Friday, May 22, 2015

A1 Diner



A1 Diner
3 Bridge St
Gardiner, Me  04345


Located on Bridge St in Gardiner the A1 Diner is a landmark restaurant of the Gardiner area since 1946 when it opened as Heald’s Diner.  The A1 has been featured in many regional and national publications touting it as one of the finest places to eat and has also been featured in Food Networks Diner’s Drive In’s and Dives.

As I child we drove by the diner many times but I have no memory of ever eating there.  We ate at Denise’s Pizza next door many times.  Even as I got older I never went to the diner, my first time going there wasn’t until 2012, and it was fantastic!


They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and their menu varies from the standard diner cuisine to daily specials of gourmet dishes that you wouldn’t expect at a diner.  I’ve eaten breakfast there the most, my favorite getting two scrambled eggs with feta cheese, bacon, and an English muffin cooked to death on the flat top. 

They have great burgers and their homemade onion rings are phenomenal.  One day the wife and I both saw the photo of the Onion Rings that they posted on their Facebook page and right then and there we headed down and literally just got an order of Onion Rings.


The inside of the diner is definitely a throwback with counter service the length of the car and 8 booths to choose from.  There are many original fixtures, some woodwork and of course plenty of diner stainless steel.  My favorite decoration inside is the large A1 neon sign on the wall behind the counter.





 If you are every in the area do not hesitate to stop for a bite to eat, you will not regret it!


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