Solera Restaurant And Event Center

Don't ever go to Solera for NYE. You've been warned. Management at this place is HORRID; reading others reviews across the web confirms this. I had the same experience of waiting outside for over an hour to enter this dismal place (even after pre-ordering tickets!). Service was terrible (the bartenders were drinking/taking shots) and the only cool part of the place was the 1st floor bar, and even that wasn't great. There was nothing special about floors 2 or 3 (just large banquet rooms; not all that elegant). I would imagine the roof could be cool, but I didn't make it up there. I know it was a 1 time deal, but I've read plenty of others stories about the horrible staff/management at this place. I don't ever plan on returning. Thanks for ruining mine & many others 2009 New Year, Solera! Pros: 1st level bar has a neat atmosphere to it; outdoor roof Cons: Terrible management/staff more

Worst new years ever. Anyone who gave them a five star review must be an employee at Solera. My party waited for an hour to get in, even though we had tickets. Then after waiting an hour to check our coats in ,we went to the bar. At the bar we waited a half an hour to get a drink. I also noticed people with out wrist bands getting free drinks, why did we have to pay extra to have an open bar pass? If Solera sold a certain amount of tickets ahead of time why weren't they prepared to have those people show up? It was an awful night. Those five star reviews are obviously BS because anyone paying money to get in would never give that circus at Solera a five star review. \r \r Pros: didn't get pneumonia Cons: everything more

My boyfriend and I spent $146 to go to this dreadful event. This monte carlo themed disaster. Apparently there were going to be bond girls and body paint? Where was this? And an open bar pass??? Well, I bought one and had 2 drinks. So pretty much I spent $12.50 a drink. LAME. I could hardly walk through any of the floors because there were so many people. I felt like I was at Mount Rose, MN's prom in the gym. It pretty much sucked. The ""bouncers"" or whatever they were were total powertripping freaks. ""Get in an organized line or you don't get in"" LOL WHAT??!! How about we paid 70 bucks and you let us in now jerks??? Who were those guys? Rent-a-bouncers? They sucked big time..horrible. And the cold. I waited outside from 9 (when it started) til 10:15...what the hell? How were we expected to get in an organized line when they didnt even know how to organized an event? MONEY BACK PLEASE!!! Pros: Location Cons: Everything about the establishment, employees, service, etc more

I hate to give a bad review, but the event that took place at Solera on NYE leaves me no option. For those of you who had fun, you are lucky! I dont know how you pulled it off, I can usually make the best of a crappy situation- apparently not all of them. To be honest, waiting outside in the cold was the easy part. Between the chock-full establishment (I mean literally butt to gut), the all out brawl to get a drink, the hostile employees, the extensive coat check line, the entertainment that must have been in some secret room, the forgotten count down, the mysterious champagne toast that never was, and the fact that I paid for it all- I dont have many positive things to say. Sorry Solera, but I would rather spend my next NYE gatting a pap smear. I am thankful my friends and I were able to spend our time joking about how terrible it was. Maybe I should have payed them the 90 bucks. more

I was one of the unfortunate ones who attended Solera's NYE party. Not only was I outside for hours waiting to get in, coat check was a nightmare and getting a drink was a nightmare. I was so mad I left early because I could barely move in the crowd. Doors were to open at 9pm and they didn't even start letting people in until around 9:30. It was so cold out, the girl next to me was crying because of the pain. I still can't believe that they made people stand outside. Awful, awful awful. I would really like my money back for the 3 drinks I got with my unlimited pass. I don't even want to give you the one star......Booo... more

We paid $73/ticket for what was advertised to be a great NYE party. However...even though we had prepaid for our tickets, we had to wait in the freezing cold for well over an hour. Luckily we had on long coats, but that doesn't help much when it's just above 0 and we are in dresses and open toed shoes because we expected to get in right away and not have to worry about keeping warm. \r \r By the time we finally made it to the door, the bouncer didn't even look at our tickets or our IDs and ignored us as we tried to find out why we had to wait for so long! When we got in we found more long lines for coat check and even longer lines for a drink! It didn't appear that anyone in the place was having a good time. All you heard people talk about was how horribly planned this event was. We ended up leaving and going to another bar downtown that didn't have a cover charge, had a live band and enough bar tenders working so you could actually get a drink.\r \r I've been letting everyone I know about the horrible experience we had and I will never recommend Solera to anyone. more

My boyfriend and I spent $146 to go to this dreadful event. This monte carlo themed disaster. Apparently there were going to be bond girls and body paint? Where was this? And an open bar pass??? Well, I bought one and had 2 drinks. So pretty much I spent $12.50 a drink. LAME. I could hardly walk through any of the floors because there were so many people. I felt like I was at Mount Rose, MN's prom in the gym. It pretty much sucked. The "bouncers" or whatever they were were total powertripping freaks. "Get in an organized line or you don't get in" LOL WHAT??!! How about we paid 70 bucks and you let us in now jerks??? Who were those guys? Rent-a-bouncers? They sucked big time..horrible. And the cold. I waited outside from 9 (when it started) til 10:15...what the hell? How were we expected to get in an organized line when they didnt even know how to organized an event? MONEY BACK PLEASE!!! Pros: Location Cons: Everything about the establishment, employees, service, etc more

We paid $73/ticket for what was advertised to be a great NYE party. However...even though we had prepaid for our tickets, we had to wait in the freezing cold for well over an hour. Luckily we had on long coats, but that doesn't help much when it's just above 0 and we are in dresses and open toed shoes because we expected to get in right away and not have to worry about keeping warm. By the time we finally made it to the door, the bouncer didn't even look at our tickets or our IDs and ignored us as we tried to find out why we had to wait for so long! When we got in we found more long lines for coat check and even longer lines for a drink! It didn't appear that anyone in the place was having a good time. All you heard people talk about was how horribly planned this event was. We ended up leaving and going to another bar downtown that didn't have a cover charge, had a live band and enough bar tenders working so you could actually get a drink. I've been letting everyone I know about the horrible experience we had and I will never recommend Solera to anyone. more

I hate to give a bad review, but the event that took place at Solera on NYE leaves me no option. For those of you who had fun, you are lucky! I dont know how you pulled it off, I can usually make the best of a crappy situation- apparently not all of them. To be honest, waiting outside in the cold was the easy part. Between the chock-full establishment (I mean literally butt to gut), the all out brawl to get a drink, the hostile employees, the extensive coat check line, the entertainment that must have been in some secret room, the forgotten count down, the mysterious champagne toast that never was, and the fact that I paid for it all- I dont have many positive things to say. Sorry Solera, but I would rather spend my next NYE gatting a pap smear. I am thankful my friends and I were able to spend our time joking about how terrible it was. Maybe I should have payed them the 90 bucks. more

I was one of the unfortunate ones who attended Solera's NYE party. Not only was I outside for hours waiting to get in, coat check was a nightmare and getting a drink was a nightmare. I was so mad I left early because I could barely move in the crowd. Doors were to open at 9pm and they didn't even start letting people in until around 9:30. It was so cold out, the girl next to me was crying because of the pain. I still can't believe that they made people stand outside. Awful, awful awful. I would really like my money back for the 3 drinks I got with my unlimited pass. I don't even want to give you the one star......Booo... more

Worst new years ever. Anyone who gave them a five star review must be an employee at Solera. My party waited for an hour to get in, even though we had tickets. Then after waiting an hour to check our coats in ,we went to the bar. At the bar we waited a half an hour to get a drink. I also noticed people with out wrist bands getting free drinks, why did we have to pay extra to have an open bar pass? If Solera sold a certain amount of tickets ahead of time why weren't they prepared to have those people show up? It was an awful night. Those five star reviews are obviously BS because anyone paying money to get in would never give that circus at Solera a five star review. Pros: didn't get pneumonia Cons: everything more

I will agree with everyone on here that the Solera NYE bash was the WORST ever. I called, however, and they are offering full refunds for the horrible experience. This was run by a production company and not Solera, and the restaraunt is trying to make up for it the best they can. The establishment itself is a great place normally and I think we will return, but only because they are so apologetic for the events of Dec. 31st that we all remember so badly. I highly reccomend Solera on any other night, but be cautious next NYE. I hope they bring the production company to court that did this to us and their usually good name. more

My friends and I were very excited for Solera's NYE party. However, it turned out to be one of the worst nights /event experiences. Similar to the other reviewers, we purchased tickets in advance with the expectation of a New Years party to remember. We will remember this night for a long time, but not in a good way. We arrived early, but that didn't matter. We were at least 50 people deep in line when the doors were scheduled to open at 9...which they didn't. After waiting in line for 30 min, the rude bouncers searched for our names on the list. We were then told to wait in line for a wrist band since they ran out. When another bouncer returned with the wristbands he wouldn't believe that we had already been checked off the list. Once we had our wristbands, we were told to go inside, but the bouncer would not let us in until we finished putting them on. We went upstairs and waited another 30 min at the coat check where one person was chatting with customers while another person put the coats away (I don't know why the both weren't working). After another 30 min wait, we had one drink. The bar never checked ID's for entry or to get a drink. For all they know, they could have served many people underage. Throughout the night, the bars were impossible to get to and the wait for drinks became ridiculous. At one point, the guy next to me ordered 9 long-islands, so I ordered 6 beers and 4 wiskey cokes. The bartender then handed me a 6-pack still in the case and 4 drinks. That was the only good point in the night. Following that, the bouncers became increasingly rude and at one point became physically aggressive with the partons...litterally shoving people out the door. \r The events, attractions, and theme were very good conceptually, but the execution was terrible. Solera should issue partial refunds to everyone who attended this event. If they sold 500 less tickets, this would have been a great party. Pros: Great concept. Cons: Everything else....poor execution, negative ambience, horrible service, terrible organization. more

TERRIBLE NEW YEARS. As the other people wrote, we pre-paid $70 days in advance and we were excited for the party. Upon our arrival, the doors were not even OPENED (even though it ""started"" at 9), and we had to wait in the FREEZING MN weather. I was certain I was going to get frostbitten. Once inside, we had to wait an HOUR for coat check (one person working!) and then we only received TWO drinks the TWO hours we were there. The casino tables seemed ok but the decorations were subpar - I felt like I was at prom. We left immediately following midnight (which they didn't even countdown or announce!) and had to wait another 30 minutes to get our coat. NEVER GOING AGAIN! I want my money back. more

This party was a complete joke, we prepaid for our tickets and sat outside in 5 degree weather for an hour. This was the most poorly planned party I have ever experienced. After waiting an hour in line outside, an hour for coat check and about 20 min to get a drink we finally started to have a good time at 11:30. \r \r I am calling VISA to reverse the charges to my credit card as this was a complete mis-representation of services. Way to go Solera, you successfully made 1,600 people hate your establishment! more

My friends and I were very excited for Solera's NYE party. However, it turned out to be one of the worst nights /event experiences. Similar to the other reviewers, we purchased tickets in advance with the expectation of a New Years party to remember. We will remember this night for a long time, but not in a good way. We arrived early, but that didn't matter. We were at least 50 people deep in line when the doors were scheduled to open at 9...which they didn't. After waiting in line for 30 min, the rude bouncers searched for our names on the list. We were then told to wait in line for a wrist band since they ran out. When another bouncer returned with the wristbands he wouldn't believe that we had already been checked off the list. Once we had our wristbands, we were told to go inside, but the bouncer would not let us in until we finished putting them on. We went upstairs and waited another 30 min at the coat check where one person was chatting with customers while another person put the coats away (I don't know why the both weren't working). After another 30 min wait, we had one drink. The bar never checked ID's for entry or to get a drink. For all they know, they could have served many people underage. Throughout the night, the bars were impossible to get to and the wait for drinks became ridiculous. At one point, the guy next to me ordered 9 long-islands, so I ordered 6 beers and 4 wiskey cokes. The bartender then handed me a 6-pack still in the case and 4 drinks. That was the only good point in the night. Following that, the bouncers became increasingly rude and at one point became physically aggressive with the partons...litterally shoving people out the door. The events, attractions, and theme were very good conceptually, but the execution was terrible. Solera should issue partial refunds to everyone who attended this event. If they sold 500 less tickets, this would have been a great party. Pros: Great concept. Cons: Everything else....poor execution, negative ambience, horrible service, terrible organization. more

This party was a complete joke, we prepaid for our tickets and sat outside in 5 degree weather for an hour. This was the most poorly planned party I have ever experienced. After waiting an hour in line outside, an hour for coat check and about 20 min to get a drink we finally started to have a good time at 11:30. I am calling VISA to reverse the charges to my credit card as this was a complete mis-representation of services. Way to go Solera, you successfully made 1,600 people hate your establishment! more

TERRIBLE NEW YEARS. As the other people wrote, we pre-paid $70 days in advance and we were excited for the party. Upon our arrival, the doors were not even OPENED (even though it "started" at 9), and we had to wait in the FREEZING MN weather. I was certain I was going to get frostbitten. Once inside, we had to wait an HOUR for coat check (one person working!) and then we only received TWO drinks the TWO hours we were there. The casino tables seemed ok but the decorations were subpar - I felt like I was at prom. We left immediately following midnight (which they didn't even countdown or announce!) and had to wait another 30 minutes to get our coat. NEVER GOING AGAIN! I want my money back. more

I will agree with everyone on here that the Solera NYE bash was the WORST ever. I called, however, and they are offering full refunds for the horrible experience. This was run by a production company and not Solera, and the restaraunt is trying to make up for it the best they can. The establishment itself is a great place normally and I think we will return, but only because they are so apologetic for the events of Dec. 31st that we all remember so badly. I highly reccomend Solera on any other night, but be cautious next NYE. I hope they bring the production company to court that did this to us and their usually good name. more

HORRIBLE PLANNING! I WILL NEVER GO HERE AGAIN, AND I DO NOT RECOMEND IT. AFTER PAYING $70 WE GOT TO WAIT OUTSIDE FOR OVER AN HOUR... THEN WHEN WE GOT IN THE DOOR (AFTER GETTING PAST THE RUDE BOUNCERS) WE COULDNT MOVE AND IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A DRINK. THERE WAS SO MANY PEOPLE THERE THAT DRINKS WERE BEING SPILLED EVERYWHERE INCLUDING ON PEOPLE. IT WAS VERY UNDERSTAFFED... ONLY 2 BARTENDERS ON THE FIRST FLOOR. WE HAD TO WAIT 20 MINUTES FOR 1 DRINK AND IT WAS MADE WRONG. THIS WAS THE WORST NYE EVER AND THE WORST EXPERIENCE EVER. I WILL NEVER GO BACK AND I WILL MAKE SURE I LET OTHERS KNOW NOT TO GO THERE TOO! I WOULD HAVE RATHER SAT AT HOME WITH A $70 BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE AND I WOULD HAVE HAD MORE FUN... Pros: THE EXIT SIGN ON THE DOOR Cons: EVERYTHING!!! HORRIBLE PLANNING more