Tesla Diner changes menus
Less than a month after it opened, Tesla Diner in LA adjusted its menu for demand.
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Motor Trend was born in Los Angeles in 1949. A whole new Tesla Since it’s a diner, of course we had to check it out and fill our tummy while charging the EV. Tesla may know a thing or two about the motor and battery, but what about burgers and fries? So let’s rate what we ate – and we tried a lot on the menu – in the spirit of Our Ultimate Car Ranking.
atmosphere
Brian Vance, director of photography, LA Super Fan and Local Tour Guide, said Tesla Diner was the first all-new, built restaurant in that area of the long-standing LA city of Sprawl. That’s why there are all the benefits of a modern, dedicated eatery with thoughtful retro-future stick styling clues.
The look and feel is Disney’s Tomorrowland, as long curved countertops, blue lattice ceiling tiles and three generations of Optimus robots soak behind the glass along the stairwell. However, in the dining area on the first floor, the atmosphere is all bustling and bustling, with many workers running around to put their orders.
Food: Tesla Burger – $13.50+
What is the ultimate diner dish? The burgers and fries were exactly what I ordered in three different trims, er and variations. It features plain, bacon, sunnyside eggs and avocado.
The Tesla Burger is the current “smash burger” trend, and is an impressive unit when it arrives in a cute cybertruck-shaped box. Thin, deep burnt pate flops squeal from grilled bread (Martin potato troll, famous among burger enthusiasts). The beef was clearly sourced from longtime Southern California rancher Blunt Beef, and the pate was actually thin and thin, with a dark crust and a firm, medium center. The $13.50 burger comes with a new school American cheese (Chef Eric Greenspan’s side project), chopped lettuce, caramelized onions, pickles and “electric sauce” (think MCD’s special sauce or Thousand Island dressing).
For an extra $3, you can add bacon. This is exactly what our man Scott Evans did. how was it? “It’s good for fast food, but nothing surprising,” declared Scott. We then compared the entire experience to eating food at Disneyland.
On top of the Tesla Burger, I added organic Sunny Side Up Eggs ($2) and avocado ($1.50 for three large slices) to total $17. The first bite with all the egg yolks was the best – there was a lot of rich, burnt beef flavour and egg-like avocado goodness, but it’s a shame as everything was a slimy touch. Offering hot piping could have been a good or perhaps a great burger, like one of the hot messes you get at the County Fair. Considering all the toppings, I would give 7/10, but agreed that a burger alone would be better than a 6. Rating: 6/10
Fries/Cheese Fries – $4
There was a lack of fever left in the fries. This is a shame because, like the burgers, they could have been great. Reminiscent of McDonald’s (skinny, golden brown, clearly fried with beef tallow), TD’s fries had the right combination of crispy and salt, but had to be heated about 75 degrees. For another dollar, you can add a thin, greasy cheese sauce (unlike a thick dump of bright yellow cheese in-n-out). Rating: 6/10
Hash Brown Bite – $8
“These hash brown bites are Ratoks! It’s an olive branch!” Brian is half-joking. Certainly, hash brown bites have a creaminess for $8 on potato pancakes to find the streets of Canter’s deli, and our favorite Langer. They looked great, but they tasted along the way. Our suggestion: Heat and reduce the price by half or twice the portion size. Rating: 4/10
Tuna Melt – $14
Brian had heard that the tuna melt ($14) was the best on the menu and confirmed that the flavor was in the point. “The cheese tuna salad and slices were of high quality. The buttermilk bread (a famous bakery from San Francisco) was just toasted, but unfortunately the sandwich wasn’t warm enough as if it were sitting away from the grill,” Brian said. Perhaps the Tesla Diner will need to recharge the burner and oven. Rating: 7/10
Market Salad with Veggie Patty – $14.50
Our friend Desi ordered the salad and said, “The salad greens were fresh and sniff, and the vegetable patty ($4.50 upcharge) was flavorful and crunchy with seeds/whole grains. Apparently made in-house.” The salad was dried and a dill ranch dressing (“Dily Ranch”) was served side by side. In this area, $10 salad (before the patty) is a fair deal but there wasn’t enough dressing. Rating: 6/10
Apple Pie with Ice Cream – $12
If you tell your grandma you paid $12 for a slice of pie (not the whole pie, I care), what would she say? If you see her serving slices of pie at Tesla Diner, she will probably call you a damn fool. A small slice of typical diner style apple pie, the first thing you’ll taste is sugar before apples and cinnamon. The bronze and butter skin was tough. I’m immune to repeated stab wounds on wooden forks. Also, while you’re choosing chocolate or vanilla ice cream, a small squirt of soft serve in a small plastic cup will almost melt by the time the burger is finished. Rating: 5/10
Verdict: Skip the pie and steal the straw!
Firstly, bad news: the food is fine. The good news is that it seems like a simple fix. Everything needs to be hotter except for the salad. Salads need more dressing/large side containers. The flavors are generally pretty good, and while it’s clear that celebrity chef Eric Greenspan knows what he’s doing, there’s nothing particularly challenging about the menu (especially when considered in Michelin-starred LA). Celebrating for serving breakfast all day, including chicken and waffles, breakfast tacos, biscuits and gravy. All of this goes back to the review.
We also praised Chef Greenspan for using many local California suppliers, including Tartine Bakery, Blunt Beef, and Tehacha Pigrain Project. These are well-respected brand names that come with premium price tags rather than corporate food processors without an unknown face. And with all that in mind, the prices at Tesla Diner are fair. Yes, you can find cheaper options for burgers, fries and soda within walking distance. But for a quick casual offering in a diner-like experience, you need to go to Gnome, Mel’s Diner, or Bob’s big boy. These are all chain restaurants, their entrees are without a row in the DC-Fast charger row, and their appetizers are more (mel).
Tesla also deserves a high mark for serving food with sustainability in mind. Glowing high across the walls of the main dining room is the company’s mission statement. “To accelerate the global transition to sustainable energy.” It is well combined with food-associated serviceware, stainless steel trays, paper packaged food, paper cups with paper lids, wooden cutlery and the most amazing straws.
Seriously, check the straws when you go. I’m sure Tesla didn’t invent them, but I praise them for sourcing a plastic alternative that actually works. These are dimensionally the same as plastic straws (length, diameter, wall thickness) like thin paper straws that collapse after 2 minutes in your drink, or one of those strange brittle dry noodle straws, but obviously some kind of waterproof re and bamboo. You rarely mistake it for plastic, but you do because of lack of wood grain and flex.
If you are visiting LA, Tesla Diner is worth checking out, especially if you need to refill one of the S3xy EVs. Head upstairs, pick up items and drink non-alcoholic kombucha while catching the movie on the big screen. If you want a cheap, hot, moderately tasty burger and fries, take a short walk around the McDonald’s distance until Tesla Diner fixes the heating issue. If you want a truly iconic LA experience with great burgers, fries and slices of pie, then if it’s something Tesla Diner should aim for, then we recommend the West LA Apple Pan and Pasadena Pie n Burger.
Photo by Brian Vance
