Sol Food Puerto Rican Cuisine started in 2003 with four employees selling at the San Rafael 4th Street Farmers’ Market. The food was so well received that a brick-and-mortar location followed in 2004, and the restaurant has since grown to four locations across Marin and Sonoma Counties. Sol Food appeared in Season 6, Episode 7 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Go-to Joints,” which aired May 25, 2009. Guy Fieri called the Pastelon de Carne — a layered casserole of ground beef seasoned with adobo, studded with olives, and built over a base of sweet plantains — a Puerto Rican answer to lasagna. The Bistec sandwich with Swiss cheese, tender sirloin, grilled onions, and avocado prompted him to declare it “like a Puerto Rican-Cuban-Philly cheesesteak.” The restaurant has since relocated its flagship to 901 Lincoln Avenue in San Rafael.
Quick Facts
Restaurant: Sol Food Puerto Rican Cuisine
City: San Rafael, California
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
DDD Season: 6
DDD Episode: 7
Episode Title: Go-to Joints
Original Air Date: May 25, 2009
Address: 901 Lincoln Ave., San Rafael, CA 94901 (current flagship location)
Phone: 415-451-4765
Website: https://solfoodrestaurant.com/
Status: Open (current flagship at 901 Lincoln Ave.)
About Sol Food Puerto Rican Cuisine
Sol Food has become a Marin County institution, drawing a Bay Area-wide following of Puerto Rican expats looking for a taste of home and non-Puerto Ricans who discovered the cuisine through the restaurant. The 4th Street location featured on DDD has since given way to the Lincoln Avenue flagship, with additional locations in Mill Valley and Petaluma. The menu runs all day from breakfast through dinner seven days a week. The outdoor seating at the Petaluma location is a plus in good weather; the San Rafael locations are primarily indoor.
What to Eat at Sol Food
The Pastelon de Carne is the DDD signature, a plantain-based layered casserole with adobo-seasoned ground beef and olives that Guy called Puerto Rican lasagna. The Bistec Sandwich with Swiss cheese, sirloin, grilled onions, and avocado is the other DDD highlight — “Puerto Rican-Cuban-Philly cheesesteak” in Guy’s words, which tells you everything you need to know about how it tastes. The Mofongo — mashed fried plantains with garlic, olive oil, and your choice of filling — is the dish that best represents Puerto Rican cooking to first-timers. The Pernil (slow-roasted pork), Arroz con Pollo, and Tostones (twice-fried plantains) round out the classic comida criolla menu.
Find a Marin County hotel on Booking.com and add Sol Food to your Bay Area DDD itinerary.
Plan Your Visit
Sol Food is open daily 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM (10:00 PM Friday and Saturday). The flagship location is at 901 Lincoln Ave., San Rafael.
Address: 901 Lincoln Ave., San Rafael, CA 94901
Phone: 415-451-4765
Website: https://solfoodrestaurant.com/
Status: Open
Flavortown Approved
Stream the Go-to Joints episode on Amazon and bring Puerto Rican cooking home with Guy Fieri Food: Cookin’ It, Livin’ It, Lovin’ It for the adobo and bold flavor inspiration.
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Sol Food Puerto Rican Cuisine appeared in Season 6, Episode 7 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Go-to Joints,” originally aired May 25, 2009. The restaurant started at the San Rafael Farmers’ Market in 2003 and has grown to four locations across Marin and Sonoma Counties. The current flagship is at 901 Lincoln Ave., San Rafael.