The Diner serves up the best burgers in town.The Diner
G/F, 4-8 Arbuthnot Road
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: 2562 3181
Grub: Burgers, fries, shakes and other classic diner fare.
Vibe: Stepping into The Diner feels like stepping into a classic '50s era restaurant - or more like a movie set of a classic '50s era restaurant. Everything is shiny and chrome, with red vinyl seating and a black and white checkered tile floor.
If you get a Coke, it comes in a classic glass bottle with a paper, red and white, barber-pole striped straw. It's cute and kitsch.
Who to bring: Anyone who likes burgers and vintage style.
The menu has a pretty wide range of options, catering to those who aren't burger fans, and there's enough space and seating for larger groups.
What's hot: The burgers are the main attraction. There's a long list of exciting options, but we had to try The Diner's most famous Skirt Burger (HK$169), which comes with a large grilled cheese "skirt". It's fun and cute, and nibbling the edges off the cheese was entertaining.
But the real star was the Memphis Burger (HK$169) which has pulled pork piled on top of the beef patty. It was the best burger I've had in Hong Kong, and possibly ever - and I know my burgers.
Another amazing option allows you to upgrade the fries that come with your burger to one of their specials. We got the pulled pork & cheese fries (HK$30 as an upgrade) and the cheese & bacon "Bourbon Jam" fries (HK$20 as an upgrade).
Both were amazing, and the cheese was melted all through the fries and not just on top, like most places.
What's not: Considering how filling the burgers were, we really didn't need an appetizer. But we tried the Mac n Cheese Balls (HK$68) anyway. To be clear, these were actually quite tasty, with a little added zing of jalapeno but, disappointingly, they were slightly cold inside, making them literally "not hot".
Cost: Small plates HK$58-HK$148, burgers HK$119-HK$349, fries HK$48-HK$78