Sophia Cafe

Restaurant Information
1247 Solano Ave (between Evelyn Ave & Masonic Ave)
Albany, CA 94706
(510) 526-8663

Waiting Time

Rita: I was impressed by how many people could fit in this smallish restaurant - and it was packed during lunch hour. This place was designed so that the 10 or so 2-person tables were organized in the front, and an open view of the kitchen in the back. It was very refreshing to be able to watch the chefs/cooks prepare the food in plain sight so there wouldn't be any concern for shady back-kitchen shenanigans. We were lucky in that we didn't have to wait very long for a table, but people who came later than us had to wait ~15 minutes. Some people even opted to order take out because there were no tables available. Even though the waitress of the restaurant (there was only one) was clearly swamped, she was able to serve our entrees out right when they were ready. We did have to refill our own water a couple of times though. There were three people who were working in the kitchen and it seemed like they did an adequate job in cooking their orders in a timely and presentable manner.

Food Pictures

Menu

Mini Mezza Plate with Chicken Shwarma

Rita: OMG. YUM. I don't even know where to start praising this dish. Every flavor of each creamy delight was carefully prepared and concocted well. The chicken was tender and spiced/grilled to perfection. Ok- before I get any further with this glorification schpel, I have a confession to make. As a Middle Eastern cuisine noob, I didn't (and still don't) know which dish was which. Even with the menu sitting in front of me, I couldn't distinguish between the babaganoush, tahini, and grilled eggplant. I did, however, immediately know which one was the hummus. Just know that I loved each dollop equally, from the smokey fusion of one whatchamacallit to the well spiced thingamajig. Even though we were given one huge pita bread per dish, we quickly ran out of the nicely toasted fluffy goodness. 60 more cents for another pita? Bring it! By the way, the pitas pictured below are only 1/2 portions of the whole thing. The hummus was deliciously garlicky, and I had to resort to chewing two pieces of gum in a vain attempt to get rid of the bad breath. Oh well- totally worth it.

kitzie: I appear not to have a picture, but that's okay, 'cuz I had almost the same thing as Rita, just with lamb. And, I have to say, I can't agree with her more here. Awesome food! These were especially good dishes for lunch because of the "appetizer sampler" feel to them. Go to Sophia's and enjoy their delicious food!

Humus with Chicken Shwarma

Mike : This dish was nice because it provided a good meat to humus ratio that was also pretty filling. The humus was a nice blend of spices, with plenty of garlic, so it gets an A. The chicken was a little greasy, but not enough to really detract from my enjoyment of the meal. And since I was feeling especially daring that day, I even tried the super spicy, make-you-want-to-cry-if-you-can't-handle-hot-foods sauce, which had a great kick. Thankfully, we were seated near the water jug so I could easily get more as needed without waiting for the waitress to come back- especially since that would have been an eternity given the amount of patrons. The only real issue I took with the meal was that one pita bread was really not enough for this amount of food, but that was quickly solved with a second order, for jus 60 cents. All in all, a pretty satisfying Mediterranean dish.