Sol’Delish is a new Black-owned restaurant in University City serves classic soul food dishes and other menu items like burgers and crab cakes. It also has vegetarian and pescatarian options.
The restaurant has a pretty straightforward menu that pairs most dishes with fries or yellow rice, or one of a two other sides offered.
Here’s what we thought of our lunch visit earlier this week:
Setting the scene
The inside of the restaurant isn’t very big, but feels more cozy than cramped, with a few booths and some four-person tables. R&B music plays on the speakers, while sports and music videos play on the TVs.
There’s also outdoor seating with a good amount of shade available.
Something that added to the cozy atmosphere was the restaurant’s art. Paintings of notable figures like Erykah Badu and Bob Marley make the space feel very Black.
Service and experience
Our experience with the staff was great. Our server made conversation with us and was attentive during our visit. The owner also stopped by to chat with us during our meal.
Other guests who came in seemed to have a similar experience; we caught snippets of other conversations between staff and customers there.
Overall, the restaurant had a very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.
We tried two dishes: grilled salmon with yellow rice and macaroni and cheese, and baked chicken wings with the same two sides. The wings are available in different flavors, like barbeque and garlic parmesan, but I kept them plain.
While the food took some time — around 30 minutes — to reach our table, the wait was worth it. Everything was hot and nicely presented.
The yellow rice tasted homecooked, which I enjoyed.
And the macaroni and cheese was, well, cheesy. There was a good balance between the creaminess of the cheese and the crunch of the top from baking. Some may find it too cheesy, but it was right on target for me.
The baked chicken wasn’t what I was expecting, the outside was crispier than I had anticipated, but it was still good and was fall-off-the-bone tender.
While we thought the salmon could have used more seasoning, it was still tasty and filling.
Final verdict
Sol’Delish is perfect for a quick lunch bite or grabbing a filling dinner after work — there’s even a drink menu with wine and specialty cocktails.
The “it”: Grilled salmon, baked chicken, macaroni and cheese, and yellow rice.
Overall score: 4 out of 5, an average of 3.5 and a 4.5
