Solera - MinneapolisHelpful and friendly serversI loved our waitress - I can't remember her name, but she was so helpful and made great recommendations!6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMSomething differentThe food was very good. Being the only Spanish restaurant in the twin cities it was a fun opportunity to try something different. Being a Tapas bar our party of 6 was able to sample a lot of different menus items. Which were all very good. When going to a new restaurant it always difficult deciding what to order because you only get one meal. The Tapas style alows you to sample several menus items and its easy and fast to order additional items.
Try it, you'll like it.6/7/2013 12:00:00 AMI dare you to be disappointed!!!For those who have not eaten Tapas or want to and are concerned about price vs. quantity vs. quality, please give Solera a try. Their staff is extremely approachable and knowledgeable and the ambiance is romantic and comfortable whether you are wearing a suit or jeans and a t-shirt. Tapas generally seems to scare mid-westerners away with smaller portion size, but even if the wait staff’s explanation of how to order doesn’t satisfy, then order the paiya and try to finish it!5/25/2013 12:00:00 AMRomantic EspañaI took a date there, it was pretty amazing. She enjoyed herself and I had a great time. The food was absolutely divine, utterly to die for. It was all plated nicely and elegantly, absolutely great presentation great night overall thank you staff at solera (:5/25/2013 12:00:00 AMOutstanding!Great food, great service, fast & efficient staff and outstanding overall experience.5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMalways a great eveningi love solera! the food is always great and so are the cocktails. i love the recent menu additions! the morcilla rocked!5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMMy group just got back fromMy group just got back from Spain, and were impressed by the knowledge of the servers and bartenders about authentic Spanish food and wine. The food was great - we had paella and I'm not a huge paella person, but enjoyed it, as well as the tapas - olives, nuts, croquettas, patatas bravas. Our server could have been just a little bit more attentive, but compared to the service in Spain he was outstanding.
I really expected to be disappointed coming back from having authentic Spanish food, but was not. Great job!5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful friendly service,Wonderful friendly service, great atmosphere and great food!!5/17/2013 12:00:00 AMOnce the waiter got our drinks...It's is the second time we have dined here. The first time we dined on the roof. This time we ate in the restaurant. The only issue was that the waiter took 25 minutes to get us our first order of drinks. after that, the experience was great. Excellent food, ambience and service.5/17/2013 12:00:00 AMWe were seated in a very backWe were seated in a very back room - which was quiet at first until a very large group was seated next to us.The waiter was very helpful describing the various dishes, and was very attentive until the very large group arrived. The food was great - the different choices delivered in a well-paced manner- until the last one. We should have mentioned that we were seeing a show at 8:00 p.m., but since we were seated at 6:15 we didn't think this would be an issue. Our last selection was delivered at 7:45, which made eating, getting the bill and paying a bit hectic at the end of the evening.
The variety of small dishes is great - gives you a chance to try many different items and preparations without feeling as if you've had too much to eat.5/17/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat menu.I love the menu. I had not been to Solera for several years, and I think I prefer the previous decor. I recommend this restaurant to all of my college classes for the Spanish foodie experience.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMBacon Wrapped Dates...The food was very good. We enjoyed a great deal of the tapas with a love of the dates! The paella was good with the chorizo being the best part. The server was very knowledgeable and gave us excellent recommendations.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMGrad dinnerEight of us got together to celebrate my daughters graduation from college. We ranged from 16 to 82. Service was excellent, the food was tasty and interesting. Worked out great.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMfavorite restaurant on HennepinI have been to solera a few times, and after this last trip it has solidified itself as one of my favorite restaurants of all time. Having traveled in Spain, there us no better place in the area to get real authentic Spanish foodie food. Their wine list makes other Spanish restaurants green with envy, and their good is unique and delicious without being in your face. I have also always had wonderful experiences with their staff, who are friendly and knowledgeable, and seem to simply love sharing their passion with you.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat service!It is better to come to Solera for drinks and tapas - what it is known for as a Spanish Tapas bar - than for a full-on meal. The portions are meant to be more like appetizers, though they do have a few meals to share. The food is amazing quality! Also, the waiters were always ready and happy to take your order. The restaurant was close to the Orpheum, the Guthrie, the Cowles Center and more, making it an ideal place to eat before a show. After your show, Solera invites you to come back for FREE dessert. NO CATCH. While the dessert is not a hefty portion, it is very tasty. Also, during the summer there are rooftop movies - definitely coming back for those and some wine with my sweetie. Overall, I highly recommend Solera.5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat tapas downtown MinneapolisThis restaurant deserves its reputation for serving rest tasting tapas with wonderful warm service and a great wine list. The rate of food delivery was just right. We did not feel rushed as we have at some other tapas restaurants.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had a fantastic meal atWe had a fantastic meal at Solera. Our server, Dain, was very respectful of our time. All his recommendations were spot on. Who needs a menu when your server knows more about what menu items you will like than you do?4/28/2013 12:00:00 AMI finally had an evening withI finally had an evening with time enough where I could order Paella. Wow, was it worth the wait! The sangrias were excellent, the servers pleasant and informative. They were pleasantly accomodating when we added a fifth diner to our reservation, AFTER we arrived. We ordered 7 tapas and the meat and shellfish Paealla. None of us could decide on a favorite because they were all outstanding. Everyone was happy that we chose the paella. We will be back for it!4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMGreatLoved the service, food was great, location was good, what's not to like!4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMThe beef cheeks are not toThe beef cheeks are not to be missed! The mussels were among the biggest we've ever eaten. It was a fabulous "Dine Out For Life" spot for The Aliveness Project!4/25/2013 12:00:00 AMKid-Friendly and Romantic?Kid-Friendly and Romantic? Weird combo, but we had our 7 y.o. grandson, and there were several other young diners ( I suspect they were going to "Mary Poppins" also-showing next door at the Orpheum.) and they all seemed to have as good a time as the couples around us. The tables are nicely spaced apart, so both demographics work. Highly recommend for pre- theater dining.4/25/2013 12:00:00 AMA variety of tapas dishes,A variety of tapas dishes, all outstanding.
Mussels in white wine sauce, bacon wrapped stuffed dates
and roasted quail were stand-outs.
Great winelist, all Spanish.4/25/2013 12:00:00 AMVast Improvementin Food QualityWe have been to Solara on and off over the last few years. We left some of our previous experiences wishing the food was a great as the location. Not this time. The quality of the food has improved greatly. Our table of 4 had various dishes and every one was great. If you have been to Solara in the past and left disappointed, I would recommend giving them another try!4/25/2013 12:00:00 AMI LOVE this place. TapasI LOVE this place. Tapas can sometimes be over-priced for small servings. At Solera, the dishes are moderately priced for nice-sized and DELICIOUS servings. I've been back several times and can't wait to try the new offerings when the menu changes. This restaurant is truly a favorite.4/24/2013 12:00:00 AMWaiter was a little distractedWaiter was a little distracted at first but made up for it when he warmed up to our party of out of out-of-towners. We always prefer nice not snobby and once he understood that this was the first tapas experience for the majority of our table he was much more welcoming. Everything was timed out perfectly. We tried many new foods and they were all good.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was amazing, theThe food was amazing, the staff was outstanding, the night was unbelievable. Thank you for the great memories!!!4/16/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent service from Maddy!Excellent food and service! We had 10 people in our group including a one-year-old. We also had two diners with nut allergies. All of our special requests and needs were met with professionalism and taken care of with pleasure. My husband and I have traveled all over the United States and the world. We are discerning. And I must say we were extremely pleased with the excellence that Solera provided. Thank you for a fun and memorable evening!4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious tapas, quite reasonablePerfect choice for a pre-ballet meal. Food was very good and cost reasonable. There were four of us, we had a bottle of wine and five or six plates for around $100. The brussel sprouts and scallops are outstanding, harissa on the potatoes delicious but may be too spicy for some, octopus very good but a small portion. Serve was very good in the beginning but became spotty after an hour.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMFirst impressionsMy first visit to Solera and I found it to be exquisite, rewarding and a great experience. Prior to my visit to Solera I had never ventured into a spanish restaurant, now I am kicking my self for being so reluctant to experience such a wonderful venue. The Solera offered me a first time experience to cherish from the great wine, food to the overall atmosphere.4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMService was impeccable. ServerService was impeccable. Server was very knowledgeable. We ordered the three-cheese plate, rabbit terrine, trout and quail. All were excellent, and well presented. This was our first time here, prior to the theater, and the server made a point of asking for the curtain time in order to ensure we would not be late. She also explained that our ticket stubs from the Orpheum would provide us with free dessert (chef's choice) after the show. We opted instead to split an almond cake which was subtle and light. The food portions were small, but when food is so wonderfully prepared and layered in its flavoring, you really don't need more. After reading several of the other reviews, we were surprised the bill was only $62.4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMYour favorite place when attendingYour favorite place when attending the play's. Love their variation and different tastes. Highly recommend it4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMAmazing experience. We lovedAmazing experience. We loved every minute. Phil provided outstanding sevice.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food and.service wereThe food and.service were spectacular. The dates stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped with bacon were amazing. Great date night dinner!3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMThey service my date I receivedThey service my date I received was perfect! Matt was friendly and was able to speak knowledgeably about each item and recommended some good ones. The food itself was excellent and well portioned for the amount we ordered. The recommendations I had received beforehand and from Matt were each well worth trying again.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMOnce again a fan!We have been to Solera many times and the last couple were disappointing. I had given up on them until we got a gift certificate and were overly impressed. We came late which means I expect rushed service but we got the opposite. We heard take your time, lets do courses and recommendations. The food was great, try the bacon wrapped dates, your mind will be blown! The service was outstanding. We can't wait to go back again. Solera is once again my favorite group spot of Minneapolis!3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMSolera is a fantastic restaurant,Solera is a fantastic restaurant, focusing on flavor. The service is excellent, and the food is always fast. Fun for those who have never tried a tapas type of serving - excellent example. The dessert is wonderful, exemplifying the benefits of a pastry chef.3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMFor your taste buds, not stomachHave eaten here several times. Brought some friends who had not. We love the small plates; you get to experience such a wide array of flavors. We had 8 different dishes and all were excellent. Portions are small, so don't expect to fill up, but do expect unique combinations of flavors that satisfy the taste buds, not the stomach. Waiter was had good wine knowledge....although wines, like the food is expensive. Great for a special occasion with friends that like energetic conversation, good wine and some nice eats sprinkled in.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMWaiter explained food selectionsWaiter explained food selections and small plates ordering with accuracy and wine selections to find excellent recommendations3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMlike it for before the theaterlike it for before the theater Enjoyed our dinner in the bar area.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMI had my friends BachloretteI had my friends Bachlorette Party there and the bride loved it! Perfect for our group. They had veggie options for the vegetation of our group and lots of cocktails to try! I made a reservation a month in advance. I received a e-mail reminder the day before and a call the day of. We were even able to change the time from 6:30 to 7:00pm last minute no problem. We got a great booth table in back. It felt intimate and the service was amazing. Even the manager came and made sure we were happy! The escargot was delicious too!
Thanks!!
(Saturday, March 9th 2013)3/9/2013 12:00:00 AM