Dave Clouser began cooking at the age of 14. He is originally from Reading Pennsylvania, where he held several chef positions before moving to Philadelphia in 1999 to pursue a bachelor’s degree from Drexel University. While attending Drexel, Dave was given the opportunity to become an adjunct instructor for the department of culinary arts. Before becoming chef/owner of Sola Restaurant in Bryn Mawr, Clouser trained in the Alsace region of France and worked at several upscale restaurants in the area; most notable are Susanna Foo’s center city restaurant where he served as executive sous chef for three years and The Inn at Montchanin where he held the position of executive chef.

Our mission is to be regarded as an outstanding fine dining destination and a valued treasure of the Main Line and greater community.

We strive to serve contemporary cuisine in an intimate and pleasing room with the proper level of service (not too much, not too little). We want our guests to enjoy the window of time that they spend with us, savoring their food and wine and enjoying the company of their friends and family.

Our intent is to always remain a BYOB, knowing how important that is to many of our guests. Sola will provide a dynamic menu, driven by what is available fresh for the season. The expectation is that everyone will find a number of choices that appeal to their palate.

Our wish is that most of our guests will become regulars and will view us a spot they can enthusiastically recommend to their friends and can rely on when hosting visitors.

At Sola, Clouser serves a contemporary American menu reflecting definite European influence. The ever changing seasonal menu makes use of a small network of local farmers and artisanal producers of goat cheese, honey and specialty produce. The menu is usually a balance between meat and fish/seafood. Vegetarian requests are accommodated, just ask your server.

We opened our doors on April 15, 2006,   Our intent was to provide our guests with the best possible food, on par with the city’s best restaurants, seating them at an elegant table and attending to them with polished and unobtrusive service.  We believe we have met that objective, judging from our guests’ comments and our designation by Zagat as one of America’s Best Restaurants.  Dave believes that one of the keys to Sola’s success lies in his staff’s consistency. He is very proud of the fact that most of the kitchen staff has been together for many years… in some cases at several different restaurants.  He is equally proud that the front of the house has essentially been together since the first day the doors of Sola opened.