kiki bistro

bftb’s po’greek boy, which looked just like a normal hamburger from the outside, was equally tasty. unlike our recent burger-eating experience at cowbell, the seemingly-large amount of ingredients in the po’greek boy avoided being seasoned to death and when combined together into one burger, didn’t result in a nauseating conglomeration of battling flavors. in other words, the burger at diamond was more of a nice mix than a messy hodgepodge, and simply tasted better than anything we tried at cowbell. the feta was tangy and perfectly complimented the seasoned ground lamb. bftb also enjoyed the tzatziki sauce that came on his po’boy, but he wasn’t as passionate about it as i was (i probably would have bathed in the stuff had i been given the option). we both felt like the coleslaw was somewhat disappointing. compared to everything else, the little pile of thinly-shaved white cabbage swimming in vinegar seemed like an uninspired last minute addition.

i thought the cheese and the bacon were as good as any i’ve had from any other restaurant we’ve eaten. i loved how the cheese is so huge and is melted all over the burger. the burger was substantial and very tasty.

best burger in charlotte (so far).... read a lot of reviews, some great, some not so great. so me and my buddy decide to go check it out for ourselves. we go on a saturday at 1:30pm, which i figured was a good time since it should be just after lunch. but not at the diamond as it was wall to wall crowded!

so we get seated in under 10 minutes, and we both decide to get the burgers since it was our first time here. i've been in charlotte 2 years now, and have had some pretty good burgers, but i wanted to see if this was "the mecca" for burgers.

a week before, i decided to check out the penguin and i admit that their burgers were damn good! so i thought, no way can the diamond's be any better. boy was i wrong! i got the double and my buddy went for the full hemi (3 patties for a full pound)! we both ordered it medium and they both came that way. always worry about that especially when a restaurant is super busy like the diamond.

so bottom line - the burgers were cooked to perfection! super juicy deliciousness (fatty beef content for flavor) and their fries were home cut and made quite well.

oh, we started the meal with the fried pickles as my buddy never had a good version of this dish. and man did we both love them! crispy with good seasoning (some cheyenne?) served with ranch! oh so yummy!

back to the burgers.....so after asking for many additional napkins (which is a great sign at a burger joint because you know it's super juicy), we both stated out loud that this is the best burger in charlotte! penguin was a close second, only edged out by the diamond because they cooked my burger to a perfect medium with a nice red/pink center.

so it's a 1 - 2 race, with the diamond in a close lead!

overall, a delicious lunch with a prompt and friendly staff, despite the crowd (another good sign when people literally line up out the door).

can't wait to come back! if you're craving a great burger, come here!

5 star rating is for their awesome burger and fries!

nadira was awesome. so was the fried flounder. great food, great times.

good food, good folks, good service and it just feels right !

turkey open face. turkey was processed meat turkey. would have been better if it wasn't processed meat. was ok. nothing special. sweet potato fries were very good.

the bbq fried chicken was terrible. the sandwich was flavorless gross!!!!

i can actually deal with just about anything or anyone, tattooed idiots included, as long as the food is good. this was possibly the worst fried chicken i've ever had. sweet potato fries sucked as well. bojangles on a bad day has better chicken. if you want good chicken make a trip to zestos in west columbia sc. these guys could learn a few things from them. sincerely - a girl who knows good food!

first time was great!. excellent food and great service! we stopped in, last weekend, for the very first time and swore it wouldn't be our last. the fried catfish fillets were crunchy, were peppered perfectly, and the hushpuppies that accompanied them were fantastic. moved to charlotte 4 years ago and have finally found the best collard greens around. only downside were the french fries - too bland and didn't have great flavor.

give this spot a try if you haven't yet.

soy hot daaawg... i switched over from the penguin after the split, and i don't miss penguin at all. the soy chili dog is awesome and will please any non-meat eater missing his or her former lifestyle. servers are always super nice, and i've never left unsatisfied.

dinner food with a twist. i have to leave my diet at the door when i walk in because of two words, pig wings....so freaking good! one of the few places in town were my sons and i can find something we like on the menu. great jukebox selection!

just not good. when these guys ran the penguin it was great.
now there food is just not as good as it was. i have been in to eat 3 times and never left satisfied. if you want a long wait and food that is just alright on a good day this is the place.

i got around to trying diamond today and there were some hits and misses on my trip. i didnt have to wait long at lunch for a table which i was excited about. i ordered a half order of fried pickles for my appetizer and a small block burger (southern style) with hushpuppies on the side.

great food. great atmosphere. great people. great service. what more could a person want?

so glad that they moved. good to see a local landmark be taken over by people who care about food. after the whole ordeal at the penguin the guys took over here and really didn't have to do much but get there menu and bring it here man am i glad to have my big block burger back great food

thank you guys for stickin in there support local and self owned locations screw the corporate people that try to kill the little guys