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First look: Retro eatery Milkys Diner opens in Canberra city

Jil Hogan
Jil Hogan

Cajun fried shrimp po' boy with a chocolate milkshake.
Cajun fried shrimp po' boy with a chocolate milkshake.Sitthixay Ditthavong

Pull up a stool - Canberra now has its own retro diner.

Milkys Diner is the new American-style diner in the courtyard off Moore Street in Civic.

The space used to house popular hole-in-the-wall coffee joint Milk Crate, which moved across the courtyard back in June and is now Courtyard by Milk Crate, a cafe with a full kitchen and a tropical Hamptons-style feel.

Milky's Diner owner Hakan Demir.
Milky's Diner owner Hakan Demir. Sitthixay Ditthavong
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Having got the new venue up and running, owner Hakan Demir wanted to reopen something new in the former Milk Crate spot.

"We needed to do something different in regards to what I did originally at Milk Crate," he said.

"I needed something simple, classic, and I always wanted to have my own little diner and travelling through America gave me a lot of inspiration."

Milky's Diner. Photo: Sitthixay Ditthavong
Milky's Diner. Photo: Sitthixay DitthavongSitthixay Ditthavong

Milkys Diner is small, but is decked out with lots of American retro art and furnishings, an old cash register and a jukebox in the corner pumping out old rock 'n' roll tunes.

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The menu is short - breakfast is bacon and eggs, a short stack of pancakes, or bagels. For lunch there are two types of po' boy – chicken philly or cajun fried shrimp – a hot dog, and a range of pies, plus fries and American cheese sauce.

Drinks are classic shakes and soda floats. And it wouldn't be a diner without coffee with free refills, but don't expect the 'dirty drip' of America - it's Australian standard black filter coffee.

"It's nothing fancy – just simple, good, honest diner food," said Demir.

While there are only a few stools inside, there is plenty of outdoor seating in the sun, or everything on the menu is available for takeaway.

Demir said he also has plans to open Milkys Diner for dinner in the future, most likely on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

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Open Mon-Fri 7am-3.30pm.

Shop 6, 12 Moore Street, Canberra

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Jil HoganJil Hogan is an food and lifestyle reporter at The Canberra Times.

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