real flame — no shortcuts, no compromises.
A fair price for everyone
Good pizza shouldn't be a luxury. A short menu, considered ingredients and a sound model keep prices reasonable — and the flavor where it belongs.
Local, but easy
Every Sotto feels like it belongs to its own neighborhood, but the quality is the same — from Helsinki to Turku, from lunch to Friday night.
Growth, not flash
We want to bring Neapolitan pizza closer to every Finn. We grow fast but with care — every new Sotto must be as good as the first.
Interested in working together?
Sotto is growing and we're looking for new people and partners. Get in touch and let's talk more.