YES for dining with family but a MAYBE for booking a private party, see my input below. I just recently booked a party for 29 people for my husbands 50th bday. Our overall experience was 3.5/5 stars. The servers (Angel and Ana) were very nice and helpful but they were also serving in the bar area and tables in that area so I had to track them down and I even had to ask the hostess to get one of them to take drink orders during the event. I don't think it was their fault really since they weren't dedicated to serving our group which is what I was assuming would happen with our contract. The food was delicious and everyone was happy with their dishes. The food was delicious and everyone was happy with the dishes. My husband loved his fajitas and I enjoyed my shrimp rellenos. The drinks were ok. The alcohol content of the margaritas were weak and just ok in taste. John, the manager there, was GREAT in helping me set up some of the decor and attentive when I got there to start setting up. I also went earlier in the afternoon check out the space and he was helpful in how the tables should be set up. Angel was great and very nice. We didn't really see Ana much throughout the night. The restaurant has a nice clean chic ambiance. However, I was disappointed that the space I booked wasn't enclosed and that there was no TV screen (so video to show at the party of my husband memories). The crowd at the bar got pretty loud with the Dodgers game going on but it was completely understable since they won and it was a great game. Booking process: How did you make your inquiry? How smooth and efficient was the booking process? Did you encounter any challenges or issues during the booking process? Was the event planning staff knowledgeable and paid attention to detail? I'd seen the restaurant multiple times since its next to the japanese restaurant that my family usually goes to. Our family loved going there when it was El Torito Grill. We LOVED the handmade flour tortillas. I have to be honest that I was kind of worried about the food since we hadn't eaten at SOL yet but I read the reviews online and the food on our set menu all tasted great! I hadn't booked a restaurant in years for a party so I felt like I was asking a lot of redundant questions. It was hard doing all the booking online and not being able to actually speak to a person. Willingness to book again: Would you consider booking another event with us in the future? Would you recommend our restaurants for events to others? Why or why not? There's a good possiblity since I really enjoyed the food and the ambiance is very nice but it would have to be for a smaller group since I prefer the enclosed room for the group of 25. Suggestions and improvements? Do you feel that the event package offered good value for money? Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience? I would say the package was "OK" in value for the money. If mocktails were offered and the margaritas tasted better and were NOT SKIMPING on the alcohol (maybe take a lesson from the bartenders at Javier's??). I didn't like that we had to buy 7 bottles of overpriced bottles of alcohol or more food to take home to make up for the balance. Also, the servers should be dedicated to the booked event and NOT have to be tracked down during the party. read more

Came to SOL for happy hour with friends and it was so good! Our server Blue was friendly, attentive the whole time. He made sure everything met expectations and brought such a positive energy to the table. Amazing service and great outdoor setting! read more

I came to Sol for the first time after work. My server was Ana and she was exceptional. It was understandably crowded for happy hour but she was on it. We ordered some drinks she recommended and then had some appetizers and was fresh and came out quick. Best way to wait for traffic to die down. Will def come here more often read more

Best experience we've had at Sol, thanks to our server Ana! We let Ana know when we sat at the bar tables that we had a time limit and she understood the assignment. She was super attentive and made sure we had everything we needed. She even went above and beyond and made sure our parking was validated before we left our table. The food was delicious, we got the shrimp taquitos and chicken tacos, but would our service is what stood out the most. read more

The food was beyond good. My table had the corn, short rib taco, birria, and two burritos and we all really enjoyed our meal. The drinks were also yummy. However, the service is not good. It took a while to get silverware, napkins and drink refills. We felt a little ignored by our server read more

We absolutely LOVED the shrimp taquitos, will be dreaming about those tonight. The tacos were good but a little dry, we wished we would've tried the carnitas. Overall great experience, service was top notch. read more

SOL Mexican Cocina - SHRIMP TAQUITOS & chicken GRILLED CHICKEN STREET TACOS - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

Worse food ever. did not eat left. not one leaf of lettuce was by any stet h of imagination green it was all yellow or white/ core or what I would throw out when making a salad at home. The chicken was disgusting. I had to ask if it was chicken again looking like what I would thrown out if cooking at home. Waiter was beyond accommodating and offered to make something else but I was over it. Nicest guy ever. He really went out of his way to try to make it right. The restaurant was really nice and upscale in appearance and probably fine for drinks but I would never eat there. read more

Came here yesterday to celebrate my fiancé's birthday and to watch the World Cup game and we were SO disappointed with the food! From the lack of shrimp in the coctel to the old lettuce and weird tasting "steak" in the TJ salad, and the tacos, I don't think we'd return. The host was rude when asked if we could turn the sound on the tv once the game came on. Her response, "when I have time, I'll ask my manager". The only reason I'm giving 2 stars is because our server was nice and he was trying. Our items took a long time to come out and the restaurant was EMPTY. There were people at the bar section but the rest of the place was dead. So bummed out that our experience ruined the birthday celebration. read more

Amazing workers and service, I loved the food and the entirety of this restaurant. The vibe was very cool and chill as well! Love this place. read more

I've been to multiple Sol locations and although they're always great, this one is THE BEST! ALL the staff are always incredibly friendly and attentive. The food is amazing especially with the newer menu, but the staff and the environment they help create is the reason my friends and I keep coming back. Special shoutout to Moises, Elias, and Austin for always making our experience memorable. Truly a treat! read more

SOL Mexican Cocina - Bar area - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

JC was amazing! great service and amazing food!! the vibe was perfect for what we were looking for.

We had a business lunch here and the manager on site along with Olivia our server were extremely helpful. The ambiance was very clean and upbeat. We both had asada quesadillas that were packed full of steak and came out at the perfect temperature. Overall it was a great experience and Olivia our server was very friendly. We will definitely be back! read more

I dined here for brunch this morning around 10:00 a.m., and the restaurant was nearly empty at the time. The food was mediocre. Unfortunately, I accidentally left a birthday greeting card with a gift card on the table. I returned about ten minutes later to retrieve it, but the staff said they had not seen it. There was no explanation or sense of accountability regarding the missing card. I know I shouldn't have forgotten the card, but the card was clearly taken by the staff. read more

Me and my coworkers have been here multiple times and have never had this bad of an experience before. Our servers name was Ana and seemed to be overwhelmed with a very light lunchtime rush. Our drinks took almost 30 minutes to come and the food took an hour and a half. It took so long we had to ask for it to go because we were way over our lunch break time. If your time is valuable and service matters to you this is not the place to go. read more

This place is ALWAYS good. But this time was different. Got to try this AMAZING new drink, an Avocado Margarita and it's complete FIRE. Not too sweet just the perfect amount of everything. Yoyo/ Alfredo made it and you MUST try. It will change your life. Food is always good, but in a world where you'll pay premium for a basic drink, the amount of TLC, is unmatched. Better than CALO and RED O, AND Javier's. read more

Came here for a company lunch and was very impressed by the portion size and flavor of the foods! The restaurant is a modern up-scale Mexican spot and was decorated really nicely. It was very easy to make a reservation and they were easily able to seat my party of 9. Everything on the menu was fantastic, would recommend checking this place out. read more

SOL Mexican Cocina - GRILLED SWEET CORN - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

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First time eating at SOL, it was a great experience. The restaurant was modern with great ambiance, no issues with noise, we could easily have a conversation. Our waiter, Blue, gave excellent service. Our drinks, along with chips and salsa were refilled quickly. The food tasted great, and loved the varied menu. We had the crispy calamari, and they were perfect. My wife and I each ordered fajitas, she had the chicken andI had the steak. Overall, we enjoyed our entire experience and will definitely be back with our family. read more

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Came in on a Friday night around 830pm. We wanted dinner before checking in to our hotel nearby. From a long drive from the Bay Area. As we arrived surprise surprise parking is in a parking garage with a fee. The good thing is first 90 minutes is free with validation. I forget how much parking was. Restuarant was a short walk. We walked in got seated right away. I thought it was busy and lively. Our waiter was friendly and assertive. He gave us time to order as he was pretty busy. While we were waiting and looking at the menu. Complementary chips and salsa with bean dip came. Salsa was very good the chips came in as a fried whole tortilla. Which I thought the first. Our waiter recommended 2 things to start with. We ordered sweet corn from the appetizers which he recommended. Some guy came with the corn and started to cut it in front of us. Which was a surprise. I thought the corn was pretty small for $11. I ordered the $22 Chipotle Shrimp Burrito. I almost told the waiter don't skimp on the shrimp. lol. My dinner came. At first i thought it was small. I cut it half. I took a picture for yelp. I took a bite and wow it was tasty! It was full of shrimp. Every bite had shrimp in it!!! My Shrimp burrito did not disappoint. The Mexican rice a miss though and under cooked. We also told the waiter that our son was turning 9. He gave my son a complementary birthday dessert. I forget the name of it but it was a fried tortilla that tasted like a churro with ice cream. We sang Happy Birthday. It was great! Service was good. I would have gave this place a 4 star if you don't have to pay for parking. Paying for parking is really a bummer. What if you just wanted to have fun, relax, enjoy your food with love ones and don't have to worry about paying for extra for parking. Food here is already pretty pricey. So yea 3 star for now. We felt rushed. read more

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This place is pretty nice. Huge place. Park in the garage and it's 1.5 hrs free validation. The kids like their food. We came here during good Friday so our choices is limited to seafood. Wow...for 1 taco it cause $12 and the small side of rice and black bean is additional $4. The rice is a little hard. My husband Chipotle shrimp burrito is actually really good. Every bite has shrimp. My fish taco is okay. I dont know if I would order it again though, felt like for $12 I expect more. The service is good though, our server is actually very friendly. What is sweet is that our server actually gave my son an ice cream with fried cinnamon tortillas with candles to celebrate his birthday. That was a nice way to end the our dinner. read more

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Sol has absolutely great food,and great service. Their drinks are delicious and with a beautiful restaurant

I had such a great experience at Sol Mexican Cocina in Irvine that I had to leave a review. From the moment we walked in, the ambiance immediately stood out--warm lighting, stylish decor, and a really lively yet relaxed vibe that makes it perfect for both a night out or a casual dinner. What truly made the night, though, was the service. The staff was incredibly attentive without being overbearing. Our server was knowledgeable, friendly, and made thoughtful recommendations that turned out to be spot on. Everything felt seamless--from getting seated to drinks arriving quickly and our meals timed perfectly. You can tell they really care about the guest experience here. Between the atmosphere and the top-tier service, it easily earns five stars. I'll definitely be coming back. read more

Enjoyed dinner with my daughter. Gigi took care of us, she's a doll and attentive. The patio and fireplace were very nice, the service/ambiance made up for the weak drinks. Tacos were delicious and flavorful. We are excited to come back to try dishes on the main menu. read more

Horrible service, seems they would rather stand around then seat or serve a customer. Not a staffing problem as plenty of people standing around, but a staff problem for sure. read more

My friends and I went on Halloween during happy hour, great deals with good portions as well. They were very accommodating for my vegetarian friend who requested to have no chicken in her quesadilla, even offering to clean the grill before making her dish. Free chips and dip were offered with refills too! Beautiful area, it's cozy and modern. Lots of baseball fans cheering on their team at the bar. I would recommend if you're looking for a place for date night or just a fun, casual outing with friends! read more

SOL Mexican Cocina - SWEET POTATO & BLACK BEAN TACO, SHRIMP TAQUITOS, firecracker quesadilla without chicken, animal taco - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

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Friday Happy Hour! Here for a good time not a long time!! HH: good happy hour menu with $8 house margs and $10 specialty. Including some good items (food below) My first drink {don't judge} cucumber jalapeño margarita was extremely tart, but the bartender tasted it agreed! Made me another one. That was really good. Next, I had the watermelon cucumber margarita which was really good as well not too sweet but refreshing and the house margarita was good too. Food: Fish street tacos: happy hour serving comes with two tacos. The fish itself was cooked perfectly, and there was some pico on it, but it was way too much dry cabbage thrown on top. The cabbage should have been made into some type of slaw and provided some moisture. 3/5 Shrimp esquites salad: light and refreshing. Shrimp didn't stand out as flavorful, simply mixed together as a salad it was good. 4/5 Best part is the chips and salsa! They have a warm black bean type salsa and traditional/pico. I would go back for additional drinks and just to have chips and salsa. Bar was not full! Nice windows behind the bar to see the outside patio. Logistics: parking available in a paid garage. Sol provided validation for 90 minutes. For each additional 15 minutes, it is $1.50. read more

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We had a wonderful dinner at this restaurant last last night. Our server, Nick, was very friendly and efficient. He was well informed about the items on the menu and made several good suggestions to us. My wife had the shrimp chili rellenos. She said they were some of the best that she had ever had! She chose the salad and quinoa as her sides which was nice to be able to have an option other than rice and beans. I had the carnitas quesadilla which was huge and delicious. I did have the rice snd beans which were really good too. Especially the beans. The tortilla chips that were brought to the table were also delicious and the two kinds of salsas were a treat. The hostess was also very nice and informative. She was kind enough to move us to a different table because the AC was a little too cold at the first table. This used to be another restaurant several years ago, but they have transformed this place into a very elegant and stylish restaurant. The overall experience couldn't be better. We will definitely be back to try some of the other items on the menu. read more

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The ambiance was warm and toasty. We came on a Sunday, party of 4 and Blue was an amazing host! Good food, great drinks, and good company! 10/10! read more

SOL Mexican Cocina - GRILLED SWEET CORN, NAKED GUACAMOLE - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

Service from our server Blue was great! As a vegan, he took the time to ask the kitchen about my concerns. Thanks for that! Our party of four was super happy and the food and drinks did not disappoint, to say the least! read more

I went there today with my family to try their brunch buffet, and it didn't disappoint at all!!. Food was delicious and service was great. We will be definitely coming back read more

10 de 10 nos Encanto todo Pero el servicio que nos brindo Kevin super !! Claro que regresamos !! read more

SOL Mexican Cocina - Chile verde La mezcalera - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

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First and foremost, JC was amazing! Came out here for my mother's birthday and he made it SO special with his birthday song! Food was great, service was phenomenal, and the table mimosa was a deal. Thank you Sol Cantina read more

SOL Mexican Cocina - FAJITAS CHIPOTLE SHRIMP & BEEF - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

I was terribly disappointed with my dinner if you could call it that. First let me say that the employees were all very nice and did a good job and were tipped well. The problem I had was with my meal. I wish I had taken a picture of my "large" taco, but I didn't so I took a picture of the plate it was served on with a fork for reference to size. For the record, the taco shell was a small 3-4 inch tortilla (not blue as stated on menu) across sitting flat on the plate. On it were two shrimp and a 1/8 inch "steak" that was 2 inches wide by 4 inches long, not enough to cover half the tortilla. They added a slice of avocado which I don't even eat! That's it! Nothing else. No cheese or salsas started on menu. All for only $17.00! I kid you not. I could hold the whole thing in the palm of my hand without fear of anything falling off. Check out the pictures I took. The one I ordered was the "El Jefe". Two shrimp and a piece of dry meat the size of a silver dollar on a tortilla is not worth $17.00 and was lacking in taste and texture. I highly recommend caution when ordering. I hate to be negative but it's necessary to alert others before they order. Believe me when I say that "large" on their menu would be about half the size of a taco shell anywhere else. read more

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Great food, Good service, amazing drinks, would definitely recommend to others and will definitely be back again.

We had a wonderful experience at SOL Mexican Cocina. Andrea, our host, was super sweet and welcoming from the moment we arrived. Our server, Robert, was very attentive and helpful, and gave us great food recommendations on what to order. The food we had was really good, and we all enjoyed our meals. The ambiance was also amazing, very relaxing, and perfect for a great family dining experience. Moises, the manager, was also very kind and made sure we had an excellent dining experience. It's our second time here, and we always look forward to coming back again. read more

We went here to celebrate a birthday dinner and had a bit of a weird start, but then Zully came to the rescue and really made the experience enjoyable! She checked on us regularly and brought our food out quickly. She definitely turned our night around! read more

Great staff ask for waiter Blue provides great service helpful with food selection food substitutes/modifications. Easy parking 5 stars read more

Loved this restaurant! The service was incredible our server Blue was very attentive and prompt with everything we needed. Definitely worth coming back. The food was also very good we got the grilled sweet corn, pork carnitas, and goat cheese enchiladas. Such a calm relaxing environment, definitely a good date night. read more

Amazing service from our server Gigi! She was so sweet and took great care of us. Will be asking for her in the future!

SOL got a new menu and it is not only delicious and nutritious, there is also great value to be found. I had one of the all around best Cobb salads I've ever had. It was huge, and I added salmon for only $5. The juicy crunchy corn and tortilla strips complimented the pico and black beans so well in that cilantro ranch with the savory salmon. It might actually have been the best salad I've ever had ESPECIALLY when you factor in the dollar and nutritional value. The chips, salsa and beans have always been clutch. Our server Brittany was great. She had good timing and tact. I can't wait to try more of the new menu items. read more

Expected more from Sol. Food was very average and service acceptable. The ambiance is nice what gives an extra point for a disappointed experience. read more

SOL Mexican Cocina - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California