Restaurants / Reviews
Atomic Diner – restaurant review
It’s as if we jumped into Toy Story and all the toys forgot to fall down.
“Hi, I’ve got your Ziggy Stardust for you,” a waiter in a Batman T-shirt tells one table. On the other side, Darth Vader sits happily next to a dalek. They seem more chilled out than usual.
Atomic Diner on Union Street – sister restaurant of Atomic Burger on Gloucester Road – embraces the excited child in us all.
It’s stuffed with memorabilia and pop culture. Behind a retro pinball machine looms an enormous copy of a Roy Lichtenstein print. Beneath the bar, VHS tapes are lined up, collected by staff who raided their parents’ attics. Posters of Spider Man cover one wall, Star Wars comics another, and toys climb up the walls and hang from the ceiling.
Atomic Diner is a sci-fi fan’s dream, but good fun for anyone to spend some time spotting their favourite comic, character or series.
Deliberating between a Dolly Parton burger (double stacked burger, jalapenos, crispy bacon and double USA cheese) and a Ziggy Stardust pizza (prosciutto crudo, sundried tomato and parmesan), I sense the stare of Buzz Lightyear across the room and go for the Messy Jessie burger.
All these geeky goodies aren’t just a gimmick. The food is extraordinarily good with all burgers having the choice between beef, chicken and veggie. They serve pizzas too, with a respectful Alan Rickman (goat’s cheese, mushrooms and rocket).
The Messy Jessie lives up to its name as it starts to fall apart towards the end, juicy sauces spilling out of the soft bun. The beef, cooked medium, is tender and juicy. Red onions sweet.
The “sci fries” are subtly sprinkled with chili and garlic, and are incredibly moreish. Thankfully there’s a happy balance between good quality and good content, and portions are generous.
If you’re feeling adventurous, for pudding you can order a mini campfire to toast marshmallows on.
The jelly and ice cream sundae comes highly recommended. It brings back memories of children’s parties and feels like it should be served with a tray of Party Rings and a game of musical bumps.
Atomic Diner is an enormously fun environment, passionate about its geekiness. Even a trip to the bathroom is fun. Passing Captain America, Mario bounces along one wall and Buzz stands upside down by the door. Audrey Hepburn invites you into the ladies while Spock shows you into the gents.
They don’t yet have wifi or a website, which frankly isn’t very futuristic, and though a coffee from a nearby table is returned as it’s only half full, we can assume it’s a mistake in the confusion of opening, rather than any major issue.
One table of bearded men test the range of the diner as one has a beer, another a coke with a curly straw, and another an enormous ice cream sundae. They clink their glasses together and drink.
Creative design, delicious food and friendly waiters, with The Simpsons sitting in the corner: what more could you want? The bill is even served with a lolly.
Atomic Diner, 15 Union Gate, 63 Union Street, Bristol, BS1 2DL
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