Sol’ Delish will bring authentic soul food cuisine to Charlotte’s University City
New soul food restaurant Sol’ Delish will open its doors soon, bringing authentic soul food with a twist to University City.
When it opens July 26, you can treat yourself to Southern comfort food items such as seafood mac and cheese with shrimp and lobster, crab cakes, Pittsburgh-style salad and collard and kale greens dip.
“It’s not just for the sales, it’s doing it because of the love,” front manager Desirre Heggins told CharlotteFive.
With a longtime passion for cooking, chef Latell Brice has worked in the restaurant industry since his early teens. “From bussing tables to waiting tables to cooking, prep cook, stuff like that. Just been a passion of mine,” Brice said.
The restaurant, co-owned by Brice; his wife, Marilyn Brice; and Mac Stephenson, aims to make “good food” with “great flavor.”
Brice said he makes a lot of Sol’ Delish’s servings from scratch and uses local distributors for all seasonings.
Sol’ Food — here are a few menu items to look forward to:
Its all-vegetable Everything Greens Dip is a fresh take on spinach dip. But instead of spinach, it’s served with collard greens and kale. Other appetizers include mini crab cakes and flatbread with the choices of cheese, veggie, chicken or sauteed shrimp.
Sol’ Burger options include a turkey burger, fried flounder, Beyond burger and a beef burger.
Other entree options to consider include “falling off the bone” barbecue or jerk wings, fried or baked chicken wings, fried or grilled salmon, fried flounder, ribeye steak and baked turkey wings with flavors such as jerk, barbecue and garlic.
Brice has also found a way to incorporate a beloved dish from his hometown of Pittsburgh through the Sol’ Salad, where you’ll get romaine lettuce, toppings of your choosing, onions, tomatoes, a hard boiled egg, mushrooms, cheese and french fries. Yes, you read that right — french fries.
[RELATED: Where are the best fries in Charlotte? We want to know what you think.]
The chef said many menu items are the result of experimentation with different types of foods he grew up learning how to make and eat. “It’s just coming up with some different concepts and making it perfect,” he said.
Sol’ Drinks — check out cocktail menu highlights:
A specialty drink called the Sol Punch is a twist on a Long Island Iced Tea, a sweet and sour drink mixed with grenadine and champagne.
If you’re in a sour mood, The Gold Rush offers lemon juice mixed with bourbon and honey syrup.
The Raspberry Lemon Drop is another sour option. It’s also a lemon drink, made with tequila, raspberry syrup/puree and lemon juice.
If you desire something sweet, try The Feeling Blue, made with vodka and blueberry purée, hibiscus syrup and tonic.
Sol’ Vibe: The restaurant’s walls feature paintings of well-known Black figures in pop culture including Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Marvin Gaye, all the work of an artist named Yesim.
Overall, the owners of Sol’ Delish seek to convey a family-like atmosphere and plan to distinguish themselves through “the love we’re putting in food,” Brice said.
In order to convey a homey feel, the Sol’ Delish team said you can expect interactions and personability in order to make sure everyone’s comfortable.
“Treating our guests like family versus treating them like a dollar sign — that plays a big part because you can feel the difference,” Heggins said.
Sol’ Delish
Location: 9211 N Tryon St #1, Charlotte, NC 28262
Cuisine: Soul food
Instagram: @soldelishclt_restaurant
