Tag Archives: newport beach restaurants

Sol Cocina in Newport Beach

Living in Southern California, we are surrounded by an abundance of delicious Mexican food.  As much as I love Mexican food, I actually don’t have it very often, and when I do it’s usually at my staples Taco Mesa or Taco Rosa.  For my mom’s birthday this year we all decided to branch out and headed to Sol Cocina in Newport Beach.

Sol Cocina is known for having happy hour 7 days a week, so when we arrived the place was packed with people enjoying discounted margaritas and tacos.  We had reservations so we were seated immediately and then waited and waited.  Finally after about 20 minutes our waiter appeared to take our drink orders.  And then we waited again (notice a theme?)

The drinks finally appeared and we decided to get some guacamole to share amongst the table.  The Guacamole Sol came with mango, tequila and goat cheese.

Sol Cucina Guacamole

I normally wouldn’t think to add goat cheese to guacamole, but this was delicious!  The tang of the goat cheese combined with the sweetness of the mango and spices in the guacamole complemented each other perfectly.  Our table pretty much housed the entire thing in about five minutes.

Of course, there was more waiting and waiting before our entrees were served (I get that they were busy, but seriously?) and finally food started arriving at the table.  I ordered the Puerto Nuevo Lobster Tacos with flour tortillas on the side since corn and I aren’t exactly friends.

sol cocina nuevo lobster tacosI was super excited to try this dish since I haven’t had lobster in ages and I found it to be a bit of a letdown.  The black beans and quinoa on the side were delicious, but the lobster was overcooked and a bit rubbery.

The Englishman ordered tacos, and those were excellent.  He went with the Beer Battered Shrimp Taco, the Taco Vampiro and the Taco Bufalada.

sol cocina street tacosI loved the crispness of the batter on the shrimp taco, and the meat in the Taco Bufalada was juicy and tender.  The Englishman also loved the spiciness of the Taco Vampiro.

My parents each ordered the Taco Plate which came with two tacos, black beans and rice and raved about them.

sol cocina fish taco plateBut the highlight of the evening for sure was the Pork Carnitas my brother ordered.  I unfortunately didn’t snap a picture, but the meat was so flavorful and seasoned perfectly.  It was so good that everyone was asking him to share bites.

We ended the evening with some homemade birthday marble pound cake.  Recipe to come soon!

marble pound cakeAside from my lobster dinner and the lackluster service, I really enjoyed the food at Sol Cocina.  I could definitely see myself coming here for happy hour and enjoying some of their tacos and a margarita or glass of wine.  And if I come back for dinner, I’m definitely ordering the carnitas.