Solera

Well, I don't know what everyone is talking about here. We have always found the food and service at Solera to be top notch. Here is an example: last winter we came to attend the Wine Time Live wine tasting. We hoped that they would have valet parking, but it is not usually offered on weeknights unless there are big events. No problem, I parked outside at a meter. Later that night I was giving the manager a good-natured ribbing about it, and he walked outside and with his own money plugged the meter! Now that's service. Also, they must have some way of keeping files on what you order, because every time I have come in and sat at the bar, if I had a reservation they knew what wine I had ordered the last time I was there and brought me a glass! Again, great service. And the food's not bad, either.

Delicious food, and the server was very polite and knowledgable about the menu. We had one of those half off deals, but even without it, it would have been worth it for how good the food was. Bacon wrapped, goat cheese-stuffed dates....yum!!

We ate in the "down stairs" part of Solera restaurant. First, I will say that the service was excellent. We were immediately seated in our booth and our water cups were always refilled. Our food arrived in a timely manner. Unfortunately, we didn't enjoy the type of food Solera offers. The "tapas" style left much to be desired in that the servings were minimal for the price we paid. A side of roasted carrots was probably one carrot julienned into 8 sticks. It was cold and the el dente texture was less than palatable; the accompanying sauce did little to dress it up. The plate of potatoes was more generous, however, the spicy dressing was so hot it distracted from the new potato freshness. Our $21 dollar chicken was more of a cornish game hen. It was definitely the highlight of the meal with a tasty crust and moist meat. Our dessert consisted of three small cream puffs with three fillings: chocolate mousse, plum jelly and black tea rose cream. The jelly was so tart we left half of it behind. The rose cream was watery. We will not be returning to Solera.

Warning – this is a long review but worth the read! I chose Solera Cocina de Espana to host a bachelorette party on August 2, 2014. It was my first time visiting Solera. We had an 8pm reservation but were not seated until 8:15pm. We were taken to a far back (and empty) section of the dining room. Our table of nine enjoyed a leisure dinner with good food and service. After we finished dinner and were waiting for our bill we saw the first mouse running around the dining room floor in our section. Instantly the food I ate turned into a rock in my stomach because I knew if they had one mouse, they had many mice. The celebration was ruined at that point because everyone was disgusted and concerned about the food they ate and we were afraid to put our feet on the floor. I felt horrible because I had suggested the location. At this point the good food and service no longer mattered! We told our server about the mouse and he went to talk to the manager. A minute later, another server stopped by and wanted to know what the noise was all about, so we told her. The server’s response was something to the effect of "we know, they come in through the open doors, we have set traps under tables, it's not a big deal, and our restaurant is clean." We were shocked by the cavalier attitude of the woman. We started looking around, really looking, and realized the place wasn't that clean. There was food all over the floor of the empty dining room were the mouse (soon to be mice) was running around. Granted there was probably diners before us in that section but one would think that they would clean up the food on the floor if they know that have a mice problem. BTW – the bathroom was a disaster too. One member of our party starts looking for these mice traps and found one under a table near us. Then we see the second mouse in another area of the back dining room. At this point our server has not come back nor has the manager come to our table. One of the ladies in our party goes to find the manager who wasn't really nice or concerned when she brought up the mice problem to him. He asked “what do you want me to do about it?” Apparently the cavalier attitude is shared not just by the servers but the manager as well. In the end the manager came to our table and told us he was taking 50% off our bill, he’s sorry, but then utters these final words "all restaurants have mice." I am not sure what bothers me the most – the mice or the attitude of Solera’s staff and management. I have worked in restaurants and I know that mice are a big no-no. If you have a problem, you call an exterminator. It is not safe to have mice running around your restaurant because they multiply fast, get into your food, and they leave their droppings all over the place. I have called the City of Minneapolis’ licensing department (The MN Health Dept. does not regulate restaurants in Minneapolis because Minneapolis has its own system). I will post this review wherever I can because mice are not sanitary or safe! Finally, I will never go back to Solera Cocina de Espana – obviously – they may clean up the mice now because we made a stink but the attitude showed me that they don’t think it is a big deal and I would worry how they handle another infestation!

Loved it here. Staff was very knowledgeable, wonderfully patient, and kind. The food was top notch. We tried octopus, snails, quail, and several others. Not one was a disappointment. It's expensive.

ILLEGAL DISCRIMINATION. Almost immediately after freely and willingly paying for a man's beer the hostess approached him--while I was still sitting right next to him!--and told him how sorry she was to have to ask him to leave because they [Solera] can't have individuals soliciting for money. Let me clarify: HE DID NOT ASK FOR A DIME. The only thing he did wrong was look extremely down on his luck in a pretentious bar. PLEASE CHOOSE ANOTHER ESTABLISHMENT.

A fun, unique, dining experience. What a fabulous way to taste out a different cuisine! Definitely a bit of a spendy night out, but very well worth it!

It's a tapas bar. Small portions, big prices. Come prepared. Try the escargot.