Solomon Grundy

Really pleased to see that Solomans has reopened as it’s a bar I’ve always liked. It has had a bit of a refit and looks a lot fresher now. The bar has a lovely relaxed atmosphere and they have live music at the weekend. The bar is well stocked offering a great selection of cocktails and prosecco on tap. Think I’ll be a regular here.

Solomons M20 just had a refurb before the start of Freshers15. Currently serves bottle craft beers and looking sparkling. A must to check out if in Withington.

Hello, it seems Solomans is back open again.
Has a had a bit of refit, and nice new signage.
Credible team behind it, and they’re going to be doing pizza and crepes soon.
Opened last Thursday.
Will update when I’ve been in properly.

Withington, you lucky sods. For a few months of my life, Solomon and Fuel were my locals and I could always get (sometimes sketchy) wifi and ice cold fruit beer. Having enjoyed some cake and chat in West Didsbury, I wandered the relatively short distance over here to utilise my laptop and snag a cheeky glass of wine.
The comforting thing about Solomon is that the rarity of my visits still results in familiarity when I actually find myself there. Not much changes — the awesome clothing racks that visit there every now and then are still awesome, and I’ve purchased two of my favourite items of clothing there. However, they’re a lot more meet and greet now… You’ll pretty much have the option to order as soon as you choose your table, which I did. And I was asked if I was okay on a number of occasions. It’s a less hands-​off approach, and more efficient to boot I suppose!
No one need whinge about the lack of card payments when there’s a cash machine (actually several) right outside, and the experiments with tapas and menu specials look fruitful. Withington may not have a huge amount in it, but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality.

A lovely spot to while away a few hours! I don’t think I’ve heard a bad tune in Solomon Grundy’s yet! They play a good variety (I heard Curtis Mayfield, the Black Keys, a bit of 30s jazz and some pop today) but (to my music loving mind) never bad! Not too loud either which is handy as I decided I couldn’t face the four walls at home anymore and so nipped in to do some study on the way home. They had the fashion boutique on one side today which is always a delight to browse, tough to walk away empty handed.
They serve up a decent little pot of tea for £1.30, probably not as strong as I’d normally go for but good all the same. I’ve tried coffee there and although not the best I’ve had in Manchester, definitely passable. And it was just that once so I can’t really rate it definitively. Breaksfasts are varied, pretty big, and tasty. They do seem to have a good selection of lunch/​snack and dinner bites as well as tapas too which I have yet to try but all sound good. Not the cheapest it would appear but perhaps that’s my student sized wallet talking.
It’s great that they open till fairly late at night too, I must get back and try some of the lovely ales and beers they have on tap/​in bottles. And I believe I saw a sign saying cocktails for £3, yes please!
The staff are nothing but friendly and it’s all very nice and laid back. Thunbs up! c*

Sumptuous. I’d like to leave it at that one word, really, but then it wouldn’t make a very good review would it?
One of Manchester’s miserably wet downpours led to my chance encounter with Solomon Grundy this afternoon as I was on my way back from the Christie Hospital down the road. It is perhaps the only time that I have been thankful for the wet weather, as I now realise that I’ve been missing out big time in my ignorance of this wonderful establishment.
To begin: there is the fabulous suspension of an enormous brass instrument in the window (I think it’s some sort of horn) and I would like to take this opportunity to quote Janelle Monae «we call that classy brass» — I think it looks brilliant. Staying on the theme of music, I was completely enamoured with the Jimi Hendrix CD playing in the background, I couldn’t ask for a better choice, it really complements the atmosphere of the place. The décor is rather rustic-​chic (if that’s not an actual term, then it is now) comprising exposed brickwork and honest wooden tables.
The waiting staff were really helpful, they saw to me straight away, serving me up with a delicious mocha latte. It only cost £2.20, which isn’t that bad for a mocha, plus it was served with a tasty biscuit — a nice touch and very much appreciated by myself. The other coffees were all under £2. The only point I will make is that they’re only served in one size of mug, which is a slight disappointment to caffeine addicts such as me who like to order the largest coffee they can get their shaking hands on.
My hands-​down favourite thing however, was the clothes boutique tucked away at the side. When I saw this, my heart leaped in my chest. This place literally has all the things I love: caffeine, food, good music AND shopping. The clothes are really good value as well ladies: definitely worth a cheeky rummage. There are also some accessories on the go, such as jewellery, bags and scarves. Top notch.
A couple more points worth noting include the free wi-​fi as well as the monthly reggae night — I’ll definitely be coming back for that.

This place is extremely ‘hit or miss’. Sometimes the staff are great and other times terrible, and at worst rude public school brats.
The fridges sometimes don’t work so you get a warm beer. They regularly run out of crisps so you can’t get something salty to go with your drink.
Unfortunately this also extends to food. On a good day it’s great. But it’s regularly poor. Slap dash, cold, undercooked
The ambience is quite nice so it’s just worth taking a chance on, but as you can’t ever guess what you’re going to get, it has to be 2 stars.

I have been a regular here for the last five years or so. It has always had a great vibe and very good value food. The staff seem to come and go and there are phases when the service drops. They are always pleaseant and freindly but sometimes a little lax.
The good news is that of late it has been much better. The new menu is really good and brilliant value for money. The breakfasts are still on which has to be the best hangover breakfast in Manchester!
The staff are still friendly but much more efficient and honestly there is no better place for food and atmoshere for miles.
It is one of those rare places that is frequented by young and old alike where you can get chatting so some amazing characters or just chill and people watch.
I am glad it is back to full strength and I look forward to the next five years !

This place has everything you need for a fun yet chill night out. Good food? Check. Nice atmophere and décor? Yep that too. Live band on a Thursday night? Sweet action.
Based on the recommendation of a couple of cute girls that worked there (so what if the food wasn’t all that drew me there?), I took my cousins out for dinner and a chat to Solomon Grundy. We grabbed some burgers and chips (delicious choice btw) and sat back to listen to what I assume was an local band warble about something or the other. To be honest, I don’t remember much of the band but I did quite enjoy the atmosphere it created.
Be warned though, while this place is open late the kitchen does close at 9. We barely made it in for food but very glad we did.

Once my absolute favourite spot for a morning after breakfast experience, it saddens me to say that Solomon Grundy’s has recently taken a turn for the dreadful in my book.
After some years of loyal (if hungover) patronage, more recent visits have seen me come away with a disappointed feeling.
The food here is great, with the fried breakfast a particular jewel in its crown whether you’re a meat eater or a vegetarian. The specials menu is vast and often impressive, too, and the selection of beers, coffees and other drinks is great and not over priced.
However this café bar falls flat on its face when it comes to service. As pleasant as the young staff may be, the slow pace at which the food has arrived of late has meant I’ve not been back in some time. Stunningly, the last visit I made saw me stubbornly waiting for over an hour for our order to arrive. It never did, and without a single word of apology or update on its arrival time, we left without a word.
I can’t say whether this is typical of the service now, but it was a slow decline towards that point in my experience. I’m sure I’ll be tempted back by their good food at some point, but for now I’m still a bit too disappointed to give it a go.

Ah Solomons the «third coolest place» in Withington (Massive cringe at that remark). Solomons is pretty inoffensive with a nice relaxed atmosphere especially on when there is some live music on. Rather surprisingly the place has excellent acoustical qualities and you’ll be in for a treat if the catch say some live ja.
However the best thing about this place is the fact so many people come here for first dates. Admit it you’ve been there on a first date… I know I have! Take a look around next time you’re in there… you’ll see them, that terrified breed of people. It makes for some excellent people watching opportunities with some top class comedy value thrown in.
The drinks are reasonably priced (gin and tonic will set you back about £4) and the food isn’t bad although I’ve often found the service a bit slow. There’s always plenty of news papers available and a Saturday lunch at Solomons is always an enjoyable experience (unless its a first date).

I didn’t have huge hopes for Solomon Grundy’s, simply because Withington didn’t strike me as somewhere you would find a pleasant bar. How wrong I was!
I visited Solomon’s on a first date and it was perfect for the situation because of its low lighting and little tables tucked away around the room. It was fairly quiet and people generally keep themselves to themselves — not that I mean there’s no atmosphere, it’s just extremely chilled and relaxed. Similar to the Ram and Shackle, Solomon’s is made up of mix and match furniture and quirky art pieces which show you that it’s a complete one off.
I would agree with the others that the prices leave a little to be desired for the student purse but for a few quiet drinks, it’s perfect.
It’s busier in the day when people go for lunch and they also sometimes have vintage clothing sales which are quite fun to browse.

Solomon Grundy is an acceptable place to go for a drink, but I can categorically confirm that it is at absolute best the third coolest place in Withington and absolutely not better than that.
Fuel and Indigo are without a doubt competing for the number one spot, and The Red Lion would probably have something to say about the praise of Solomon.
They do lots of nice drinks, but these are expensive. However, the food is not so good. I went for breakfast and though everything was fine, it was £7 and I received about half the food I expected. Actually forget that, it was a third of the food I wanted. A third of a breakfast for £7, that’s £21 for a breakfast.
My friend worked there and he got off with all the girls who work there, so you may be able to do that too if you give it (or them) a shot.

Despite being categorised as a student bar, Solomon Grundys unfortunatley can not boast of student prices.
Nevertheless, this place is a step up from the typical student dive. It has an almost artistic french ambience with its worn furniture, candel light, chandellers and art littered walls, so it’s no suprise that it’s fantastic breakfasts attract many. The place also serves typical main dishes throughtout the day which are quite pricey but pretty damn decent.
When passing by I often see clothes sales being held inside which is pretty cool. Shopping whilst, eating, boozing and socialising… perfect! It is also always advertising live, music nights, often aucoustic, soul and the alike. I once went downstairs to listen to a fantasic soul singer. The small room, modest crowd and raw talent made this a phenomenally intimate experience, –to the point that I almost felt exposed and a horrically rude to even glance down at my phone.
Although this charismatic place has potential, I think it just misses on reaching its potential. It’s often pretty empty which doesn’t help with the atmosphere; this, its non-​student prices, and the fact it just feels like something is missing is why this place is just shy of being brilliant.
Still, absoloutley worth a visit.

I lived round the corner from here for two years and was often the scene for when I couldn’t be bothered to cook for myself. I also took my previous girlfriend for several meals there. The food is wonderful and resonably priced too. It’s not quite as ‘Bohemian’ as say Fuel over the road but it has a good atmosphere and nce staff.
They also put on several events in the week that vary greatly from fashion displays to music. Definately recommended!

I’m not a huge fan of Withington, but for me I think Solomon Grundy, Fuel and the Red Lion are probably its saving graces. Withington has always seemed like a kind of no mans land between Fallowfield and Didsbury — it doesn’t have the studenty Scream bars and takeaways of Fallowfield nor the classier restaurants of Didsbury. It doesn’t even have a proper supermarket.
I digress. The first time I had a drink in Solomon Grundy was on a late night walk from Fallowfield to Didsbury. In my opinion there was a nice atmosphere, with candles on the tables — quite romantic really. I think it was about 11pm on a Friday night, and it wasn’t too busy, but theere were enough people to create an atmosphere. There was a good range of beer including Staropramen on tap, which was averagely priced. It is also a good place for a coffee in the daytime, where you can relax and read the papers.
On a couple of other occasions I’ve tried to go here with friends, but have decided against it as it has been so packed we would have had to wait for a table. Now that I’ve read the comments about the ridiculously slow service I’m glad we didn’t bother.
They used to have informal Spanish lessons here — I’m not sure if they’re still running but surely it’s not a bad idea to have a sangria or two whilst learning the lingo?!

I’ve been visiting Solomon’s for nearly ten years now and I still have no complaints.
The King Solomon breakfast is something of a ritual for me after a big weekend. The food is generally very good across the board.
The beer is pretty good, with the exception of the Black Sheep ale which is VERY good.
It’s a spacious old place with loads of room. All the chairs and tables are uneven which is a quirky little touch that I like (some tables are even customised sewing machines).
However, it is prone to having awful art on the walls. Alas, as they seem to be from the hand of local painters, even that ends up being quite sweet.
Keep an eye out for events in the basement. Years back, it was a great little jazz den and I believe someone has started doing them again.
Basically, it’s one of Manchester’s gems and well worth a visit.
I love the place, especially great for getting lost in the papers there and watching the world go by from the big windows down the front.

You could do much worse than Solomon Grundy. A unique interior, friendly staff and great quality food make this bar a welcome stop off during the day. It’s well known that the service isn’t exactly fast, but if you’ve got time to lounge around, then it’s worth waiting.
The breakfast is what a lot of people come here for. It’s served all-​day, along with fantastic coffee, and although it’s a little pricier than its neighbours, there’s an air of sophistication here that’s a welcome respite.
My favourite spot is the conservatory. Even when it’s cold outside, the sun (when there is sun) shines through to brighten up your day.

You will find this little café/​bar on Withington High Street in South Manchester.
The food is fantastic and the prices are really really reasonable. Great friendly atmosphere and great place to go with friends to catch up and natter the afternoon’s evening away.
There’s a good selection of beers and ales to compliment the food, which is well priced. There are usually some offers and deals if you eat early.
It does get quite busy at times and this can cause the service to get pretty slow, which is a downside to an otherwise excellent little place

Based on Withington high steet, this little café bar serves some of the best food in south Manchester.
There’s a good selection of beers and ales to compliment the food, which is well priced. There are usually some offers and deals if you eat early.
It does get quite busy at times and this can cause the service to get pretty slow, which is a downside to an otherwise excellent little place