After a 11.5 mile walk we justified the need to eat here. I have been to the other two restaurants but not to this one before. So I am a big fan of Solita..having worked my way through the entire menu over time. Without question I ordered the cheeseburger spring rolls ..the pulled pork /chilli burger and halloumi fries. Himself ordered JD chicken wings and burger. Anyway I have to say the service was really attentive considering how busy it was and venue is huge. However the food didn't feel up to scratch . The rolls didn't have the right consistency or flavour and looked anaemic. Tasting a chicken wing the sauce was really good but messy to eat! Both burgers were good especially with the pulled pork in mine but forgettable. I guess in comparison to the other two the decor and vibes aren't as strong and the food not quite there . Its and okay place just not rememerable read more

See all

TL;DR - Book in advance for some great food. Not one for calorie counters. We were very excited when we heard SoLIta was coming to Prestwich, but when it finally opened there was so much pent up demand it was booked out for weeks. We finally got a chance to visit and were not disappointed. The first thing that strikes you is what a great job they've done converting the place. They've taken the old Aumbrey restaurant and joined to a former takeaway to produce a surprisingly spacious restaurant. We'd booked in advance and were glad we did - the place was heaving. The menu is exactly the same as you'd get in their Northern Quarter branch - lots of takes on burgers and hotdogs, plus a few other dishes (fish, vegetarian). But let's face it - you're here for the burgers. Sparky ordered the KFB (Kentucky Fried Bacon) and I had the Drop It Like It's Hot (spicy!). They've got a few beers on tap; we skipped the house special Solita Brau and went for a Paulaner Weißbier instead because we love the stuff. We also added a side of onion rings and another of coleslaw. We were quite shocked by just how fast our food came, probably in just over 5 minutes. I guess if you serve a lot of burgers, they just make sure they have some on the go at all times. Burgers can be served medium or well done - we went with the former, and it was properly medium - nice and pink inside. In many places this would a cause for concern, but everything here's freshly prepared so no worries. The burgers were amazingly good... words won't do their artery clogging deliciousness justice. There were also some amazing looking desserts on the menu but frankly we were too full of burger to do them justice. The food is great and the calorie count is high. Hugely tasty. Hugely satisfying. read more

I finally visited Solita's third restaurant whilst meeting up with a mate who lives in Prestwich. The menu was pretty much an identikit of their NQ and Didsbury venues, so I could show him the ropes as he hasn't eaten here before. The building used to be two restaurants (Aumbry and Bombay) which have been knocked into one. I really liked the areas of LEGO bricks on the outside walls that had been used to fill some holes - a playful touch. The layout inside is therefore somewhat quirky and bigger than you think, with a number of side seating areas and a basement bar area. The service was welcoming and attentive - I've never had a bad experience with the Solita staff and they're a credit to the company. Our food was served promptly - we shared cheeseburger spring rolls and short rib croquettes and then had a burger each. My Jack Daddy, with its Jack Daniel's grill sauce, was a bit of a messy affair but still tasty - it really seemed like they've changed the burger recipe but I couldn't be sure. I also have to say that the unisex toilet seriously needed some TLC. I'm not sure if there are other loos in a different part, but a place this size shouldn't need unisex toilets, surely? So having had a few meals at Solita now, their on-going appeal is starting to wane for me - I probably wouldn't dash back as I feel we're having the mickey taken out of us somewhat when you see their prices. Given that their second city centre location in Barton Arcade is nearing completion...and then there's the Montpellier's takeover...and a rumoured additional restaurant somewhere in Greater Manchester; it's evident that us buying their £15 burgers has helped pave the way for their rapid expansion. I just really hope they'd consider looking at the value-for-money situation across the board. read more

Solita - Jack Daddy - New American Near Me - Prestwich, XGM

See all

Had a craving for this place the last few weeks, maybe it was after being surprisingly impressed with Almost Famous again, so I wanted to compare. Went yesterday with my mate from London who I always go to Meat Liquor with. Started with a nice ice cold Sam Adams which was an improvement on my warm Goose Island the last time I was there, so a good start. I'd seen a couple of photos of the cheeseburger spring rolls on Twitter so wanted to try them and got a portion to share, and thought they were great. Highly recommend anyone to give them a go. Again Solita have come up with a inventive/gimmicky dish and full credit to them. I last had the Big Manc when it originally came out and fancied it again this time. An absolute beast when it arrived as I remembered it. As a gimmick this is 5/5, something that will often pop up in conversation. I definitely enjoyed it, and if you haven't been to Solita I'd recommend ordering the Big Manc. I'm going to ask for my burger rare the next time I'm there though to ensure I have pink in it. With regards to the comparison between Almost Famous... well Solita were always my first choice between those two. But I'd happily go both places again depending on mood and location and you aint going wrong by ending up in Solita. read more

The fact that you can now get SoLita outside the city centre may unnerve a few people as they are becoming more and more powerful and entering the dreading chain-status. However until they compromise on the quality and inventiveness of the menu, I'll remain a happy customer! I had the, Jack Daddy, the same burger here last night that I had at the NQ branch last week (blimey I need to check my diet) and it tasted as good if not better. The meat was good perfectly, probably a medium-well but not too well done and the lathering of Jack Daniels BBQ sauces was fantastically set off with the cheese. Served with regular chips, but at SoLita chips are just chips unless you get the added toppings, for me I had skinny fries, cooked well - no fuss. The only downside to the entire meal were the BBQ wings I ordered. They were nice don't get me wrong, but they just had far too much BBQ sauce on them, though once I'd scrapped some extra sauce off the actual wings were great! Speedy service on a cosy Valentines day meal for 4 male friends. read more

The service is shocking, even when it's not busy, they told us to just go and sit down, didn't walk us to the table. Took 5 minutes for them to bring a menu, 20 minutes to take our order, but I suppose it's hard to find the time to tend to customers when you're stood around chatting at the bar area. People are literally walking up to the staff to pay their bills because they're sick of waiting for them to come over. It's a shame because the food is really good, the experience is a huge let down. read more

Well with the vibrant and funky environment and friendly staff I thought I was in for a great experience. I saw the place as I drove past earlier in the morning (thought it was Mexican from the name and drive by) then by a quirky twist of fait I message a mate and we ended up having dinner there later that night. Starting with Olives I did't realise they still had stones in them, can't recall the last time I have ever experienced Olives with them still in... also the cheeseburger spring rolls which were amazing and could have don't with a larger main course poring of these as an option! The main course of a burger was nothing special and for the price, in fact was expensive. The fries I had with cheese and tomato on were actually cold and soggy. Clearly they had all been microwaved to make the cheese melt and an attempt to warm up the fries... REALLY? C'mon do customers paying these prices really not tell the difference. These were exchanged for a fresher portion...still it shouldn't have happened. In short, the food not the venue needs to be the attraction, sadly it appears the other way around here for me. read more

I really don't want to have to give this place 2 stars but I feel I have to be honest. We decided to eat at this restaurant, as with 3 guys who love burgers looking for an epic burger joint & me (who just as equally appreciates a good burger) dining, this seemed a great option; closer to us than the NQ restaurant which we've been to on a handful of occasions and really enjoyed with no complaints, we decided to give their prestwich location a try. This branch however just didn't deliver. Despite booking in advance (since it was a Saturday in December we knew it would be busy) we were shoved in a corner table which wasn't laid properly and wasn't very clean in the area in general. As we had gone for an early dinner (around 6) the restaurant wasn't yet full, but it wasn't quiet either. Despite this there was literally no atmosphere and I quite frankly would've rather been at McDonalds. Sorry!. Now the food. The burgers in the NQ restaurant are usually spot on but these were awful. I'm perfectly happy with burgers being served pink, but these were quite underdone in my opinion & made for a pretty cold burger. I didn't want to make a fuss since we were there for a birthday meal and everyone was being polite eating their food. But I noticed that a lot of food was left on plates which is a rarity for us foodies who usually lick our plates clean. When asked how the food was it was too late to even mention the less than average food, even if I wanted to. The service was poor: we helped ourselves to cutlery, drinks took too long and food rushed out quicker than I'd like. We all opted for desserts since we weren't full, and whilst they were fine I think the options are quite gimmicky however, I guess that suits the theme of the restaurant, and I did eat all of mine. doughnut with ice cream incase you're wondering. Overall, I won't be returning in a hurry although I will give places a second chance so never say never. I would still visit the NQ location however as that's always been great. read more

Solita - Doughnut & ice cream pud - New American Near Me - Prestwich, XGM

See all

Where do you start with something people have raved about yet you just can't seem to see the attraction! Driving past countless times on my way into Manchester I have seen Solita and seen its nice facade outside and I especially like the neon touches. Anyway looks are one thing , inside I didn't think it was as big almost like a reverse tardis The nibbles of olives we had were nice but I wish I had know that they had stones still in. Hard to keep your decorum nearly cracking a tooth. The cheeseburger spring rolls were divine and they on there own deserve 5 stars The burgers arrived and I just found the plate looking very bland it seems to just plonked on. And there was no match with the surroundings ( bright neon lights and posters yet bright white plates just didn't seem right. The meat patty was tasty but slightly dry, along with dull lifeless iceberg Nice touch was the vimto no charge on the bill but £49.70 for two on a Monday night seems like an over priced especially with no alcohol Would I return - I'd have to seriously be drawn back by an offer or event. read more

To be clear I did not enjoy my first visit to Solita Prestwich. Over the last few years I have been a regular in the NQ restaurant and have enjoyed the rise of the 'start up' to be a successful restaurant............even forgiving the staff who were once pleased to see you who have moved on to 'doing you a favour' when serving you. It's a shame this happens when restaurants get a bit too busy and caught up in their own hype. Unfortunately the latter ethos seems to have transferred to Prestwich. We visited during the soft launch - we called them at 4pm on our visit on a Friday and asked if we would be ok (not having to wait too long) if we turned up at 5pm on the same day. Nice guy on the phone said no worries get there and should be ok. We walked in and although plenty of tables empty we had a clipboard waved at us 'look how many reservations we have tonight.....you'll have to sit outside if you want a table' - now Prestwich is no Miami.............it wasn't warm....but my son wanted burger so that's were we sat.! When we left 45 minutes later most of the tables inside were still empty! Again I suppose now they have to ensure 'consistency of their brand', blah blah as food was OK - the once towering Big Manc seemed to become a parody of itself (not the McD's version) - I bet there is a laminated picture in the kitchen of how it should look. All now a 'bit too perfect' and with just the right amount of lettuce on it (please god tell me they don't weigh the lettuce!). As we sat outside in the cold the food came super quickly (within 15 mins) and pretty much instantly the fries were cold. I had given up by this stage - we ate quickly - drank quickly - paid quickly and left .... yes quickly. I know it's soft launch time but this is when the standards are set - the attitude to customers is embedded by the managers. Maybe we will try again in 6 months...not before. read more

Solita is just the best. I love it and the food is fantastic, great atmosphere. Definitely recommend to anyone.

If you want a real feast of a meal then look no further. The food here is to die for and nobody could argue with the portion sizes. In fact, I'd say you should starve yourself for at least a day before going to really prepare yourself for what you're about to consume. For me, the hotdogs are outstanding. I haven't tried one of their burgers but my friends have and rave about them. Also, if you're a root beer fan (like me) you'll love the fact that they are stocked up with it as it's quite rare to find anywhere else. The staff are not amazingly attentive or friendly but nothing worth moaning about, they do their job diligently and proficiently. Parking is a bit of an issue I will admit but Aldi over the road let's you park for free for a while so that's a disaster averted. The decor is comic book inspired and reminiscent of Lichtenstein. I'd say they could do with some good music to help the atmosphere, maybe something traditionally American. read more