Solar Do Minho — Restaurant in Belleville

Ok so i went arguably on a fairly busy Saturday night. We were able to get same day reservations, but it was still packed.

Meat took a while to arrive even though we sat down and requested the rodizio. After that, it was a fairly steady parade of Gouchos with meat on swords. I think the winners for me was the bacon wrapped filet and the sausage. The top sirloin was only ok, and the roast beef was fairly tough. I was happy to see leg of lamb as a selection. We saw ribs pass a few times but couldn't snag any. I was surprised not to see more pork on the skewers. There was only one ham - mediocre - and nothing else.

Our main server was very responsive and personable. I would have liked more attention from the gouchos but i admit it was a busy night.

The sides were as expected, including a nice vinegarette. I couldn't get a true chimmichuri despite asking twice. Shrug

The sangria was excellent - one of the best I've ever had. Cinnamon pineapple was delicious as always, and the desserts were heavy and sweet. The two flans we ordered were sightly different in their doneness, with one being a much deeper caramel then the other.

A few logistics notes: don't drive down the side street unless you're gonna use the valet. If you intend to park yourself, just park on the main street and walk.

We were lucky to get a table inside the actual building rather than the wedding-reception size tent that has been installed to triple the seating. It was warmer and added to the general atmosphere of a traditional churrascaria.

Also note that there are exactly two toilets in the restaurant (as far as we could discover), so there were often several women waiting outside the ladies room. This may matter to you.

If you want to compare to other similar restaurants, I would say the meat was cooked better then at Fernandez 3 but there was a smaller selection. Also, the overall rustic and crowded atmosphere doesn't compare to the upscale experience of Fogo, so if that's what you're looking for, better just to into NYC or Philly.

Overall, however, i enjoyed my dinner at Solar and hope to add it to my regular rotation. Rodizio isn't for every night, but it's worth the trip for a special occasion!.

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Rate this a 4.5. Wanted to spend some time with my brother and his family mid-afternoon near his house New Year's day before all the festivities. The restaurant was set up for the celebration later at night with a huge tent outside the restaurant, set up with tables etc. The atmosphere in the main restaurant was cozy, family oriented. The staff was friendly, attentive, dressed professionally. The service was on point the servers they all cater to any table that needed service which was a plus. The main waiter, Victor, was funny. We ordered the clams in garlic and olive oil. The serving was medium size. The broth of the clams is the difference in the app. You need the hot bread that is served to complete , and enjoy these clams. You want more, delicious. To drink we ordered the white sangria. It was made the right way with a touch of orange juice that didn't over power the fulness of the sangria, and it was not loaded with fruits so you get to enjoy the refreshing taste of it. For the main course we ordered a seafood paella with extra clams as we requested. Of course we paid a little extra for them. Parts of the paella was dry. From my experience you want the paella to be somewhat mushy. The other dish was a salmon stuffed with seafood, which was delicate, tasty, well prepared. The texture of the fish held together the stuffing, didn't fall apart, delicious. Accompanied with potatoe chips, and rice. Looking at other tables the Rodizio (unlimited servings of different meats) was the main choice. To cap the afternoon we ordered dessert. I had the chocolate mousse, which was a bit parched, not silky not smooth. The catalana cream dish was soft, tender. We enjoyed ourselves. The service was excellent. I may...

So sad that I have to write this review. The food was amazing, service was great and the atmosphere was wonderful. Why the one star review then?

I had no issues with the service, until it was time to pay for our food. Me and another guest took care of splitting the bill, and I covered the tip with my credit card.

As we’re getting ready to leave, one of the servers (who was not our server Sirley, and who was not our server at any point during our time eating there) comes over to let me know that the tip had to be paid in cash, not card. And the look of shock in the eyes of the some of the servers/employees when I walked over to the group of them and pointed to one of the bills they had printed out for our table, and it showed the difference in paying for the meal in credit versus cash. Which is why I didn’t care if I used my card and got an extra service fee charged on it. I was happy, full and ready to go.

I thought that was strange, as it shouldn’t matter if I paid the tip in cash or credit. Also, there’s no rules that I (or anyone at our table) was aware of, in regards to having to pay tips only in cash. Instead of making a big scene and arguing, I had them refund the tip back to my card, gave them cash and left in disgust.

If something would’ve been said as the check was being placed on our table, then I would’ve happily put cash down for the tip instead of paying with my card. The lack of professionalism and courtesy in that moment, is what made the overall experience go from wonderful to irrelevant.

Definitely won’t go back, nor recommend this place to anyone until management fixes that blatantly screwed up, and underhanded way that some of its employees chooses to...