DETROIT’S
Castle Street, Worcester.
Tel: 01905 619047

PUT your hands up for Detroit, the chorus of the classic dance track tells us, but does Worcester’s new American diner get the thumbs up for a meal out with friends on a Saturday night?

The former car showroom in Castle Street has been magically transformed into an authentic 1950s US eatery and after it opened earlier this year I had been eager to get involved.

However, booking a table wasn’t straightforward because I couldn’t find a telephone number on the internet.

Eventually, I found a Facebook page that had a number and booked a table for four.

Once there, the attention to detail is very impressive.

Posters of classic American movies and cult heroes are montaged across the walls, the booths have stripy leather seats and the waitresses look like extras from the set of Happy Days.

If Pulp Fiction was set in Worcester, Uma Thurman and John Travolta would have been dining here. With no five-dollar shakes on the menu I opted for a pint of draught lager (£3.30) which was superb and my girlfriend went for a cocktail (£4). Her friend ordered a bottomless Coke which was cracking value at £1.90.

The menu at Detroit’s is concise but has a great selection of burgers and steaks... and our waitress must have asked us if we needed more drinks at least four times before we were ready to order. I know there’s nothing worse than being sat with an empty glass but it was like she was on a two-minute timer.

To start we went for the Drive-In (£11.90) which was overflowing with tender chunks of boneless chicken, tasty prawns, stuffed peppers, mushrooms, garlic bread, wedges and salad – ideal to share between four.

There was then a long wait for our main courses and it meant we were asked about drinks at least another 10 times. It was getting difficult to keep a straight face. When our burgers arrived – two Jerry Lee Lewis half pounders (£10.70) one Veg-o-Rama (£8.70) and a Grace Kelly chicken burger (£9.90) – they were generously sized and needed cutting in half.

I have no hesitation in saying the Jerry Lee Lewis was the best burger I’ve had anywhere in Worcester. The beef was juicy and cooked to perfection in a fresh toasted bun.

The chicken and veggie burgers also received high praise but we were all in agreement that the fries, definitely not chips, were limp and a bit cold.

For dessert, blueberry cheesecake with ice cream was divine but lemon heaven mousse didn’t hit the God spot.

In all we had a really enjoyable evening – the positives far out weighed the negatives.

If Detroit’s can iron out a few creases there is no reason why it shouldn’t be a success. I’m already looking forward to tackling a steak on my next visit.

HOW IT RATED

Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambience: 5
Value for money: 4