Miss America’s Diner, Riverwood
A spine-tingling Halloween party right in the heart of the burbs
Located 210 Belmore Road, Riverwood, Sydney, NSW 2210
Halloween is right around the corner and restaurants aplenty are tapping into the spooky theme. Miss America’s Pop Up Diner has blown the competition out of the water with spectacular costumes and Halloween-themed decorations.
Miss America’s Diner is a pop-up diner in that it is only available a few days of the week. Like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, this restaurant is innocent in the day but transforms to take on a more sinister character at night. What is an unassuming café front morphs into a spooky diner in the evening with its ceiling wrapped with spider webs and creepy masks cropping up in scattered locations of the restaurant.
We were greeted by the distinguishable sounds of Monster Mash and a waitress dressed to resemble a wicked purple-skinned witch. Quite ironically, she had a warm and welcoming disposition. Her eyes were mesmerising with white contact lenses and eyelashes that practically went up to the ceiling. Other wacky costumes included angels, zombies and goblins.
We began with the American favourites — Heart Attack and the Skinny Fries. Aptly named the Heart Attack, these french fries are topped with crispy bacon, melted cheese and shallots (similar to Animal Fries from In-and-Out). In true Halloween fashion, the melted cheese was dyed green to resemble slime. Even though the presence of slime green looked a little off-putting , it tasted damn delicious! The Skinny Fries didn’t have all that fan fare but it was still delicious. The fries themselves were super crunchy and the shallots were a nice savoury addition.
After we dug into the starters, the gigantic burgers and hot dogs arrived one by one. The Nevada Get me Wrong arrived first, and boy did it look glorious! The burger included two perfectly grilled beef patties separated by cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onion. It was then drenched in the famous Nevada sauce — which tasted both creamy and tangy! I loved that the beef was slightly charred to give it that crunch on the outer edges of the patty.
Believe when I say The Marilyn was monstrous. Three patties were precariously placed on top of each other, each separated by cheddar, bacon, lettuce and tomato. I was surprised that the burger still retained its shape even when it featured so many fillings. If The Marilyn is too much to handle, patrons get the option of downgrading to two patties. Just let the friendly wait staff you want the James Dean-be a Rebel.
The other burger we ordered was the Love me Tender. With pun intended, I absolutely “loved” the “tender” chicken breast. It was so moist and exploded with flavour when combined with the salty bacon and the tangy mayonnaise. The lettuce gave it that refreshing crunch and helped to cut through the grease of the fried chicken. Since the fillings weren’t as excessive as its Marilyn cousin, Miss America’s Diner compensated with the incorporation of a corn dog. This burger would have made Elvis proud!
We also sampled their signature hot dogs, in particular the Hot Diggity Dawg. It was like a hotdog on steroids, with the generous addition of bacon and melted cheese. The bacon was deliciously crispy and the melted cheese gave it that nice bit of creaminess. The hotdog, itself, was nice and juicy probably owing to the fact that it was steamed (as opposed to boiled).
If that wasn’t enough, we ordered the Hot Waangs. The buffalo wings were smothered in a delicious and sticky hot sauce and paired with fresh celery and ranch sauce. Honestly, I didn’t think the ranch sauce was necessary as the marinade already packed a lot of flavour.
As for beverages, we ordered the Grape Spider, Caramel and Chocolate Thick Shakes and a Vanilla Milkshake. The Grape Spider transported me back to my childhood days and I felt like a little kid again when sipping on the crazy straw. The spider was also topped with assorted lollies from sour straps, smarties to chocolate wafer. The thick shakes and milkshakes were also sprinkled with these delightful sweets. Be warned that the thick shakes and milkshakes are given alternative names at Miss America’s Diner. The milkshakes are called “cows” while the thick variations are named “fat cows” — so don’t be offended when the waitress calls these names out!
Having stuffed ourselves silly with these goodies, we couldn’t leave without trying their desserts. We opted for the Apple Pie having seen other patrons order this option. The pie itself tasted home-baked and smelt divine with the generous incorporation of cinnamon. The granny smith apples gave the pie that lovely tart flavour. The combination of piping hot flavour with ice cold soft serve ice cream was a massive home-run in terms of flavour!
Overall:
The experience at Miss America’s Pop Up Diner literally gave me goose bumps. Not because the costume and décor was frightening, but because the food reached unprecedented drool-worthy heights. I particularly loved the Hot Waangs and the Apple Pie so would highly recommend these dishes if you’re ever willing to take the trip down to Riverwood. It’s great to know that such delicious 60’s retro food is available right in the heart of the burbs. It’s just perfect if you’re heading home after a crazy night of drinking — the best cure for a hangover!
Rating: MindBlown
Service: 5/5
Gourmet Gumbo and LeeLoo dined as guests of Miss America’s Diner.
