In the Strand?
Aye…
Just the reception obviously
Slow cooker job?
You’d cook it like any steak, on a pan
It’s similar to sirloin, wouldn’t be fit to lace the ribeyes boots
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Karen’s Diner review: ‘On arrival, I’m given a hat inscribed with ‘My Vagina Has Cobwebs’. Service is as rude and unpleasant as you can imagine’
Our critic finds little to laugh about at a new dining experience which prides itself on its obnoxious staff
Katy McGuinness
February 15 2024 02:30 AM
“In fairness, dad,” says one of my daughters to my husband, “you do get to go on a lot of good ones. You’re just going to have to suck this one up.”
To say that neither of us is looking forward to our dinner at Karen’s Diner (or is it Karens Diner? The restaurant’s website plays it fast and loose with apostrophes and makes a big deal about T’s and C’s and FAQ’s) would be an understatement. Ever since my editor asked me to review it, I’ve been carrying around a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach.
For the uninitiated, Karen’s Diner is an Australian concept, a viral sensation with over 1.5 billion TikTok views. The idea is that customers book in for a dining experience promising good food (burgers, chicken tenders, that kind of thing — though there is no menu online and no mention of the €20 per head minimum spend) and rude staff. Sounds fabulous.
According to Wikipedia, ‘Karen is a term used as slang typically for a middle-class white woman who is perceived as entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal.’
My family agree that I fit the description. They also point out that I have no sense of humour, questioning whether I am really the right person for this particular assignment.
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We turn up 10 minutes early for our 6.30pm reservation but, of course, there is no question of being seated even though there are empty tables inside, so we hang around on the street outside. This does nothing to alleviate our concerns.
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One piece of paper taped to the window says that it’s strictly over 18’s [sic] and I.D.’s [sic] will be required, but there are several children inside eating with family groups. (The website says children must be accompanied by an adult, and off the premises by 7pm).
A little girl of about six is wearing a paper hat onto which one of the staff has scrawled TikTok Twat. Hilarious. An older man who I take to be her grandad is wearing a hat that says Grey Pubes. Clearly there’s a rapier wit at work here.
Another sign in the window informs us that the restaurant’s licence to serve alcohol is pending. We reckon this is probably just as well.
At 6.30pm, we make our way in. We’re greeted as ‘fossils’ and I’m given a hat inscribed with ‘My Vagina Has Cobwebs’. I take it off. My husband doesn’t get a hat but is referred to as ‘Grandad’ and a staff member rubs his bald head.
The service is as rude and unpleasant as you can imagine, and there’s what feels like a very long wait between getting our drinks and being able to order our food, during which there’s time for audience participation.
A wheel of fortune which customers who are game for a laugh (not us, obviously) can volunteer to spin assigns hilarious forfeits such as pretending to be a zoo animal or doing a sexy dance between the tables.
‘Karen’s Hot and Bothered’ burger
A chap is instructed to try out a pick-up line on Fizzi, who appears to be the manager and looks like a woman on whose right side you want to be. One woman wearing a hat inscribed with ‘A Bottle of Fake Tan Exploded On My Face’ dances very close to our table, pushes her bum into my husband and nearly knocks over his Diet Coke.
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Eventually, the food arrives. We have to leave the table to collect our own cutlery and napkins, but there’s only one knife and fork so we have to share those.
The ‘I Want To See The Manager’ Karen is a double cheeseburger with streaky bacon. It’s not very good, and neither are the accompanying fries. The ‘Karen’s Hot and Bothered’ is breaded buffalo chicken in a burger bun. The promised blue cheese dressing appears to be MIA. It’s awful too. The pizza we spot on other tables looks as if it’s straight out of a supermarket freezer cabinet.
‘I Want To See The Manager’ Karen
The only funny moment is when a young man with floppy dark hair and round glasses arrives and the staff greet him as Harry Potter and give him a hat with a lightning bolt scar.
At this point, we’ve been here for 45 minutes and are desperate to leave. The bill (€41.14) takes a while to come and when we’re asked if we want to tip in cash or on the card I decline to tip at all, which is probably the first time I’ve embraced the vibe of Karen’s all evening. (I later realise a 10pc service charge had already been applied to the bill.)
Other customers are clearly having a better time than we are. If you’re a fan of Mrs Brown’s Boys, I imagine you might enjoy Karen’s Diner and no doubt plenty of people will like the concept more than we did.
As we head out of the door, Fizzi says to my husband, “You hated every minute of this, didn’t you?” Got it in one, Fizzi. It’s safe to say we won’t be coming back.
Budget: There’s a €20 minimum spend per person.
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Blowout: If you ordered two ‘I Want To See The Manager’ Karens, a side of buffalo wings to share and dessert each, you could spend €75 on dinner for two before drinks.
The rating: 0/10 food, 0/10 ambience, 0/10 value. 0/30
Karen’s Diner, 46-49 O’Connell Street Upper, Dublin 1, bemorekaren.ie
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Mother of Jesus.
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Ziiiiinng
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I am in athlone tomorrow night - can anyone recommend a place for an evening meal?
Thyme in the middle of the town. Hodson Bay a few km outside. Both at the “fine dining” end of the scale.
Bacchus on the river nice location lovely Mediterranean food
How Twee. A restaurant in Foster and Allen’s home county called Thyme.
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One of the great subversive songs. Well worth a name check.
Strange to call a restaurant ‘Virginity’.
What’s the grub like in Pakistan
Rump steak
Garlic and camembert potato dauphinoise
Not bad at all. The others at the table all had fillet and we’re very happy. Desserts were perfunctory and uninspiring but a daycent feed
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It’s lovely. Middle Eastern. Not overly spicy. Lamb tandoori and the like. Lovely bread. Rice of course, and mutton stew. Kebabs. Fish is really nice. Often cooked over a bbq type set up
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@Little_Lord_Fauntleroy beef being brought in from Australia. I expect you to chain yourself to a fence outside immediately
No point doing it here
Ill have to travel to source this summer to protest there
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