Airport Diner

        The Airport Diner is located in Manchester, New Hampshire - I knew little about New Hampshire before visiting this past weekend, only that their motto is "live free or die" (a little drastic, I think), but upon my visit I now know that you can find some extremely good diner food there! The diner is situated next to a large hotel, and near to the Manchester airport - hence the name - so has a flowing trade; what makes it even better is that the food is incredibly good and the atmosphere happy and relaxed, so people visit from far and wide, not just passing trade!

        The restaurant was clean and tidy, with the interior reminding visitors of the boom of the diners, and allowing them a traditional experience. The decor inside was simplistic and classic, with the added bonus of model aeroplanes hanging from the ceiling, and hand painted art on the walls to mimic the skies. However, none of this drew the attention away from the food! As soon as you entered, the dessert and pudding glass case was in view, so you could drawl over those while being served. Even better, if you sat on the counter, or in a booth nearby, you could watch every meal be made, with the precision and care each of the chefs gave them.

        The menu includes all of the classic diner food, such as burgers, steaks, sandwiches, and a large breakfast selection, and although many of these classics appear simple, the chefs and owners at the Airport Diner have hit the nail on the head with the flavours and taste, and have ventured to new depths by adding an unusual twist onto some of these classics.

Try some diner lingo!

        On the Friday evening, the restaurant was really quite busy, so we sat at the counter, and despite the hustle and bustle of people coming and going, the service was quick, easy and the staff were extremely accommodating, and as warm as the pies they serve! We dived straight into the mains, with myself ordering a bacon, cheese burger with no bun, fries and a salad, and my Uncle ordering the chilli salad served in a ginormous taco! The burger was delicious, perfectly cooked and the fries seasoned perfectly. My Uncle's portion was huge, and could of easily served both of us! The chilli was delicious, and had a great depth of flavour, with a slight heat that lingered in the mouth. The salad included a great mixture of vegetables, which allowed for a cool bite after the heat of the chilli. Being gluten free I didn't try the taco, but just the look of it was appealing - I have a feeling that if I had wanted that meal they would have happily served it without the taco basket, and probably offered another option like chips for myself, as they were extremely understanding of my dietary requirements.
        There were a variety of desserts to choose from, and we ended up choosing the Grasshopper Pie, which is essentially mint chocolate chip ice cream (all ice creams are hand-made) in a gram cracker pie crust, served with whipped cream, fudge chocolate sauce, and sprinkles. The portion size was huge again, and we delved straight in! I avoided the gram crust, but even without it, the dish was great - the mint chocolate chip ice cream was smooth and perfectly flavoured, and the fudge sauce, I would happily fight someone for that!

        We returned twice on the Saturday for both lunch and dinner, as the diner is in a perfect location, which was easy for us to get to - we stayed only one junction away on the motorway. For both lunch and dinner we sat in a booth, as it was quieter than Friday, but still with a great amount of people. I ordered 'The Doo Wop' which included two eggs any style, a choice of bacon, Canadian bacon or sausage, home fries or beans, and toast. They even gave the option of gluten free toast for a $1 upcharge, which was perfect for me! The meal was great, and I was absolutely stuffed and couldn't eat it all. My Uncle choose 'The Big Cuban Melt' and it was definitely big, and even came with chips and a pickle.

        For dinner we both decided that we had our best diner meals yet - I had the roast beef with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables, whilst my Uncle had fried steak with mash and veggies. Both dishes were phenomenal, and I would recommend anyone to try these! I also highly recommend everyone to try the dessert of banana split! This was no ordinary banana split, but the best banana split (the server even said to us that she makes the best one in the diner). Banana served with chocolate, strawberry and vanilla home-made ice cream, with pineapple and mixed fruits, fudge chocolate sauce (in spoonfuls), whipped cream, strawberries and sprinkles. It is safe to say I had the biggest food baby after that monstrosity!

Hello Banana Split!

        If you are ever in Manchester, then please treat yourself to the Airport Diner, the food is amazing and the prices extremely great value. The restaurant, the service and the food were just top notch.