Soda Rock Diner is situated in South Yarra and is conveniently right next to the route 78 tram stop. We used to pass this place all the time when shopping on Chapel St but finally decided to pop in for some dessert after our lunch at Misty’s Diner (see previous post here). 

We definitely recommend this diner; not only is the service great and the food tasty, but the atmosphere also takes you back in time. This diner transports you to one of those old-school American films (think Grease), a vibe we didn’t think we’d be able to find in Melbourne of all places. The diner is clean, bright and spacious. We could find no faults with the interior – it’s gorgeous with neon signs, classic red booths, checkerboard floors, retro jukeboxes and the extensive collection of Elvis memorabilia (look out for the Elvis themed pin ball machine!). The speakers also played familiar tunes of past hits. We absolutely adored the design and décor. It makes for effortless, aesthetic Instagram photos. 

The menu is more concise than Misty’s Diner and is not as convenient for our vegan and gluten free friends. However, they do offer a Veggie Burger that can be served with no mayo. You can check out the menu here. 

We decided to order a Strawberry Thickshake with a cherry on top ($12.45) and a slice of Soda Rock’s Famous Cherry Pie ($13.95) to share. They were delivered to our booth by a rollerskating waitress! Other thickshake flavours like blue heaven, cappuccino and chocolate sounded so tempting, but we were simply too full for more. We also wanted to try the hot fudge sundae, the American brownie, the honeycomb sundae— oh, we could go on and on!

The pie was sweet and sour, and paired perfectly with the vanilla ice cream. The warm pie was heavenly for this dreary Melbourne winter. The thickshake did milkshakes justice— it was just the right amount of sweetness and we definitely suggest to order it with a cherry on top for the extra retro vibes! We thoroughly enjoyed satisfying our sweet tooth here. We highly recommend to check this place out with your friends; pop in, share a booth and try some of that classic American goodness. We’ll definitely be back to devour that Banana Split!

To end this post, we’ve put together an oldies playlist inspired by our diner visits. A mix for lounging in vinyl red booths, sipping on milkshakes as sweet as first love. For flickering neon signs and grease stained fingers, nursing a martini and dreaming of days long gone. Click for playlist here. 🎶

Love,

C & B ♡