Sol Food At Food Lab

It does not exist anymore. Don’t go

REALLY great food. Get the pink beans, they’re delicious. Soft, moist chicken. The rice is amazing too. Service is great, even at a pop up where they’re definitely running off limited resources.
I’d consider going to the San Rafael locations just because the food here was SO good.
But you don’t get as much as I think you could, considering what you pay. Just sayin’.

With my hometown dining companions trailing behind me as I scurried through the Market St. mass traffic of vagabonds and ill-​forgotten street pharmacists, it’s impossible not to spot the lone foreign flag hanging outside the door. As a self-​proclaimed unpatriotic citizen, the flag represents more than nationalism. The flag represents my family, my roots, ancestry, colonization, poverty… everything. It’s amazing how that Puerto Rican flag can stir up so much emotion within me, since I was the first generation not born on commonwealth soil, but on true American soil.
The same emotions can be stirred within me when I smell the cooking of Puerto Rican food. Unfortunately, I did not get that smell when I walked into Sol Food pop-​up last month, during their last week of production in the SF Food Lab space.
Perhaps it’s too much to ask to see the national dish on the menu? It was my dining companions’ first time eating Puerto Rican food and I was excited to finally share arroz con gandules with them. Thus, it was not on the limited menu. There was roasted chicken (not exciting) and one classic… the holiday pastele on the menu. Reportedly, they put platanos, yautia and calabaza (pumpkin) in their pastele. My family doesn’t put pumpkin in theirs. The flavor was spot on, but the texture was super mushy. Either they hadn’t let the pasteles set, they overcooked them, or put too much pumpkin in them. And while I have never eaten a black bean in the many years of spending every summer in Puerto Rico, that doesn’t mean they aren’t apart of the cuisine, I just haven’t seen them. My family is poor, they eat pink and kidney beans. The pollo al horno was… roasted chicken. There was nothing about it that was amazing, it was just an average, sort of dry, roast chicken. And that’s not to discredit the amazingness that can be a roasted chicken. This horno just didn’t have the glistening golden brown skin on top (it was skinless) that entices and makes the juices gleak out of your mouth. It just looked drab. Everything was under seasoned, except the big ass salad they gave you. I’m almost willing to convince myself that they were tossing a nod to California by putting a salad of mixed greens on my plate, but the cynical Puerto Rican inside me wants to say, they were just trying to diverge your attention from the small portions.
The only thing I recognized as something spectacular for my dining companions, was the piqué. What diners in the space were referring to as «orange soda.» All in all, ask a Puerto Rican if this food was good and I can guarantee you the Unilocal reviews for this place would look a lot different. Ironically, my meal lacked soul. I was not proud to eat this meal, I did not beam with nationalistic pride as if I had created it myself.
But, that mango iced tea was good.

Finally! If it’s anything close to the quality of the San Rafael location (s), SF just added another great notch to its extensive culinary belt.
Simplicity is the key people. Sol Food is like a successful rock band that uses only a few chords. Not sure how they get away with it, but it somehow works. Sol Food dishes use a variation of simple ingredients, yet the taste is always explosive (in a good way!).
Be prepared for long lines, but highly recommend Pollo Al Horno, the Steak or Cuban Sandwich. Wash any of those dishes down with their fresh limonada and I guarantee you’ll walk away happy.
Not thrilled about the location, but at least they’ve made the jump out of Marin County.

***NOTE THE PHONE NUMBER is for the San Rafael store*******
The BEST!!! So glad that Sol Food has made its way to SF.

Sol Food is beyond what’s up. Having been a huge fan of their North Bay locations I was excited to try this temporary location to partake in some soul nourishing Sol Food.
I just stuck to a simple organic salad with fresh tomatoes and avocado. As basic as it was — it was one of the best salads I have eaten in awhile — and for just five dollars. The salad dressing was lovely, light and flavorful, and the organic greens were robust and fresh. The avocado and tomato slices were divine.
If you’ve never tried Sol Food — don’t use the Golden Gate bridge anymore as an excuse. Just get your booty over to this location and get ready for some outstanding food made with a slew of love and care.
Trust.

Om nom nom nom. I LOVE SOL FOOD. I’ve dragged several people to their San Rafael location from the city because of how much I love it. I hope they realize from all the love their receive in SF that they need to open up a location down here! It would do VERY well.
This location is only here until June 29^th but everyone should go try it for lunch. I mean EVERYONE. Excellent, healthy, and tasty.

Sol Food is one of my favorites. I visited the San Rafael restaurant and fell in love. I was so happy to hear of this location. Even if it is temporary. They are only open until June 29^th from 11 – 2. The area is crappy but so what the food is good. They have a limited menu. I had the pollo al horno with pink beans. I don’t know what they put in those beans! They are the best beans you’ll ever taste. They have chunks of potato with green olives. Very flavorful and quite addictive. The chicken was succulent and tasty. It came with avocado, salad and rice. Nice change of pace for this area.

Oh my goodness this is the best lunch I’ve had in a while. I’ve only been once and I crave it already.
I had the Pollo Al Horno with black beans. Their plates come with beans, rice, ¼ of an avocado, and a salad. Everything was very tasty. The avocado still had the skin on it and was super ripe. I had a taste of my friend’s limonada and it was light and delicious.
The life changer though was the salsa that looked like orange soda. I was a little put off by how viscous it looked, but once I got a taste of it, I put it on my chicken, my rice, my beans, and even my salad. It was spicy, vinegar-​y, and perfectly seasoned. I have never had anything like it.
I really hope this place stays at Food Lab for a while. If it doesn’t, I will trip up to their home base, it’s just that good.