Solterra Winery & Kitchen

Would have been a 5 but we had to sit outside, but all in all a 5 star experience

The wine was very nice, like the ½ glass order idea, the food was yummy, I will go back again soon

Cute! Has a welcoming neighborhood feel. High wine barrel tables and chairs, (only critique —there’s no room for your legs at the barrel seats! I’m only 5’2 with T-​Rex short legs, so I can only imagine the comfort for a 6.0′ man!)
I loved my entrée, I ate my entire flank steak! My girlfriends and I inhaled the cheese board and cauliflower appetizer, and I had the perfect Grenache pairing to top it off!
I’ll definitely be back, love the vibe and the flavors!

Food was meh. Not really that good at all. I ordered scallops which were the highlight of my eating. A little more sauce would be have been nice. The risotto was so bland and covered in cheese which didn’t help. You would need so much salt to make it edible. Flatbread pizza was very greasy but had some good tastes. Shrimp was spicy which I enjoyed!
Overall, mediocre food and would not return.

Amazing! That’s what I wrote on the check. My wife and I had a fantastic experience tonight. The owner Chris is very down to earth talked with us. The server Gabbie was a delight. I had the Jamone Serrano and Hanger Stake. My wife had Chicken and Shrimp appetizer. We both loved it. We had a wonderful Chardonnay called Christopher Dry Creek. What makes all of this so cool was that the owner really cares what the customers experience. Kudos Chris and Solterra. Thank you. I will be back soon.

Had a very nice date night here last night. Rosemary almonds and cheese plate were excellent as everyone says. Try some of their cast wines — right out of the barrel and yum! Dinner was great too — stone baked chicken was amazing. This is also a very gluten free friendly establishment! Could have had faster service since we came on a not so busy Monday, Burke service was friendly enough and our server did give us a free dessert to the wait! A chocolate tart with some sort of spicy jelly –yum! I will be back to try some wine tasting next!

Food was great. Appetizers were extremely tasteful, they complimented their wines. They have a good selection of wines and may accommodate the average wine drinker.
The service was very great and they have a grade A staff. The main entrée were good as well but were a bit on the smaller portion side. Their restaurant week menu was well put together and it seems as though they prepared the staff and services very well. Our items arrived in a timely manner even though it seemed busy for a Monday. All in all I would recommend solterra for its great food and wine, but with the exceptional staff I would urge you to stop by especially for restaurant week.

Went for the first time in Restaurant week, you would of thought on a Monday second day they would be ready… but no!!! We got there for our 7 pm reservation, waitress game within 10 minutes. Order in by 7:30 but there was a problem and didn’t get dinner until after 8:30! Paella rice still a bit al dente and clams not really cooked! Our waitress was very good. Not really a busy night so…:.we will see if we go back! Wine was good

What a great treat. There are a few parking spots behind the restaurant and plenty of street parking. We walked into the back.
First experience was my only complaint of the night. The hostess was extremely rude stating «even though you have a reservation, we cannot seat you at your time. You are welcome to sit at the bar, but not with kids under 21» (we had my two older children with us). It was just a rude way to introduce me to the restaurant.
What we took home from this experience was that her personality was pretty dry. Unsure if she is fit to be the host. Other than that, what a wonderful experience, from the server Ian all the way to the GM/​chef Chris.
More to follow:
Service/​Food
Ian was wonderful. Very attentive. Very funny. We had such a great time with him. He let us taste several lines before we decided on the Ainsley Caberbet, A $ 65 bottle of wine bottled by the owner. Such a wonderful, full-​bodied Cabernet that we decided upon after testing three other wines out.
We started off with the mixed cheese/​meat plate which was such a beautiful presentation, huge amount of cheese, delicious pepperoni and Salume.
We first shared the beet salad, and the rug you with lamb shank. Both dishes were simply amazing, refer to the pictures. The lamb shank was succulent, moist. Some of the beets from the salad were undercooked while others were overcooked, but I actually enjoyed the different textures.
We also ordered the spicy shrimp, and the scallop dish. Scallop dish had such amazing ingredients including pomegranates, beluga lentils, and deliciously cooked large scallops. Such unusual taste with these combinations of flavors but wonderful.
The spicy shrimp was part of the small Topos, cooks great, had a great taste.
For dessert we first had the decadent chocolate cake which pretty much was a big chunk of fudge. Pretty rich and amazing. We also shared the Apple crumble which was a baked apple pie with Brie cheese mixed into it. Perfect size and delicious.
It was around this time that the GM/​Chef Chris came by. He was unpretentious, almost acting like a busboy. He started talking about the desserts when we understood finally that he was the chef. He was very gracious, talkative, and even took us around to the back restaurant to look at the barrels of wine that were aging! Such a great way to end our night, I am very pleased with my experience here.
Ian the server was very funny. We had such a good time with him talking with us. He explained the menu very well, and knew his stuff.
Loved loved loved this place.
MMay be a new favorite. Thank you for such a great experience Ian, Chris!

It’s not open! Went out of my way at 4:30 on a Tuesday and it was close when Unilocal said «open»!!! Really annoying!
Found out it was closed due to power outage! I’ll be trying again!

I really like the concept of the urban winery. Not everyone can go out into the countryside and visit the vineyards (although I do highly recommend that). Hence, the birth of the urban winery. Great wine making done right in the city. Solterra is easy enough to miss if you’re driving down the 101. But make an effort to find it because you’ll be glad you did. The interior is comfortable; lots of wood gives it a warm feel, while the silvery steel bar adds a touch of class.
They have wine from all over California… central coast, local, etc., and even from Mexico. I got a flight of different wines, including full bodied reds like Zinfandels and Sirah (I didn’t misspell it; that’s how the winery does). Everything was spectacular, especially the unfiltered 2007 Petite Sirah and the 2012 Dry Creek Zin from the LB vineyard.
The food here is great, too. I had the most amazing Navarra Lamb Burger with added Manchego cheese. Slightly spicy, meat seasoned to perfection, even a yellow tomato instead of the normal red. Almost too pretty to eat! But wow, the taste was out of this world.
Service here was awesome. Anne was knowledgeable, friendly, and a pleasure to talk to. Going here was a real treat for me.

I am a fan of Solterra Winery & Kitchen. I have been here on several occasions with friends for different reasons and each time the food, wine, and service has been superb. The last time I found myself here was when plans at another restaurant failed. I simply had no idea where we should go. Both starving from a long day of work with just one portion bar all day, my friend quickly mentioned she wanted to return back to Solterra. Her initial dining experience there with me was so impactful that she was more excited to head back than deal with the snafus at the other restaurant. Like our first dinner here we began with the Seared Octopus and the Brussel Sprouts plates, no disappointment there. I had the Paella, plenty of seafood and a meal that conceivably could be shared with another person. My friend ordered the Lamb, which was moist and favorable. We were torn as to what wine to order that was complimentary to both dishes… a Grenache for the Paella or a Shiraz for the Lamb? Our server was super awesome and brought us four wines to taste so that we could determine what agrees with both entrees. We found a blend that fit both plates, some berry but mild tannins to complement the rustic flavor of the lamb. If you do not know what to order in terms of wine, you cannot go wrong with the Zinfandel. It is delicious!!! I have had it on visits before and the wines gains more fans each time more people taste it. Our dining experience here was again exceptional, we ate at the bar and did not receive any less service than sitting at a table. From the hostess, to the bartender, and the server, the staff has always been energetic, enthusiastic about promotion of the food and wine, and genuinely attentive to the needs of the guest. Reflecting back on the evening, I am glad we had the snafu and found ourselves once again at Solterra Winery & Kitchen. I guess things happen for a reason.

Best wine in SD!!!
This place is my favorite place for wine. They make it themselves. The staff is awesome. Go in for the wine tasting. You’ll be impressed. The Ainsley is my favorite… though it’s a reserve. Max will tell you all about the wines.
Food is great too! Monday’s are happy hour all night.
Ask about the wine club. Best wine club… so worth it.
Can’t wait until they open additional location in Carlsbad.

I don’t frequent Leucadia or Encinitas all that often but was giddy when I came across Solterra Winery & Kitchen some many months ago. I knew instantly I wanted to have my birthday celebration here.
There’s front and back outdoor patio seating. This is the wine barrel room where they bring in the grapes to make their wine. This room is also used to host private events.
I didn’t realize Solterra Winery & Kitchen offered a lunch menu as there was only one menu (dinner) published on their website. SO, I was paralyzed with confusion when I noticed a different menu, other than the one I had researched over and over again online, placed in front of me. Solterra Winery & Kitchen does offer a lunch menu that has sandwiches & crepes.
We tried:
CHARCUTERIE & CHEESE PLATTER
There were about 4 cheeses, 3 meats, dried fruit, and nuts beautifully presented on a slate rock plate. I’m not sure if you can choose the meats/​cheeses for the boards though. The platter is served with thick slices of Sadie Rose (?) bread. The soft bread was a nice welcoming addition to some of the creamier cheeses that day.
CRISPY CAULIFLOWER
I only took a bite of this and thought it wasn’t too bad.
GLASS OF RED
They sell a variety of wines here and I think this is a glass of their Granache (friends ordered my drinks that day). They also serve a few craft beers on tap as well.
CREPE
I think the wine was kicking in at this point because I don’t remember the details of this savory crêpe other than that it looks delicious.
STEAK SANDWICH
We wholeheartedly LOVED this sandwich. I wish I could remember the specifics of this sandwich (I wish I had their lunch menu). The steak was quite tender and flavorful. It was a nice sized portion sandwich that was easily shared by two friends (we had all that stuff on the charcuterie & cheese plate earlier though). I’d happily order this sandwich again.
CHICKEN SANDWICH
I think this was a chicken sandwich. I texted this pic to everyone asking what this was and everyone replied ‘who cares get back to work and stop blogging’.
Our server, Elaine, was amazing. She was attentive and personable. All of us loved her.
I can’t wait to come back, perhaps to try out their dinner menu or have a glass of wine in their front patio with a friend. There’s not very many places like Solterra Winery & Kitchen so they’re a fun addition to North County. There’s only street parking or dirt parking right in front by the train tracks. It gets busy at night so try to make reservations if possible.

3.5 stars.
I was intrigued upon learning that Solterra was a working winery in San Diego. Being a self proclaimed amateur drunk I’m always looking for another watering hole. Oh… they have food too? yeah I’ll try that too.
We ordered off the restaurant week menu and I had the beet salad, carrot risotto, and cookie platter with malted milk. The beet salad was decent, the last of the summer fruits. The carrot risotto was a creamy orange as you’d expect… never had risotto made this way but it was interesting to say the least. The cookies came in a chocolate pistachio variety and sugar form. The malted milk was a tasty sweet treat. Surprise of the night.
The service was on the slow side… especially since the place wasn’t very full, they’re lucky I had wonderful company. With the food being ok and the service on the slower side the one bright spot was the wine. We had the stainless steel barrel aged chardonnay and the Bordeaux style blend. The former was fragrant and crisp while the other was balanced and smooth. We decided we’d definitely come back to try more of the wines… and perhaps their tapas as well!

The white wine… Love.
Ordered the spinach salad and burger that were perfect.
A friend’s meal was absurdly late and they offered him a choice of desserts.

Biked up here for HHour on a Friday a few weeks back.
I ended up getting the following items:
— Crispy Cauliflower; this is a must IMHO. Quite delicious
— Patatas Bravas; really good as well; my wife’s favorite
— meat skewers; current online menu shows beef, but I could swear I had lamb skewers… they were really good as well.
I tried a couple of reds; my favorite was the 2013 Zinfadel Dry Creek Valley.
Really good atmosphere, and some very tasty food and wine. I’ll definitely be back.
One note:
they seem to be really big on reservations at this place, so I’d recommend making them if you know when you’re coming (although the place was empty when we got there at 4pm, they didn’t want to seat us outside because they said they had reservations… sort of strange since the place didn’t start to fill up until 6pm or so)

Came here with my friend Dan who said it was good.
The restaurant is very nice. Great open air set up.
I ordered an Acoustic Ales Xtra Pale Ale which was nice and hoppy.
I ordered the spiced shrimp and avocado panini to eat and it was good. Nice an flavorful, the bread was perfectly toasted and the sofrito aoli was delicious. It came with a lettuce salad and that was one of the best side salads I have ever had. It had freshly graded parmesan cheese, cherry tomatoes, and some amazing lime dressing. I highly recommend it.
My wife ordered the shrimp crêpe and when they brought it out i had avocado which it did not say on the menu. They took it back and fixed but tried to tell us it came with avocado until we told them to look at the menu and they saw it didn’t say avocado. The crêpe was not as good as the panini. The crêpe itself was average the shrimp was fine, but I wouldn’t order it if I came back.
The service was okay. We were sitting at the bar so the bartender took our food orders. It seemed like he forgot we ordered food because we were kind of wondering where our food was and he noticed and asked a server to see if our food was there and it was which left me wondering how long it was sitting back there. Also when he was leaving he asked us if we were ready to close out which at the time we were still waiting for some food and weren’t sure but we felt pressured to close out so we ended up doing it. If it wasn’t for that I would probably give it a 4.
I would try it again and hopefully be able to give it a 4.

My friend took my husband and I here today. He gave me three options in the area and being a wine lover, I was sold by the outside appearance of this place.
It’s really modern looking. It’s got the whole inside/​outside, open air, no windows thing going on. It has huge wine barrels on one side of the restaurant and a bar with seating on the other side.
When we sat down, things started off okay. The lunch menu was still being offered which I thought was cool because not every place offers their lunch menus on a Sunday. They also have wine flights available until 5pm. I took advantage of the four tastings for ten dollars. The selection was decent. There was only one sweet wine and that’s what I prefer but it was fine. I sampled some other whites and a Rose.
My husband enjoyed his food order and it was presented nicely. Because he enjoyed his food order my friend order a salad that too pretty long to come out for just a salad.
I decided to order a shrimp crêpe that sounded good. When it was brought out the waiter said heres your Avocado and shrimp crêpe. My husband immediately said thats not hers and I just thought… the menu didnt say anything about avocado but I think this is mine. My waiter, the food runner, and another employee all tried to tell me that it said avocado on the menu. I just kept thinking, there’s no way in hell I would order something with avocado (I hate avocado). It wasn’t until one of the employees pulled out the menu and saw that it clearly does not say avocado anywhere that they belived me and apologized. One of them said, «oh well, it used to say it.» Another employee said, «well it should say it.» Jeez! Sorry you guys didn’t remember whats on your menu. It seemed like a pretty big hassel over my food. They asked me if I had any food allergies to avocados which I replied no, but I knew that meant they were going to most likely pick the avocados out real quick and bring the same plate back out to me. Sure enough, in less than five minutes I had the exact same plate. I could of just done that myself. Im not down with wasting food but come on. My arugula salad that accompanied my crêpe had a very salty dressing. Thd crêpe itself was lacking in shrimp, and cheese. It was basically a whole lot of crêpe with minimal inside goods.
The other disappointment was our waiter pushing us to close out because he was off. Really buddy? I know you want your tips, so you can ensure they go to you and leave, but have a bit more subtle in your approach. We heard you the first and third time you asked us.
Even with all this Id be willing to try it out again.

Solterra is a pretty cool joint located right on the 101 in Leucadia. This place actually has an awesome ambiance and the wine menu is pretty damn good if you ask me. There are both indoor and outdoor seating options and the outdoor allows you to people watch a bit better. The menu here is kinda a tapas style menu complete with pairing opportunities etc… I have been here a couple of times and can honestly say that the food and service is awesome. I would recommend exploring the menu and going outside of the norm if you really want to take in the experience.
Pros–
Menu
Service
Wine
Ambiance
Price
People watching
Cons–
Portions
Crowded
Reservations limited