Solita, York, What’s The Beef?

If you stroll down Low Petergate in York there are plenty of restaurants to tempt you from Italian to traditional Fish and Chips.

In between all this is Solita - the name stands for South of Little Italy as the restaurant and bar combines the flavours they say of New York and Italy. Launched by Hull based company Shoot The Bull, the restaurant was previously trading as Wagyu. The company took over the Manchester based Solita brand.

Once inside you could only be in an historic city such as York, as the beams and frameworks testify, it reeks of charm and history. It’s a busy place that seems very popular.


The Mocktails priced at £4.50 were fruity and refreshing with names such as The Pink Panther and Um Bongo. There are soft drinks, draught beers, bottled beers and cider along with wine on the drinks menu too.

The menu is burger based with a steak of the day with Wagyu meat from Warrendale being used in the beef based choices. There are chicken options too and at least 5 Vegan options. So let’s take the bull by the horns and get to the meat of the matter.


My starter of Black Pudding Bites had a strong taste, deep fried and shockingly calorie induced they were a fine starter. My friend said her Mac ‘n’ Cheese bites served with truffle Mayo were excellent too.

I have eaten Wagyu beef before and have always found it on the fatty side and as the burgers and steaks are all Wagyu beef you need to be aware that nothing has changed.


My friend decided on the Walk of Shame burger: 3 x 4oz patties, classic burger cheese, fairground onions but decided against the ketchup and American mustard. It is a big meal, the burgers were indeed beefy, albeit on the fatty side. She was disappointed though that the fries that came with it were frozen which at £16.50 a throw you would not expect at this price. A great tasting burger that really needs quality fresh chips would have made such a huge difference.

My steak was cooked to my preference and was perfect, yes the meat was slightly on the fatty side but I was expecting that. Again proper fresh chips would have made Solita stand out from the competition.

You can add a sauce such as Peppercorn if you wish. My Blue Cheese sauce was rather bland, tasting more like a mild cheddar, only the blueness of the sauce gave credence to its name.


There are only 4 dessert options on the menu - my friend decided on the Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich - ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate chip cookies and mini marshmallows - she declined the squirty cream. Priced at £6.00 she thought it had just the right amount of sweetness.

It might have been a better choice for me as my Peanut Butter and Banana Cheesecake tasted bland, was stodgy and a bit of a let down after the excellent steak I had eaten, leaving me cheesed off.

Service was friendly and relatively quick, after 3 courses we were in and out of Solita in 90 minutes.

They seem to get a lot of tourist trade, how much local trade I’m unsure. A mixed experience, when it’s good (as is the meat) it is brilliant. There is a new menu and options coming in the new year which I understand will give them the opportunity to re-evaluate certain options and put more meat on the bones.

Solita, 75 Low Petergate, York YO1 7HY
Telephone 01904 437278

https://www.shootthebull.co.uk/solitayork