OK Diner in Rutland

Avoid the car park!! Fined for a 13 minute stop for coffee and a wee!!! £100!!! We were not aware of there being a car park charge!!! Absolutely appalling and we have used this place many times during our travels! Disappointed! And absolutely greedy!

Outrageous Parking fine issued and appeal denied. We stopped at OK Diner thinking we would get a coffee and use the toilet to break our journey as it was marked as services from A1. It was cold and unwelcoming so we went across the road, used the toilets and drove off. I then received a parking fine as I was 25 seconds over the 10 minutes grace time for parking. I did not even know you had to pay for parking!. I appealed but this was turned down. It is is completely out of proportion. I have now received a notice from a debt recovery company to pay £170. I will not be paying this outrageous amount and will go to court if necessary. This is just sharp practice and a total scam. I definitely will not go here again, be warned

Staff are very rude. Not clean at all. Food was cold and greasy.

Food and service excellent as usual, my favourite place to stop for refreshments and I love lemon cheesecake

We stop here when we are taking a trip up north. The food is good and the staff are lovely, reasonably priced to

AVOID - food is average - lets say it's "OK". Then even though we complied with the parking rules, as a paying customer, we were still sent a PCN through. Appealed and they accepted the appeal but still wanted me to pay £20! so have had to take it further. JUST AVOID go ANYWHERE ELSE but there !

When not in my truck I like to visit this site at Bloody oaks. Great service great food. Quote me happy.

What a good idea - Food was good, service was friendly and speedy, but the atmosphere is the best bit! Great aesthetics, felt very authentic; thought it could be a bit of a greasy spoon but was pleased to be proved wrong!!

They wouldn't allow my kids to use the toilets (service stop) at the same time staff spoke very rudely as we weren't dining with them. Very sus, I wonder what it was about us!🤔

The best cafe on the way north. Forget the service stations!

Amazing place! I will be back there 100%

Poor quality food, expensive, low quality service

Please beware of carpark i had fraud activity in my card off payment app then got a fine

First time visit after being recommended to try an OK Diner's milkshake... I was not disappointed and the food was good too. Can't fault the service, very polite and attentive. Would recommend.

We always stop here on the way up to York. It's always delicious and great value!

Great friendly atmosphere and the food was great and plentiful. This a nice stop the replenish and revive oneself.

Our mistake say under the air conditioning vent were freezing by time we left. But the service and food was excellent.

It's always a pleasure to eat here everything is perfect the food, the atmosphere, the service and the music. First class every time. A great place to eat and relax.

Me and my family had the loveliest dinner out at Ok Diner on Saturday. The service was amazing , everyone’s so friendly and the kids had so much fun, we thought the portion sizes were great. Will definitely be back for more milkshakes 😋

One off the best dinners I've had Kim was lovely I wanted to take her home to cook forever she's fantastic I'm definitely going back this week after our lovely dinner yesterday I would tell everyone to come here fantastic place

Do not dine or park here! Beware Smart Parking private parking company will fine you! I haven't received a fine, so lucky 😁 Just warning others to beware!!

Super disappointed with our visit... Onions rings were good, atmosphere too! Great coffee but things took a sharp nose dive with dessert. We fancied a sweet treat so ordered the warm ring donut and giant cookie. Donut came microwaved and hard as chip board. They kindly brought us a second and same again. Cookie came and only what can be described as warm raw cookies that had been microwaved was on the plate. Not a cookie at all. Ate about half out desperation for some Chocolate. Really let the trip down. Staff didn't seem to care at all. Thankfully our love of rock n roll music helped the atmosphere that would otherwise have been likened to a funeral... Real pity as have stopped here many many times.

Want a taste of America, this place has got it spot on. Food is cracking and one of the best burgers I've had for a while. Service is awsome and ypu feel like you've just been whizzed to USA itself. Definitely will be popping bk when we are not as tired from travelling, really nice end to our Anniversary trip. They have Burger discount days also so that was a bonus, znd thankyou for squeezing us in we must have looked hungry, tired and desperate lol 😴

Really good tasty breakfast in a lovely American diner atmosphere. Very good service from everyone.

A very nice experience, all day breakfast was lovely and the coffee fantastic. It was a nice change to stop somewhere different.

Not great food , service or ambience. And when the staff don’t tell you to register your car , they charge you for a £170.00 parking fine.. Advice keep driving and eat somewhere else so you don’t get stuffed by these total cowboys…

Expensive, the food and service are not what they were a few years ago. And they have a parking scam which they hammered us with sometime afterwards. We are a family with several children and did not feel welcome. I would definitely not go back and would advise others not to also.

The overall experience was very good. I went in with my bestie whom I was visiting for a few days. She has the mixed grill and I had "the big one" (an all day breakfast) the food was very tasty. I did like the fact that the decor was sticking to the vibe of the establishment. The staff were friendly and welcoming. There was one thing I did notice. That the manager was doing an interview on the front booth (closest to the entry and exit, well I assume they got the job as "when can you start" usually means got the job). Drinks were ice cold and food was prepared fresh and served quickly. I think the only thing I would have changed is my bacon being made crispy but that was on me because I didn't ask for it crispy so that doesn't impact the review. Overall a very nice place to eat, big portions and you can tell the staff work here have big hearts as they were all smiling.

Will not be coming here ever again. Just got a fine through the post, no knowledge that you had to register staff did not make me aware so sorry you've just lost a customer

Food was ok, service ok but the whole place in serious need of a overall as everything very tatty and tired looking.

I have been visiting here for almost 20 years, the service is always good. And if Sandra happens to be cooking you get the added benefit of perfect fried eggs!

Used this place for many years. Good service and food. Outrageous parking charge issued. Parking company refused to accept three people entered reg number including restaurant staff. You have to try and prove you were in the right as apposed to them proving you were in the wrong. Disgusting attitude. Never again. That’s what contracting out parking does.

First time visiting one of these Diners, Breakfast Burger doubled and poutine chips, very nice but should have gone for a single though, phew! it was big. Next time I visit I'll remember.

I live in Kent but I'm always up here at tickencote ok diner on my travels with a motorcycle group. Amazing food and amazing service! Wish we had one in Kent as the burgers and breakfasts are out of this world!

Me and my Dad come every weekend to Ok diner. The staff are so friendly and service is always 10/10. We love the food, atmosphere is wonderful. Parking is always available. Cannot fault it! Will continue to come x

The old woman is racist as hell deserves a job at karens diner she'd fit in perfectly the food is alright nothing to brag about chips was cold and over all the experience was uncomfortable don't recommend to anyone

Great food and nice taste of 50s nostalgia

Can't mention about the atmosphere as we ate out but the staff were lovely and friendly and the food was simple but delicious. Just what we needed on a long drive!

Brilliant service, very delightful lady served us, arrived at 19:30, very busy unlike down the road, completely different atmosphere, bright and clean, warm, friendly.

BEWARE parking here, went in for a meal, and still came out to a parking charge...... £60 and not impressed at all.

Work in London, live in Yorkshire and this place is my halfway-home food stop every Friday night. Staff are pleasant, food fresh and coffee plentiful. Gets me through the final 2 hours behind the wheel. Update February 2025. Still travelling up and down the A1 every week - different day, different time, same breakfast. Place is still sparkling clean, food is consistently good and the staff unfailingly pleasant. They now have a parking validation system which costs nothing but two minutes of your time. I have noticed two more OK Diners on the A1 recently so they are obviously breeding and long may it continue.

Stopped for a quick bite on a Sunday evening. I had wings and dirty fries. The wings were pretty good with a Korean style sauce, though perhaps a sprinkle of sesame seeds would have helped both visually and with the texture. The dirty fries were a little soggy and I'd not order them again. The diner was really quiet which did not help the atmosphere which was a little subdued. I will certainly be back though.

Lovely meal, nice & hot, generous portions. Easy access with ample parking. Staff friendly & helpful. Milkshakes are amazing.

Stopped here 3 years ago and they had good vegetarian and vegan options on a separate menu. We stopped again today, but there was no separate menu, and nothing on the main menu was marked as vegetarian/ vegan or any allergens. We were given the allergen list, but we had to cross reference everything to find not a lot of items we could eat 😅 The waitress was nice about it, but we had to leave because there was nothing suitable.

Have been wanting to go to one of these for a while but always seemed to pass outside of their opening hours, which are more limited than some places. Not disappointed! A little more traditional than some fast food restaurants (wait to be seated and served at your table), however staff were very friendly and welcoming. Reasonably priced food in a unique American diner setting! I'm not much of a dessert eater, but the desserts in particular looked amazing! My burger was nice, and portion sizes good! Some drinks come with free refills which is also nice after a long day on the road!

Always good to seat down once and a while to trough in a big dirty plate of "Heart Attack" now and again 😁

An oasis on the A1M and one of many reasons why the M1 motorway can do one. Quick, tasty, rock and furthermore roll.

First time here. Great atmosphere. Tasty authentic usa style foods. Service was a little slow, and servers weren't attentive enough for my liking. But overall a enjoyable place to eat nice American style meals.

Used to use OK diners frequently while travelling from Yorkshire to Norfolk. I WON'T ANY MORE. At Tickencote in Jan 2025 I entered car plate number, ate a reasonable meal and left after half an hour. On 7 Feb I got a parking ticket by which time I had thrown away OK receipt but do at least have proof of payment for meal from bank statement. Maybe OK diner gets a cut from the parking fines? Otherwise why have a parking firm operating the parking? Even with proof of purchase without proof of entering car reg [a printout of those entered around time of stay could be used] one can't prove anything. I have now read in other reviews that Smart Parking [anything but smart in my view] have no customer interaction capability. Why should pay up but going through courts etc would be more expensive.

Would appear to be a new team since i last visited. Well catered and definitely have their shiz more together than before. Shame there wasn't any music playing

Took 40 minutes for our food. On our second occasion coming here I ordered the sausage sandwich with the ‘mega sized bread’, but received regular bread, costing almost £7, and didn’t finish it. Another of the party didn’t finish their food either. Food has definitely gone downhill recently

Heartbroken as they shut at 8pm. I lived 5 hours away and loved their milkshakes. We decided to have a late tea on the long journey home, but they were shut. It's a pity as I've never known a restaurant to shut so early.

Excellent food, great service Excellent staff and great value

Have been going here for years but don't get to go very often, I am sure the burgers used to be so much better, like a real American burger. Now, they are OK, you won't feel cheated but definitely more like a processed burger than I remember. They have a single or double, single was more than enough, it was huge. Now, if they did a premium for a proper American burger for a few pound more, I'd take that option. Atmosphere and staff were great and service you couldn't fault. Free coffee top ups and if you want a take away, that's available too. Rest of the meal was fantastic go for the Wednesday burger meal and I don't think you will be disappointed, I just wish they had a proper American burger.

Be incredibly careful parking here when the diner is closed. Thought the parking was part of the petrol station, used the loo in the garage for 10 minutes on boxing day and got a £60 fine. Not impressed

Great value for money and all the staff go out of there way to help out, join the ok rock club to get 15% off bills! And I got a free milkshake too

Had a burger while driving up to Yorkshire from London. Nice staff, friendly service.

Needs a update but great place, staff and food

I’ve visited a number of times and it’s always a welcome stop on a long journey. Service is always excellent and the food is too notch. The value for money is great especially the large milkshakes and the free filter coffee refills. The American Diner theming is a nice alternative to a standard British service station. Despite the fact you sometimes have to wait for a table, I would definitely recommend!

I had pancakes and a banana shake. Staff were very polite and friendly, the food was great and served swiftly 10/10

Friendly staff and great food. Reasonably priced

The service was excellent & we were looked after really well. Highly recommended & 100% superb staff. Same service & great food. No complaints. Get the ok diner discount card you save 15% off your bill. JUST DO IT! 😂 See my bill with the discount! Honestly why would you not want a discount card???

We stop here whenever we are on our way home from London, the atmosphere is always great, can get a little busy. Good to see they've introduced parking validation. The staff are always great. Definitely the best ok diner on the A1

The food was good but afterwards I felt sick like someone punched my gut and I felt like vomiting. The toilets were a mess and very UNCLEAN the floor was sticky with a substance I couldn't identify. I don't know if this ever happened to you guys but stay safe!

Amazing food, great price the portion you will get it is very very filling, the dirty fries is an absolute must. Atmosphere is very relaxing old fashioned, old american music to go with it, the service is professional and waitresses are very friendly and kind, will most definitely be coming back here.

Excellent diner for a quick stop over to try some classic diner food and milkshakes. The food was great and the service was friendly yet fast. Would be our stop over place on our next trips up south.

Nipped in off the A1 for a quick bite to eat. Ordered a full breakfast with a milkshake (I know but it was 2pm) The only bug bear I had was the bacon and eggs, a little bit undercooked for me. Everything else was nailed on. The milkshakes are unreal too, I had a raspberry ripple 👍🏼 will be coming back!

Our family has visited this particular OK Diner many times over the last 12 years, and have always enjoyed good quality food, great service, nice atmosphere, always clean with good facilities. An excellent way of breaking up a journey on the A1 north.

Busy for a reason. The simply eggs & bacon were really tasty and filter coffee spot on. Waitresses really friendly and professional. Good work!! Will be back when passing....

I loved this diner. It's cosy, the staff is really great, friendly, and the place is clean. It's a great place to take a break while on a long drive.

Excellent food every time I visit comes out in good time staff are all very pleasant and helpful food is always great overall very friendly place to eat would highly recommend

Stopped here on the way to Northumberland. I'm glad we did, lovely place, thankyou.

First time here for breakfast, normally we arrive later. Speedy, polite service, large portions and good food.

Feels like you stepped in the old America as soon as you open the door. Fabulous atmosphere, the service is fantastic, they make sure you are all set and checking in constantly to ensure you have the best experience possible.

Great food at a reasonable price. Excellent staff and service by Sharon and Julia! Would recommend!

We love it here, staff are wonderful and the food is amazing.

The food looks like it's already been eaten once my water was served in a glass that hadn't been washed in a very long time there's nothing to eat in the area otherwise I would have been refused food.

Never been before, good food at a reasonable price

My wife and I have stopped for dinner at this diner tice in the past few weeks. We were welcomed and straight away shown how to enter our car details to avoid a parking fine by the staff and then shown to our table. Nothing is to much trouble for the staff and the manageress is very friendly and professional, a Polish lady, when we were there. The food is very good and you can choose from a huge menu. Well presented and clean in all areas with a step back in time to a traditional Americana diner of yester year. It is not cheap however with a meal for both of us, main and dessert costing a little over £50 each visit. Having read some of the reviews, be aware of the parking fine pitfall if you do not enter your car VRN in the entrance of the diner. Highly recommended.

Great stopover. Fab food, efficient friendly service, thank you to all.

We turned up in the morning for breakfast. Turns out it was closed then some company is trying to charge us £100 for parking in their car park. We were there 11 minutes. BEWARE

Very good food for what is an American diner.

A reasonable place, nothing too special about the food! The milkshakes you get a lot, and they are tasty! And cannot at all say anything bad about the staff they were lovely! You do have to put your car plate in for parking. But if you have any dietary restrictions you will struggle but the staff do everything they can to help you!

Newspaper eat And be extremely careful with their car park

Highly recommend a visit to ok diner. Food and service are excellent

When you're travelling along the A1 you pass some shiny restaurants well they're the ok diners and they are ok. I stopped at the one on the north bound carriage way near Stamford and found it to be an ok experience. The milkshake was delicious and thick and the food portion sizes reasonable but a few extra chips would have been nice. So if you have time to stop for a decent meal this could be just the place for you. OK.

Had the fish and chips for the price would have thought they would at least batter the fish themselves it was clearly bought in fish from a supermarket and for 15pds this fish was at best 3pds bought im from the likes of morrisions

Not huge, but all better than I'd expected having driven past many times!

Excellent food and friendly service. Knocking off a point for the completely unnecessary parking management scheme in place. “It’s been a nightmare” according to staff. They did at least proactively ask if I was using the car park which is better than some locations.

Great diner, great food, reasonably priced

Dirty under and on table, service was ok but server was not very happy when asked for things. Food not great quality but good portions.

Make sure you log your car number plate in on the ANPR parking tablet in the entrance!! We've not been for a few years. We returned today, and it was nothing like we remembered. Looks the same. We waited 10 mins to be seen, so it was not too bad. One staff member seemed annoyed at having to seat us (it was fairy empty), and most of the staff seemed very stressed. We ended up on a table in the gangway and got knocked by bags and elbows as we sat there. The food was ok, but nothing special. Will not go again.

The food was amazing and the atmosphere of the restaurant was amazing ( it had an American theme ) definitely recommend

Fairy average food, but overpriced

WARNING - PARKING FINE RIP OFF -They don't open till 9am so we sat in their car park for 15 minutes looking for another eating place ! today we received a parking fine £60 or £100 if paid within 14 days of date of notice and dated 9 days ago !what a rip off ! we did NOT see any car parking notices ! we rang the Diner they said there are 15 signs up about parking - well thats the last time we will eat in their Diner ! WHAT A rip off!!!

The parking lot behind the unloading area in front of the building is too small for a truck. The parking fee is quite high. If you arrive at night, you can easily park here and wait until the morning.

!!! PLEASE AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS !!! As a traveller, I stopped here to get a coffee on my way up north. It took not more than 15 minutes to get a coffee and be on the way. After I return back, I get a parking charge fine of £60 + admin charges totalling to £100 for a 15 minute stop of a coffee break! No where in the world have I come across such outrageous charges for a rest-stop parking along the high-way unless you are parking overnight. Additionally, the Service Staff should be trained to ask for your vehicle number if there is such thing as registering your vehicle is required to avoid parking charges. Totally disappointed, not recommending this place to anyone. 🙁

I stopped at tickencote for a toilet break on 8/10 and saw the diner whilst I was stopped there for precisely 11mins 11 secs. I liked the look so much that I stopped there the following week for a all day breakfast which was lovely. Great service all good!. I then got a £60 parking ticket for my first stop at the establishment the previous week. Now if i hadn't had stopped that first week I would not have seen the place and would not have decided to stop for lunch. I travel this route regulalry now so it was nice to find somewhere I could stop along the way for a bite to eat that isn;t a burger of kfc. Regreatably the parking fines will result in me not stopping at any of the OK Diner facilities in the area and I will be steering well clear of them in futre. More Welcome Breaks for me then!

Cheap eats and plenty of choice. Great quick service and a great atmosphere. Get the milkshakes!

Excellent food hot and tasty. Great service and at a reasonable price 👍