The Diner

The Diner

Soho, London

If you are in search of a classic American meal in the heart of London, than look no further than The Diner. There are six locations in the city at: Kensal Rise, Camden, Islington, Shoreditch, Covent Garden and Soho. However, I have only ever visited the one in Soho which is just off the trendy Carnaby Street, where one can find many fashionable and unique shops and if that’s not quite enough, Oxford Street and Regents Street are just around the corner.

The Diner offers a friendly and authentic American experience and there’s plenty to choose from in terms of food and drinks, though as a semi-vegetarian or a ‘pickatarian’ as my friends have labelled me due to my fussiness when it comes to food, choices are limited a little, though speaking of my last visit, it took me a good while to reach a decision over whether I should go for the ‘Mushroom Burger’ or the ‘Halloumi Burger’.

There’s a large range of classic American dishes, including burgers, breakfasts, hot-dogs, pies, salads, and even a little tex-mex. There really is something for everyone. In addition, there’s a good range of side orders such as fries and good old mac & cheese. Once again the decision is always tough, especially if you do happen to have a slight hangover and are starved as everything suddenly sounds extra appealing and it becomes very easy over order. Like the meals, the sides are of a fairly decent size and depending on your appetite and how hungry you are, you could most probably get away with sharing one side. I would most certainly recommend the cheesy-fries, though I might be tempted by the sweet potato fries next time I pay the Diner a visit.

There are also a large range of drinks available and milkshakes too that come in various different flavours. This can be a little pricier, though having had a little taster; I can say they are rather delicious, though I can imagine them to be rather filling.

One thing I particularly love about the Diner, on top of the incredibly tasty food is the friendly and welcoming experience I have always experienced there. The quirky staff are always cheerful and jolly and quick to attend to your every need. I wouldn’t say the restaurant is too pricey and is rather reasonable.

I enjoy dining at the Diner as it is a nice change from the usual old American type restaurants I tended to visit before like TGIF’s. The food is much better as too is the atmosphere. I like the layout of The Diner with the counter and bar and the 1950’s/1960’s American décor which makes the feel of the Diner a little more American than say TGIFs for example, also as you can’t find a Diner in every major UK town, so it is a little more special to London.

Due to its rather central location The Diner can become rather busy, and more often than not, you may be required to wait ten minutes or so for a table so it may be worth booking, especially if you plan to go in the evening as lunchtimes certainly seem hectic or not. Luckily the last time I went, we only had to endure a twenty minute wait before getting a table, which didn’t really bother us. Though had we arrived any later on this weekday afternoon, we would have found ourselves having to wait for over forty-five minutes if we desperate enough.

As I have only been to The Diner in Soho and thus can’t really be sure if everything I have just said would be applicable to each and every restaurant in London, though I would mostly presume so, I would say the only differences would be perhaps their popularity as I would imagine those in Soho, Covent Garden and Camden to be most busy due to their locations in tourist hotspots.

If you are looking for a reasonably priced quick American meal, I would most certainly recommend the Diner.