Blonde ambition

This cool, charming, casual-but-classy diner in the Mount offers an all-American experience that fits right in.

words Hayley Barnett

They were always going to do it again, one way or another.

Palace Tavern’s sister eatery, Blondie, has opened its doors on Maunganui Road – a 1950s-style diner offering a daytime menu that doesn’t include your average eggs benny.

“We don’t really like cafés,” admits co-owner Brad Dellar. “We like to create something unique and different, but also know we need to stay in our lane.”

Their “lane” is traditional all-American fare – hot dogs, chicken waffles, reuben sandwiches, cherry pie – similar to their southern American-style eatery and bar around the corner at Palace Tavern.

“We’ve stuck to our usual style, which is risky because it’s the Mount,” says Brad. “It’s where fit people hang out. With Palace, we didn’t know if it would work. We didn’t think it was vegan enough for them. But I think people get sick of that sh*t because, well, meat’s great.”

Brad and his business partner, Sam King, had been scoping out a joint for a new bar when the former Gusto Café owner offered up the perfect location.

They had just five weeks to fit the place out. Impressively, they did most of the work themselves, calling in a couple of friends to help out with some of the more challenging tasks.

“We’ve fit out all our own restaurants and cafés, since the beginning,” says Brad. “Everything from custom tables, tiling and painting, to kitchen fit outs.”

Though they had the vision and the practical skills to pull it off, they still needed a name.

“Blondie just had a good ring to it,” says Brad.

The walls are adorned with famous blondes, including the likes of Debbie Harry, Twiggy, Marilyn Monroe and Kate Moss. The mostly black and white photos work perfectly with the diner scene.

While it might seem ambitious to open in the Mount’s most quiet months of the year, Brad’s confident the locals will be on board.

“It’s that inside kind of soul food,” he says. “It’s what you want to eat when you’re nestling in for the winter. We’ll touch wood, but so far, so good.”

Blondie Diner
200 Maunganui Road, Mount Maunganui