Nothing Could Be Finer Than Dinner in the Diner

Eating in a rolling restaurant is what passengers remember most about their long-distance train trips. During the Golden Age of train travel from the mid-1930s to mid-1950s, competing railroads would vigorously promote the quality of the food served on board. Today, Amtrak’s dining experience is less than gourmet, but still quite good.

Amtrak passengers enjoying a wine tasting in the dining car as the Coast Starlight passes through California’s wine producing region near Napa Valley.

On a recent cross-country trip, the dinner menu’s choices for a main course included a flatiron steak, pork shanks, seared salmon and roast chicken. You even can order a split of acceptable wine, usually a choice between two reds or two whites.

They start you with a small salad, and side dishes include a choice among baked or mashed potato or rice. Desert choices include chocolate cake, a really excellent cheesecake or ice cream … Haagen-Dazs, if you please!

Passengers are seated for dinner by reservation. A member of the dining car staff passes through the train every afternoon taking specific reservation times. They start this process in the sleeping cars, which means passengers there usually can decide when they want to eat–another perk that comes with that higher-priced ticket. And, as regular readers know, if you’re traveling in an Amtrak sleeping car, all dining car meals are included in your fare.

Sleeping car passengers on the Coast Starlight relax over a light lunch in the Pacific Parlour Car.

Amtrak dining cars have community seating, meaning you’ll find yourself at a table for four, seated with two or three strangers. By all means, take this opportunity to get to know some of your fellow passengers. It’s an unexpected bonus to the train travel experience and I’ve enjoyed many a meal getting to know some very interesting people.

Bottom line: The dining car experience is one of the best parts of a long-distance train trip … and it happens three times a day!