kiki bistro

good and bad. stopped by for an early dinner. good service and fast. wife got fried pork chops with greens and fruit. i got the lamb burger. both main dishes were good with relatively unimpressive sides. my lambburgerwas good. moist and tasty. the pork chops were fine. the wife liked them more than me. but we'll seasoned and nice crunch. i like that it is located right across from legion so we might come back but otherwise it was kind of meh.

i came in here with a group of friends still feeling it from drinking and had the fried pickles and single block. everything was incredible and theburgerwas not greasy. the group i went with comes here often after a night out and love it too.

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, theburgerat 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. theburgerwas substantial and very tasty.

bestburgerin 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 aburgerjoint because you know it's super juicy), we both stated out loud that this is the bestburgerin charlotte! penguin was a close second, only edged out by the diamond because they cooked myburgerto 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 awesomeburgerand fries!

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 blockburger(southern style) with hushpuppies on the side.

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 blockburgerback 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

i love the diamond just one big gripe i have. i have been in here multiple times and love this joint! good food at the diamond. the wait staff are always friendly and the atmosphere is cool. reminds me of a classic dinner with a new modern edge, but without the midwood hyperdermic needles.

the food is reasonable comparably speaking to the price. you will not get the bestburgeryou have every had in your life here, but it will be might tasty enough to come back again.

the fried pickles, sweet potato fries, and hush puppies are always good choices for sides. if you get a burger, i recommend getting it southern style if you like your burgers slopy with chili, slaw, and all the fixings.

my one main gripe is the hamburger bun!!! come one diamond... why do you use the cheapest hamburger buns you can find! the buns always fall apart. they are the same white bread buns you find in the grocery store for $1-2 for 8-12 buns. i know probably are looking to cut some corners in cost, but get better hamburger buns.

other than that everything is great!

we visited on a busy saturday night. the former employees from the penguin have done a great job recreating the atmosphere of the old diner. we were happy to see that the flat top burgers that made them famous made the short trip around the block. i highly recommend the big blockburgerall the way and of course the fried pickles. great atmosphere and great food.