Al’s Diner

Had a half of a burger with a colleague.
I must say it was scrumchilllioisious!!!
I will have to go and dine in with my family!!!
Thanks from guy at SS

At one time I counted 12 places that you could get chicken and chips from between The Sun at The Station and The Pear Tree. It doesn’t take much imagination to offer something original in the ways of fast food. Al’s Diner have spotted a niche in the market and jumped right in. They serve burgers, hot dogs, milkshakes and deserts in such authentic US surroundings, (NYC print wall paper, state-​side memorabilia authentic shake-​bar stools) that you half expect Arthur Fonzarelli to enter stage right with a ‘Hey!’ and start asking ’bout Richey.
This place is very popular with tweens, who have claimed it as their own space to meet, hang out and gaze out of the window while supping a shake. Others like to drop in for a pre-​pub snack before hitting the High Street. Families are catered for too, and on a Friday evening they take time out from busy schedules for some quality informal dining time together.
Those who believe that ‘It’s Dork To Eat Pork’ can join in as the hot-​dogs here are made with beef. In fact, the whole menu is Halal.
Service with a smile comes as standard, and they’ll tweak meals to suit you. There’s a level of community and philanthropy going on here which is hard to beat. If you haven’t got an Uncle Sam then you can find a surrogate family member in Al.

So, having had luck with recommendations from Ben C before, I thought it best I check this place out on a day in Kings Heath. Now, I was meeting Ben for lunch at Veg Out (see
), I didn’t actually eat here — I just grabbed a coffee to visit and soak up the ambiance (being your intrepid Unilocal Community Manager).
Al’s Diner is just off the main stretch of Kings Heath and opposite York Road. It’s easy to spot, with it’s American vibe and bright red exterior. As you might guess from the name, it’s got a bit of a «happy days» vibe to it. From the red and white patterned work surfaces to old school Americana prints and design touches, it’s all very sweet.
As I say, I just popped in for a hot drink — but I will definitely pop back in for a burger at some point! The burgers looked huge and were priced around £2.50 (without fries) making it a bargain! They also had a great selection of sweet treats on the menu at similarly reasonable prices.
My coffee wasn’t the best (it was served with UHT milk), but that’s not why you would visit normally. I grabbed a coffee and a can of cola and I believe it came to around £2.20 — which is a bit of a steal really. I was served with a smile and felt welcome throughout my whole visit (despite taking up a whole booth just to drink my coffee and do some work).
I probably wouldn’t travel all the way to Kings Heath to visit, but I urge you to pop in if you are based around here. If I was down here for the day, I would 100% make a date with one of their calorific treats for lunch or dinner.

A brand new American style diner has opened in Kings Heath! I’ve always wanted to open my own US style diner so was thrilled to bits when I heard about it!
My friend Gemma had already been in and recommended the burgers to me so we arranged to meet up in there. It’s really refreshing to go to a fast food establishment that isn’t just a generic oily chip shop or kebab shop. The décor and design is based loosely on the diner from Happy Day’s (hence ‘Al’s Diner’) and it’s bright, colourful and happy.
I can imagine this being a place a lot of teenagers would love to hang out (well I would have liked it!) but it seems fairly quiet other than people grabbing take-​outs.
My hungry friend ordered the Big Al, a dime bar milk shake and some chicken wings. She was not disappointed, saying the burger and wings were fresh and tasty and I sampled her milkshake, oh my days it was heaven in a glass!
I tried the chicken nacho burger which was absolutely delicious. I was shocked and impressed that the prices were more in line with a cheap kebab shop than a US diner.
The staff were so friendly and keen to hear our feedback, they said they’d happily take bookings for parties and are keen to hear any suggestions about the menu which they are about to update. All of the meat is halal.