Ok let's be honest. Probably the only reason I eat here is to get into the Belly Up quicker than if I had to stand in line. Believe me, it costs at least $75 for that earlier entry. The food is ok, not great. The value is just not equal to the quality of food. I will continue patronizing this place....the service is good and the vibe is festive. It's just a bit pricey for what you get. read more

My girlfriend and I were at this place before and we decided to give it another chance. The food is average and the service the very poor! The Waitress/Bartender I think her name is Joy is the rudest and most incompetent we have ever encountered at a dining establishment. It took her 20 minutes to even acknowledge us! She kept walking past us and said my girlfriend was on her phone and that is why she would not take our order?????? In addition to being rude she never came back. My girlfriend was so disgusted she and I left!! Stay away from this place at all costs!!! read more

Had the chicken marsala with linguini...great flavor...saucy enough....i am happy to say I enjoyed my meal. not sure hubby is a happy with his veggie curry...i tasted it..just ok although i am not a fan of the B.U.T. ...there are occasions when we do come here and now i'm not so afraid of eating at the Wild Note either...what made it even better is that someone else paid for our meal! woo hoo! read more

The menu looks like someone's wife watched too much cooking Chanel. I've eaten here 4 times now and each time more regrettable than the last. read more

Super cool joint! Love the music decor and atmosphere. The waitress was really nice and helped our table out really well. I got the blackened shrimp salad which was bomb! It was fresh and very tasty with plenty of shrimp. Our table was a little wobbly so they may need to get that fixed. We were seated in the back corner round table on the right. I really liked how this restuarant was next to the Belly Up and how they have ads that show upcoming shows, really awesome! The other dishes that my coworkers had looked super delicious. I had some chips from one dish and they were really good in-house made chips. I will be back given the opportunity again! read more

Great casual food. We were going to Del Mar race tracks for the afternoon. We took the train, exited Solana Beach station, walked 2 minutes to this restaurant and met up with our friends. They don't take reservations, but if you call them the morning of, they are kind enough to hold a table for you. read more

Let me start off that I am a huge fan of the Belly Up and loved the Wild Note and getting in early. This week we went to the Tavern before the John Hiatt concert and we were very disappointed. The food was over priced and had little taste. The Wild Note was great. It had a funky reasonably priced menu that was always fun. The Tavern on the other hand is trying to be a high-end fusion cuisine serving food out of a concert/bar hall kitchen The menu and prices do not match the venue. The food was more in line with the same entrees from Trader Joe's. I hope they will reconsider going back to serving the upscale bar food they were known for. read more

I'm giving a 1-star rating specifically for having a non-vegetarian item on their already limited Vegetarian Menu (fish sauce in the "Rad" Thai). Thankfully we had an awesome server who told us that our planned entree was not vegetarian, or else our evening at the Belly Up to see live music would likely have been ruined due to digestive fallout. It is beyond me how a restaurant can create a separate menu with a specialized category of food, and not have the integrity to ensure the offerings meet the qualifications. It's also mind boggling that in this day and age, there is only one item (guacamole & chips) that is vegan without asking for ingredients to be removed. Really disappointing in 2018. read more

The Wild Note has really gone down in Service. Too bad, they need to stop hiring snotty kids who are rude on the phone and in person. Let a person get out a full sentence prior to you cutting them off. Too bad. Won't be getting my hard earned $$ anymore. read more

I always think of this place as just a stop before I going to see a concert but I was pleasantly surprised by the new menu. The mediterranean salad w blackened salmon was delicious. The filet mignon medallions were perfectly cooked. Their tequila selection is over the top fantastic. read more

A great place to go before a concert. Grab a bite on the patio or at the bar, and enter before the crowd, You bypass standing in line when you eat here first. Better service at the bar also. The food isn't high end or amazing, just ok. read more

Dinner was amazing- Avocado toast to start then scallops with linguine and asparagus-so delicious. Pecan pie for dessert. Would order it all again. Our server Bobbi was fantastic!! Thank you for a great meal read more

This place never disappoints. The service is always spot on and the food delish!!! This time I had the steak tacos (tasty) and split a lobster dumpling appetizer with my friends. The port wine reduction sauce that came with it was multi orgasmic. I actually growled and bared my teeth when one of my friends reached for the last one. If I hadn't been brought up as a lady I would have licked that damn plate clean. WOOF. read more

We have been coming to this restaurant for years. The location is great. The manager is always very friendly and lovely. The atmosphere is great and the food is outstanding. It's a great place for lunch or dinner. read more

4 of us showed up before a show at the Belly Up for what sounded like a good ass dinner. There wasn't a line, it didn't seem too busy, then they asked us to wait 20 minutes. OK fine. 20 minutes pass and we ask where we are on the list. They told us 5 more minutes. FINE, They gave us that crap for about another 15 minutes before they told us that there were tables but they all had reservations. A couple of the reservations weren't even due to be there for another hour. We could have eaten and been out of their way, BUT NO, these fucking idiots wasted almost an hour of our time. We ended up leaving and eating probably a better and less expensive dinner just down the street. Of course, we will never know because I will never attempt to eat here again. read more

Last Friday my friends and I decided to have dinner before Belly Up Brett Dennen show and made reservations beforehand. Let me say that the food was very average and the service was absolutely terrible. One of my friend's ordered the tuna sliders which were totally over cooked and so dry that my friend requested aioli to moisten it a bit, unfortunately the waitress forgot and then wasn't on the floor to ask again. Finally she showed up and we asked her again, but when she brought it 10 minutes later his food was already cold. Another friend had the steak medallions which were overcooked and over salted. Another friend couldn't start eating, as we asked waitress for extra utensils since she cleaned them with the appetizer dishes, but it took her forever to show up and his food got cold. Then later in the middle of the meal, as some of us finished but others were still eating, the waitress showed up to pick up dirty dishes. As she was attempting to pick them up she leaned above my friend's food, almost sticking her elbow into the meal that my friend was still eating. This was very inappropriate and annoying. Overall, the waitress was forgetful and invisible when you needed her. When we raised a concern to a lady that came with drinks who claimed she was the manager, her excuse was that it was very busy, but it actually didn't look that busy, yet they could have had not enough waiters to their defense. The last part that annoyed us the most was when the check came in we saw a 20% tip added to the check. First, nowhere on the menu it stated that for parties of six or more tip is included, second I have not been in a restaurant where they add 20% (15-18% most). Considering the service was poor and she knew that we weren't very happy, she should have never put 20% tip, but we didn't challenge it because we didn't want to spoil the rest of our evening and end up talking about this experience the whole night. The Wild Note Café definitely lost me as a customer and it is a shame as I do visit Belly Up pretty often. read more

Wild Note Cafe is right next door to Belly Up Tavern in the Cedros design district. The food is pretty good, except for the salmon and ahi tuna. If you order anything else on the menu, then the food should be decent. I was going to give this place a solid 4 stars, but the fish is pretty bad. I mean, it doesn't taste fresh, and the salmon doesn't even taste like salmon!! WTF!!!!!! You start with their amazing dill bread loaf, which comes out super hot from the oven, with a side of dill garlic whipped butter. This was awesome. The corneal calamari is awesome. The cornmeal breading is very light. You get a huge plate with chipotle aioli sauce on the side. This is a definite must have if you come to Wild Note. The honey-glazed salmon does not taste like salmon unfortunately. It's weird. It looks like salmon that has been frozen and dethawed way too long. And when you taste it, it tastes pretty bad. Other than that, the salad underneath is pretty good with lots of pineapples and mangos. They really should do something about this dish. Take out the salmon and replace with honey-glazed chicken, I'd say. Then comes the ahi tuna. I eat lots of ahi tuna---everywhere! This ahi tuna looked grey and did not taste like ahi. I wonder if it was even sushi grade? Hmm, I hope I don't get mercury poisoning, or worms for that matter. Prices were reasonable, but stay away from the fish. I did like the bread and calamari, so you must get those! All in all, I'd have to come back and try the rest of the menu, but not the fish. Eegads....that salmon was pretty nasty. read more

The only reason you'd even be here would be if you were going to The Belly Up right after for a show. Wild Note is pretentious for a beachside joint. The food is average, the atmosphere a littel sterile. It feels like the set of a soap opera, where the cast is supposed to be at the local chic wine bar cafe, and the PA tried a little too hard to be authentic. read more

We were planning a Solana Beach day with the boys and my visiting aunt, and came to yelp (where else?) to find a place to eat. As usual, yelpers did not disappoint - the place was pretty great. My only real complaint - and I'll get it out of the way first - was that we had to almost yell to hear each other. The acoustics in the room aren't great, and the music didn't help matters. Maybe a seat outside next time...? The server was friendly and helpful. The food was outstanding - I had the steak tacos which were tender, flavorful, etc etc etc. Portion size was perfect. The big boy (who is currently going through a HUGE picky eating thing) had a grilled cheese that was pronounced "awesome". I sampled some of the french fries and thought they were perfect...I love the thin, crispy fries and these were exactly right. The bread and butter was delicious, too. An extra star for the bathroom - clean, spacious, and with a counter to change a diaper on. Yay! A note for people with kids - there is no kids menu per se. But ask the server...there are some off-menu choices (grilled cheese, quesadilla, chicken fingers, etc) that will most likely please little palates. read more

We went to the Wild Note before going to the Belly up (which is attached) to see a friend's band play. The cafe was vacant. I can't imagine why. The atmosphere is hip and serene, the wait staff as pleasant and attentive as could be (okay, well, we were her only table but still), the drinks are strong, and the food is superb... creative, flavorful and made with the freshest of ingredients. We shared two pasta dishes: linguine with chicken, artichokes, broccoli and capers in a lemon wine sauce, and blackened scallops with soba noodles and julienned vegetables. The Wild Note's prices aren't cheap, but they're reasonable. It's a fantastic little place. I can't believe it isn't packed every night. I can walk to this place from my new house, so they're going to be seeing a lot of me! read more

I was quickly seated and refreshments were brought to my table promptly. I liked the simple menu, and was VERY impressed with the salmon, brussel sprouts, house salad, and poke appetizer. Everything was great and I liked that they were connected to Belly Up so I could grab a bite before the show. read more

As with a lot of diners here, we stopped in for a bite before a show at the Belly Up. Instead of ordering entrees we decided to order several small plates, and that worked out great. It was plenty of food and very economical. Maybe it was our lucky night, but we had a great experience with the food. Our ahi sliders were excellent, not too dry and not too raw. We also had the calamari and the New York steak skewers, all of which were well-cooked and flavorful. The service was good, though our waitress did seem a little out of it at first, but our drinks were refilled quickly and she kept checking on us even when it got busier. Even without a show to attend, I think I'd return to Wild Note Cafe again. read more

Bread- delicious Walnut/Blue Cheese Salad- Really good, but ask for your dressing on the side because it was a little too much for me. Service- great Location- right next to the belly up- bonus! read more

Wow, Wow, Wow, WOW, stopped in for dinner before JJ Grey Front Porch Concert!!! Ahi Poki rocked my world

I'm glad I got to enjoy this place before heading to the Samantha Fish concert. Great idea: go here for dinner, get a copy of your receipt and get back door access to the concert! However, service did lack a bit at first then the women who showed up to tend the bar saved the day. She recommended the chicken enchiladas and she was right, they were good! They have a great wine list and the ambience matches the venue but they need to step up service just a bit more. read more

Stopped into Wild Note a couple of times and just had a so-so experience. The first time I tried the guacamole and was underwhelmed. I also ordered a curry dish to go, and found it somewhat bland. Second time I went in, we ordered Bloody Marys and neither of us was impressed. It's quite possible I'm just ordering the wrong stuff, but I've definitely had better fare in Solana Beach. Will update next time I try it. read more

My friend and I were lucky enough to see The 1975 at the Belly Up several years ago when the band was still fairly unknown and we had dinner here first. The food was great and the atmosphere was fun. I totally recommend having a pre-concert food sesh here. Sorry I can't remember what we ate lol. read more

Came here on a show night to have some dinner with friends.. our guests told us that the guacamole was a great appetizer and it was. Then we ordered a very nice bottle of wine that we were told we could take into the Belly Up, which is located right next door, which was also impressive. But that was about it for me. We all ordered very different dishes but I will have to say I wouldn't go out of my way to take anyone here in the future. Seating was limited and they had a tent over the patio which I'm sure is open on most warm nights. But the acoustics were horrible and we found ourselves yelling when in essence there was only about 4 or 5 different tables seated in that one area. I ordered the pine nut crusted chicken. I do not recommend getting this unless you like vegetables. The veggies were cooked and seasoned very well and the mash potatoes were excellent. But the chicken was dry and I just remember eating a LOT of pine nuts. Not only was it crusted with nuts but it just tasted like the nuts were everywhere. I really couldn't see any chicken or taste any of the pesto sauce on there my friend had the thai peanut bowl w/ chicken and her comments were that it was very spicy. There was a LOT of vegetables on the plate which our server warned us there would be, its intended to be a vegetarian dish but that overpowered everything Im not a seafood eater but there were a lot of things I probably would have wanted to try like the lobster and shrimp enchiladas or the baja tacos. If you're not a seafood eater then your choices are limited here. I'd go there the next time I'm going to a show at the Belly Up but that's really it. It was way to pricey for what you get and the quality read more

A few shows at the Belly Up Tavern gave me the opportunity to get a dining cross section of the talents at the adjacent Wild Note Café. The first night was the evening that The Mar Dels played. They are a great band to see if you get the opportunity, but let's get to the food. I started out with the Edamame plate. Basically it was just drizzled with butter, chopped ginger, and a sprinkle of the standard red Japanese Seven Spice that can be found at any Japanese fast food kiosk. A few Captain and Diets later, the seared Ahi sliders arrived on the scene. Imagine 2 small hamburger buns with coleslaw and a piece of sashimi grade tuna . . . that was cooked to medium rare, what a travesty. I did enjoy the truffle French fries that came with the dish. I knew I was going to the New Years Eve show to see Candy Cayne and upon my return, I decided to try the Sea Bass. Ten minutes just to get acknowledged, served the wrong drink, and then I was finally able to put my order in by the time the band started. The Sea Bass was breaded, pan fried (a little too long), and laid to rest over some very tasteless mashed potatoes. The appearance of the dish was nice as the golden brown fillet was surrounded by sautéed spinach, and cherry tomatoes. It was New Years Eve and they were understaffed, however, the place really was not crowded. I am guessing the Wild Note Café survives only being attached to the Belly Up Tavern. Other than that, it really does not serve as a great culinary adventure. Date Night Factor: OK for any date that is not a foodie Bang for the Buck Barometer: Average - 2 Drinks and the Bass set me back $30 Return to Eat Probability: Only for a quick drink before a show at the Belly Up read more

I ate here 20 minutes before the Aimee Mann X-Mas show at the Belly Up. The service was extremely accommodating and friendly, the food came quick, them knowing the show was starting soon. The food was delicious. I recommend the calamari appetizer, they actually bread it with cornmeal and the dipping sauces were amazing. If you have plans to hit up a show, hit up Wild Note for the pre-game. read more

What a great spot! I just had a fabulous Salad Nicoise and rosemary bread served by one of the nicest people ever, Lisa! I was not expecting much when I walked over from the train stop as this is attached to the Belly Up, but I should have known better! Belly Up is my old haunt and has great music and likewise Wild Note has great food. Lisa was incredibly wonderful and accommodating when I was being indecisive and helped me pick an awesome meal:) read more

I have to say you wouldn't think this place would be this good. It is connected to The Belly Up and most places that have music and serve food aren't that impressive, but this place is great! I have been here several times and I have loved it each time. The service is friendly and attentive and the food is tasty. We made reservations here for my birthday and I am glad we did. Not remembering it was restaurant week, we were lucky to get a table. I started with a nice glass of Martin Rey Cabernet. We ordered the lobster dumplings and let me tell you...you should not miss out on these! They are delicious, especially when you drizzle some of the port wine sauce over them! I had the Thai tofu stir fry, which I have had twice now. It is a good dish. It has cubed tofu, fresh spinach, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, peanuts and a creamy peanut sauce with a spicy kick. There is a little scoop of rice in there too! My husband loves to get the brie burger, which also has the port wine sauce. It comes with fries too. Last night he got bacon wrapped scallops and he loved it! It came with fresh parmesan sprinkled risotto. We had an excellent server and a wonderful dinner. It was refreshing to hear the regulars talking with each of the servers too. It seems that this place has attracted return customers and they create relationships with their customers. You don't find that often. read more

I enjoyed my dinner here before a show at the Belly Up. Good wine list. I had the lobster enchiladas. They were good, but not great, as the chili sauce obscured the tast of the lobster. A little pricey, but the service was fantastic. Very attentive, and the bartender even went to the box office to by my ticket for the show. I'd go back, escpecially if I'm going to see a show. read more

This was our second time dining there, and it was great! We arrived 25 minutes late from Temecula, but Joe the mgr still honored our reservation. That, is incredible! Their Moscow Mule is stellar. We ordered the Filet Medallions. Wow!!! Our server Caroline was incredible. Down to earth. Knew the menu, plus wine list. Also, she had stellar people skills. read more

Great food! Love this spot. I've had a few meals here and it's consistently good every time.

Service, location and food were all excellent. I had their pumpkin and red pepper soup with a baby green, pecan and bleu cheese salad. Coffee was good. They were generous with the crusty bread, served with some delicious rosemary-tinged butter, which my son kept grabbing for. Right in the thick of the Cedros design district, near everything. Tasty! read more

Very cute cafe! I had a very good lunch experience with the madre.. Unique menu and the shrimp salad with kiwi and pistachios were amazing!! I cant wait to try more items on the menu Only complaint: try apps other then calimari... Just ok read more

I came here expecting a bit more given the reviews. The service was okay. The watiress unfortunately "lost" the ticket and so service was quite slow. The food was so-so and looked better than it tasted. Maybe could have used sauce more sparingly and let the ingredients stand on their own. The place is convenient since its located just next to the BellyUp. read more

Love the food and service here. We popped in for a quick bite and were so happy we did. Not only was the air conditioning amazing considering the weather but the food was the best I've had in some time. The lobster dumplings were full of the freshest lobster chucks. My fish and chips sliders were the perfect portion and very very flavorful. My husband had the shrimp and lobster enchiladas and they were out of this world. No tiny flakes of seafood here, nice bite size pieces of fresh seafood. The refried beans tasted like they were slowly cooked for hours over a campfire. LOVED THEM !! read more

The staff was very friendly. The food was not so great. Lacked in flavor over priced and not enough selection. read more

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