Sole’

Very pretty! Yummy food, but now it’s gone. :(

I decided to walk in on a rainy Sunday afternoon and immediately realized i was the only guest. After placing my order for lunch and drinks i stared out the window as the rain welcomed the winter chill.
Approx 15 mins later i received my food, i had ordered a burger and after the first bite immediately realized someone went overboard with the salt. Slowly drumming through the burger and the accompanying drinks i finally finished my meal.
Needless to say the portion was large and filling, but the taste left wanting of a second trip to see if i happened to visit on an off day.
Décor, service and noise level were perfectly fine.
Till next time…

I love Sole… everytime I’ve gone the food has been fantastic! I would recommend the chimichanga, the latin mac and cheese, the tempura vegetables, and the mussels. And above all, the guacamole. What’s nice is that it’s prepared table-​side so you can ask for them to make it however you’d like… with/​without certain ingredients, spicier or milder, etc. However, there has been two instances where they actually ran out of avocados somehow… really disappointing.
The drinks are great as well… the bartender, Erin I think her name is, makes the best berry mojito in buffalo and the pomegranate margs are wonderful as well… the perfect mix of sweet and salty. Sometimes it seems that they are understaffed, but the waiters (a very nice, young blond man in particular) and bartenders I’ve come in contact with have always been so sweet.

I’ve been going to Sole’ since they were located on Main Street (which I used to love). I went to Sole’ their first week they opened on Elmwood Avenue. The service was borderline awful! Every employee seemed to be brand new, with a major lack in training. I would be surprised if they had any training at all. Our waitress wasn’t familiar with anything on the menu, failed to deliver straws with beverages (EVEN upon being asked), and quite frankly, didn’t even seem to know which direction to go in after leaving our table. I am surprised I ever returned after this.
Then I moved to the Elmwood Village and decided to give Sole’ another chance (I mean it was their first week, right?). This time I went for happy hour and sat at the bar. I found the bar service to be WAY better than my earlier dining service/​experience. One of my favorite things here, and why I still continue to go to Sole’ is their guacamole. (However, after last night I decided NO WAY is this worth $ 12!!! Are you kidding me?! MAYBEEEEE, $ 8, $ 9 at the absolute most!)
Unfortunately for Sole’, Cantina Loco opened, which is actually even closer to my apartment than Sole’. Cantina Loco’s prices and quality of food with a doubt, surpass Sole on all levels.
Sole’: lower your prices, and maybe you will be as packed as Cantina Loco is always found to be… even on a Monday! I think I’m set with Sole’ for a good six months, we will see if I get an itch to return after that (doubtful).

Screw Sole. I remember going to Sole when it was on Main Street for restaurant week about 2 years ago and it was awful and I swore I would never go there again, but I found myself in it again for a friend’s birthday on Elmwood. The place definitely looks a lot better, but still as crappy as I remembered.
Authentic Mexican my a**. I’m pretty sure that their guacamole is not bland as hell and probably doesn’t cost an arm and a leg for it either. How the hell do they think they can charge so much for their crappy food? I shared the Argentinian Mixed Grill for two. It was a lot of food for sure, but come on — it’s just a lot of overcooked chicken and shrimp and undercooked steak with some potatoes, black beans and peppers and onions with some drizzled tomato sauce. The flavors were all so muddled and dark and gross. Come on — Mexican food is supposed to vibe and be bright and nice. And doesn’t take like an hour to come out.
And our waiter was a POS. SO RUDE. The guy who brought us up told us that their guava margarita special was awesome so we ordered it, but the waiter was like «Oh…we don’t have guava today — I JUST checked with the bartender downstairs half an hour ago.» WELL CHECK AGAIN FOOL cause it was there and we got it after our little heated argument. And we had a member who was going to be ½ hour late and the waiter says «So what you’re saying is that they’re NOT going to order food???» WOWWWWW — alright ok you’re a douche. And when people asked which was better between two dishes — he would of course say the more expensive dish was better. And to top it all off — he tried clearing out dishes when we were done, he grabbed our checks right after we signed it AND looked at the tip amounts while he was still in the room.
NEVER AGAIN SOLE. We all know why the restaurant is so empty on a Saturday night.

Guacamole made at your table is the reason to come here… it’s excellent. However, the service has been very slow some of the times I’ve been there, and the food quality is variable… sometimes great, sometimes so-​so. Had a burrito there today that was barely warm – so cool that the cheese hadn’t melted. They were understaffed today, so that might have been the reason.

Better than I remembered.
DAMN THOSE STAIRS and so many steps; Beware if in sandals or flip-​flops.
the Gauc is dericious. made in your face. yum.
oh what? margarita pitchers on tuesdays???

Another blah experience. A group of us were patrolling Elmwood for eats — everyone wanted Greek but we were a bit far from the ones further south by foot. We walked by Sole and decided to check out the menu — which was not posted outside so we went in. By the time we went upstairs and looked, we were pretty hungry and there were lots of people, so we agreed to eat here. We went to the third floor for a crowded dining room that was well decorated with suns, other ornaments on the walls, and my favorite thing — purple napkins.
I ordered iced tea, which apparently was not brewed so I got a glass of ice that melted for awhile while everyone else got their drinks. Glasses are tiny here so expect long waits for refills. We decided to order the guacamole made in a molcajete tableside, which was fun to watch. However, he showed us the avocados he was using and they were not exactly green. Since our tablemates needed mild, I asked for jalepenos on the side. He never brought them so I had to as our server later once half the guac was gone. Chips and salsa aren’t free here, and salsa is just diced canned tomatoes…
Two of us ordered a salad and two ordered a burrito. It took FOREVER to get the food… maybe almost an hour. My lettuce was all quite rotten and the dressing was just this thick mushy green and tasted terrible and clumped on lettuce leaves. The burritos were not well received — one was sent back as cold and one was too spicy for my friend. She also asked for sour cream and was told they only have a very spicy one but not a regular one.
In the end we asked for some split checks since people need to get reimbursed for their meals and then our server went off duty and we got a new server at the end. Bland, almost yucky food (though the guac show is kind of cool albeit pricey), high prices and meh service. There has to somewhere better than this.

I had eaten here a few times when Sole’ was located in Williamsville, but this was the first time I’d tried the place in it’s new Buffalo digs. The setting is terrific. Great colors and great décor. And, I liked that the bar is downstairs and the dining room up. Very nice. The service was a bit TOO efficient. I like to linger over my meal a bit (especially when drinks are involved). This waiter was either on speed… or didn’t like me and wanted me outta there ASAP. Slow down man! More Time = More Drinks = Bigger Check = Bigger Tip. He was literally bringing the entrée before I was even half finished with my appetizer.
The menu is pretty much the same as it had been… with maybe a touch more tapas offerings. They still make the guacamole table-​side and it’s still TERRIFIC! Of course it’s fresh… it’s made right there… and I like that they will adjust the spice level to your liking… and this gal likes it HOT. YUM! The chips weren’t warm as I remember them being… and they were a tad greasy… but the salsa was mighty good… with just a hint of smokey flavor.
For an entrée I had the Macaroni and Cheese which was on the specials menu. Warning… this is NOT a diet dish. Medium shell pasta, both smoked Gouda and manchego cheeses, jalapenos, and tomatoes and baked up ooey-​gooey in a cast iron skillet. DELICIOUS. I ate about a third and brought the rest home for my son who devoured it the next day.
There is a great drink menu of «Sun Inspired Cocktails» as well as a nice wine list. I had white sangria. Unfortunately it was very watery and could have used more than an orange slice and maraschino cherry for garnish.

Sole
Surprised me. From the moment I entered the restaurant I was surprised to see that every detail of the interior had a South America inspired theme. Sole offers a wide array of South American meals and even Spanish Tapas that seems authentic. Why? Simply stated the food is awesome. They even have a guacamole preparer that makes fresh guacamole hibachi style. The atmosphere is definitely for the young and middle aged crowd, which gave it a cool feel, but I did see one family having a good time. Another awesome aspect is that on Friday’s you get dinner and a show; they have an in-​house magician who goes table to table performing magic tricks that are well… magical.

I feel like I have been to Sole enough times to finally write a review about it (a few times for drinks and once for dinner at its original location at Tony Walker Plaza, and a few times for drinks ad once for dinner at the new Elmwood location).
Let me just start off by saying that the place is fine if you want to just go for a drink or two. The bar is small, but I have always been lucky enough to find a seat. Bartenders are usually attentive and make good drinks. So I would not be opposed to going there for happy hour or just a couple of drinks with friends again. (or perhaps even order an appetizer or two). But dinner? NEVER AGAIN.
First of all, let me just summarize my conclusion into one simple sentence for those of you who do not wish to continue reading about the details — «Overpriced, non-​authentic Mexican food, with poor service.» I’m not sure if they are just severely understaffed, or the waitress I got was just really bad, but we sat there for a good 10 – 15 minutes with empty drinks and empty chips and salsa. Basically she just never checked on us unless she was bringing us a dish, and considering the SLOWNESS of our dishes being cooked, I might as well have just gone up to the bar myself and ordered another round of drinks.
Let’s start with guacamole — our appetizer. I am no expert, but it does not have enough flavor whatsoever. The guacamole i get from Wegmans has more flavor than the ones they make «fresh». I wanted it spicy — it was not spicy at all. There was a whole lot of NOTHING in the guacamole except the avacado. In my opinion they should have put at least 2 – 3 times as much onions/​tomatoes into the mix, and a whole lot more jalapeño peppers (since i ordered it HOT). I would assume that if you want to be an AUTHENTIC Mexican restaurant, that you would serve AUTHENTIC Mexican hotness when someone orders their food hot. The worst part is, that dish wasn’t even worthy of American hot. It was just an epic fail all around. It just felt like we were eating a pile of avacados with absolutely no flavor. Should this misfortune happen to anyone else — a quick tip would be to PILE on their salsa into the guacamole. Now, THAT’s got some flavor.
Moving on… so after we spent about 15 – 20 minutes chowing down on the bland guacamole because we were starving, we ran out of chips (and salsa, and drinks). Not once did the waitress come and check on us that entire time, and she did not come for 10 – 15 minutes after that either. When she finally did, we got another round of chips and salsa and more drinks, but we were wondering where the other 2 dishes we ordered were??? She told us «your food will be RIGHT OUT». Well, apparently that meant another 5 – 10 minutes. I’m sorry, but that’s not what «RIGHT OUT» means. To me, it means that you are going to turn around, walk back into the kitchen, and come back out with our food within the next minute or two. Not to mention the fact that the 2 dishes we ordered were nachos with steak, and pulled pork enchiladas (with beans and rice, which are both premade i’m sure).
Let’s start with the steak nachos, shall we? the steak itself was good… IF YOU CAN FIND A PIECE!!! there were maybe like 10 tiny tiny pieces of steak sprinkled on top of the plate of nachos. Very little cheese (and i am not even a heavy cheese person, so you can imagine how LITTLE there was)… so mainly, we were just gnawing on plain nacho chips… which we already just had a ton of with the salsa and the guacamole!!! let’s not even talk about how much that dish actually cost me since they charged me extra to add the barely there steak.
Pulled Pork enchiladas — it was JUST OK. the only good thing i have to say about it is that at least it was warm, because honestly, the nachos with the steak was kind of cold. the beans and rice sides? nothing special. I can honestly make them out of a can myself and get the same satisfaction (or dissatisfaction). the pulled pork meat inside the enchiladas was ok, but then again, i’ve made better pulled pork than that and I don’t even really cook that often. I’m not making it up either, the friend who was with me told me that my pulled pork was way better. (if anyone wants the recipe, i will gladly share — just message me).
All in all, the dishes were small (for the prices they charge), the ingredients were barely there, and the service REALLY SUCKED. 40 minutes to make some nachos and pulled pork enchiladas??? I think not.
Save yourself a lot of time and money and go to Gramma Mora’s, or even cozumel’s. I’ve been hearing amazing things about Cantina Loco as well so i cannot wait until I try it! especially their Koreantown taco!!!

My wife and I have been there twice. The food is fine and some of their interpretations are really interesting. But my overall impression is an owner who thinks «small plates == big profits». Some of the small plates are really, really small. I’ve had larger amuse-​bouche.
It didn’t seem worth writing a review until I was reminded of it by my cc bill, so my recollections are sketchy. The do have some interesting cocktails. The salsa was getting too close to marinara for my taste. The albondigas were full of flavor, but also salt. The melon gazpacho was a nice refresher and probably wouldn’t be diminished by loosing the four micro-​shrimp that come with it. The guac was ok and I wasn’t big on the floor show. I think our waiter was new. At one point I almost suggested he let one of us take over.
Still the food was good and the people were nice. Go here on someone else’s tab, and order lots of the small plates.

New location, same good food…
I have been to Sole a number of times now and each time, it was very enjoyable in all respects.
Those of you who were wondering what happened to Sole in Williamsville… now you know… it moved to Elmwood. Maura does a lovely job here, as always.
I have found Sole to be a nice venue for a leisurely bite to eat and visit with friends. If you like tacos, you can’t beat taco Tueasdays and the guacamole is as fantastic as ever.
For those who enjoy dancing, Sole happily hosts Salsa dancing on Sunday evenings and Argentine Tango on the third Tuesday of every month. The dances are usually preceded by a free lesson as well.

The Guac was good … but big. It would be better for a party of 3 or 4, we were only 2. And very full after the entrees. I’d lower the price and quantity. Or offer small and large sizes.
We liked the salsa. It isn’t the usual chunky-​watery stuff that’s everywhere else. It was more a sausey type with a smokey flavor. We liked it.
Our entrees were good. My wife’s Chicken Burrito was good but needed some salsa to spice it up a bit. My Fish Tacos were V.G. The mango chunks were a nice addition to them. I’d make the sause more citrusy though to go with the mango.
We’ll go back. There were some other good sounding entrees to try.

The nachos were really good… but, my dinner was eh, my friends dinner was eh. Overall, it was eh…

We ordered two drinks and guacamole and chips.
The mojito was very good, although we would have liked it slightly sweeter with a stronger lime flavor. The other drink– we can’t remember the name (it was garnished with thyme) — was also pleasant. The drink menu contains classic Latin American drinks along with a number of innovative and unusual selections.
The guacamole was very good– not the best that we have ever had, but still good. However, we have to agree with what another reviewer said about the salsa. It didn’t have a deep roasted (tomato or pepper) flavor, or a fresh and exciting taste; rather, it tasted like low quality salsa from a jar. It was disapppointing. We also encountered several chewy chips in the beautiful basket that we were served.
The space itself is gorgeous, inviting, and festive. It is a bright and open space with terra cotta colored walls, beautiful furniture, and Latin American decorations. The music is also fantastic– it will make you feel like dancing.
We will definitely return for more drinks and guacamole! The service was wonderful and the manager seemed to care a great deal about the restaurant and her customers. This is the perfect place to go on a date or with a few friends for drinks (a refreshing alternative to wine bars).
Hopefully, Sole will be able to smooth over the few kinks that we experienced. We love the concept of the restaurant and are happy to have it here in Buffalo.

Round 1: Drinks. My husband’s margarita was really good; I got a drink off the drink menu that was tequila, grapefruit juice & lime and it basically tasted like tangy dishwater (can’t remember what it was called). My fault for not sticking with what I know.
Round 2: Didn’t feel like springing $ 12 for guac so we went with the chips and «salsa.» The salsa was more like Italian pasta sauce than fresh salsa. The chips were pretty good but we had a few that were bordering on chewy.
Round 3: Main course. Hubs ordered steak burrito and one bite into it was wiping sweat from his brow. His quote: «It was a pile of heat with no flavor. I couldn’t taste the beef at all because of the excess heat. It needed cheese too. I am not picky but my meal was a C-​.» The ladies at the table next to us also remarked about how spicy and tasteless the burrito was. They did say however that the guac was awesome… an A+. I had the fish tacos. They were forgettable, yet edible. The side dish of rice was really unremarkable. All in all not worth the two block walk for us.
Suggestions: Stick with the margarita and table-​side fresh guac.

I went with a group of friends here right before Buffalo Gay Bingo, and it was really good. :D The service is super friendly and knowledgeable about their menu. The made by your table-​side guac is a fun treat; we literally scraped that molcajete clean (volcanic rock mortar and pestle). I also like how you can specify how spicy you want it.
For my entrée, I didn’t feel like spending a large amount of money so I only ordered croquettes, but they came out perfectly and tasted as good as croquettes should.
If you’ve seen them on the block, but still haven’t tried them out, I really recommend giving them a try. I doubt you’ll be disappointed, especially if you order the fresh guac. :D
Oh, and they did a marvelous job designing the restaurant. The sun decorations are interesting to say the least. One has a hideous nose and was definitely a conversation starter for our table. :)
The only reason I didn’t give this place five stars, is that it’s a bit expensive for my taste. Were they to drop their prices a bit, this place would definitely be five stars! :D

Had a frustrating time trying to go here. It looked open for lunch. They had a sign outside, but we walked in and no one was there. Door was open, music was on, but no employees. We were 5 noisy people too. We walked all over the place looking for someone — no joy. We probably could have just stated pouring our own drinks.
We went back at 3pm because there was a sign saying guacamole happy hour. This time there was a bartender. Sadly, the didn’t have any food though (well presumably they had guac), so we left. I will try try again soon.

Meh. Wasn’t excellent, wasn’t bad.
Started with two pops (soda for you weirdos) and it was definitely «off» — the tank was low or something and it was warm. Had the guacamole which is prepared along side the table. I thought it was pretty good and it’s a huge portion. I understand it’s the law but I just cant get over them wearing gloves when they prepare it. It’s like watching surgery on my food. The salsa they give you is a little bizarre — it’s almost sweet; we were calling it Italian Mexican salsa. Don’t judge. Also had the Frickles (pretty good, the sauce on top is tasty) and Nachos («eh»).
So overall the food was just «Ok» but the waitress was super nice and they were definitely fast with the food.