Honey pancakes, Coke floats: The gimmick is (actually) worth the wait for this CBD diner

It was one of the most visible cafe openings within the Sydney CBD this year: an American-style diner with floor-to-ceiling windows that wrapped around the corner of Pitt and Park streets. From the footpath it looked like a cheerier, daytime version of Nighthawks, the iconic painting by American artist Edward Hopper.

The cafe, Park St. Diner, is the latest venture from the hospitality group behind one of Sydney’s most Instagrammed venues, The Grounds of Alexandria. It opened in 2012 and established the group’s reputation for prioritising aesthetics as highly as hospitality.

Unsurprisingly, Park St. Diner became an immediate hit. I remained sceptical. While I’m easily charmed by the idea of a fat honey butter pancake and a cherry Coke float (topped with a maraschino cherry, shot of Jim Beam bourbon optional), I’ve been burned before.

The last time I visited one of The Grounds’ cafes I waited about 40 minutes for a cup of coffee. It was at The Grounds Coffee Factory at South Eveleigh, a few weeks after its 2024 launch. There were many possible explanations: maybe it was an outlier, or maybe some unknown disaster hit its locomotive-themed coffee bean distribution system. Either way, it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

But it was difficult to resist this new venture. You could practically feel its charm emanating through the thick glass. There were couples sharing birthday cake soft-serve sundaes in the teal vinyl booths, an old-school counter fridge with cherry, apple and banoffee pies, and office workers eating double beef and cheese burgers at the long backlit counter.

Obviously, I caved. And, perhaps less obviously, I think you should, too. Park St. Diner was a delight.

There is one caveat, however: you must go in with the right mindset. This is not an old-school American diner with a surly woman named Sue behind the counter, pouring unlimited drip coffee for $2. And while the long-serving group executive chef Paul McGrath has created a solid menu, don’t expect anything culinarily mind-blowing. Park St. Diner is simply a fun experience – a little bit like stepping onto a set at the Universal Pictures theme park in LA.

World-building is at the heart of what The Grounds founder Ramzey Choker sets out to achieve in his venues. He grew up with an industrious father – a hospitality veteran who built the family home with his own hands, and taught Choker the skills to get The Grounds off the … ground.

“Hospitality can be really hard,” Choker said, acknowledging the company’s financial difficulties, which involved the liquidation of four associated companies in 2018. “But I love creating cool experiences and building places that make people happy, and that’s what makes me keep coming back.”

The design team (Caroline Choker, Vince Alafaci from ACME and Therese Moussa Choker) has fully committed to the bit. All of the furniture, uniforms and tableware were custom-made to create an idealised version of a diner, featuring the honey-brown warmth of an 𝄒80s-era McDonald’s (with the 𝄒80s pop soundtrack to boot). There are tabletop flip menus in clear vinyl sleeves (note this is the only place the pancakes are listed), dishes served on brown plastic trays, and themed uniforms.

It’s the friendly servers, too, who make all the difference. They greet us in line, explain there’s one-hour seating on weekends, and estimate wait times. A capped dining time means no one has to wait too long, and it’s communicated with warmth rather than a frenzied “get in, get out” energy. Think of it like part of the theme park experience.

While diners reportedly experienced significant delays at launch, dishes now arrive within minutes. Yes, even the pancakes. They’re thick, buttery and a little eggier than you’d expect, like the famous sourdough pancakes at Pina if they were combined with McDonald’s hotcakes.

The steak is decent (if gristly in parts), grilled to a perfect medium rare and served with a creamy diane sauce that goes heavy on the garlic. Skin-on French fries are well-seasoned, with just the right amount of crunch. And the burgers, whether you go for the fillet of fish or the double beef, are pretty to look at, with golden buns and melted slices of American cheese.

Ultimately, Park St. Diner does exactly what it sets out to do: it creates memories, whether that means kids getting excited over oversized sundaes, a first date with cute novelty drinks, or pouring a hot espresso shot over soft-serve ice-cream and laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.