7/10 overall. Rare Society was good, but for me it's not in the same league as Steak 48. Very cool ambiance, room temperature was a little warm, service was wonderful The bread was 10/10 and an awesome start. Artichoke 8/10, onion rings 9/10, and wedge salad 9/10. We ordered the Executive Steak Platter, which was probably the biggest disappointment. 7/10 -- the steaks were under-seasoned and significantly underdone from what we ordered. Not bad, but I expected more. The au gratin potatoes were 11/10 and easily the best thing we ate. Absolutely fantastic. The broccolini, on the other hand, was 2/10 and way too vinegary for us. Desserts were mixed. Cheesecake was 7/10. Butter cake was 4/10 and had a strange taste we didn't care for. Cocktails were excellent overall, 9/10. The Rare Old Fashioned was 10/10 and the best drink of the night, Lady Luck 9/10, and espresso martini 8/10. Cool spot with some legitimately great dishes and drinks, but the inconsistency--especially with the steak--keeps it from being a top-tier steakhouse experience for me. read more

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Staff Incredible Great Vibe Food was brilliant as was our Tom Holland look alike server x Been to the other location numerous times happened upon this place after walking out of Honor Bar where the experience was awful. read more

Despite so many glowing reviews, I feel obligated to share the positive and negative here. Positive: We made a reservation for happy hour for three people. It was honored on time. Negative: On arrival we were told we could only be seated at the bar itself (full) or at high tops outside in 90 degree weather. This is the first time we've ever been relegated as happy hour guests. We did nicely request a table inside which we got, but were told the happy hour menu was not available to us. Restaurant at 5pm was nearly empty. Positive: Our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and was patient as we took a bit to decide what to have. Negative: There was a lot of "have you decided yet?" returns. Clearly he'd wanted to turn the table. Positive: The food was very well prepared. Filet mignon was tender and flavorful (though I doubt it was a full portion and two of us had to share it). Negative: Everything is à la carte, and mains - like our steak - were served on completely bare plates. Not even a garnish for presentation. Lamb chop "lollipops" served in a bowl. Just tacky. The side of creamed spinach was more cream than spinach, and for a side billed as a sharing portion it was small. Positive: Once our meal started we were not rushed. Atmosphere is a bit dark but fine for this kind of steakhouse. The crème brûlée was lovely... Sorry, no desire to return to this pricey spot. read more

We came for HH on a Friday to fight the afternoon rush hour traffic. Came right before they opened at 4pm. We walked right in with choices of sitting at the bar or a high top on the patio. We were delightfully pleased with our choices of the Burger ($24) , Beef skewers ($12) and threw in the Parker House rolls ($15) (which come out no sooner than 5pm). Niki was sweet, engaging and service was spot on. Jenna who helped her area was just as sweet and attentive. They were a dynamic duo! It was my first time here and I cannot wait to come for dinner soon! How come I haven't found this place sooner? I was surprised at how quickly the bar filled up. That just says it all. read more

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Trendy place with great drinks. We had a steak charcuterie board and it was delicious! The service was great. The patio was so cute!! read more

Rare Society - Steakhouses Near Me - Solana Beach, California

Excellent place!! All the food was amazing, prices are a touch steep but so good. Tartare was excellent, one of the best I've had. So tender, sauces were good. The boiled egg addition felt odd at first but actually was really good. Lamb lollipops were perfectly charred. The whipped potatoes were SO good!!!!!!! sat at bar but service was a bit slow, had different people walking by asking if we needed anything. Needed to ask for another drink menu after being out for 10-15 minutes. No big deal!! Will return for a happy hour for sure! read more

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I have been to the Solana Beach Rare Society location many times now, and every time it's been wonderful! I have gone for a full meal, usually getting the Associate Board to share, and it's always great. However, my favorite way, and most frequent way, to go to Rare Society is to go for happy hour (4-6pm daily). They have a great menu, including one of my favorite burgers ever, and certain cocktails, beer, and wine, for $10. And you still get to experience the lovely atmosphere of Rare Society at a fraction of the price. Signature burger: Just fabulous! Insanely juicy, flavorful, mouthwatering, truffle, goodness. Cooked to perfection and served with fries. I like splitting it and also getting... 5/5 Crispy brussel sprouts: Crispy indeed! Topped with tortilla chips and cotija cheese. It's a large serving perfect for sharing, and is the perfect side to go with a protein choice. 4.5/5 Harissa marinated beef skewers: My boyfriend got these and said they tasted good, but they were slightly overcooked. For a steak place, that's disappointing to me, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt as a one-off oversight since that is not usually the case. 3/5 And finally, my absolute favorite dessert... Banana fosters cheesecake: I don't even like cheesecake. I almost never get it for dessert, but this cheesecake is SO delicious, I get it almost every time I come here, even if it's just for HH. If you like bananas you will love this rich, creamy, perfectly sweet cheesecake serviced with vanilla ice cream (very important to balance this dish) and whipped cream. Trust me, even if you're a cheesecake hater you must give this amazing dessert a try! 5/5 read more

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Consistently excellent. The happy-hour here is special. Chill, half outdoor, with some creative menu variety and solid drinks. The grilled artichoke was popular, but it's not going to fill anyone up. I'd get it again.. The steakhouse dinner brings some fancy aged steaks, with a traditional wood-grilled char and smoke. It's really flavorful steak, and you'd be missing out if you didn't go a little feral on the bone. I find they tend to cook a bit further than other steakhouses, with a medium-rare NY Strip looking well into a Medium. It might be the aging or the fire-grill, but there was no pink left in there, and the ends were pretty dry. Look, I'm never going to kick this off my plate, but maybe order much less cooked than you would at Ruth's, okay? The sides are really nice, fresh, hot, but Small. If you're coming in hungry, they're only going to serve two as a side. There is no baked potato, but their gratin is rich with truffle and flavor. Worthy of the steak. Shrimp Scampi: 3 shrimp ($19). Baked oysters: 5 shells. All odd numbers? If you come here expecting to share equally with two people, prepare for battle. The dessert banana-foster cheesecake was terrific.. 5/5, easily enough for two. Service is impeccable, well-coordinated, with perfect timing. Table settings are uniquely precise, and smiles all around -- nobody seemed hurried, flustered or understaffed. Chill and steak. read more

This is a hidden gem in Solano Beach. The food quality is rather good as well as the drinks. It isn't overly expensive like veranda in Coronado. Parking is ample and the selection of stakes and other alternatives are pretty good for this small queen restaurant. Would definitely recommend it for a date night. read more

This restaurant has been on my bookmarked list forever. This is part of the same restaurant group that owns the Wise Ox in Carlsbad, which is both a small butcher shop, market, and fantastic sandwich shop. Rare Society has a great happy hour from 4 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. but be aware, the place fills up quickly. We arrived at 5:00 p.m. on a Friday night (prime time, of course) and had to be put on the waitlist. It took about 30 minutes to get seated at the bar. If you want to come for dinner, you should book a reservation a week or two out. The decor is fantastic and the service is as good as it gets. The bartenders here are superb. They really know how to make a drink, even if it is off the menu, or non-alcoholic, or their own special creation. If you can sit at the bar and develop a rapport with one of the bartenders, I highly recommend it. We loved the happy hour wedge salad, which we ordered chopped (it is much better this way, really). It is also plenty enough for two to share. The truffle fries were excellent, although they could have been just a tad crispier. The meatballs were good but maybe just a little overcooked. I wouldn't get the meatballs again but I probably would order just about everything else off the HH menu. The regular dinner menu also looks amazing but we didn't stay for dinner. All of the food we saw looked incredible and I didn't see any plates with food left on them. Put this restaurant in Chicago, New York, or San Francisco, and everyone would be dressed to impress. This is Solana Beach so a semi-clean t-shirt and, of course, a baseball hat on far too many customers meets the dress code here. So it goes. The ambiance is still wonderful even if half the customers don't know how to dress properly. I think the pro move is to come for drinks at Happy Hour and then swing over to the main dining room for dinner. I really do not want this place to get any busier than it presently is but I was very impressed. read more

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Came here for a birthday. The restaurant made a cute little birthday card for the birthday person and also gave them a gelato at the end of service which was lovely. We had: shrimp cocktail, parkerhouse rolls, fettuccine alfredo, salmon, filet mignon, whipped potatoes and broccolini. Most all of our food was good. The only thing we all did not like was the broccolini. It was actually quite offensive if I'm being honest, just tasted straight burnt and definitely skewed the taste of my steak a little. Our waiter was great. All staff was honestly. Very friendly and attentive. Parking is quite tricky here as there is only street parking so would recommend showing up at least 15 mins before your reservation just in case you have to hunt for parking. read more

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We decided to come back here and try the Happy Hour items we have not yet had the opportunity to experience. We tried the iceberg wedge, the harissa skewers, the meatballs, and the brussel sprouts. For cocktails Old Fashioned and Negroni. The brussell sprouts were fantastic with crunchy pieces of tortilla chips. The salad was incredibly fresh and well dressed The skewers might be my favourite. Beautifully seasoned. The meatballs were in a spicy bbq sauce. Yum! Service was attentive, but not annoying. The ambiance is always calm and appealing. We sat outside at the bar. read more

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My friend and I visited During a girls week in Solana Beach and decided to treat ourselves to dinner at one of the nicer restaurants in Solana Beach. We are so happy we did! It wasn't crazy busy on a Sunday night on a holiday weekend but we had made reservations none the less. The patio was cute and had overhead heat lamps which were appreciated. But the food! So delicious! We started with Parker House rolls, frankly one of the draws when choosing this restaurant and they did NOT disappoint, and also the Iceberg Wedge salad, which they chopped for us to share. It was super tasty. For dinner we chose to share the 22 oz 35-day aged bone-in ribeye, a wood grilled artichoke, and an order of broccoli which had a sumac yogurt sauce. The steak was cooked perfectly, the artichoke was grilled nicely but slightly undercooked, so we could not get as much 'meat' off of it as we should have been able to :( , and we did not enjoy the flavor of the sauce on the broccoli, which is just a matter of our taste buds. But I would definitely return for another visit as long as they don't take those Parker House rolls off the menu! The server was very nice and helpful too, which is a huge sell g point. read more

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Honestly, a solid steakhouse located right on cedros in Solana Beach. I have hosted several events here and have dined about 3 dozen times. The steak is awesome, especially if you can get one of the platters. It's worth the price! Also highly recommend the chilled lobster appetizer, it's ridiculously good! read more

Rare Society - Ribeye - Steakhouses Near Me - Solana Beach, California

Went here to celebrate my daughter's 21st birthday! I've had this spot "saved" for this occasion! We had 7 in the other party, so yes, we definitely made reservations. We had this fun bar table so we were higher off the ground. It was cold, so sitting near the door was not fun when the door kept opening and closing with that draft coming in. That made our experience a little more annoying. Most of us had to keep our jacket on to stay warm. Wasn't really expecting to wear my jacket during dinner. Anyways, forget my coldness for a second. The food was delicious and here I go: Parker House Rolls (we ordered 2)....YUM! fresh out of the oven....soft and just yum! Bacon: it was alright....not a fan of the glaze, but others in my party liked it. Boards: Associate (1) and Executive (1) Meat: 8 oz snake river wagyu and 22 oz dry-aged ribeye Sides: Potato au gratin (2), asparagus (1), whipped potatoes (2), shell mac (2) and broccolini (1) It was a great experience, definitely on the pricey side, but my daughter enjoyed her 21st birthday dinner surprise with family! read more

The service and the steaks here are top notch. Rare Society has been one of, if not, our favorite place to dine in especially for special occasions. Make sure to order one of their boards so you can get a variety of cuts and flavors. read more

Rare Society - The Executive Board - Steakhouses Near Me - Solana Beach, California

When making the reservations I didn't ask for a booth our table was right in the middle of where all the waiters and customers walked around our table. Food was just OK nothing to write home about steaks we're just OK. The sides weren't that great. The shrimp cocktail had this real salty spices on it never had anything like that before. Won't be back. read more

My wife and I had dinner last night with friends at what has become our favorite place, Rare Society in Solana Beach. We started with Happy Hour with TJ and Tanner serving up tasty cocktails and appetizers! We sat down for dinner and server Nikki (sp?) greeted us and took great care of us. The restaurant has a great vibe and the dinner was spectacular. We ordered the Executive Board, 50 ounces of assorted steak cuts! Unbelievably delicious and plenty for 4. The staff treats you like family and helps create a wonderful dining experience! Well done folks! We will see you again soon! read more

Rare Society - Steakhouses Near Me - Solana Beach, California

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What an amazing experience. Took my daughter here for a father daughter experience on a busy night and the experience was exceptional. From the staff to the food. Every bite was spectacular. Had the lobster and oysters and bacon. Wow! Then we had... of course steak. Ribeye for me and filet for her. Perfectly cooked as ordered wnd delicious. I can tell you it's been a while since we had such a good experience starting with the friendly hostess. Can't tell you how many times the hostess ruins your evening at the beginning. This girl was perfect and super friendly and accommodating. Rare Society was on the top of their game. read more

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What an incredible heaven on Earth experience for all you carnivores out there. Amazing selection of meats. Their Parker rolls are to die for, melt in your mouth bread garnished with truffle butter is a must for an appetizer. Then jump into the executive board. No questions asked. Phenomenal romantic setting an even greater service. Everything about this place sets the tone for a romantic evening read more

Rare Society - Steakhouses Near Me - Solana Beach, California

We had a very special meal at Rare Society. We started at the bar, with perfect service and an equally amazing martini. When the rest of our group arrived, we moved to a comfortable table and ordered everything on the menu. My NY Strip was cooked perfectly. All the sides were chose were delicious. Our server was fantastic at helping our group choose the right number of dishes. We had wonderful wine as well and ended the evening with melt in your mouth desserts. read more

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I can't say enough good things about our experience and especially the food but most importantly our waiter, Mariah, was top tier! From start to finish she made the whole experience so enjoyable. To impeccable timing and politely checking in without lingering, to her awesome personality. She was the cherry on top. We got the Associate board with the mushrooms and miso carrots... plus the creme brûlée of course. Such a hip & quaint experience, will certainly be back. read more

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Easily one of my favorite steakhouses in all of San Diego. They have two locations in San Diego and at least one in Orange County and another up in Santa Barbara. Inside has a very 1920s to 30s look in the best sort of way and it is really classy and hip. This location is fairly new and a bit smaller than the South Park one, but I honestly loved it and I was worried about sound crossover from the other tables, but it was honestly pretty quiet even though every table was booked. Parking in the area is very easy. We were able to find a free street spot right out front. Our server was very polite and everything came out very fast. It is a bit expensive but the food quality and taste is there. They have a pretty large menu filled with all sorts of great options, but they're most famous for steak. For my dinner I started off with the Steak Tartar and honestly loved it. It was a great mix of flavors and the salt and vinegar chips with it were a perfect combination. For my entrée I ordered the Cedar River Prime Bullseye Ribeye (16oz) and really liked it. Sometimes ribeye is too fatty and chewy but this one was perfect and had really rich and deep flavors. I also ordered a side of the Broccolini and the Sumac Yogurt was an incredible combination. I'm a big fan of sumac so if you are too, you would love it. I really want to order dessert after my meal, but I was pretty full once finishing. I will definitely be back soon to try more items and I'm a big fan of this restaurant. read more

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We went for our 30th anniversary. Andres met us with such a presence and delight and continued to make us laugh and have fun. Luis our server was knowledgeable and really helped guide us thru the menu. Food was excellent!!!! The rolls are an absolute have to! Artichoke and Caesar were great. Ordered the ribeye( melt in your mouth) and the ravioli and potatoes a gratin (highly recommend)!!!! Beyond that Luis knew good wine and recommended per our price point! All in all it was a fantastic experience! Not for nothing but water was constantly filled. And we had a wonderful server come over and fill water and she recommended making a bacon and egg sandwich for tomorrow out of our left over rolls. From the hostesses to the servers to the rest of the staff. Thank u!!!! read more

Chintzy expensive eatery! Not a restaurant in which to celebrate a birthday. After our party was served food for 100's of dollars, a tiny scoop of ice cream with a candle on top was presented to our birthday guest. Then we were asked to vacate the table as new guests had reservations. A superb restaurant to celebrate anything in is Steak 48 Del Mar. In addition to superb food and a proper celebratory dessert, their heated toilet seats cap a memorable experience read more

I went here twice in the same week. I tried out their Espresso Martini. I had a second round of their wedge salad and bananas fosters cheesecake. My girlfriend got a gimlet. We both loved our drinks and food was just as delicious as the first dining experience. Service was fantastic and they kept the patio warm and comfortable during our dinner here. This might just be my new favorite spot to dine in Solana! read more

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This use to be our favorite steak place! Im not sure what happened. We went on 7/10 to celebrate my husbands birhtday. We got what we usually get which is a ribeye medium rare... the potatos al gratin, and a couple apps. The steak was not eatable. It had a very burt charred taste to it like never before. It looked looked correctly but didnt taste right. The potatoes were still raw. Our drinks took forever. Maybe it was an off night im not sure. I did not say anything as i didnt wanna ruin or change the mood of the celebration. We took the steak home but couldnt eat it it was so bad. For a $500 meal we were really dissapointed. The reason for this review is i called the restaurant to let them know. I wasnt asking for my money back but wanted to let the manager know and he/she never even called me back. Super dissapointing because we been customers for years. Next time it Steak 48. read more

Visited for happy hour. Seating was easy on the weekend if you arrive early. Our waiter was great. Good mixed drinks. Oysters were just ok. Unfortunately, the happy hour burger was not great. The patty was good and perfectly cooked. However, the burger had an excess of onion jam that was incredibly sweet and gooey. Between the jam and the spread they put on, the bun was soggy, the flavor was off, and it was a huge mess. The real disappointment was the restroom. They do not have their own. It is a shared restroom with the entire office building that is essentially open to the public on Cedros. It was horrific inside. Will spare you the details. This restaurant needs to come up with a solution for their guests given the menu pricing charged read more

Great great great. Loved it!!! Got to bring our own wine. Food, service top notch. Kind of almost did not want to review, better of keeping a secret read more

Great food, service and atmosphere. The chairs are super uncomfortable, so don't plan on having a long dinner. I couldn't stay for dessert and drinks because my back hurt from sitting in the chair. read more

A classic steakhouse specializing in wood-grilling. Starting with the lamb lollipops, $9 each, to a grilled artichoke, $21, to the beef dishes. Our table 4 enjoyed the 8-ounce filet mignon, $68, the 60-ounce bull's-eye ribeye, $74, and a tasty mac & cheese, $15. Excellent cuts of meat. Prepared to order. Creative array of cocktails. Lively bar area. Wines by the glass from $17-$43. Local draft beers. Expensive wine list. The cheapest white is $60 a bottle for an Albarino from California, $72 for a Santa Barbara Pinot Noir, and then up to sell several over $200 and $300. The Dominus, from Napa, is $620. We brought our own wines; corkage is $35. Service is among the best we've experienced in the county. This included the handling of our two older wines and great busing service throughout the dinner, with water refills and well-orchestrated clearing of the plates. Somewhat dark, noisy interior, outdoor patio for casual dining and happy hour fun, watching the colorful crowds passing by on this busy section of Solana Beach. read more

Very classy experience and fantastic service. Rocky was our server and he did a great job explaining the menu, how everything worked and how large everything would be. And very attentive. He made sure we would want for nothing. Open kitchen so you can see the food being prepped and made. Forgot to get pictures of the appetizers but the house rolls and blue crab dip are fantastic especially when paired together. Swordfish was cooked very well and the sauce was amazing. The petite tower was quite delectable with a nice variety of oysters, crab, shrimp, and lobster along with salmon poke and ahi tartare. The potato au gratin was strong in flavor and the broccolini came on a complimenting sauce, all delicious. Topping the night off with the creme brulee which was very faintly burnt on one side but still very nicely toasted brulee. 100% recommend this restaurant for any occasion. Planning on going back to try more for sure. Thank you Rocky! read more

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Thank you Luke for a great first experience! Very knowledgeable about the menu. Thank you for moving us to a bigger table, we needed it. Yes, it's pricey but worth it because of the service. Don't skip the bananas foster cheesecake! Thank you again Luke for a great night! read more

Horrible customer service. We went on the hottest day of the year (100 degrees) and got there at 4:30 for happy hour. It was still terribly hot out but instead of offering us an empty table inside with air con they refused despite 8 people being there. We are regulars there so to be treated like this is unacceptable. I never write negative reviews. It was a Wednesday night BTW. read more

This review is overdue, but that's what happens when you become a new mom. I was super lucky and won a $250 dinner from @Sdfoodies on Instagram here. Oh man, I was so excited. I haven't gone out in so long because taking care of a tiny human is hard! Anyways... This restaurant is so elegant, clean, and romantic. Honestly it's a great spot for date night. The steak is great and so was the seafood tower. Surprisingly, we loved the seafood tower the most! The sauces that came with the oysters and the steak were to die for. The drinks are strong and delicious too. Our server recommended the rolls and oh my gosh, don't skip out on those if you love bread! Soo good. I would totally come here again. Shout out to the amazing staff here for taking care of us. read more

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We have been hearing great things about this restaurant in the Cedros district of Solana Beach, so recently stopped by one evening. The space was very beautiful inside and service was friendly and attentive. We loved our steaks and everything else was wonderful!!! It is expensive but worth it!!! read more

This was our second time at rare society, the first time being at the Santa Barbara location. We had the exact same meal as our first visit and it was even better than I remembered. Reasonable prices for a steakhouse and top tier quality. I love the art deco inspired theme and the staff are top notch. Don't skip the ai gratin potatoes and Parker rolls. We would come just to enjoy those two dishes but the steaks are perfection. read more

This was our first time going to Rate Society. We had high expectations as many friends recommended it. Our plan was to go to happy hour. The food was just great, but there were other aspects that were not. First of all we were seated at a table right by the entrance and way too busy and we had to apologize as we asked for another table. When we got to that other table, we were informed that sitting at the table, we did not qualify for happy hour. We had no idea that it mattered which table you sat at to enable you to get happy hour, that was a disappointment. Also, when we got the food, we were surprised for such a special restaurant that when they served it, there was no garnishment with it. For instance, sliced steak was just steak on a plate no parsley no nothing. Lamb chops was just in a bowl. That was not consistent with other restaurants We've been at where they seem to take more pride at having things look pretty as as well as tasting good. So would we go back? I'm not sure. I think we have many other choices and I think we would look for a hostess that was more warm and accommodating. read more

Food: 9.5/10 Ambiance: 9.5/10 Service: 8.5/10 Cost: 8.5/10 What We Ordered (Food): Cedar River Prime Bullseye Ribeye: Excellent!! Really enjoyed it! 40-Day Dry-Aged Bone-In NY Strip: The moment I learned I'm not that into dry-aged steak, lol Potato Au Gratin: We LOVED this side -- so yummy! Wood-Fired Broccolini: Pretty good, has a little sour aftertaste (maybe because of the purple sumac yogurt beneath it?) Miso-Glazed Carrots: Also, interestingly enough, had a little sour touch to it What We Ordered (Drinks): Off to the Races: Surprisingly good! Got sweeter or thicker towards the end though, kinda wish it had an ice cube in it to help break that part up The Bookkeeper: We LOVED this one! We were pleasantly surprised by their drinks! The first few sips were so good -- different from what we typically experience & so that was refreshing! Our favorite from the food items were the ribeye & the potato au gratin. The floating servers were amazing! Anytime we needed something, we could just quickly look up & make eye contact with anyone & they would come help. REALLY loved the ambiance -- loved the little booth we sat in right across from the bar! Technically we weren't far off from the next booth/table, but it really felt insulated and also intimate at the same time -- perfect spacing! LOVED this place -- and loved its location! I will be back! read more

Rare Society - Cedar River Prime Bullseye Ribeye, 40-Day Dry-Aged Bone-In NY Strip, Potato Au Gratin, Wood-Fired Broccolini, Miso-Glazed Carrots - Steakhouses Near Me - Solana Beach, California

Really great spot! Slow service, but delicious food. They have great happy hour bar seating starting around 4pm which is worth it because their reservations can book up fast. I loved their non-alcoholic drinks, the wagyu burger, lamb lollipop (which is not as small as I had imagined when ordering), miso carrots (unexpectedly spicy but delicious), and grilled artichokes. All was delicious! The burger in particular had a great flavor and texture, but I don't think it's on their main dinner menu - looks like it's for HH only. The only other real negative here was their bathroom situation (it's outside the restaurant, not well maintained, and lacking good privacy as the doors don't lock well). It was very unexpected considering how beautiful and modern the restaurant is inside. read more