Late Night Diner

I miss the Open late Café that was on Ponsonby Road in the late 90s. I loved that they were open till all hours serving huge burgers, impressive hot chocolates and scrummy desserts to the drunk and vertically challenged.
Well now the Late Night Diner is the place to go after the Pub when you need a decent feed. The inside reminds me of an Amercian Diner particularly one we already have in Auckland — ‘Federal Street Deli’.
We had already had an easy dinner with the rugby so we went here for dessert, but on spying their lobster I will definitely be going back for dinner.
For dessert my friends and I had the Rhubarb Cobbler which came out in a dish on top of a wooden board and with your own little jug of custard. It was hot and the topping crunchy. My other friend had the donuts served in a mandarin sauce which was original and ice cream on the side.
Service was good too. I will be back.

Finally a good restaurant that stays open into the small hours of the morning. It’s not for everyone, but when you’ve had a few drinks and want some food, it’s nice to have the opportunity to sit down and have some nice restaurant food rather than some nasty unhealthy takeaways.
The food is a mix of burgers/​sandwiches as well as some other mains and sides etc. The food has always been good value and very tasty. I haven’t managed to get there during the day, but I’m definitely interested in trying it out.
At the end of the day, the late night diner fills a niche and a very good one!

We need more places like this in Australia! The Late Night Diner was like a beacon in the night after a bar hopping around Auckland for hours on end. But I’d be more than happy to spend a whole night there in one of the booths out of the cold while I sucked down milkshakes and sampled all their treats.
We popped by in the wee hours for a quick snack before heading home and their potato bites with paprika and mayo really hit the spot. There’s plenty of cosy seating and a small bar for something naughty but overall I’d say that they’d have something for everyone.
This is 110% a better option for late night food than something gross from a big greasy fast food chain store.

I really like this place, breeze in, grab a table and order big or small. The milkshakes always look amazing, but I never seem to order one. And you can’t go past their maple fried chicken. Tonight I went all vegetarian and had the roasted eggplant, a traditional Jewish dish, delicious (couldn’t help having a piece of the chicken though when it was offered). Oh, and then we ordered a cheeseburger with jalapeños (it just looked so good as it passed by we couldn’t help ourselves). Still so many more things to try… Perfectly named restaurant for a late night snack.

Adult milkshakes make this place worth visiting at night. Mine was a chocolate and peanut butter one with amaretto and it was yum. The food menu looks great too, though I’m yet to try it. Indoor seating is very American and outdoor seating is great for people watching in Ponsonby. They’re open late, very late, as their name suggests.

There needs to be more places like this!
Auckland lacks the the late night food department, however, if there were to be King/​Queen of the late night food empire in Auckland it would definitely be Late Night Diner.
Food is tasty, a bit expensive (which is why 4 instead of 5 stars), however, I feel like you are paying for what you are getting. You aren’t getting greasy sub par fast food — they definitely serve up good quality diner food and decent portions as well. I had a burger and fries last time I was there and it was delish! You’ll find a selection of beers and wines are up for grabs, but the best part is the alcoholic milkshakes. I will go there just for the milkshake. They definitely pack a punch and are not for the light hearted. Worth every penny you shell out for these babies as they are not light in alcohol. These will knock you off your feet if you have already had a few drinks (in a good way of course).
The vibe is cool, and every time I’ve been in there I’ve had awesome service.
Auckland, you need more joints like this, and Late Night Diner, keep doing your thang.

Yeah this place is cool. We had the fried chicken and the hamburger and both were really good!

You know, I hate being the party pooper. The one that takes the thing that everyone raves about and says ‘well. its ooookay”. Today I am that person. The food is delicious of course, everyone agrees. but is it delicious and value for money when you go in totally sober and expecting great things? Sadly, not this time.
We seated ourselves at the bar, watching their every move with hungry eyes, the cooking staff whizzed around and we rudely stopped them and tried to solicit opinions on what THEY recommend we have. We dutifully ordered and got fried chicken, a bacon cheeseburger and MacNcheese.
The cheeseburger was nice, but without a zest or special flair, it was just a nice plain cheeseburger with some bacon added. The Chicken was YUM, I could have stayed seated all evening to eat that stuff … but the Mac&Cheese was. underwhelming, they seemed to try to make it interesting without getting the basics right. Drinks, well. I was driving so I just ordered Coke. which was service in a glass so small to be nearly a shot glass when you took out the ice. (okay that was a joke, but it was pretty small) and at $ 3, I felt like I had to order three-​four glasses to get near a 330ml can.
Décor was americana-​ish, prices were too steep for the food, service was EXCELLENT.

It’s past midnight on a Friday night. You’re in Ponsonby, you’re tired, possibility drunk and VERY hungry.
Would you rather?
1) Grab a booth seat at Late Night Diner with your friends and be served battered pickles, fried chicken, hamburgers and fries by charming men is suspenders.
OR
2) Jump solo into a taxi, make them drive through McDs (for an extortionate amount of money) and wake up next to a half eaten cheeseburger.
Thought so…
To the best of my knowledge, Late Night Diner is the first of it’s kind in Auckland. Opening at 5pm, 7 days a week and serving food until, well, late, they’ve got you covered no matter when that insatiable late night hunger kicks in.
As to be expected, the menu is full of American classics. My go-​to is the cheeseburger with bacon but I’ve recently discovered the fried pickles with mayo — crunchy, sour and salty… yum!
A lot of people can’t get enough of their hard shakes and to be fair they do sound pretty damn good — especially the vanilla one with cigar infused bourbon and curacao — but alcohol mixed with dairy just ain’t for me, especially if you’ve been drinking prior to dining (which to be honest, I recommend you do when you go to Late Night Diner… responsibly, of course). Instead check out their cocktail list — it is well crafted and the waiters are seasoned pros who are happy to recommend drinks if you are unsure.
If you’ve got room for dessert the oreo doughboys are a must. They’re served with a shooter of vanilla milkshake… mental!

Snuggled next to the Ponsonby Social Club in a long, narrow space, the Diner epitomises 1950’s Americana; no, not Happy Days, but more retro times. The wooden panelled walls are plastered with posters, you can choose to sit at counter stools or cosy up in a booth and the tunes will have you crooning along with the best of ‘em. Even the waiters are decked out with braces to hold their britches up.
Head Chef Tom Clouston is right out there on display with his team in front of a wall of pickles. His menu is diner-​rific; burgers, slaw, deep-​fried pickles & Oreo doughboys. There’s a wonderful bar selection to wash it all down with, including a great range of NZ & US craft beers. And you gotta try the «hard» shakes, such as the Vanilla shake with cigar-​infused bourbon & dry curacao. When they say thick shakes, they mean thick.
We indulged in the cheese & bacon burger. This is the first time I have ever been asked how I wanted my burger cooked, and it was a revelation. Why don’t more «gourmet» burger bars do this? My medium-​rare burger was the most succulent & juicy burger I have eaten, and the kitchen allow you to add your own condiments — again, a stroke of burger genius.
In the interest of a fair & honest review, we had to try the fried battered pickles with spicy mayo to start. American diners can stand or fall on their deep-​frying prowess, and this light tempura batter was crispy, finger-​lickin’ goodness. If you prefer your pickles au natural, you can also buy them by the jar.
The prices for most items on the short order menu fall in the $ 16 and under category, making the Late Night Diner an economical & stylish dining option.

Great burgers and fries, and perfect fish & chips. Nice selection of American craft beer. And the service was super!

I have visited the late night diner a few times now.
The place has a very cool old school American diner vibe, the booths are so cosy and a very fun way to dine with friends. Sitting up at the bar is nice too if your alone or with one other. The music makes the place even better.
I would highly recommend the chocolate thick shake and also the classic burgers are amazing.
I recently has the steak tomato and cheese sandwich and sadly i have to say it wasn’t amazing. The cheese was to overpowering and the bread slightly dry. The lovely waiter appreciated my comments and dealt with the matter appropriately.
Late night diner is one of my go to spots later in the evening, so handy been open later than post other eateries on Ponsonby rd,

Love Late Night Diner! A little disappointed that every teenage ‘Kathmandu jacket’ girl is finding about this place but I suppose it was bound to happen. I ordered a chocolate thickshake, the oreo doughboys and fried pickles while my more health-​conscious friend chose the pumpkin pie. Holy moly was that some great stuff and the heart palpitations are totally worth it. The thickshake and doughboys are especially rich and sweet and those pickles with the spicy mayonnaise are crazy addictive. The pumpkin pie is smooooooth man seriously you have to check that baby out.
The ambience of the place that night was interesting: a mixture of boozy party girls, the Ponsonby HiPsTer crowd with their identical new season Karen Walker and an older crowd who I don’t think completely understood the irony of the diner setting. as in, it’s styled to be like an American diner, it’s not an actual American diner. Over-​analysis aside, sitting along the counter were exclusively middle-​aged and older men drinking soup and wistfully looking into their coffee cups. it really did feel like we were in some Mid-​Western side-​of-​the-​motorway diner cart for a minute there. Spooky cool.
ANYWAY the main reason I’m writing a review for Late Night Diner is because a little incident occurred during our maiden visit. At the booth in front of ours were a group of four pretty inebriated patrons, one of whom decided to randomly fumble around with the light fixture on the wall. next thing I knew, the light falls off the wall and smashes on my friend. NONE of the people at their table turned around to make sure we were okay! I even saw one of the girls GLARE at us and slur to her friend, «ohhh shit happens.”
My friend escaped with only minor scratches and the staff were quick to make sure no one was badly hurt before helping my friend with some bandaids and cleaning up the mess. As we went to pay for our meal the bartender informed us that our bill had been ‘settled’ between them and that table which we weren’t expecting at all. In no way was that incident a fault of the staff and it was way awesome of them to take care of us like that! So if any of the staff who were there that night are reading this review, thank you guys so much! We have spread the word about how awesome this place is and I know my friend and I will be back soon enough too! x

The Late Night Diner is just that — a diner open late at night. It may not seem like much, but for someone who is frequently caught out with no food after 10:30pm, it’s a lifesaver. The joint opens at 5pm each day, so it’s strictly dinner and sometimes early morning dining — ’til 2:00am from Thursday until Sunday. It’s owned and operated by the people next door who run Ponsonby Social Club, so you can get your party on in there and food in their new spot afterwards. A very clever idea.
The vibe is 1950’s American. There are burgers, of course, and slightly more obscure things like pumpkin pie and three cheese lasagne. I like the lamb chops. As well as food, they’ve got cocktails that include these sort of alcoholic milkshakes. Very dangerous. I like.