Smylies Diner, Greenside

Updated: 29-11-2023

It’s rather ironic that this American style diner serving Gatsbies, loaded fries and shakes is right on the same spot in Greenside where Clenergy used to be. Clenergy was the pre-cursor to Miha. An eatery focused on gut-health, wellness and clean eating.

Now don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against a good Gatsby or slap chips, I just couldn’t resist a giggle at the contrast between the two completely different food concepts.

Smylies is all about the car life. The walls are adorned with car posters, old school car fenders and there’s even a small sofa made from a car seat. It’s a petrol-head’s dream. Even the bathroom sinks look like car tyres and you have to push the pedal with your foot to make the water come out of the taps. It’s very innovative to say the least.

We went to get some lunch on a very hot Sunday afternoon. The inside has comfy booth seating, a few smaller tables and a long bench table against one wall where a big family was having a meal. We were seated inside but had to ask very quickly to be moved outside as there is no aircon and it was simply too hot inside.

Our waiter offered us menus and came back shortly to take our orders. All the food had motoring related names which was a fun touch. The starters were called a “Minor Service”, and the desserts the “Major Service”. We opted for the Chiron Burger, the Donner Mix Box and a Toasted Masala Chicken Sandwich. The food didn’t take too long though we were advised that other meals like the steaks take 30 to 40 minutes to prepare.

The Burger at R150 was layered with a patty, hash brown and pulled brisket. It looked amazing and was the star of the show. The Donner box at R160 contained donner style beef, hummus, tzatziki, chips and salad. It was served in a Chinese takeout style box that you had to pull apart and flatten to reveal the food. It was novel but messy. Personally I didn’t like that the sauces and food got mixed up in the process. The tzaziki was really good though. The toasted sandwich at R90 was underwhelming. I found it too dry and and the filling was a bit on the thin side. The seasoning on the fries was good but it was not hand-cut chips which I think would have been much better. Our mocktails were gorgeous and refreshing. They both were garnished with boba but the straws were too thin for the boba and we had to sample them using a fork to get to them.

We didn’t try the shakes but being an American style diner they would likely be something to talk about. We ended off with 2 small Lavazza espresso’s which were quite good.

I felt like the full vibe of the place didn’t quite come through. The decor is fun but the energy in the service was lacking. Perhaps later at night when it’s full and the shisha crowd is there the vibe might be better. I’d go again though to try the shakes and dessert and maybe another round of that Chiron Burger!