Thermal Diels–Alder reactions of α-amido acrylates with N-Cbz-1,2-dihydropyridine and cyclopentadiene have been explored to investigate the factors influencing the endo/exo selectivity. For the dihydropyridine, steric factors allowed the diastereoselectivity to be modulated to favor either endo- or exo-ester adducts. For cyclopentadiene, the endo-ester adducts were favored regardless of steric perturbation, although catalysis by bulky Lewis acids increased the proportion of exo-ester adducts in some cases. These Lewis acids were incompatible with the dihydropyridine diene as they induced its decomposition.