The D Diner

We love diners, and we had high hopes about D Diner.
When we walked it, we totally fell for the interior design. The look of the place was fantastic! It was exactly like what the classic American diner looks like. It had booths, a shiny countertop with stools, straw holders, a lemonade machine, classic music from the 50s, the waitresses were dressed up. It was perfect.
The menu was really appealing, too. D Diner offer the traditional fare; burgers, fries, shakes, American brand beers, tuna melts, Philly cheese steaks. We had such a hard deciding! Our friend ordered the chocolate shake, and she was really happy with that decision. Her boyfriend ordered a Budweiser because we were at an American diner, after all, and we ordered a root beer and a Dr Pepper.
In the end, we decided to order the Philly cheesesteaks, a tuna melt, and a Chevy 56 burger. Our sides were some Mac n Cheese, fries, and poppers, plus Ranch dressing. I don’t know what happened after that, but things just went really bad with the kitchen. As we were waiting, we could see plates being returned because the food was cold. We started to worry because at the prices we were paying, nothing should be cold. Everything should be freshly made. But again and again, food was being returned. The wait staff were very busy! After waiting 45 minutes, which is way longer than we would wait at a Michelin restaurant, we asked about our food. Christian, I think he was called, said it would be about 5 – 10 minutes after he conversed with the kitchen. They overestimated themselves. We waited 20 minutes more, and had ask Christian again. I felt so sorry for him and the waitress working because it wasn’t their fault the food was coming out so slow. We finally got our orders… kind of. Our Philly cheesesteaks and burgers came, but not the tuna melt. Nor our side orders. We had to wait 10 more minutes for the tuna melt. And we were still waiting for the sides. Anyways, our friend had asked for her burger to be well done because she is pregnant, but it was not well done. It was very pink in the center. Christian offered a new one, but she said no and said she would eat some of her boyfriends Philly cheese steak and Mac and cheese. We were still waiting for the side orders and tuna melt at this point. The Philly cheesesteak wasn’t anything special. I used to spend summertime in Philly, so I know what a cheesesteak should taste like, and this wasn’t it. This was tough, dry, thickly cut pieces of meat stuffed on a hotdog bun (really? Because the menu said it would be a subway bun), topped with slightly fried green peppers (they were still crispy, and no onions!), and topped with slightly melted cheddar cheese. In other words, not a Philly cheesesteak. Finally the tuna melt came, and it wasn’t worth waiting for. The tuna mix was bland, and the cheese was barely visible on the bread. We were STILL waiting for our sides. Finally, the sweet waitress brought out a side of toast (which we didn’t order, but she was told by the kitchen that we did), and our side of fries. Or should I say, three side orders of fries: we only ordered one. We were still waiting for our ranch dressing and Mac and cheese. We got our dressing. Not homemade. It came from a plastic squeeze bottle, no doubt. And we got 1 side order of Mac and cheese after Christian had to again go back to the kitchen. Part of the problem was that the two people in the kitchen weren’t communicating with each other. Our friend used to work in the hospitality industry, and he knows that it’s über important for the kitchen staff to talk to each other. We were still waiting for the second order of Mac and cheese, but I was talked out of it by the others because the whole meal was already a fiasco. The chili poppers were frozen ones and had been in the fryer too long so that most of the cheese had come out. The fries were frozen fries, too. Not homemade!
The wait staff were really kind. We don’t blame them for the food at all. We felt sorry for them, in fact, because they were the ones that had to deal with the disappointed customers. But they handled it well, and they should be proud of their staff. But the kitchen staff should really be overhauled. Since most of the food was obviously prepared and frozen, it shouldn’t have taken over an hour to partially get our food on the table.
If you come here for the milkshakes and the atmosphere, then you won’t go away disappointed. But avoid ordering anything else… the three stars is only for the wait staff and Christian, who actually deserve 5 stars for their service.

Having been here many times, I finally decided to write a review.
Where to start…
1^st: The service. The waitresses are not very helpful. Not only did they seem annoyed to be at work, but good luck getting a waitress to help you.
2^nd. the food. The root beer floats are decent. (How hard is it to make a root-​beer float, after all.) The Burgers are too greasy, too the point where they fall apart, and the burgers have also been over or under cooked. My child likes the french fries.
3^rd. The atmosphere was decent with good music. And a lot of references 1950’s America.
I really had high hopes after the re opening. Which, in all fairness, the food was a lot better right after the reopening. However as time passed, and I visited many times, the food quality went down. Almost as if the kitchen staff had a high turn around.

I keep coming back for the amazing milkshakes, but every time the burgers disappoint. I’m not sure if «påskebrød» buns is American standards, but I’d rather have a burger at one of the nearby cafés.
Besides from that it’s a classy place with nice staff and atmosphere.

Visited the diner after purchasing a group on offer for a «burger of the week». The burger was nothing more than a meat patty and a slice of cheese on a bun, with a small portion of fries. You’ll find a better burger at most other cafés in Copenhagen. Not worth the price, even at 50% off.

A nice themed place resembling an american diner from the 50−60s. The serving people have uniforms. I had a Blue-​cheese burger. The meat was great! The downside was the bun. Its a regular bun youd buy in a supermarket and pretty dry. The Burger sadly does justify the price (a burger costs the same as a burger at cocks and cows, and they are much better).
The service however, is enthusiastic and good. Also the beer is pretty cheap (4 american budweisers for 100DKK). They have more beers than they write in the menu, so its probably worth taking a look (I saw anchorsteam steam beer and liberty ale — sadly after I ordered the watery budweisers).
+Enthusiastic service
+Good meat
+relatively cheap beer
–Burger does not justify price

Hooray, it’s back!
This popular Valby spot has reopened in a smaller, but well-​decorated new space off Valby Langgade, and it’s already as popular as its earlier spot, if my visits are anything to go by. It was really nice to see the place packed already, and it’s especially heartening to see what a popular spot it is with families.
The kitchen is trying very hard to serve as authentic American diner food as possible, and it succeeds. I really enjoyed my Tuna Melt, which included real dill pickles – something I have sorely missed since moving to Denmark.
My quesadilla was also very very good on my first visit. It was filled with cheddar cheese and refried beans (these beans are a rarity in DK), and came with sour cream, homemade salsa and guacamole. Both the salsa and the guacamole were very flavorful.
A friend asked to sample the homemade Ranch dressing, and it was also a winner. Her Patty Melt looked quite good as well.
My husband’s Millie’s Breakfast was good except for the sausages, which are standard cocktail hot dogs found at any Danish brunch buffet. :(In order for this dish to succeed, the sausages either need to be left off the menu, or replaced with authentic American breakfast patties or links. The pancakes, however, were perfect American fluffy pancakes.
There are 2 other things which should be fixed, and which would raise my rating to 5 stars:
1. Serve the sodas with ice.
2. Add more ice cream to the shakes. Most of the time they’re much thicker in the US than these were.
Apart from those 2 things, and the sausage, the Diner is onto another sure thing, as long as the quality remains consistent, and the cooks adhere to the American menu and follow it to the letter.
A plus for the beautiful waitresses, too.
UPDATE December 29:
Sadly, the standards are slipping with each return visit, and it’s a real shame, because this time they have no excuse for inauthenticity, given the head chef is American.
The embarrassing menus from the old location with its «glaced ham» and other danglish are still used, with items crossed out with painter’s tape, even after the owners claimed back in July that they were delayed by the printer’s summer holidays. That’s some holiday, huh?
The Facebook page should just be updated in Danish, because the owners have no interest in improving their English.
It’s really a shame, because there’s a sizable number of American immigrants sitting around underemployed who would love to proofread the menu or offer suggestions if the owners were half serious about having an authentic diner.
I do hope they’ll listen to constructive criticism this time, because they’re shooting themselves in the foot again, as word gets out.
As it is now, I would revise my ratings to 3 stars, but I’ll keep it at 4 as my initial impression was much more positive.
Speak up, please, if you too can see the decline!