A1 Diner

Funky place with a neighborhood vibe. Friendly to one and all. Whether it’s true diner food or special menu items; darned good! Not our first trip. I’ve never been disappointed. My scallop BLT was tasty and the Cajun meatloaf was excellent. Too many potato chips but it was late and I love potato chips. Colorful oilcloth on the tables, interesting menu choices, not too busy at 7pm on a Saturday night.

Well, found a gem today. The 1940s steel and wood A1 Diner in Gardiner is such a classic Amercian Diner but with also some great modern meals (scallop BLT, Gorgonzola risotto, blue cheese meatloaf!) I settled for the more pedestrian Reuben and fries but it was just as good as any of those other named dishes I’m sure. Not too far off of 295, I will drive out of my (as I did today) to come back. 5 stars. And kudos to the friendly and patient front of house staff who was running the whole place single handedly! Thank you.

Good food, very nice staff, and super unique setting. We can’t to go again and try even more unique foods. We tried the fish tacos and the scallop BLT with homemade fries. Also had the strawberry cider which was delicious, highly recommend. All food was super fresh and overall very cheap. Definitely recommend going off hours because it’s small. Also if you need the bathroom, it’s outside.

I gave this place 5 well-deserved stars. I do have some "cons" to list, but I want to say up front that they would likely not have as much impact on a neurotypical person vs a neurodivergent one. I'm adding photos. This place is cool as heck, the food was great, the options surprising, the prices not bad at all for the area and what we got (and what we saw others get- huge portions all around) and I have zero complaints. We'll totally go back. With that said, it is SMALL. You are in close proximity to everyone. I have an extremely sensitive sense of smell and I'm somewhat easily over-stimulated. For me, it was okay when we first got there and it was empty, but as it filled up (and it filled UP; it's popular) the smells of everyone's food and even bodies and the noise level began to become a bit much. I say again, though, that this probably isn't typical and I'm giving the warning largely for other NDs or ND parents. It's WELL WORTH trying to find a slower time to go regardless, and I highly recommend. Our waitress was very sweet, the food perfectly cooked and scrumptious, and I'm looking forward to trying a Sunday brunch this weekend.

Funky place with a neighborhood vibe. Friendly to one and all. Whether it’s true diner food or special menu items; darned good! Not our first trip. I’ve never been disappointed. My scallop BLT was tasty and the Cajun meatloaf was excellent. Too many potato chips but it was late and I love potato chips. Colorful oilcloth on the tables, interesting menu choices, not too busy at 7pm on a Saturday night.

Well, found a gem today. The 1940s steel and wood A1 Diner in Gardiner is such a classic Amercian Diner but with also some great modern meals (scallop BLT, Gorgonzola risotto, blue cheese meatloaf!) I settled for the more pedestrian Reuben and fries but it was just as good as any of those other named dishes I’m sure. Not too far off of 295, I will drive out of my (as I did today) to come back. 5 stars. And kudos to the friendly and patient front of house staff who was running the whole place single handedly! Thank you.