Wowee Zowee crew open Loosie's Diner on the Mornington Peninsula

Mornington might be locked down along with metropolitan Melbourne, but a group of locals, the same crew responsible for Wowee Zowee, have been hard at work on new diner Loosie's.

Heavily influenced by American diners in both food and atmosphere, the bar and restaurant is serving top-notch burgers, retro pasta bakes, picklebacks and pie with a heavy dollop of '70s style.

Co-owner Clint Baum, builder of several bars and venues, combines wood-panelled walls and posters of Dolly Parton and Elvis with plush teal-coloured banquettes and pretty pendant lights in the 45-seater.

"Loosie's is a place where you could go have a burger and chill out with friends, have a cocktail and drink at the bar, or more of a family dinner," says Simon Tarlington, who is also executive chef at Jackalope Hotel.

Together with Baum and partners Cam Marshall (winemaker at Garagiste and Range Life) and Clint Hyndman (drummer for rock band Something for Kate), Tarlington wanted to walk the line between casual and quality for the local hang-out.

Take the burgers. Tarlington worked with a local butcher for several weeks to perfect the patties – 150 grams of Victorian Angus beef with just the right ratio of brisket to topside, served on Martin's potato rolls from America. Along with four beef burgers, the menu also offers chicken and vegan-friendly satay tofu burgers..

They're joined by pasta bakes such as four-cheese macaroni, a prawn-topped Caesar salad, and fried chicken. Dessert runs from kid-friendly cookies-and-cream sundaes to apple pie.

Drinks get equal attention, with head-turning cocktails like a smoking Appleton rum drink, and wines from Marshall's own labels. Dr Pepper, root beer and Big Red, along with Pabst Blue Ribbon on tap, reinforce the US of A vibe, but local beers, from Melbourne Bitter to ultra-niche craft stuff, also make an appearance.

Locals can get their hands on takeaway burgers, salads and loaded fries while lockdown continues.

Open Thu-Sun 4.30pm-8.30pm.

97 Beleura Hill Road, Mornington, 03 5976 4806, loosiesdiner.com.au