Solaris Grille

I have been to the Solaris Grille several times, and each time, we hoped the food would improve. The decor is pleasant, and as I read in another review, it's true: you just want the food to be good. The restaurant is close to our house, and the outdoor seating is helpful, as we have a toddler. Each time we went, the food was worse than the previous visit. The vegetarian platter was full of grease: the spring rolls had nothing inside them, the fritters could nearly be wrung out from the grease, there was tasteless hummus with four chips, and I am not exactly sure what else appeared on my husband's plate. I had the Maryland crab chowder and it was overly spicy and tasteless at the same time. I sent it back. The coconut shrimp were just OK, or maybe it was the mustard sauce that saved them. We have also ordered the tuna in the past, I can't describe the taste but it was not good. The nachos are always limp and below average, at best. Service, every time we go, is ridiculously slow. Should it take 45 minutes to get a drink? The place was not full at all. There were three other tables, including ours. At least the waitress was pleasant. We will never, ever return. My husband cooks way better food than this overpriced slop. Pros: location, decor Cons: food, service more

The place was nice, the staff was pleasant but for what we ordered the bill was high. Nothing ""over the top"" flavor or food wise. Would I go back - maybe, maybe not. Pros: Tasty Cons: Nothing Unique, kind of pricy more

I thought that I would give this establishment another chance since I live down the street and pass it every day. I took my girlfriend and her mother there for sunday brunch because she had the dog with her and we could sit outside. I must say that this restaurant can only be carried by its reputation as a place to be seen. We always note that the night time crowd looks like they are from another part of the city. It certainly cannot be the service or the pretentious over priced food that was mediocre at best. I ordered an eggs benedict for 14 dollars and I got 2 eggs over poached to the point of being solid inside, half a teaspoon of Hollandaise sauce between the two, ham that was luke warm, and two dry Lenders english muffins from Super Fresh. The service was slow and we had to ask for coffee twice. My girlfreind ordered the french toast which was dry and thin and again from Super Fresh supermarket. Her mother ordered the Salmon scrambled eggs--again dry, there seems to be a shortage of water in the kitchen. This terrible meal came to a total of $70. I would recomend that people go to Chestnut Grill for better service and much much better food at better prices. I dont know how long this establishment will float along on its ""scene"" reputation but I suppose there is a fool born every minute. I also disagree with the practice of the kitchen throwing their garbage over the fence and into the public garden next door. Do not go here if you have any other choice! Pros: outside seating Cons: food,service,price more

The menu is a jumbled mix of weird 'fusion' foods. It is really just typical 'bar food' disguised with pretentious names and flavored with ingredients from the local Asian market.\r Dinner was overwhelmingly mediocre. Risotto was a blob of overcooked mush with cheap Sysco cheese and some type of equally overcooked seafood....maybe prawns.....maybe lobster.....most likely chopped up rubber. Service was ok.\r Dessert was nice.\r Thankfully we bought enough drinks and got buzzed!\r It softened the pain of paying for our meal. Pros: Tight parking Cons: Close to shopping more

I went here solo and had to eat at a 4 person table (not too fun). I ordered the risotto of the day, which was very good, a little too cheesy (heavy) but was a good mixture of flavors - asparagus, sundried tomato and spinach. The waitress was not very attentive, I was without anything to drink for half the meal (she never refilled my glass). Price was ok, was crowded outside (nice night) but not too crowded inside. Good location, so-so parking, overall a convenient place to eat something decent if you're shopping on Germantown Ave. Pros: location, diverse food Cons: service more

I brought 1 guest from Wyoming and 2 other prominent Philadelphians to the Solaris for lunch. The hostess was glad to meet us and very quickly seated us. Our waitress was pleasant, helpful and quite efficent. We enjoyed the lunches, their special burgers (great taste) and seafood kabobs. Beverage refills came immediately and my guests were very impressed. Definitely a good place to return! more

I agree that Solaris is a bit overpriced and can be noisy, especially on weekends, but it is really not that bad. The atmosphere is very nice, it's in a great location, and the crabcakes are some of the best I've had. I would give it a try. more

Ate there tonite with my brother, sister and fiance and haven't been so annoyed walking away from a dinner in months. I am working professional in the restaurant industry and if i found out that people at my restaurant had the kind of experience I had at Solaris, i'd fire my whole staff. Slow service, not enough table touches, had to repeatedly ask for refills on beverages, below average food. My fajitas weren't hot but the meat was dry and overdone (amazing), the nachos were bland and cold, the soup took 18 minutes from order to table, my fiance's tuna steak was well done and ordered med rare. the food is simple and direct but comes to the table inconsistent and unappealing. The server was unattentive, when 3 of us asked for more water, she put a pitcher down on the table and let us pour our own. 126 bucks for that. Never again. My disappointment with this experience has driven me to become a Citysearch member just so i can help others stay away....i just wrote a lot and i'm speechless...terrible Pros: outdoor seating, nice looking bar Cons: service, food and price more

It is in a cute area on Germantown Ave., but the service was slow and the food was average. Not really worth the money. Also, it was very loud which made conversation difficult. Pros: Great Neighborhood Cons: Loud, $$, slow service more

i thought the atmosphere was nice. but it was very loud as soon as i walked in. the bar tender was very nice. kudos to him. Pros: the bar, service, outdoor dining Cons: the wait, loud more

I have given Solaris several chances because the location and atmosphere are great, but I have always been disappointed with the food and service. Cons: Bad service , Below average food, Overpriced more

Yes it was a Friday night. But it wasn't *that* busy. When I see that a couple seated before us has finished their meal and is leaving before we are served our entrees... well, that's pretty slow. Our waitress made it worse by saying ""your food is coming up soon... it's like the next order up,"" and then we waited another 15 minutes. The only thing that made it worth it was the awesome calamari. Service was horrible! She said she comped us 2 beers, but only took 1 off the bill. Pros: calamari Cons: slow service, forgot silverware more

I have yet to try the food at Solaris, but the bar is nice. The bar tenders are friendly and the drinks are good for the price. I love margaritas and I'm pretty picky, but this place makes a great one. Nice ambiance. The bar can get a little noisy, due to its size and the way the room is laid out. A good place overall. Pros: good drinks, friendly bartenders, friendly clientelle more

The Valentine's Day menu was 50$ per person for the 3 course meal. I thought that was a little pricy compared to the regular menu. The service & atmosphere was good, but the Surf & Turf was a little cheap on the lobster. Pros: quick seating, great atmosphere more

By far the best place to eat in Philly is the Solaris Grille! Where else can you hear street performers sing and listen to smooth jazz 106.1 on the radio all while enjoying the fresh air and great food of Solaris Grille. The ambiance can' t be beat! more