Wagyu believe it?

 Solita is famous for its fingerlickin’ good food. Its burgers and its dogs, its loaded fries and its dirty food that tastes so good but feels so naughty. But did you know it has wiped its mucky little face (licked its lips, more like) and grown up. A bit.

 The same cheeky cheeseburger spring rolls and towering burgers of invention are still a mainstay of the menu but the quality has absolutely shot through the roof. The food was always tasty, but this? This is next level stuff.

How do you take damn tasty street food, fast food even, and turn it into something really memorable? The answer lies in the ingredients. The beef. We’d never had a beef with the, er, beef at Solita before but now they use 100% grass-fed British Wagyu in every part of their menu and the difference is staggering. OK, so not the parts without beef, smart-arse.

 That means the burgers are gold medal winners in our book. From the simple Solita classic, elevated by the juicy rich taste of the meat, to the more fan-dabby-dozey offerings like PJBD with its additions of jam donut and crunchy peanut butter where the meat now shines through like a beefy superstar – every burger is fighting for the top spot on that podium. As for other people’s burgers, well if they aren’t Wagyu, we don’t want to know. And they aren’t.

It’s not just the burgers that have gone all posh. The hot dogs are pure wagyu – these are pedigree dogs. The BBQ brisket hot dog could win Crufts, it’s so classy. And all 100% Wagyu – no dog. With some of these dodgy frankfurters, you can never really be sure.

 The steaks are Wagyu wonders too – tender sirloins and flat irons full of flavour. And there’s a fish bar. Lobster and crayfish roll, soft shell crab burger, lightly beer-battered fish burger – they grow up so fast, don’t they. The menu may seem like pure quality – and it is – but there’s still plenty of Italian-American twinkle too. Solita has come of age – but it’s lost none of its charm.