SOLAR Sky-Bar Restaurant Lounge — Restaurant in Berlin

It is a well trodden trope that restaurants with great views are complacent with their food, wowing diners with what is out the window, rather than what is on the plate. Solar isn’t one of those places.

When we arrived, the security checked our booking, and sent us on our way up the elevator to the restaurant with a view.

It is a cool space, and Berlin unfolds out of the large windows. We got there early, so saw the sunset, and watched the city light up as the evening progressed.

Our evening started simply with a few drinks, the house Winzersekt Solar Rosé - was easy, crisp and light. I got a “Glorious Bastard” cocktail that was fun to order and drink.

The food menu here is all about sharing. For starters we began with delicate tartlets and the croquettes. We paired these with a Riesling from Stahl, which was fresh and precise. The Warsteiner beer I also enjoyed.

For mains, the Cordon Bleu, the Spanferkel (suckling pig) was tender and the crackling was satisfying. The half lobster was simply done and we enjoyed it.

Each main was well portioned, well seasoned and plated with enough style, without being over thought.

You have to get sides to complete the experience, and we went with the: buttery mashed potatoes, honeyed baby carrots, and the cauliflower. Each paired well with the mains and we left nothing for the kitchen to clear off the plates.

We were sat next to a couple who got the Wagyu, and I asked them if they thought it was worth the cost, they said it was and was the best steak they’d ever had, they and all those around us were enjoying their experiences and sent their plates back empty and left happy.

There were couples on dates, groups celebrating birthdays, and families catching up. People were coming here to celebrate, sharing a meal with people they love, and wanting a special night out in a special location.

When I first arrived I was worried it was going to be mediocre and pretentious - but they avoid this well, and have made Solar into something delightful. The views will impress you, the food will comfort you, and the drinks and wine list are well considered.

As evening progressed, we grabbed a last few photos of the city.

On the elevator ride we left content, riding the elevator down to the wander back to the hotel glad we had found Solar, and made some...

The drinks and service were good, but the overall experience was not worth the price we paid. I left with the impression that this is a place that places money before the customer.

The first thing my boyfriend and I saw was that in order to use a card, you had to spend €50 minimum, which is absurd, especially when the nearest ATM was quite far away. The place itself was alright, despite music being a bit too loud to have a conversation (this wasn't a dancing place, just a lounge to sit and chat with friends), and the service was attentive, but when I asked for just a glass of tap water with my drink, I was told that's not allowed. You have to buy a bottle of water at a price of €7.50 (this same exact bottle of water was served at every other restaurant on our trip for €2.50).

The cocktails as well were very highly priced, so we expected exceptional quality but ended up merely content. They were good drinks, but nowhere near good enough for what you pay. For the same cost, we've had some mind-blowing cocktails at plenty of other places, with constantly refilled complimentary snacks, exceptional service, and interesting garnishes to complement and enhance the drink (the Waldorf Astoria offers this kind of experience, as does Molino Stucky if you're ever in Venice). This place offered none of that. Not even basic nibbles. Just decent drinks at much higher prices than they were worth.

As a cocktail bartender myself, I understand how this industry works. I can tell when a place genuinely cares about the customer and wants them to leave having felt like they were prioritized. Likewise, I can very easily feel when a place tries to prioritize the money they can make off that customer. I was very disappointed with this bar and would much sooner recommend either Monkey Bar (view) or the Waldorf Astoria Lang Bar (drinks &...

We dined here on Christmas day hoping for a lovely celebration, this was not the case. As we arrived, we were told to leave our coats in the basement which is something we did not want to as it did not look safe and we had expensive coats on. After sitting at the table and being refused and frowned on for requesting table water the obnoxious manager named Sash came over and said he had been told we did not want to leave our coats downstairs which made us again feel really uncomfortable.

We then decided to order a bottle of wine and the waiter said let me bring over one we recommend. He came back and started unscrewing a new bottle of 100 euro Borolo - it was clear all they wanted to do was to take your money. We told him to take this away and ordered the bottle of wine we wanted.

The food, which was actually cooked very well, came out 10 minutes after ordering - as we began the table bread was brought out half way which should have been an appetizer and then our correct steak and fish knives were brought out! We would have had a better service is a fast food restaurant!!

Overall, our waiter made this experience more bearable as he was down to earth and very friendly - however the manger was unprofessional, smug and an absolute embarrassment to the business! Our Christmas dinner was over within 1 hour and it was the biggest waste of money ever -

Will definitely not recommend to anyone nor will we be returning!

Manger about money and not customer...