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Save<\/p>\nThe Grounds of Alexandria is behind this fun new Sydney cafe serving classic double cheeseburgers and soft-serve sundaes.<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Park St. Diner<\/p>\n Contemporary$$$$<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n The cafe, Park St. Diner, is the latest venture from the hospitality group behind one of Sydney\u2019s most Instagrammed venues, The Grounds of Alexandria. It opened in 2012 and established the group\u2019s reputation for prioritising aesthetics as highly as hospitality. <\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, Park St. Diner became an immediate hit. I remained sceptical. While I\u2019m 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\u2019ve been burned before. <\/p>\n The last time I visited one of The Grounds\u2019 cafes I waited about 40 minutes for a cup of coffee. It was at The Grounds Coffee Factory<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.<\/p>\n Sign up<\/a><\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n Obviously, I caved. And, perhaps less obviously, I think you should, too. Park St. Diner was a delight. <\/p>\n 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\u2019t expect anything culinarily mind-blowing. Park St. Diner is simply a fun experience \u2013 a little bit like stepping onto a set at the Universal Pictures theme park in LA. <\/p>\n 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 \u2013 a hospitality veteran who built the family home with his own hands, and taught Choker the skills to get The Grounds off the \u2026 ground.<\/p>\n \u201cHospitality can be really hard,\u201d Choker said, acknowledging the company\u2019s financial difficulties, which involved the liquidation of four associated companies in 2018. \u201cBut I love creating cool experiences and building places that make people happy, and that\u2019s what makes me keep coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 \ud834\udd1280s-era McDonald\u2019s (with the \ud834\udd1280s 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.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the friendly servers, too, who make all the difference. They greet us in line, explain there\u2019s one-hour seating on weekends, and estimate wait times. A capped dining time means no one has to wait too long, and it\u2019s communicated with warmth rather than a frenzied \u201cget in, get out\u201d energy. Think of it like part of the theme park experience.<\/p>\n While diners reportedly experienced significant delays at launch, dishes now arrive within minutes. Yes, even the pancakes. They\u2019re thick, buttery and a little eggier than you\u2019d expect, like the famous sourdough pancakes at Pina<\/a> if they were combined with McDonald\u2019s hotcakes. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n Three other places to try pancakes\u00a0<\/p>\n Theeca<\/a><\/p>\n Go with the flow of syrup and order the dish on everyone\u2019s table \u2013 the buttermilk pancake topped with a generous splodge of creme fraiche, pooled with blackberry and raspberry jam. Yes, that\u2019s pancake, singular. You only get one but it\u2019s the granddaddy of all griddle cakes, cooked in a frying pan instead of a flat grill to form its signature rounded rim and fluffy, scone-like centre. A moat of maple syrup keeps no one away. The all-day cafe flips out about 600 a week, make sure you get one of them.<\/p>\n 1 Burton Street, Darlinghurst, theeca.com.au<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Happyfield<\/a><\/p>\n How many can you do? Pancakes, not push-ups, that is. At Happyfield you can order a serve of two or three pancakes, then pile on extra layers for $5 a pop. The soft, cakey slabs are identical in height, weight and texture \u2013 much like the old Macca\u2019s hotcakes before they started reheating them to order. Each serve comes with a drizzle of La Ferme Martinette \u2013 a lighter, first-press \u201cgolden\u201d maple syrup that lets the subtle vanilla flavours of the stack shine through.<\/p>\n 96 Ramsay Street, Haberfield, happyfield.com.au<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Bills<\/a><\/p>\n Brunch king Bill Granger perfected the pancake back in 1993 when he opened his first cafe on a Darlinghurst street corner. His now-famous ricotta hotcakes have spread across the globe like hot butter, starring on menus in the UK, Japan and Korea, not to mention four locations in Sydney. Whipped egg whites and ricotta are behind the soft, custardy centre but it\u2019s the medallions of honeycomb-flecked butter that place this pancake-eating experience at the top of the pile. Come back on World Egg Day (October 10) for Granger\u2019s signature scramble.<\/p>\n 433 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst; 79 Hall Street, Bondi Beach; 16 Cross Street, Double Bay; 355 Crown Street, Surry Hills, bills.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can\u2019t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e797b728990c371a21c361edf45c23f6180441a0.jpeg\")
The fat honey butter pancake.Dion Georgopoulos<\/p>\n![\"Double](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/42c2d42c4de4636e3521c16dceca6e32b16e3288.jpeg\")
Double beef and cheese burger.Dion Georgopoulos<\/p>\n![\"Honey](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/94abfa9c74754d70800ce659dda7c77536ec9b73.jpeg\")
Honey butter pancake.Dion Georgopoulos<\/p>\n
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