Why drive to Center City when one of the best restaurants in town is right around the corner? Our meal was fantastic from start to finish - from the slightly sweet poppy seed rolls with salted butter, to the New Jersey corn soup, then the most delicious scallops I've ever tasted, finishing with a chocolate raspberry gelato. The service was timely (not too fast, not too slow) and the staff attentive and friendly (and helpful when I returned an hour later to retrieve our wine which we'd left behind!). This restaurant is an equal to anything in the city (where my recent meals have included Vetri and Tinto). Run, do not walk, to Sola. You will not be disappointed!
(5)
Holly H.
This Main Line BYOB is really great at what it does- wonderful local, seasonal menu, but the prices... way way up there for such a chill spot. It's kind of disappointing. I want my BYOBs to be under $50 per person since I've brought my own wine. Still, there's a few other things that get me down on this place. We were there totally on time - 7:15 on a Wednesday night - not the biggest crowd in the world, but by 7:25 we were asked for a second time to order because as the waiter told us, repeatedly, "He did not want us to feel rushed, but that a second seating did come in at 8:30". I just hate paying that much and feeling like i need to move it along... Overall, the food was OK, but the portions were most ideal for those conscious of limiting their calories. The waiter accomplished his goal of having us out of our seats by 8:25, but he also guaranteed that he would not have us visit his establishment again.
(2)
John D.
Service was terrific. The noise level was a tiny bit high. Overall the food was excellent.. I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could, but since I have to commit, I'll round up to the 5.0 as they deserve it. Sea diver scallops were excellent, not over-cooked. The duck was excellent. Lots of different flavors going on to stimulate the taste-buds. The only nit-picky comments were that perhaps a little too much was on the sweeter side - - like the red cabbage. The crust on the cheese cake was like 1/2" thick and I needed to put my weight into the fork to break it apart. But overall, excellent experience.
(5)
Larry C.
Best restaurant of the mainline. Food is delicious. I went there several times. Highly recommended, although the crowd is bit old and the decor not that great, but the food is definitely excellent.
(4)
Joel S.
Wonderful food and service! Went with another couple and samples 4 appetizers 4 entrees and dessert. All the food was great, recommend the venison when it is on as a special. My friend had the lamb two ways, which was excellent as well. Some of the best octopus I have had in a long time!
(5)
Craig D.
Good restaurant. Needs better parking options though...
(4)
Ted E.
Our favorite local upscale BYO. Consistantly excellent. Great service and the weeknight tasting menues are real values. The appetizers are always interesting and creative. The halibut was great as was the lamb. Great stems makes the $2 corkage worth the little extra . I have had a number of wine dinners at Sola and never had a bad comment.
(5)
stephen T.
Excellent service and the food was great. I had Spanish Rock Octopus for an app that was done perfect and for dinner Braised Short Ribs and Grilled Flank Steak that were both excellent. This is definitely a small place so call ahead of time for a reservation. I was surprised to see a pretty full restaurant on a Wed night. Definitely a place to try in Bryn Mawr. Didn't bring our own wine this time, but definitely will next time.
(5)
Michael B.
I tasted the Spanish Rock Octopus (tender, not a bit rubbery), the lamb two ways (excellent) and the scallops (as good as they get). I finished with the very tasty Mexican Chocolate-Raspberry Gelato. Best food on the eastern Main Line. The tables are packed a little too tightly into a small space. BYOB.
(5)
Zeaten T.
Excellent food! This place is a little out there from Philly, but worth the trip! The food is very good, the service is helpful, friendly, and attentive. My water glass was never less than 2/3 full. The lobster corn soup is amazing, but the Spanish octopus was the clear winner of all of the dishes.
(5)
Blaine D.
This was my second time here, this time accompanied by co-worker/friends and we had an EXCELLENT time! The service was timely and informative, and the food was spectacular. Each dish was a little package of treats to be savored, and the atmosphere is nice and comfortable, giving that cozy feeling that is a hallmark of good BYOBs. A great place to take people for an upscale business meal, or friends for a get-together, or a nice one-on-one with your favorite person. We started with the cheese platter, then I had the rock octopus app which was really flavorful and the octopus fresh, followed by the duck special at the time. My desert was the white chocolate hazelnut mousse, which had its sweetness offset by good strong cocoa flavor. I think one of the stand-out dishes, which I tasted as we kept passing samples around the table, was the Lamb Two Ways, especially the braised shoulder Bolognese style.
(5)
Lindsey R.
Philly has so many amazing restaurants but sometimes I think the Main Line is a bit lacking thus Sola is always my go to option for staying local. They are BYO so it is easier to keep costs down and their food is consistently AMAZING! It is very small and cute inside (nothing trendy or trying to hard), and the servers are always very friendly and helpful. I have never been disappointed in any of my Sola experiences and would recommend it for anyone (who enjoys "foodie" food)...
(5)
Peter B.
After reading a broad range of reviews, my wife, daughter and I decided to have dinner at Sola. Knowing it is a BYOB, we brought along a nice white wine from the Gainey vineyard. Our meal was on Saturday, a little on the late side, so getting a table was not a problem. There are previous reviews that indicated some concerns about the service but for us, the attentiveness provided was very satisfactory. My wife started with the stuff peppers with crab meat whilst my daughter had the mango coconut gazpacho. Although the stuff peppers were good, a little more spicing of the crabmeat could have been provided. The gazpacho was refreshing with a balance of both fruits. Main courses consisted of the fettuccine with peas and broccoli; a filet mignon with green beans and one of the evening's specials of black bass served over black rice. All the meals were unique in taste from similar fare from other restaurants. The white sauce with light although being a cram based sauce, not feeling heavy on the freshly made pasta. The filet was cooked to request with the beans being cooked while remaining very crisped. And the bass was garnished with a wonderful sauce the added to the flavor versus competing with it. Even the chef Keith visited our table as I had to find out his secret to the white sauce for my fettuccine. I have already written too much and will let you discover the deserts. It only gets better. I do recommend visiting Sole which I will the next time I am visiting my daughter at college.
(5)
Jonathan D.
It's been a while since I'd been here--given that I no longer live in the area--but my parents mentioned a reasonable prix fixe menu, so off we went. When we arrived, there was one couple dining, but it was quite early and eventually it filled up. The room is pleasant, with some well-chosen art and cool lighting fixtures. The owner was doing service on his own initially, and so it took a few moments before he came out to seat and greet us. Another server arrived a little bit later. On that note, service was very friendly, but it didn't seem as polished/skilled as I remembered. Despite constantly checking on us (almost too much so), water glasses were never refilled, and the first three courses came out at lightning speed--for a little while I was worried we'd be done our four-course meal in an hour. The first course was a Shrimp Mary, which was a pair of large shrimp arranged like a shrimp cocktail over a non-alcoholic version of a Bloody Mary. To be honest, this was my least favorite dish and just felt ill-conceived. While the shrimp were plump and tender (except for the fact that my mother and I both got veins in one of ours), it wasn't really clear what you were supposed to do. Even if you dipped them, the drink wasn't really thick enough to cling to the shrimp, and so the flavor didn't carry over, and who really wants to dip shrimp in your drink and then drink it. It just didn't work for me. Next came the lobster with a corn-cucumber risotto. This could have been a very good dish, but unfortunately mine was a bit oversalted--not quite enough to send it back (and the problem is that you hesitate to send it back after a bite or two, and after a few more bites, it's too late), but it needed to be pulled back to be fully enjoyable. Right on the heels of the lobster came a petit filet mignon with truffle mashed potatoes, haricot verts and an onion fritter. Again, verging on too salty (the steak in particular), could have been hotter, and the other problem which only seemed to affect my particular piece is that my steak was quite rare in places (instead of medium rare). My father very kindly traded a piece of his with me (his was cooked nicely), but he ended up leaving most of what I gave him, as it was too tough. Dessert was the best course of the night, largely for the cookies 'n cream ice cream, which was original (it's usually a white ice cream with Oreo, but this was a slightly different spin) and delicious. I also had a coffee ice cream (solid) and a cheesecake ice cream (the weakest of the three--didn't have much flavor to me). I realize that Sola has had some chef changes in recent months, so maybe they're working some things out, and maybe the a la carte menu is better. But it just didn't feel like it was quite at the same level as before. Still A-OK, but it wasn't the really great--at least not this night--that I remembered.
(3)
Charles B.
I have to say, since Sola is now under new management and owner and chef, it is absolutely superb! The food is delicious, varied, inventive, beautifully presented, and the service is outstanding. Bruce, the owner, always makes it a point to stop by each table near the end of your meal to ask how you enjoyed it. He'a always willing to accommodate special request, as in seating, or food restrictions/allergies. Most importantly, they have foie gras on the menu every single night that I've eaten there. Recently it was served with a hazelnut praline crumble and a squash salsa. Incredible. The Filet Mignon was cooked to perfection--a nicely sealed light crust with the Medium rare just perfectly red/pink hot and Juicy. The veal chop was amazing. It looked like the slab of beef that Fred Flinstone put on his car roof in the opening sequence. They even, at my request, served me a side of fiddlehead (paired with a different entree) with garlic, delicately salted, and a kiss of butter. Thereby enhancing without hiding the freshness of them. We also had the wild mushroom and leek soup drizzled with a touch of creme fresh. Decadently rich. Apparently you they tinkered around the recipe for a good 2-3 weeks until they found perfection. It shows. If possible, ask for Victoria as your server. She is knowledgable about the food. Always remembers your name and preference and is just plain intuitive to the needs of (I hate the word customers, so we'll say) Patrons. She is a breath of fresh air with an infectious smile hiding a dedicated air of making sure everything is perfect for you. I could go one for hours....they are often pictures of the dishes under my handle 'ArtistCharles' on Instagram. Check them out, you won't be disappointed. Thanks for reading this the whole way through. I think it is the best BYOB (only 5$ uncorking fee, which generally ignored and not solicited by the staff. ENJOY!
(5)
Pam M.
My husband and I went to Sola last night for our second anniversary. I was desperately looking for a nice BYO near our place and almost missed this gem! Place was not busy so the owner Brian took care of us. I was very glad the temperature in the restaurant was very comfortable since I was wearing a dress and didn't wear a jacket. I started my meal with foie gras with figs (amazing) and my husband ate the caprese salad. The chef sent out a melon and procciuto appetizer as a compliment for our anniversary which was delicious just like the appetizers. Then we had the Cornish hen with risotto and the steak with mashed potatoes. Everything was cooked perfectly. We had to have dessert since they are all home made. My ice cream trio was creamy and my husband ate chocolate gateau which was perfectly warm. Will definitely be coming back!
(5)
Felice W.
Dinner was great. It's a BYOB Very enjoyable.
(5)
Lin Z.
Ate here recently with another couple (our 3rd visit, their 1st). We were all happy with our meals and I'm always happy with the BYOB option. Three of us got their fish dishes -- mine was halibut, my friend and my husband both ordered salmon. They were prepared perfectly seared, nice complementary sauce, and accompanied by a green vegetable (I forget what it was) and I think a root veg. My friend's husband got the skirt steak, which he declared a winner. We had no room for dessert, and no complaints! This is a restaurant that doesn't exactly feel like a special occasion, but it's nicer and more expensive ($28 ish entrees) than an everyday go-to. Overall it's a great choice to go with friends when you want solid, not too unusual fare - and BYO.
(4)
Joan K.
We've eaten here twice in the last month and have been longtime fans! Brian is always attentive and on the lookout for whatever his clients need! The food is delicious - I had the steak special one night with truffled mashed potatoes and was absolutely tender and cooked to perfection. Seared sea scallops are always a hit as well! One of the things I really appreciate about Sola is that our service is never rushed and it's a wonderful place to actually enjoy dinner and good conversation without feeling like the clock is running out.
(4)
Bonna L.
Wonderful place that epitomizes a great neighborhood restaraunt. Never though we are from out of state Brian treated us like regulars from the moment we walked in. The caprese starter was perfect. The lobster special entree was accompanied by an incredible corn risotto. Great service. Great food. Nice ambiance. Highly recommend. Wish we had a place like this in our area
(5)
Lydia B.
Sola is a fairly expensive cozy restaurant on the mainline. The food is pretty high-end but still has a homey feel to it. They don't have a lot of gimmicks at sola In preparing their food but all in all it's a pretty decent experience. I was disappointed that the foie gras was not on the menu or on special because in the past it's been delicious. They didn't have a lot to choose from on their minimalist menu so, I settled for a carrot tomato bisque that had a hint of ginger. It was delicious for what it was although nothing to write home about. I usually order Fish or something exotic when I go out to eat but this time I decide to go out on a limb and order beef. I had a nice piece of hanger steak with tasty potatoes and a bitter Green that's in the broccoli family. I enjoyed the dish but didn't think it match the price. Two other diners at my table order the tile fish, one ate the whole thing while The other left half of the fish on the plate leaving me to question whether it was good or not. The table next to us had the signature dish of braised short ribs it looked delicious I have had that dish before at Sola and really enjoyed it... I think I'll order that next time and hope for the fois gras to make a comeback. Sola is a very crowded restaurant on the Saturday and my parting thought was it was almost too crowded and could use an expansion. It's nice to have a BYOB to keep the price down especially when the prices at sola are so high.
(4)
Baruch K.
As usual, great atmosphere and good food. An excellent choice if you are looking for a quite and quality evening with a partner or with friends.
(5)
Ed Y.
well, i had a great experience at Sola 3 years ago, thus had it on my list of BYOB to go back to. My perception on previous visit was quality offerings, creative recipes, a bit over priced, but overall good experience. this recent visit was a real disappointment. the bathroom was dirty and smelled, the dining area looked run down, furniture and paint was in bad shape, service was on par with what you would expect at a chain restaurant but not a mid/high value restaurant. my ahi tuna was good, but two others had the lamb chops and they could not eat because they were chewy. the prices are on the high side ($$$) and inline with a high end quality restaurant, unfortunately this restaurant quality is what you would expect from a ($) low end restaurant. I have taken this restaurant off my list for good.
(2)
Kim B.
So, My husband and I went to Sola last night for a date. It was honestly just okay. After being seated, we were asked if we had a bottle of wine for them to uncork. We responded , no, we're really not wine drinkers. We chose regular ice water, instead of sparkling water. The server, who was very attentive and kind, then walked away and let us peruse the menu. We decided to share a cheese plate and the ramp and asparagus caesar type salad as an appetizer. I ordered the Salmon off of the specials menu and my husband decided on the rack of lamb. I then mentioned to my husband if he wanted anything else to drink, and the server interrupted, wondering if we were unaware that it was a BYOB. I said, no, we are aware, but thought my husband might like an iced tea. He responded that they don't have iced tea, but do serve Coke or Sprite. My husband said he'd like a Coke- which was never brought to the table. The cheese plate arrived, with the salad, and while the salad was very good, the cheese plate was the highlight of our entire night. It was presented with sliced asian pear, crackers as well as honey and candied pine nuts. We throughly enjoyed it. My salmon arrived and it was honestly just okay. I feel like while it was cooked nicely, it lacked seasoning and the corn and scallion mashed potatoes that it was placed on were cool, not hot. The charred onion was a nice touch. My husbands lamb was nicely cooked, although could've been butchered a little cleaner. The beans on his plate were also a little too much on the al dente side for his liking. I was a little disappointed that the only beef option on the menu were braised short ribs. I was hoping they'd have a nice filet on the menu, but it wasn't an option. We also passed on dessert because honestly, nothing really screamed at us. Most things were paired with Raspberries or raspberry sauce, and it's the only berry that my husband isn't a fan of. Overall, while it was a good meal, for the cost, I feel that there are several other restaurants that I'd rather go to than Sola. I'm glad we tried it out, because I was wondering how it was, but know I know that we probably won't return again.
(2)
Jae B.
My wife and I have been dining at Sola for several years now -- visiting about 6-8 times a year. I must say that I cannot recall having a single bad experience there. The food is always delicious and the staff is has always been friendly and on top of things. During the time that we have been dining there, the restaurant has changed ownership. We have talked to the new owner, Brian, on several occasions and he too is always friendly and polite. Their menu is pretty well covered, offering a mix of red meat, poultry and sea food. It is a BYOB but the corkage fee is minimum ($2.00). I would definitely recommend eating at Sola.
(5)
Tina C.
Either the chef changed or we had a bad night, but our experience at Sola for a large party was very disappointing. The quality of food was not up to its usual standards and the presentation wasn't either. Flavors were neither here or there. With the many new mainline restaurants opening, this place has a lot more competition and unfortunately, we will it be returning.
(3)
Dave C.
Wonderful food! The atmosphere is great and the service is top notch. It's BYOB, which has its ups and downs, but there are SEVERAL liquor and beer shops close by. The decor is a little "Huh?," but, the food is the main attraction. FYI, the men's bathroom is probably the smallest space I've ever volunteered to enter. However, it was very clean, even when I used it later in the evening. I would highly recommend Sola!
Food is amazing. I was there recently with my father, and we split a tagliatelle appetizer and I got the short rib. The whole meal was delicious. For me, food is the most important part of dining out, but service is second and I was not crazy about the service. Our waitress was lovely but the host seemed inconvenienced by us. We showed up without a reservation and there was only one other party in the restaurant. The host... I really think he's a waiter literally said "that's going to mess me up". How? Also, the food took a while to come out. Other than that, no other glaring issues. Great meal.
(3)
Roger H.
Everything was great at Sola. The host/owner was courteous and welcoming, and the menu selection was excellent. Of the four of us at dinner, two chose haddock, one sea bass and one hake - all were well prepared and elegantly presented. The dining room was quiet and the meal unhurried. We will return.
(4)
Brian W.
Fantastic service and delicious food. What more can I say? Can't wait to go back! Just remember to bring your own wine and park on the street (not the lot, or you'll get towed).
(5)
Paulette K.
The food was absolutely incredible, BUT we were very disappointed that they charge a corkage fee at a BYOB? Prices were high enough that they shouldn't 'need" to charge an additional 2$ per bottle...really? The atmosphere was just "ok", lights too bright, no candles etc. Again, if you're just in as a "foodie", the chef was amaazing. Try the lamb!
(3)
Mitch K.
It was a day before the big date and the pressure was on. Its "blind" and I have no idea where to go. She lives on the main line and I live an hour away. We spoke on the phone a few times so I knew I had to have my game face on..she was special. She was open to almost any cuisine. Darn..makes the choice harder. So I had to do my homework. What was I looking for? Ambiance, service then food..in that order. I figured the ambiance to impress her, service that's invisible and the food..who cares, if she is as classy as I was hoping. So I Yelped the main line and made some phone calls. It was for a Sunday night around 6. More importantly, you want some place to talk. One that's not so isolated that you're the only ones sitting there, yet you don't want McDonalds either. Could there be something in between with 4 or more stars? So I called a few places and asked about the noise level and seating. Everyone was accommodating to the extent they could, but then I called Sola and got the owner on the phone, Brian. I explained my circumstance and he "got it". He assured me there would be a perfect table situated by the window, quiet setting and all. My life, the romantic part, was in his hands. Game Day arrived. It is a very unassuming place. You might walk by, not know its there. Nicer on the inside. And there was Brian, seemingly waiting there for me with the table all set. There were some locals there cheering me on. The beads of sweat and wilted flowers must have given it away. Waiting for her to arrive, i was wondering, Is this going to be another Eagles season to forget? Hopes high, then.. Well, once she arrived, Brian knew exactly what to do. Ya' know, gave us time to chat..no hovering. Caught some thumbs up from the crowd. The food. It was sumptuous, fun and a celebration for the palette. A great eclectic menu. She had the braised short ribs and I can't remember what I had..but I recall it was really really really good...thoughts elsewhere. The blueberry sorbet was magnificent. I remembered that cause we almost had our first fight...clamoring over the last spoonful. Suddenly I was relaxed. Food and ambiance can do that. Service was impeccable. I think if we asked for non-fat amazonian vanilla coffee creamer, Brian would have run across the street to Acme to find it. Hey, you want great food accompanied with automated service and waxed on smiles, there are plenty of places for that. You want a place that understands and delivers on the customer experience, try Sola. Oh, in case you're wondering...lucky me..she said yes to a second date.
(5)
Marion M.
very pleasant experience, good servers good food. the a la carte menu is excellent, the prix fixe is limited but good.
(4)
Brian H.
Attention: I am a fan again! I went back after a few month sabbatical, and I must say there is a return to a solid four stars. The server we had was again a bit too friendly, but very very attentive and efficient. For apps, the seared foie gras in it's own right was divine, but the vanilla carrot puree, oil, and slow cooked peppers, although extremely creative, was so powerful they overtook the dish and hid the flavor of the rich, buttery, delicate liver. The English pea soup with white truffle oil was perfect, sweet, with a fresh from the garden taste. For an entree I had the black sea bass, tender with a balanced moist, flaky consistency. The veg's on the plate were crisp and fresh, but lacked distinctive flavor. The couple of mussels (sans shell) included with the pan seared sea bass were a very nice texture addition. The Hawaiian butterfish was fantastic, a melt in your mouth effect with every perfectly medium-temp cooked bite. I was very pleased with the return to 4 stardom and one of the best BYOB's in the Burbs.
(4)
AB H.
Another good dinner at SOLA. We had the foie gras which was good, not great. The flavors didn't pop, the textures were a bit off. We also had the beet and arugula salad (solid) and the rack of lamb. Like last time, the meat, ordered medium rare, was just a tad too pink for me; that seems to be their style. We had two chocolate desserts: coffee chocolate ganache and a chocolate cake. Both were served with ice cream, which was excellent. I love that it is a BYOB and that their menu is inventive. The location brings me back, even if the food misses the upper notches.
(3)
Sarah E.
My husband and I dined here for our anniversary. The service was superb. We had a wonderful table in a quiet corner. It is a small BYOB so if you don't like sitting close to the next table then you won't like the atmosphere. The food was wonderful, we both had fish ( salmon & halibut ) they were both cooked perfectly. I highly recommend if you bring a decent bottle of wine to pair it with a cheese plate. The curry mussels were delicious. The menu changes seasonly but right now for dessert they have a fried apple pie. It is the perfect sized dessert and it is spectacular.
(5)
Chea S.
Loved it! Great food. Especially there desserts! I would defiantly go back to this restaurant! My wife loved it!
(5)
Tony H.
Great food, a little on the expensive side but worth it. Nice that it's a BYO. Manager is a little strange.
(4)
Reid F.
Thank you Yelp, for helping us to find another great Philly BYO. The place is small and unassuming, but the food is outstanding in every way. Each dish has it's own flavor and interesting combination of sauce and sides. Our server, Tom, was pleasant and informative. We will definitely return on future trips to the Philly area.
(5)
Arthur J.
Great restaurant for dinner. However, contrary to Yelp's listings, THEY DON'T SERVE LUNCH. Hope somebody at Yelp catches this.
(5)
Ted M.
Don't let the location fool you! this place has meals surprisingly good considering its located between a vacant building and a dive bar. Very good french style cuisine and atmosphere that evokes an old fashioned restaurant. I ordered the mushroom soup and chicken with Maitake mushrooms. There was also a braised leg of lamb so delicate it slides right off the bone. Our waiter is very polite and knowledgeable. Only problem was finding a parking space.
(3)
Rachel A.
Went here for dinner with my beau with a Groupon for a nice end of the year dinner before new years. The food was amazing. My beau had soup and I had a great salad to start. He had butterfish as a main dish and I had salmon. I was a little disappointed in the size of the main dishes because the prices at Sola are on the expensive side. I had realized when we got there that I had forgotten our bottle of wine since Sola is a byob, that may have helped my experience over all, but I would go back to Sola, only if I had a coupon, though, since the prices are high.
(4)
Paul H.
Like Brian H, a couple reviews down, I lost a bit of sleep on the "is it a four or is it a five" question, and for largely the same reasons. The scallops and calamari were off the top of the chart. Both the octopus and the lamb were very.... good! But maybe not quite what either of us had our palette set for - is that their fault? Is that worth the punishment of a star deficiency penalty? I just don't know. So this will go on onto my BYOB Philly list RIGHT AT THE TOP OF THE FOUR STAR PACK. Great ambiance, fantastic and friendly service (surprised how crowded they were NOT on a weeknight), quiet enough that you could engage in meaningful conversation with friends (which we did) without feeling exhausted at the end. They are, indeed, pretty pricey - especially if you do the appetizer/entree thing. (I wonder sometimes if the lost markup from the BYO part gets transferred to markup on the food part.) But again, I don't mind paying extra for an excellent dining experience, and this certainly was one. And oh, the parking lot next door is fair game (and free) in the evening. There's another $20 bucks you saved by not trying to park your car in Philly! Looking forward to going back to Sola, fully expecting that one more run at the menu might push me over that that coveted five star threshold!
(4)
Brad P.
Bryn Mawr has long been famous for its chief export of people misspelling Bryn Mawr, but now there is something else that the Philly suburb can be known for - delicious cuisine. The beet salad was very good. The lobster/corn soup was very good, but did not totally meet expectations. The Alaskan halibut was very good, but again...did not destroy my expectations. The reason that Sola receives 5 stars from me is because of the diver scallops over Israeli cous cous. The smoked tomato butter and pine nuts embrace the murdered sea creatures in a loving embrace of flavor. This is a serious scallop dish. The scallops are flawlessly seared. The Frozen White Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse is a solid dessert bet. In addition to great food, Sola has a very welcoming, romantic atmosphere. The interior starkly betrays the exterior, which looks just like any number of nondescript suburban spots. It is almost as if Sola's owners intentionally made a drab facade for an amazing restaurant, for ironic purposes. On the action-movie-parallel-satisfaction-scale, this place is Way of the Gun.
(5)
Steve T.
Another magnificent Sola meal. Our party enjoyed appetizers consisting of lobster and corn soup, tuna tartar, and duo of crab. Entrees included the seared diver scallops, espresso braised beef short ribs, and a delicious rabbit presentation. Everything was perfect, and I'll continue to patronize Sola for the foreseeable future. I still consider this Main Line gem one of the best out there...not just on the Main Line...I mean out there as in the Universe.
(5)
James S.
I've been a fan generally and have had 4 or 5 very good (4-5 star) meals. Heard the ownership turned over and had a good meal last fall for my board. Went last Saturday night though and things were different. First bad sign was how easy it was to get a last minute Saturday night restaurant. I ordered three appetizers in lieu of a main course. First course was Escargot served appropriately in a rich butter sauce but overwhelmed by bacon. I love bacon as much or more than the next fellow but the dish was out of balance. Next up was gnocchi allegedly in a (classic) brown butter preparation. This was served in a ramekin that must have been a butter dish in a former life and they simply melted the leftovers. The butter was overwhelming so as to render the ordinary and mashed potato like gnocchi inedible. This is the worst dish I have been served in a higher end restaurant in several years. Finally, there was lobster risotto. There was a very generous and delicious portion of butter poached lobster on top. Unfortunately, the risotto itself included copious amounts of chorizo sausage and the dish felt like a mismatched fight with the chorizo the winner over the lobster by knockout. My wife had an appetizer salad that was fresh and tasty albeit quite salty. There were also anchovies on top that added way too much salt on top of an already salty salad. Her trout was fine albeit undistinguished. All in all, a very disappointing effort from what has been to my taste a very solid kitchen. I hope we just caught them on a bad night or ordered the wrong things. Unfortunately though, most of the good restaurants I go to don't have nights as bad as this, especially at this price point. I won't be very quick to return at this point.
(2)
Mona S.
We started off strong with a lovely lobster bisque. I ordered the duck, my date ordered the butterfish. The duck was cooked medium rare and had just enough fat to be moist and delicious. I would absolutely order it again. My date ordered the butterfish, which was frankly, a disappointment. The fish was over cooked and dry and tasted strongly of lemon. The fish seemed as though perhaps it had been frozen, partially defrosted and frozen again. We ordered the pumpkin cheesecake for dessert and were again disappointed. The flavor was inconsistent. The presentation of all the food was beautiful. The server was knowledgable and very attentive. The food was not up to standard for the price.
(3)
Brian C.
Been living in Bryn Mawr years and never gave this place a chance. To a meat and potatoes guy like myself...the menu posted outside the front door seems a bit much. Foie Gras, Octopus, beef tartare, sweetbreads and fava beans. Reminds me of Hannibal Lecter, he was quite a cook you know... Stopped in this past weekend with another couple and was sooo surprised at how much I enjoyed this little piece of philly right on the main line...This place just seems like it belongs in fairmont or old city...but its right on Lancaster Ave in Bryn Mawr! Our table wasn't ready till about 20 minutes after our reservations...and there really isn't much of a waiting area...but they did comp our desert for the wait and I really appreciated it! Not only because I was the only one to order desert, but because it was freaking delicious...I had the chocolate Gateau which is basically a molten chocolate cake with a scoop of ice cream. All their desserts are home made and look quite tasty! Not much in the appetizer department for me, but I had the carmelized onion gruyere cheese tart and was very pleased! For dinner: the sirloin steak..only 7 ounces, but a fine cut of beef...my girl got the butterfish...i tried some, not liking fish...and found it very unfishy, if you know what i mean...if you don't like fish, this is the kind to try! I think the best looking\tasting entree was the Austrailian Lamb Two Ways...you get 2 different preparations...braised shoulder, with handmade gnocchi and ricotta...and grilled loin, which was served over some mango chutney and looked gorgeous... Bit pricey, but you save tons by going to a BYOB! And the food really is fresh and tasty! I'm so glad we finally stopped in after all these years! We will be back! Don't like whats on the menu? Picky kids? Ask your server and they just might order you something from the local bar or pizza shop! Try to park on the street or in the Acme's lot across the street... Make reservations early... BYOB! Save room for desert... Stop in at Tip O'Leary's for a drink after dinner!
Our favorite restaurant. Executive Chef Stephen is a culinary genius. Owner Brian is a wonderful host. Decor is cozy and perfectly accents the style of the food. This BYO is worth every dollar spent and you will leave happy. Ant negative comments left were due to previous ownership. Go to Sola.
(5)
Tim B.
Look, this is a great place. Fantastic execution of dishes, great fresh ingredients, excellent service, a nice if slightly drab space. Totally one of 2 places to go in the western Philadelphia suburbs, the other being Sycamore. My only constructive criticism would be one that I'd have of Sycamore as well. The kitchen hits every note they're trying to hit, but the next step is to cross over into having a really distinctive vision. Dave Clouser's sold the place this month, so we'll see what happens next. My thought is that the thing to do is look for a bit of vision--a thing that really pushes this place into defining a style, a distinctive idea, a philosophy. That's a lot to ask--I'll certainly settle for "damn good, damn consistent, classy" as a fall-back.
(5)
Kate G.
First time to Sola - absolutely amazing. Service is impeccable and the proprietor was walking around to check on things and help out. Fantastic experience.
(5)
Melissa V.
The food and service here are too notch! A def must try BYO on the mainline!
(5)
Diana A.
Great food and service! I looked into Sola a few months ago for a 40th birthday party, but the space was too small. I'm happy I stopped by to experience their dinner. This is one of the best restaurants in the area.
(5)
Laurence F.
4.5 Reading the others here I say they are either too annoyingly picky or too full of themselves as faux foodies. Surprisingly festive yet still intimate atmosphere. This was an excellent meal top to bottom with attentive and hospitable service.The owner is present and engaged. Food was wonderful and all courses were equally satisfying unlike the usual great apps and eh main courses. Really one of the best dining experiences in the area. Price=quality here.
(5)
Colleen S.
I had a wonderful experience at this quaint little BYOB restaurant. The food was outstanding and the wait staff was top-notch. We chatted with the owner and he was as friendly and pleasant as could be. I will most definitely be returning. If you go, you should definitely order the gnocchi appetizer. Yuuuummmmy!
(5)
kevin h.
One of my favorite BYOB restaurants in the area; went to dinner with a friend on Saturday 1/11/14. I started off with the Roasted Mushroom Soup with Truffle crème fraiche; my friend had the Seasonal Salad with Marcona almonds, pear, fennel, bleu cheese and sherry honey vinaigrette. Although my soup was very good, I would have to say that the salad was our favorite of the two; the flavor and texture combinations were a real winner. For dinner, we each had the pan seared Dorade, a mouthwatering fish from the Mediterranean Sea. it was served with a little pesto sauce and roasted vegetables (cauliflower, purple sprouting broccoli and haricoverts in a light vinaigrette). We both enjoyed it and thought it was an good choice to go with our Chardonnay (next time maybe a Pinot Gris or Albarino). For dessert we shared the house made ice cream trio (chocolate, vanilla and pistachio). This is my fifth time at Sola; it is a real neighbor gem and is one of my favorite restaurants in the area after having tried several others. Some may think that the portions are small but I thought they were just right. Dinner for two came to $91 without tip.
(4)
Jessica P R.
Decided to try this place after seeing stellar reviews. It was nothing short of disappointing. The vegetarian option was a bunch of sub-par side dishes. My meat eating husband wasn't thrilled with his meal either. For the prices, I expect better.
(3)
Latifah M.
Random Wednesday night dinner with the BF was amazing. This place is super cute and the food was GREAT. He had the butter poached lobster and I had the rainbow trout. The paprika smoked mushroom are so well done you almost think they are meat. No really, I had to ask my server how they were prepared I though I misread the menu ( I don't eat pork) We'll def go again, but next time more prepared with wine. We didn't know it was a BYOB, it was just a random outing.
(5)
Charles R.
Been a while since I'd been to Sola, maybe 4 years. I would go more often, but unless you have 4 or more they wont take reservations after 6:30. Manager explained to me that they are just too small to tie up tables for 2 when they can fill 4 tops. I understand his point but having been to places like Fond, Little Fish and other small BYO's it seems those places manage to stay in business with taking 2 people after 6:30. Anyway, the food is still as good as I remember it, and the service is excellent. Chopped salad was very good, as was the duck breast and Striped Bass. Didn't have dessert. More parking now that Food Source is gone. Small charge for corkage, but overall a very nice, quiet place.
Sola reminds me of Florida for so many reasons, not the least of which is the sunny demeanor exuded by the restaurant's staff and cheerful ambiance emitted by the pale-yellow decor and mellow early-Picasso-esue still-life paintings. The White-Corn and Lobster soup had pretty good texture. As if to prove that there is lobster in your soup, the waiter delivers a bowl with a lump of lobster "salad" in the middle. He proceeds to pour the chowder from a kettle. There is lobster in your soup...and now there is soup in your bowl. Even this young-sunflower-yellow chowder matches the Sola theme. But the Oh-My-Gosh-Dearest-Call-the-Neighbors-Gertrude-is-ÂPutting-Up-the-Pink-Flamingos-Again dish came next: The diver scallops fresh out of the sea...seared to perfection...over some wonderfully concocted cous-cous with raisins, peas, and an amalgamation of other finally chopped vegetables and pine nuts is simply fantastic. There is no other way to describe this dish other than succulent. If you don't order it, and you eat fish, your life will be missing something...much like the United States and those votes in 2000.
(5)
Shannon G.
One of the first places we'd visited when we started really diving into the food scene, and it was amazing. Many restaurants later we decided to return, and I was wondering to myself "Is Sola for realsies, or were we just inexperienced?" (I have an urban dictionary type relationship with my brain). Happily, second time was as good as the first (srsly). Service is excellent, and the decor has a sophisticated, intimate vibe. BYOB is obviously awesome, $2 corkage fee is not so much. The rock octopus appetizer is the best I've had anywhere. The balance of flavor is excellent, and the octopus is really prominent in the presentation. Sola salad is one of the few with blue cheese that my wife will eat. Everything is in the right proportion. I had the veal tenderloin with sweetbreads. Kind of two separate little dishes. The tenderloin was perfectly cooked and oh so soft sitting on a pancetta potato cake throne surrounded by its kingdom of savory sauce. Crispy sweetbreads on corn and asparagus are next door. The halibut with calamari might have been even better. The cherry tomatoes are so flavorful, and the coconut milk-lime sauce was right up my alley. So delicious. Large, perfectly cooked scallops are also a worthy choice. You really can't go wrong, I've never had a bad dish here. Best restaurant I've been to on the main line.
(5)
Aaron L.
No question this BYOB has all the makings of a tremendous experience. I'm giving Sola a 4 star review and it is a VERY strong 4 stars. Appetizers consisted of the escargot, Spanish octopus, and roasted cauliflower and all were excellent and our group enjoyed each dish very much. Entrees for the evening were the striped bass, pink peppercorn butterfish, and the braised short ribs/tenderloin. All the dishes were prepared with meticulous attention to detail. My favorite was the butterfish with the perfect texture. Dessert consisted of the Mexican chocolate gelato and the chai spiced cheesecake. The cheesecake was absolutely outstanding and the first time I'd experienced chai in a cheesecake at all. If I had one small gripe, it would definitely be the bread which was well overbaked in the oven and relatively dry. With that being said, Sola earns their stripes as an great establishment and I will no doubt be back!
(4)
Michael E.
I will be joining the majority opinion on this one. Top to bottom this place is devine. The service is impeccable and the food is scrumptious maximus! This has been my favorite restaurant experience of 2011 thus far (I know it's only April, but I promise you...check this place out!)
(5)
R M.
I was extremely disappointed in Sola after reading such raving reviews on yelp and seeing that it received 4 1/2 stars. Wednesday night dinner began with herbed rolls. While I like the idea of an herbed roll, there were far too many herbs in these rolls, making their flavor have a strong, bitter taste. The herbs used in these rolls obviously did not mesh well together either. However, they had a nice, moist texture and were served warm, which is always a plus. To begin, we ordered the Chopped Salad, which was served as a bed of red leaf lettuce with crushed marcona almonds, blue cheese, and serrano ham on each side and dressed in a sherry honey vinaigrette. In some ways, I appreciated the layout of this salad so that if someone didn't like an ingredient in the salad, they were able to avoid it and you could create your own salad with the ingredients offered on the plate. However, this layout also prevented the condiments from being evenly coated by the dressing. I did like that the greens were lightly dressed, but thought the dressing was too bland. We also had the Seared Scallops. For not being a huge fan of scallops, this dish was probably the best out of everything we had. Lightly seasoned with lemon juice, topped with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, with roasted yellow and red cherry tomatoes and basil, and presented on a plate decorated with an olive sauce and a mint sauce, these scallops were perfectly cooked, moist, with a crisp exterior and well seasoned. Next is where we went downhill. Each of us ordered an entree, so 4 in all. I am always very annoyed when the menu descriptions do not match the plate that is presented, which is what happened to basically all of our dishes. I had the Hawaiian Butterfish because of the great reviews I read on yelp, but was very annoyed because after asking the waiter if the fish and its accompaniments were oily and receiving a positive "Absolutely not!" response, everything seemed to be soaked in a lemon butter sauce. To be fair, I used the word oily, and butter was used in the dish, but I assumed oily encompassed the word buttery for the purpose I was asking for. Obviously not and lesson learned. The butterfish was nicely cooked though, with caviar on top (waiter said it was garnish, but in my opinion, it was a lot more than that). The "shallot-thyme jus" was actually a rich lemon butter sauce that coated everything on the plate-- baby carrots, chopped green beans, and salsify (something in between a parsnip and potato). The vegetables were nice and crisp, but the sauce definitely ruined them. Another entree we had was the duck-- this was served too rare for my party's taste and was rather fatty when duck breast should really not be fatty. The apricot mustard glaze did not compliment the duck very well, but the grilled chopped corn was quite tasty, without having that charred burnt flavor. The two other entrees were the pork tenderloin and the skate. The pork was cooked well, but was a bit too salty. The sweet potato tower was crisp and flavorful. The caramelized onions and kale were a delicious, sweet hidden treasure underneath the slices of pork. For entrees, the pork won, although definitely wasn't perfect. The skate was gross. The texture tasted raw and scaly. It had a smoked bacon flavor to it and was served with bland whole little potatoes. For dessert, we shared the warm chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This was not an accurate description either because it was actually a chocolate lava cake in that the exterior was hardened but the interior was a chocolate liquid. I only had a bite but I thought it was pretty good. The atmosphere was nice, with serene paintings on the walls and dimly lit. However, it was very loud for the first hour we were there, making it difficult to hold a conversation. The waiter was friendly but they seemed understaffed for the amount of tables that were filled. He also was not completely honest about dishes and his recommendations were not up to standard. The food came out at an okay pace though. So overall, I did not enjoy my experience at Sola and also learned I can't really rely on yelp, even if a restaurant does have 4 1/2 stars. The menu descriptions were not true to their presentations. But many restaurants can get away with this since customers usually don't ask to keep a menu during dinner and typically forget the details of the description. The pan sauces that the dishes were immersed in were also just not up to standard and either bland or buttery.
(2)
Shane L.
OK....so I really want to give this BYO 4 stars, but here's why I didn't.... Food: At a first glance, it's a good menu with premium choices. We were sold into a prefix menu which was good. It gives you a variety of things to taste such as the crab cake (very flavorful). We also order a soft shell crab appetizer by recommendation of the owner himself. This was deep fried to a perfect crisp with a tartar sauce that pairs it well. For my own entree, I had the steak and rib. It was "OK" as this was a "C -" in terms of execution. Steak was overcooked and the pork was dry. Not soo impressed with this $29 plate. Keep this in mind.....portions are small, so order at least 1 app & 1 entree per person. Decor: Comfortable and small place with a very intimate feel. Nicely decorated with home style items all over. It's an older crowd so I automatically turned on the "grown-up" switch. Not soo bad if you want a more quieter spot for a date or deep conversation with a favorite bottle of wine. Service: Service was great.....not much else I can say. We never felt rushed while eating and they seemed to check in at the right times. Bottom Line: I really wanted to give 4 stars, but the restaurant is missing something. It might be the food itself. I didn't get the intensity of flavor that I anticipated from all the reviews I read. In actuality, the food is good, but not worth their prices. Sola has all the makings of a great Dining experience, but its missing some flare. Sycamore is still my top BYOB for me in terms of quality and cost. On the other hand, I am willing to try Sola again in the near future in hopes that the constructive criticism is taken into consideration.
(3)
Statia M.
After going through what seemed like a thousand restaurant options, we settled on Sola for our anniversary dinner. The hubs found the place, and what can we say, we trust you crazy yelpers. I wasn't really cracked on a BYOB for our anniversary. I'm not a fan of having to remember to hit the liquor store before going out to dinner. I'll gladly pay the extra for someone to make my drinks for me, or to sit at a bar before and after dinner. But the menu just looked so fantastic, that I didn't want to be "that guy (girl)" and deny a restaurant a chance, just because I can't get a mixed drink. When I walked in, I could immediately see why they were a BYOB. It was so tiny. Maybe 20 tables, tops, and it was extremely busy. Even at 9pm. And not having eaten since lunch (as you do, when you're saving your appetite for a hopefully tasty dinner), I was beside myself. There were NO empty tables and I was about to kick small woodland creatures if I didn't at least sit down and get some bread or something. And I envisioned everyone sitting there well past our reservation time, enjoying idle chit-chat and let's be honest, I was hallucinating. Thankfully a group of people got up from their table, and we were seated on time. Our server was very nice. She was there exactly when you needed her, but not in your face. Which is just what I look for. Someone who knows that someone is thinking of signaling you. Like spidey sense. The meals came out in a timely manner and everything moved smoothly. With other complaints about the service being slow, I almost thought it moved too fast. We were in and out in a little over an hour, which for me, was a bit off putting. Our food was all very good, and I took all of our servers suggestions. I was disappointed when they were out of the swordfish, but went with the Arctic Char per our servers recommendation, and it was really great. The appetizer of the night, was a pheasant and shittake stuffed crepe that was to die for. I could have had four of those and called it a night. The only thing I wasn't impressed with was the "token lava cake" as my dessert. It wasn't as flavorful, but truthfully, can we be honest here? I'm kind of over lava cake. It's overplayed now. Let's move onto something else, please. I should have gone with my original plan of the white chocolate mousse. Ah, well, there's always next time. And there will be a next time. Sola is a great little place, with fantastic food. My only reason for not giving it five stars, is that's it's a BYOB, but more because it's so small, and so cramped that it was too loud to have an intimate conversation. Half the time, my husband couldn't hear what I was saying. Maybe we'll hit it up on a weeknight, so there's a chance it will be less crowded. Oh, and if you're considering this place, even on a weeknight, I strongly advise you to make reservations.
(4)
Julie S.
Came here with friends a few weeks ago. We had a lovely meal from start to finish. Everything we ordered was delicious. The food, service, and ambiance were great. I cannot wait to return.
(4)
Julie M.
Sola was EXCELLENT! I can't wait to go back. I'm glad I used Yelp! to find them. What a great find.
(5)
Shawn N.
Spectacular is the only word superfluous enough to describe the food at Sola. This intimate li'l BYOB in Bryn Mawr is worth it's price in gold. Portions are humongous! The best shortribs I have ever had, BAR NONE and a portion the size of a soup bowl!! I have never in my life seen a shortrib serving this large, was the first time I had to take a portion to go. The scallops are fabulous, generously sized and garlicky, delicious. The crab duo was wonderful-especially loved the tempura battered softshell, and the jersey white corn soup with lobster was absolutely to die for; melt in your mouth good. Make sure you share with your dining partner(s) because you will want to try everything at Sola, I can't imagine having a bad meal here. Ohh and I almost forgot, the desserts, SINFULLY delicious, but unfortunately I'm eating healthy so I just had a small bite of the chocolate gateau. The trio of creme brulee sounded great as well, with traditional vanilla, nutella (wow, interesting), and ginger. The service was great, very attentive, and the presentation, simply beautiful. Book your reservation for Sola now, you won't be disappointed.
(5)
Vicki T.
Sola is consistently great, with service being greatly improved over the past year. I especially love the Duo of Crab appetizer-tremendous. Beet salad is also wonderful.
(5)
A B.
I took my fiancee to Sola for her birthday last year and it was fantastic. We went back this past weekend for our anniversary and it was even better. We don't go out to places like this very often, but when we do, we're happy a special place like Sola exists. During this past visit we shared an octopus appetizer and we both got short ribs for our entree. Everything was absolutely perfect. The chef's amuse bouche was amazing too. The food at Sola transcends normal dining IMO. It becomes a taste experience where you taste flavors that your palette isn't used to which are melded together expertly. It's well worth the money and the BYO aspect is great. My only possible complaint is that one of the servers (dark-haired guy) we had the first time had an attitude which just doesn't match the atmosphere here. This past visit, we had a sweet girl who was fantastic. With the exception of the one male server, this is an intimate, food-centric place with excellent staff and amazing food.
(5)
LawVick L.
I go to Sola about 2-3 times a year. Went back at the end of 2012 and noticed the staff has all changed. Didn't really pay too much attention but I realized the food just doesn't pack the same punch as before, they were delicious but it lacked something. Went home and googled a bit and discovered that it has changed hands since mid 2012 (perhaps June). Perhaps I had a off night. I will try again perhaps. I hope they can keep it at the same calibre, it was indeed a gem in the area.
(3)
Tiffany H.
Sola always delivers. Everytime I've dined here I've had to stop myself from licking the plate clean. Though I think rather than stares, the other patrons would knowingly give a wink. This could be the best restaurant outside of Center City. THANK YOU Sola for the consistent excellence in the burbs. And I'll seriously try to refrain from the plate licking...
(5)
Matt B.
Nice birthday dinner for daughter's 25th. Parking can be an issue.
(4)
Percy N.
Was there a few months ago on a weekday and though we were the first patrons in the restaurant for an early dinner, it got full shortly after that. Don't remember everything we had, but the crab duo (soft shell and crab salad) and sea bass with baby asparagus stood out. Food and service were very good and the $2 corkage makes this a very good deal.
(4)
Dale M.
My wife and I had a wonderful meal at Sola last night. It was our second time dining here. The ambience is great...it a cozy little BYOB spot with attentive service and delicious food. We began with the octopus appetizer, although we were hesitant. We enjoy calamari and are adventurous, so we took the plunge based on previous rave reviews for the octopus. It was absolutely delicious. I ordered the pork and she ordered the halibut....both were outstanding. I liked that the pork was served two ways to add a bit of variety to the palette. The portions are small, which meant dessert was on the card. We had the warm chocolate gateau with dulce de leche ice cream. It was sinful. It took extra time to get our dessert, so they gave use our cappuccinos on the house. We did it complain, but thought that was a nice gesture. Overall it was top notch and we can't wait to return.
(5)
Matt M.
Great food. Atmosphere is a little too quiet even when place is full but for good food you can deal with it!
(4)
Robert H.
We thoroughly enjoyed dinner for two on a Tuesday night, even though the bill totaled $55/pp for BYOB. Our service was near perfect: attentive but not at all pushy. The food was absolutely outstanding - particularly the foie gras appetizer, sweetbreads appetizer, and espresso braised short rib & flat iron entree. The chocolate gateau was simply decadent. The decor is distinctly upscale and slightly old world - which is ironic for a "contemporary American" establishment. Somehow it still feels right; perhaps a testament to what is really important. Disclaimer- The space is a bit small, as some other reviewers have said. We were lucky to be there when only 60% full... I can see that weekends may be a little more tight, rushed, and loud.
(5)
Chad T.
In the five months since my wife and I moved from Philadelphia to the 'burbs we haven't found any restaurants in our new neighborhood that could stand up to comparison with old-favorite BYOBs like Melograno or Matyson. Bottom-line: Sola's chef uses top-quality ingredients to put together innovative dishes that taste every bit as good as they look. _______________ First-off, any restaurant that surprises me with an amuse bouche is going to put a smile on my face. Sola served a smoked mussel that a friend of mine described as "covered with goodness, with a little more goodness on top." It woke up my mouth and provided an interesting contrast to the syrah we were drinking. I started with the oyster sampler (four oysters paired with complimentary flavors-- a Cape May Salt with a fresh diced tomatoes and salsa, a Oregon Kumamoto with sweet uni and blood orange juice, a Connecticut oyster with caviar and a foie gras reduction, and one more that escapes me). While the pairings somewhat overpowered the oysters' individual characters, the flavor experiment was a lot of fun and each preparation came together nicely. The oysters were each presented on a bed of seaweed salad-- nice touch. My entree was roast New Zealand rack of lamb served over pureed, stewed fennel (mashed potato-like) edged with a diced tomato salsa. The cut was generous with the extraneous fat trimmed so only the moist, tender medallions remained. There was a bed of what appeared to be an apricot preparation that served as an occasionally sweet change from the comfort-food paring of lamb and fennel. For dessert we shared a mini homemade pumpkin cheesecake that was creamy and perfectly spiced. Entrees at Sola are priced from the low $20s to the mid $30s, but the quality merits or exceeds the price. Corkage is $2 per bottle and is justified by the restaurant's nice stemware. Having already over-indulged in my description, I might as well mention the tableware-- it is all beautiful. Whoever is buying the utensils (the butter knives!), the dishware, the wine glasses and even the sugar vessels is spending a lot of money to establish Sola's ambiance. They've done a great job and it really adds to the experience. I've taken a star away because my wife's duck entree-- which was, again, a great cut beautifully presented-- was far, far too rare. I would have sent it back, but my wife chose not to. That aside, our weekend house-guests really enjoy their meals, and Sola left us all with full bellies and big smiles on our faces. We'll be back!
(4)
Brian M.
Bottomline: One of the Philadelphia burbs' best restaurants. I been on a number of occasions and have enjoyed the food and service each time. Sola is tiny. I mean tiny. So a reservation is a must and until the economic downturn, hard to get. The decor is pleasant but not over-the-top. Sola is a BOYB, a plus to my mind. When I call for the reservation, I ask about the seasonal menu and chose a wine accordingly or just take a utilitarian red and white along. The corking fee is $2 or $3. The food in my experience is superb. It is very seasonal, creative and the portions are reasonable. Entrees range from $25-35, starters $8-18, and desserts are $10 or under. The quality and preparation warrant the prices.
(5)
Ryan B.
Great food and great service. I had a wonderful meal, definitely recommend the Lamb Two Ways. I also really liked the Duo of Crab appetizer. And of course being a BYOB with such a minimal corkage fee makes this place amazing.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : No Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : No Attire : Dressy Ambience : Intimate Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Adrienne M.
Why drive to Center City when one of the best restaurants in town is right around the corner? Our meal was fantastic from start to finish - from the slightly sweet poppy seed rolls with salted butter, to the New Jersey corn soup, then the most delicious scallops I've ever tasted, finishing with a chocolate raspberry gelato. The service was timely (not too fast, not too slow) and the staff attentive and friendly (and helpful when I returned an hour later to retrieve our wine which we'd left behind!). This restaurant is an equal to anything in the city (where my recent meals have included Vetri and Tinto). Run, do not walk, to Sola. You will not be disappointed!
(5)Holly H.
This Main Line BYOB is really great at what it does- wonderful local, seasonal menu, but the prices... way way up there for such a chill spot. It's kind of disappointing. I want my BYOBs to be under $50 per person since I've brought my own wine. Still, there's a few other things that get me down on this place. We were there totally on time - 7:15 on a Wednesday night - not the biggest crowd in the world, but by 7:25 we were asked for a second time to order because as the waiter told us, repeatedly, "He did not want us to feel rushed, but that a second seating did come in at 8:30". I just hate paying that much and feeling like i need to move it along... Overall, the food was OK, but the portions were most ideal for those conscious of limiting their calories. The waiter accomplished his goal of having us out of our seats by 8:25, but he also guaranteed that he would not have us visit his establishment again.
(2)John D.
Service was terrific. The noise level was a tiny bit high. Overall the food was excellent.. I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could, but since I have to commit, I'll round up to the 5.0 as they deserve it. Sea diver scallops were excellent, not over-cooked. The duck was excellent. Lots of different flavors going on to stimulate the taste-buds. The only nit-picky comments were that perhaps a little too much was on the sweeter side - - like the red cabbage. The crust on the cheese cake was like 1/2" thick and I needed to put my weight into the fork to break it apart. But overall, excellent experience.
(5)Larry C.
Best restaurant of the mainline. Food is delicious. I went there several times. Highly recommended, although the crowd is bit old and the decor not that great, but the food is definitely excellent.
(4)Joel S.
Wonderful food and service! Went with another couple and samples 4 appetizers 4 entrees and dessert. All the food was great, recommend the venison when it is on as a special. My friend had the lamb two ways, which was excellent as well. Some of the best octopus I have had in a long time!
(5)Craig D.
Good restaurant. Needs better parking options though...
(4)Ted E.
Our favorite local upscale BYO. Consistantly excellent. Great service and the weeknight tasting menues are real values. The appetizers are always interesting and creative. The halibut was great as was the lamb. Great stems makes the $2 corkage worth the little extra . I have had a number of wine dinners at Sola and never had a bad comment.
(5)stephen T.
Excellent service and the food was great. I had Spanish Rock Octopus for an app that was done perfect and for dinner Braised Short Ribs and Grilled Flank Steak that were both excellent. This is definitely a small place so call ahead of time for a reservation. I was surprised to see a pretty full restaurant on a Wed night. Definitely a place to try in Bryn Mawr. Didn't bring our own wine this time, but definitely will next time.
(5)Michael B.
I tasted the Spanish Rock Octopus (tender, not a bit rubbery), the lamb two ways (excellent) and the scallops (as good as they get). I finished with the very tasty Mexican Chocolate-Raspberry Gelato. Best food on the eastern Main Line. The tables are packed a little too tightly into a small space. BYOB.
(5)Zeaten T.
Excellent food! This place is a little out there from Philly, but worth the trip! The food is very good, the service is helpful, friendly, and attentive. My water glass was never less than 2/3 full. The lobster corn soup is amazing, but the Spanish octopus was the clear winner of all of the dishes.
(5)Blaine D.
This was my second time here, this time accompanied by co-worker/friends and we had an EXCELLENT time! The service was timely and informative, and the food was spectacular. Each dish was a little package of treats to be savored, and the atmosphere is nice and comfortable, giving that cozy feeling that is a hallmark of good BYOBs. A great place to take people for an upscale business meal, or friends for a get-together, or a nice one-on-one with your favorite person. We started with the cheese platter, then I had the rock octopus app which was really flavorful and the octopus fresh, followed by the duck special at the time. My desert was the white chocolate hazelnut mousse, which had its sweetness offset by good strong cocoa flavor. I think one of the stand-out dishes, which I tasted as we kept passing samples around the table, was the Lamb Two Ways, especially the braised shoulder Bolognese style.
(5)Lindsey R.
Philly has so many amazing restaurants but sometimes I think the Main Line is a bit lacking thus Sola is always my go to option for staying local. They are BYO so it is easier to keep costs down and their food is consistently AMAZING! It is very small and cute inside (nothing trendy or trying to hard), and the servers are always very friendly and helpful. I have never been disappointed in any of my Sola experiences and would recommend it for anyone (who enjoys "foodie" food)...
(5)Peter B.
After reading a broad range of reviews, my wife, daughter and I decided to have dinner at Sola. Knowing it is a BYOB, we brought along a nice white wine from the Gainey vineyard. Our meal was on Saturday, a little on the late side, so getting a table was not a problem. There are previous reviews that indicated some concerns about the service but for us, the attentiveness provided was very satisfactory. My wife started with the stuff peppers with crab meat whilst my daughter had the mango coconut gazpacho. Although the stuff peppers were good, a little more spicing of the crabmeat could have been provided. The gazpacho was refreshing with a balance of both fruits. Main courses consisted of the fettuccine with peas and broccoli; a filet mignon with green beans and one of the evening's specials of black bass served over black rice. All the meals were unique in taste from similar fare from other restaurants. The white sauce with light although being a cram based sauce, not feeling heavy on the freshly made pasta. The filet was cooked to request with the beans being cooked while remaining very crisped. And the bass was garnished with a wonderful sauce the added to the flavor versus competing with it. Even the chef Keith visited our table as I had to find out his secret to the white sauce for my fettuccine. I have already written too much and will let you discover the deserts. It only gets better. I do recommend visiting Sole which I will the next time I am visiting my daughter at college.
(5)Jonathan D.
It's been a while since I'd been here--given that I no longer live in the area--but my parents mentioned a reasonable prix fixe menu, so off we went. When we arrived, there was one couple dining, but it was quite early and eventually it filled up. The room is pleasant, with some well-chosen art and cool lighting fixtures. The owner was doing service on his own initially, and so it took a few moments before he came out to seat and greet us. Another server arrived a little bit later. On that note, service was very friendly, but it didn't seem as polished/skilled as I remembered. Despite constantly checking on us (almost too much so), water glasses were never refilled, and the first three courses came out at lightning speed--for a little while I was worried we'd be done our four-course meal in an hour. The first course was a Shrimp Mary, which was a pair of large shrimp arranged like a shrimp cocktail over a non-alcoholic version of a Bloody Mary. To be honest, this was my least favorite dish and just felt ill-conceived. While the shrimp were plump and tender (except for the fact that my mother and I both got veins in one of ours), it wasn't really clear what you were supposed to do. Even if you dipped them, the drink wasn't really thick enough to cling to the shrimp, and so the flavor didn't carry over, and who really wants to dip shrimp in your drink and then drink it. It just didn't work for me. Next came the lobster with a corn-cucumber risotto. This could have been a very good dish, but unfortunately mine was a bit oversalted--not quite enough to send it back (and the problem is that you hesitate to send it back after a bite or two, and after a few more bites, it's too late), but it needed to be pulled back to be fully enjoyable. Right on the heels of the lobster came a petit filet mignon with truffle mashed potatoes, haricot verts and an onion fritter. Again, verging on too salty (the steak in particular), could have been hotter, and the other problem which only seemed to affect my particular piece is that my steak was quite rare in places (instead of medium rare). My father very kindly traded a piece of his with me (his was cooked nicely), but he ended up leaving most of what I gave him, as it was too tough. Dessert was the best course of the night, largely for the cookies 'n cream ice cream, which was original (it's usually a white ice cream with Oreo, but this was a slightly different spin) and delicious. I also had a coffee ice cream (solid) and a cheesecake ice cream (the weakest of the three--didn't have much flavor to me). I realize that Sola has had some chef changes in recent months, so maybe they're working some things out, and maybe the a la carte menu is better. But it just didn't feel like it was quite at the same level as before. Still A-OK, but it wasn't the really great--at least not this night--that I remembered.
(3)Charles B.
I have to say, since Sola is now under new management and owner and chef, it is absolutely superb! The food is delicious, varied, inventive, beautifully presented, and the service is outstanding. Bruce, the owner, always makes it a point to stop by each table near the end of your meal to ask how you enjoyed it. He'a always willing to accommodate special request, as in seating, or food restrictions/allergies. Most importantly, they have foie gras on the menu every single night that I've eaten there. Recently it was served with a hazelnut praline crumble and a squash salsa. Incredible. The Filet Mignon was cooked to perfection--a nicely sealed light crust with the Medium rare just perfectly red/pink hot and Juicy. The veal chop was amazing. It looked like the slab of beef that Fred Flinstone put on his car roof in the opening sequence. They even, at my request, served me a side of fiddlehead (paired with a different entree) with garlic, delicately salted, and a kiss of butter. Thereby enhancing without hiding the freshness of them. We also had the wild mushroom and leek soup drizzled with a touch of creme fresh. Decadently rich. Apparently you they tinkered around the recipe for a good 2-3 weeks until they found perfection. It shows. If possible, ask for Victoria as your server. She is knowledgable about the food. Always remembers your name and preference and is just plain intuitive to the needs of (I hate the word customers, so we'll say) Patrons. She is a breath of fresh air with an infectious smile hiding a dedicated air of making sure everything is perfect for you. I could go one for hours....they are often pictures of the dishes under my handle 'ArtistCharles' on Instagram. Check them out, you won't be disappointed. Thanks for reading this the whole way through. I think it is the best BYOB (only 5$ uncorking fee, which generally ignored and not solicited by the staff. ENJOY!
(5)Pam M.
My husband and I went to Sola last night for our second anniversary. I was desperately looking for a nice BYO near our place and almost missed this gem! Place was not busy so the owner Brian took care of us. I was very glad the temperature in the restaurant was very comfortable since I was wearing a dress and didn't wear a jacket. I started my meal with foie gras with figs (amazing) and my husband ate the caprese salad. The chef sent out a melon and procciuto appetizer as a compliment for our anniversary which was delicious just like the appetizers. Then we had the Cornish hen with risotto and the steak with mashed potatoes. Everything was cooked perfectly. We had to have dessert since they are all home made. My ice cream trio was creamy and my husband ate chocolate gateau which was perfectly warm. Will definitely be coming back!
(5)Felice W.
Dinner was great. It's a BYOB Very enjoyable.
(5)Lin Z.
Ate here recently with another couple (our 3rd visit, their 1st). We were all happy with our meals and I'm always happy with the BYOB option. Three of us got their fish dishes -- mine was halibut, my friend and my husband both ordered salmon. They were prepared perfectly seared, nice complementary sauce, and accompanied by a green vegetable (I forget what it was) and I think a root veg. My friend's husband got the skirt steak, which he declared a winner. We had no room for dessert, and no complaints! This is a restaurant that doesn't exactly feel like a special occasion, but it's nicer and more expensive ($28 ish entrees) than an everyday go-to. Overall it's a great choice to go with friends when you want solid, not too unusual fare - and BYO.
(4)Joan K.
We've eaten here twice in the last month and have been longtime fans! Brian is always attentive and on the lookout for whatever his clients need! The food is delicious - I had the steak special one night with truffled mashed potatoes and was absolutely tender and cooked to perfection. Seared sea scallops are always a hit as well! One of the things I really appreciate about Sola is that our service is never rushed and it's a wonderful place to actually enjoy dinner and good conversation without feeling like the clock is running out.
(4)Bonna L.
Wonderful place that epitomizes a great neighborhood restaraunt. Never though we are from out of state Brian treated us like regulars from the moment we walked in. The caprese starter was perfect. The lobster special entree was accompanied by an incredible corn risotto. Great service. Great food. Nice ambiance. Highly recommend. Wish we had a place like this in our area
(5)Lydia B.
Sola is a fairly expensive cozy restaurant on the mainline. The food is pretty high-end but still has a homey feel to it. They don't have a lot of gimmicks at sola In preparing their food but all in all it's a pretty decent experience. I was disappointed that the foie gras was not on the menu or on special because in the past it's been delicious. They didn't have a lot to choose from on their minimalist menu so, I settled for a carrot tomato bisque that had a hint of ginger. It was delicious for what it was although nothing to write home about. I usually order Fish or something exotic when I go out to eat but this time I decide to go out on a limb and order beef. I had a nice piece of hanger steak with tasty potatoes and a bitter Green that's in the broccoli family. I enjoyed the dish but didn't think it match the price. Two other diners at my table order the tile fish, one ate the whole thing while The other left half of the fish on the plate leaving me to question whether it was good or not. The table next to us had the signature dish of braised short ribs it looked delicious I have had that dish before at Sola and really enjoyed it... I think I'll order that next time and hope for the fois gras to make a comeback. Sola is a very crowded restaurant on the Saturday and my parting thought was it was almost too crowded and could use an expansion. It's nice to have a BYOB to keep the price down especially when the prices at sola are so high.
(4)Baruch K.
As usual, great atmosphere and good food. An excellent choice if you are looking for a quite and quality evening with a partner or with friends.
(5)Ed Y.
well, i had a great experience at Sola 3 years ago, thus had it on my list of BYOB to go back to. My perception on previous visit was quality offerings, creative recipes, a bit over priced, but overall good experience. this recent visit was a real disappointment. the bathroom was dirty and smelled, the dining area looked run down, furniture and paint was in bad shape, service was on par with what you would expect at a chain restaurant but not a mid/high value restaurant. my ahi tuna was good, but two others had the lamb chops and they could not eat because they were chewy. the prices are on the high side ($$$) and inline with a high end quality restaurant, unfortunately this restaurant quality is what you would expect from a ($) low end restaurant. I have taken this restaurant off my list for good.
(2)Kim B.
So, My husband and I went to Sola last night for a date. It was honestly just okay. After being seated, we were asked if we had a bottle of wine for them to uncork. We responded , no, we're really not wine drinkers. We chose regular ice water, instead of sparkling water. The server, who was very attentive and kind, then walked away and let us peruse the menu. We decided to share a cheese plate and the ramp and asparagus caesar type salad as an appetizer. I ordered the Salmon off of the specials menu and my husband decided on the rack of lamb. I then mentioned to my husband if he wanted anything else to drink, and the server interrupted, wondering if we were unaware that it was a BYOB. I said, no, we are aware, but thought my husband might like an iced tea. He responded that they don't have iced tea, but do serve Coke or Sprite. My husband said he'd like a Coke- which was never brought to the table. The cheese plate arrived, with the salad, and while the salad was very good, the cheese plate was the highlight of our entire night. It was presented with sliced asian pear, crackers as well as honey and candied pine nuts. We throughly enjoyed it. My salmon arrived and it was honestly just okay. I feel like while it was cooked nicely, it lacked seasoning and the corn and scallion mashed potatoes that it was placed on were cool, not hot. The charred onion was a nice touch. My husbands lamb was nicely cooked, although could've been butchered a little cleaner. The beans on his plate were also a little too much on the al dente side for his liking. I was a little disappointed that the only beef option on the menu were braised short ribs. I was hoping they'd have a nice filet on the menu, but it wasn't an option. We also passed on dessert because honestly, nothing really screamed at us. Most things were paired with Raspberries or raspberry sauce, and it's the only berry that my husband isn't a fan of. Overall, while it was a good meal, for the cost, I feel that there are several other restaurants that I'd rather go to than Sola. I'm glad we tried it out, because I was wondering how it was, but know I know that we probably won't return again.
(2)Jae B.
My wife and I have been dining at Sola for several years now -- visiting about 6-8 times a year. I must say that I cannot recall having a single bad experience there. The food is always delicious and the staff is has always been friendly and on top of things. During the time that we have been dining there, the restaurant has changed ownership. We have talked to the new owner, Brian, on several occasions and he too is always friendly and polite. Their menu is pretty well covered, offering a mix of red meat, poultry and sea food. It is a BYOB but the corkage fee is minimum ($2.00). I would definitely recommend eating at Sola.
(5)Tina C.
Either the chef changed or we had a bad night, but our experience at Sola for a large party was very disappointing. The quality of food was not up to its usual standards and the presentation wasn't either. Flavors were neither here or there. With the many new mainline restaurants opening, this place has a lot more competition and unfortunately, we will it be returning.
(3)Dave C.
Wonderful food! The atmosphere is great and the service is top notch. It's BYOB, which has its ups and downs, but there are SEVERAL liquor and beer shops close by. The decor is a little "Huh?," but, the food is the main attraction. FYI, the men's bathroom is probably the smallest space I've ever volunteered to enter. However, it was very clean, even when I used it later in the evening. I would highly recommend Sola!
(5)BostonBestEats X.
I don't like writing negative reviews, especially of small, often struggling-to-make-it, family-owned restaurants. But sometimes you just have to be honest and provide a counterpoint to other opinions. Although I've heard good things about Sola, a small BYOB located on Lancaster Ave in Bryn Mawr, unfortunately my first visit did not live up to expectations. Upon entering, we found perhaps a dozen 2- and 4-top tables, well-spaced and cosy, although I have to say the decor was fairly basic and uninteresting. Now, I don't mind a somewhat utilitarian room, as long as the food is up to snuff, but Sola could definitely do with bit of interior decorating help. The restaurant was only half full on a cold Sunday evening in February, but even if it were packed, I wouldn't expect it to be very noisy. Which was a nice change of pace from the typical ultra high-decible BYOB. Sola was featuring a Valentine's Day menu all weekend, but for some reason it didn't really excite me, so I decided to go with the much more interesting sounding a la carte menu. Appetizer: Seared Scallops (2 medium-sized), with a few accompaniments that I didn't note except for thinly sliced, unpeeled sunchokes, and sprinkled bacon powder ($15). While the scallops were well cooked, both were very salty (edible, but just barely, and I have a high tolerance for salt), and one scallop didn't appear to be properly cleaned, still having attached membranes. I also found the sliced sunchokes to be an strangley incongruous addition to this dish. Sometimes a contrast of texture really adds interest to a dish, but it had the completely opposite effect here. And that odd white bacon powder (it looked more like white chocolate) had no dicernable flavor and added nothing. Entree: Filet Mignon, with red wine sauce, Chanterelle mushrooms, and Pommes Dauphine ($36). I ordered my steak medium rare, but it came sliced and a very clearly over-cooked medium. Otherwise, it was tender and flavorful. Unfortunately, the potatoes were also a bit bland. I felt both these dished (as well as a couple of others that I only tasted) were poorly presented. Obviously there had been an attempt to plate things in an attractive manner, but as with all my own attempts to mimic the painting style of Claude Monet, it really came across as somewhat messy and disjointed. Again, if the food on the plate still tasted great, I wouldn't really have cared. [Interestingly, Sola also serves Hawaiian Butterfish, which from what I've read seems to be their signature dish. When questioned, the waiter admitted that this was indeed Escolar, a very delicious fish that is notorious for causing gastrointestinal upset due to an undigestible oil that it contains in high quantities. Fortunately, this did not prove to be a problem for my dining companion!] Dessert--Classic vanilla bean Crème Brûlée, with fresh raspberries ($8). This was a tasty enough version, and went well with our passito. But with four lonely raspberries on top, it was not particularly memorable either. Wines: 2008 Domaine du Petit Paris Bergerac Rouge 2004 Massa Vecchia Aleatico (a brilliant, rare wine, and unfortunately not one that I'm ever likely to taste again, now that I've finished my last bottle) Service, and wine service in particular, was excellent. Notably, the provided wine glasses were the same Schott Zwiesel Tritan Forte that I use at home (both red and white, but not dessert), titanium crystal and very difficult to break (which I proceeded to demonstrate by accidently knocking an empty glass onto the floor, without any adverse consequences). It is so nice to see really good wine glasses provided by a BYOB for a change ($2 corkage). And if the empty wine bottles (Latour, Margaux, Quintarelli...) lining several shelves near the door are any indication, Sola's glasses are often put to very good use. The owner was also very friendly, and stopped by out table 2 or 3 times (this is apparently a big improvement from the previous owner, or so I hear). Metered parking (free on Sunday) was easy on the street out front. Sola also recently began to serve dinner on Monday evenings too. All-in-all, I found our dinner to be a bit of a weak effort of Sola's part. The kitchen showed some promise, but the multiple missteps unfortunately overcame the positives. Perhaps I'll give Sola another chance one of these days, since most of the other reviewers seem to be overwhelmingly positive. But at least based on this one experience, Sola failed to equal the level of cooking displayed by so many of our favorite BYOBs downtown, and even those in the 'burbs.
(3)Sara D.
Food is amazing. I was there recently with my father, and we split a tagliatelle appetizer and I got the short rib. The whole meal was delicious. For me, food is the most important part of dining out, but service is second and I was not crazy about the service. Our waitress was lovely but the host seemed inconvenienced by us. We showed up without a reservation and there was only one other party in the restaurant. The host... I really think he's a waiter literally said "that's going to mess me up". How? Also, the food took a while to come out. Other than that, no other glaring issues. Great meal.
(3)Roger H.
Everything was great at Sola. The host/owner was courteous and welcoming, and the menu selection was excellent. Of the four of us at dinner, two chose haddock, one sea bass and one hake - all were well prepared and elegantly presented. The dining room was quiet and the meal unhurried. We will return.
(4)Brian W.
Fantastic service and delicious food. What more can I say? Can't wait to go back! Just remember to bring your own wine and park on the street (not the lot, or you'll get towed).
(5)Paulette K.
The food was absolutely incredible, BUT we were very disappointed that they charge a corkage fee at a BYOB? Prices were high enough that they shouldn't 'need" to charge an additional 2$ per bottle...really? The atmosphere was just "ok", lights too bright, no candles etc. Again, if you're just in as a "foodie", the chef was amaazing. Try the lamb!
(3)Mitch K.
It was a day before the big date and the pressure was on. Its "blind" and I have no idea where to go. She lives on the main line and I live an hour away. We spoke on the phone a few times so I knew I had to have my game face on..she was special. She was open to almost any cuisine. Darn..makes the choice harder. So I had to do my homework. What was I looking for? Ambiance, service then food..in that order. I figured the ambiance to impress her, service that's invisible and the food..who cares, if she is as classy as I was hoping. So I Yelped the main line and made some phone calls. It was for a Sunday night around 6. More importantly, you want some place to talk. One that's not so isolated that you're the only ones sitting there, yet you don't want McDonalds either. Could there be something in between with 4 or more stars? So I called a few places and asked about the noise level and seating. Everyone was accommodating to the extent they could, but then I called Sola and got the owner on the phone, Brian. I explained my circumstance and he "got it". He assured me there would be a perfect table situated by the window, quiet setting and all. My life, the romantic part, was in his hands. Game Day arrived. It is a very unassuming place. You might walk by, not know its there. Nicer on the inside. And there was Brian, seemingly waiting there for me with the table all set. There were some locals there cheering me on. The beads of sweat and wilted flowers must have given it away. Waiting for her to arrive, i was wondering, Is this going to be another Eagles season to forget? Hopes high, then.. Well, once she arrived, Brian knew exactly what to do. Ya' know, gave us time to chat..no hovering. Caught some thumbs up from the crowd. The food. It was sumptuous, fun and a celebration for the palette. A great eclectic menu. She had the braised short ribs and I can't remember what I had..but I recall it was really really really good...thoughts elsewhere. The blueberry sorbet was magnificent. I remembered that cause we almost had our first fight...clamoring over the last spoonful. Suddenly I was relaxed. Food and ambiance can do that. Service was impeccable. I think if we asked for non-fat amazonian vanilla coffee creamer, Brian would have run across the street to Acme to find it. Hey, you want great food accompanied with automated service and waxed on smiles, there are plenty of places for that. You want a place that understands and delivers on the customer experience, try Sola. Oh, in case you're wondering...lucky me..she said yes to a second date.
(5)Marion M.
very pleasant experience, good servers good food. the a la carte menu is excellent, the prix fixe is limited but good.
(4)Brian H.
Attention: I am a fan again! I went back after a few month sabbatical, and I must say there is a return to a solid four stars. The server we had was again a bit too friendly, but very very attentive and efficient. For apps, the seared foie gras in it's own right was divine, but the vanilla carrot puree, oil, and slow cooked peppers, although extremely creative, was so powerful they overtook the dish and hid the flavor of the rich, buttery, delicate liver. The English pea soup with white truffle oil was perfect, sweet, with a fresh from the garden taste. For an entree I had the black sea bass, tender with a balanced moist, flaky consistency. The veg's on the plate were crisp and fresh, but lacked distinctive flavor. The couple of mussels (sans shell) included with the pan seared sea bass were a very nice texture addition. The Hawaiian butterfish was fantastic, a melt in your mouth effect with every perfectly medium-temp cooked bite. I was very pleased with the return to 4 stardom and one of the best BYOB's in the Burbs.
(4)AB H.
Another good dinner at SOLA. We had the foie gras which was good, not great. The flavors didn't pop, the textures were a bit off. We also had the beet and arugula salad (solid) and the rack of lamb. Like last time, the meat, ordered medium rare, was just a tad too pink for me; that seems to be their style. We had two chocolate desserts: coffee chocolate ganache and a chocolate cake. Both were served with ice cream, which was excellent. I love that it is a BYOB and that their menu is inventive. The location brings me back, even if the food misses the upper notches.
(3)Sarah E.
My husband and I dined here for our anniversary. The service was superb. We had a wonderful table in a quiet corner. It is a small BYOB so if you don't like sitting close to the next table then you won't like the atmosphere. The food was wonderful, we both had fish ( salmon & halibut ) they were both cooked perfectly. I highly recommend if you bring a decent bottle of wine to pair it with a cheese plate. The curry mussels were delicious. The menu changes seasonly but right now for dessert they have a fried apple pie. It is the perfect sized dessert and it is spectacular.
(5)Chea S.
Loved it! Great food. Especially there desserts! I would defiantly go back to this restaurant! My wife loved it!
(5)Tony H.
Great food, a little on the expensive side but worth it. Nice that it's a BYO. Manager is a little strange.
(4)Reid F.
Thank you Yelp, for helping us to find another great Philly BYO. The place is small and unassuming, but the food is outstanding in every way. Each dish has it's own flavor and interesting combination of sauce and sides. Our server, Tom, was pleasant and informative. We will definitely return on future trips to the Philly area.
(5)Arthur J.
Great restaurant for dinner. However, contrary to Yelp's listings, THEY DON'T SERVE LUNCH. Hope somebody at Yelp catches this.
(5)Ted M.
Don't let the location fool you! this place has meals surprisingly good considering its located between a vacant building and a dive bar. Very good french style cuisine and atmosphere that evokes an old fashioned restaurant. I ordered the mushroom soup and chicken with Maitake mushrooms. There was also a braised leg of lamb so delicate it slides right off the bone. Our waiter is very polite and knowledgeable. Only problem was finding a parking space.
(3)Rachel A.
Went here for dinner with my beau with a Groupon for a nice end of the year dinner before new years. The food was amazing. My beau had soup and I had a great salad to start. He had butterfish as a main dish and I had salmon. I was a little disappointed in the size of the main dishes because the prices at Sola are on the expensive side. I had realized when we got there that I had forgotten our bottle of wine since Sola is a byob, that may have helped my experience over all, but I would go back to Sola, only if I had a coupon, though, since the prices are high.
(4)Paul H.
Like Brian H, a couple reviews down, I lost a bit of sleep on the "is it a four or is it a five" question, and for largely the same reasons. The scallops and calamari were off the top of the chart. Both the octopus and the lamb were very.... good! But maybe not quite what either of us had our palette set for - is that their fault? Is that worth the punishment of a star deficiency penalty? I just don't know. So this will go on onto my BYOB Philly list RIGHT AT THE TOP OF THE FOUR STAR PACK. Great ambiance, fantastic and friendly service (surprised how crowded they were NOT on a weeknight), quiet enough that you could engage in meaningful conversation with friends (which we did) without feeling exhausted at the end. They are, indeed, pretty pricey - especially if you do the appetizer/entree thing. (I wonder sometimes if the lost markup from the BYO part gets transferred to markup on the food part.) But again, I don't mind paying extra for an excellent dining experience, and this certainly was one. And oh, the parking lot next door is fair game (and free) in the evening. There's another $20 bucks you saved by not trying to park your car in Philly! Looking forward to going back to Sola, fully expecting that one more run at the menu might push me over that that coveted five star threshold!
(4)Brad P.
Bryn Mawr has long been famous for its chief export of people misspelling Bryn Mawr, but now there is something else that the Philly suburb can be known for - delicious cuisine. The beet salad was very good. The lobster/corn soup was very good, but did not totally meet expectations. The Alaskan halibut was very good, but again...did not destroy my expectations. The reason that Sola receives 5 stars from me is because of the diver scallops over Israeli cous cous. The smoked tomato butter and pine nuts embrace the murdered sea creatures in a loving embrace of flavor. This is a serious scallop dish. The scallops are flawlessly seared. The Frozen White Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse is a solid dessert bet. In addition to great food, Sola has a very welcoming, romantic atmosphere. The interior starkly betrays the exterior, which looks just like any number of nondescript suburban spots. It is almost as if Sola's owners intentionally made a drab facade for an amazing restaurant, for ironic purposes. On the action-movie-parallel-satisfaction-scale, this place is Way of the Gun.
(5)Steve T.
Another magnificent Sola meal. Our party enjoyed appetizers consisting of lobster and corn soup, tuna tartar, and duo of crab. Entrees included the seared diver scallops, espresso braised beef short ribs, and a delicious rabbit presentation. Everything was perfect, and I'll continue to patronize Sola for the foreseeable future. I still consider this Main Line gem one of the best out there...not just on the Main Line...I mean out there as in the Universe.
(5)James S.
I've been a fan generally and have had 4 or 5 very good (4-5 star) meals. Heard the ownership turned over and had a good meal last fall for my board. Went last Saturday night though and things were different. First bad sign was how easy it was to get a last minute Saturday night restaurant. I ordered three appetizers in lieu of a main course. First course was Escargot served appropriately in a rich butter sauce but overwhelmed by bacon. I love bacon as much or more than the next fellow but the dish was out of balance. Next up was gnocchi allegedly in a (classic) brown butter preparation. This was served in a ramekin that must have been a butter dish in a former life and they simply melted the leftovers. The butter was overwhelming so as to render the ordinary and mashed potato like gnocchi inedible. This is the worst dish I have been served in a higher end restaurant in several years. Finally, there was lobster risotto. There was a very generous and delicious portion of butter poached lobster on top. Unfortunately, the risotto itself included copious amounts of chorizo sausage and the dish felt like a mismatched fight with the chorizo the winner over the lobster by knockout. My wife had an appetizer salad that was fresh and tasty albeit quite salty. There were also anchovies on top that added way too much salt on top of an already salty salad. Her trout was fine albeit undistinguished. All in all, a very disappointing effort from what has been to my taste a very solid kitchen. I hope we just caught them on a bad night or ordered the wrong things. Unfortunately though, most of the good restaurants I go to don't have nights as bad as this, especially at this price point. I won't be very quick to return at this point.
(2)Mona S.
We started off strong with a lovely lobster bisque. I ordered the duck, my date ordered the butterfish. The duck was cooked medium rare and had just enough fat to be moist and delicious. I would absolutely order it again. My date ordered the butterfish, which was frankly, a disappointment. The fish was over cooked and dry and tasted strongly of lemon. The fish seemed as though perhaps it had been frozen, partially defrosted and frozen again. We ordered the pumpkin cheesecake for dessert and were again disappointed. The flavor was inconsistent. The presentation of all the food was beautiful. The server was knowledgable and very attentive. The food was not up to standard for the price.
(3)Brian C.
Been living in Bryn Mawr years and never gave this place a chance. To a meat and potatoes guy like myself...the menu posted outside the front door seems a bit much. Foie Gras, Octopus, beef tartare, sweetbreads and fava beans. Reminds me of Hannibal Lecter, he was quite a cook you know... Stopped in this past weekend with another couple and was sooo surprised at how much I enjoyed this little piece of philly right on the main line...This place just seems like it belongs in fairmont or old city...but its right on Lancaster Ave in Bryn Mawr! Our table wasn't ready till about 20 minutes after our reservations...and there really isn't much of a waiting area...but they did comp our desert for the wait and I really appreciated it! Not only because I was the only one to order desert, but because it was freaking delicious...I had the chocolate Gateau which is basically a molten chocolate cake with a scoop of ice cream. All their desserts are home made and look quite tasty! Not much in the appetizer department for me, but I had the carmelized onion gruyere cheese tart and was very pleased! For dinner: the sirloin steak..only 7 ounces, but a fine cut of beef...my girl got the butterfish...i tried some, not liking fish...and found it very unfishy, if you know what i mean...if you don't like fish, this is the kind to try! I think the best looking\tasting entree was the Austrailian Lamb Two Ways...you get 2 different preparations...braised shoulder, with handmade gnocchi and ricotta...and grilled loin, which was served over some mango chutney and looked gorgeous... Bit pricey, but you save tons by going to a BYOB! And the food really is fresh and tasty! I'm so glad we finally stopped in after all these years! We will be back! Don't like whats on the menu? Picky kids? Ask your server and they just might order you something from the local bar or pizza shop! Try to park on the street or in the Acme's lot across the street... Make reservations early... BYOB! Save room for desert... Stop in at Tip O'Leary's for a drink after dinner!
(5)JJ M.
I used to work in the kitchen of one of Sola's predecessors in this spot in Bryn Mawr, so I've been planning a visit for quite some time. My brother-in-law and I took a guys' night out and gave Sola a spin. We enjoyed the meal; definitely an upper echelon BYO. The room was a little dark but comfortable. The service was friendly and solid, although not as polished as Bibou or as engaging as Sycamore, who have been compared in other reviews. The food was well prepared and very nicely presented. For apps, we had the homemade duck prosciutto, cellophane thin and a little lost in the backdrop of the beet and cheese timbale, sweet syrupy smear and apricot. We also shared the Sola Chop Salad, which was refreshing and delivered the biggest mouthful of fresh tarragon in recent memory along with the Microgreens and bleu cheese. The pork belly and scallop entrée was very good component by component, but didn't really come together for me. It was a lot of stuff on one plate, and I think it could have been more fun if the scallops and bacon theme was played out. The various smears and smudges on the plate were colorful, but I lost the flavor in the mix and probably could not have identified them without the menu's details in my mind. The veal tenderloin was nicely prepared, as subtle as you would expect, but again propped up by an unremarkable mash of Yukon gold. I find myself wishing for a little spark on the plate to elevate the flavor profile, and reaching for the salt, which was not on the table. Dessert was a highlight, including the chocolate gateau and frozen white chocolate hazelnut delight. The entrees were reasonably priced around $20. The apps were a little pricey at 12-14. The $49 prix fixe looked good. Wish I'd left room for the cheese board, which looked extensive and interesting. We drank my last bottle of 2006 Bergstrom Pinot Noir with dinner and a wonderful Vidal with dessert. Overall, a good place I would recommend and return to. I don't quite embrace the two-things-on-a-plate approach (scallops and pork belly, short rib and flat iron) and would prefer a choice of small plates to pre-arranged combos.
(4)George D.
Our favorite restaurant. Executive Chef Stephen is a culinary genius. Owner Brian is a wonderful host. Decor is cozy and perfectly accents the style of the food. This BYO is worth every dollar spent and you will leave happy. Ant negative comments left were due to previous ownership. Go to Sola.
(5)Tim B.
Look, this is a great place. Fantastic execution of dishes, great fresh ingredients, excellent service, a nice if slightly drab space. Totally one of 2 places to go in the western Philadelphia suburbs, the other being Sycamore. My only constructive criticism would be one that I'd have of Sycamore as well. The kitchen hits every note they're trying to hit, but the next step is to cross over into having a really distinctive vision. Dave Clouser's sold the place this month, so we'll see what happens next. My thought is that the thing to do is look for a bit of vision--a thing that really pushes this place into defining a style, a distinctive idea, a philosophy. That's a lot to ask--I'll certainly settle for "damn good, damn consistent, classy" as a fall-back.
(5)Kate G.
First time to Sola - absolutely amazing. Service is impeccable and the proprietor was walking around to check on things and help out. Fantastic experience.
(5)Melissa V.
The food and service here are too notch! A def must try BYO on the mainline!
(5)Diana A.
Great food and service! I looked into Sola a few months ago for a 40th birthday party, but the space was too small. I'm happy I stopped by to experience their dinner. This is one of the best restaurants in the area.
(5)Laurence F.
4.5 Reading the others here I say they are either too annoyingly picky or too full of themselves as faux foodies. Surprisingly festive yet still intimate atmosphere. This was an excellent meal top to bottom with attentive and hospitable service.The owner is present and engaged. Food was wonderful and all courses were equally satisfying unlike the usual great apps and eh main courses. Really one of the best dining experiences in the area. Price=quality here.
(5)Colleen S.
I had a wonderful experience at this quaint little BYOB restaurant. The food was outstanding and the wait staff was top-notch. We chatted with the owner and he was as friendly and pleasant as could be. I will most definitely be returning. If you go, you should definitely order the gnocchi appetizer. Yuuuummmmy!
(5)kevin h.
One of my favorite BYOB restaurants in the area; went to dinner with a friend on Saturday 1/11/14. I started off with the Roasted Mushroom Soup with Truffle crème fraiche; my friend had the Seasonal Salad with Marcona almonds, pear, fennel, bleu cheese and sherry honey vinaigrette. Although my soup was very good, I would have to say that the salad was our favorite of the two; the flavor and texture combinations were a real winner. For dinner, we each had the pan seared Dorade, a mouthwatering fish from the Mediterranean Sea. it was served with a little pesto sauce and roasted vegetables (cauliflower, purple sprouting broccoli and haricoverts in a light vinaigrette). We both enjoyed it and thought it was an good choice to go with our Chardonnay (next time maybe a Pinot Gris or Albarino). For dessert we shared the house made ice cream trio (chocolate, vanilla and pistachio). This is my fifth time at Sola; it is a real neighbor gem and is one of my favorite restaurants in the area after having tried several others. Some may think that the portions are small but I thought they were just right. Dinner for two came to $91 without tip.
(4)Jessica P R.
Decided to try this place after seeing stellar reviews. It was nothing short of disappointing. The vegetarian option was a bunch of sub-par side dishes. My meat eating husband wasn't thrilled with his meal either. For the prices, I expect better.
(3)Latifah M.
Random Wednesday night dinner with the BF was amazing. This place is super cute and the food was GREAT. He had the butter poached lobster and I had the rainbow trout. The paprika smoked mushroom are so well done you almost think they are meat. No really, I had to ask my server how they were prepared I though I misread the menu ( I don't eat pork) We'll def go again, but next time more prepared with wine. We didn't know it was a BYOB, it was just a random outing.
(5)Charles R.
Been a while since I'd been to Sola, maybe 4 years. I would go more often, but unless you have 4 or more they wont take reservations after 6:30. Manager explained to me that they are just too small to tie up tables for 2 when they can fill 4 tops. I understand his point but having been to places like Fond, Little Fish and other small BYO's it seems those places manage to stay in business with taking 2 people after 6:30. Anyway, the food is still as good as I remember it, and the service is excellent. Chopped salad was very good, as was the duck breast and Striped Bass. Didn't have dessert. More parking now that Food Source is gone. Small charge for corkage, but overall a very nice, quiet place.
(4)Joe F.
Was looking for a nice restaurant around haver town to take my wife for valentines day. Thanks to yelp I found this place. We both had the prix fixe. Almond bisque, chipotle roasted oysters, filet mignon with asparagus and celery root purée, and dessert. All for 45! And the food is amazing!. Brian and the staff were incredibly friendly and you felt very welcomed there. The only reason I gave 4 is that I think they might have had a plumbing leak and in the middle of fixing since the drywall was exposed showing pipes towards the back of the room. It really didn't bother me too much I was there for the food! You really owe to yourself to check this place out!
(4)Regina F.
Sola reminds me of Florida for so many reasons, not the least of which is the sunny demeanor exuded by the restaurant's staff and cheerful ambiance emitted by the pale-yellow decor and mellow early-Picasso-esue still-life paintings. The White-Corn and Lobster soup had pretty good texture. As if to prove that there is lobster in your soup, the waiter delivers a bowl with a lump of lobster "salad" in the middle. He proceeds to pour the chowder from a kettle. There is lobster in your soup...and now there is soup in your bowl. Even this young-sunflower-yellow chowder matches the Sola theme. But the Oh-My-Gosh-Dearest-Call-the-Neighbors-Gertrude-is-ÂPutting-Up-the-Pink-Flamingos-Again dish came next: The diver scallops fresh out of the sea...seared to perfection...over some wonderfully concocted cous-cous with raisins, peas, and an amalgamation of other finally chopped vegetables and pine nuts is simply fantastic. There is no other way to describe this dish other than succulent. If you don't order it, and you eat fish, your life will be missing something...much like the United States and those votes in 2000.
(5)Shannon G.
One of the first places we'd visited when we started really diving into the food scene, and it was amazing. Many restaurants later we decided to return, and I was wondering to myself "Is Sola for realsies, or were we just inexperienced?" (I have an urban dictionary type relationship with my brain). Happily, second time was as good as the first (srsly). Service is excellent, and the decor has a sophisticated, intimate vibe. BYOB is obviously awesome, $2 corkage fee is not so much. The rock octopus appetizer is the best I've had anywhere. The balance of flavor is excellent, and the octopus is really prominent in the presentation. Sola salad is one of the few with blue cheese that my wife will eat. Everything is in the right proportion. I had the veal tenderloin with sweetbreads. Kind of two separate little dishes. The tenderloin was perfectly cooked and oh so soft sitting on a pancetta potato cake throne surrounded by its kingdom of savory sauce. Crispy sweetbreads on corn and asparagus are next door. The halibut with calamari might have been even better. The cherry tomatoes are so flavorful, and the coconut milk-lime sauce was right up my alley. So delicious. Large, perfectly cooked scallops are also a worthy choice. You really can't go wrong, I've never had a bad dish here. Best restaurant I've been to on the main line.
(5)Aaron L.
No question this BYOB has all the makings of a tremendous experience. I'm giving Sola a 4 star review and it is a VERY strong 4 stars. Appetizers consisted of the escargot, Spanish octopus, and roasted cauliflower and all were excellent and our group enjoyed each dish very much. Entrees for the evening were the striped bass, pink peppercorn butterfish, and the braised short ribs/tenderloin. All the dishes were prepared with meticulous attention to detail. My favorite was the butterfish with the perfect texture. Dessert consisted of the Mexican chocolate gelato and the chai spiced cheesecake. The cheesecake was absolutely outstanding and the first time I'd experienced chai in a cheesecake at all. If I had one small gripe, it would definitely be the bread which was well overbaked in the oven and relatively dry. With that being said, Sola earns their stripes as an great establishment and I will no doubt be back!
(4)Michael E.
I will be joining the majority opinion on this one. Top to bottom this place is devine. The service is impeccable and the food is scrumptious maximus! This has been my favorite restaurant experience of 2011 thus far (I know it's only April, but I promise you...check this place out!)
(5)R M.
I was extremely disappointed in Sola after reading such raving reviews on yelp and seeing that it received 4 1/2 stars. Wednesday night dinner began with herbed rolls. While I like the idea of an herbed roll, there were far too many herbs in these rolls, making their flavor have a strong, bitter taste. The herbs used in these rolls obviously did not mesh well together either. However, they had a nice, moist texture and were served warm, which is always a plus. To begin, we ordered the Chopped Salad, which was served as a bed of red leaf lettuce with crushed marcona almonds, blue cheese, and serrano ham on each side and dressed in a sherry honey vinaigrette. In some ways, I appreciated the layout of this salad so that if someone didn't like an ingredient in the salad, they were able to avoid it and you could create your own salad with the ingredients offered on the plate. However, this layout also prevented the condiments from being evenly coated by the dressing. I did like that the greens were lightly dressed, but thought the dressing was too bland. We also had the Seared Scallops. For not being a huge fan of scallops, this dish was probably the best out of everything we had. Lightly seasoned with lemon juice, topped with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, with roasted yellow and red cherry tomatoes and basil, and presented on a plate decorated with an olive sauce and a mint sauce, these scallops were perfectly cooked, moist, with a crisp exterior and well seasoned. Next is where we went downhill. Each of us ordered an entree, so 4 in all. I am always very annoyed when the menu descriptions do not match the plate that is presented, which is what happened to basically all of our dishes. I had the Hawaiian Butterfish because of the great reviews I read on yelp, but was very annoyed because after asking the waiter if the fish and its accompaniments were oily and receiving a positive "Absolutely not!" response, everything seemed to be soaked in a lemon butter sauce. To be fair, I used the word oily, and butter was used in the dish, but I assumed oily encompassed the word buttery for the purpose I was asking for. Obviously not and lesson learned. The butterfish was nicely cooked though, with caviar on top (waiter said it was garnish, but in my opinion, it was a lot more than that). The "shallot-thyme jus" was actually a rich lemon butter sauce that coated everything on the plate-- baby carrots, chopped green beans, and salsify (something in between a parsnip and potato). The vegetables were nice and crisp, but the sauce definitely ruined them. Another entree we had was the duck-- this was served too rare for my party's taste and was rather fatty when duck breast should really not be fatty. The apricot mustard glaze did not compliment the duck very well, but the grilled chopped corn was quite tasty, without having that charred burnt flavor. The two other entrees were the pork tenderloin and the skate. The pork was cooked well, but was a bit too salty. The sweet potato tower was crisp and flavorful. The caramelized onions and kale were a delicious, sweet hidden treasure underneath the slices of pork. For entrees, the pork won, although definitely wasn't perfect. The skate was gross. The texture tasted raw and scaly. It had a smoked bacon flavor to it and was served with bland whole little potatoes. For dessert, we shared the warm chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This was not an accurate description either because it was actually a chocolate lava cake in that the exterior was hardened but the interior was a chocolate liquid. I only had a bite but I thought it was pretty good. The atmosphere was nice, with serene paintings on the walls and dimly lit. However, it was very loud for the first hour we were there, making it difficult to hold a conversation. The waiter was friendly but they seemed understaffed for the amount of tables that were filled. He also was not completely honest about dishes and his recommendations were not up to standard. The food came out at an okay pace though. So overall, I did not enjoy my experience at Sola and also learned I can't really rely on yelp, even if a restaurant does have 4 1/2 stars. The menu descriptions were not true to their presentations. But many restaurants can get away with this since customers usually don't ask to keep a menu during dinner and typically forget the details of the description. The pan sauces that the dishes were immersed in were also just not up to standard and either bland or buttery.
(2)Shane L.
OK....so I really want to give this BYO 4 stars, but here's why I didn't.... Food: At a first glance, it's a good menu with premium choices. We were sold into a prefix menu which was good. It gives you a variety of things to taste such as the crab cake (very flavorful). We also order a soft shell crab appetizer by recommendation of the owner himself. This was deep fried to a perfect crisp with a tartar sauce that pairs it well. For my own entree, I had the steak and rib. It was "OK" as this was a "C -" in terms of execution. Steak was overcooked and the pork was dry. Not soo impressed with this $29 plate. Keep this in mind.....portions are small, so order at least 1 app & 1 entree per person. Decor: Comfortable and small place with a very intimate feel. Nicely decorated with home style items all over. It's an older crowd so I automatically turned on the "grown-up" switch. Not soo bad if you want a more quieter spot for a date or deep conversation with a favorite bottle of wine. Service: Service was great.....not much else I can say. We never felt rushed while eating and they seemed to check in at the right times. Bottom Line: I really wanted to give 4 stars, but the restaurant is missing something. It might be the food itself. I didn't get the intensity of flavor that I anticipated from all the reviews I read. In actuality, the food is good, but not worth their prices. Sola has all the makings of a great Dining experience, but its missing some flare. Sycamore is still my top BYOB for me in terms of quality and cost. On the other hand, I am willing to try Sola again in the near future in hopes that the constructive criticism is taken into consideration.
(3)Statia M.
After going through what seemed like a thousand restaurant options, we settled on Sola for our anniversary dinner. The hubs found the place, and what can we say, we trust you crazy yelpers. I wasn't really cracked on a BYOB for our anniversary. I'm not a fan of having to remember to hit the liquor store before going out to dinner. I'll gladly pay the extra for someone to make my drinks for me, or to sit at a bar before and after dinner. But the menu just looked so fantastic, that I didn't want to be "that guy (girl)" and deny a restaurant a chance, just because I can't get a mixed drink. When I walked in, I could immediately see why they were a BYOB. It was so tiny. Maybe 20 tables, tops, and it was extremely busy. Even at 9pm. And not having eaten since lunch (as you do, when you're saving your appetite for a hopefully tasty dinner), I was beside myself. There were NO empty tables and I was about to kick small woodland creatures if I didn't at least sit down and get some bread or something. And I envisioned everyone sitting there well past our reservation time, enjoying idle chit-chat and let's be honest, I was hallucinating. Thankfully a group of people got up from their table, and we were seated on time. Our server was very nice. She was there exactly when you needed her, but not in your face. Which is just what I look for. Someone who knows that someone is thinking of signaling you. Like spidey sense. The meals came out in a timely manner and everything moved smoothly. With other complaints about the service being slow, I almost thought it moved too fast. We were in and out in a little over an hour, which for me, was a bit off putting. Our food was all very good, and I took all of our servers suggestions. I was disappointed when they were out of the swordfish, but went with the Arctic Char per our servers recommendation, and it was really great. The appetizer of the night, was a pheasant and shittake stuffed crepe that was to die for. I could have had four of those and called it a night. The only thing I wasn't impressed with was the "token lava cake" as my dessert. It wasn't as flavorful, but truthfully, can we be honest here? I'm kind of over lava cake. It's overplayed now. Let's move onto something else, please. I should have gone with my original plan of the white chocolate mousse. Ah, well, there's always next time. And there will be a next time. Sola is a great little place, with fantastic food. My only reason for not giving it five stars, is that's it's a BYOB, but more because it's so small, and so cramped that it was too loud to have an intimate conversation. Half the time, my husband couldn't hear what I was saying. Maybe we'll hit it up on a weeknight, so there's a chance it will be less crowded. Oh, and if you're considering this place, even on a weeknight, I strongly advise you to make reservations.
(4)Julie S.
Came here with friends a few weeks ago. We had a lovely meal from start to finish. Everything we ordered was delicious. The food, service, and ambiance were great. I cannot wait to return.
(4)Julie M.
Sola was EXCELLENT! I can't wait to go back. I'm glad I used Yelp! to find them. What a great find.
(5)Shawn N.
Spectacular is the only word superfluous enough to describe the food at Sola. This intimate li'l BYOB in Bryn Mawr is worth it's price in gold. Portions are humongous! The best shortribs I have ever had, BAR NONE and a portion the size of a soup bowl!! I have never in my life seen a shortrib serving this large, was the first time I had to take a portion to go. The scallops are fabulous, generously sized and garlicky, delicious. The crab duo was wonderful-especially loved the tempura battered softshell, and the jersey white corn soup with lobster was absolutely to die for; melt in your mouth good. Make sure you share with your dining partner(s) because you will want to try everything at Sola, I can't imagine having a bad meal here. Ohh and I almost forgot, the desserts, SINFULLY delicious, but unfortunately I'm eating healthy so I just had a small bite of the chocolate gateau. The trio of creme brulee sounded great as well, with traditional vanilla, nutella (wow, interesting), and ginger. The service was great, very attentive, and the presentation, simply beautiful. Book your reservation for Sola now, you won't be disappointed.
(5)Vicki T.
Sola is consistently great, with service being greatly improved over the past year. I especially love the Duo of Crab appetizer-tremendous. Beet salad is also wonderful.
(5)A B.
I took my fiancee to Sola for her birthday last year and it was fantastic. We went back this past weekend for our anniversary and it was even better. We don't go out to places like this very often, but when we do, we're happy a special place like Sola exists. During this past visit we shared an octopus appetizer and we both got short ribs for our entree. Everything was absolutely perfect. The chef's amuse bouche was amazing too. The food at Sola transcends normal dining IMO. It becomes a taste experience where you taste flavors that your palette isn't used to which are melded together expertly. It's well worth the money and the BYO aspect is great. My only possible complaint is that one of the servers (dark-haired guy) we had the first time had an attitude which just doesn't match the atmosphere here. This past visit, we had a sweet girl who was fantastic. With the exception of the one male server, this is an intimate, food-centric place with excellent staff and amazing food.
(5)LawVick L.
I go to Sola about 2-3 times a year. Went back at the end of 2012 and noticed the staff has all changed. Didn't really pay too much attention but I realized the food just doesn't pack the same punch as before, they were delicious but it lacked something. Went home and googled a bit and discovered that it has changed hands since mid 2012 (perhaps June). Perhaps I had a off night. I will try again perhaps. I hope they can keep it at the same calibre, it was indeed a gem in the area.
(3)Tiffany H.
Sola always delivers. Everytime I've dined here I've had to stop myself from licking the plate clean. Though I think rather than stares, the other patrons would knowingly give a wink. This could be the best restaurant outside of Center City. THANK YOU Sola for the consistent excellence in the burbs. And I'll seriously try to refrain from the plate licking...
(5)Matt B.
Nice birthday dinner for daughter's 25th. Parking can be an issue.
(4)Percy N.
Was there a few months ago on a weekday and though we were the first patrons in the restaurant for an early dinner, it got full shortly after that. Don't remember everything we had, but the crab duo (soft shell and crab salad) and sea bass with baby asparagus stood out. Food and service were very good and the $2 corkage makes this a very good deal.
(4)Dale M.
My wife and I had a wonderful meal at Sola last night. It was our second time dining here. The ambience is great...it a cozy little BYOB spot with attentive service and delicious food. We began with the octopus appetizer, although we were hesitant. We enjoy calamari and are adventurous, so we took the plunge based on previous rave reviews for the octopus. It was absolutely delicious. I ordered the pork and she ordered the halibut....both were outstanding. I liked that the pork was served two ways to add a bit of variety to the palette. The portions are small, which meant dessert was on the card. We had the warm chocolate gateau with dulce de leche ice cream. It was sinful. It took extra time to get our dessert, so they gave use our cappuccinos on the house. We did it complain, but thought that was a nice gesture. Overall it was top notch and we can't wait to return.
(5)Matt M.
Great food. Atmosphere is a little too quiet even when place is full but for good food you can deal with it!
(4)Robert H.
We thoroughly enjoyed dinner for two on a Tuesday night, even though the bill totaled $55/pp for BYOB. Our service was near perfect: attentive but not at all pushy. The food was absolutely outstanding - particularly the foie gras appetizer, sweetbreads appetizer, and espresso braised short rib & flat iron entree. The chocolate gateau was simply decadent. The decor is distinctly upscale and slightly old world - which is ironic for a "contemporary American" establishment. Somehow it still feels right; perhaps a testament to what is really important. Disclaimer- The space is a bit small, as some other reviewers have said. We were lucky to be there when only 60% full... I can see that weekends may be a little more tight, rushed, and loud.
(5)Chad T.
In the five months since my wife and I moved from Philadelphia to the 'burbs we haven't found any restaurants in our new neighborhood that could stand up to comparison with old-favorite BYOBs like Melograno or Matyson. Bottom-line: Sola's chef uses top-quality ingredients to put together innovative dishes that taste every bit as good as they look. _______________ First-off, any restaurant that surprises me with an amuse bouche is going to put a smile on my face. Sola served a smoked mussel that a friend of mine described as "covered with goodness, with a little more goodness on top." It woke up my mouth and provided an interesting contrast to the syrah we were drinking. I started with the oyster sampler (four oysters paired with complimentary flavors-- a Cape May Salt with a fresh diced tomatoes and salsa, a Oregon Kumamoto with sweet uni and blood orange juice, a Connecticut oyster with caviar and a foie gras reduction, and one more that escapes me). While the pairings somewhat overpowered the oysters' individual characters, the flavor experiment was a lot of fun and each preparation came together nicely. The oysters were each presented on a bed of seaweed salad-- nice touch. My entree was roast New Zealand rack of lamb served over pureed, stewed fennel (mashed potato-like) edged with a diced tomato salsa. The cut was generous with the extraneous fat trimmed so only the moist, tender medallions remained. There was a bed of what appeared to be an apricot preparation that served as an occasionally sweet change from the comfort-food paring of lamb and fennel. For dessert we shared a mini homemade pumpkin cheesecake that was creamy and perfectly spiced. Entrees at Sola are priced from the low $20s to the mid $30s, but the quality merits or exceeds the price. Corkage is $2 per bottle and is justified by the restaurant's nice stemware. Having already over-indulged in my description, I might as well mention the tableware-- it is all beautiful. Whoever is buying the utensils (the butter knives!), the dishware, the wine glasses and even the sugar vessels is spending a lot of money to establish Sola's ambiance. They've done a great job and it really adds to the experience. I've taken a star away because my wife's duck entree-- which was, again, a great cut beautifully presented-- was far, far too rare. I would have sent it back, but my wife chose not to. That aside, our weekend house-guests really enjoy their meals, and Sola left us all with full bellies and big smiles on our faces. We'll be back!
(4)Brian M.
Bottomline: One of the Philadelphia burbs' best restaurants. I been on a number of occasions and have enjoyed the food and service each time. Sola is tiny. I mean tiny. So a reservation is a must and until the economic downturn, hard to get. The decor is pleasant but not over-the-top. Sola is a BOYB, a plus to my mind. When I call for the reservation, I ask about the seasonal menu and chose a wine accordingly or just take a utilitarian red and white along. The corking fee is $2 or $3. The food in my experience is superb. It is very seasonal, creative and the portions are reasonable. Entrees range from $25-35, starters $8-18, and desserts are $10 or under. The quality and preparation warrant the prices.
(5)Ryan B.
Great food and great service. I had a wonderful meal, definitely recommend the Lamb Two Ways. I also really liked the Duo of Crab appetizer. And of course being a BYOB with such a minimal corkage fee makes this place amazing.
(4)