IT was a solemn day for the Manchester when its oldest store, Edward's of Manchester, closed in Deansgate's Barton Arcade this May after 185 years trading.
We're running at full capacity in the Northern Quarter, with two hour waiting times not uncommon...
It was a blow not only for admirers of an elegant Church's brogue, but also for the sublime Grade II-listed Victorian shopping arcade, which overnight and with little warning lost one of its anchor tenants.
Though it seems the iconic site won't stay empty for long, as Northern Quarter's Americana specialists Solita have snatched the lucrative Deansgate-fronting unit in less time than it takes to say 'STATINS'.
Opened in the summer of 2012, Solita (along with its rambunctious arch-nemesis Almost Famous) spearheaded Manchester's so-called 'burger revolution', launching a second site in Didsbury in 2014 followed by a third in Prestwich within the month.
Solita Deansgate - which is scheduled to open around January 2016 - will occupy the existing ground floor unit alongside a 100-cover restaurant, bar and open kitchen in the basement.
Barton Arcade (note: Edward's of Manchester centre)Love 'em or sick of 'em, with the recent openings of Filthy Cow, Five Guys, two more Byrons and the coming of Burger & Lobster, it seems the gourmet burger trend still has plenty of legs.
Though, Solita owner Franco Sotgiu insists Solita no.4 won't just be about the moo, and will return to its 'Little Italy' roots (a reference to the nineteenth-century exodus of Italian immigrants to Ancoats' - particularly from southern Italy) by also offering the latest fast food fad to sweep across Manchester, wood-fired pizzas.
"A couple of street food guys are doing great wood fired pizza in Manchester," says Sotgiu, "the likes of Honest Crust and Rudy's Pizza, but no physical restaurant has managed to offer a decent one yet."
Sotgiu also hopes the new Barton Arcade restaurant will relieve some of the strain on the swamped Northern Quarter restaurant.
"We're running at full capacity in the Northern Quarter, with two hour waiting times not uncommon," says Sotgiu, "so hopefully Barton Arcade will ease the pressure on our kitchen and also open up an untapped area of Manchester for us.
Solita, DidsburySolita will join the recently announced Spanish restaurant Lunya, Bistrovin wine bar, indie coffeehouse Pot Kettle Black and London-based cocktail outfit, Be At One (which will occupy the former-Circle club site), in Barton Arcade's food and drink renaissance.
Plans are also in place to transform Barton Arcade's resplendent foyer into a communal al-fresco dining area shared by Solita and Lunya when the arcade closes at 6pm.
Sotgiu is also behind Manchester homeless initiative, Not Just Soup, which encourages local restaurants to serve hot, fresh food to rough sleepers at least once a week in Piccadilly Gardens. So far Sotgiu has convinced the likes of Hawksmoor, Beef & Pudding and Splendid Kitchen to pitch-in for the charity, but could always use more willing restaurants - email notjustsoupmcr@gmail.com
Solita's obscene Big Wheel sharing burger
