Sol y Sombra Tapas Bar

This visit wasn't my first here, and I don't remember it being this awful last time. Did it take some kind of a very sharp down turn?
Service was very pushy (no need to keep asking us if we're not selecting from today's special), but that wasn't even the main issue.
The seafood in the Paella Marinera was clearly very old. Before the waiter even set it down on the table, I was overwhelmed by the fishy, passing-by-China Town-fish-monger-in-summer odor. I managed to put some in my mouth, and they had the distinctive freezer smell. So did the peas. And what kind of paella has so much liquid the bottom was completely covered in soup??? It's supposed to be crisp on the bottom! The whole thing tasted so stale, I felt like even the rice tasted like cardboard. Argh.
I left more than half of my dish, and the bus boy was stunned when I didn't want the rest to go. I was already feeling sick in my stomach by then.
I do love good food and can be picky, but I haven't had such horrible food in a very long time. I will never go back - and we live in the neighborhood! So glad we went with a restaurantcom coupon... Otherwise I would have definitely complained to the manager.
Now I have to go back to Socarrat to erase this memory of horrible paella.

Pros: restaurantcom coupon

Cons: Old seafood, freezer-smelling food, pushy service

Posted 08/28/09

This place is Awesome,
I enjoyed a nice glass of red Spanish wine which the bartender recommended. The atmosphere is relaxed and the food is authentic. I presented a Coupon from Citysearch which gave me 30% off of my dinner bill.
Now that is an Economic Stimulus Plan that I did not have to wait for. Pay less taxes, create more jobs, the government is telling me it will get better. It just got better by finding Sol y Sombra. The business owner is obviously in touch with what is going on, and he is taking action which is immediate. Thank You! Now, it is time for me to plan a group night out where all of my friends can enjoy the same as I did.

Pros: Atmosphere, Music, Great Wine Selection, Authentic Spanish Food, Value

Posted 02/19/09

My 2 friends and I were all disappointed. The service was NOT good, the food was mediocre, and I definitely would not go back to this place.

Pros: the food is reasonably priced

Cons: the service was really bad and the food was just so so.

Posted 12/05/08

My girlfriend discovered this charming place this summer. We loved the exposed brick and cozy ambience. We started with tapas. The starters were perfect portions and great for sharing. So many different flavors and styles of dishes. My girlfirend ordered the pollo con pisto and i got the fried steak. Couldn't have been happier with our choices. The steak was juicy and well seasoned and the chicken was very flavorful and not too dry. The ratatouille was also delicious. The meal was fantastic and very well complimented by their extensive wine list. We will definitely come back and recommend it to everyone!

Posted 10/06/08

As spaniard leaving in NY for more than 2 years, I was looking for some good Spanish food. I picked out Sol y Sombra through "menu pages". This is the reason I am writing this, if people read reviews like I do, please do not waste your time going to this restaurant. If you have ever been to Spain and tried real Spanish food, you will be very disappointed here. Today, a Sunday afternoon, we ordered the "pulpo a la galega" and it was definetely re-heated because of its "rubber" texture. We were not able to eat it, we called the waiter, told him and he answered, no it is not re-heated. Nobody else came to explain the food issue. In the end, the pulpo a la galega was charged. I would not recommend this place to my worse enemy! Waste of money and time!

Pros: Location

Cons: food and service! Wanna more?

Posted 07/26/08

I ended up here with a friend only because the outdoor tables were set up and looked inviting. We should have known something was up, since every other restaurant on the block was jumping, and this one had only one other table with diners. Luckily, we ordered sangria - it wasn't very good, but at least it dulled our senses. It took FOREVER for the waiter to pay us any attention. I have no idea why, since they certainly weren't busy. The bread was like those bad "Italian" loaves you can buy at the grocery store. The rest of the food was just OK - nothing stood out, and nothing would make us go back for more. There are plenty of good tapas restaurants in NY...this isn't one of them.

Pros: Outdoor dining

Cons: poor service, mediocre food

Posted 10/15/07

My girlfriend and I had a very disappointing meal here. First of all, the bread. It was the same mediocre baguette that you can buy at any grocery store. I've been to lots of other Spanish places that serve delicious, crusty sourdough bread and their food is no more expensive. Next, the tapas. We ordered three: cold salmon slices, marinated in vodka and brandy (salmon marinado), cod croquettes (croquetas de bacalao), and spanish meatballs (albondigas). The salmon was ok, if a little bland. The cod croquettes were small and flavorless (basically taste like anything else deep fried), and the breading looked like something you'd order from Hot Dog on a Stick at the mall. The sauce they give you with the croquettes is basically canned tomato sauce, with a decidedly Italian, not Spanish, flavor. Same thing with the meatballs. They apparently use the same Italian-flavored tomato sauce, and the meatballs themselves are no better than the ones you can make from Betty Crocker's cookbook. Finally, the paella. It was watery, flavorless, and smelled bad. Most of the mussels were gross, and only had a trace of meat in them. The scallops were small, and the shrimp were rubbery. On top of that, no langostines! On second thought maybe we were better off without them. The watery saffron rice was bland. We left most of the tapas on the table and left the restaurant hungry. I'm only writing this review because I think it's unfair for a restaurant to serve such unquestionably mediocre food and charge such high prices for it (our bill for two was over 100 with tip). I felt cheated. At least our server was very nice and attentive and the wine was decent.

Pros: good service, mellow atmosphere, decent wine

Cons: the food, the food, the food

Posted 10/10/07

I went there with my girlfriend and sister for happy hour and found the drinks to be well made...I loved the Mohito!

Posted 02/22/07

I visited on a chilly Wednesday night after doing the local bars. The place was empty except for one more couple and still the service managed to be slow and unresponsive. They really did not seem to care we were there despite it looking like there would not be many more customers for the rest of the night. The sangrias were uninspiring, the paella was just average. Nothing about the place would ever bring me back.

Posted 02/19/07

The food here is mostly average. One standout was the baby squid otherwise, nothing else warrants coming back. Red sangria was a little too syrupy, sweet for my taste. Biggest gripe was the restaurant did not have any heat on a night that was 45degrees out. It was probably around 50degrees and very chilly inside the night I was there.

Pros: tapas portions were a good size

Cons: no heat on a chilly night, somewhat rushed service on a not so busy night

Posted 10/23/06

This was the best place to dine very good food, great music and not a lot of noise it was a small place to get away from the city and enjoy the moment with someone special or just with a friend. I had a great time this is where my boyfriend propose to me!!!!!!!!!

Posted 09/25/06

Very accomodating staff, they worked hard to fit you in and get you to eat there, staff is hard-working and food is fantastic & served quite quickly. A true diamond in the UWS ruff, which rarely can sport restaurants/bars that have great atmosphere and/or food. Great wine list, good outdoor dining, bar is not good as it's too tightly packed with restaurant. Also sadly on a pretty ugly part of Amsterdam.

Pros: service, food

Cons: bar, space

Posted 06/18/06

Service was very good....Sangria tasted a little watered down...dishes weren't spectacular

Posted 04/26/06

My boyfriend recently discovered this place and boy what a find!!! We have gone back 2 additional times since our first visit. The food is delicious and the atmosphere is always welcoming. Whether it is a girls night, guys night, or a romantic date this is the place to be. The sangria is wonderful and constantly flowing. The tapas are delicious, especially the artichoke hearts and octopus. Everything we ate there, including dessert, is scrumptious and extremely fresh. It is the perfect place for any occasion. If you want to have a great time and eat well I recommend this place highly!!!!

Pros: Food, Ambience, Staff

Cons: Nothing, Nothing, Nothing

Posted 12/12/05

The tapas we had was just average, but the main dish specials were great! Really cool looking place. Good Spanish wine. Great service. Ask them what to order...I don't think everything on the menu is great, but there are some shining stars.

Pros: Specials, Atmosphere, Wine

Posted 11/25/05

We were intrested in eating Spanish food, so we walked into Sol y sombra. Just by taking a look at the place, we relized that this was a wonderful restaurant to spend our night. The food was exceptionaly great and the service as well. Although the place was packed we still had a friendly staff. I recomend that you make rezzie's though because the place can get busy.

Pros: great food, great desserts

Posted 09/23/05