Misty’s Diner

If you’re a fan of Americana, the 1950s and 1960s, or if you just love comfort food, then Misty’s Diner is the place for you! We’ve been going for a couple of years now, although it had been quite some time since our last visit.

Some small things change, but on the whole, this place is still a classic fixture on Melbourne’s comfort food scene. Think Johnny Rocket’s on steroids – Johnny Rockets is tempered a bit by its chain-store status, but with Misty’s, it’s no-holds-barred food porn!

Let’s be clear – this is not haute cuisine, nor is it paleo, clean-eating or diet friendly. None of these explain why we come to Misty’s. Instead, Misty and her devoted fan following (they do exist!) come here to worship at the temple of shameless Americana diner fare. Misty herself is something of a celebrity around these parts; hailing from Arizona in the USA, her endearing story is told to diners on the menus.

The walls are plastered with memorabilia from the 1950s and 60s; like a vision from the movie Grease, Elvis and Marylin gaze out from every other wall, atop rows of car number plates from various states. A classic rock’n’roll soundtrack plays in the background.

Upholstered in turquoise and pink vinyl, with trimmings of canary yellow, each booth comes with a jukebox and a bottle of ketchup. The menu is replete with American diner specialties like curly fries with ranch dipping sauce, root beer soda and key lime pie.

As this was our first visit in a long while, we decided to go back to our old standbys; I chose Misty’s classic burger with a side of wet fries (thick potatoes fries drenched in salty gravy and grated cheese). The burger comes out with a fried egg on top, sunny side up, “just the way my daddy used to make it” according to Misty!

We also got chilli cheese fries (a chilli version of the ‘wet fries’), hot dog and blooming onion; a onion deep fried and slowly falling apart on the plate lotus-style.

To wash it all down I chose a chocolate brownie thickshake – soft serve ice cream and real chocolate brownie blended together until only a few chunks remained. This doubled as dessert, but if I had opted for a dessert ‘dish’, there’s everything USA from sweet pumpkin pie, pecan pie and red velvet cake, right through to Peanut Butter M&Ms and a deep-fried Twinkie bar.

Yes, Misty’s Diner also has a small candy shop where you can stock up on Big Red cinnamon gum, Reeses Pieces, Butterfingers, Sioux City Cream Soda, Dr Pepper and Cherry Cola.

This is no ordinary restaurant – it’s an institution, and there are additionally many more reasons to love it; while the meat might not be halal certified, Misty’s menu is very clear about which products do and don’t contain pork – nearly all the hot dogs are made with beef, while the burgers can be easily ordered sans bacon. There’s even a “secret menu” – for those not in the know, this is an American concept at fast food stores where specialty dishes can be made on request – the items don’t appear on the regular menu, but all the ingredients are on hand in the kitchen. Extra hot chilli sauce (like, seriously hot – known as “Po’ man’s cocaine”) is also available for those of you who can’t get enough spice.

We left, as always, happy as ever, overstuffed and giggling at how slightly corny but overall awesome the whole experience was, and already dreaming of what we might order next time. This is not the place to come every night (as much as I’d love to, there aren’t enough hours in the day to work off the calories I would consume), nor is it the place where you’re going to lose a whole heap of weight. But sometimes food is supposed to be fun, and if you’re the type of person for whom fun means getting served by someone called James Dean, and trying to wrap your lips around a shamelessly delctable burger cooked up ol’ southern style; well partner, you’re in luck.

As Misty says; “I hope you brought your appetite, cause things are gonna get messy. No-one leaves the diner hungry!”

Food: 10/10

Ambience: 9/10

Service: 9/10

Cost: Mains $10 – $25

103 – 105 High Street, Prahran, another location at Reservoir

(03) 9510 1959

www.mistysdiner.com.au

Opening hours; depends on the day and store, check the website for details.

Have you been to an American-style diner before? Either in the USA, or elsewhere? What did you order? Tell us below!