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

The Grounds of Alexandria is behind this fun new Sydney cafe serving classic double cheeseburgers and soft-serve sundaes.

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.

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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 ski