Exactly what I was looking for - Solvang Restaurant is located on the main stretch where there's a lot of foot traffic and patrons dining outdoors. We just serendipitously happened upon the restaurant and were pleasantly surprised. I ordered the Breakfast Special ($10.50) which was slightly funny in appearance, but delicious in taste. It's an open faced English muffin - one side is topped with a 2oz piece of Danish ham, while the other side is topped with an egg and a slice of American cheese. The special comes with a buttery woven hash brown. Delicious! Who knew a glistening piece of American cheese is much needed in all breakfast scenarios. We also ordered a side of Danish sausage ($4.85) as well as their famous Danish Aebleskiver speciality ($4.40). These were great - nice, airy pieces of dough topped with powdered sugar and raspberry jam. I super enjoyed this non-traditional breakfast situation. The decor is also very kitschy and old school if you're into that type of thing. read more

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This was a fun little place to have lunch in Solvang. Our server was super-sweet & friendly. I liked that they had little sayings in Danish on the ceiling beams. We had to try the aebleskivers. They were a nice treat! The other food was good - nothing too exciting for lunch, but the Danish Sausage was good. read more

Solvang Restaurant - Aebleskivers! - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

Such a cute little danish inspired restaurant that has amazing breakfast omelettes. The staff are so friendly and they always have a smile on their face. Food was excellent we each got basically a Denver omelettes and it was amazing. Will be back! read more

Solvang Restaurant - Omelette with hashbrowns - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

Food: Only tried their famous aebleskivers . Definitely worth trying them for this snack/dessert. It was like a cross between a donut and funnel cake. They add a fruit jam spread on top that was delightful. Service: Quick and prompt service. Staff was friendly. Atmosphere: Plenty of people sitting at their tables enjoying all sorts of food from this restaurant. People coming from different backgrounds chatting over their food is always pleasant. read more

Solvang Restaurant - Aebleskivers - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

It was our first trip to Solvang, "The Danish Capital of America." We were just passing through and set one day aside to experience this old Danish styled town full of tourists and tourist traps. I did the research ahead of time to determine what we shouldn't miss. Aebleskivers kept coming up, so we made a mental note to find some for a snack at some point during the day. Early in the day we passed Solvang Restaurant and their sign claiming to have world famous aebleskivers attributed to somebody named Arne. We weren't the only people to have seen this sign because there was a line, a long line and it was 100 degrees in the shade on this particular day. So while a nice smell was coming through the pickup window and we were seeing many people with little paper trays of these all over the place, perhaps it wasn't meant to be. If there's a good thing, people flock to it. Then later we passed the restaurant again and there was no line at all. Sweet! We stepped up and requested the standard 3-piece order we saw everybody carrying around the town, topped with red raspberry jam and sprinkled liberally with powdered sugar. Normally I would skip powdered sugar, it's not really my thing, but this was my first aebleskiver experience and I wanted it the way they made it. I was surprised at how reasonable the price was for these. We waited a few moments and were served some piping hot aebleskivers. These were described as small pancake balls, and while I somewhat agree with this I would say they were more like little fritters. I liked the concept-- little portable breakfast or snack balls. The jam added nice sweetness. As predicted I could have skipped the powdered sugar but didn't hate it. I rate these 5/5. Solvang Restaurant also has a dining area inside and a menu full of Danish and American items which seem to be mostly breakfast, sausage and sandwich oriented. I don't now how Arne's World Famous Aebleskiver ranks against the others out there, but I liked it a lot. Enough to wonder why they are not available in more places. I'm glad we tried it. read more

Solvang Restaurant - Curb appeal. - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

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Quick trip to Solvang and I wanted to try the Danish Sausage and the infamous Danish Aebleskiver. I wish I had the opportunity to dine in but it was too busy so we did take-out. Had two of the famous items listed on their menu. The Danish Sausage was meh...and the Danish Aebleskiver was yummy. We ordered the raspberry sauce on the side. The sauce was too sweet for my liking. The aka doughnut was good. It reminded me of a pancake batter but like a malasadas (Portuguese Doughnut) texture. Overall quick service and next visit I'll have more time to dine in. read more

Solvang Restaurant - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

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Had to try the famous abelskiver when in Solvang and my son enjoyed every bit of it! Great little spot to grab some breakfast also! Great little town to visit and great mini getaway! read more

Solvang Restaurant - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

Appetite struck while strolling through Solvang. Decided on Solvang Restaurant. There was a wait but seated fairly quickly. Once we were seated, we started off with mimosas, served in individual mini champagne bottles and delicious orange juice. It was brunch. So we got the sausage platter and the Danish Dip (French dip). The food was flavorsome. The Sausage platter gave us a variety of flavors (the red cabbage was delicious) and the sandwich filled the belly. The ambience and service of the restaurant overall was very attentive and welcoming, definitely recommend coming here. Also don't forget your Æbleskiver. read more

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The food here is excellent IF YOU ORDER THE RIGHT THINGS. I saw a lot of people coming to the restaurant ordering American food when the speciality is Danish food! We ordered the sausage platter, ableskevier, and the Danish breakfast. Overall the food was amazing. All the sausages were delicious, the ham and cheese, and eggs were great, and the ableskevier was SOOOO good. 100% recommend but stick to what they are made for! read more

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You can dine in at the restaurant if you want food but if you're just ordering aebleskiver's then you can order at the window outside. Aebleskivers are like a mash up of donut holes and pancake. The middle dough taste like a pancake while the outside is a bit crisp and it's the size of slightly larger than a donut hole. Topped with raspberry jam and powdered sugar. Aebleskivers are made on a cast iron skillet and the batter is poured into the little wells. Traditionally the Danish use a wooden knitted needle to fold the dough over one time then again then again until it's in a round ball shape. That's how you get that light outside butter crisp. At restaurants, due to safety, they don't use wooden knitted needles. The line here can be long for take out but it goes by fast. The dine in line was long and they are strict. If you're not there when they call you, they will give up your table and I saw that happening. It's eaten as a dessert but seemed like it's now adopted as breakfast when you get three large round dough with sweet raspberry jam. A must try if you're in Solvang. read more

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Stopped for a late lunch on our way to Madonna Inn. There was no wait for a table. The service was kind and quick. They were helpful and we ordered a Danish Combination plate, split pea soup, a dinner salad with ranch, and 2 orders of abelskiver (Danish pancake balls) with delicious raspberry jam and powdered sugar. We shared it all and it was all fresh made, hot, and very good. The salad was cold, crisp and very good. They did give a military discount as well. read more

If there's one foodie item all your friends have taken a picture of while visiting Solvang, it's the Aebleskiver at Solvang Restaurant. Yes, they have regular Danish food, but you are already full from eating somewhere, you can order Arne's famous Aebleskiver from the outdoor window. Aebleskiver ($4.25 for 3, $7.75 if you want to add two scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream) - What is an aebleskiver? Good question, I had to look that up myself. It's pancake like ball that has a slightly crispy crust gets instantly tenderized when the raspberry jam and powdered sugar are added. A cross between a beignet and a pancake ball. The only way to eat this is to bite in within 30 seconds of them handing it to you, while it's still warm, before the raspberry jam fully soaks in. The balls are medium sized and fairly dense. An order will fill you up, so if you just want a taste, split this with a friend or two. Unfortunately, I haven't had these before in the motherland and no other place I know in SoCal makes them so I cannot adequately compare them to other aebleskiver. As a stand alone item, is it mind blowing? No. Is it good? Yes. I received my aebleskiver in two minutes, but that was on a weekday. This place gets busy on the weekends so a 5-10 minute wait is typical for the outdoor order. This is review is only based on the aebleskiver. read more

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While the food was a bit meh, the service and atmosphere in this restaurant were both amazing. Servers were especially very attentive and helpful, and there were beautiful decorations to look at. A nice place to escape the heat and chat over a meal. read more

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I did not like the food here. Meatball barely had flavor and was not a fan of the sausage flavor, vegetables are just frozen veggies. service was slow. There weren't a lot of people but it took a bit for a server to get to us and there were a lot of servers. I'd suggest trying another local danish restaurant. Seems like there aren't much local danish restaurants and people come here so they can slack on service and quality. read more

Solvang Restaurant - Combination - meatball and sausage - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

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There were a lot of people so I had to wait, but I waited and got in. The price was reasonable and the food was delicious. The staff was friendly too. read more

Solvang Restaurant - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

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Sandwiches were interesting... got the open face sampler ... the bread was a thin bread, kinda dry I couldn't eat it. But the toppings were yummy read more

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Take a trip to Denmark at 7:30 am. Ebelskeivers slathered with sweet jam and sprinkled with powdered sugar will get your heart started. Top it off with a Danish sausage and their special sauce and you're on your way to a great day. Career wait staff, original booths, kitschy goodies and souvenirs to go make this Time Machine a delicious stop you don't want to miss. read more

Solvang Restaurant - This will make you speak Danish almost immediately! Little round pancakes and a sausage that snaps when you bite into it. Gutten tag! - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

It was alright! We were seated quickly and served water asap, but when we went, most of their menu was unavailable. The food was decent enough to hold you over, but it was expensive, like it's about $3 for half a grapefruit. I guess I was expecting more because of its name, but it's just like any other diner (plus the decorations). Give them a try if you are visiting! Nothing was terrible but nothing blew my socks off. read more

Solvang Restaurant - Pancake balls - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

Funny place with Danish style, feels like dining in Danmark. The down side is ventilation, we sit by the kitchen and entrance, it is greasy and hot which affects our mood of eating. Food is simple, all day breakfast and others American style, specialty is sausage and the famous ableskiber. We order the ableskiber with vanila ice cream, it is a good dessert! read more

We ordered the Aebleskiver for the first time. We ordered it outside to go. First the ordering process is a little different than what I'm used to. The person taking the order is doing triple duties. She was taking the order at the outside window, plus getting the order, putting the Aebleskiver together for your order and all orders inside the restaurant. So, you'll see her putting Aebleskivers onto the paper trays, pouring the syrup, and sprinkling the powder sugar for you and every order in the restaurant. I'm sure they've done this long enough to believe it is efficient for customers inside the restaurant. It creates a line outside, which makes the place look popular. But you order, pay, and wait for your order. You don't get a number. They don't take the next order until you get your order. Now the Aebleskiver. My first time eating one, so no reference point with other Aebleskivers. But it tasted like a fried pancake but in the shape of a ball. With the syrup and sugar, it was good. read more

If you don't have Æbleskivers in Solvang, have you even been to Solvang? These fluffy balls of doughy deliciousness are slathered with raspberry preserves and sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar. Neither service nor ambiance were much to speak of. They wanted to charge us $.50 for tap water, which I thought was tacky. read more

Our server was amazing. But the food was nothing out of the ordinary. They didn't even have any authentic Danish food! Skip this joint, overrated, overrated. read more

Solvang Restaurant - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

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Never dined inside. Popular restaurant. Great vibes inside and outside. Always packed and busy. Hugh demand. Busy operations daily. Third time here. Always go for the 3-pieces of Aebleskivers (pancake balls) topped with raspberry jam and powdered sugar for under $5. Pay more to get more. Try other items. Iced drinks are inexpensive here. Trash bins visible. The enjoyment of the Aebleskivers are a must when visiting. Feels like being a kid all over again. It doesn't get much better than this for Scandinavian Danish delights and goodies in cute Danish town. Size of Aebleskivers were actually larger than expected. Good presentation. Everything on photos look great. Prices are still decent. People are always happy and excited to be lining up for it. This place really made its good mark over the years. It's pretty much a rest stop for me to stay hydrated or snack on something when I get thirsty from walking. Aebleskivers are very good. Not sure about foods inside the restaurant though. Maybe I should try dining inside someday. Highly recommended if you're ok with more calories here. Beautiful and very delicious Aebleskivers. Yummy. read more

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I have been lucky enough to come here twice once during peak holiday season and during off season. Make sure to try their house specialty with Swedish sausage and house made mustard. Service was incredibly fast and entrees re large enough for two people for sure. read more

Sausage platter was very good and plenty for two people. Service was quick and server attentive.

Tasty and not too sweet! It isn't heavy either which makes it a perfect snack to walk around and enjoy eating it as well. You can definitely share since each ball is huge Service was fast and great, though it was super busy they were able to handle the crowd with great ease! As for the ambiance I mean it's solvang the vibes were immaculate ahaha read more

Solvang Restaurant - Three jelly powdered sugar Aebleskivers! - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

Went for Breakfast Food - 2/5. It might be that I am not accustomed to the flavor profile, but the open face sandwich plate was bland. I wish the menu was more descriptive about the item as I was surprised to find that it was a cold, untoasted bread sandwich. The fault lays a little on me since I had no idea what "Danish style" was, but I would think that is not common knowledge and worth an explanation. The combination of cold cuts on dry, flaky bread with mustard as the only condiment was not a pleasant one. The pickled vegetables helped, but their flavors were way too mild. The potato salad was grainy and followed the trend of being bland. On the other hand, the aebleskiver was great. They were exactly what you thought they would be; pancake balls with a tart fruit jam. They were just the right amount of dense with a bit of fluffiness and the strong raspberry flavor paired well. Service - 4/5. Quick and professional. The staff seemed eager to explain the aebleskiver and I appreciated their enthusiasm. Value - 2/5. The prices are fair with many items being in the low to mid 10s range and single digit pricing for smaller items such as the aebleskiver. The amount of food is good, but they certainly found me wanting in the quality department. The other items might have been better but the sandwich plate I received was not worth it. Parking - Street (Free) read more

Solvang Restaurant - Open Face Sandwich Plate - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

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This is one of the main places to score some Danish pancake balls. According to a sign they post on the restaurant front, sometimes they run out of them after a certain time, however you can still check the window if they have any left. A lot of people get them from the window to-go which I think is convenient. The Danish pancakes were absolutely delicious with the jam and powdered sugar. I think they would've tasted great plain as well. Pricing is fair considering the location in a tourist area, but I would still try these out if you're in the area. read more

Well it is a cute place...but they microwave all of their food. It is not prepared fresh. I was sitting at counter and saw them microwave my "meatball entree" ...the entire plate was microwaved except the gravy. Very disappointing. I typically don't eat microwaved food as it makes me feel nauseous. read more

Solvang Restaurant - Microwaved meatball dinner - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

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These Abeleskiver are the talk of the town and I wanted to try them out for myself. They are a pancakey donut with raspberry jam. They were decent but filling wished you can order less than three. The line to get these are separate from the line to the Solvang Restaurant. read more

Solvang Restaurant - Abeleskiver - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

We stopped in here to try their Aebleskivers. It is a nice treat and will satisfy a sweet tooth. It was slightly heavy. We shared an order which came with 3 and it was just enough. We showed up shortly before they closed. With the rain outside, it was nice to be seated despite our last minute arrival. read more

Solvang Restaurant - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

I can't tell which one was worse the service or the food. Thoroughly disappointed with the experience. The food was incredibly plain and lacked any real flavor or creativity. To make matters worse, the service was atrocious. When I asked for a mineral water, they brought me tap water instead. The Thousand Island dressing on my burger was so stealthy, it needed a forensic team to find it! The lady at the front was particularly unpleasant and clearly needs to work on her attitude. If you're looking for a decent meal, you're better off going to McDonald's. At least there, you know what to expect, and the food is consistently better than what I had at this place. read more

Me: oh, my GOD. Beloved: isn't it great when food exceeds your expectations? Me: I can't eat any more... We both had the Danish Dip sandwiches (French dip but with Havarti cheese... brutally good) and the aebelskivers. Me: where's the ice cream? Beloved: that costs extra. Me: and...?? This was just plain comfort food. Yum. read more

Was in the area on a business trip about a month ago and stopped in here for lunch just bc it looked cute and I especially wanted to try the Aebleskiver! At the time, they had just started allowing inside seating at reduced capacity. There was no waiting - it was pretty empty. Plenty of social distancing and all wore masks unless they were eating. The staff were all super nice and welcoming too! Very attentive! The atmosphere is very cozy. I ordered the tuna melt...comes with fries. It was really good - huge too! I also ordered some Aebleskiver to-go for later. Their aebleskiver are massive! I didn't expect them to be so large wow! They're served with a side of raspberry jam and it's really nice! The aebleskiver are interesting - they're good but a little too doughy for me - not sure if they're all like that since these are the only ones I've tried. Overall I had a nice lunch - great sandwich and fries and such lovely service so I'd come back. The prices are a little steep for what it is imo but competitive with the area bc it's a very touristy town. read more

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Service was quick on a busy, rainy day. We had the Adult Grilled Cheese and the Patty Melt. The grilled cheese was OK. I liked the flavor. However, it was almost too much cheese and the bread was overcooked and hard. The patty melt was good but the meet was small in the large piece of bread. To finish we had the aebelskivers. It's what they're known for. The inside was noisy from the crowds of people and the rushing wait and kitchen staff. read more

We have been visiting Solvang Restaurant for decades . Food & Service always spot on . Nope not anymore . Food had a lovely burnt flavour . Danish Pan Cakes the same . Scrambled Eggs , well they came in the consistentsy of crumbs with very little flavour . Service , I must have missed it because I did not see any service . Mostly staff stood around chatting loudly & laughing in an unknown language . Very few customers during my visit . I am envious of the people that didn't visit this new version of Solvang Restaurant . I am just supposing it's the new owners' way of doing business . Would we return , nope . not the same Restaurant read more

Writing this review solely based off of their aebleskivers! We were looking for a sweet dessert in Solvang and heard about this restaurant's famous aebleskivers, which are basically big pancake balls. You get 3 covered in raspberry jam and powdered sugar for $4. They were nice and fluffy and almost too much to share between 2 people. They reminded me of a softer, less oily funnel cake. I did enjoy it, but I'm not sure if I would ever need to try it again. Luckily, the line was short and we only waited a couple minutes on a Sunday. They have a table outside of their restaurant where you order, pay, and pick up your freshly made aebleskivers. read more

Solvang Restaurant - Aebleskivers - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

Are you looking for the comfort of the old country? If that country is Denmark than the Solvang Restaurant is on your list! Covid safety precautions are in place. I shared the Danish sausage plate. 4 different sausages, mash potatoes, sauerkraut and pickled red cabbage. Fed two people handily. Finished up with an order of aebleskiver. Not grandmas recipe but delicious. The best part is that I didn't have to clean the pan!! Raspberry jam and powdered sugar. read more

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everything from this restaurant is gross. the chili is from the can, the æbleskivers were uncooked in the middle, the salad was premix bag salad, the mashed potatoes were from the bag, the mixed veggies weren't fully cooked and could tell they were from a frozen bag. the sausage wasn't that good either. you can watch the cooks microwave the meals in front of you. the value of food for what you pay for is an absolute ripoff read more

Solvang Restaurant - chili, æbleskivers, sausage combo platter, salad - Scandinavian Near Me - Solvang, California

Probably more of a 3.5. We spent the day in Solvang, so wanted to try some traditional danish food, especially the ableskivers. They had opened up both indoor, and outdoor seating. Outdoor seating was all served in to go boxes, and folks sat in the tables and chairs out at the front of the restaurant. We opted in for indoor seating. Service was all right. Our first server forgot about us a couple of times, but the next lady who came in was fine. I ended up getting the chicken sandwich with sun-dried tomatoes. It was fine, nothing special, but it was made with the tilsit cheese that had an interesting flavor. They have a certain type of mustard and mayo sauce that they serve with a combination plate, so I got a little bit of that to eat with my sandwich. The chicken was a little dry, so that helped. My husband got the combination plate, and I would say his favorite item on the plate was the red cabbage. He didn't really enjoy the sausage that much. He noted that it wasn't that flavorful, but said that meatball was pretty good. The abaleskivers were nice. The raspberry preserves that it was served with definitely made it good. Overall, I'm not sure if we would get a full meal here again, but would definitely snag some ableskivers for a snack or dessert. read more

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