The Diner

sue

Dessert at The Diner 18th October 2008

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After dinner at a new tapas restaurant, and not being able to sneak a table at Yauatcha for dessert, we found our way to The Diner in search of a sweet treat.

We visited the Ganton Street branch of this small chain which impersonates an American style diner, and does a good job of it from what I could tell during our fairly brief visit. Inside was warm and booth filled, and the menu covers the spectrum of American favourites, from full breakfasts, to hot dogs, to burgers.

But dessert was our mission, and a quick glance at the limited choices was all it took. A slice of Pecan Pie, a slice of Apple Pie and the obligatory chocolate milkshake was ordered. And it was all good too, though I thought the serve of Pecan Pie was too small considering everything is always big in America.

foodbymark

Happy bruncheon! 28th September 2008

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The Diner is in the Carnaby St area of Soho, directly opposite Cha Cha Moon on Ganton Street. It is much more spacious and darker than it's Shoreditch cousin. Rather than waiting for the next available booth we opted to sit at a normal table. At 1pm on a Sunday when we arrived, it was reasonably busy but customers didn't have to wait long to be seated.

The comprehensive menu is exactly the same as the other two branches. Our helpful and friendly waitress very quickly brought our drinks over very shortly after we had ordered. My breakfast burrito was average if not a little too salty and was served with standard guacamole (freshly prepared) and sour cream and a tiny side salad. My girlfriend's blueberry pancakes were good but they could've been a bit more generous with the blueberries.

As we rarely have breakfast out, the diner style breakfast was an exciting trip for my girlfriend who is an American. Above average, The Diner is for Europeans not expecting "american diner-sized" portions! I would certainly go back.

A more detailed review with photos can be found:
http://foodbymark.blogspot.com/2008/09/diner-ganton-street-w1.html

ronvelig

Bit Different 11th September 2008

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Just popped in here on our way past one day. It's quite different to most of the bars and pubs in this area of Soho, and I really liked it.

The menu was fairly varied, and I was very tempted by the Pancakes, but instead I had a hamburger. It was possibly one of the best I've had in London, and you could actually tell it was made of beef. Wonderful.

An interesting range of beers both on tap and by bottle. I went for a bottle of Lone Star, which wasn't too bad, and my partner had one of their "Hard" (Alcoholic) Milkshakes. That was pretty nice too, if a little thick.

I'd go again if I was after somewhere in the area, but I wouldn't deliberately travel there purely for this place. Having said that, the toilets were pretty awesome

walid

Pancake Tower 29th June 2008

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A friend of mine brought me to The Diner this afternoon as she wanted French Toasts.... ooohhh French Toasts hmmmmm. I love French Toasts but I also love pancakes, especially a pancake tower American style. Fighting our way up Regent Street we approached Carnaby Street where tucked to the side you can find The Diner.

The decoration is what you'd expect a traditional American diner to look like abroad, ie. close to the real thing, but trying a little bit too hard.

My friend ordered the French Toasts and me my pancakes. Now I make French Toasts, and I love them when they're crispy from the outside and soft in the inside. Her pancakes looked nice, except that they weren't crispy from the outside and had some cinnamon which may please some but not me. As for my pancakes as you can see from the picture it was a good portion but not what I would describe as a pancake tower.

Overall we had a good experience, the food was ok, the service was fine, the pricing is good, but the music was getting too loud. So I'm giving this place a "small" 3 stars.

Hugo at 29/06/08

Sorry to hear about the French Toasts crime. Some things need to be crisp and soft in the right places otherwise disappointment is inevitable. Crucial to get these details right.

walid at 29/06/08

I couldn't agree more!

mazphd at 30/06/08

Crimes against towers and all things french toast and crispy? - hmm i see a case for 'false advertising' here. But then maybe it's supposed to be a British 'tower' rather than a US sky -scraper. I empathise with your disappointment. Sunday pancake towers should always be racked skywards!

walid at 30/06/08

Indeed not quite an American Tower... this is what it should look like. At least 4 - 5 pancakes stacked one on top of each other with some butter on top melting along with the maple syrup.... of course you'll need a king sized appetite, but if you're in the US then do like the Americans..eat...eat...eat

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Sami

Good concept but I'm not too sure about the menu 1st July 2007

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I came here with an American friend of mine - funny, two North Americans in their element... but in London! We were just walking around Soho and stumbled across the restaurant; inviting as it is, we walked in for a couple of drinks.

They have a small patio in front of the restaurant, and the interior is roughly divided by bar seating and traditional booth seating. Decked out entirely in thematic red and black tiling with a long bar lining the back wall, a menu board dressed up as an old Hollywood film marquee is perched above the kitchen and delineates various drinks and specials they serve. The decor is very authentic, as are the various dishes and "blue plate specials" (a term which historically refers to a specially priced meal of the day) that they have on the menu.

They have a good range of American and Canadian beers - and for all the English beer drinkers who think that North American beer is piss-poor with a weak alcohol content, you'll be pleased to know that there are a number of decent, micro-brewery beers available for your enjoyment :)

The only incursion I took into the menu was to order some cheese & gravy fries, but they were disappointingly under-cooked, lacking in cheese, and the gravy was, to be brutally honest, reminiscent of greasy brown water. It was depressing because I wanted the food to be good, but I guess I can't really make such blanket judgments when I've only tried their fries. I also wanted to try their alcohol-based milkshakes which sounded really interesting, but wouldn't have gone down too well after a couple of pints.

I want to go back, but only after someone else checks it out and tells me that the food is actually quite good.