The Nighthawk Diner

Overview

Sydney's much-loved Americana food truck Nighthawk Diner may have packed up its permanent digs in Chippendale, but it's still slinging its diner-style sandwiches, tacos and burgers around Sydney. Owner Alistair Fogg has been operating out of his silver Airstream trailer since 2013.

Burgers may have been the food truck's defining menu item in the past, but it certainly isn't a burger joint — though its oft-Instagrammed, enormous double cheeseburger is still on menu and uses the same grass-fed beef that Fogg sources from his local butcher. But the focus here is on diner classics that rarely make the cut on Sydney menus.

One of these is the Philly cheesesteak, a hoagie roll of succulent, slow-roasted beef brisket, sautéed capsicum and onions, topped with house-made cheese sauce. Our personal favourite on the menu is the Cuban, which pays homage to Fogg's years living in Miami. It combines citrus pork, maple bacon and oozy American cheese, all topped with chipotle mayo and house-made pickles that give it a real bite. The clincher is the freshly made, perfectly charred and buttery roll.

Neither dish tries too hard to copy its original, instead each emulates the key flavours while creating its own distinctive twist — and it works. Plus, unlike most diners, all of the bread and taco shells are made in-house here. The tacos come in four meat and two vegetarian varieties, and the veg options are just as thought out as the meat ones. We recommend sharing all six tacos with a friend as they're a hearty bunch.

And we're sure you've seen the photos of insanely over-the-top sundaes — the ultimate ode to the Americana diners of old.

Images: Letícia Almeida