Soluna Cafe and Lounge

It’s been awhile but I checked out this lounge/​café for happy hour before the symphony yesterday. Had a wonderful experience. Very good wines by the glass and tasty bar bites. Cocktail menu looked awesome. Interiors are a pleasant escape from Civic Center area, which I happen to pass through frequently. I will have to go to Soluna more often. Good, friendly service too!

We had reservations for a party of nine at 5:30 in order to catch Carol Burnett at 8:00. No problem getting sat at our time because the place was almost empty (should have been a clue). Décor — There is nothing chic about the restaurant; it’s a little dark to notice much. The bathroom was old, but clean. Seating — Just long rows of tables, which meant we couldn’t converse with anyone except the people next to us. Libations — No draft beer that night because the taps weren’t working — on a Saturday night? Food — Five of us had the halibut. It was an extremely small serving (4 ounces, maybe) on polenta. The halibut was dry until the very center and I learned that polenta is just a fancy word for corn meal mush — no flavor whatsoever — $ 26. Two people chose the fried chicken; yep, greasy fried chicken was the only chicken choice. My husband had the chicken and gave me a leg, which I ate because I was still hungry after having the halibut. There were three pieces of chicken, but the potatoes served with it amounted to a two-​tablespoon serving with a small hard biscuit. My husband said it tasted like a Bisquick biscuit — $ 25. Two people had the ceasar salad and I didn’t ask them about it, but there wasn’t even an option of adding chicken to it. Dessert — The two people I sat next to ordered vanilla ice cream. One asked for a chocolate topping, which they didn’t have. I will be generous and say that the serving size was 3 ounces for $ 6. Service — Just okay, but I waited an hour for a glass of water.
First, let me explain that I included the prices because you need to know how much we paid for food that in no way met our expectations. It was edible and that’s the best comment I can make about the food.
Second, we were there to celebrate an 80^th birthday. Normally, I would have returned the food, but I didn’t want to detract from the purpose or embarrass the person who had chosen the venue. It is so unlike me to not speak up. I was a waitress for ten years before becoming a teacher. I give restaurants and waiters a lot of slack and still leave an above average tip.
Third, I gave it one star because I will never go back. For me, two stars means there was something about the place that might make me return. I have looked at other rating sites — tripadvisor, opentable, zomato, facebook, and I don’t know how this place gets more than two stars. It makes me very skeptical about trusting any reviews.

REVIEWER # 443
I never knew this place existed until my girlfriends and I came here for happy hour!
Soluna Café is conveniently located near the Civic Center Bart and just blocks away from the City Hall this place is truly legit to be in such a rusty area!
When I walked in I noticed that the décor is really interesting and dramatic there’s lots of reds, neat-​looking seating, and beautiful lighting the original artwork on the walls just tops it off. Many foodies hear about this place as it’s located near the Opera performances, good for late night eats, or after visiting the Asian Art Museum across the street.
If you are not able to park on the street (Can be very difficult) there is parking at the McAllister underground parking across the street.
The menu provided plenty of options from appetizers to entrees. The signature cocktails were exciting and innovative! We tried several appetizers; each one was a local seasonal delight.
Happy hour is weekdays from 2:30PM-7PM. I sat at the bar and was able to chat with the amazing bartender Ron, who I have to admit, he makes AMAZING drinks! This was my first time at the restaurant and once I sat at the bar I was approached immediately. Currently they have a check-​in for a $ 5 drink and I was able to present that at the bar and Ron had no problem making me one of those fancy dranks! I tried those Truffle fries which were DELICIOUS!
Customer service here is PHENOMENAL. After my ladies came to meet me at the bar we went back and forth on if we wanted to continue receiving great customer service with Ron or head to a table but Ron persuaded us to enjoy ourselves at a table and we would receive the same phenomenal service, and we did!
What a great restaurant! Love the décor and atmosphere, and the food is PHENOMENAL.
It’s an undiscovered gem! Definitely check it out if in the area! The happy hour is legit!
Review # ³⁷⁄₁₉₆

Not sure why this place is currently only 3 stars – I LOVE Soluna. I came here while in law school and I still come back for those burgers and fries. Bartender is hilarious and everyone is friendly. Number one item is the burger and fries (seriously such an amazing burger). I got the halibut with creamy polenta and it was absolutely delicious. They were also very accommodating about our large party of 17 or so. Don’t let the location to deter you! Great place for drinks or food before seeing a show at Bill Graham (or the other event venues nearby).

After a horrible experience this week, I was totally validated seeing all of the other negative reviews for their service – they clearly do not give a sh*t about customer service because they are guaranteed business due to their location. I came for a business meeting at 5:00 PM and had reserved a table because we wanted to have a quiet conversation instead of being at the bar. Please note, there is nothing on Open Table or on their website that says that reservations can only be made if you are planning to order dinner. My colleague and I sat down at the table, ordered drinks and when asked by the waiter if we were going to order food, we said no, we’d probably just be ordering drinks. The waiter gave us a weird look and seconds later, a VERY haughty manager of some sort came over to us, literally looking down his nose at us and said «I am sorry, you are going to have to move to the bar. The dining room is only for guests who are ordering dinner.» Then, as we moved to the bar he said «Yes, we are really busy all the time, so we’ll really need that table». Also, just FYI, we had moved the napkins and touched the silverware already, and the manager instructed the waiter to just rearrange the stuff we had touched instead of putting down fresh napkins and silverware. So, whoever sat at that table next, hope you enjoyed my finger germs all over your spoon! We then sat at a high boy table in the bar area and were brought our drinks. We asked for water, and this very odd man with a beard (I honestly cannot tell if he was a bartender or what) came over, slowly placed the water on our table and then stared at us as he dramatically slid them towards us. Super weird. Then, over the course of our meeting, we were asked about 12 times if we wanted anything else, like they were trying to hustle us out of there. By the time we left, it was 6:30 PM and I made a point to look in the dining area. LO AND BEHOLD, it was EMPTY! Looks like they really needed our table. It’s all good though, I’m never going back, but thought I’d provide others with this cautionary tale of exceptionally poor customer service.

This would be the Cheers of students at UC Hastings (seriously). The number of times I walk by this place and see at least one – if not more – of my friends in here getting drinks or food is insane. We come because, not only is it convenient, it’s also a great atmosphere!
I won’t make this a long review (shocking for me), but I will not leave without giving you this important information: order an old fashioned and order the fries. That’s all. Be on your way… To Soluna, of course!
Plus: The bartenders are ALL super nice and really get to know their fans. Yes, we’re fans.

Drinks are nice and burger, beer and shot of bourbon as happy hour special is d’lish, but customer service during a busy Friday happy hour was terrible. I was there with some colleagues yesterday and we had to go up to the bar several times to order drinks, beside the fact that we were at a table and there were plenty of servers standing around. Before leaving I asked to speak with the manager and he turned out to be the one with the biggest attitude. We will not be going back there and we will let our coworker know not to frequent them either. Too much attitude.

My sister recommended this place before going to the theater. The entry way is a little cramped, but the dining area is not and that’s important as the meal was paced quite leisurely. The menu is simple in the quantity of choices, but complex in the offerings. We split a caesar salad, I had never had grilled romaine and the flavor was intense. I had the seasonal risotto and my sister went with their burger, neither of us was disappointed in our choice and the food was plentiful so we could swap a bite or two.
The only downside to Soluna is that the check was slow coming and slower still to be taken and returned. I have definite plans to make return visits.

When I came I haven’t had a steak in a long while, so I decided to try the filet mignon! From what I remember it was cooked perfectly with the sauce that added a lot of flavouring to the filet mignon. Also the whole dish worked nicely together to create a coherent piece that made you want more.
Everything was cooked perfectly together, and I’d love to come back and try something new. Even though the Filet mignon was extremely satisfying!

Do not make the mistake of passing this place up!
My boyfriend and I came here for our anniversary, partly because the open table rating was so high. Upon arrival, we noticed the restaurant was almost empty (8pm on a Thursday). I prepared to make the most of it, but expecting a less than stellar experience. I was wrong.
I was born and raised in San Francisco, so not only am I a bit of a «foodie,» but I am a stickler for great service. I could not have been more impressed.
It was a blessing in disguise that we found this hidden gem because we almost had the place to ourselves, and not 10 minutes after we got there, they lowered a projector and started playing office space with subtitles.
The servers were ON POINT, and the food was some of the best I’ve had. Again, I’m a SF born and raised food snob. Could not have been happier.

Staff is nice, food is really good. Tried the chicken sandwich, new items that I didn’t know, didn’t change anything… it was delicious. Not 5 star because its expensive, expected in San Francisco.

I have been here many times for lunch during the week, and would fully recommend it. Delicious food, great prices and a lovely atmosphere.
I also booked my small, afternoon wedding reception here a couple of years ago. We had about 30 guests. The food was a small-​bite buffet which turned out absolutely wonderful, followed by light dessert. We also had an open bar for our guests. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a delightful, yet relaxed wedding reception, especially if you’re walking over from City Hall. Looking forward to spending my next anniversary dinner here!

Great place to go before the show at Orpheum. We started out with chesses and some kind of beef it was really good, I had Halibut it was about 4 stars
Service was nice and I couldn’t expect anymore

I was skeptical at first why this place only received 3 stars, but I was recommended by a friend who had been there before.
They have an awesome combo for happy hour — Beer, Bourbon and Burger. Great idea. All three were excellent. In hindsight, I would have chosen the cheddar instead of brie for cheese.
Will definitely come back again.

Quaint little café and eatery tucked away near civic center. Service was prompt even for NYE dinner. We had early dinner reservations before the symphony. Walkable from BART. Menu options offered an artistic but rustic spin on dishes like fried chicken, butternut squash risotto, and steaks. Portions were just the right size, and not too much. Our table had the fried chicken and it was reported to be delicious, as was the Filet served with mashed potatoes and topped with mushrooms and peppers. Cocktail menu was creative and with Unilocal check-​in you get to try a secret cocktail not on the menu! Hint: it has bourbon and orange peels.

Great spot to get food before a show at the Orpheum! I had the black cod with creamy polenta, tomatoes and pesto, and it was absolutely delicious. My friends raved over the butternut squash risotto. We shared the brown sugar brussels sprouts, which were among the best brussels sprouts I’ve ever had… perfectly caramelized with lots of crunchy bits.
I like that the small plates, which are all so tempting, are also sides for the large plates.
$ 5 Unilocal special cocktail with check in! I had the wine instead, which allowed my friend to have two :)
Make a reservation.

My boyfriend and I were going to a show at the Orpheum (on a weekday), and we decided to come to Soluna because it was recommended by the SHN website along with 3 other restaurants. They also have a «free dessert when you present your Orpheum ticket» deal.
We had been assured by the hostess that we would be seated with ample time to order, eat, get to our show, etc. We told her in advance about the dessert deal and that we were going to a show.
We weren’t seated until about 30 minutes after she had told us we would be. The server completely ignored us for about 15 minutes. The people at the table next to us were sending their food back because it wasn’t thoroughly cooked. We finally ordered and waited. and waited… the server told us that it was a busy night, the kitchen was going to complete our order next, etc., but still nothing.
Eventually, it was about 15 minutes to showtime and I flagged down a different server. He went to check and told us that our ticket never printed in the first place, so our order was never placed and was never started. At this point, we had to leave, so we left, very hungry, very grouchy, and with nothing to show for the remarkably long time we spent sitting there.
Ultimately, we had peanut M+Ms for dinner at the show. They were pretty good!
The SHN website also recommends SAMs American Eatery, The Hall, and First Crush.

Came here 2 days in a row. First day was on a Saturday (of Pride weekend) with my best friends and my partner. We had been walking around for a couple of hours looking to get a couple of drinks and kind of chill for a while. When we walked in we weren’t greeted at all but still came in and sat at bar area. Still no greeting. We were discussing what kind of drinks we would have and it wasn’t until then the bartender (middle aged, dark hair) chimed in and told us this was not a bar and they served cocktails and if we were looking for shots we should find a bar. Kind of rude but whatever ignored it.
We ordered 2 Easy Breezy’s since 2 of the 4 of us aren’t really drinkers and wanted to test it out before they actually ordered one. Turns out my partner really liked it so we ordered an additional one. The bartender asked to give him a second as he was in the middle of making a drink. Totally understandable. First come, first serve… but then a gentleman comes and sit at the bar and he GREETS him and asks him if he would like to order. He then makes the guy drink serves him and makes another (not an Easy Breezy) and THEN makes our drink.. Hmm. He does ask if I would like another drink, I decline, take care of the tab and we make our way out. We left a $ 5 Tip since our drinks were good and got OK service.
We come back the next with a few more people than the day before. This time we’re looking to eat since we missed out on breakfast trying to catch the Parade. This time it’s a lot more busy and a lot more crowded. We order our food at the bar and found a table. We’re sitting at the table and a waitress walks up (dark brown hair, red lips, fair skin) to tell us we can’t sit here since we ordered for take out at the bar and would have to have a card on file if we wanted to sit there. Never heard of it. I instantly picked up this snotty vibe from her. I thought it was crazy but my partner agreed to give her a card since it was «Policy».
We are sitting for about 20 — 30 minutes and haven’t heard anything about our food. Our waitress does not check on us. Not once. So I walk up to the bar area to politely ask a waiter (about 5“11, dark hair, brown skin, glasses) if he could check our order for us. His reply,” I didn’t take your order.” … Really? Like… I’m fed up at this point. Before I could get a word out a woman asks what my order was (I believe her name was Allison). I told her she said it wasn’t ready yet. When it was ready she did bring it out to our table and asked if we needed anything else and even offered to put our food on plates and give us silverware. We declined because we were trying to make it an in and out thing. For the rest of our visit we were ignored and our waitress just looks our direction and rolls her eyes. Definitely did not leave a tip. We weren’t serviced at all.
Worst service ever. I will never come back here. Definitely need work on their customer service skills. At least towards their colored customers.

So I came into this thinking ok maybe the service has improved from what People say in the reviews… nope. The host was chatting away with the bartender as we stood there waiting and the bartender kept looking at us and said nothing to the host. Finally we were greeted and seated. We were sitting there waiting for our waiter. I saw all the waiters talking to each other and kept trying to get one of their attention. Finally 10 min later– no joke 10 min she came over to greet us and offer us water. The food was shockingly delicious but unfortunately the customer service was majorly lacking. I had the pork chops and it was delicious except it said it was going to have butternut risotto and it had a green pea risotto instead so big bummer.

Soluna Café and Lounge might just be the perfect place to have a quick, affordable, and unassuming meal before you head to a show at the nearby Orpheum Theater or the San Francisco Opera or Symphony.
My friend got tickets to «The Book of Mormon» and we needed a place to go to get a quick bite before the show. After rattling off a number of places to try, my friend suggested Soluna mainly because of the happy hour burger special is considered a good deal: $ 18 for what they call a «Civic Burger» along with a side of fries (or arugula salad), a huge pilsner sized draft beer and a shot of bourbon. It’s a good deal and well worth the price. Judging by previous reviews and other articles I’ve looked at, it looks like that 18 dollars is an increase in price from just a few years ago. But I digress, you get what you pay for I suppose.
I have to admit, I get jaded by burgers living here in the Bay Area after all we are the food capitol of the world, yes that includes gourmet hamburgers as well! But for some reason I thought the Civic Burger at Soluna Café tasted amazing! In hindsight, I know why this was true: it was topped with triple cream brie cheese! It tasted like something that I’ve never had before. (Which on a burger, I hadn’t!) That combined the house-​ground all-​natural beef with arugula, crispy onions, black garlic aioli served on brioche bun all the more tantalizing. I couldn’t believe it myself!
The fries were adequate, the ale beer was fine, oh and the bourbon shot went down very very slowly! But that burger was a true revelation! And if you check in on your Unilocal app you get a «Check In Drink» for only five dollars! For that Thursday it was a combination of tropical flavors with a tinge of beer. I don’t exactly know the name of that drink (because on my receipt, it only says Check In), but I have to admit it it tasted really vibrant and actually quenched my thirst! (More than the beer and the bourbon did, but hey that’s just me)
Now is Soluna the best place to dine in the Tenderloin/​Civic Center area? Probably not, but it was an affordable and tasty option within walking distance to our theater and my friend and I were both pleased with the meal we ordered and the bill we paid. This place is a real hidden gem in what could be considered a tough neighborhood in downtown SF. I’m just glad it’s there so people can have options while enjoying themselves in the so-​called «theater district» of the city.