OK Diner in Newark and Sherwood

Seems you get charged a Parking Fine when driving into car park on a Sunday early morning and finding that the Diner is closed and driving away all within 6 minutes No visible sign showing that just for serving in the car park and leaving in 6 minutes you have to pay for parking ! Even after submitting an appeal and explaining that I didn’t turn my engine off and photo evidence showed that my friends and I left after 6 minutes to find somewhere else open on a Sunday morning , the parking fine still stands apparently !! Have been using this location with my friends and family over 10 years or more - will not be going here again Day light robbery and a joke is the politest thing I will say

This is a great American style diner. It may be out of the way on the A1, but it is most definitely worth stopping to get some food to go or to sit in and have a lovely breakfast with a great coffee. All served with a smile.

Absolutely loved this place. It’s not pricey very clean and easy accessible. Thanks Lucy for your service. I was amazed

Very good. Husbands burger not so good. Over done. Everything else spot on.

First time I have been today for my birthday lunch. Everything was spot on. The staff are friendly. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was good as well. Definitely will be going again.

Would have given 5 star for atmosphere but it was very cold no heating in the restaurant....a lot of the customers felt the same ...food shakes 10/10 ...Will be back again please have some heating on or back in the summer

Very nice professional service, tasty food and nice atmosphere with 50s theme

Expensive for what it is. Breakfast and pancakes aren't like they used to be...Considerably smaller.

Very friendly staff, good food at a fair price.

They used to have a dedicated vegan menu, that they’ve now gotten rid of. The staff shrug and say “we can give you the allergy book” which is massive and so confusing to understand. You ca. cobble together a vegan breakfast using sides but it ends up costing the earth. This used to be a go to for me for a stress free vegan meal. I knew they had options and I wouldn’t have to deal with figuring out a meal while the rest of my party waits. Please bring back your vegan menu!

Great food , couldn't fault anything

Not even mediocre, and very over priced.

Quick tasty food Good atmosphere

Feels like a genuine American diner. Great burgers and milkshakes. Easy parking next to the north bound A1

Best burgers and milkshakes around. All cooked and made to order so small waiting time. Good table service.

Great place for a tasty bite to eat! We came here on a Sunday for lunch as it was on the A1 and we were meeting someone who was driving up to Scotland. We had delicious food and drinks and it wasn’t badly priced. The decor is great and we loved the vibe, especially as the sun poured in. Would visit again for sure! There was actually a queue to get in when we arrived: testament to its popularity, no doubt!

Wonderful 50's diner. Amazing food and friendly atmosphere and great service

It’s a decent place in a very random location, was passing and saw it to pit stop. Run of the mill nothing to shout about but it’s got great staff

Fill your boots... visit only when really hungry for a truly great meal.

Always great food and friendly staff. Travel 50 miles just for a meal out of our way. Highly recommend them.

Fantastic place to stop for a real burger, real shakes and malts, classic tunes and delightful service. The food is great!

Food was delicious, service was amazing. Spot on all round

I have driven past the restaurant over the year but never ventured in. My partner took me on a date night. Loved the vibes, the food was excellent and the service was great. Will definitely go again.

Staff and food were lovely, the only problem I had was dogs being allowed in the diner, it's not a big place so to me this shouldn't be allowed.

Food and service were good. However… I received a fine for using the customer car park, despite giving my car registration to the waitress. Made it a very expensive burger! Absolutely disgraceful. Do not risk visiting here!

Stopped here on the way to Worksop,good food,plus free coffee refills,nice diner.

Exactly what you'd expect from a 50's US style diner. Great variety of period music, period decor, and nice, simple US food. They also do milkshakes to have in or take away - we both found our milkshakes to be rather sweet, though we don't have the sweetest pallet anyway. Nothing revolutuonary, just simple food done well. An ideal place for stopping off on a longer drive, and perfect for car-watching - if that's something you're into!

Great range of food. Excellent service. Like stepping back in time. They really worked hard at creating a 50s diner atmosphere.

Very friendly helpful staff who are really great with the customers, clean environment, Thick and Juicy Burgers served with amazing Buger Relish. Excellent Milkshakes. Atmospheric American like being in a movie, even playing American music. Prices very fair and well worth it. I felt I got good value for money.

Great food, good quality and loads of choice. This is a proper US rock'n'roll themed diner with memorabilia wherever you look. It's in a great location next to the A1 and very popular - parking is limited too, but you don't have to wait too long even if it's full. A fab place

Always a pleasure to diner at the OK Diner, our favourite pit stop on our adventures!

I have a regular trip from South to North, I prefer using A roads s and these are a good reason to use the A roads. Staff at Newark are friendly and welcoming, food is as expected. Since the demise of the "little happy" chains there are very few options.

Great place to stop on the A1 North bound for food beats the normal food in service station

Well sited for A1 travellers. Great service & OK food. Can't go wrong with standard diner fare. For extra value, get the Diner Card.

Very clean, great atmosphere and food.

Love love love this place for a cheeky breakfast. Staff are always so welcoming and food fresh. Just don't go if you are a vegan, or on a diet! Scratch that... diet is OK. Have porridge. It's yummy 😋

It was a useful stop on a long journey.

It's a nice but very busy place to stop for something to eat

We only stopped here because the road was very very slow and we wanted a break from it. Friendly service. Really good burger – excellent flavour and texture perfectly cooked and presented. Chips ok for the price point. Good tea and coffee. The only significant let-down was the state of the gents. Least said the better!

Stopped here for a meal on our way home. Excellent burger cooked by Jack. Lots of banter with Emily and Louise. Always fun when Emily is on duty. Make sure you get a discount card. It’s free and saves you 15% on your bill each time visit.

Simply great. The door opens and you are in another world. I've never had such a good burger and the milkshake was just as great. The trip was worth it.

Popped in to grab a coffee, really friendly service.

Fat service and tasty food. Friendly and helpful staff. This place always makes the start of it holiday. Iconic.

Our first visit. It won't be our last. Lovely food freshly made. Their milkshake are amazing.

Our regular stop on our way home from The Broads, always good food and excellent service.

Visited for my sons 10th birthday, rudely greeted by the Waiter. Then seated had the menus thrown on the table at us. Dirty cutlery on the table that was supose to be clean. Within 5 minutes of sitting down we felt rushed to order straight away without having the chance go have a proper look. Waiter snapped at us saying well I shall take your drink orders first until you make your mind up. Served are drinks again slamming them down, ordered food and Waiter stood there with her hand out waiting for use to pass the menus back. While waiting for our food we kept getting stared at and scowled at by the Waiter which made us feel like we wasn't welcome. Food came, again thrown onto the table. Food was alright. Definitely over priced for what you get. Saw the Waiter roll her eyes a few times at others very unprofessional. My son and daughter visited the toliet which was awful. Blood splatters up the walls. Smelt horrendous! Spent over £80 really wasn't worth it. Very rude staff my 10 year old had manners better than them. Definitely wouldn't go again! Felt like everything was a big rush. Despite the bad reviews I saw on here I thought we'd give it a go wish I didn't now. I agree with every bad review. Avoid and stay away! Rude Waiter was called Emily with blonde hair.

Love this place it's been my favorite diner for many years. Highly recommend

Good food at decent price. Well organised with friendly efficient staff. Plenty of parking and ideal stopping point on A1 North.

It is a good place to stop and have something to eat whist on your travels

It's OK (sorry for the pun) Is very scruffy falling apart in places. But the food ok 👍. Service is OK to not quit what you would get in the States, but the staff aren't from there, and apart from one waitress they don't seam to give a cr p.

Food was OK at best 😂 I wouldn't have minded if it wasn't restaurant prices :) it was on the higher end that I would pay for a burger/sandwich etc, but was very low quality - especially the meat. Service was shocking - I genuinely thought I must have done something wrong to the waitress cos I've never had such bad service not even at a takeaway Has a fun vibe but that is quickly shattered by the service and the quality of the food. Not worth it and wouldn't go again

i went yesterday with my husband for breakfast and we enjoyed the meal but as i do each time i go i get a strawberry milk shake to go which i thought was over priced as the cups were smaller it was not full and when i drank it there was only a small piece of strawberry and not much icecream

Very busy, long queue, was it worth the wait, well, it was living up to its name....OK.

Stop for good very clean and tidy and service was good ,food was really nice

Second time I've been whilst on a journey northwards. Honestly the best bacon sandwich I think I've ever had. And fantastic service to top it off. And excellent vibes.

Great service and food, will call in again when next passing

Nice little roadside diner. Always good food, never had a long wait. Get yourself an ok diner card for good discounts.

After frantically choking on a chicken breast, the staff were very forgiving, and happily escorted me from the deep-freezer back to my table. To be fair, the food was OK.

Only stopped to use the toilet but it looked ok and busy.

Been wanting to go for a few years now just never been out that way. Finally made it and it's well worth a visit. Top notch from a family of 6

Always stop there on the way to the peaks. Love it!

Staff were very helpful. A bit pricy

Loved it! For a little roadside diner it was brilliant, good music playing quite atmospheric staff friendly and coffee replenished .............just like in the movies 😉

Staff are very polite and professional, The food was amazing. I would definitely recommend it.

Bit of a hike to get there (the artic was parked the other side of the A1) but worth the trip- big fat breakfast (at 5pm) and a massive sticky toffee milkshake, all hit the spot.

Always great food, good atmosphere

Good selection on menu reasonable priced good service.

Wish I had more time as only stopped for a carry out...staff made a fuss when they heard my wife was unwell and produced water. Food was top notch.

Bit shabby but service was good. Loved the vegan shake. Could do with vegan desserts

Wonderful breakfast and pancakes l! Driven past so many times but glad I’ve tried it..daughter loved her stack with banana!

After visiting Newark..we came here and the staff are fantastic. It's not a huge place just an American style trailer. You can get your drink in a to go cup if your unable to drink it all like we did. We only had dessert meals due to already having a main course beforehand. I would recommend going. If ever going nearby again we will visit again.

Great milkshakes. Friendly staff.

I recently visited the OK Diner in Newark after about five years, hoping to relive the charm of a classic American diner that I once enjoyed. Unfortunately, this visit left me disappointed. The diner itself now looks quite tired and is in serious need of refurbishment and a good clean. We were seated at a window table, where the chrome was grimy, and there were dead flies in the window—definitely not the kind of atmosphere you'd hope for. The overall cleanliness of the establishment was questionable, with the men's restroom being particularly bad: bloody tissues around the sink, no toilet paper, and scalding hot water that made it difficult to wash my hands safely. As for the food, it was... well, just "OK," which feels ironic considering the name of the place. I had the Mac the Knife burger, and my fiancé ordered the All the Way hotdog. Both were decent but far from memorable, especially given the price point. There are plenty of other places where you can get much better food made with higher-quality ingredients. What really took the experience down a notch, though, was the service. All the waitresses had stern, unfriendly expressions and seemed like they didn't want to be there. The service was cold and unwelcoming, making us feel like we were a bother just by being there. In summary, while it's not the worst diner I've ever visited, it's certainly far from what it used to be, and for the money, it's just not worth it. I’d suggest giving this place a miss the next time you pass by.

Stopped for a takeaway coffee for14 mins, and the coffee wasn't that great. Just received a £100.00 fine for parking! Ridiculous money making con. We will not use OK Diners ever again and we are spreading the word. Also, the place looked like it needed deep cleaning, very tatty, greasy looking, and I used to be in catering, so I know.

Stopped here for a meal on a long drive recently, and we were impressed by the quality of the food. I definitely recommend the milkshakes, which came in a very good portion size. I'll be making the detour here in future

Stopped off on the way home as it looked really cool from the road side. Top notch atmosphere with really good quality food. Only reason it's not a 5 star was the price. Three of us had burgers and a drink each and all totalled to roughly £60 which is a little steep for road side grub.

A great place to relax, whether you're with family or on your own. The Coke float is a must-try if it's your first time here. The burgers and fries came out quickly and were delicious. Plus, the waitress was super friendly, which made my first visit very enjoyable.

There was a wait to be seated so we had take out which was freshly cooked and delicious. The price seemed very reasonable and I’ll pop in again next time I pass.

American highway restaurant style 👍

Always worth a stop, and breakfast on my travels up to Leeds. Staff are very friendly and polite, the service is very good and the breakfast is of a very good standard.

Always worth stopping on my way back to Essex

Superb food, sublime shakes and really speedy service. I visit here regular whenever I'm passing and it's just as good as ever. Top marks from me.

We ordered two dishes and two milkshakes and spent 35 pounds, and I can say never ever again I will go here. The food was not worth the money, so I asked to change the blue cheese to a cedar cheese, I got no cheese, and our banana milkshake was not properly blended we found half of the banana… really disappointed…

Absolutely loved it great menu staff friendly and helpful

delicious food..friendly staff. Food freshly cooked. Although busy service was delivered promptly and with a smile.

We love stopping here on the way to our Norfolk holiday. The food is fantastic, the service friendly and the atmosphere is welcoming.

Great stopping place when travelling

Great breakfast at a resonable price. Friendly service

Very friendly. Food excellent staff friendly and helpful

We called into this OK DINER on a road trip and was greeted by very friendly and accommodating staff. We ordered Milkshakes, Ice cream and a Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice cream sundae all of which was totally enjoyed. The service was great and the Diner was very clean and comfortable. We will defiantly call again and try some other items of the menu.

Super place. Milk shakes fantastic. Good choices offered. Quality food and enough to keep driving up the A1. Although on northbound used on southbound as junctions can be easily accessed for travel southbound.

First visit here. Loved it. Good food great service. Felt like an American diner experience. Will be back

Great American dining experience

The food makes you die sooner, but the diner feeling is 100% there... Unfortunately my heart is a bit fat

Best milkshakes you can buy. Although they are a tad pricey.

Great food.. definitely stop at one of these again

An absolute treasure trove which we enjoyed thoroughly! The service was fantastic and the food was incredible! My son absolutely loved the whole experience and thought the Diner vibe was so cool!

the BLT was lovely the hot dog 🌭 wasn’t to our taste.

Enjoyed the great food. I had the "Black 'n' Blue" burger. Could have used a bit more Cajun powder since the blue cheese counters the spice. Onion rings and fries were done perfect! Wish this place was around home!

Good value food with helpful friendly staff; surfaced level parking for motorcycles.