Solar do Minho

good

I don't really know where to begin as this was a special moment in our lives (1st communion) and the embarrassment and all the complaints I received during and after the party is very emotional for me. I have four children and have hosted plenty of big events .. this was by far the worst. There were plenty of miscommunication .. I was under the impression that the children would get chicken fingers and french fries as part of the appetizer .. not a choice between chicken fingers and the other two main courses because I would never in a million years expect to pay $25 per child for chicken fingers. I was told there would be a soup AND a salad not a choice. I asked for chorizo .. none was served! The children were supposed to be served ice cream as I brought in my own toppings for each table .. they were given SORBET .. their was ONLY 6 little shrimp in garlic pieces for 10 people on the table and nothing was ever replenished . . . the children were thirsty because their soda was never replenished .. the list goes on and on! I was under the impression I could bring my own dessert .. my mistake but they used one of our desserts for another party. There were about 3 waiters for 155 people!! I had to ask for wine and sangria 4 times before someone finally did it. My guests were going upstairs where we had an open tab to get wine that was supposed to be served at their table! The Maitre'D, Nelson, was very apologetic and it was obviously not his fault .. but who to blame??? I understood that they were running late with dinner and compensated $250 towards our bar bill but I still had to pay the DJ an extra $250 to stay longer. I can't even begin to express how extremely disappointed I am ... A family member of ours was hoping to have their wedding their next year .. obviously not going to happen. At the end of the party I was too exhausted to even argue with anyone because after all this was a celebration.
I am not a "high maintenance" person but for the money that I paid for this function I definitely expected a "higher" level of service. I finally received a message from the catering manager three months later after leaving a message that I never received a response to my letter of disappointment and all I was told was that they didn't realize I had so many children and they weren't prepared for that many guests .. really??? I paid them a week in advance .. you think they could've told me that?? That's an excuse for poor service?? That was all I got.

Please think twice before you have your special event at Solar Manor .. I am still sick about it :-(

I would not be getting married there if the service and food were not up to par! I am treated like a king every time I eat there. Funny thing is the manager remember the table me and my lady were sitting at on our 3rd date. That I think is pretty unseen or heard of.

I know how good this place use to be. I had my wedding reception there two almost two years ago and everything was amazing. I cannot say the same for last night. We waited over an hour for our meal and the food was not worth the wait. the steak that I ordered was really tough and chewy. After we finished eating we had to wait almost 30 minutes for someone to clear the table and another 15 minutes for the waitress to ask us about coffee and dessert. She also didn't check to see if the food was good or if you needed anything. We ended up leaving without having coffee or dessert because I was so fed up with the awful service. I'm so disappointed with what this place has become, especially since it was a special place in my heart. I will not be going back!

My fiancee and I went to Solar do Minho for an appointment to see the wedding reception facilities. Having dined there before and being of portuguese heritage, I was excited at the opportunity to have my wedding held in a what I thought was an authentic portuguese establishment. We made an appointment with Laura and drove 1 hour to get there five minutes early. The hostess called Laura and told her we were there. She asked we wait in the bar, which we did and I proceeded to order a beer. Fifteen minutes later, I finished my beer and still no sign of 'Laura', as i hear someone page her over the intercom system to come to the bar area. Half an hour later, still no 'Laura' - as my fiancee and I just sit there (frustrated and disapointed), by this point we feel like two hobos who are not welcome so we decided to leave. No one spoke to us, no one offered us a drink, no one had the simple courtesy to let us know 'Laura' was running late. As we drove home, we were totally shocked a place like solar to minho would do that to us - but it is a good indication of the commitment they have to their clients. Even though ‘Laura’ had our phone number and the staff knew we were there to meet with her, we still have not even received a phone call - Just imagine if this happened to you on your wedding day!