08/14/09

No good

by cc35

We went for what we thought was 1/2 price wine last night (Thursday). They stopped doing this promotion, so the bill was much higher than anticipated. They do offer a $52.80 menu on Thursdays, but the food options on it were not that exciting. They ran out of one of the two dessert options and served cake which tasted like it came from a box.

07/23/09

Once one of the greats

by Sa1amand3r

As a long time fan of this restaurant, it's hard to review them so lowly. What was once a quaint hidden gem has suffered terribly lately. The food still can provide some high points to an evening, most notably the fish dishes. However, the truffle macaroni is runnier lately, the calamari more sweet than spicy, and the deserts more bland than ever. That may be nit-picky, but what is obviously clear is how poor the service has become. 15 minutes passed before we received water, a disinterested host seated us with what could only be called annoyance, and overly amplified music overwhelmed a patio previously remarkable for its quiet romance. A 200 dollar dinner shouldn't make me endure music that most people wouldn't pay a 5 dollar cover to see. It's gimmicky, unnecessary and obviously the sign of a manager out of touch with the elegant vibe of the early Solera. The long time staff members are an exception, and remain attentive and professional, but even they seem to realize their ship is sinking.

• Pros: Specials
• Cons: Horrible host, suffering service

07/21/09

Great food, horrible service

by lschwarm

Solera's food is some of the best in Denver. The problem is, their service has suffered over the last few years. It took over an hour to receive our dinners, with no apology from the waiter...it might be common. The live music is amplified on their tiny patio. We counted five different tables that complained to have it turned down, and nothing was done. Who wants to pay $30 plus per plate and not be able to have a nice conversation? (And the music...bad, tone-deaf bad.)

• Pros: Fish Specials are the best
• Cons: Extremely slow service, loud live music

04/21/09

Unfulfilled Promise

by DenverDiva

We chose Solera because of the reviews and buzz but were very disappointed. Other than the calamari the food was pedestrian at best. Paella ($24) Solera-style means mussels and scallops with a little overdone tuna and a half cup of rice and not much else. The broth was tasty. Their Mushroom Cannolis ($20 for 2) were 2" by 1/2" in size. Premade ~ in this case they'd been sitting around for the better part of a week. were dried out and totally devoid of any flavor including the promised Eggplant puree. The Lamb ($30) was okay but again not very fresh. All in all Solera does not deserve more than a two star rating and suspect Solera is a restaurant on the edge of closing trying to cut costs while charging gourmet prices. Too many other terrific restaurants in Denver with better locations and quality food.

• Pros: Great Calamari
• Cons: Overpriced, unremarkable cuisine

03/16/09

Decent food, horrible service

by hungrytxn

The food was ok, but the service was horrible, the manager was rude. This place refuses to accept the gift cards that they give out. Avoid this place.

• Cons: Rude staff

01/26/09

2009 New Years Resolution #1: Steer Clear of Solera

by Venue1590

My girlfriend and I visited Solera on New Years Eve and frankly, our experience was FAR below what one would expect out of a "fine dining restaurant." I am NOT the type of person who complains or who would go out of his way to write a poor review, but this time I feel compelled to do so because the dinner we shared that night was pathetic. The menu was "fixed," and somewhat understandable being New Years Eve, but the dinner was unsavory (an understatement), bland and frankly, we could have spent a LOT LESS at the Bank Bar and Grille down the street and the meal would have been better ($75 a head is outrageous). On top of that, they ran out of half of the selection on the menu and the valet out front could probably have been more helpful about describing our dinner options than our waiter Jordan who, bless his soul, may unknowingly be suffering from Trisomy 21. I did email the restaurant AND the owner hoping for at least a reply (implied I didn't expect a refund) but received NO RESPONSE, a simple apology or explanation would have rectified the situation. With all fairness, I?ve been to Solera on one occasion before this, and the food was good, which is why I give it a two star rating instead of one. But, with such a HUGE fluctuation in food quality and derth of a viable customer service base, I would recommend steering clear of this establishment completely.

• Pros: Atmosphere
• Cons: Chef(s) may have flunked out of culinary school

01/11/09

One of the Top Restaurants in Denver

by tomef

It is hard to believe that such great food and wine can be had in this off-beat location on East Colfax just south of Park Hill. Try dining a the bar where you can try some of the large collection of wines offered by the glass. This includes not only high end expensive choices, but also high quality, bargain-priced special finds by the owner. The food is fabulous --each course can be a difficult selection having to decide between many fine selections -- e.g. is the classic Caeser salad made with white anchovies a better choice than the blue cheese and bibb lettuce? In the summer, the outdoor patio is amazingly intimate and surprisingly quiet given it's location near a major thoroughfare. We've always had wonderful food and drink at this outstanding establishment.

• Pros: great food, excellent wine selection across all price ranges

01/07/09

Absolutely Incredible!!!

by HottieChck7

My family took me to Solera last night for my birthday. I was somewhat nervous about trying a new place but what a great experience!! I had the Atlantic Salmon and I HIGHLY recommend it!! It was so fantastic even my mom liked it and she never trys fish. We all got different dishes and tried each others and there really wasn't anything we didn't like. It took quite a while for us to get our entrees but they were totally worth the wait! Our dessert was yummy too but we were all overly full when we left! It's a nice little restaurant thats somewhat quiet, but not too quiet to where you have to worry about people at the next table listening in on your conversation! All in all, Solera made my birthday absolutley wonderful!!! It's definitely a restaurant everyone should try!!!!

• Pros: Excellent food, great service, ambience
• Cons: nothing

08/26/08

What a pleasure!

by darknutria

A couple of good friends of mine (and myself of course) went to Solera Restaurant & Wine Bar (yea the place on East Colfax... GET OVER IT!) for drinks & apps. It was fabulous! We started in the bar with a round of martinis. It was pretty crowded so we had to wait a bit but who cares when you have good company and cocktails (besides, if no one wants to leave, can't throw people out.) We get a great little table outside on the patio (which is AMAZING and we instantly knew why no one is leaving.) There are flowers and herbs everywhere and they have a hottie latin guitar player with a drummer playing softly (nothing cheezy and you can listen OR talk.) We ordered the small calamary (small meaning BIG enough for 3 of us to nibble on) and we had the server order our wine. All we told him was what we liked and what our budget was and he brought us a fantastic bottle of red (and he didn't make us feel lame for not knowing wines.) We devoured the calamari (which I think I'm craving again right now) and after cruising the menu we all had to order an entree (it was too tempting for just apps after all.) OMG Yes! We shared everything and we loved everything. I had the fish ("cobia" which I have never heard of.) It's my new favorite fish. It was so yummy I had to really try hard to keep myself from licking the plate (so I wiped the sauce clean with my bread, instead.) Everything we had was perfect and we really had great service. I think we were there for more than 2 hours (because guess what, we didn't want to leave.) We will definitly be going back! (Yes, both friends agree,) WE LOVE SOLERA!!!

• Pros: Free valet, food, ambience, food, service, food, wine and (of course) the FOOD ROCKS!
• Cons: May be a bit of a drive (but it's totally worth it.)

06/20/08

unacceptable "reservation" policy, rude hostess.

by arasz

We have been to Solera several times but will not be returning. I agree with the other reviewers that the food and wine here are amazing. This used to be my favorite restaurant. However, twice recently when we had reservations, we were told when we arrived that we would have to wait "about 20 minutes" for our table (for a party of 2!) We actually waited 35 minutes, and no one apologized for the wait or even seemed surprised by the wait, even when we asked after 30 minutes if it would be much longer.

The most recent trip to Solera was even worse. We had reservations for a special occasion, our wedding anniversary. I was 8 1/2 months pregnant and was offered to "sit at the bar" and while we waited for our table. When we tried to comply, we realized that there was standing room only at bar due many others also waiting for tables. Clearly it would have again been more than the reported 20 minutes, and again, no apology. As a very pregnant woman not interested in standing on her feet in a bar not drinking and waiting for a reserved table, we decided to leave without dining there that night.

Either don't overbook the restaurant, or just be one of those restaurants that doesn't accept reservations. For an upscale restaurant, this is kind of treatment is unacceptable.

• Pros: great food and wine
• Cons: not worth the wait /service