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!
Later Readers!!
