solita Tacos & Margaritas

Fajitas are terrible. Their fajitas are presented on a cold plate, not on a hot, sizzling, cast iron platter like you’d find at most Mexican restaurants. We initially ordered the steak fajitas, but they were tough, and lacked flavor, so we sent it back and opted for chicken. The chicken fajitas were shredded, not grilled, and way too salty.
The carnitas platter is good, but still a little salty, and a bit overpriced for what you get.
Beware, if you have a
gift certificate for Solita, they will refuse to honor it. Apparently, they «didn’t know» their restaurant was posted on the site. The manager stood at our table and argued with us for about 30 minutes stating «there’s nothing we can do». Mind you, she knew that we returned our steak fajitas. She should have taken that off the bill since she could not honor the
gift certificate.
Solita could have very easily had two repeat customers, but unfortunately, management decided to argue with us and make our evening miserable. I would have returned to at least try their tacos. But, because of the experience with the manager, I will not return.

Nice little spot but not when it’s hot out. Tried to get to the patio but the wait wasn’t worth it and man the interior was pumping heat like no other. Funny little oddity was seeing the staff cleaning utensils in the big kitchen window. Like the esthetic of seeing into the kitchen and all the delicious food coming out but that made me laugh a little.
Can’t say much about the staff but it was crazy busy so I know how it goes.
They did happen to run out of fish for the ceviche and ended up making my night with some freshly made shrimp ceviche. Simple dish but the chef did it real well. Don’t know if the chicharrones are made in house but either way they’re amazing with that salsa verde… which I put on everything I ate. Bomb!
Everyone else order basic; taquitos and a chicken quesadilla but neither of them finished what they had it was such a plentiful plate.
Oh yeah, salsa verde and once more because that stuff was awesome.

Excellent guacamole, tacos, and fajitas with a really fun atmosphere! Great place to come for parties or big groups. Excellent service and a really cool bar!

Entering the restaurant, we were impressed by the design. The front patio looked nice, had a fire pit and was almost empty. The host led us to a table in the rear end of the patio which was crowded and noisy. We didn’t question it.
Chips were dripping with grease so they brought a new basket which was not as greasy, but was stale. Way too much garlic in the salsa. Still had garlic breath the next day.
Carne asada fajitas were tough and flavorless, so we sent it back and got the roasted chicken fajitas which were watery, salty and too smokey. I don’t know what type of wood they normally use, but it tasted as if they ran out of it and used an old dirty chemically treated pallet they found in the alley. Maybe they use liquid smoke? Nah, that would taste better.
Carnitas plate was a small portion for the cost, a bit watery and had just a few tiny cubes of avocado, some of which were hard. There were also some large pieces of fat.
The wood slab tables look cool but they have a tacky/​sticky feeling varnish on them. They feel as if the varnish failed to cure completely.
Service was good. Management is questionable.
We tried solita because we saw it on
. We purchased a certificate but solita refused to accept it. The manager came out and talked to us for a good 30 minutes, yet she still did not accept our certificate and didn’t adjust our bill at all. She had an argumentative tone and didn’t seem to care at all that we were not happy with the food.
Avoid.

They need to work on there drink presentation, don’t get me wrong they have an amazing margarita BUT I’m not a fan on how it looks, when you think of a margarita you picture a nice margarita glass with salt around the rim and a lime, right? Well at solita they serve there margarita in a regular water glass, no salt, no lime, nothing. Maybe to some presentation is not a big deal but to me it kinda is, especially if solita is the sister resultant of SOL on Pch.

This place is 47 kinds of amazing! The drinks are strong, the taco Tuesday happy hour is amazing, and the entire waitstaff has such a team atmosphere that it truly feels like they really enjoy working at this awesome restaurant. I have eaten here by myself as an alternative to heading over to Starbucks while I’m trying to get some work done and also met with clients and coworkers as well. Every single time has been nothing short of incredible. All of the food combinations are so great and I have never ordered something I didn’t want to order again and in many cases I have!
You should definitely trust any of the recommendations that the servers give you because you really can’t go wrong. Taco Tuesday is definitely a great deal and be sure to get a picture of margaritas as well. Excellent job, excellent atmosphere, excellent all the way around!

This review is for the service and churros. The ambience of this place fits a good date night dinner stop. Lights are dim, music is popping and the bar area is crowded with people. We stopped by for some desserts (churros) after a casual dinner — so we were dressed in our casual day clothes. There are a mix of dressy to super casual folks here. It was 10pm and the place was half empty. It took a while to be seated another 10 minutes to be noticed, 10 more minutes for our water and then another 10 minutes to order. We ordered the adult churro (Icecream Sundae) and a side of regular churros. We waited for about 10 – 15 minutes and when it came out we were excited to try them out. The Icecream sundae is yummy but let me tell you about the churros… or should I say the cinnamon covered bricks. I had churros many times before but never that hard. I have braces, I can’t eat super hard foods. I also never had issues eating churros before until today. My teeth didn’t even scratch the surface of the churro. I don’t think I could have punctured the surface.

Service IS EVERYTHING! And thanks to Unilocal businesses are listening. I was getting terrible service posted my review and service got better. thanks again Unilocal for empowering the consumer.

First time eating there, and first impression did not disappoint. From the beautiful big doors, the ambiance, delicious food and friendly staff. We went at night, so the lighting was very romantic, the have a fire pit outside, perfect for just lounging and enjoying a few cocktails.
Our waiter asked if it was our first time the and then asked if we had any allergies to dairy, which was thoughtful, he later came back with complimentary grilled elote (corn) which had a chipotle mayo dressing, it was delicious, and I would order that as an appetizer next time. We order the watermelon margarita and El hombre both very delicious, the el hombre was very strong and had a spicy kick in the end. We shared the taco sampler plate, the carne asada was cooked perfectly and the shredded beef (borracho) taco had do much flavor. For desert, we had the grown up churro Sunday, which had Kahlua and rum, perfect sweet ending to our meal. I will definitely go there again and excited to try the mariscos (seafood) portion of their menu.

Great service & delicious food. The restaurant has great décor huge wooden doors, comfortable seating, bar has nice high shelving that actually serves both inside & outside. Our server was nice & gave great recommendations. We got complimentary salsa & chips, chips were warm yum! & the salsa was perfectly flavored not too spicy. We also got complimentary elote, roasted corn on the cob, it was covered in cheese chipotle mayo, lime & spices. It was brought table side & kernels were cut & served also very tasty. To start we got margaritas watermelon margarita & el hombre margarita, the el hombre was a bit spicy it has chipotle we added pineapple juice then it was perfect. We tried tacos they were all delicious carne asada, carnitas, grilled fish, carne roja all full of flavor & moist juicy meat. We ended our meal with the churro sundae that has Kahlua liquor & vanilla bean ice cream it was delicious as well. Overall a great place I’ll be back :)

I love this place!
Ceviche with the raw fish. Glorious. Comes in a goblet. Perfect for two people to share.
Free chips and salsa and their salsa was gooood! It’s got a soft roasted taste to it, which i LOVE in my mexican food!
The elotes. amazing. It’s got a chipotle creamy sauce mixed in. They bring the corn on the cob and cut of the kernels for you at your table. Probably one of the best elotes dish i’ve had.
Their drinks… Skinny margarita (my server jaime said it was more on the strong side). Perfect for me. And perfect with my chips and salsa!
The watermelon margarita was a little less strong but it was okay :)
Nice ambience. I sat outside in the patio area. They have heaters above each table and a fireplace to chill at. Love this place.

I’ve been here 3 times now and so it’s safe to say I really enjoy this place. I’ve had the corn elote, which is good but overpriced. Had the fish and chicken tacos, both were decent. The guacamole was good! Definitely my favorite. It was 6 dollars on hh menu. Hh tacos were 5 dollars for 2. We ordered a flight of margaritas for 12 bucks. We got the watermelon, strawberry and kiwi mango. Mango was my favorite. there were even bits of mango in the drink too. Just bummed that the margaritas were so small and tiny, guess it’s called a flight for a reason! A basket of chips and salsa are complimentary. Woot!
There’s live music here! I’ve been here twice for tacos Tuesday and both times there’s a guy on a guitar playing covers. Not sure if this is just a tacos Tuesday thing or an everyday thing. But he was actually very good. just not sure if the music goes with the theme/​restaurant. But I guess it’s a good thing for some people who comes to a Mexican restaurant and are expecting Mexican music but are greeted by current top 20 covers (that touch of unexpectedness, surprise is fun). I like it though so not going to complain.
Parking here is horrible since it’s in bella terra. Great place for hh and tacos Tuesday! Will definitely be back!

First time here. The staff are friendly and outgoing. The food was tasty. But the queso dip is super yummy! Served with warm flour tortillas. Equally tasty with chips.
I had their chicken fajitas. Tasty and went well with rice and coleslaw. I added the coleslaw to the fajitas and the crunch added a great texture.
The only drawback and suggestion is for the staff to work on up sales. I heard one waiter talk about churros. That is my «weakness». But our waiter never mentioned and desserts. :(So my hubby paid the bill and we left. I never heard about dessert or churros. Maybe next time.

solita Tacos & Margaritas aims to bring an upscale Mexican dining experience to Bro City, USA and for the most part hits it’s mark.
If you happen to live in northern HB the chances are good that you’ve already fallen in love with solita for it’s lively ambiance, menu and drinks. It’s interior is decidedly decadent for a city and cuisine genre both known for being beyond casual. The menu concentrates on specialty tacos featuring wood-​grilled and oak-​roasted chicken, and juicy pork carnitas with seafood option thrown in here and there for good measure. The service is excellent — notably in the gorgeous bar area — and they even offer a wonderful outdoor deck for dining al fresco. All that being said you will pay to play as the plate costs average $ 13.00 each and you can hit the $ 20.00 mark with complete reckless abandon.
I visited on a hot afternoon and decided upon their Ceviche «Tropicale» and a Beer. solita’s towering schooner of Ceivhe features diced fresh wild local Fish tossed with fresh squeezed Lime juice, Serrano Chiles, Cucumber, tropical Fruit & Salsa Fresca, Avocado. All of the ingredients were supremely fresh and the mouthfeel of the seafood was absolutely spot on — no gumminess detected whatsoever. Furthermore, at $ 12.50 I think I found the best value on the menu when portion size is considered. Consumed between swigs of a hoppy and bitter IPA, you have all of the ingredients for a legendary afternoon.
solita Tacos & Margaritas seems to already be enjoying success in their swank Bella Terra digs and I see no reason for that to change anytime soon. I can see some scoff at their pricing schedule but they do put out a quality product.

Haven’t done our Mexican food Sunday for a while, so here we are. Chose to sit in the patio, weather was warm and nice. The patio is pretty much the same size as indoor restaurant, a guitar guy was performing in the front, he was actually pretty good.
Drinks:
Needed hangover drinks, Goose vodka Bloody Mary, Michelada with Corona and a Goose lemon drop martini. They were all very tasty and strong, so good. Hubby liked his mimosa too.
Food:
Complimentary chips and salsa: loved the shrimp chips, the salsa was spicy enough for me.
Complimentary corn on a cob for first time dining guests: very fresh corns, the sauce was sweet and yummy.
Scrambled eggs with rice and Cole slaw: hubby liked it a lot, eggs were very flavorful, meat was tender and delicious.
Grilled fish tacos with rice and Cole slaw: was craving fish tacos, fish was so tender and fresh. The sauce was a bit creamy but still tasty.
Dessert was churros with homemade fudge dipping sauce: churros were not crunchy enough to my liking, a bit hard and chewy, but the dipping sauce was so good.
Very comforting Mexican food, portions were huge. They had both brunch and regular menus, I liked the regular menu better. The brunch beer bucket was only $ 12, great deal if you love beers!
Very nice Mexican restaurant with great food and service, we will be BACK!

After a long absence, we found Solita still good, and fun — especially seated outside on the patio. Their Grilled Corn Elote continues to be a favorite off their All Day Menu — and quite reasonable, at $ 3.75, vs. the skimpy serving of Guacamole at $ 7.75. This time, I ordered their Beer Battered Shrimp Taco Plate ($ 13.50): flavorful, with a nice, delicate, crunchy batter. I found their dessert Churros ($ 4) only OK. Update: they no longer require a minimum of 3 people to order a pitcher of their house margaritas — but then, again, the drinks don’t seem as powerfully strong as they used to be.
Service can make-​or-​break it for me, and our excellent service this visit certainly added to the enjoyment of our dining experience; Tony’s playfulness and witticism definitely attributed to our fun!

What does Solita mean?
A little Sun.
Did I like Solita?
A little, son.
The pricy food is pretty good, and certainly not subtle: great chicken soup, yummy and lip-​throbbingly spicy corn appetizer, interesting yet ok refried black beans, rice with some heat (or maybe that’s because uused the salsa spoon to eat it), flavorful little carnitas tacos (add the chunky red onion salsa), and cheesy quesadilla (get the grilled chicken if you don’t like the smoky flavors in the oak-​roasted chicken). The frozen beer is great (tastes like a beer margarita or a slushy bud light lime), the mixed drinks and skinny okay, the wine pour good.
Loved the early afternoon live music playing Sunday in the airy inside/​outside bar. Jack fm-​ish stuff perfect for a Mexican restaurant, like Fleetwood Miguel, Tomas Petty, and Chourney.

Classy Mexican restaurant located in Bella Terra. It kind of reminded me of a Javier’s type of restaurant. More on the pricy side, but not too bad.
Food:
Queso al forno w/​carnitas $ 12.25
— Such a simple dish with all the right flavors. Pretty big portion and comes with corn or flour tortillas to make little cheese tacos.
Grilled corn elote $ 3.75
— Our server cut the whole corn in front of the table. The wood-​grilled char gave it a distinct taste. Recommend.
Taco plate (w/​pork carnitas, carne asada, crispy fried fish, ancho chile chicken) ~$ 20
— After eating the chips and salsa, queso al forno, and grilled corn elote, it was a little bit of a struggle eating the taco plate. Nonetheless, i enjoyed each taco and the rice and beans that came with it.
Overall:
Recommend! Expect to pay a decent amount, but it was all well worth the price. I would order every dish again.

4 stars for their Taco Tuesday/​Happy Hour which runs from 3-​close. If your group likes beer, opt for the bucket of beer which is just $ 12 while a single bottle is about $ 5. For our table of 6, we shared the queso appetizer ($ 10) which was bundled with toppings that made it so much more than just a cheese dip. This came with soft tortillas and made the perfect little cheese rolls/​quesadillas. For tacos, I tried the chorizo, sweet potato, and bacon– really only tasted the chorizo, but that was fine with me ’cause it was good. Their tacos all come with a little melty cheese on the bottom so it added a nice creamy texture to it. I also tried a bite of their elote corn, which they carve for you at the table, but I wanted more of the mayo concoction.
Overall, a really great place for HH and/​or Taco Tuesday. They have one seating area that surrounds a fire pit which is really cool and would be great for a girls’ date.

LUNCH WITH A SIDE OF SCHWAAAG!
When I a wee Unilocalette, there were several well-​seasoned Unilocalers always willing to share their Unilocal knowledge and experience. At last, after months of chatting and planning, Rohlin A., his «better half,» aka, his wife, and I was able to sync our calendars and met up here at solita Tacos & Margaritas.
I arrived before Mr. & Mrs. A. did, which gave me a chance to check out the place. Tables, chairs, booths, and a bar fill this big open space. The décor is reminiscent of a house I stayed in when I traveled to Mexico, you walk inside only to find yourself pretty much outdoors. An entire side is open to the gorgeous SoCal outdoors, with simply a roof overhead.
Once we were all accounted for, we were escorted to our seats, handed menus and offered beverages while we look over the menu. Chips, salsa, and beverages were delivered timely. So good so far, right? Well…
Of course, I ordered my Mexican staple, carnitas tacos, three succulent pork, slow-​roasted with a secret ingredient, & shredded with pinto beans and slaw. Ahem, listen up, I said pinto beans. Sheesh!!! Servers mind wandered while I was ordering, just like that. Oy!!!
Rohlin ordered, Lazy Enchiladas, three corn tortillas folded over Mexican cheeses & carne asada, topped with red enchilada sauce, sour cream, cotixa cheese, lettuce & salsa fresca.
His lovely choose the El Panzon single flour tortilla folded and super-​stuffed with meat & cheese, butter-​crisped on the comal, topped with guacamole, sour cream, lettuce & salsa fresca.
He dipped, she dipped, we all dipped a chip in an ice cream scoop size Guacamole Solita served in a red tortilla in the form of a toasta. Although a decent mixture of avocado, tomato, onion, and cilantro, to gain the guac look flavorful, none of us felt our taste buds were doing the happy dance. Definitely not worth the price tag.
Before heading out, we couldn’t pass up on the Grownup Churro Sundae made with bananas sautéed with butter, brown sugar, rum & kahlua, churro bits, vanilla ice cream, caramel & chocolate sauces. This interesting dessert seemed to have been developed in layers, where all the alcohol settled on the bed of the sundae glass.
IN A TACO:
Parking was easy peasy, being in a far and wide strip mall, outside seating offered a nice ocean breeze, yet, covered from the extreme elements. Cartinas were plentiful and on the upper end of the scale on flavor, Rohlin’s dish seemed to sabor falta. Mrs. A enjoyed her selection. Service… well, I’ve never been ignored before, so that tells you something. Seriously, the server wasn’t even looking at me, instead, she was looking off into the distance. Oy!!! No need for me to drive all the way from LA to come back.
Nonetheless, I am most definitely willing to ride down to spend more time with fellow Unilocalers. Oh, and the Unilocal schwaaaag Rohlin gave me, well, that’s just flavorful salsa on a bland chip.