Sol’Delish Serves Refined Soul Food in University City

Sol’Delish, which opened in late July in University City, is a soul food joint for a New Southern city. It’s no Mississippi Delta shack. It neighbors a hair salon in Mallard Pointe, a shopping center anchored by a Food Lion.

Its interior is clean and modern, with ample windows. Plates aren’t heaped with fried catfish and cornbread. Portions are daintier, and entrées include crab cakes and vegetables topped with garlic Parmesan cream sauce. Tables have ketchup bottles and utensils wrapped in paper napkins. The brunch menu has a mimosa flight. 

Another twist on tradition: Its co-owner and chef isn’t from the South. Pittsburgh native Latell Brice and his wife, Marilyn, opened Sol’Delish with friend and co-owner Mac Stephenson. They thought the space, among new apartment complexes and mixed-use developments, was a great spot for a locally owned restaurant that serves comfort foods like collard greens, mac and cheese, and turkey wings.

Latell and Marilyn Brice opened Sol’Delish in late July.

The space is small but not cramped, with three booths and six tables. (The patio has additional seating for about 18.) R&B music plays at a reasonable volume, while flat-screens show sports and music videos. On the walls are paintings of Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Marvin Gaye.

Sweet tea or lemonade always works with a meal like this. But if you want something stronger, go for the Sol Punch ($14). This version of a Long Island iced tea has vodka, gin, tequila, rum, grenadine, and a splash of Champagne. They also serve a small selection of wine and domestic beers.

Start with the Everything Green Dip ($14), a three-cheese blend with collards and kale. It’s served with a side of chips and, let’s be honest, the most enticing way to eat your vegetables. The Mini Crab Cakes Duo ($17) is a great choice if you don’t want to commit to the entrée portion.

The Everything Green Dip is a three-cheese blend with collards and kale.

You probably didn’t come for a salad, but don’t dismiss The Sol Salad ($9.99), one of Latell’s favorite Pittsburgh dishes. It starts with a heap of romaine tossed with onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, and a hard-boiled egg. And this is where it gets good: They add cheese and French fries. Healthy? Nope. Crunchy and satisfying? Totally. 

Entrées include the Baked Turkey Wings ($18.50), which get the same treatment as chicken wings with three flavor options: jerk, barbecue, or garlic Parmesan. The Fried Flounder Sandwich ($17.50) is splendid with just a swipe of tartar and drizzle of hot sauce, but you can also dress it up with lettuce, tomato, onion, sauteed mushrooms, peppers, and cheese—or add a fried egg for $1.25. 

Guests can order the Fried Flounder Sandwich with lettuce, tomato, onion, sauteed mushrooms, peppers, cheese—or a fried egg.

The Seafood Mac ($22.99) with lobster and shrimp is as rich and decadent as it sounds, topped with baked cheese that gives each bite a subtle crunch. The Sol Styled Crab Cake with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce (market price) is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside without breadcrumb filler that overpowers the crab meat. It comes with yellow rice and an additional side—options include Mac & Cheese, Fresh Cut Fries, Broccoli, and Everything Greens.

For dessert, they’ve got a rotation of pound cakes in flavors like sweet potato, lemon, and chocolate. If sweet potato is available that day, order it. (If you’re stuffed, get it to go.) Each bite is dense and buttery at first, then spicy from the nutmeg, then sweet again with the brown butter glaze.

Sol’Delish is tied to the humble dishes of the tradition but updated and refined for new sensibilities. It’s flavorful and filling, and perhaps best of all, a convenient option for folks in University City or even Concord who don’t want to drive all the way uptown for some soul.

Sol’Delish
9211 N. Tryon St., Ste. 1
11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday
11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday
12-9 p.m. Sunday

TAYLOR BOWLER is the lifestyle editor.