Still an excellent seafood restaurant after all these years! Like an old friend, Sole Proprietor was still there and still serving up some old favorites as well as some new additions. I loved the Lobsterfest menu. They offer lobster with deviled eggs and lobster mac n cheese as well as many other appetizers and main courses. The lobsterbake was just the way it should be with steamed lobster,mussels, clams (I had mine raw on the half shell), potatoes and corn on the cob. By far the highlight of the meal were the clams. They were fresh, cold, salty and they gave me plenty of lemon wedges. The dinner included soup or salad but we had already had the clam chowder which was not Sole Proprieter's original recipe. What did they do to it??? I understand that they have renovated the place and modernized the menu but it would be nice if they offered the traditional thick chowder that tasted like a fisherman cooked it up on the docks! I was not impressed with the new recipe but it was not bad either. We picked salad and it was a delicious mix of field greens with cucumber and tomato. The honey mustard dressing was perfect. The maple glazed scallops looked more like an appetizer than a main course. I would not recommend it for anyone who is hungry, however the scallops were delicious. The lobster was not a female (sweeter) as requested and was overcooked. They quickly replaced it with another one that wasn't like rubber and were friendly about the concern. Overall I still love coming here when I am home visiting. read more

Great wine list; varied menu-not your typical seafood menu. Great service and personnel. Price is reasonable for good seafood. Love the atmosphere and decor. Highly recommend. read more

I don't know what all the hype is about! It was expensive and the food was just okay. Maybe my problem Is that I don't do sushi!

Pescado Guisado con Arroz y Pan Tostado was great. Very flavorful. Downside is the mussels were a little sandy.

The Sole has been there forever and resting a bit on its laurels. Had lunch there and not a fan of bars, but that was the only place that we could get a booth. Waiters were great and very professional. The lobster bisque is ridiculously priced until it is served and you see how much lobster is in there. The clam chowder went back as tasted nothing like New England clam chowder and truthfully should be changed immediately. The lobster salad roll was good, the crab cakes were mainly filler and had a bad tasting sauce. The clam roll came out cold and had to go back. It came out hot the second time but the clams were small, tasteless and flavorless batter. Bottom line, nothing much better in Worcester if you want seafood, but many better restaurants! read more

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Great place for a date. The service is friendly and attentive, the atmosphere is upscale but laid back, and the food is excellent. The stuffed mushroom, calamari, and seafood saute are especially good, but as far as I've seen you really can't go wrong with anything on the menu. read more

Love this place. Fresh food. Sometimes overpriced. Wish they stayed open during the pandemic.

We recently held my daughter's bridal shower at the Sole. I would highly recommend having a special event here. Working with Heather during the planning process and Eric the day of the event made the day go so smoothly. Our guests raved about the food and the wait staff. They were all so helpful and friendly. The format was unique in that I chose about a dozen lunch entrees from which our guests could order. Heather printed up a personalized menu so people could choose from a wide variety of items. And we were served at our seats. So much better than choosing from 2 or 3 items and standing in line for buffet service. And really, the food was amazing!!! read more

Great sushi and desserts, that is (unfortunately) all I've tried there thanks to their amazing half-priced happy hour deal. The bar area is a nice place to hang out with good staff and a very laid-back atmosphere late-night. The regular menu is pretty expensive, but the food and atmosphere make it a classy place. read more

One night is Worcester for business and decided to try it. It was very good. I will deffinetly go again to try another dish!

We were celebrating our son's 21st birthday; I was impressed that the hostess called about my reservation and confirmed my request for a corner booth and a candle in his dessert, she told me she would inform our waitress. When we arrived our table was set with 4 menu's not 5, we did find the other one in the booth, when the waitress confirmed that we were 5 people not 6 she took away a setting. What she did was take my father's plate, when we ordered drinks I asked her to bring the plate back that she removed too much and she TOLD ME THAT SHE REMOVED THE 6th SETTING AND WE WERE FINE. I had to ask another waitress to bring back a plate for his bread, this was very rude. When dessert came my son's plate had no candle, this was the whole purpose of the trip. As we were leaving the waitress came by us and quietly said to him "O by the way Happy Birthday", so I know the hostess mentioned the event to her. Two other tables around us received a dessert with a candle and one we saw had a big plate under the cake with Happy Birthday written on it. We spent $320.00 for a meal and expected a little courtesy. Even if the waitress did not remove to many settings, you do not argue and then to forget the most important part of the occasion. To top it off, we were at the server stand; they could hear everything and still messed up. read more

My husband made reservations for two at The Sole for Saturday night, October 18th. It was my 40th birthday, and he mentioned this to the host when he called. Upon arrival, we noticed how cramped/awkward the host station area is, even after all these years in operation. We had been to The Sole before, but it had been a while...a couple of years, probably. When I worked for a mortgage company in Worcester, I'd dine at the bar for lunch from time to time. We've been choosing either Baba Sushi or Armsby Abbey mostly in the last year or so, and wanted to revisit what we remembered as a good restaurant. ANYWAY, the frontage of the restaurant and the bar area are modern and cool to look at, even though it's always ridic crowded. And seriously Worcester, this is supposed to be fine dining...dress up a little. Ok...I'll try to stay focused here. So the host station was crowded, and we gave our names/reservation to the kids at the desk, and got an "OK". Um, ok what, exactly? I said, "About how long?", and was told, "Not long, you can wait at the bar". We ordered drinks at the bar, (my martini was a highlight...clearly the bar-tender was a pro, and really listened to my order...tough to get a perfect slightly dirty glass of delish to make me smile), and before my husband could pay, a different hostess came over to us, and said to me that she'd take me to my table and my husband could come along after, (This was strange to me). The room she brought us to was one of the worst parts of the experience...there's an old, run-down room off the bar in the back that takes you right back to the late 70's. Old booths, outdated paintings, etc...really really tacky. I guess we could've asked to be seated in one of the other rooms, but like I said it was crowded, and we were hungry, and now holding drinks, so we stayed. We were all dolled up and wanted to see and be seen...this room certainly wasn't made for people watching. Sigh. Our waiter/waitress combo was a couple of older (50's?) servers, who made corny comments throughout our whole meal, and chatted loudly behind us at the service station about themselves...seriously, shhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Speaking of our meal...here it goes: The appetizer I ordered was one of the reasons I wanted to come to The Sole again. I remember The Firecracker sushi roll being nothing sort of amazing back in the day. Well, not so much, anymore. What once was a huge beautiful tempura lobster tail in a fresh sushi roll displayed like art on a cool plate was now a flimsy, warm, run of the mill mini-roll which tasted...well, the word "meh" comes to mind. I ordered swordfish, which was over-done, and my hubby ordered salmon, which was a tad pungent. Neither dish was awful, neither dish was good. When the waiter brought over the dessert menu, my husband tried to give him "the look" to see if he knew about my bday, and he did not. This annoyed my husband, but we ordered the key lime pie, and they were nice to write Happy Birthday on it. The pie was delicious BTW...really good. SO, all in all, not great. Not even close. We won't be back, and won't recommend this place to anyone. For well over a hundred dollars, I'd now take many other restaurants over The Sole Proprietor, which once was a favorite of mine. NEXT. read more

I was working in Worcester for a few months and the Sole Proprietor was recommended by a co-worker. Very impressed. Large wine selection, good beer selection and our food was nearly perfect. Appetizer was crab spring rolls, I had seared tuna and my girlfriend had some crab stuffed shrimp with steak. SOOOOO GOOD!! Waiter was knowledgeable about the wine and attentive to us. He went out of the way to place the uneaten tuna on a bed of ice so it would keep better since we told him we were not going directly home. Five star service, five star menu, five star drinks. We will return. Thank you! read more

Went to Sole with a group of folks for dinner. Ordered the broiled scallops. When they first came out they were cold and what I would say was swimming in water (not butter or sauce). Called the waitress over and told her I had ordered broiled scallops and not boiled and they were cold. They were retuned microwaved rubbery and still swimming in water. Guess that is what happens when frozen seafood is used. Best part of dinner were the sides. Not sure what has happened but the Sole use to be good, won't be back for overpriced frozen seafood. read more

Today a co-worker and I wanted to go somewhere fancy for lunch so we decided to check out the Sole Proprietor for Restaurant Week, which offered a two-course lunch special for ~$14. We got Fried Calamari and California Roll for our appetizers. They were absolutely delicious! For our entrees we both ordered the Seafood Mixed Grill. As soon as the meal came I was a little suspicious, who bathes pieces of grilled fish in a thick coat of BBQ sauce? A little odd but I decided to try it. About four pieces in, since nothing went wrong yet, I had a big bite of this fish(couldn't tell what it was since its coated in sauce) and it tasted just like the dumpster of the Sole. I thought it might've been the tabasco sauce so I let it slide. The next piece I took a small bite and there was a sharp rancid taste in my mouth again. It tasted like these pieces of fish were marinated in pure vinegar for a day before they grilled it. I asked my friend if his fish tasted fine but he also showed me he spit out a bunch of pieces of the fish he had and agreed about the taste. I've read about many restaurants who use pieces of fish that's gone bad in their "specials" to get rid of it quickly but I didn't expect this from the Sole. They tried to sell us dumpster fish by hiding it in a thick coat of sauce and I am truly disappointed in the Sole Proprietor. On the way out of the restaurant I saw about 4-5 plates of the Mixed Grilled Fish being served to other tables; I hope they'll notice the dumpster fish in all the sauce. read more

Decent food in a decent place, but not worth the price. A "nice dinner out," but nothing that special. A standard New England seafood restaurant. read more

I do believe that this place is a bit over-rated. We have recently moved the area and wanted a nice place for seafood. We dined here up on recommendation of others and reviews. First off, our appetizer and clam chowder was very enjoyable, but I can't say that about our dinner entrees. Our dinners were very buttery, rice seemed old or microwaved, and they weren't even that hot. The dinner entrees reminded me of a chain restaurant and not all the quality or taste I would expect from a locally owned restaurant with such great reviews. The dinner entrees are extremely overpriced for the quality presented. Overall, not worth the price and not feeling excited to go back. read more

My girlfiend and I visited the Sole recently and I was absolutely disgusted by the customer service in this place. One waitress walked by me and dropped a broken martini glass w/ cocktail sauce down the back of my shirt. The waitress never acknowledged the incident and went in the back. The patrons nearby by were appalled. I called for a manager who did absolutely nothing-said sorry and he would be right back-Never returned. We got the check thinking a meal would be discounted or a dessert for free. Nothing was done. I have told all my friends and family about my time here and I will never go back. Poor customer service. read more

If the poor fish only knew what was in store for them before they got to the plate they would have dodged the net and swam for the propellers anyway. read more

Can't say enough about this place. Great food, service and ambiance. Reservations are highly recommend.

This was BY FAR the worst experience I have ever had at the sole proprietor. My boyfriend and I went for our anniversary dinner and we were extremely disappointed. We were seated and greeted right away for our 7:00 reservation but after that it was all downhill. Our waitress had an attitude and checked in maybe twice during our night there. It took a half hour to get our single sushi roll appetizer, another half hour to get the appetizer that came with the restaurant week menu, another 20 minutes to get our salads. After that, we waited an hour to get our actual meal (mind you this was at 8:50 pm). My boyfriend's steak came out cold and his lobster tail was overcooked, and my meal was mediocre at best. He was too nice to let me say something otherwise everything would have been sent back. We got the bill from a new, very attentive waiter that we wished we had the pleasure of meeting earlier in the night. The only thing that was taken off the bill was the sushi ($13) leaving us with a ~$60 bill which isn't bad but our meals were FARRR from worth $60. Mind you it was not a very busy night here as it was a Monday and our minds were blown at how long and drawn out the service was. read more

Great restaurant. I've been here three times and have enjoyed every bite. First rate food and service. Solid four and a half star restaurant. read more

Legal what? You'll completely forget about that other seafood restaurant once you've dined at the Sole. It is a bit noisy and some menu items are a bit pricey, but they make up for those 2 small downfalls in creativity and flavor. The portions are massive as well. My favorite is the swordfish au poivre (light on the poivre, please!). Simple yet the flavors are better than any other swordfish dish I've ever had. The clam chowder is outstanding and they have a raw bar AND a sushi bar! P.S. Don't forget to make reservations if you planning on visiting on a weekend! You can easily wind up waiting an hour for a table, and the bar gets crowded quickly. read more

Enjoyable meal here with my 'rents. Now I do not like seafood. I can enjoy small doses of sushi but the rest is just blah tasting texture. However, tonight's meal was very pleasant. Spicy tuna sushi app was yummy. Mom though the ginger was the best she has ever had. Then my main trout dish was good and dessert was as well. Nothing that spectacular and my vino had a little bug in it but warm rolls and cute, kind waitstaff make it all good. read more

I lived across the street from this place for three years. Needless to say, I've gone many, many times and I can't recall ever being disappointed. The food is great and the drinks are great. It's actually a really fun place late at night, besides serving as a top-quality seafood restaurant. read more

So, a little back story on this place...I have been trying to go there with my girlfriend for the better part of two years now. Yes, they accept reservations, I know, but it was always a spur the moment type of thing. Every single time, without exception, it was a 90 minute plus wait. Inevitably, we would end up at the Boynton, (a whole different review, but awesome...) Anyway, back to Sole...it is owned and operated by the same Group that has Via and 111 Chop, which I have been to both and find to be excellent. They are the best three restaurants in Worcester for sure. I think that the thing I like best is that each of the three restaurants have their own unique character. Other than the excellent service, high-quality meals, and over-priced (zing!) drink menu, they are all distinct. Again, back to Sole. So I finally got there. We were seated right on time with our reservation, which I always appreciate. We started off with a dozen Oysters, which were fresh and served with all of the fixin's. I had the Surf & Turf (Filet and Baked Stuffed Shrimp). And here in lies my only complaint for the evening. When I ordered the baked stuffed shrimp as the 'surf' portion, the waitress kindly informed me that the shrimp were not prepared in the traditional baked-stuffed fashion. She said that it was an all over batter, etc, etc. I said I couldn't wait to try it...but...and get this... when it was served to me it was basically fried shrimp! Fried f'n shrimp! Who the hell decided that such a quality establishment could even dream of getting away with this! If I wanted fried shrimp, I would have gone to Long John Silver's. Seriously, the GM of this place should take the Exec Chef aside and explain to him that when people are paying the cash that they charge, fried shrimp is a no go when pairing with a Filet. Seriously, I couldn't believe it. Even though the waitress flat out warned me it wasn't what I was thinking, I still find it unacceptable. What a chopper move this was...Chop City! Other than that, I have nothing bad to say about this place at all. I feel like if I were to make a better decision ordering, I would go with 5 stars, which could be in a future update. Also, parking is an absolute circus. They have a lot, just not nearly appropriately sized. Have fun with that one. read more

This has been my favorite restaurant in Worcester for over twenty-five years. A terrific menu -- a wide range of selections. Fantastic seafood. Great drinks. Best atmosphere in Worcester. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed. read more

This restaurant has forever been a popular meeting place for professionals. The staff are great, it is always lively, I really enjoy the location of the restaurant, but the food is really a disappointment. I suggest an updated menu. read more

My first time there it was real busy but there's a reason for that. The food was unique and so delicious that the entire dinner conversation was just how awesome the food tasted in our mouths. Between apps and two meals we spent about $90 total but it was so worth it. I didn't even care about the wait or how packed and noisy it was, and our waiter was super friendly and totally attentive read more

Had a great experience at the sole last night! I have to say I loved this place from the genuine nice bar tenders to probably one of the sweetest and best waitresses I've ever had... Cindy! You can never go wrong eating at the sole. Prices are a bit high but you get what you pay for. read more

Love coming here. Met up with family for a wonderful seafood dinner. Recommend calling for a reservation on weekends as it fills up very quickly. Bar is great. Staff is very accommodating. Seafood is Always fresh and a great assortment to choose from. Lobster Bisque is awesome. You won't be disappointed when you eat here. read more

really overrated in my opinion high prices for little. I just don't get it the service was ok but not as good as it should of been for what they were charging the was clean I sat at the bar and I understand that is a seafood restaurant and don't mind smelling some fish but it was a strong smell. I have always been told if it smell really fishy then it is not fresh and stay away. with that being said I wanted to try something so I had a few drinks and the seafood chowder it was good not great it had large chunks of a fish in it and a few small pieces of something else but not much of a variety as I was hoping for. overall I was just disappointed with the whole experience. read more

Slammed pack but not the service I received at One 11 Chophouse. The $4.99 clam chowder was good. The spicy tuna roll was chewy. Although the large piece of tuna was nice. The cocktail wasn't strong. I would have ordered another but they never asked. I also would have ordered an entree but they never asked so when I caught their attention I just settled for sushi. I was willing to drop money but no one was attentive. Ill return to one 11 but since its the same owners they prob wont care I converted to the other concept. read more

The only way I can figure this place is believed to be a good seafood place is that this is the place WPI students who don't know what seafood should taste like drag their parents for an expensive meal. I've had many meals their with friends and my seafood has always been over cooked and their clam chowder tastes like bacon salt and nothing else. Seriously, if you like a loud place with lousy seafood that costs a lot then this is the place for you. If you like food seafood, try West Boylston Seafood. read more

Really really great food and awesome service. Can get loud and crowded but that's because everyone loves it there. Great place for a long, multi-course, special occasion dinner with friends or a fancy date. Expensive, but very worth it! read more

This is one place I will never go again. The food is INSANELY overpriced for what you get, the restaurant itself is full of stuffy people and the menu is very small and limited. Drinks were okay, it took out waiter a good 5 minutes to even greet us even though the place was dead. He also reeked of cigarette smoke which was pretty gross. I love seafood so I was majorly disappointed. read more

Great seafood restaurant. I eat here very frequently with visitors and colleagues because it's the nicest restaurant close to work, and I'm always very happy with the cuisine and service. Great place. read more

Pretty good seafood place. I would have given them more stars, but when I asked for the fish without oil or butter drizzed on it, they said - sure not a problem. I got my "baked" fish that was lightly crusted and pan sautéed in oil!!! What a disapointment. Maybe I was not direct enough. I will have to try it again. The apps were really good - good crab cake and fish burger patty. read more

I had the worst experience at this restaurant today. Our server was crystal and Toni, we had two servers yet the worst service ever. We had water at the table that was asked to be refilled three times and at the end of the meal we still did not get our waters refilled and just asked for the check. We spent about 20 minutes waiting to get out order. I understand it was busy but to have two servers and no one serving you was ridiculous. The food was okay they overcharged us for the lobster bisque and then had to go back and fix it. I wouldn't order it again. The crab sliders were good and they was probably the best thing. Their drinks are okay nothing out of the ordinary. read more

This was our second time at the Sole. We wanted to eat somewhere close by to celebrate our anniversary. Seafood came to mind and we ended up making reservations at the Sole. My husband called them to let them know that it was a special day for us and he would like the restaurant to arrange for some flowers as a small surprise for me. The management said that flowers is not something they do..... At the restaurant there were always two waitresses who served us and checked on us . It was weird being asked the same qs 2 times and a little annoying given that we wanted to have some quiet time. We chose bottle of 2011 Argyle from the menu. we later realized that the bottle was a 2012. this was partially our fault for not checking the year when the waitress showed us the wine before opening it.....we let this go and did not make a big deal out of it. The prix fix menu was good for the price. I would not pay more than that for the quality of seafood here. There are better seafood places that are worth spending extra dollars. The major letdown was the flour less cake which was hard and chewy. the frozen flourless cake from trader Joe's is way better! Overall, we left with exactly the same impression about the place that we had a few years ago. I would recommend VIA or 111 Chophouse over this establishment. read more