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Categories: American (New), Wine Bars, Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
Neighborhood: North ParkMon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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I have to say my expectations were pretty high -- we've been putting off going here ever since they opened for some reason, and finally got around to having dinner. I'm pleased to say Urban Solace completely exceeded all of them. I would say Urban Solace is kind of like a more accessible Prado as far as dining experience and food quality go.
Service was spectacular. First we had a reservation for 10pm and asked if we could be seated earlier -- we were accommodated without any problems. My wife was offered several soft drink refills. I ordered a cup of coffee - they serve Cafe Moto, and it was presented with all of the accouterments - raw sugar cubes, cream, etc.
Food was in a word -- indulgent! Very tasty, fresh and the flavors in each dish are very complex but complementary.
We started off with the Goat Cheese/Butternut Squash dip. Awesome! The butternut squash is the perfect sweetness to the tartness of the goat cheese and the toasted pine nuts add some good texture. It came with baguette and flatbread crackers.
We ordered a single cheese biscuit just to try. Another great item. It comes with a butter that tastes like it has an infusion of orange peel. The biscuit melts in your mouth.
For my main entree I ordered the Grilled Cheese, mostly because I wanted to try the Tomato Fennel soup and Sweet Potato Fries. The grilled cheese was on a big soft fluffy Texas Toast bread and was light and paired well with the soup for dipping. It was different from most other grilled cheeses I've had - most that are pan fried in butter on sourdough. This was definitely way less greasy but still filling. My wife got the half Jidori Salt & Lemon Chicken which was just added to their menu within the last week. Very moist and the flavor was marinated throughout the whole chicken. It came with a side of au gratin potatoes and grilled brussel sprouts.
Food quantity was surprising -- after finishing the appetizers, we were both only able to eat about half of our main entrees, which was disappointing because the dessert menu looked great too. It would be easy to order a few appetizers and split a main dish.
They have an extensive wine list, and carry a lot of local beers (even have Miller High Life and PBR).
Atmosphere is kind of romantic and eclectic. Dimly lit -- a kind of art gallery/industrial feel to it.
Overall I highly recommend Urban Solace, and think you probably couldn't go wrong with anything on the menu.
Happy Birthday to me!
Happy Birthday to Sara!
Sara & I decided to go out for birthday happy hour (my b-day was the 1st & hers was the 12th) but it soon turned into dinner plans. Sara has raved about US so I suggested we go there. She was all too happy to comply with my request. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR it was good!! That's what I'm talking about people!!
Let's talk about the people.....
Tony - you are a God. Your service was impeccable and I loved everything you suggested. Sara thinks I licked your arm, please tell her I only kissed it. The food was so good, I wanted to punch you in the face so be happy with a kiss...or a lick.
Matt- came by to see if everything was OK. I could have punched him too but I didn't. Partly because I couldn't raise my arm that high without causing my over-full stomach to shift into one of my other internal organs. Partly because he was just a nice guy, he didn't deserve that kind of behavior.
Shall we talk about the food, glorious food, now? OK, here we go....
Goat cheese & butternut squash dip- spank me and call me Shirley!! That was some molten deliciousness. I saw another reviewer say it was perfect for their party of 4. FOUR?? Man, have you lost your mind? Next time, I'm not sharing, I'm ordering a WHOLE one for myself. I need to figure out how to make that myself.
Sweet potato fries- holy cannoli those are the best fries I've ever ever ever eaten. Not soggy, not overdone, not too salty, just perfect! I will also order my own serving next time and ask for extra sauce. Do you see where this is going?
Mac-n-cheese (no bacon, no duck)- out of 5 stars, I give this MnC 4.9 stars. The only thing keeping it from being perfect is the tomatoes. I'm not keen on tomatoes for some reason. Diced tomatoes, I'm fine. Cooked tomatoes, I'm great. Half grape tomatoes, ewww. Call me a freak, I know. Did those tomatoes stop me from eating it? Hell no, I just had to slow down a bit to push them aside. Hmmm, maybe the tomatoes are good for me, slows down my eating. Sara & I shared this but again, no sharing next time. I'll get the side order and go to town on it.
Chicken & dumplings- really really good! I didn't say great just because my grandmother made the best C&D ever. Once you've had perfection, it's hard for anyone to come close. I'd probably add another "really" in there if they bumped up the number of dumplings. 3? 3 small ones? Come on!! I also shared this with Sara and luckily I got 2 of the 3 but it still wasn't enough. I'm a dumpling-in-every-bite kinda girl. Probably won't order this again but that doesn't mean something fabulous won't take its place.
Tomato-fennel soup- Sara said it was delicious. I didn't try it but next time I might go for the grilled cheese so I can get the soup AND the fries. Mmmmmmmmmm
Urban tea- if I could marry alcohol, I'd marry sweet tea vodka. Love that stuff. Their mix of sweet tea vodka and housemade lemonade was what lured me into falling in love with US. I could see myself downing 10 of those but did I? Nope, needed to save room for all that food.
"Should I order the pot de creme?" probably popped into my head a hundred times. Did I do it? Unfortunately not. Tony gave us ice cream with chocolate sauce for our birthday dessert and that was all I could fit into my body at that time. It's bad enough that I had to go home and dig out the XL pajama pants. Next time, I promise. I love that salty/sweet thing.
Next time I will order my own plate of everything. Oh dear lord, I feel a food coma coming on just thinking about it. It was that good. When you dream about swimming in a pool filled with goat cheese and butternut squash dip, it's hard to refrain. Call me weak. Weak but happy!
I am so thankful to my hosts, not only for allowing me to darken their doorstep, but also for taking me to fabulous dining places like Urban Solace. This was excellent meal number 5.
Urban Solace is a great location, with cool decor and a fun outside patio. The bar is neat, with plenty of seating. The service was fantastic and friendly.
I'm usually pretty picky about what's on menus, and am often only lukewarm about my choices. But not the case here. I had a very hard time deciding what to have. I finally decided on the tomato fennel soup and the wedge salad. I haven't had a good wedge in years and this one was perfect. Not al doused in ranch and bacos. This had homemade blue cheese, pickled onions and candied pecans. It was spectacular. The soup was velvety and creamy, perfect flavor. It went great with my glass of grenache blanc (they have an awesome list of wines by the glass too!).
Now I struggled with not getting the sweet potato fries. I love sweet potato fries and these looked so wonderful passing by en route to another table. But alas, I couldn't do it. I had to save room for dessert.
And OH MY GOSH am I glad I did. My cousin and I split a piece of the "Not so Red" Velvet Cake. It was heaven. That cream cheese frosting was perfect and a wonderful combo for the moist and delicious cake. I think I ate most of it so I hope the cuz won't hold that against me.
Overall, I really liked Urban Solace. Reasonable prices, great food, good service and a nice wine list (beer and cocktails too). I would definitely come back here if I make it back to the west coast.
Your cheesy biscuits with butter make my soul happy.
Comfort food at it's finest!
This is one of my favorite places in San Diego. One word: yum.
I'm a huge fan of their Bluegrass Brunch. Apparently, so is everyone else in town: show up early, because within an hour of opening, there'll be a line down the street. The biscuits and gravy is a little bland, but everything else is delicious.
The boyfriend and I went for dinner last night, and dinner was even better than brunch. We sat at the bar, and Taylor, their incredibly capable bartender, was terrific. We shared a few plates: homemade sweet potato fries with maytag dressing, beef cheeks with whipped potatoes and smoked tomato compote, and pulled jidori chicken with tender dumplings and thick gravy. I swear, I sat there eating the gravy with a spoon. Matt, the executive chef, came out to check on us and to chat with us about the new winter menu...you've got to love a restaurant that cares so much about what the patrons think.
Urban Solace is amazing. Hands down. Friendly, unpretentious, gourmet comfort food. I'm all about it.
In all fairness to Urban Solace, had I written this review six months ago, I would have given the place 4 stars. However, I'm writing this review now and the lack of customer service, rudeness with which we were treated and how they almost ruined my wedding night dinner (thank you RITUAL TAVERN for saving the day... you rock) is more than enough for me to know that I don't plan on going back anytime in the near future)!
My now husband and I decided to get married and wanted to have something very small, intimate and low key. We had a friend get ordained online, my best friend served as maid of honor and my husband's best friend as his best man, add a couple more close friends and the wedding party was complete (all ten of us). We decided we wanted to go out to dinner somewhere nice and in our neighborhood and thought Urban Solace would be a good choice as we had previously been happy with meals there (and had a couple date nights there)! My MOH (maid of honor... SHE ROCKS) called Urban Solace, explained the situation and asked if it would be possible to get an 8:30/9:00pm reservation on Saturday night (with a week's notice). Now, I realize that they don't do reservations for parties larger than 8 on a Saturday night but we were clearly going to be a second seating for the table (we wanted to come in late enough to give them the time to turn the table over and make money off our table before we came in). My MOH was rudely told, "NO, PERIOD! If you want to come in for whatever reason (she had told them it was a wedding and guaranteed big $$$$$), they would only accomodate us at two separate tables." When she asked to speak with a manager to see if there was any way around the "rules" and to explain that we would be a second seating at the table we wanted, we were only two over the max allowed people in a reservation and we were planning on spending good money as this was a celebration, she was told to not bother because no one in the place was going to budge! The rules were the rules and that was that!
I understand that rules are rules, but isn't this a case off cutting of your nose to spite your face? You denied us because of TWO extra people (and we wanted to eat at 8:30/9pm-ish). It would have been one thing if anyone in the restaurant had been nice at all, but that wasn't the case!
As a result of how we were treated by Urban Solace, we called Mike and Staci at Ritual who bent over backwards to make a gorgeous night for us (on one weeks notice). And Ritual is just as busy as Urban Solace on a Saturday night and has half the room, yet somehow they were able to accomodate us and as a result scored the $700 bill, rave reviews and a special place in my heart!
This poor customer service on Urban Solace's part left a bad taste in my mouth and in the mouths of my wedding guests. Shame on you Urban Solace, you lost a BIG bill, lots of great repeat customers and my respect!
When my favoritest person in the whole wide world was having his birthday, I knew that a special-occasion dinner was going to be on the agenda. We both love dining out in comfy and unpretentious places, so I knew that a white-tablecloth black-tie restaurant was not an option. Based on what I had read and heard (on Yelp and elsewhere), I thought Urban Solace would be a good choice. I knew this place gets busy, so I made reservations for 2 for 9:00pm on Friday night. I'm very glad that I did, because the restaurant was packed solid when we arrived. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait at all to be seated, thanks to the prompt and accommodating hostess.
The restaurant is quaint and charming, with a vintage look that evokes a hybrid of San Diego and New Orleans. There are two sections, an indoor dining and a spacious outdoor patio. Both are lovely, but I'm definitely a sucker for cute outdoor patios. Once we were seated, our friendly and attentive server dropped by to take our orders.
We began dinner by having cocktails. He had a Sapphire and tonic, while I had the Ginger Splash cocktail. The Sapphire and tonic was a generous pour and tasted fantastic. My Ginger Splash, however, was even better. It had Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, ginger ale, and a few other tasty ingredients that I can't remember. The drink was so refreshing and smooth, yet I could tell that it was very strong as well.
Alongside the cocktails, we shared an appetizer of sweet potato fries with blue cheese/buttermilk dressing. These were easily the best sweet potato fries that I ever had. Sweet and salty, perfectly crunchy, and not at all greasy -- exactly what sweet potato fries should be. The blue cheese dressing was also delicious and packed with flavor. We were practically licking the bottom of the little ramekin that it was served in.
For the main course, I had the duckaroni, which was one of the most sinfully delicious dishes I've ever tasted. Macaroni, blue cheese, duck confit, and a few other things were all baked together and served piping hot with a slightly crispy crust. Since it was probably the best mac-n-cheese that I ever had, I forced myself to eat slowly and not inhale it -- it was just that yummy. I also forced myself to suppress the knowledge that it probably had something like 10,000 calories.
The birthday boy had the Jidori half-chicken, which was served with potato gratin and Brussels sprouts. This chicken was so juicy and loaded with flavor. It had a lemon/salt crust, which gave it a pleasant citrus-y taste. The potato gratin was rich and perfectly cooked, and the Brussels sprouts were a nice, comparatively light contrast to the rest of the dish. We both loved each of our entrees, so ultimately we couldn't decide who made the better choice. We concluded that you can't go wrong when ordering an entree here.
For dessert, we shared the pear/almond bread pudding, which was served with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. As much as I loved the sweet potato fries and the duckaroni, this might have been the highlight of the night. The bread pudding was superbly sweet and smooth, and the ice cream was the perfect refresher. The bread pudding was all gone in seconds. (Have you noticed the recurring theme of us inhaling our food like a pair of second-graders?)
Urban Solace provided one of the finest and most relaxing dinners that I ever had, and both the birthday boy and I left the restaurant extremely happy. As we were leaving, we had a brief chat with manager, Debbie, and we were able to thank her for the wonderful dinner and service that her restaurant provided. I can't wait to come back...but I definitely plan on hitting the gym first...now where's that elliptical? ;)
Upon entering, and taking a look around the area, I was a tad worried about what was to come. Our friends explained to me that North Park was the new, little hipster town (but then again, everything kinda is nowadays), they said this place had good comfort food, but I always walk in weary when I go to a new place. I was expecting half the menu to be vegan, or tasteless, or overpriced. I found none of these things.
The inside of the restaurant is actually quite roomy, not too many tables inside and the dining experience is very cozy. We started with a bottle of wine, and I also had a Maker's Mark Mojito (one of the drinks on their cocktail list, very good!), and we ordered the butternut squash/goat cheese dip. I was a little worried that they were going to go a bit overboard with the goat cheese, but they got it practically perfect, my goodness, this stuff was amazing. There was a perfect portion of it for four of us, but I just couldn't get enough.
For my main course I had the lamb and fig meatloaf served atop some mashed potatoes and vegetables. I really don't like meatloaf, I don't, but everytime I see it on a menu I order it because I want to give it a second chance and see if that restaurant can change my mind. Urban Solace changed my mind on meatloaf, this dish was amazing. Again, there was just the right amount of food on my plate, but I still could not get enough. My boyfriend ordered the beef cheeks, he said they were really good, but I didn't get to try them because I was in meatloaf land and I was not to be disturbed.
But the best, by far the best, thing I put in my mouth that night had to have been the "Duckaroni." Silly name, yes, but this dish is not foolin' around, folks. Elbow macaroni with duck confit, bleu cheese, roasted garlic, and arugula.......party in my mouth. I had a side of it, which was more than enough; they offer this as an entree portion too, but it's so hearty and rich I don't know what I would do with myself if I had ordered an entire bowl of this.
Dessert was heralded by a chocolate/hazelnut/cream cheese sundae with a cappuccino, which was also wonderful from beginning to end.
I was so content with my meal when we left, comfort food indeed, and I will definitely make it a point to come here every time I am in the area from now on.
Plus the facade of the restaurant is a plantation house, so pretty.
Ordered take-out on a weekday night and after my experience the 3 stars is generous. Butternut squash dip, hamburger, chicken and dumplings all tasted fine, but my stomach did not as the night wore on. My entree (chicken) gave me food poisoning and I was sick all night long. I have always liked this place, but it's going to take a lot for me to have confidence in them again after my horrible experience.
**Update to original review**
Came here again last night (1/4) to try the regular menu. Since they…
Read more »
We've been here couple times for dinner and brunch with the bf's parents. What a fabulous restaurant in North Park! I couldn't resist walking in here immediately when I first saw it. The exterior has a charming European flare that it really stands out on the street. The inside of the restaurant is cozy, but if you're coming in for lunch / brunch, go for the patio (especially for Sunday because they have live music outside which is quiet nice).
The food selection is eclectic and delicious. You HAVE HAVE HAVE to get the sweet potatoes fries. The bf cannot get enough of their sweet potatos fries..he devours his and my portions everytime we come here. For dinner, I got the beef cheeks, and the bf got the chicken dumplings. The dumplings were good but a little heavy but the beef cheeks were surprisingly good! The beef was cooked so well and melts right in my mouth. For brunch, we got the Monte Diego and Portebello Benedict. They tasted okay. I have my eye on the duck confit and pork loin for next time...
Service here is also nice and the food comes out quick. Our servers were really chill and gave us great drink recommendations to go along with our food. One tiny thoughtful gesture that I noticed stood out to me was, they label your leftover boxes with the dish name and date so you will remember what you had and when you should throw it out in case if you forget to eat it.
I have to take off one star because, as usual, with great food comes with one major sacrifice..CROWD. Everytime when I come here, I have to wait (even at 2:30pm) which I think is a good thing because it shows how much everyone loves this place. Since they do not take reservations, one trick you can do to shorten your waiting time is to give then a call ahead of time to put your name / number on the waiting list right right before you leave. I tried it and it works out great! Also, since it's North Park, parking is another inconvenience. So walking and comfortable footwear may be necessary.
The wonderful building and exterior are what initially enticed me to try Urban Solace. The place definitely adds some charm and personality to the area and brings some diversity to the North Park dining scene. However, I found the quality of food offered by Urban Solace to be below average and therefore I give it two stars. I do this with great sadness because I really, really wanted to like this place. I was expecting the food to be either authentic Southern food, or traditional Southern with a unique twist. It was neither. My family is from the South, so I am familiar with what good Southern food should be. I ordered the Chicken and Dumplings, which were substandard to what I have had before. In fact, the dumplings were a bit too doughey and even tasted a little raw. I believe this was probably the worst chicken and dumplings I've had.
My friend ordered the New York strip steak, which I also tried. While it was definitely better than my dish, the steak was extremely tough (the kind of tough where you have to saw like a lumberjack to cut through it, then chew for 5 minutes before swallowing).
One good point about this restaurant is the service. Our server was attentive and thorough and that is appreciated. However the food was way below average and certainly not worth the price. The food was something I would expect from one of those corporate restaurants, such as Applebees. I hope that Urban Solace recognizes its potential and brings its food up to a standard that is as enticing as the exterior of its building.
If you like melt in your mouth type of meat and aren't afraid of a little fat (it's not worth it to try and eat around the fat this time!) get the Braised Beef Cheeks. You won't be disappointed!!
This place is a combination of classy, unpretentious, comfort... good food with great service. As… Read more »
We arrived at 2 PM for the Bluegrass Brunch menu and were seated at a patio table within 5 minutes. The patio is mostly shaded and not particularly breezy. A bearded trio strumming guitar-like instruments was producing very pleasant music at near-perfect dining volume. I found the bloody mary better than average and the biscuits and gravy outstanding. Had a taste of the pork-belly dish, the fried-egg-blt sandwich, and the sweet potato fries. Honestly, I was so focused on my biscuits that I cannot accurately recall the quality of those bites, but I'm pretty sure they were good. Service was excellent - friendly, attentive, not rushed. I was relaxed from greeting to bill. Looking forward to my next visit.
I really went back and forth between giving 3 or 4 stars on this one.
It's a nice looking restaurant with dim lights and contemporary stylings. The first time we ate here, we had dinner on the patio which was nice. The other night it was a bit cooler so we opted to sit indoors, which we soon found to be a mistake since the dining area inside is extremely loud... to the point where we were just about yelling to each other across the table. It's a relatively small space, but I think they would do better to somehow partition off the bar area in order to block some of the noise since I think a lot of it was coming from there, and to counter-act that, people in the dining area had to raise their voices as well.
The food that we had was good, but everything we got was verrrrry rich & heavy. We split a salad that was literally covered in gorgonzola cheese (normally restaurants seem to go too light when adding cheese to salads, but U.S. might want to ease up a bit), then shared cheese biscuits that were tasty but very dense (In my opinion, the orange honey butter that accompanied them was kind of a nasty taste combo when paired with a cheese biscuit, though), then went on to have the duckaroni (mac & cheese with duck confit) which was, once again, very good... but after about 5 bites it felt as if I had a brick sitting in my stomach.
The heaviness of the meal as a whole was probably my own oversight since I was picking things out individually and not really thinking about the consequence of one thing right after another... but on the other hand, a lot of the other items on the menu seemed to be equally rich and heavy, so it might have happened with many of the appetizer/entree combinations.
On the plus side, our server was very friendly and attentive, and even the manager of the establishment stopped by the table to see how things were.
I'd give this about 4.5 if I could. Great food, great ambiance and the right prices. Since it's in NP parking is easy. Had a wonderful meal and several drinks and dinner for 2 was still well under $100. Not many fine dining places left in the city where you can have a nice date and not pay an arm and a leg. Right next to several bars so after a good meal stroll on over to the watering hole of your choice and keep the night going. Definitely didn't feel like a typical SD eatery. Has more of a SF vibe to it. Very cool and hip w/o being pretentious. Sounds like NP in a nutshell.
Another in the now-ubiquitous upscale comfort food category, Urban Solace is a competent entry. We're delighted that the beef and fish are sustainable and the beef especially is 100% vegetarian-fed (no mad cow for us), but disappointed in the end result: the burgers and steaks are not worth the trip.
The kitchen does much better if you stick to the classic comfort food items. My companion loved the grilled cheese sandwich, oozing flavorful, good-quality cheese and juicy tomato, between thick slabs of oily bread. We polished off the side of sweet potato fries (which are much better if you can get your server to bring some of the blue-cheese/buttermilk dressing).
My tuna chop-chop, while outside the comfort-food category, was nicely executed, diced tuna with avocado, spicy pine nuts. The tomato-basil soup was creamy and tomatoey.
We also split an order of the lamb riblets, which are amazingly good. With a smokey barbecue sauce and fall-off-the-bone tender meat, these are a must-try item.
None of the main courses sounded interesting, but we were more than fine with the sandwich, chop-chop, fries, lamb, and soups.
Came here with my girlfriends a few months ago. Shame on me for waiting so long to review.
We started out with the sweet potato fries (yum!) and cheese plate (some were yum!). My friend and I split a burger and the mac n' cheese. We added mushrooms to the burger of course, which cost an extra $2. Both items were fantastic.
As for drinks, I got the Solace Sangria, which was a bit weird to me because of the tequila in it. I also got Sweet Urban Tea. Both were very good, just a little different from the norm, but I think different is always a good thing though.
For dessert, I got a tart which was okay and my friend got pot de creme. I had no idea what the heck pot de creme was. Obviously the literal translation to pot of creme should have given me a hint. It was quite delicious.
The ambiance of Urban Solace is great; it's a very cute place. The only problem we had was we were sitting near the front when the sun was going down and we were being blinded. We could have asked to move elsewhere, but we were too lazy.
The patio is the best place to be on a warm summer evening! Grab a table an hour or so before sunset, ask for a glass of white wine, and order the cheese plate. They serve up three different type of cheese with honey, apple slices, and some spiced pecans that are incredibly addictive.
My husband swears by the grilled cheese with the tomato-fennel soup, but I recommend the pulled chicken and buttermilk dumplings. I don't know if the chef was having an "off" night when I ordered the braised beef cheeks (on my waiter's recommendaton) but they were WAAAY salty. I think I'll stay away from them, just to be safe. Hence, the 4 stars instead of 5.
But the cheese plate is a definite plus. Based on some of the feedback on brunch, I don't know if I'll make a morning stop any time soon.
Tired and hungry after a long day at work, I just wanted to get away from the busy hectic world. Too often, I feel like this every day after work.
So one of my friends introduced to me this place one evening and what were my first impressions?
Quaint, sophisticated, and soothing--hidden away in a redeveloping old neighborhood known as North Park.
It was exactly what I needed to get away from the busy and crazy atmosphere at work. For a Wednesday night, it was brought to life by a soothing jazz guitarist and dim lighting throughout the property--both indoors and out. Since I've been in the office all day long, my friends and I chose to sit outside in the patio next to the fire. It was kinda romantic between the seven of us--three guys and 4 ladies--for a reunion of close friends after months of separation due to LIFE.
Menus came and everyone's tummy were roaring for food. We all shared three appetizers--honey glazed biscuits, sweet potato fries, and the salsa dip and avocado with chips. In addition, I got my own dish of Duckoronni (about $15), which is an originally created macaroni and cheese dish with duck! It was well baked in the oven and was simply divine. Very creative as each bite had a slightly different flare of taste created by the various types of cheese that were included. I could only distinguish blue and chedder cheese, but I think there was another cheese in it too. The blue was the kicker. mmm. :P
We all ended up splitting the cost of 3 appetizers and i paid for my own entree---$25 (including tax and tip), which is pretty good for me.
I recommend this place if you want to just relax and eat with some interesting music. The service was pretty good. We had two waitresses servicing us. One of which, I assume, was being trained. If you're looking for a fun girls-night-out kind of place or a date place, this may be a cool place to check out. If you're looking for dancing and drinking place, this won't be the place for you.
I hope you enjoy the reading and may your palettes be impressed with each passing bite.
Situated in the middle of North Park, where there are a bunch or other cool place to eat a drink, Urban Solace looked like an excellent place to try.
Upon arriving I noticed a dimly lit restaurant with a decent sized crowd. The place the busy but felt relaxing. Having seen the menu prior, I already had an idea of somethings I wanted to try. The menu is very affordable with nothing prices over $20. Wines by the glass are also pretty cheap between $7-$14 l believe.
The food was good but nothing was spectacular. My biggest gripe would be the food temperature. Both our Monte Diego and Steak special came out on just the warmish side.
Our waiter did provide excellent service which is why I'd consider this more of a 3.5 star experience. However the overall food experience left more to be desired so I find it an unlikely place I'd come back to.
Went here on a Thursday night to meet up with a group of high school friends. The place was bustling & full, but we only had to wait 15 minutes without a reservation. The ambiance is nice, the hostess/waitress very friendly. Service was a little slow. Though it could be me, not them, as I just moved to San Diego from New York, so in general life is a bit more laid back here.
Now for the food! We started out with the Famous Warm Cheese Biscuits with Orange-Honey Butter. The waitress suggested two main dishes, the Braised Beef Cheeks and the Duckaroni. My friend and I ordered one of each and went splitcies.
Famous Warn Cheese Biscuits with Orange-Honey Butter ($4.50) :: It was a great dish to start. Extra plus for our group was that it comes with 5 pieces - perfect for the group of 5 I was with.
Braised Beef Cheeks ($16.75) :: AMAZING - I loved the combination of the tenderness of the meat mixed with the sweetness of the tomato Jam, and the Sweet Potato Mash was a great compliment. Definitely a great twist to the traditional mashed potato: I scrapped my dish clean.
Duckaroni ($15.75) :: I would split my experience of this dish into 2 - my first few bites, vs. every subsequent bite after that. The first few bites of this mac & cheese "adult" style with blue cheese, duck confit, garlic, arugula and scallion made my tastebuds very satisfied. But be warned that the dish is RICH and heavy, mainly as a result of the cheese, so I couldn't eat too much after that. In the future I would suggest getting a side order ($8) for the table to share.
Overall experience was great and I would definitely come here again as there are a few more dishes that I eyed at my surrounding tables that I would like to try next time.
I was in San Diego for a convention...and had a friend take me to a "locals spot"...she took me here and I was impressed by the staff!
The food was tasty...yummy sides and great wine at reasonable prices...
but what I liked most was that my friend and I were allowed to sit and take up a table for a while...for as long as we wanted really. The staff came to serve us with class and when they would see we had lots to talk about, I never felt pushed to get up or leave at any time.
How refreshing to find a popular spot with staff that makes you feel comfortable. When I'm in the area, I'm totally comin' back!
We have been going to Urban Solace for over a year and have yet to have a bad meal.
This is our go to place for dinner or lunch. We'll talk about trying somewhere else, but then revert back to Urban since we know exactly what to expect and have never been disappointed.
Service has always been great, especially Charles, Summer, Kemper & Deb. The restaurant can get very busy on the weekends and during the evening rush, but being from the East coast, we usually eat dinner before 6PM, so we usually may only wait a few minutes for a table.
Co-owner Scott has always been friendly and is glad to answer any questions you may have about the menu.
The grilled cheese is great with sweet potato fries and a cup of tomato soup with creme fraiche. The Monte Diego sandwich is a favorite as well. The mac & cheese is very unique with tomatoes and bacon. The beef cheeks are wonderful and taste like short ribs. It took a year for me to get beyond the fact they were the actual cheeks of the cow, but I am glad I tried them!
The not so red velvet cake is great to share and a Maker's Mojito replaces the standard rum in a mojito with Maker's Mark instead.
We take all our out of town visitors to Urban, and everyone gives it rave reviews.
We know that we can always count on good food, good service and a good time when we visit Urban Solace.
The decor in this restaurant is amazing, as well as the service. We ate at the bar, the napkins the bartender laid down as a place setting was a nice touch.
I had the grilled four-cheese sandwich with tomato-fennel soup. The sandwich was good, but greasy. The tomato-fennel soup was at room temp. The sweet potato fries were overdone and cold, a perplexing combination.
Expensive. The bartender was proud to talk up the Bloody Mary mix that he himself created,and it was a fine Bloody Mary but for $7 maybe I expected something unique. Bloody Marys are a tough thing to pin down, they vary so much regionally and everybody has their special ingredient list.
Go please and check it out for yourself, I may have caught them on a bad day. I do like that a restaurant of this style exists in North Park, and I would support them by coming back and giving it another shot. It's a nice escape from the world of 30th St, which can be kind of scummy sometimes.
Usually a reliable place but brunch this morning has changed my opinion.
Took 45 minutes to get seated when the hostess said it would be 10. They seated many larger parties that came later just to use the larger table while leaving couples to wait.
Their menu is getting stale too. It's the same old stuff with no variation.
Even though this place is close to my home, I think Im about done with it.
My first time in North Park treated me to a delicious lunch at Urban Solace. Known for its new American comfort food, I was looking forward to a contemporary spin on classics such as the Monte Cristo (known here as the Monte Diego) and mac n' cheese. Although I still proclaim Mama's (San Francisco) as the cream of the crop for Monte Cristo sandwiches, the Monte Diego is a pleasant alternative. The fontina cheese and the strawberry-currant jelly were wonderfully delicious. However, I was not a big fan of the crunchy grilled pears.
The star of the meal was the mac 'n cheese. Not wanting to overeat, we ended up ordering the side portion, which was a mistake. It was some of the best mac 'n cheese I've ever had. The cheese was perfectly mild with smokey bacon sprinkled throughout the creamy goodness. We opted for this side over the duckaroni to avoid the blue cheese and goat cheese, although duck confit does sound pretty appetizing in a mac n' cheese.
The service was also quite impressive. Iris C. ordered the roasted porkloin sandwich and asked for no mustard. When the server delivered it, she quickly realized that there was mustard and even though she had already brought it out, she caught the mistake and returned to the kitchen so a whole new sandwich could be made. Now that is what I call impeccable service. They also make fresh lemonade, which they use for their Arnold Palmers and a drink called the Plantation, which is lemonade and pineapple juice (both of which are pretty refreshing). Urban Solace has a great atmosphere with a delicious menu. It is definitely worth trying both for a first time and return visit.
Mac N Cheese Duckaroni - hmm...salty, buttery, creamy, and cheesy...
Warm Cheese Buiscuits with Orange honey butter - a must try, even if you have to steal it from someone's table
Malbec Red wine from Monterey - definitely has a good finish to one's palate.
Crab Puff Pastry - salty and buttery.
I can only dine here once a year. Otherwise my doctor will have to prescribe me cholestrol meds..
David...we have to return here again!!!
Freaking hangover.
But eggaroni saved me.
God bless bluegrass brunch.
Urban Solace does it right.
They take a recognizeable cuisine of a recognizeable local and blend them both with local flair ... and thus pay a fitting and wonderful homage to the city and food of New Orleans while presenting it in a manner and style that has its roots in San Diego.
The first time I came here was for Meg's final Elite Event, and at the time it was amazing. The food was fabulous, the company wonderful, and the drinks were plentiful and delightfully served.
I had not been back for a while, but took a sojourn to the doors of Solace for a Sunday Brunch and I was not disappointed.
The place was packed, but the hostess and staff seemed to be very attentive to both the wait and the heat, and were continuously updating us on the status of our table.
The server was great. He was quick, witty, and playful, and knew the menu well if you wanted information on the meals.
Servings were DELICIOUS and the portions were larger than I had expected. There were heaps of food, and the Sweet Potato Fries? OH SO VERY YUMMY, as were the EBLT and Grits and Cheesey Scrambled Eggs and fruit and Mojitos!
What a wonderful getaway from the norm, and escape into a different, though somehow familiar place.
I like this place for so many reasons, the food, the wine, the warm relaxing feeling inside and the outdoor patio with an old laundromat into New Orleans style replica. The rod-iron from their buildings were restored to adorn the building The flavors are rich in and decadent in the chicken and dumplings but so worth the full belly. Another guilty pleasure would be the cheese bread with honey butter. Oh whoops I'm drooling... I haven't tried anything I didn't like there.
The only thing about this place is that the menu can change from time to time. I hear it's the chef's preference and with all due respect to the chef, it was a little disappointing when I've boasted to friends about the an awesome (and kinda rare..?) artichoke appetizer and the best sweetly glazed pork chop I've ever had only to take them there and its gone! I'd now like to know what other restaurant in town serves these dishes because I would try that place out. I am just venting, folks. People that don't travel to North Park as often or ever could find little gems of great restaurant like this and should definitely explore. Overall, it is worth checking out and deciding for yourself!
Went here for my wife's birthday. The food was excellent, but even more the staff made us feel welcomed and special. The guitarist even played happy birthday for her.
This place is awesome. A little pricey, but well worth it.
$2.50 PBR? You can't beat that with a stick. The cheesy biscuits were heavenly. My grilled cheese (with four cheeses no less) came with sweet potato fries and tomato soup all of which were tasty-tasty.
The waiters were crazy friendly. Cody was the bomb.
I'll be back for sure.
One word...Duckaroni. Holy hell. This stuff is awesome. The food is absolutely fantastic. I can't get enough of this place. San Diego needs more restaurants like this one.
I only gave it 4 stars because while I really like the decor, it feels like something is missing and parking in the area can be challenging. The service is good - not memorable, but definitely better than most places!
I love you Urban Solace!
Oh. My. God.
Seriously.
I just got home from one of the most amazing meals of my life, all thanks to Urban Solace's amazing atmosphere, service, and chef. I am still flabbergasted at the amazingness (yea that's not a word but now it's gonna be) that is Urban Solace.
But I digress, lets start from the beginning.
My good friend's grandmother loves to go out to eat but can't drive, so she asked me to take her out and to pick any restaurant I wanted, and Urban Solace was IT. We were promptly greeted by a very kind hostess, who asked if we'd prefer to be seated on the lower level so she wouldn't have to step up, very thoughtful. Cody, our amazing server, greeted us immediately but told us to take a few minutes to look over the menu before we decided on anything. He also brought us some waters without us even having to ask. He answered all of our questions, brought out all that we asked (she likes ice with her wine). He helped us pick out our dishes, which were phenomenal.
We ordered the "famous" cheese biscuits for our appetizer. Who knew that cheese biscuits could go with a honey-orange butter? Well trust me, they DO. I could NOT stop eating them. My guest even ordered some to go for her breakfast tomorrow morning, they were that good.
For my dinner, I ordered the "Not Your Mama's Meatloaf." The combination of lamb, figs, pine nuts, and feta cheese was indescribably delicious. I can't even begin to tell you, but I will try. It melted in my mouth like butter, but even better. It was served on top of potatoes, and garnished with fried onions strings. I cleaned that plate up and considered licking it, but then I remembered that I was in a nice restaurant, and I stopped.
The restaurant is beautiful: the table aren't cramped, the lighting is perfect, and the outside is just gorgeous. The owner was kind enough to thank us on our way out, and Cody was one of the best servers I've had in San Diego. All in all, I will be counting the hours until I can come back to Urban Solace.
Moving to San Diego from San Francisco, and previously New Orleans and New York before that, I have found not one restaurant of this type in San Diego. Either you pay a fortune for mediocre food, or you pay nothing for decent mexican food. Those are the culinary options in this town.
Or so I thought. Then I ate at Urban Solace. The duck mac and cheese was to die for. And the bar tender made some of the best drinks I have ever had.
This is by far the best affordable restaurant in San Diego and I can't wait to go back.
Don't know what to say. Food was OK tonight, but the service was pitiful. I expected better.
It's good food, but I'm not sure about all the 5-star ratings. I'll go here from time to time (I… Read more »
A restaurant where they tweak comfort food favorites into their own concoction. A trendy spot with homage to wine too.
My wife and I went for lunch and ordered sandwiches. They were both flavorful and unique (without going overboard). They serve an order of sweet potato fries with each sandwich, but I was disappointed with those. I prefer my fries crispier, but ours were soggy. A bit salty too.
We also tried a side of mac & cheese which was cooked perfectly, but lacked the punch from the cheeses. All in all though, prices were decent and service rocked, so I'd recommend a friend to try it.
The caveat for my review is that I've only eaten at the bar at Urban Solace. If you can find a seat, it's a nice place to eat as the bar staff is quite attentive and you have access to the full menu.
Drinks here are quite good and in the price range for specialty cocktails that you find at other restaurants ($8 - $12). The Scott is quite good for those who are fans of Manhattans and the Maker's Mark Mojito packs a nice punch.
The food is pretty tasty. The burger that I ordered was cooked nicely and is among my favorites for burgers in San Diego. It was cooked the way I wanted and left me pleasantly full without being bloated. The burger was served with sweet potato fries which were quite tasty. And best of all, the burger runs for less than $10!
The cheese biscuits are quite good though a bit salty. What makes them super delicious though is the orange-honey butter that they are served with. I could eat anything if it were covered in that butter. Delicious.
Ambiance here is very pleasant. It's upscale dining with a casual flare and there's both inside and outdoor seating. The place can be packed so on a weekend, it's best to get reservations unless you want to eat at the bar. In which case, just be patient and something will open up.
I heard about this place so many times and finally wandered in on a wednesday night. Our party of 5 was seated right away. The service was fast and friendly.
The whole menu looked delicious. Since I am vegetarian there are always limited selections wherever i go buy my options here all seemed enticing.
I ended up getting the watermelon tomato cucumber salad. It had feta and arugala as well. It was the perfect thing for a hot summer night. It was so good.
My friends had the
-Pan Roasted Black Mussels, Smoked Tomato Butter
-Sonoma Goat Cheese/Butternut Squash Dip, Cornmeal Crackers and Baguettes
as appetizers. I have never been so enticed to try mussels (prob the most vile looking food) as i have here. I was almost jealous I could not eat them.
four cheese sandwiche, house burger and pork belly were eaten by my other companians. All delicious. I had some of their sweet potato fries. OMG I always make my own or get them at natures express but these FAR surpassed anything I've ever had. SOO good.
I will definately be back to try the mac and cheese, quinoa+veggies and the sandwhich with pears cheese and jam, they all sound so amazing. im getting hungry just thinking about it. MMMM
Was there on Wednesday for lunch and have to say, I never knew how much I loved mac and cheese until I had their duckaroni.
Sweet as could be waiter and the food is always top notch.
Keep it up, you guys make me happy to eat.
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