Volta Eaterie & Bar

Ales: 3 on draft, good selection of bottles. Well kept. Nice coffee and cakes. Food nice, not cheap, but quality. Friendly bar staff. Good ambience.

Located in the heart of the action that is Burton Road in West Didsbury, Volta has always been a safe bet for a really good time.
It opened a couple of years ago as the new venture from the team behind Chorlton’s popular Electrik.
Granted, it’s not perfect (beer tends to be on the pricey side and at times it’s standing room only), but these are the only minor gripes I have with the place.
Three handpumps on the bar tend to feature guests from local brewers such as Blackjack and Red Willow plus one from their own Electrik Ale Experiment range.
The few times we’ve eaten here the small plates have been delicious — the menu is small, mainly tapas-​style but there’s usually sharing plates and steak available too.
The background music is always on point (and it should be, as it’s owned by two DJs). It’s small, candle-​lit, casual and just-​about-​tolerably ‘hip’ and I love it here.
A great example of somewhere that’s been a successful addition to the local drinking and dining scene.

As with most eateries on Burton Road this is a rather pricey place, however the food is absolutely delicious.
This was my first visit here so it was nice that the serving staff went through the menu and made suggestions to us.
Between two of us we shared 5 of the tapas dishes. All dishes were presented well and the flavour combinations were superb.
Their cheese sharing platters are to die for, I would certainly recommend them to anyone who loves cheese.
N/​b I emailed them to reserve a table and it took them four days to respond. I would possibly suggest calling them just so you can confirm.

My husband is not a fan of Sunday Dinners in general but Volta defintely won him over.
Pink and tender beef, a ballooning yorkshire, red cabbage flavoured delicately with star anaise, a hint of chilli in the kale, crispy roast potatoes and smooth mash… perfect cooking and excellent flavouring. A high class sunday dinner!
Staff are friendly, helpful, professional… pitching service just right.
well done Volta, spot on.

Volta has just passed its first birthday and it has been a regular haunt for me over the last 12 months or so.
I have yet to try anything from the menu that I haven’t enjoyed. The Rare Breed Roast Platter on Sundays is a definite must and tastes every bit as good as it looks.
It’s not just big plates that impress though. There are numerous delicious small plates that impress too. A favourite of mine is the pork belly but then again I haven’t (yet) completed the whole menu…
In addition to the food, the staff are great and the atmosphere is very relaxed.
It’s not surprising to hear that since I started this write up (saved to drafts first about a month ago) that Volta picked up a City Life award for best restaurant.

Volta is a new bar /​eaterie in West Didsbury, which has replaced Rhubarb (a stalwart of Burton Road). Whilst I thought Rhubarb was ok I think Volta is an improvement — their aim is to save good quality ingredients simply cooked. The menu is primarily a selection of small plates with a few mains, including possibly the best value steak in Manchester — Dexter Rib on the Bone (350g) for £19.50. As it was 50% off it seemed a good idea to try all the small plates on the menu and the steak — there wasn’t any plate of food that I didn’t like, which is a good sign.
Chorizo, piquillo peppers — difficult to get wrong but this was good chorizo and I liked the chorizo cut into strips instead of circles. The sweetness of the peppers complimented the chorizo well ⁸⁄₁₀
Jerusalem artichoke, truffle & pecorino toasts — a combination of flavours that I was a bit apprehensive about but I could taste all 3 elements — I’d have preferred them to be warm though ⁷⁄₁₀
Gnocchi, tomato & pecorino — again another pretty simply plate of food. Good gnocchi and the tomato and pecorino could also be tasted ⁷⁄₁₀
Smoked feta, beetroot, hazelnuts — This was probably my favourite dish of the day. It looked strange but tasted brilliantly — I had to dip chips into it so next time would get some bread to dip in ⁹⁄₁₀
Pork Belly, cumin and Lemon — Bacon on the Beech wrote in his write up that the pork had too much lemon; I think Volta may have listened as I thought the lemon wasn’t quite enough — a generous portion though ⁷⁄₁₀
Crispy Baby squid and aioli — The squid was crispy and in tasty batter; the aioli was heavy on garlic and worked well with the squid (and the chips I dipped in as well) ⁷⁄₁₀
Fine beans, mint & feta — A great side dish and one that I’ll be making at home 8.5÷10
Soft shell crab and celeriac purée — Tasty but not entirely sure why it was served with a celeriac purée. This was the weekly special ⁷⁄₁₀
Padron Peppers — These made for fun eating as it was like Russian Roulette as they varied massively in heat ⁷⁄₁₀
50:50 Fries (Sweet Potato and Potato) — Good fries but not great
Dexter Rib on the Bone — Tender, flavourful steak cooked perfectly with an excellent Bernaise sauce. This steak for less than £20 is a bargain! ⁹⁄₁₀
Milk chocolate pot with almond praline rocher — I’m often disappointed by chocolate desserts but this was excellent ⁹⁄₁₀
Chocolate brownie — a good brownie, although not as good as Cocoa Cabana (a chocolatier just down the road)
Blood orange and solerna liquer jelly, vanilla ice cream and biscuit base — my first jelly in a few years and anybody who knows me will know I adore Blood Orange (drinking a litre of Tropicana Sanguinello daily). Therefore I really enjoyed this and the biscuit base added a bit of texture ⁸⁄₁₀

My first time at Volta isn’t necessarily representative of your standard experience here, but I’ll review it again if I feel any different about what is a welcome addition to the bars of Burton Rd. in West Didsbury.
Coming from the same stable as Electrick in Chorlton, it has a similar sort of feel to it when it first opened, slightly ramshackle furniture, cheap outdoor lighting and a nice homely feel. Volta is somewhere I could easily see myself spending many an hour drinking and eating — just like at Mary & Archie’s just down the road.
I was here for a Meet The Brewer event put on by The Epicurean, the beer shop across the road — so the place was full of happy drinkers on a Monday evening, listening intently to the brewer whilst tasting their wares — if you like beer then I implore you to come to one of these events in future!
As hosts of the evening Volta had kindly put on a few sample dishes to represent their menu and accompany the various flavours of the beers on offer. If they accurately represent the food on offer I’ll be here for the tempura squid (I don’t normally like squid), the spiced pork belly and the hangar steak in particular — they were all exquisite.
Beer choices apart from the ones put on for the evening were varied and interesting, with prices about the usual — plenty to explore for beer hounds and ample choices for those of other persuasions.
Can’t wait to go back!

I’ve been a couple of times now, and keep thinking I should have reserved a table. Though unsure if it’s possible just for drinks. We’ve ended up sat outside which has plenty of space compared with the rather rammed Folk next door! I’m unsure where I stand on outdoor heaters — not particularly ecological, but this is Manchester and the weather, even in summer, isn’t always as continental as we’d like.
The food smells fantastic, and I need to go back to sample it mid-​week sometime. West Didsbury for me is more of a Friday /​Saturday place, as that’s when it’s at its liveliest. I’m sure it’d be a very good location for a mid-​week date.
So far the drinks have been great as an ale drinker. Took me until my second visit to realise that not only do they have 3 ales at the front of the bar, but also the entire of the back of the bar is full of another 8 or so. Amazing choice!
It’s a small bar so if you go on a Friday /​Saturday there’s going to be a queue — so it’d be nice if the service was slightly quicker. However, if you make sure you’re getting your mates a drink then it’s not so bad.
A great addition to Burton Roads drinking & eating scene.
p. s. the musical connection here is from The Unabombers /​Electric Chair folk, who also run Eletrik in Chorlton. This is their foodie pub!

One of the rare bar places that does table service… excellent. A recent trip to Germany reminded me how great table service can be (when it’s efficient).
Volta is the latest addition to the Didsbury scene, open by the people behind Electrik in Chorlton I believe. They seem to have adapted to the local scene very well, it’s nothing like Electrick but just as exciting. It does look a bit bare inside but everybody was on the terrace on that sunny day so we could enjoy a table inside, by the sunlit window. Very quickly a waitress comes and recommend some beers to us, promptly served and promptly enjoyed.
The beer list is very exciting and they have cocktails too although I’ve not tried those. Same for the food, we did not order any on the day butwhat I’ve seen going past me looked pretty damn tasty.
I will soon become a regular in Didsbury so no doubt I will find out more in the near future. For now, it looks like a winner to me.

Volta is a fantastic new addition to the West Didsbury ‘Neighbourhood bar’ scene! In fact I was so taken with it that I could have done with having a few more drinks in it before we left, but alas we were on a big night out and there’s so many places to hit, such little time!
I love what they’ve done with the inside, it’s like they’ve spent a fair amount on doing it up while making it feel pretty rustic, yet classy but also a place that feels relaxing to be in. There’s great outdoor seating and everyone we encountered from the patrons to the bar staff seemed friendly and ‘our kind of people’
The beer selection was also fantastic. I opted for the Kernel beer (which I love anyway) and my friend had the ‘Citra’ from Weird beard brewing co which was highly recommended by our beer aficionado Unilocaler Rowan M — nice work Rowan as it was amazing :-)
I can’t wait to go back to Volta and spend more time here, plus they do food — I hope it’s as good as the beers and setting!

Had drinks here on a Friday night — but it was valentines day so I am biased! I am Electrik Chorlton (it’s big sister) no.1 fan so it seemed natural to go and check it out.
As with most West Didsbury venues it is very small inside with only max 10 tables.
Aforementioned night all tables (after 10pm) we’re still reserved and drinking seats were only outside (albeit blankets were provided). Service at the bar was very slow.
They have an electrik app which also has offers for Volta so it’s worth downloading. At the minute I think it is 3 small plates for a tenner midweek, which seems reasonable.
Yet to try the food but would like to.

Another place which does great beer on Burton Road! Huzzah!
I’ve been to Volta a couple of times now, once to check it out and have a drink, and once for a meal with the in-​laws. They have a wide range of ales — three on cask (I believe) and a number of keg offerings, from continental lager to lovely hoppy pales. The décor is relaxed, vintage and classic, reminding me of a small underground continental bar.
Their food menu is wonderful, lots of various nibbles/‘small plates’ and cheese boards to share. A special mention has to go to their pork belly, which was absolutely divine, and perfect to share so it doesn’t become too overwhelming. The star of the show for me, though, was the hanger steak, which I had cooked rare. Insanely flavoursome and tender, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this was the best steak I’ve tried so far. My partner was a bit less impressed with his dexter steak, and both he and the father-​in-​law said that they wanted to come back again so they could get the hanger steak themselves.
The staff are attentive, personable, and very knowledgeable about what they’re serving. There’s no reason for me not to give it full marks, so well done Volta! I think it’s a marvellous addition to Burton Road, and judging by how busy it seems to be all the time, so do my neighbours.

Nice atmosphere, great drinks, lovely service. One of the best negronis I’ve had — they age it so the flavours are really deep, and it’s a beautifully smooth sip. They also have the most beautiful vintage bar.
The small plates were very good, particularly the smoked beetroot with feta and hazelnuts. (and of course you can’t go wrong with bread sourced from Trove)
Disappointed by the steak however. £20 for a greasy, chewy flap of meat.
Having said that, would go back. Just stick to the small stuff.

Volta has a very nice relaxed atmosphere and I really enjoyed having a few drinks there last night. The place is small with wooden tables and a stripped back look. They mainly serve small plates of food and bar snacks which I suppose is in keeping with its main focus being a bar rather than a restaurant. The service was friendly and it was busy but not cramped, not bad for a Saturday night in Didsbury.

I was struggling to think of what Volta could bring that hasn’t already been done in W. Didsbury, but they’ve really hit on a winning formula.
Volta is really rooted in being a bar, a vast majority of the menu consists of bar food — cheese and ham platters, flavoured bread (from the wonderful Trove bakery in Levenshulme) and ‘small plates’ (it’s not tapas, okay!!!). The only proper full meal is the steak, which comes with chips and sauce. There are lamb and salmon choices, but these are not quite full meals — a few small plates act as sides.
The décor really reflects that focus of drinks over food. The tables are all quite small, with far more chairs around them than you would expect in a restaurant. There is also a large open space for people drinking at the bar. The overall feel is of a mediteranian café/​bar.
Upon arrival and inspection of the menu, we ordered our food. The waiter kindly suggested just waving him over when we wanted some food for more of a tapas experience, rather than ordering all the food at once as you would in a conventional restaurant. Nice idea, but we had already decided what we wanted to eat, so just ordered everything at once anyway. But still, worth knowing before you go that you can order a beer and then order the food plate by plate!
The food is simple but good quality. Food comes out as and when its ready, so there’s no set order. First up was feta, nuts and beetroot, which was tasty but really required a side of bread to mop it up (why they don’t include this in the plate I don’t know). Then we had pork belly — cooked perfectly, basted in lemon. Artichoke and Truffle toast was the highlight of the small plates for me, absolutely delicious and great little snacks to have with a beer. Finally we had steak, and for £13 (£6.50 with the January half price offer) I was truly flabbergasted. This steak could easily stand up with gaucho or grill in the alley, but at a fraction of the cost. The garlic oil complemented the smoky steak and the chips were well cooked (although maybe not as crispy as I would have liked).
Conclusion: great simple food in chilled surroundings for a great price.