The Diner Soho: Review

Imagine a traditional American diner with its bright red booths and a bar lined with stools where many a milkshake is sipped. Give this image a darker British twist and you have The Diner - London's answer to the classic American dining experience.

The Diner has 8 restaurants across the city in prime, trendy locations. I visited their Soho restaurant after being recommended it by a friend. It is ideally located close to Oxford Street and Carnaby Street but tucked away enough to avoid pretentious pricing and hordes of tourists.  

The Diner holds a very 'cool' feel to it and despite its central location seemed to be filled with a young, hip crowd. The decor is impressive creating just the right balance between a gaudy American diner and a dimly lit bar. 

Upon entering we were greeted informally by our waiter who showed us to our table. The service was efficient without being pretentious and the staff adhered to The Diner's cool image in their casual dress. They made us feel really relaxed which felt just perfect for the setting of The Diner. The menus were already awaiting us on the table and there was a wide range of choices on offer ranging from burgers and hotdogs, to breakfasts, traditional diner meals such as mac 'n' cheese and even salads, although I think you'd be mad to order one of those with all that meat on offer! 

It took a while of debating and in the end Adam and I picked two things we both fancied and settled on having half of each. We decided on two burgers - the first was the Diablo burger (£9.20). This is described as their signature beef burger made from a mix of rib, sirloin, fillet and chuck (this is freshly ground daily by the restaurant). The Diablo was topped with bacon, jalapeño mayo and US cheese. The second burger was a chicken number called The DCB (£9) consisting of buttermilk fried chicken breast with bacon, blue cheese, coleslaw and pickles. The burgers do not come with fries, however our waiter advised us that a single portion would be plenty to share so we went for the cajun spiced Diner Fries (£3.20). I was really impressed by the prices of the food, I would expect to pay similar prices for burgers back in Sheffield so this was very reasonable for Central London.

The food came after a short while of waiting and we were very impressed with its appearance. The portions were generous and the food was nicely presented in little baskets lined with The Diner printed paper – a lovely touch – however the baskets did make cutting the burgers a bit of a nightmare.

The first burger I tried was the chicken burger. I was surprised to find that the coleslaw came stacked inside the burger, which, as someone who doesn’t like coleslaw, was not ideal. I would have preferred the coleslaw to be on the side as this makes it far easier to transfer it over to any coleslaw-loving friends’ plates. Despite this, the breast fillet was golden and crispy on the outside, and succulent and juicy in the center. I am not normally a fan of blue cheese, however both Adam and I agreed it complemented the buttermilk chicken perfectly.

I then went on to try the beef burger - this was definitely my favourite. The menu states that it is made with high quality cuts of beef and you could really tell. It was juicy and flavoursome with the US cheese being a perfect choice to give a subtle cheese taste without overpowering the flavour of the beef. This was definitely one of the nicest beef burgers I have ever had as it didn’t try to overcomplicate things, it just let the beef do the talking and it really was tasty!

The Cajun fries were crispy and seasoned to perfection, however it was clear that they were not homemade. I would definitely like to see hand-cut, homemade chips on their menu in future, but for the price we paid, the chips were good value for money.

Adam and I both really enjoyed our meal at The Diner and agreed we would definitely like to return next time we are in London. I will have to try and save some room for a dessert or a milkshake next time as they looked amazing. I loved that The Diner felt like a restaurant where you could truly relax away from all the hustle and bustle of Central London without actually leaving it, whilst being surrounded by gorgeous food. It had such a nice atmosphere that I would even return for a chilled out drink if passing by. It is perfect for informal dining in such a convenient location (with 7 other branches to choose from too). I highly recommend!

The Diner

18 Ganton Street

London W1F 7BU

website: http://www.goodlifediner.com