Solano Grill & Bar

I’m sad to say that this restaurant is now permanently closed. There will be a new restaurant going in, I can’t quite remember what it is though, too bad, I really liked going here.

Solano grill used to be quite good and moderately priced for its quality. The food was much better than the somewhat neglected surroundings. However, Solano grill closed on June 1, 2015, after 24 years of service. The owners, the Chen family, sold the rented space to a different restaurant.

is Solano Grill & Bar still open? I am trying to book a group and the phone rings off the hook.

Always love this restaurant. Solano Grill been on Solano for over 25years. Still keep up with quality, never disspoint! Loves everything!

We had an amazing time. Not because of the place or the food (which was great) but because of the service– Freddy and Daniel are the absolute best. Had plans to go see a movie but tossed those plans so we could stay and be entertained by the two of them. Most fun I’ve had in a long time. .the raviolli and tiramisu were so good. We live 45 minutes away but we will be back to see the dynamic duo again

My friend and I showed up a few minutes early but they welcomed us in and were very prompt and attentive with the service. The menu was great, not too long but hit every preference point on the head. The green goddess salad and brown butter mushroom ravioli were wonderful, and it doesn’t hurt that they weren’t shisty with their wine pour! Will definitely be going back

Will not go back to this place. Chose their mushroom ravioli dinner plate. Got exactly THREE undercooked raviolis symmetrically arranged on the plate and all for $ 15.00. Needless to say I was insulted.
Should have paid attention to the various «tells». Solano Grill is a relatively large restaurant a few doors down from theater with almost noone in it. Hmmm! Every restaurant nearby with lots of people inside, some standing outside.
Timothy Z.

What a great find! We were going somewhere else and happened to park in front of Solano Bar & Grill. We thought we would just check the menu and ended up staying for lunch. So many great choices.
The atmosphere is lovely and you can easily hear your partner talk. The waitstaff were attentive, but the best part was the seafood chowder. The bowl didn’t look big, but that is an illusion. Lots of clams, shrimp, scallops and potatoes. I’ll admit, I scrapped the bowl with the fresh baked bread. Yum. We spilt the Oregon bay shrimp salad. The asparagus was perfectly grilled and seasoned. I greatly enjoyed the textures and tasted.

I don’t want to trash this place, but I had such a bad experience here. Note– this has been one of my go-​to lunch destinations where colleagues and I discuss business. Until now I’ve had very good experiences here. This review applies to this one visit on 9÷26÷2014. Service was horrible! It looked to me that the waiter might be spending to much time in the back partaking of an herbal substance. He spent a lot of time walking in circles. We were greeted and seated, and 15 minutes later I had to hunt for him and tell him we were ready to order. We put in our order and it took 20 minutes to get to the table. He had forgotten our drinks and had to be reminded. I ordered the portabella mushroom burger. I should have ordered road kill with a sauce of asphalt instead. The mushroom was so desiccated, that nothing would have saved it. Like a piece of rubber, and as big as a quarter. The marinade was also horrible. The waiter would mutter a «sorry» once in awhile that was delivered with no conviction. Naturally after the meal it was another 20 minutes to get the check, and I had to hunt him down again to find him. Yes, we checked the math in case he’s made an error there, and left a tip that seemed appropriate for the service. There was no manager around to complain to so I’m doing what I always do– voting with my feet. It will be a cold day in hell before I have lunch there again. There is a superb informal restaurant a few feet up the street where I can get a superb portabella sandwich, and that’s where I’m going next time. My suggestion for management? Give the bus boy the waiter’s job since he kept us supplied with water and bread. Even if his English is rudimentary, he provides excellent service. As an aside, I just went to their web site so I could get contact info. It doesn’t seem to have been upgraded for a long time. Management should be aware that Mother’s Day was quite awhile ago, so that link should be taken down.

Stopped here for a Monday night dinner with my wife and brother. We shared the portabella app, rib steak, seafood linguini, and the spring greens salad. All tasted excellent and were prepared very well. For desert we had the pot de Crème and pineapple tart — both were good but not exceptional. Our server was very attentive, courteous and helpful and the dining area was clean and pleasant.

This place came highly recommended from
a good friend. Apparently she comes here pretty regularly and says that they have the best wine list around.
Here is what I found on a Thursday night. There were about 30 tables and a small bar in the back. It was very quiet, just a handful of people in there when we arrived. Reservations were not necessary.
Looked through a great wine list and ordered some sparkling wine to get us started. While the wine list is extensive, the list available by the glass is average.
Ordered the paella (delicious!) and tuna steak (came with 2 veggies — a wilted salad and a wrapped rice — also delicious!). They had a few other veggie sides that were not on the menu so be sure to ask.
Waiter brought out some fresh bread and wait for the food was not long. Waiter checked back frequently to make sure everything was good.
Overall, service was fine. Ambiance was quiet and great for conversation. Food was delicious. Good for date night and bringing the family or outta town guests.

About once a week we walk to Solano Ave, San Pablo Ave or Berkeley for dinner. This week we revisited the Solano Grill and Bar. I can not wait to return here for another bowl of seafood chowder, crab cakes, and vegetable platter. Perfectly prepared veggies, beautifully presented and colorful. The Crab cakes rival the quality that I am used to getting in my hometown Philly. Lots of Crab and not too much bread. But the to die for Chowder had more fish in it than I have ever imagined being served. And it is pretty inexpensive for Solano Ave. Laurie and I shared an Organic Miexed Green salad this is very large, plenty for the two of us. Her Seafood Linguini also had heaps of seafood and was spiced up just right with the chili flake and tomato sauce.

For over a year, every Wednesday, I’ve had lunch at this restaurant and have had great food and service. They have now totally changed the menu and, although the service is still great, the food was nearly inedible. I usually order the Seafood soup (the best around) and a salad combination. Their lunchtime combos are no longer, and if you order separately, the price increase is $ 4 more. I would be happy to circumvent the price increase, by ordering the soup and sharing a salad, but the salad I ordered was dressed in an oily dressing without any taste and the pine nuts stale. I hope they go back to their old menu and only then will I return.

My wife and I dined here in October 2013, so maybe it’s changed since then. But at the time, it was disappointing to see that the place was rather dirty. Dust was caked thickly on the ceiling fan and other fixtures, the carpets were badly stained and the wooden chairs were nicked up.
The food was good and the service was very good, but the sad appearance of the place killed the experience for us. If they’re letting customers see their dirty dining room, you have to wonder what the kitchen looks like.

«Meh, I’ve experienced better.» Shouldn’t that be three stars? Two out of five seems kinda chintzy, and I don’t mean to say this is a bad restaurant. My parents love it and go often. On each of my two visits, there were a number of things that made me think, «Oh, I can imagine how this would go down on a Gordon Ramsay show.»
On my first visit (2011), I had an ahi dish that was intriguingly plated, but ultimately just trying too hard. Too foo-​foo, too many flavors competing. It was very anti-​Alice Waters. The fish and other ingredients were fresh and of good quality, though. (The salmon I was considering was farmed; I just went for the ahi without actually checking the list.)
The second time (⁹⁄₂₀₁₃), they were out of blue cheese for the spinach salad, so we settled for parmesan, which really isn’t equivalent. The whole salad was soggy and slightly wilted-​in-​the-​bad-​way. In hindsight, I wish I had sent it back, like my tablemate, whose request was respectfully honored. Service was pleasant but a little uneven; I was on the edge of asking for a refill of coffee, but no one was around, so I let it go. My calamari appetizer and the portobello fritters I tried were both excellent.
Really, there’s nothing terrible; I just have the feeling that the restaurant is operating at 85% of how good it could be.

Best fried chicken!

My wife, daughter and I were attending an art exhibit up the road and decided to stop here for dinner. What a wonderfully pleasant surprise this turned out to be.
The main dining room, while somewhat small, is very well appointed and inviting. We were seated right away and the both owner and the waiter was at our table making sure we had something to drink;.
It is not the most extensive menu I’ve ever seen, but there’s enough variety to satisfy most palates. The have several fish selections for those less inclined to beef and chicken.
My daughter opted for the salmon, my wife had the fried chicken and I went with the NY steak. Not one of us was disappointed. My steak was perfectly cooked medium rare and I had taste of my wife’s fried chicken and it was wonderfully crunchy and flavorful.
The only down point to evening, and it every so slight, is that my wife had a piece of chicken left and requested a take-​home box. The waiter took her plate and forgot to bring back the chicken. We ended asking the kitchen staff directly so in the end it was no harm, no fowl.

Stopped in last night for a casual dinner with the fam and while I did not order the best dishes off the menu, the rest of the table all enjoyed their dishes immensely.
I ordered the Miso Soup with Wonton, which was super salty and the Ahi Tuna Salad, the vinagrette was way too sweet and overwhelmed the Ahi. In other words, if you are trying to stick to your diet, this is not the best place for it.
The other dishes at the table included the Stuffed Trout with mashers, Southern Fried Chicken and Seafood Linguine — all looked and tasted marvelous! The southern fried chicken came with three pieces of perfectly crispy chicken, mashers and green beans. generous portions!
We finished with a Key Lime tart which was topped with fresh whipped cream and blueberries, divine.
The wine list was pretty lenghty as well with good pricing.
I will be back to try more. ~ Cheers!

I couldn’t wait to get home to review Solano Bar and Grill!
After coming inside, I was nervous that it was too fancy for a family of 4, but we were promptly seated, and having our 2 kids in tow didn’t seem to be a problem. Our waitress was so nice and said she would find crayons for them, and when she came back she had a few highlighters and pens because they didn’t have any crayons. As a mom who was totally spent after a busy day, this meant so much! They have paper on the tables, so they were totally entertained while we waited for our food.
They also brought out the kid’s food first so that they could start eating… so nice! I felt like the waitress was very aware of our situation, and was totally on top of it.
Onto the food:
I ordered the steak, my husband ordered the pork chop, and my father in law ordered the fried chicken. All of us unanimously loved our meals! The prices were fair and again, the service was great. We will definitely be coming back!

I know it seems like one of your traditional old school neighborhood joints, and in many ways it is with it’s good service and long time customers and such. but I think people expect this place to only carry bland boring food because it’s an old school neighborhood place, when in reality it’s one of the best sit down places to eat in albany/​berkeley with a pretty good wine selection.
I’m almost never disappointed with my meals here and I especially love their bi-​monthly wine tasting events which are probably the best deals for a wine tasting in the Bay Area. For wine noobs and snobs alike, you get to try something like 15 – 20 different wines at each event and there are free horsd’oeuvres. WIN! all for $ 10 which can also be applied toward your wine order if you get 2 or more bottles. Double WIN!