solita

i loved the ‘charcoal grilled jalapeños’ so much they could well end up being one of my favourite dishes of the year. halved jalapeños are filled with creamcheesebefore being wrapped in bacon and grilled over charcoal. a stunning combination served with a jack daniel’s bbq sauce.

excellent steak & burgers

visited with friends on a busy saturday night, so we booked in advance to avoid disappointment.

i ordered the fillet steak with peppercorn sauce & fries any my friend ordered the ribeye with bluecheesesauce. both were well seasoned and perfectly cooked.

the other two diners ordered burgers which also looked great.

we would definitely recommend.

so i went to solita today as i read lots of good reviews about it. i was probably their first customer of the day since i entered right at their opening time. my first impression wasn’t a very pleasing one because as soon as i sat on my table, i realized it was dirty and there was some sticky sauce on the menu. my knife wasn’t washed properly either and had some food stuck onto it.

moving on, i ordered the veg halloumi burger with cheesy fries. the presentation of the food was fantastic. thecheeseon the fries was mouth-watering and i just couldn’t get enough of it. then i tried the burger, which had halloumi that wasn’t well grilled. the outer-side was fine but it was just not well done on the inside. it was really chewy and i could not eat the other half of the halloumi. the burger tasted a lot better without the halloumi and the portobello mushrooms were delicious. if you’re a veggie, maybe give the other burgers a shot or ask for the halloumi to be well done.

i was served by angie who asked me how the food was. told her about the halloumi and she offered to get another burger which was really nice of her, even though i refused. she genuinely seemed to care about what i thought of the food, which you don’t usually see in many restaurants. finally, when i asked for the cheque, angie had given me a generous discount, which was pleasing.

overall, it was an okay experience but i am sure it can be better. special shoutout to angie who had a smile on her face throughout and made the whole experience worthwhile.

we have been following solita on twitter for quite a while, after seeing multiple amounts of their snaps of their incredible looking delicious burgers, it was about time we had visited! we went to dine out on a thrursday evening, and by no surprise the place was packed out which meant we had to wait for about 15-20mins? nevertheless, it was worth the wait. solita's cuisine is a combination of influences of new york, italy and manchester, without any doubt you would feel as though you're dining in america whilst at your table. ( well , i did anyway :p) starters: as usual we ordered a few things to share, but didn't want to go overboard as the mains were seemingly big. (as described by our waiter) ribs, wings, rings and things £7.90 - self explanatory .. mmm the dish was smaller than i thought it'll be, but! it was satisfying. the barbeque sauce on the wings were yummy! & the fried jalepenos were still spicy after being deep fried. deep fried mac ncheeseballs £4.90 - small doughballs f

the chicken breast is fried in a mix of parmesan and panko breadcrumbs and was wonderfully moist inside with a great crunch but it’s the piles of bechamel sauce and meltedcheesethat make it taste so good. of course i’ve never tried the original but i love the addition of the meatballs, the marinara sauce gives it a chicken parmigiana vibe. the homemade garlic mayo on the side is incredibly good too. it’s just a brilliant combination of comforting flavours and i can see why it’s as popular as it is.

"burgers to die for"

the vast varieties of delicious burgers..

they have incredible burgers with must try pizza fries, dry breaded chicken, the buttermilk fried chicken burger, hot chipotle chicken wings, mac ncheeseballs and many more delicious items..

can seriously recommend the big manc and the bacon doublecheeseburgers 

atmosphere is so vibrant and a perfect place to sit with friends to enjoy the delicious food..

there's something for everyone on the menu..

i'm never a big fan a burger, so take this review with a grain of salt.

first of all, the interior is nice, and i got table on the basement, so that's fine with me.
i went there friday evening, arrived around 7 pm, and honestly the service was kinda slow, and we were expected to leave in 8 pm. honestly, if you want us to get out of there fast, then serve our food fast.
we had solita sharer for starter, and it was amazing. the spring rolls really lives up to the hype, it was heaven on the mouth. i almost order it for take away, but there was no room left after the burger. my friend said the mac 'n'cheeseballs were amazing too, so you can't go wrong with this menu. the fried baby squid was also good, i enjoyed that one a lot.
to the burger, well, i ordered walk of shame, and it was good, but i expected some special sauce but it was just like another burger, however, the patty is good. there was no vegetable whatsoever in this burger, and did i mention it was double patties?

summary:
coming back for the spring rolls.

we have been following solita on twitter for quite a while, after seeing multiple amounts of their snaps of their incredible looking delicious burgers, it was about time we had visited! we went to dine out on a thrursday evening, and by no surprise the place was packed out which meant we had to wait for about 15-20mins? nevertheless, it was worth the wait. solita's cuisine is a combination of influences of new york, italy and manchester. here is a list of the dishes we tried and a short but mouth watering description to go with it.

starters:
ribs, wings, rings and things £7.90 - self explanatory.. mmm the dish was smaller than i thought it'll be, but! it was satisfying. the barbeque sauce on the wings were yummy! & the fried jalepenos were still spicy after being deep fried.

deep fried mac ncheeseballs £4.90 - small doughballs filled with scrummy mac n cheese. soooooooooo good! never tried anything like it. best best starter!

rooster scratchings £2.90 - house fried chicken skin pieces with solita dust.
extra cunchy, nicely seasoned, very tasty, not too oily and greatly unusual.

main course:
the mega manc £19.90 - 3x6 ounce minced chuck steak patties, trifecta brioche (with an extra layer), iceberg, home pickles, monterey jack and big manc sauce.
our waiter giggled as i placed this order, and believed that i wouldn't be able to finish this.. so, against his belief i took on the challenge that if i was able to finish the entire burger including the fries - i would get a free pudding :p
as, i chomped on this calorific burger it all started to seem bigger than it actually sounded! i loved the cheesy-ness of the sauce was and the minced burgers were surprisingly not chewy! yes i did accomplish this and i would recommend anybody who is extremely hungry to order this :p

the big manc £15.90 with added smoked brisket chilli £1.90 - 2x6 ounce minced chuck steak patties, trifecta brioche, iceberg, home pickles, monterey jack and big manc sauce.
slighlty smaller than the mega manc burger, including the same filling but with added smoked brisket chilli. my guest described this as the best biggest big mac he's ever had, even though he was about to explode! the smoked brisket chilli really does add an extra mmmmmmmm in the burger.

whole king prawns £13.90 - brushed with chilli oil
clarissa had ordered this and said that she loved that this was a great portion size of prawns, as it wasn't too filling and tasted like it was right off the grill. the chilli oil accompanied the flavours well and did not overpower the authentic taste of prawns. it was a nice and satisfying light dish and not too chilli.

chow chow slaw £1.90 - very different to your regualr creamy coleslaw. we believed that it had oriental take on this coleslaw as it contained chilli and vinegar.

dessert - s'more. solita's version consisted of a double chocolate and nut cookie, chocolate ice cream, a layer of roasted marshmellows on top and cherry sauce. a mouthwatering dessert to end the night! even though we was all stuffed, we still managed to eat this.

all in all, solita will definitely be a place we would occasionally visit as there has been nothing like this to compare to. the food, atmosphere, staff and prices are all worth visiting for.

please visit our blog for the mouth watering photos and the full review: http://prettyandtasty-ly.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/solita-bar-grill.html

solita the name comes from the phrase 'south of little italy, hence so li ta get it? i always like finding out the reason behind names of brands or businesses as i had to do that as an exercise regularly in university so never got out of that habit!

the first thing that comes to my mind when i think of solita is lots ofcheeseand massive burgers - and that m'dear is a great thing! how can anybody resist something as delicious and naughty ascheeseand succulent tender burger (woohh). i only tried their food before at the northern quarter street party so never actually went inside to see what the restaurant actually looks like. jenny (my manager) was visiting me in manchester and she suggested we have dinner together so i had the opportunity to show off my lovely city. the first thing i focused on was obviously food and then i remembered she mentioned to me that she loves cheese. the first thought that popped up my head was the burger i had at the nq street party and i just knew i needed to take her to 'south of little italy'. she was also living right opposite at light apartments which obviously came in handy (that is what i call a win-win situation).

we went in and a very italian looking waitress got us seated, the place was packed even though it was a monday evening. i have to mention that its a very small and compact restaurant so even a few people can make it look like its really full - which to me could be a big advantage for any business as it can look very popular. i ordered for buttermilk fried chicken burger with extracheese(nom nom nom) and a moreto (mexican beer) and i just have one word for it - delicious! the inca grilled veg which jenny ordered along with her chicken breast andcheeselooks pretty damn good too! the food was very filling and definitely satisfying after a long day! the price was definitely on the steeper end, so yeah it's not cheap by any means, a meal for two would be easily 50 pounds with drinks.

verdict : can't wait to have one more of those face sized burgers again!

firstly, if you are searching ‘manchester restaurants’ in google, having a little look on some review sites or simply browsing twitter, you cannot escape the buzz around so lita. it is everywhere, even sitting in a darkroom having a quiet pint around the northern quarter, you will hear people saying ‘fancy a quick burger at so lita’ or ‘have you been yet’, people love it.

this place encapsulates everything that is good about thenq. the inside is sleek and quirky. the cartoon strip on the main wall, the smooth red padding around the bar, it screams super cool. the service is casual just like many bars in the area and i love this. i want my waiter/waitress to be friendly, attentive, and helpful if needed without being overbearing. you get that here, you are coming for a burger not a suit and tie 3 course meal.the casual approach makes you feel relaxed and you can sit back and enjoy the atmosphere.

speaking of which, it is fantastic. even at lunch this places gets pretty packed, but the food is still served up with ease. if you are looking to dine between 7-9 i would suggest booking.

so the food. i am a sceptic, i was thinking that the fuss was simply just created by good pr and an active twitter feed. however, if you make it into the company magazine best burgers in the uk list or the highly enjoyable bacononthebeach.com best burgers in manchester you are doing something right. i went for the manc-hatten burger (£12.90), this is topped with a panko fried black pudding which is mushy and flavoursome, not these hard edged ones you get at asda. the burger bun was soft, as was the burger itself. that is what hit me when i took my first huge bite, the juices simply ran into my mouth to create the perfect burger taste. the lancashire sauce and meltedcheesesimply created a well rounded flavour and one that needs another bite even before the previous onehas been swallowed. i cannot over-emphasise how lovely and moist the meat is.

i had to try the 60—40 mash, this is simple it is 60% potato and 40% butter. it is awesome. that will be all. try it.

if you are looking to keep things simple, the back to basics burger still has the same moist texture as the other burgers and keeps the price down a little. that said you can enjoy a good selection of foodie delights on the lunch menu which seemed very popular when i was there.

i heard people ordering the lownbrau beer without evenlooking at the menu, i would suggest the solitabrau is a lovely accompaniment and is always better than a carling. it is always nice to see a few different beerson draft that you can’t get anywhere else, makes me feel all special.

atmosphere 5/5- even at lunch.

service 5/5

value 4.5/5

cooked perfectly medium rare these chuck steak patties with added bone marrow don’t need any help staying moist but they got it anyway in the form of the gorgeous chilli sauce, lashings of meltedcheeseand the soft and juicy red pepper. the addition of fried chicken and blue corn tortilla chips for added crunch is genius.

the murray burger is a fascinating concoction of scottish stereotypes in a bun. it also looks and tastes amazing. featuring an aberdeen angus beef patty, panko coated, deep fried haggis, ayrshire bacon, lashings of melted monterey jock (not a typo!)cheesewith an irn bru & whiskey sauce and ‘nae lettuce’ (i have a chuckle about that every time i see it). it could only be bettered if it was served with a side of deep fried bitesize mars bars.

the big manc is a giant burger with two 6oz patties made from prime chuck steak with added bone marrow served on a brioche bun with lettuce, pickles, monterey jackcheeseand big manc sauce.
obviously it is supposed to look like a big mac and it does, only bigger and much more impressive. in fact a regular big mac looks pretty sad now in comparison!