6 Degrees on Solano

You won’t find a cheaper Happy Hour around. Now, the cocktails aren’t the strongest I’ve ever had, but, like a Will Smith movie soundtrack, the $ 3 price tag is difficult to argue with. The HH food items, including fries, a mini-​pizza, and more are also a treat, ranging from $ 2 – 4.
This place is kind of an undiscovered land, with few natives but rich in natural resources.
It’s the atmosphere, I think, that’s keeping people away – there’s a big disconnect between the lush entry, with couches and the bar, and the dining room, which contains a great-​plains-​esque grouping of tables — as far as the eye can see. Couple it with the nominal patronage, and tumbleweeds wouldn’t seem out of place.

4 stars for the ah-​ma-​zing happy hour prices at the bar. ²⁄₃ stars for the quality of food/​drinks.
Seriously, the husband and I had 2 drinks each 3 small plates, and olives, and the total bill was $ 23. Kinda crazy. For this, it is impossible for me to give less than 3 stars. Others might not be so generous, so I will include an asterisk (*) with this review.
The chef’s special on the happy hour menu was a salmon frittata – it didn’t really look or taste like it sounds, but it was the one delicious thing we had. We also had a house salad that was just $ 2, totally fine, but nothing special. The olives were good, but coated in olive oil. Unnecessary, yes?
The worst food item was the pizza. It was on a dry bread, and didn’t have enough marinara sauce. The basil was not fresh or flavorful and neither was the tomato.
The bartender (actually owner) was very friendly and accommodated my request for a different margarita (the first one was sweet – really, why?).
The food & drinks are average at best, but the price was so spectacular that it’s worth it if you go in with appropriate expectations. Not your place for top-​notch quality though, be forewarned.

Came for Friday Happy Hour. Great drink deals (including mango mojito and a surprisingly strong orange flavored drink) and happy hour food specials (sweet, tangy & complex BBQ ribs).
Live flamenco guitarist, wine tasting and jazz on weekends. However, rest of menu is a bit pricey, parking was quite a chore and there wasn’t much of a crowd even on a Friday.

Fabulous appetizers (why bother with entrees?), reasonably priced, very friendly (if quirky) service. Plenty of vegetarian options.
We ordered two soups (AMAZING gazpacho and a fabulous squash soup), plus the assorted mediterranean spreads, and a colorful (and tasty) beet and tomato and goat cheese salad. It was more than enough food, excellent and varied flavors, and very reasonably priced.
A mixed drink we ordered wasn’t good, and we’ve been told that the drinks often aren’t good here.
Our waitress was definitely outside the mainstream, but very friendly and helpful. She gave great advice, was very attentive and helpful and took care of the returned drink with no problem.

The giant cosmo for 2 was well-​priced and tasty. Great atmosphere, especially with the live jazz.
That being said… the 2 items we had our hearts set on (its a small menu) were ‘sold out’. Yonka (waittress) recommended the paella, which neither of us found to be impressive. I forgot what the other dish was but we came in super hungry but didn’t even finish the food. Service was very really friendly but slow at all the wrong times (drinks, returning check…).

Wasn’t too excited about going to this place, but was overruled.
We arrived at 7:55 on a Sunday and were unaware that they closed at 8:30. The three of us were waiting on our 4^th (who arrived an hour or so after we did) and even though they were closed, the waitress was extremely nice and still allowed us to order. She didn’t rush us or anything and even offered something to the 4^th even though he arrived after the kitchen closed.
They really tried to create a nice atmosphere and it worked well. I enjoyed the dim lighting and candles on the table and the added kindness of our waitress really made it worthwhile.
The food wasn’t too bad, and the waitress made sure that the ladies received their plates first =D. We ordered the pomme frites while we waited for the 4^th and really liked them. There wasn’t too much garlic and it came with a couple dipping sauces.
I ordered the pork loin and enjoyed it — it was a little too pink for my taste. Boyfriend ordered the cheese ravioli with pesto and prawns on the side. Didn’t hear any complaints from him, but it looked kinda basic. Friend ordered the paella de barcelona and really liked it.
We didn’t get any dessert because we didn’t want to keep them open any longer, but she still offered to us anyways.
For three meals, a couple drinks and appetizers it ran $ 90, which isn’t too bad for a restaurant like this, but too much for 3 kids on a college budget. I think I would only go back for drinks or dessert just because of cost.
Four stars because the food was pretty good and definitely appreciated how friendly our waitress was.

I ordered the beet salad, ahi tuna, and french onion soup. The beets were supposed to be roasted, tasted like they were out of the can and even looked like it. The tuna was awful! The tuna was cold and seemed like it was still frozen, definitely not fresh. The french onion soup was nothing to write home about. The other half had the lasagna which was terrible… the sauce tasted like it came out of a jar.
The only good thing was the waitress was very nice.

Cute place that is actually more spacious than I imagined. Nice deep colored walls and candles to create mood. Went with my toddler and they were more than accomodating.
No star for the actual food dinner entry. The carbonara is too eggy. But if you stick to drinks and appetizers I am sure you will be fine.

It had been years since we were last here. We used to come for dinner and then things changed. The place felt dark, the staff seemed odd and awkward, their half chicken went to a quarter chicken for the same price and it tasted reheated, though it may not have been. With so many other excellent places, we stopped going there.
Today Alan waited for me in the car while I had my eyebrows done at noon. We were due at Nina’s for our T’ai Chi class at 1:00. We parked right in front of 6 Degrees. After my brows were finished 6 Degrees seemed to be the most convenient place so we decided to have lunch there. The sign said to seat ourselves, so we did, at a table by the window. We enjoyed the passing parade of students from Albany High in lively but well behaved groups of 2, 3 or more, most returning w/​Domino’s Pizza boxes.
We received a friendly greeting and menus from the waitress. I ordered the BLT w/​avocado and Alan ordered the grilled chicken sandwich. Both sandwiches cost $ 8 and were accompanied by our choice of soup, green salad or fries. I opted for the salad and Alan for the fries, which were seasoned w/​garlic and parsley. The menu listed fresh lemonade and limeade for $ 3. When I confirmed they made their own I ordered it. The sandwiches were served on very nice ciabatta rolls that stood up well to the sandwich fillings while not being too bready. I wondered if they were house-​made but the waitress didn’t think so. Regardless, they were good. My only quibble was that the ailoli that was spread on the roll carried a hint of spice, more than I like in a comfort food sandwich. But that’s just a matter of preference. There was a generous helping of greens w/​a flavorful dressing and Alan’s fries were plentiful. The one I tasted was good. We were both pleased w/​our sandwiches and thought they were an excellent value. The limeade was good, but not as fabulous as the limeade I had at Inn Kensington, which sang. Service was sweet and attentive.

HAPPY HOUR review only.
This is where I come for affordable drinks and nibbles. The food may not be stellar, but when you get a lovely little plate for $ 3, who can complain? The Mediterranean spread is a deal (ask for more bread up front and be aware of the roasted garlic~). 2 people: 2 drinks each, 4 plates and a dessert: $ 30…yahoo!
Service: sometimes you have to get their attention, and sometimes they stand over you. Just tell them what kind of service you want and you will be fine~ For example: I always tell them to check back in 15 minutes before happy hour ends… makes it simple and clear that I want the happy hour deals!

Yuck. Inattentive wait staff with very strange vibes. Overpriced worse than mediocre food. French Onion Soup (which I was so excited to order because the menu said it was made with vegetarian stock), was an outrageously salty blob of onions with a piece of wonder-​like bread on top of it and a slice of cheap cheese on top of the wonder bread.
My partner’s heirloom tomato salad was mostly cardboard flavorless tomoatoes with some balsamic vinegar poured over them. My mushroom ravioli were bland. And everything took forever to come to the table.
Before dinner, at the neighboring Xocolate Shop, we splurged and had amazingly good gelato made in Marin and salted chocolate-​covered caramels. Our evening would have been so much nicer if we’d just stayed at the chocolate shop and had a few more salted caramels for dinner.

«Happy Hour review only»
What would you say to a all night happy hour that costs you and your friends only $ 16.00??? I say 10 stars!
This is the only place for happy hours in Berkeley or Albany. This is what happy hour should be, cheap, great, fun, ALL NIGHT! :-)
Cocktails 2 for $ 6, large glasses.
Wine $ 2-​$ 3 per glass
Beer, $ 2
Now the munchies, or what they call «Tastes»
French fries: $ 2 good portion for just couple of bucks, the mini pizza is good too. Thick house made bread. Ravioli: you get 4 – 5 pieces for $ 2!!! the Mediterranean spread, good one, and if you run out of the mini toasted bread they will bring you more.
This is the place to go for happy hour, and maybe eat your dinner too, for only a few bucks. The service is great.
Why go anywhere else that charges you $ 20/​$ 30 for the same thing!!!
I am telling you this is worth it so worth it!

I’ve been meaning to give 6 Degrees a review. So why the 5 stars? the ambiance is good, the food is good, the service is always great and the prices (especially the small plates) are very reasonable. In today’s times that is a damn good combo.
The small plates, unlike Fonda (another fav), are enough to make a meal. And this is one restaurant that gets the fact times are tough — so the overall prices are well in line with the times.
We tend to go on the early side with our daughter and they are also very kid-​friendly, which is kinda weird since the décor lends itself more to the late night hang out type of place. Makes you feel like you are still part of the scene, even though it is only 7:00! This works much better in the winter when it is at least dark out.

Aside from the smelly cab ride from N. Berk to 6Degrees to meet friends… I was quite content to indulge myself in the «ALL NIGHT» happy hour. Yes, A-​L-​L N-​I-​G-​H-​T… no time limit… no «I’m sorry but HP is TOTALLY O.V.E.R. so now you shall pay $$$$ for something that would’ve cost your ass $ 2 at HP… »
The deuce for uno cocktail is worth the smelly-​putrid-​stinky-​car-​door-​is-​broke-​so-​you-​have-​to-​crawl-​through-​my-​smelly-​crotch-​cab ride.
As for the dishes… aka bar bites… WEEEELLL… I indulged in bar sliders (twice), pizza (twice), ravioli (twice)… oh and olives (twice), … WHAAT… my palate was whoring around the ENTIRE menu!!!
I give it four-​bite-​size stars…

I have been to 6 Degrees several times, always at Happy Hour. Though Happy Hour hors d’ouvres are arguably not the finest representation of the quality of the food and service, it can be telling. It’s one of those places where you should expect mediocrity and know what to get when you’re there. If you’re able to figure that out, you can have a great time.
For example: most of their fruity cocktails I found to be uninspired & without the taste of any actual fruit juice. Pretty crappy, really. But whatever their House red wine is, is great! The focaccia pizza, I believe it is, is disappointing… but their hummos plate was very tasty – and a fabulous deal! I didn’t try the mini burgers but they looked good.
A fun place for Happy Hour, if you know what to expect.

There’s a live guitar player! There is a bar down by the front entrance that serves cheaper wine or you can sit in the restaurant and order from the menu. Our waitress was super nice and patient.
The food was very good. My boyfriend and I ordered good wine, garlic fries (crispy and not too much garlic), asian pear salad, clam linguini, and salmon. All of it was delicious. It wasn’t too salty, too oily, or too much. It was perfect! For once I didn’t have any leftovers. Then for dessert we had trio gelato/​sorbet. I definitely recommend the cappuccino and blood orange flavors.
Their wine list comprised of wine mostly from Europe and South America (Chile).
I would recommend this place to come after work and relax. The mood setting is perfect.

We paid for bland, lackluster food. I had the pesto pasta while my husband ordered the chicken pasta. The server messed up his order and gave him the chicken pizza. He didn’t want to correct the server because it already took quite some time to get our food. My pesto pasta had no taste. A sprinkle of parmesan cheese could have added some flavor. My husband thought that the pizza was terrible. It was merely melted cheese on a cracker.
Their saving grace was their pommes frites. The fries were freshly fried with garlic and a tasty dipping sauce.
Service was somewhat attentive — the server came twice to clean our table but no one came to refill our water glasses.
We felt totally ripped off in paying for food that we could have made at home.
Sorry, but I won’t be coming into this restaurant again.

We met friends for dinner here the other night. I was a 20 year resident of this neighborhood up until 12 years ago, and a challenge I have is trying to remember what was in the original spots along Solano Ave. where the new businesses are opening up. I was shocked to see a Longs drugstore in place of the old Goodwill store! But 6 Degrees, was this the old Stinking Garlic [ or was it Rose?] or the Persian Kebob house? It’s getting harder to figure!
Well, we liked 6 Degrees. We were greeted warmly, our reserved table was ready, our charming waitperson was attentive. We were able to enjoy our drinks and small plates at leisure and the entrees were all delicious & beautifully presented. We had no complaints whatsoever about the service, quality of the food and the ambiance of the place. Nice jazz was performed quietly in the background. It was just a pleasant night out. And parking in this stretch of Solano Ave is really easy. Plus we could run in to the new Longs across the street after dinner & get more cold medicine!

I really enjoyed my evening there. My friend’s and i enjoyed the convenient late night happy hour. I recommend the macaroni quattro formaggio! yumm! and the prawns! oh and the cosmopolitan!
I sent my parents here for their anniversary and they really loved it! The staff is really welcoming and attentive. Gabe, Miriam, Yonka, etc… all nice people.

6 Degrees was on our «let’s try it someday» list for a long time. It’s now off that list because we were there last night. The place smelled bad right off the bat — the odor was like old, wet moldy carpet. We almost walked out but decided that we’d get use to the odor, and we actually did. Our wait person came fairly promptly to give us menus and then to take drink orders. Then he disappeared for 20 minutes. Huh? It must have been hard for them to pour out some wines by the glass, but they finally managed to accomplish the task. Were we ready to order food? Sure! I asked for three small plates. In response to the waiter’s question («all at once or one at a time?»), I asked to get them in a specific sequence. Waiter: «You’re paying, so you can have it any way you want»!
The wine list is small, but there are a few interesting wines. Bottles are as cheap as $ 24 or $ 26; wines by the glass run $ 6 or $ 7. I had a glass of Clairette de Die, a non-​Champagne sparkling wine from France. This worked well with the food, and it’s not something that I see around much in California. There was also an interesting Cotes du Rhone Blanc.
My three dishes were the tuna tartare, the spicy shrimp, and the lamb riblets. They were all OK, but I was not major impressed by anything. The tuna, especially, came as a plate with different elements (tuna, capers, fennel, onions) that didn’t blend together in any way that I could discern.
I’m glad I tried the place, but I’m not likely to come back any time soon. The restaurant was far from empty, however, so some people must like it. It’s definitely worth checking out.