If the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives has taught us anything- other than annoying catchphrases and wearing sunglasses on the back of your head can make you famous- it’s that North Americans have an enduring love for comforting classics done well. Especially if that food is served up in a family run diner full of charm and personality.

While these diners are plentiful in the U.S.A., finding an Edmonton diner with some pizzazz and great homemade food is a challenge. I can only think of 1 diner in Edmonton and surrounding area (well, besides this weeks second review) that fit’s the bill of what I think of when I think of a classic diner- retro style, homemade comfort food, family run, casual, and inexpensive- and that’s Hathaway’s Diner. Sure, there are other restaurants that bill themselves as diners, but most don’t really meet this personal definition of a diner to me.

All that changed for me last week, when on a few tips from friends and family, Robyn and I ventured out to Fort Saskatchewan to check out a real family-run diner that I was told is doing things right, with some old school flair.

Check out The Downtown Diner.

The Downtown Diner

I got a couple hot tips about the burgers at The Downtown Diner, and was planning on visiting already, but then I got this message from one of the owners, Lori Short.

Hi there! I’m new to your blog and fb page but I’m loving what you are doing. If you are ever in Fort Saskatchewan come and try us out. We are The Downtown Diner and we opened up just under a year ago. Comfort food classics. Everything scratch made. We even make our own ketchup! Best burgers out there. Our “Downtowner” is made with double smoked cheddar, brown sugar bacon, in house made crispy onions and our secret Diner sauce. We are a good old fashioned 50’s style Diner that serves up the classics. But our burgers speak for themselves. Nothing frozen and always fresh. We would love it if you tried us out.

Nothing gets me jazzed up to try a new place quite like seeing some passion from the people running the show, but what really struck me is how confident she was that they’d deliver on the promise of a great burger. We decided to head out to the Fort that weekend, unannounced, and check it out. Thankfully it wasn’t until I was taking pictures of the burger that Lori figured out who I was, so I was ensured to get the same experience anyone else would.

The Downtown Diner- 10209a 100 ave, Fort Saskatchewan

First impressions upon walking inside the diner are good. Visually, it’s exactly what I’m looking for in a classic diner, from the checkered floor, to the red vinyl booths. It looks fantastic.

Our preferred seating at any diner is always at the counter, so we made a beeline for a prime spot at the back of the restaurant. There’s nothing better than getting lunch with a free show included, I always say. Since there is no menu posted online, we got our first look at the menu when we sat down. Of course I already knew what I was having (the downtowner), but Robyn would have a tough decision to make. A lot of the lunch dishes whisking past us looked and sounded good, but she settled on the BLT, with brown sugar bacon, lettuce, and salted tomatoes.

• Meat- It was no easy task digging out the meat from the precarious mountain of toppings, but I managed to get a look and taste of the patty by itself. It’s definitely charred on the grill, and at first glance I thought maybe it was too charred. However, when we ate the patty, that charred flavour was good- not burnt tasting as I feared. In fact, Robyn and I actually quite enjoyed the bit of crunch from the edge pieces. No question it was a bit drier on the inside than I find ideal, but when I ate everything together I wasn’t left thinking it was dry. There was so much juicy stuff on the burger that it all kind of balanced out nicely. Thankfully, this patty was also gristle-free.

• Bun- The bun was described to me as sort of a hybrid of brioche and regular white bun that is baked especially for the Diner. It’s definitely a bun that holds up to the copious amounts of toppings thrown at it, and it held together nicely. It was well toasted, and had a nice light texture. I liked this bun quite a bit.

• Toppings- Right off the bat, I love that The Downtown Diner is making brown sugar bacon. Candied bacon is one of my favourite things, and it’s so easy to do. They put a couple slices on there, and it’s good stuff. Robyn kept trying to steal mine, even though she had her own on her BLT. Also on the burger were some crispy onions, which work much better than the typical soggy onion rings a lot of burger places are using these days. They stayed crunchy, and added lots of flavour. The tomato was nice and ripe, and the smoked cheddar was a nice addition. Though there was a good amount of cheese, it almost got lost in the mix with all the other toppings (I’m sure I’d still miss it if it was gone). And what is it about shredding iceberg lettuce that makes it taste 100 times better? Not only does it taste better, it doesn’t cause the whole burger tower to slip and slide around like a baby deer on ice skates every time you touch it. This is how it should always be done. Even the diner sauce was tasty, though I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what’s in it, and the sauce nazi’s at the diner wouldn’t give it up.

The Downtowner

The Downtowner

I was pretty impressed with this burger, and the diner as a whole. It tasted every bit as good as it looked, and was a fantastic value. The diner couldn’t have hit my greasy spoon stereotypes more on the nose, unless of course they start putting the waitresses on roller-skates. My only complaint is that I’ve got a hefty drive to get there from downtown Edmonton, but when the weather co-operates, it’s totally worth it.

Another thing that really impressed me was that there seemed to be some refreshing creativity to some of the classics. Sticking to the main theme, but adding a bit of a twist is pretty much my modus operandi in the kitchen, so I appreciate the little tweaks that add some personality. In particular, the Fried Chicken seems like a standard menu item for a diner, but it looked to be drizzled with honey which would be amazing. I’m totally having that next time we head out there.

Side Note- Of course, the french fries are hand cut, and nice and crispy. Served with a side of Diner Sauce, there’s enough here to feed a skinny family of 4, or 1 baconhound. Trust me, you’re not going home hungry after this burger and fries.

Cost- $13.00, served with fries. No, that’s not a typo…. it’s 13 bucks. Outstanding value.

Rockin’ Robyn’s Diner- 16604 109 ave

The experience I had at The Downtown Diner really upped the bar for diners in Edmonton, so I was pretty anxious to see how west Edmonton’s retro-diner Rockin’ Robyn’s would stack up.

Entering the room, it’s clear they’ve done a nice job creating that diner vibe, right down to the red stools, checkered floor, and vintage posters upon the wall. The place was packed for a Friday lunch service too, so things were looking promising right off the bat.

I ordered the Rockin’ Burger, which comes with a homemade beef patty, cheddar, bacon, onion rings, and sauteed mushrooms.

• Meat- The patty was pretty dense, but looked to have a decent crust on it from the flattop. To be honest though, none of that stuff even mattered with this burger, as there was a very pronounced – and unappealing flavour – to the patty that rendered everything else totally pointless. I asked our server what seasonings were used but, other than salt and pepper, she wasn’t sure. She said it was too busy at the moment to go ask the kitchen, so I’m not sure if it was the seasonings or the beef that gave the patty the “off” flavour.

• Bun- The bun is a standard, white sesame seed bun, but was toasted so little that all the condiments and grease from the sauteed mushrooms just soaked into the bun and it disintegrated under the weight of the burger. By the halfway point of the burger the bottom had completely fallen apart and I was holding the burger by the patty. This was messy to eat, and not in a good way.

• Toppings- The bottom of the bun was doused with relish, mustard, onions, and sauteed mushrooms. As I mentioned, all that juice destroyed the bun, with the mushrooms being the biggest culprit. I mean, what do you expect when you put hot greasy mushrooms directly on the bun? Of course that’s going to destroy it. There was a good amount of real cheddar on the burger which was good, along with a few large onion rings, which were thankfully still nice and crispy. There was 2 slices of bacon, but they weren’t cooked well. One slice was half cooked/half raw, and the other one was pretty limp. The couple slices of tomato were awkwardly placed atop the onion rings, and wouldn’t stay in place either.

Here’s a picture of the side with all the stuff

The Rockin’ burger was anything but for me. Given the good ratings on Yelp and Urbanspoon, I was expecting much better. There were so many basic flaws with this, that I can only describe the whole package as very careless.

Speaking of careless, when the burger arrived, it looked like it had been assembled by a child. The patty, onion rings, tomato, and bacon were only half on the bun, at best. In fact, one piece of bacon and tomato weren’t on the bun at all. I had already given it a nudge toward the middle before I decided I should get this picture…

The Rockin’ Robyn Burger

I usually like to find at least one redeeming quality to any burger, but this one was tough. Considering I didn’t like the meat, the bun, or most of the toppings, I guess the onion rings get the nod here.

Side Note- We got the krinkle cut fries over the hand-cut ones, as the server advised us they hold up to the gravy much better. They were ok, and the gravy was actually pretty good. In hindsight, the gravy was probably our favourite thing we had at Rockin’ Robyn’s.

Cost- $10, served with fries. Gravy was a paltry $0.50 add on. Really cheap, but I guess that only matters if you like it.

It’s obviously pretty easy to pick a winner this week, and I’m already looking forward to another trip out to Fort Saskatchewan to check out more of The Downtown Diner’s menu.

You guys have been great in giving me feedback on the burgers you’ve tried yourselves, so please continue to feel free to let me know when you try one I’ve reviewed.