Mattia Diner in South Somerset

The first thing that struck me as I walked in was the stench of stale grease - it smelled like the kitchen hadn’t been cleaned and I already suspected the food would be bad…I WAS RIGHT! We paid £50 for two milkshakes, two pulled pork rolls and a side of onion rings which left us feeling physically sick and unable to finish our meal. When the rolls arrived they were not in brioche rolls as advertised in the menu - it came in a cheap, stale white roll. When we challenged this we were offered brioche rolls but we declined as by that point we’d already realised it probably wouldn’t make a difference. The pork had a funny smell and an even stranger after taste. I tried to improve the taste by adding bbq sauce from the table but that made it worse - God only knows how long it had been there and it was cheap and nasty. It didn’t even taste like barbecue! The salad advertised on the menu was virtually non-existent; it consisted of half a lettuce leaf, a teaspoon of coleslaw, one ring of red onion and one slice of tomato. The fries also tasted odd. They tasted like they’d been deep fried in oil that hadn’t been changed since the place opened in 2014. The onion rings tasted even worse! It was a challenge not to bring the whole lot up in my mouth and we had to leave as the smell of oil and grease was making me ill. I love supporting small businesses and was so looking forward to my visit for my partner’s birthday today but we were bitterly disappointed. I can see what they’ve tried to do but unfortunately they’re cutting too many corners to be able to do it well.

Love this place, good to see it still open with the new bypass in place. Great menu, food is excelent and very well priced.

Great place for a tasty American themed restaurant experience. Loved how clean it was and how friendly the staff were and how good the food was.

Good quick service, clean. The food was good. Nice atmosphere

Overpriced, poor-quality, poor-quantity, cold, tasteless food served with disgust. Can't even manage the basics of toilet paper missing, hand-drier broken and soap empty. Waited an hour for drinks to arrive after ordering. Waited similar for food, then cold measly tiny flattened cold chicken breasts which is apparently a "chicken burger" with one limp lettuce leaf and half a slice of cheese in a bun made soggy by the grease leaking out of the clearly frozen onion rings arrived. "Side salad" is one more lettuce leaf, some coleslaw and one slice of tomato chucked on top. Chips passable, but cold, and very small portion for the price. Warm watery milkshake the exact opposite of what's advertised This whole place is style over substance, overpriced to sit and wait forever for dull food , and when asked the grumpy front of house lady where our drinks were after an hour, she snapped "can't you see we're busy?" Oh, and lidl BBQ sauce tells you everything you need to know about any claims of authentic quality ingredients here. Won't be back and won't recommend until some drastic improvements.

Me and 2 of my friends went recently. The server's were kind and very hospitable. The old fashion diner was a nice touch. However the food was subpar. The nachos were very soggy. The ribs were tough and chewy. The sausage in the hotdogs was also chewy. Also had a lack of items available.

Great place, with lovely staff. Very clean and very reasonably priced. Great for a night out for a celebration and plenty of choice on the menu. A little gem.

After a trip to the Haynes Motor Museum, we came across Mattia’s Diner, which is a very niche restaurant. We both enjoyed our food and should we be in the area again, will definitely pop back for the experience.

Another outstanding meal - we had veggie lasagne, enchiladas and chicken fajitas. We look forward to visiting again soon.

Had a great lunch, great service !!

If I could give 0 stars I would. The food is awful, it’s bland and dry, I got a burger and chips. The milk shake was flavourless and lumpy. Such a shame as it’s so cool inside but omg awful awful food. Women who works on the front is miserable won’t even give you a smile. Waiter was nice though

This place is a real find! And, since the A303 has been remodelled by Highways England they've unhelpfully made this diner harder to access, so it's even more important to support it. It's an American style diner at the Sparkford/A359 junction on the A303 and it's full of soul. The food is delicious, the service very quick and the atmosphere is genuinely welcoming. I can thoroughly recommend this place - whether it's just a great coffee you're looking for, a full cooked breakfast or an amazing burger, you won't find better for miles. It's independent and these guys have really suffered since the road has been remodelled, so beat a path to their door and tell your friends. You'll be glad you did!

Fab place ! It was extremely busy last Sunday, so waited possibly a little longer than usual to be served, but the wait was worth it !! The food was fresh, tasty and served nice and hot. Having the American cars and trucks that had arrived in the car park was a bonus! There were some very interesting vehicles and we spent time talking to some of the owners. We will definitely come here again !!

I dont live nearby but we stop here every time we travel past. There is always a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. We were a large party and the staff were really efficient. The food was delicious and the children had lots of fun. They were also given little pots of sweets before we left. Will definitely come back again!

We stopped here for coffee and dessert and loved it. Great atmosphere, fabulous service, and delicious coffee. Only 4 stars for the lemon meringue sundae, though. It was yummy, but not really lemony. We will be back to eat, though, as the menu looked great.

Came for dinner, had a burger, my son had fish and chips. We all had milkshakes. It's adorable, great music.

We cruised down to the diner in our classic American cars trucks and hotrods to have lunch and chill out with friends. The pictures of this place do not do it justice. An amazing 50’s dining experience greeted us and Andrea and her team did not disappoint. From a full English breakfast , American breakfast or succulent burgers and an array of food was served to us with a smile, cooked to perfection. I myself had a juicy steak with all the trimmings which was a culinary delight washed down with a lovely milkshake We will definitely be returning soon and it was well worth the trip from Bristol

If you're in the area you need to try this place out. It's simply amazing. The food is out of this world, the staff are wonderful and the experience is off the charts. If you love Burgers then this place is for you ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Had a great dinner you need to go there

Great spot for a quality breakfast stopped here on Sunday 3rd Nov superb food and service as always. Thank you we will be back again soon

Not as good as it used to be. Sunday evening. Almost deserted. Main dishes came while still eating our Starters. 15% added to the bill without any notice. Never again.

Great food and atmosphere, value for money and service, highly recommended, 😃

Food was great service very good. Atmosphere & music brilliant.

Beautiful place, 100% felt like walking into the 50’s, our server was lovely and made sure we had everything we need, food was delicious and the homemade sausages and pancakes are the best I’ve ever had, overall no complaints would 100% come back

Different to what we are used too, good was excellent, staff friendly, decor fun

Sadly this place has been forgotten amidst the new highway - which is exactly what happened in America in the 50s! A great 50s themed American diner on the way from London to the West Country. Fresh food available most of the day and excellent choices for children. We stop off here whenever we head west and are never disappointed. You might need to travel a little bit out of the way to find it now bit it is definitely worth the visit. Also includes a tiny shop selling various American candies not found in many other places.

Great fun and service. Really enjoyed their pancakes.

Quick stop for refreshment. Typically styled American Diner with rocknroll theme. I liked it

Great place to eat friendly staff great fun.just a shame the new by passing is affecting their business so much as it was unusual quite as it didn't seem to have the passing trade that it used to.I just hope it survives.😕

Amazing food and brilliant staff. A great evening

Stopped in for lunch as we've passed this place often on the way to and from our sons university in Hampshire and thought we'd give it a go. The place is a bit mad but fun. Friendly servers appear to be from Eastern Europe and sometimes have a job understanding what you are ordering. The food was plentiful and hot, everyone enjoyed their meals. Service was pretty good and quick too, but it wasn't that busy only three other small groups dining. However when my husband went to pay he was over charged for my portion of fish and chips (the price on the menu stated £12.90, he was charged £16.99 for an 'Evening fish and chips' as I discovered on returning home, so check your receipts before leaving) also be aware a 10% service charge is also added to the bill, we always tip but don't favour restaurants who do this. Would we return? Possibly but not definitly.

Great place to visit!!!! Food and atmosphere really amazing!!! My kids loved every decorations. Shame is now not on the main road but keep eye on and worth to visit!!! ☺️

The food is good not exceptional it is however worth the stop

We pass this place on a fairly regular basis but have never been in until now. Whilst watching something that had a diner in it, one of those sudden moments of inspiration struck - "let's go check Mattia's out!". Now, we'd read some fairly nasty reviews beforehand, which seemed to have been posted recently, so were a little apprehensive. Well, we needn't have worried. I can only assume that the authors of the aforementioned negative reviews were pinko wokey snowflake f**ktards who'd gone in with an "attitude" (you know, the sort of people who get offended by anything - and there seem to be more of these idiots roaming the earth as the days go by). Well, that sort of behaviour's not on. A bit of respect for restaurant staff who, let's face it, have a challenging job, costs nothing. Anyway, onto the food. My wife had the meatballs with cheesy mash (which came with several dips) and I had a 12ox "Elvis" burger. The burger was extremely impressive - well-cooked, the various fillings were perfectly balanced and the whole assembly had very impressive structural integrity. If it's one thing I hate in my burgers, it's the damn thing collapsing while I'm trying to eat it. So 10/10 for the chef here. We finished off with a salted caramel ice cream dessert which was frankly so good it should be illegal. Did I mention that the staff were really polite, attentive and quick to respond? No long waits for our food or drinks. And the whole place is spotless too. Hopefully the staff and owners will read this review. Full marks from us, folks! We will DEFFO be back (you're only down the road from us).

Very good place, well worth the money

Popped in for breakfast on a trip with some friends and had a great time! The decor is really fun and on theme, our waitress was lovely, food and drinks came out hot, quickly, and exactly as ordered. Absolutely no complaints, just gutted it’s not a little closer to home.

What a place! Loved it. We popped in for a coffee but were so taken with its decor that we stayed and had lunch. I had an American style milkshake, gorgeous, authentic and filling! This diner is absolutely chock-a-block with American diner vibes, even the staff are dressed up and the music is 60s. Bet this place is slamming at the right times (we were en route to Southampton). You have to go visit! Prices are reasonable and food is good and fast. I do hope the roadworks nearby finish soon so we don't lose this little gem! I'll be back for sure. Thank you for making us feel like we were in the real deal!

Our favourite stop on the road from London to Cornwall. Food always excellent and the service friendly. A bit harder to find with all the roadworks, but worth the effort.

Second visit as good as the first. Don't let the small detour off the A303 put you off. We'll worth the effort.

Fantastic and very decorative diner, the staff were very friendly and courteous but the food could be slightly better. My friend ordered the cheeseburger which came with their crispy homemade onion rings and their french fries, the burger was really juicy and cooked to perfection, the fries were seasoned really well and crispy in which he’d give a score of 10/10 I went for their BBQ mountain ribs with crispy thick cut chips and salad. At first glance the presentation could’ve been slightly better as it just looked there wasn’t hardly anything to make me have that “Wow!” factor it was just like “Oh is that it?” which is slightly disappointing as you’d expect more on a plate, the sauce was okay but it could’ve been slightly more thicker for my liking, the texture of the ribs were a little dry as I was expecting them to be fallen of the bone kinda ribs but the rub seasoning on the ribs were pretty good! overall I’d give the ribs a 7.5 out of 10! The Coca Cola ice cream float was a treat as I’ve never had one before and this did not disappoint so I’d give that a 9 flat out of 10 and last but not least their chocolate fudge cake with ice cream was exceptional! the presentation was great, the cake was silky smooth and moist but what I loved about this cake is that it wasn’t too sweet to make you feel sick afterwards so again I will give that a 9 flat out of 10! Overall we had a great lunch experience with Mattia Diner so my overall score I’d give them an 8.5 out of 10 check em out!

Our family is American and we found this incredible diner by accident. We had a lovely time here. It was a true taste of "home" for us.

Very nice food service excellent prices affordable defo going bk again

Not busy and just before closing. Cool menu and cool interior, but strange strange service. Its like from american dinner murder mystery story. Worth a visit, but not for the food but the surreal athmosphere. The most authentic milkshake menu. But be aware.

Online it said it was open till 9pm and when we arrived at 1pm the place was completely closed and no signs at all saying it was closed, it's a shame because we were passing by and was really hoping it'll be open like it said it would.

Had a lovely meal here last Friday evening. Nice atmosphere and the owner and staff treated us very well, even gave us free popcorn and a free drink. Very happy with the experience

50s rock and roll diner when they finish the road it will be buzzing but still busy now

Small dinner on the side of the road, we ate well, the service was fast.

Took my husband here for his birthday,the staff were all friendly and helpful,the food was amazing and you deffinently dont leave their hungry.Also you can buy American sweets which we took advantage of. Would highly reccomend a visit,will deffinently go back there when we are back up that way.

Always stop here either going or coming back from cornwall Recently, it was 4 pm by time we got to the diner starving we hadn't eaten all day and was looking forward to a full breakfast only to discover breakfast menu stops at 3 pm so disappointed But they very kindly agreed to do us a breakfast which was excellent All the staff are lovely, polite, and attentative The owner is a lovely lady service above and beyond for 2 cranky travellers Can't fault the diner . I love it. I wish I could go more

What an enigma! We needed to break a long journey and this was at a convenient place. After you park you are met by garish signs and memorabilia from the 1950-60s including Elvis and Marylin statues. The door is plastered with directions and instructions including messages about people not being allowed to use the toilet a number of times and no substitutes. When we walked in, it was a bit like being transported back in time to mid-town America. The staff were all dressed in costume and the service was OK. The food was also good for a diner, but the menu was again constantly telling us there are no substitutions. All-in-all an OK place to visit for a quick meal on a long journey, but would be more relaxing with less instructions and fear of breaking their etiquette as you ate. We may visit again as it is on route to other places but chilling out with the instructions a bit would probably encourage more customers.

We came to Mattias Diner for breakfast for our mum’s birthday. Our little brother who has autism was upset when we got there as it was a new place. We were treated disgustingly by the staff, tutting and staring at us so we left. Absolutely no awareness. The older lady in particular was very rude and judgemental. Also no service dogs allowed. Not a friendly place for children with learning disabilities.

A nice American 50s diner. Typical types of food. They like their burgers greasy and pink in the middle.

Women stared at us eating the whole time, food was greasy and expensive. Upon paying women were staring and grinning at my other half. Awkward and uncomfortable. AVOID

Very nice....something different!!!

No dogs allowed no take away service drove in looked, turned around and drove out bit of a shame really

Great American food and really friendly staff

Amazing authentic American Diner Burgers lovely

This place could be so good… the look of the place is pure Americana. This is why it’s getting 2 stars and not one. Unfortunately the staff were very unimpressed when we stopped in and asked if we could get some milkshakes and a snack… it was 3:30pm so neither lunch nor dinner time. The look we got from the person serving was priceless - a mixture of surprise, disgust and disdain. Interesting considering we were the second of two tables. We looked at the menu anyway… you can’t order sides unless you order a main. The very first pages of the menu lists out all the alcoholic drinks, surely a poor design for a roadside diner. To top it all a rather pass-agg paragraph about how they will deal with any complaints.

Terrible diner. Avoid at all costs. The staff were extremely rude. They got a couple of orders wrong and the food was cold. My dad ordered a breakfast with no beans or tomato. It came with both. When he told them they simply scrapped it off the side of the plate leaving the sauce over all the other items instead of re-doing it. My breakfast was cold. When I told the waiter the bacon and beans were stone cold, he said no they're not, they can't be. I offered him to try them and he didn't know what to say and just walked away. He never came back. I didn't eat the rest of my breakfast. I told another waitress as well and she said we will sort it out at the end with the manager. Little did I know, the manager was the rudest one of them all. She told me she wouldn't take it off the bill and said I should have spoken to her at the time. I told her I spoke to a staff member and it was his responsibility to get her if that is what should have happened. She was extremely rude, huffing and puffing and said she will take 50% off but is not taking the whole breakfast off. When I told her I wasn't paying for it she continued to be very rude and just took it off the bill. I have never experienced such appalling customer service anywhere. My family and I will definitely not be going back!

Great little American style diner. Staff were really friendly and the food was lovely. Really quick service and really couldn't fault the food. It was well priced for what is was and the burger I had was hand made! Definitely will be back!

We planned this visit as a half-way stop on our route to Devon. Looks good online and despite some pretty bad reviews (mostly commenting on bad service and the poor English spoken by staff) we decided it was worth the risk - we were wrong! I ordered the Full English Breakfast and asked for them to leave off the beans and tomato. When it arrived it was complete with beans and tomato. I pointed this out and the waitress took it away only to bring it back one minute later with the tomato removed and the beans scraped off the plate. At this point I said I’d rather cancel and not order anything but the waitress insisted she would get a fresh breakfast cooked, which she did (I think 😬). The sausages were advertised as homemade which they certainly were not, the bacon was distinctly average, the fried bread was greasy and the fried eggs looked so bad I didn’t even try them. My mother-in-law had eggs Benedict which were cold. My daughter had the full English which came with cold bacon and cold beans. When she complained the waitress called the cook over who said, “they can’t be cold, I cooked them just a minute ago”, then walked off never to return. There were fourteen of us eating and no one was happy with the food. When we went to pay my daughter said she wasn’t happy to pay for her breakfast. The manager eventually and begrudgingly said she would take off 50% which my daughter refused and said she wasn’t going to pay for a cold breakfast she hadn’t eaten. Although dissatisfied with both the service and food everyone else paid in full just to avoid any further unpleasantness. If you can avoid this place then absolutely you should! Don’t be sucked in by the online photos and promises of homemade produce. It’s actually the dictionary definition of a greasy spoon with dirty condiments.

The food was lots and definitely filled the stomach. Tried the Mai Tai cocktail which was amazing but you don't want to drink that when you are not near your home.

Spotted this 50s American diner from roadworks on the way to the Fleet Air Arm museum at Yeovilton. Luckily found a way there on our way back, worth all the effort, what a great place. Loads of choice, food and service great, full of character, bright and cheery.

This place seems to devide opinion. I visited on way back from exmoor for breakfast. It's a great place, qwerty, reminiscent of a scene from pulp fiction. Food was great, service excellent, and lots of old fashioned American memorabilia. Recommend

Awful service as all servers english is limited. Asked for well done steak came out blue sent it back came back rare third time they had cut the steak in half burnt it thoroughly to the point it no longer resembled a bit of steak won't be going back

We're here right now, I had the 20z rump I ordered medium rare and got a very dry well done. Edible with lots of garlic butter but not worth 30 quid. My wife's burger was alright but nothing special, the shakes were OK and the staff were quick and pleasant. The loos were a bit broken hand dryer not working and no loo roll! Decor is cool though, happy to come and teach chef how to cook a steak anytime. If not just get a meat thermometer they're a tenner on amazon

Pleasant surprise. Fantastic service. Great food.

We had a wonderful time this evening at Mattia Diner. One of our party had their birthday and the waitresses cottoned that it was his birthday while taking our order. After our food was dry quickly served, and delicious, they cleared our dishes and then came out with a little chocolate cake and sparklers singing happy birthday. It was so unexpected we didn't even ask them! We will definitely be back again, wonderful food and wonderful staff

Great looking diner, good service, but apart from the sausages, everything was overcooked.

Second time back here, love the atmosphere and food, always great and friendly service!

Brilliantly different,loved it.🙂

Have used this diner a few times now, food always very good. On this visit, food was as good as ever, but a definite hiccup in service. My hotdog arrived within minutes of ordering, but my wife’s scampi and our drinks, which had been ordered as soon as we were shown to our table, did not arrive until after I had finished my meal. At first, the waitress claimed that we had not ordered scampi and that the drinks order was not her problem, as they came from the bar. After looking at the menu again, it would appear that as we had just asked for scampi and chips, rather than New England scampi, this had caused a bit of confusion on their computerised ordering system. When the scampi, or should I say New England scampi, along with our drinks, it was very tasty. Just a brief misunderstanding, which is certainly not enough to put us off using, what I consider, the best stopping place on the road to the south west

Very disappointed, waited ages to be served, staff didn't have a clue , won't be going again , walked out as waited so long

The food was generally of a high standard but one of my party had a small breakfast and the sausage was a large one which had been cut in half, also there we're three of us and they were unwilling to divide the bill in two parts, the overall decor was good the music was in keeping with the 50's theme as were the waitresses outfits. The toilet is for patrons only which is fair overall pretty good apart from those two points.

I didn't realise I was walking into Karen's diner. Not welcoming at all we left after 2 minutes

Very rude place and dog walking isn't allowed and your not allowed to use the toilets!This place is ridiculous! One star. I hated it even the ice cream 😡

Limited menu, some nice food, but our pies were a bit overdone with the pastry being a bit hard. I must say, though, the filling was delicious. Nice friendly staff, the pub is done out lovely. Also, note that the parking is down the road a few 100 yards.

The food was excellent, waiting staff good. But toilets need attention not very clean and out of order. Half way through meal a man came in with a little girl desperate for the toilet, the owner refused and a row broke out.

The overall look of the diner is great and a bit of fun, however the same cannot be said for the staff or food. The toilets are not in good condition. Our order was taken wrong and then they were rude when they brought out the wrong food and had to change it. We ordered the America breakfast which states comes with maple syrup. The pancakes were terrible and tasted like they were just reheated, the scrambled egg was also terrible and the bacon not cooked well. They provided golden syrup, not maple syrup and when I asked them about this, they said they hadn't had a delivery yet. They did take off the price of one of the meals at the end. It's safe to say we won't be returning.

I got stuck in traffic with my 2 year old daughter on the A303, she desperately needed the toilet so i pulled into Mattias Diner to ask if I could use the toilet only to be turned away..... The diner was empty with many staff sitting doing nothing, not one of them would allow my 2 year old daughter to use the toilet and they asked me to leave, which I was appalled at!! Instead I had to take her outside to poo in the grass. I will never be back to this shocking establishment and would recommend people to avoid. I appreciate the business isn't there as a public toilet but my daughter was desperate and is currently going thorough toilet training so sometimes you get caught out.

Quirky American style diner right next to the A303, although about to be on the old road as the new one will bypass it.

Horrific… The service is terrible, the food is so bad. The milkshakes tasted off. We had no choice but to leave. We weren’t even allowed to get takeaway coffee, such a scam.

Very OTT with all the memorabilia but that's what makes it so great! - The food was also great and the table service was good. I'd have given 5 stars if I hadn't had to pay a 'Service Charge' too! - Although it's an American theme Diner we are still in ENGLAND... We don't pay service charges here! Worth popping in if you're passing.

A good stop off point on the way to the coast. Just had two coffees. Would visit again.

Food was mediocre, nothing too special, but nothing bad either. Very good stop on the way if you want a little experience, maybe not so for return trips

Just what we needed for a travel pit stop. Good, affordable American breakfast food and something different to most places you find in the UK.

My first and only visit. Gawdy atmosphere poor service and food

Absolutely amazing ! Would 100% recommend to everyone, we pre ordered as we were a big table of twelve but food and drinks came super quickly. Owner Andrea was lovely! We will be back soon to try breakfast. We had a good variety of food, all was excellent and portion sizes were massive- very reasonable price.

Amazing place , past many times but never done , wish i had , great breakfast and room to turn the motorhome at bottom of car park

Had a fried breakfast which was one of the best I've had, but after we asked for the dessert menu no one came to take our orders so after waiting for quite a while we left without having any, very disappointed.

Food was mediocre, onion rings were most batter than onion, the coleslaw was a small bit of Lettuce, 1 slice of red onion 1 slice of tomato and half a tea spoon of coleslaw at the price of £3.25 they fixed the issue very quickly after we complained about the price and the amount you get for it which was difficult as most of them are eastern European and don't speak very good English. We also ordered Texas Buffalo Chicken Wings which came with BBQ sauce but when getting to the table they didn't have any BBQ sauce with them, which we had to ask for and then they took them away looking confused and the manager came over and asked if there was anything wrong with the wings, so we explained the issue and he just gave us a bottle of BBQ sauce.

TERRIBLE service. super rude and not friendly. no dogs

Great American Diner with lots of memorabilia, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Blues Brothers, James Dean themed, awesome place, friendly staff and nice food, definately worth a visit :)

We experienced the most shocking service we have ever experienced in a restaurant, the waiter and the manager of the restaurant were angry with us, they did not serve us all the food we ordered and when we dared to complain we were kicked out and all this after they tried to charge us for things we did not order at all.

Plenty of choice, nice food good prices

Must have driven past this place 100 times across the years and never stopped until today. Ended up being a bit gluttonous and ordering a 24oz burger which came with a free beer - making it pretty much the same equivalent cost of a 12oz burger and a beer! Why not?! The presentation, cook and taste of the burger was excellent and the service and atmosphere matched. Plus, on a HOT day the iced beer glasses were muchly appreciated 👍

Far to many sins everywhere no this no that , very unwelcoming

Liked it all,the music was from my era

Great experience, wacky place, but great,,2nd visit and will return when next down to a303.

Beautiful restaurant, ruined by the staff and food. Staff are rude and dismissive. Our food was all wrong and wasn't very appetising. Service was awful and then they had the cheek the put a 10% service charge on without saying anything.