SoNapa Grille

Absolutely fabulous! Loved having ½ glasses to taste a variety. Bob had the Sea Scallops with Polenta Cakes. He enjoyed it so much he spent half of the time trying to figure out how he could recreate. We has the Brie appetizer. It was perfectly cooked and served with Apple and crisps. I had the ½ Santa Rosa flatbread with Shrimp Quinoa salad. Flatbread was spicy and both were fabulous. And the carneros cheesecake… A few ½ glasses of wine and all under $ 100 for early Valentines celebration with my sweetie!
We will return! Lots of fabulous items on the menu

This place needs to be talked about more!!! We were trying to think of something different for our date night. Our usual (chain) restaurants had an hour & ½ wait times so we decided to try SoNapa! And I am so glad we did! It was easily one of the best meals I’ve ever had. We ordered the spinach dip appetizer which is unlike any other spinach dip I’ve had & it was served in a bread bowl! For our entrees we ordered the flank steak & scallop dishes. Both of them were incredible. Great service & we didn’t have to wait 90 minutes to get a table. We didn’t wait at all! Can’t wait to go back!

We went for a simple salad and drinks. We looked at the menu online and went specifically for the Cobb salad but we found out they took it off the menu. The waiter assured us it wasn’t a problem to do it since they had the ingredients. When we got the salad, it didn’t have the avocado or any dressing. When we informed them of the avocado missing, they told us they ran out and were not apologetic and actually gave us attitude about it. The blue cheese dressing was sub par and they also took forever to bring bread and to check up on us.

First off, they have a great check in offer. I always use it. The food is good. They just tweaked the menu. The service is very iffy. Sometimes we sit at the bar and you can get some bad service. They forget what you ordered. It’s slow. It mostly happened with a female bartender. She definitely didn’t want to be there. The last visit was more pleasant. The male bartender played games and we won free wine. How great is that? The whole experience was better. He also got a better tip.

Wine is ok. The food was really not very good. Had the marinated flank steak. It’s really bland served and tough with mashed potatoes that are super bland. Hello taste! Anyone there. Maybe go for glass of wine and a flatbread but not for dinner. But there are so many places that are better in winter park.

Our waitress helped me decide on some wine and let me sample, which was great. I had the scallops and they were large and seared to perfection. Only 4 scallops but they are thick plus the polenta served underneath is quite filling. Husband had a burger. It was cooked right to order and the bacon was nicely cooked as well. We just had drinks and the two entrees, but everything we had was tasty and nicely presented.
As for price, I can’t say as we had a gift cert. Not sure if the prices are high or on par, but regardless our selections were wonderful.
Oh! The Unilocal checkin really DOES work. We got $ 10 knocked off bill!

Happy hour prices are awesome. Food was average but would give it another chance. A great bar area to catch up with a friends not too loud and plenty of beer and wine options.

Outside would have been great but it was a rainy night. Also, it was at 6pm, the restaurant wasn’t even packed, the parking lot was dead but we weren’t even offered comfortable seating.
We accepted the bar seating and once our server finally arrived she was completely shocked that we didn’t want an alcoholic beverage. Maybe the restaurant manager should let their employees know that customers were only offered bar seating and not regular dining.
Now onto the good part. The spinach/​artichoke dip was delicious. The Central Valley Flatbread was good. The Seared Sea Scallops were very good. However, we did notice that everyone around us got bread and a dipping sauce but we were not offered it nor did we receive it.
All and All the food was good. I would want to try this place again for the food alone. However, I just hope they get better in customer service.

SoNapa=SoNOT GOOD!!! I went there this past Saturday and was very disappointed with both the Food and Service. We arrived at the restaurant around 8:00pm, normally a restaurant would be pretty full at this time, not this one. Our server appeared she was in a rush to leave so we felt rushed the entire time.
We first ordered the «Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms» the menu describes as stuffed with sausage and cheeses served with a Habanero butter sauce. Sounded good on the menu, when the app came out I bit into an small regular mushroom that was undercooked, the stuffing consisted of jimmy dean sausage, no cheese, in a pool of butter.
For dinner I ordered the Sonoma Farms Chicken. Again NOT Impressed. I was served a slightly warm, over salted, piece of chicken that had no flavor. It was topped with wilted spinach, a sprinkle of goat cheese, and a few sundried tomatoes. The chicken lay atop of a bed of cauliflower mash, that was again luke warm and lacked any type of flavor.
My friend ordered the Osso Bucco served with Fried Apples. The pork shank had very little flavor and was very greasy. The Fried apples were not even worthy of swallowing. One bite and it tasted as if someone dunked a soggy apple into a pool of oil. Yes, soggy… I thought if something is fried it should be crispy. Well this entrée was a complete disaster. We ordered a side of asparagus, and these were very undercooked as well.
All in all… I will never go back to this restaurant. Completely overpriced for the quality of food that is served. My suggestion to this restaurant is. «get a new CHEF»!

I ate at SoNapa about three weeks ago and was very impressed. It was a Friday night and a friend’s birthday and they had set aside a private room for her table. I thought the menu was somewhat pricy between entrée’s and wine, but they offered a Unilocal check in of $ 10 off! This was the most generous Unilocal offer I have ever utilized. I had the Sonoma Farms chicken and it was delicious. Cooked to perfection and a decent portion.
They offered a variety of wine’s and though I did not drink alcohol that night, my friends raved about the selections and the choices. Our server was very knowledgeable on the wine selection and had suggestions for dishes if we were having a hard time deciding. The manager even came over to thank us for dining.
There are no remnants of the building being the old Steak and Ale. I am a SoNapa fan!!! The staff is amazing and appreciate you for dining in their restaurant!!!

I have been to SoNapa a few times and have been happy with the food. The menu includes flatbreads, sandwiches, salads and a few bigger entrees. They have good portion sizes, typically not too big or too small. Everything that I have tried here i liked.
The service is good and they have an outside patio area which is partially shaded. There is an event room in the back, and if i am not mistaken a wine room as well.
The wine selection is pretty good. I typically some here for lunch so I haven’t had much of a chance to indulge in this department. But when I have been able to enjoy they have had a nice selection from Sonoma and Napa (i guess this is where the name comes from – SoNapa…).

Work near SoNapa (could actually walk here), so was excited when it was going to open and of course had to try it. I’m like another reviewer — I wanted it to be great and for it to succeed. I went once and am not going back, so unfortunately, I won’t be one of those people helping it to succeed. But there are a few reasons why.
I thought the pricing was quite expensive, especially compare to other options in the area. The food was nothing special, unfortunately, and very small portions for the money. I don’t need large portions, but do have an expectation based on price and this didn’t meet it. Thought the wines were on the high side, too.
There were a few in our party and no one was overly impressed. The service was spotty and bland. The décor still reminded me of the Steak & Ale, which I loved, but this is a different restaurant altogether, so would’ve like more of a change.
The thing I liked the most was their logo written in vinegar in the olive oil — nice touch!

Our group of 4 had an enjoyable meal on a Sat night. Food was good, prices were fair/​moderate for a nicer restaurant, and the service was attentive without being annoying.
Sonapa’s menu was slightly different (ie better) than what is posted online. We started out with 2 appetizers:
Duck Confit eggrolls — good, not great. I thought the sauce had a bit to much ginger.
Bacon-​wrapped scallops — delicious.
They also brought out warm bread with an olive oil dipping sauce. In a clever touch, they add a balsamic vinegar reduction in the shape of a «S.»
My wife and I each had a small salad before our entrees. It was a standard salad.
For my entrée, I had the mahi stack, which was pretty good. My wife had a a delicious looking chicken dish with cheese, spinach, and sweet potato tots (her choice of sides.) One of our other friends ordered the pork chops and they looked perfectly cooked and really juicy.
The service was great though… I give our waiter alot of credit for always being there to fill our glasses, etc but not making us feel like he was always there. Well done and the reason I am bumping this up to 4 stars.

Husband and I decided to visit Sonapa Grille since it is a new restaurant that popped up in Maitland across from Lake Lily. We were greeted and seated right away but it was a Monday night. Utilized a coupon for a free bottle of wine (which I enjoyed myself since husband doesn’t drink wine). I ordered scallops and he had short ribs which were both very tender. Waitress was friendly and attentive (again not sure if because it was a Monday night). It sounds like from the other reviews that other people had really bad experiences, but our experience and service was great.

When our original lunch plans for Mother’s Day fell through (over an hour wait at Cheesecake Factory), my mom, step-​dad and I headed over to SoNapa Grille. My mom had passed by it a few times and was curious about it, so this seemed like a great opportunity to try it. Especially since we called ahead and were able to make a reservation for 30 minutes from the time we called.
When we arrived, the restaurant was fairly empty, not surprising though, given that they have only been open a few months. But there were a lot of families there, celebrating Mother’s Day. We had a table by one of the multiple fireplaces in the restaurant that were lit up with candles versus the real thing.
The ambiance was relaxed, and the décor had a modern/​contemporary feel with dark woods and euro décor. They had a few Mother’s Day specials, which we tried and mom got a complimentary glass of champagne. I was excited that they had one of my favorite wines, Conundrum. This wine is hard to find at restaurants in Orlando and if you do find it, count on buying the whole bottle as 90% of the time it’s not sold by the glass. SoNapa offers it by the half bottle for $ 18.90, so my mom and I split it, which was a glass a piece.
For food, my step-​dad had the meatloaf, ($ 14) which he wasn’t too impressed with, but he’s a meat and potatoes, portion over quality type guy. I had the Sonoma Fields Grilled Chicken which was one of the daily specials ($ 18). It came with sauteed spinach and tomatoes topped with goat cheese and I got asparagus as my side. The chicken was tender, very juicy and tasted great. There’s a definite taste difference between marinated chicken and seasoned chicken, and this restaurant is one that takes the time to marinate to bring out the best flavor. Mom had the Grilled Mahi Oscar Style ($ 19), which was another Mother’s Day special. What she loved about this was not only how fresh the fish tasted and how it flaked perfectly, but that they used a lighter lemon butter sauce versus the heavy cream sauce you usually see when you order «Oscar Style».
For dessert we split the pineapple upside down cake, which came out as a mini bundt cake with caramel and raspberry drizzles on the plate and a side of vanilla ice cream. The cake was so moist that it tasted like it had soaked up all the pineapple juice and sugars but still had a nice crispy caramelized crust on top.
Overall, this place had delicious food and the servers were quick and very helpful. I would definitely come again, either for date night, drinks and appetizers at the bar or just another family dinner.

Sonot a fan of Sonapa. I want this restaurant to do well, I really do, but they need refinement in many areas to warrant a second visit.
It was a busy Friday night, so my fiancé and I waited at the bar for our table to be ready. The bar was crowded, but not packed. After watching the bar tender roll her eyes when she spotted us needing service, she pointed at me with one finger (huge personal annoyance) and barked, «What do you want?» Our reply was «a drink menu,» which was promptly thrown in our faces. A simple Bombay and tonic and a glass of red wine shouldn’t be difficult to make, but believe me, they were, and they were slung at us with equal force as the menu. While the wine list is great, this was the worst gin & tonic I’ve ever tasted. I expect service and drinks like this at a dive bar downtown, but not a new restaurant in Maitland. Trying to forget the bar experience, we were moved to our table, and things started to look up from there, sort of.
The menu and food were blah. With a name like «Sonapa,» I picture farm-​fresh ingredients and amazing flavor. What we experienced was glorified wedding food. I ordered fish of some sort with sides of vegetables and potatoes. The fish was well cooked, a nod to the chefs, but the carrots were shriveled, mushy baby carrots drowned in butter (The Jolly Green Giant does a better job than these). The potatoes were over-​roasted and salty. My fiancé had a fish special stuffed with crab meat, and the same sides as me. Not too bad, but not too great either. I had my leftovers boxed up for take out, but I forgot them in the end. Oh well, I doubt I would have eaten them later.
The only redeeming thing about our experience were the wine list, the bread and our server. Great selection of wines, and they do half glasses, which is a nice touch. Bread is bread, it was tasty with the dipping sauce. Our server was friendly and attentive, although we never got her name.
Honestly, I wish this restaurant the best of luck. I doubt we’ll be back until I hear that things change. But hopefully they will.

I came here during a Friday lunch. I don’t know if it was a certain day or normal, but the median age of most eaters were probably in there 50’s. Kind a gave the feeling that more mature people go here.
They had a lunch deal where you can get half a flat bread and half a soup. I got the Caprese flatbread and lobster bisque. The «half» flatbread was more of a quarter of a quarter… it was 4 slices of teenie tiny pieces! To top it off the mint was burned. Isn’t it mandatory to put fresh herbs after you cook a flat bread? Anyway I doubt I will be a repeat customer.

Caught happy hour and early dinner here with a friend (Tues), we arrived about 5:30 and were run through the list of Happy Hour specials. (½ off wells, ½ off some beers and ½ off Coastal Vines wines) If you are a fan of reds, try the CV Cabernet Sauvignon. The Pinot Noir was not very pleasant. (For the HH prices I didn’t mind taking the chance, but this wine could easily be taken off the list and isn’t a good representation of the varietal at any price point.) The regular wines by the glass were all familiar, solid standards and priced by the ½ glass, glass or bottle. Small, but comprehensive wine offerings. Happy hour specials are offered in the bar and the dining room until 6:30PM. Would be nice if they showcased a wine off of their regular list with a $ off the bottle special for early week or happy hour.
The server was very nice and welcoming, but could use some more time on her menu familiarity. The cheese plate isn’t listed with selections, we found out by asking that they rotate the cheeses every week. We then asked what the current cheeses were… our server didn’t know, left to check and was back. No prob, but we were informed «baked brie» was on the cheese plate along with «aged gouda» and another standard, when the plate arrived it was room temp brie. Hats off for serving it at the right temp, but not a baked brie. Gouda was not aged, your typical Edam. Every cheese was in line with supermarket selection quality and was nothing special, however the homemade flatbread crackers were great. Price for the plate was OK, but we won’t feel the need to order the cheese plate again. Too bad, as wine and cheese are a popular pairing when dining out at a wine place.
The compact menu is primarily dominated by heavier preparations of red meat, which struck us both as somewhat out of place for a Sonoma-​Napa themed restaurant. There are apps, entrée salads, flatbreads, and entrees– with an option for a «you pick two» of soup, ½ salad and ½ a flatbread. We both went the latter route figuring it would allow us to try a few different things.
When the meals were delivered, the appearance and quality was that of a Crispers or Panera, another surprising moment. The ½ Flatbread is 4 triangles– my Chalk Hill brie and spinach flat (denoted as a SoNapa favorite) was OK… but the pairing of brie and tomatoes really wasn’t appealing. Add the balsamic drizzle and the flavors were just not working. (Nix the tomatoes and use a raspberry or strawberry balsamic drizzle or Nix the brie and use Goat cheese with the current tomatoes and balsamic) Lobster bisque was good upon it’s second arrival– there was an error where someone in the kitchen mixed the lobster bisque with tomato bisque and the server arrived at the table explaining the issue and corrected the problem before I got my first bite in.
Friend got the ½ Dutton Ranch Apple Chicken salad and ½ of the Knights Valley flatbread with beef, no onions. Flatbread came out with onions (Chopped, not shaved as described on the menu) — but her order was refired and quickly redelivered. She said both were fine, but nothing amazing.
The décor of the restaurant was nice, but not fancy. The whole place is very dark, so we sat in the bar which had booths and some natural light coming in. Both the dining room and bar were packed when we left at 7ish.
While the less experienced servers could use some polish, it seems to be the kitchen that needs some serious focus and oversight. Plenty of places serve flatbreads and salads, elevated to a level of café and better dining. (Season’s 52, Urban Flats, Dexters, OLV) If the kitchen issues get worked out, SoNapa would be solid… hope that happens.
As a final note, Liz W mentioned the age mix on her visit. Our visit was the complete opposite– with the bar and surrounding tables packed with 60++ and the dining room with a mix of older and some younger (30s-​40s).

Not bad. We went there for dinner, with a reservation. There wasn’t a hostess at the front, but we found help fairly soon, and were seated within 10 minutes. The waitress was friendly, funny, and honest. The lobster bisque was good. The apple chicken salad wasn’t bad. The sliders were excellent. The salmon and meatloaf were both serviceable. The drinks were good, although you didn’t get a lot for $ 9.
We will probably go back if we are in the neighborhood. The bar was packed with 20 and 30 somethings, but the dining room crowd was mostly older, white couples. It was not exciting, but it was solid.

Recently, secretly opened with no fanfare.
I’m glad to see this space/​location finally used, it’s the old steak and ale that has sat dormant for years.
Food:
I tried both soups, one was a Mushroom Brie which wasn’t really my kind of thing but had a decent taste. The much better choice was the Lobster Bisque.
Also had the salad which was ok and the short ribs for my main course. All was decent, suprising to say the most delicious thing with the olive oil with balsamic glaze and parmesean dip that came with the bread, I couldn’t stop eating it. Delicious.
We had a lot of problems with them bringing wrong drinks and dishes but they were really apologetic and nice, the managers came by lots after the problems to check that everything was great and they comped our bill! I really didn’t mind much anyways so that shows they really care about their restaurant.
The waitress also described the happy hours which sounded like some really great deals. I’ll definitely be back in a few months and hopefully everything will run smoother by then.