Solare Ristorante

Had dinner here while in San Diego for an evening. I picked the restaurant based on its reviews on this app, and the experience was mediocre. I let the waitress know that I have celiacs and she went over the menu with me. We had the gluten free bread, which was fresh and very good. We also ordered the mussels (a starter) and the cioppino (a special). The mussels came out with a large piece of bread on top. I asked the server to double check whether the bread was GF, as it looked very different than the GF bread we were served earlier. He let me know that it was not, and then walked away. I had to call him back to the table and clarify that I ordered gluten free, he then offered to remove the bread from the plate (it was on top of the mussels). I let him know that I could not eat it if the bread had been on top, and he took it back to the kitchen. Our waitress came back over to check on us, I let her know what happened and asked to make sure that our other food would be gluten free. She told me that GF was all over our ticket with the kitchen, so it should be fine. I did not end up getting sick, but it was a bad experience and I would not return or recommend this for those with celiacs.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

Stopped here for dinner after a movie. They have gf pasta and pizza although they were all sold out of the gf pizza. They confirmed they make the pasta in a separate pot with new water to avoid cc. We tried ordering a dessert as they have several gf options on the menu but they said since it’s a medical allergy they would only recommend the sorbets as they can’t ensure the other desserts don’t have cc since they’re not made in house. They did have gf bread which was a nice treat!

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Somewhat

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

The wait staff were knowledgeable about gluten. They asked if I had a gluten allergy or just a preference for GF. They inform the kitchen to help prevent cross contamination. They knew which menu items had gluten, and which could be made GF. Excellent service. Excellent food.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Solars $$$ (Liberty Station)

The bolognese sauce was amazing and you can have it served on gluten free spaghetti or penne noodles. My Bolognese dish was very good. Definitely would order this again! Additionally I ordered the gluten-free bread. What a treat to eat Italian food again. The gluten free bread is actually cooked separately in the oven to prevent cross contamination. It’s a good option for those with Celiac’s disease. The bread was served warm and fresh out of the oven. It was more tender than most gluten free bread, but tasted a little on the dry side. Although I do think the bread really does make a good pizza dough. Next time I’ll try the pizza!

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Other Characteristics

• Good for dinner
• Good for lunch
• Good vegetarian options
• Good with other allergies
• Offers outdoor seating

The food was gluten free but tasted awful. Don’t waste your time here

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Poor

GF spaghetti not handmade on premises but a big hit with my teenage son. Marinara sauce was yummy & the GF bread came warm with a separate olive oil bowl for dipping. Will definitely go back to try the GF pizza. Staff is very knowledgeable on Celiac precautions. Highly recommend!

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Other Characteristics

• Good for dinner
• Good for kids
• Offers outdoor seating

While I wouldn’t classify this as a family establishment, my daughter (5) and I went here and the food was fantastic. It was great to have several options for GF. For $5 you can get GF bread (appetizer) which is two small round loaves, kinda like a personalized-focaccia. If you want this, ask for it when they take your drink order otherwise it won’t come out until after your meal. The bread was delicious, soft and tender straight out of the oven, but hardened and was chewy after it cooled. Since ours came out in the middle of our meal, we ended up with the latter version.

The kids menu offers pizza but for GF pizza, you’ll get the full size. We ordered both GF desserts to go and can’t wait to try them today!

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Limited gluten free options. There are two types of gluten free pastas available, however the server said that all sauces except for a basic spaghetti sauce would have a chance of cross-contamination. Gluten free bread was available (and tasted really good!), but at a $5 upcharge for 2 pieces. I had a pizza with gluten free crust and it was more like a thick crust pizza, which I have missed since going gluten free. My wife had the fresh catch, it tasted quite good and is always gluten free. Our friend had one of the sauces that were said to be cross-contaminated and she didn’t get sick. We had the cocoa cake and crepe brûlée for dessert. Both were good, however the creme brûlée was said to be cross-contaminated, but again nobody was sick. Food was all good but overpriced in our opinion, especially the bread. Server seemed to know what gluten free meant but was unsure about which items were and weren’t actually gluten free, despite the menu having a mark for it.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not very

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions
• Food comes out flagged or marked gluten-free

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Good

They were very knowledgeable and friendly. I have to give a shout out to our waiter, Pedro, who went above and beyond to make our experience wonderful, both in terms of helping make sure my diet accommodations were met as well as general waitstaff needs. He was awesome!! The place had a variety of options, but the homemade GF pizza dough was a MUST. Very hard to find fluffy pizza dough but this place did it!!

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

My fav GF pizza! Very celiac safe.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

They have the best pizza I have ever had.our waiter says they have spent 3 years developing it.The staff was super helpful and informative. They have gf pizza,bread,penne and spaghetti most of the dishes can be made gluten free. They have 2 desserts that are gluten free but they say they might not be celiac friendly as they dont know the cross contamination practices of the places they source the ingredients. I had no reaction

Gluten free pizza crust was fluffy and delicious!!

The wait staff seemed unsure when I explained I was Celiac. However, he did speak with the kitchen staff, who confirmed a sauce in my ordered meal was not safe for me. Our table had a view of part of the kitchen and there appeared to be a lot of potential for cross contamination, which frightened me. The wait staff “forgot” our appetizer and our wine yet he served tables all around us repeatedly before we brought the lapse to his attention. The pork I had was dry and over cooked. Being that it seems to be a well respected restaurant I was surprised by how saddened I was with the lack of variety and the poor service. I won’t be giving them another try.

BIG MISTAKE!!! My family and I went there for dinner with our son who has celiac disease. We explained to the server about the need for GF pasta, which they had. The waiter did ok, but the kitchen made a HUGE MISTAKE, adding meatballs (not GF), instead of bolognese sauce. We’re hoping our son doesn’t get sick from this. To be fair, they brought GF bread for him and the owner came over to apologize. This doesn’t really matter that if our son gets sick tonight, we the parents have to deal with it. Not the owner, not the kitchen staff. We would not recommend anyone with celiac disease to go here because of this horrendous error.

Celiac friendly?

No

They offer any pizza made with this incredible homemade gluten free crust and they make their own delicious gluten free bread daily! GF pasta also available. We can't wait to return.

Stunningly good all around, full GF options in menu, pizzas, pastas, extraordinary salads, and GF Focaccia. Very good wine list, excellent service and beautiful surroundings.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

This is the best Italian restaurant with amazing gluten free pasta and pizza! The staff is very knowledgeable about gluten. They make it fresh at the restaurant. Enjoy!

I love Solare! The owner, chef and staff are extremely knowledgable and in tune with the needs of the Celiac customer. They actually stop all cooking and wipe down the kitchen every time there is a gluten free order. I felt extremely welcome and safe eating there. They make their own pizza crust and pasta so no tiny, horrible single sized pizza there!! It looked and tasted wonderful. The atmosphere is great and they even have live music there on certain nights of the week. I'm going back to try all the pasta dishes! Good people, good food! Safe belly!

Amazing pizza! They make their own GF crust and it is divine! GF pasta and other dishes as well. Delicious!