The Diner

American diner joint serving good burgers and shakes.
Good solid place but the two highlights that will blow you away are:
Philly cheese burger (slices of great steak with lots of lovely sauce and cheese and onions)
Snickers milkshake (chocolate Icecream shake with peanut butter, Nutella, choc chips and maple syrup — absolutely amazing, best shake in London Town — and I would know… Burp…)

Smack in the heart of Shoreditch, great place for a burger and chilli cheese fries if you can’t get into the Blues Kitchen two doors up the street. Their shakes are brilliant (especially the ones that are spiked). The Diablo is super tasty. I had the cheese fries with burger gravy which went down well (and were a super calorie bomb to boot ;-). Wash it down with some cold beer, and you’re either laying the foundations for a great night out drinking in East London, or creating sufficient lining to protect you from a night of excesses.
It’s not haute cuisine; it’s not Hawksmoor; it’s not Meat Mission or Meat Liquor. But it exists, it’s nice, it’s fun, cosy, and a great stop gap.

We decided to check out what shoreditch area has to offer, and looks like quite a lot, we ended up in this place — craving for brunch, but the burgers were really appealing… See we took them.
The place really feels like a diner and it was all pretty hip with a big menu full of goodies, and great music!
I had a Mexican burger (with chili con carne and jalapeño) and my friend had the Diablo if I remember correctly.
As she doesn’t like her food too spicy I was lucky to get her spicy mayo which was super tasty.
The food arrived rather quick and the portion is just the right size.
As extras we had garlic butter fries which were ok, until we found out we have a little puddle of garlic butter at the bottom, and then it was tasty.
The sweet potato fries however are pretty good.
I’m not sure if I liked my burger or if I was super hungry, but there was something missing in it for sure, just can’t tell what it is exactly.
What I didn’t like is the service– the waitress came to our table to give us menus first, which is fine, and then again to ask if we’re ready… We asked for a little more time, and she just kept coming every minute to ask if we’re ready– I’ll call you when I am!
It was ok — but then she did it again when I was eating.
First time to see if everything cool, but then she came around asking «do you need anything else?» About 4 or 5 times while eating and afterwards.
If this is your way of making people go or order more — it’s wrong. And it’s annoying.
I’d give this place 4 stars if it wasn’t for that annoying waitress.

One word: yum. You’ve probably already heard about this place so there’s not much else I can say but DEFINITELY try the pancakes and literally any one of their burgers. Also their milkshakes are the perfect Sunday evening pick-​me-​up. And finally, you can order from them on Deliveroo! Enjoy peeps — I might go back there this weekend so I may try new stuff and write about that. Watch this space!

I came here for lunch. I ordered a Philly cheese steak and the misses order a chicken burger.
Burger was great but the Philly cheese steak was not to good, I’m not from America but the misses is and she said it not what it should of been.
We also ordered chilly cheese fires and she said they were «ok»
Ordered beer from America. Was a bit over priced but o well.

I’m being generous when I say that my last meal at the Diner was close to total junk.
I have lived in the area for 12 years, and have eaten at the Diner several times over that period.
I can say unreservedly that you should avoid eating here.
The food is DREADFUL and gives UK cuisine a bad name — even when we’re trying to copy simple American diner food, we can’t get it right.
Go eat at any number of greasy spoons nearby — Franco’s on Rivington Street springs to mind — and you’ll get MUCH better food, for a fraction of the price.
The Diner charges criminal prices for junk. Not good junk, cheap nasty junk.
We had to send our «Diner Fries» back as they were inedible.
My partner’s burger was awful, as was my halloumi burger.
Seriously, guys. Step up your game.

Food tasted fine. Haloumi burger and the shakes were lovely. But far too stodgy, and arrived slightly cold. Service a little too contrived.

Had lunch here cuz my school is just 1min walk from here. Quite good overall. I ordered the Hawaiian Burger with extra mushroom (don’t really like the mushroom:()
We had fries as well and they were ok not brilliant but fine. The corn dog is good:)

It’s nice and a reasonable price but didn’t blow me away.
I had a Mexican breakast with baked eggs which was tasty but lacking a bit of spiciness!
I also had a bloody mary with a bacon topping which was interesting!
Our waiter was a bit odd and a bit over friendly.
Would probably choose breakfast club over here!

Sorry London. I wish I could say this place was OK but I’d be lying. The server was extremely nice and deserves a four star. This is just an honest review of the food. I ordered chili cheese fries that arrived with the cheese already somewhat congealed and the conservative dressing of chili randomly had an oversized hunk of steak in it. I mean there’s no straight rule to making chili but it was just kind of random and extremely oversized. The main gripe with the chili cheese fries were: when I order chili cheese fries I want to feel guilty as hell after eating it. In no part of my experience do I want the delicious melty cheese to have a party without me!
I ordered a fried chicken taco salad which came as a grilled chicken taco salad (all good, I’m not one to send food back unless its disgusting). The grilled chicken had some grill marks but overall was suspiciously wet for being «grilled». Considering all the food options in Shoreditch, I won’t be going back here.

I arrived late, apologetically so, but having been waved with dispassion to the corner group of be-​Christmas-​jumpered rowdy cats in the back, next to the rows upon rows of other brunching groups in santa hats and others with crackers on the table, you’d a thunk I’d stood up my server not missed the first round of Bloody Marys (they went down well as they were in fact rather good– my choice every time over a ‘hard shake’).
My group, of caterwauling cats at the back, were only in festive spirits, not misbehaved. Of course, it was only me who brought to the table complications. Other wise what would I write about? I know I can be a testing diner for any server, however my poor pencil moustachioed man-​server was merely run off his feet not mercurially presenting a lack of personality. For this he had plenty.
So for brunch as usual, all I wanted was breakfast with a poached egg as soft as my Christmas temperament after watching ‘Miracle on 34^th St’.
As the first eggs were laid on plates around the table, I noticed what seemed to play in slow-​mo, the tension of the knives around the table plunge into powdery hard edged yolks and soldiers which were submitted to the reverb boing into an overdone egg, I panicked. Being the last to order I sprang out of my tables festive formation and alerted my sassy disinterested server of my need for a very runny egg.
My poached order on fried rye and tomatoes arrived and was continuing to coddle in an iron pan, so it was with great urgency that I needed to get started. It came not quite hard boiled, thank god. Yet it wasn’t soft nor cascading with runny yellowness. My h’angry party weren’t as bothered about a soft egg as I am, but please breakfast chefs, get those eggy bad boys out of the hot water as soon as you say 1 Mississippi! By the time it’s sat under the serving hatch there’ll be less chance for eggy disappointment.
It was dangerously hardening by the second. But I needed Mustard. English Mustard.
I requested Coleman’s of course, Maille I’d have happily gone with, but the server replied «There’s Mustard on the table», but I wanted English not vinegary weak American, ironically French’s.
The Diner brand’s discourse was that, «Hey This is Shoreditch, someone wants Soy Milk, the next person wants Almond, one guy wants Stevia, the next Agave, which we do have, would you like that»… «Oh we’ve run out» was the recoil, «So where, does it end». I would have preferred being creatively lied to, simply «we’ve run out» would’ve been better, but the reasons for no English mustard were weak when paying nearly £20 for the novelty of a shabby New York diner style breakfast, for that much I want you to crown me with condiments. I’ve been to better burger vans on the coast with a better selection of sauces than here.
I’m not a Christmas Killjoy, only I just don’t get how the theme of a New York diner is so popularly impressive. To me, the epitome of a New York diner is being served by some sour-​faced Betty near or over retirement, with well kept nails, hair complete with a hairnet and doily, serving up greasy food; stack em up pancakes, over easy eggs and terrible drip coffee, (The Diner’s coffee was actually acceptable and with the US tradition of free refills being available, I’m surprised we weren’t all rocking in our seats with how much caffeine we had coursing round the table), but why on earth would you want to recreate the model of a drab American diner experience, I don’t understand. Bloody Shoreditch!
To make it more of a novelty, kitsch uniforms at The Diner would be cool. (Like the City Café in Edinburgh) It is a little embarrassing being less chic than the server, I was wearing a Christmas Jumper though.

Hmmph! The Diner had me full of anticipation for American authenticity. But I was to be cruelly disappointed!
Typical diner décor. Defensive waitress. Mediocre food. My halloumi burger barely filled its bap. Long on bread, short on filling. My fat fries were dry and bland. I tried to get the waitress’s attention to get some mayo to no avail.
One pitcher of Whisky Sours only half filled four small tumblers. When we pointed this out to the waitress she was apathetic and defensive. The manager shrugged his shoulders but eventually gave us a discount.
For the service and standard of food this place is way overpriced! I won’t be going again. Boo! Hiss!

After attending Unilocal’s Whiskey tasting event, I was feeling optimistic that this area could provide me with some good food afterward. With a crew of fellow Unilocalers with me, we headed to The Diner for some grub.
I could probably moan on for a fairly long time about our experience here, but in short, I had the worst breakfast burrito that you could possibly imagine (imagine a soggy, floppy flour tortilla filled with poorly scrambled egg, and some cheap and nasty chorizo) accompanied by a dribble of dead looking re-​fried beans and another dribble of grey guacamole.
The failures did not end there. We ordered a pitcher of Whiskey Sours for the table, only to find out that our £32 only provided us with 4 ½ full small tumblers of cocktail. So that’s £16 a glass, then, is? The menu price per glass did not even cost as much as the pitcher. When I mentioned this to our waitress, she treated us with a non-​caring attitude and replied with a surly «That’s because you haven’t filled your glasses with ice; do you want to speak to the manager then?». So… The ice is the important aspect in a cocktail then?!? I was quite taken aback with the attitude and this was apparent when we were handed the bill — the old 12.5% service charge added to the bill! The scourge of good service in London!
To be fair to the establishment, when the manager did materialize and after a lengthy conversation, he agreed to only charge us £15 for the picture of ice! He was a nice chap, although it took a lot of wrangling to get to this resolution.
Needless to say, I will not be returning to the diner in a hurry. Which is a real shame because I was hoping for some real American food and service. Well… If you are expecting that go elsewhere.

The Diner’s «milkshakes brings all the boys to the yard, and they’re like it’s better than yours, damn right it’s better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to charge.»
So amazing never disappointed by The Diner’s shakes.
And the venue is hip and requires you to scream and shout over the music but it’s all in good fun!

The Diner delivers when it comes to American-​style pancakes, the choice of fries, good music and even some of its fancier burgers, but it’s less impressive when it comes to milkshakes or when we were there, an accurate beer list.
Seeking to maximise the moment, I opted for two dishes one after the other: an ‘original’ basic burger, milkshake and when those and a smattering of sweet potato fries left more room than anticipated after a long cycle across London, a high stack of 5 pancakes.
The ‘Original’ burger was okay if a little uninspired. It tasted more well-​done than medium, and the sauces could have been better. The milkshake was also slightly disappointing. Okay, but not as cold or ice-​creamy as those from Byron, whom I consider to lead the milkshake stakes in London at present. My dining companion’s ‘Arch’ burger on the other hand, packing pulled pork and montery jack was really good.
So on it was to the high stack of pancakes. And they were impressive, certainly the biggest such stack I’ve seen in London. Five, inch-​thick pancakes piled high, dusted with icing sugar and with an apparently bottomless (in that the waitress was happy to bring more at no extra charge) small bowl of maple syrup. I tucked in, and was captivated at the first bite. Alas though a stack this high was never going to be conquered by a few bites and eventually I had to concede defeat, about 20% short of the finishing line. Still, they rate as among the best and most genuine American-​style pancakes I’ve had in London.
The beer list was a let-​down: notable on paper, disappointing in that they had less than half of the beers actually in stock. Apparently this was because they were refreshing their menu, but a couple of weeks on, and the online menu now seems to be 90% identical to the one when we were there. Hmmm.
Other pluses were the decent music (various mixes of pop and rock classics) and quick, friendly service.
The Diner exceeded my expectations, particularly for its pancakes and Arch burger. I declare myself a fan.

«OH I LOVE DINERS.»
«OH, diners are an American thing?»
«Yes.»
–
I’ll likely only come for dessert (if I were to return at all). The food is fairly mediocre, but it’s a safe bet if you just need a quick meal (we did). The burgers are OK, my «english muffin with eggs» was exactly that with nary a glance of anything more exciting or intriguing. The 2-​top booth we sat in was so small our knees bumped and we were balancing things on top of each other to make room at the table.
But diner dessert? Well you know, they do it well. Simple and huge portions. Go for that. Pro-​tip get the «peanut butter and blueberry» sundae minus the blueberry and plus the chocolate.
Service was quite good, a friendly bunch.
27 quid fo 2, a bit overpriced for «diner food» but I’d pay double for that dessert. Ok I wouldn’t, but I’d eat two.

Three words.
Chocolate. Coconut. Milkshakes.

Though my friend (also American, but living in London full time) and I waited about 45 minutes on a Thursday evening to eat at The Diner in Shoreditch, I have to admit it was worth it. The place is clean, the vibe is chill, and the food is really good. My friend and I each had one of the many burgers plus a side of the Chili Fries and the Onion Rings… and some wine, too, of course. It was a fun meal and I would totally go back, if only I lived in London.
P. S. Ask your server what «American» sauce is… too funny.

This is the 3^rd Diner location I have been to and the food was just as good as the others! It’s nice to know that there is a chain that guarantees good food no matter which one you step into.
The only problem I have is that they stopped serving banana bread beer… WHY OH WHY!!! Please bring it back!!!
The atmosphere was fun, the California burger cooked to perfection, and the chilli cheese fries as delicious as usual. Perfect meal before a booze filled night. Yum, yum yummy!

I am definitely a fan of this place. This fit the picture in my mind of what an American diner is: comfortable booths, plenty of options and large servings. I had a great brunch.
It was a chilly afternoon when we arrived and there was a short line for a table and we were told we would have a 20-​minute wait. It wasn’t too bad though — when the door was closed, were were out of the cold and we were kept up to date with when tables were freeing up. It’s a plus for this place that they pay attention to the line, but at the same time not hurrying up people to finish their meal.
I had a short stack of pancakes and sides of bacon and hash browns. Those hash browns! Ah — they were massive and had the perfect hash brown crunch (though, I note, a little oily — but that’s part of the experience). I got a filter coffee too, and could have endless refills. On such a cold day, it was nice just to be holding the hot cup of coffee.
I would come here again and try some more of the menu.