Soleá

Ver good but now closed.

Solea is this gorgeous, rustic and easygoing resto built into the rear of the W in South Beach. If you go at night the atmosphere is stunning and very romantic — candles lit everywhere, country-​style comfortable yet beach-​y furniture, and rich color scheme.
The food is delicious and meticulously prepared — all the dishes are typically tapas-​small but infused with an incongruent amount of flavor, and they’re surprisingly filling.
Prices are around $ 200 for two people including wine and tip, and well worth it. I would rank this as a must-​see restaurant in South Beach, easily in the top 10 there.

James Beard award winner for new restaurant in South Beach.
You get what you pay for, very nice atmosphere and beautiful speace at the W hotel. Did you expect anything less?
Food and service was excellent. If you’re looking for a high end dinner experience in South Beach with beautiful people, this is the place to be.

This place is really nice. We sat inside, I wish we would have sat outside… oh well, next time!
The food:
Patatas Bravos — these were a hit. The 3 of us agreed the ‘not at all spicy’ spicy red pepper sauce and aioli made these patatas brava probably the best we have ever had.
Croquetas de Jamon — Personally, I wasn’t a fan of these at all… and my 2 guests rated them as «ok» but nothing like Michelle Bernstein’s croquettas!
Hamberguesa Classica — OMG, this was divine. We all agreed that everything about this burger was amazing. The kobe beef was perfect… and even though I don’t usually like caramelized onions (at all), they really completed the burger… the manchego cheese on the burger… wow, amazing. We weren’t too thrilled with the fries as they tasted very greasey and were too salty… but the burger… is a MUST try.
Dessert:
Torta de Merengue — WOW. I wish it would have come with another sorbet flavor as I hate coconut, but the actual torta was spectacular and because of that, I will certainly order it again!
Manchego Cheese Cake — this is definitely not a dessert you share as the serving size is tiny! Even so, it was really good but I’d probably try something else next time.
The Service:
On point. We had an awesome waitress that made some really good recommendations.
Why 4 stars? The hamburger and the torta the merengue with the great service, that’s why!

I’ve stayed at the W a couple of times now and had two crew dinners at Solea and they do not disappoint.
The highlights are always the potatoes bravas and the calamari.
I want to love the croquetas de jamon but they are just too rich.
I also had the paella de Langosta y Setas. I also wanted to love this but the rice was overcooked. The lobster was done well though.
I think my favorite dish was the Vieiras. Everything was delicious the topping of the Salchichon de vic was a nice little touch. It did not take me long to finish this plate.
The swordfish was ok. I didn’t have the same feeling about it as I did the Scallops.
The waiters have always been great and it is one of my favorite restaurants where I can go and have an early dinner by myself and not feel overwhelmed by people. It’s very peaceful.

I went here for the first time with some girlfriends last Friday night, we had purchased the Gilt City 4 course menu w/​wine for four people. It was a really awesome deal so we werent expecting the attention and generous portions we received! Everything was delicious (veal cheeks were a bit too rich for me but maybe thats how people like them), our service was excellent and given getting such a bargain already they hooked us up with extra wine and free coffee. We had a great time and the atmosphere was trendy/​nice. I didnt really get a chance to see the regular menu options/​pricing but from our preview I would recommend it. p. s. the donuts and chocolate sauce for dessert were to die for.

We stayed at the W so this was a super convenient place to have breakfast every morning. The breakfast menu had a wide selection of breakfast fare. On the weekends starting on Friday, there is a breakfast buffet for $ 26. Everything else on the menu is $ 24 and under.
The Leo — Salmon and scrambled eggs was pretty good. The toast comes with awesome marmalade. The French Toast was also very delicious made with brioche bread and topped with powdered sugar and apple compote. The Waffles were a real let down. I make it better at home. My recommendation is to skip this one. The Cosmo — pastry basket, came with a large selection of pastries and toast.
If you are staying at the W, this is a great place for you to grab a quick bite before heading to the beach which is a hop skip and jump away :)

Went to lunch with a friend that didn’t feel like eating much.
we ordered:
the clams: good seasoning but not amazing
the papas bravas: really good, but not spicy
the shirmp: got to the table late and was not even worth the wait
the paella valenciana: it was dry but plenty
the chocolate dessert was the highlight of the lunch, it was like a chocolate tasting plate.
the service was great and the ambience was nice too.

The food I had was ok with the exception of the croquetas de jamon and crema catalana which were delightful. I tried the Pollo Rustido which was very bland. I also tried the kobe burger which tasted a bit too much like the grill. The churros with chocolate, the chocolate was very bitter, I like mine sweet.
My soda had some leaves in it, that the waitress had to remove… twice.
Waitress was very nice and helpful.
:) — croquetas de jamon, crema catalana
yum!

Overpriced. Food — not impressive. The artichoke some raved about was a waste of my fork movement.
Good ambiance. Great service.

I had breakfast and dinner here last week. Here is how it went down:
Dinner:
I had a salad. Very simple. Very tasty. It did have some goat cheese, but i barely touched that. Okay, i was kinda tipsy… had a whole bottle of champange at this point. :)
Breakfast:
My cousin and i had breakfast here before we flew back home to California. I had the fruit plate (delicious and a wonderful assortment of local fruit). I also had an omeletter (this was okay and kinda unmemorable). And then for dessert ordered the Tres Leches (this was to die for and totally is why i gave them 4 stars versus 3 stars).

I had breakfast here numerous times while I was staying at the W and everything was delicious and came out fairly quick.
My fav here is the chorizo scramble wrap– it’s huge, whole wheat wrap with papaya salsa. The fruit plates were also very fresh but a bit pricey for what they consisted of. Good coffee too!
If it’s not super humid in the morning– sit outside on patio!

Ok so the service was 4 stars, let me just say that.
The food however left a lot to be desired. I was not impressed with anything on the menu. We ordered a variety of things none of which wowed me at all.
For the price point of the menu I expected a lot more. I would pass on this one.

i came to solea recently for dinner with some Unilocalers. there was a fixed Unilocal menu for $ 35 which seemed pretty fair to me considering how beautiful this restaurant is, how attentive the service was and how delicious everything on the menu was. so why only 3 stars? cause you cannot charge $ 30 for two bottles of fiji water. thats fucked up.

Solea was the spot of my first Unilocal Dinner Party! I was not sure what to expect upon walking into the intimidating W hotel but found my way into a cozy back room with a perfectly set round table for the meal to commence. While we waited for some tardy dinner guests, we ordered the cheese plate that was a great compliment to the bread basket (and amazing Spanish olive oil) that was also on our table.
Then came the big players as our courses started coming out. The first dish, Nidos de Alcachofa y Huevo, was probably my favorite. We also had sardines, branzino, veal cheek, and a coconut panna cotta, as well. I really enjoyed it all, even the cheek! Reminding me lots of Salisbury Steak (the waiter probably wouldn’t want to hear me say that!), it really melted in your mouth.
The dessert was a little disappointing but after trying everything else that was so delicious, I’m sure that they have something on the menu that would be a little more satisfying!
Our waiter was great at explaining everything that came out and truly believed in the quality of our food. My water glass was never empty and they brought out new silverware for each dish.
Overall an excellent first Unilocal Dinner Party that makes me wanna have one just about everywhere!

In it’s basic concept, the thought of eating Spanish food is pretty exciting. Tapas are the perfect size to get a taste of a lot of different dishes and the prospect of eating cured Iberico ham was all that I needed to check out this restaurant in Miami’s newest hot spot the W Hotel in South Beach.
Honestly, the only good thing was the ham and the waiter. Everything else was dripping in cheap «Sex Panther» cologne (It’s illegal in nine countries… Yep, it’s made with bits of real panther, so you know it’s good) of the douchiest place I have ever been. More on that later.
I have to admit, Solea is a beautiful restaurant. I would even go so far to say that it was stunning. It has super high ceilings will these awesome hanging overhead lights that resemble the planets in orbit.
Unfortunately, the disconnect between the food and the décor was pretty apparent. As I mentioned, the best thing that we ordered was the Iberico ham. There is nothing like this in the world. The pigs are fed a diet of acorns and grass that give the meat the most unique taste. Here are the other tapas we ordered.
— The Spanish cheese plate…3 different cheeses all equally boring
— Wood oven roasted flatbread with mushroom and pine nuts… nice tasting, but a pain in the ass the eat. I had pine nuts all over my lap by the time I was done
— Seared tuna salad… tuna was WAY over done and one leaf of lettuce does not a salad make
To be honest, we ordered a few more dishes, but frankly I don’t even remember what they were. That how unremarkable the food was at Solea. Mind you, I do remember the bill, which was WAY too expensive for the privilege of eating there.
The one shining light in this place was the waiter. Fabian was great and very attentive. He guided us through the menu and paired some really delicious wines to go with our meal. It wasn’t his fault that the food coming out of the kitchen was mediocre at best.
The number one thing working against Solea is its location. The W Hotel has quickly become the hottest spot on South Beach and like moths to a flame the douchbaggery have flocked to this place. These rare douchbags go way beyond the average juiced up dickwad with his collar popped up. This is a whole new beast complete with requisite douchbag car (insert pimped out Lambo, Escalade or Ferrari), bimbo model girlfriend dressed in dental floss and dudes wearing women’s skinny jeans. But the King of the Douchbags had to be the jackass who jumped out of his Rolls Royce Phantom not wearing a shirt… priceless.
Overall, you can take a pass on this place. Pity thought… Spanish food is excellent… just maybe not in Miami.

Thank god I had $ 200 credit at the hotel, because that’s what this place ran us for a really mediocre dinner. the space itself is gorgeous, and the staff was super friendly (minus the snooty hostesses) — but the paella was bland, the cheese plate was pretentious, and the rest of the food was just OK.
the large table outside would be awesome on a warm spring evening — but just not sure the food matched up with the ambiance.

Waay too expensive, especially for such poor service. I get the sense that if you aren’t beautiful or dressed up in fancy clothes, you won’t get good service.

This was a great meal!
The hostesses were a bit on the dismissive side, but I suppose it’s Miami Beach — what do I expect when I’m not recognizable as someone from a cover of a magazine?
Service at the table was excellent — prompt and not overbearing, and I never waited for anything for long. The waiter even brought out the label for the olive/​garlic table appetizer, which I really liked. Kudos for that. The bread was great — also big points for that.
The cuttlefish appetizer was excellent — perfectly done, and I rarely see cuttlefish on menus. I had the special, which was rabbit, and I also opted for a side of their fried potato (yucca?) with a cream/​spice sauce, which was a good move — it was a good compliment to the meal, and was delicious.
I almost forgot about the dessert: wow, that was good. Save room. I had the three-​fruit… thing. I have no idea now what it was called. But it had a mango foam (pudding?), some sort of mangosteen layer, and something else. Doesn’t matter. Can’t remember. Brain stopped working due to overload.
The location was swank and appropriately trendy, but I was pleased that the food met my expectations.
As usual, I will rant about Miami’s insipid automatic inclusion of gratuity as being frustrating and insulting and ultimately reduces what good wait staff earns, but every restaurant there seems to do it.

Enjoyed a great meal here last week. First the setting is vibrant and nicely decorated. Great place to have a meal before a night out. Or in our case, in between parties :)
I enjoyed the tapas approach especially if dining with a larger group. The cocktails were good as was the glass of cab I ordered.
As far as the food, we ordered so many things I can’t remember most of the dishes and I couldn’t find the menu online. The veal cheeks and the sardines stood out but everything we had was delicious and I would definitely come back again.