Amtrak Cafe Car: Learn How To Grab Food & Drinks

An Amtrak Cafe Car offers a variety of options, including snacks, grab-and-go meals, hot and cold drinks, and even alcoholic beverages. Whether you want to grab something to enjoy back at your seat while relaxing in your room or spend time in the Café Car itself, there’s always something available.

If you’re traveling on a long-distance train, an Acela, or a regional route, check out the train menus for meal options and tips on dining aboard. You can also find information about bringing your food.

On long journeys, I like to visit the Café Car to stretch my legs and grab a quick snack or drink. I also bring my snacks and a water bottle to stay refreshed. If my trip starts early, I usually enjoy my coffee while waiting and finish it before boarding to avoid spills—it’s one less thing to juggle! Amtrak serves brewed coffee on board, so you can always grab a cup unless you’re craving something more “fancy.”

Some passengers call the Café Car the snack, bar, or lounge car. Whatever you need—breakfast, lunch, or dinner—the Café Car covers it, saving space in your luggage for other essentials.

A podcast about the Amtrak Cafe Car

One of my first podcasts was about the cafe car. If you want to listen, click below.

Train food options for Amtrak trains.

There are three types of Amtrak trains, and each offers something different.

Regional trains

All but six regional trains have a café car, the only food car option on these trains. The menus can change based on the train’s location and whether it is a state-sponsored train.

Aclea

Like other regional trains, these trains have a café car for all passengers and at-seat food and beverage service in First Class.

Long-distance trains.

All passengers can use the café car. 

Sleeper car passengers’ meals are part of their reservation, but the cafe car purchases are not.

Check out my articles on Amtrak’s traditional and flex dining if you have sleeping accommodations.

Amtrak trains without a café car

.All Amtrak’s Acela long-distance and regional routes have a cafe car, except for the six below.

Coffee on Amtrak trains

I often receive questions about coffee on Amtrak, and as a coffee drinker, I completely understand!

If you are particular about brewed coffee, I can help you find the best coffee on the train based on my taste. However, if you enjoy “fancy drinks,” you might be disappointed because the train only serves brewed coffee.

Therefore, espresso drinks, fresh cold brew, and iced coffee are unavailable on the train, although some trains may offer bottled options.

Drip-brewed coffee is available in the café and dining car, and percolated coffee is available in the sleeping cars. The type of roast and brand of coffee can vary from train to train.

In my experience, the best onboard coffee is in the food service cars, but the percolated coffee in the sleeper car does the job, especially if you have an early departure.

Amtrak Café Car hours

Keep your ears open for announcements about when the cafe car will be available and its location. Here are some guidelines. You can always ask a conductor if you miss or cannot hear the announcements.

• Regional train hours can vary.
  • Cafe cars are open for most of the route.
  • The cafe opens after the train leaves the initial station and may close before the last station.
  • Always listen to announcements and bring some snacks.
• Cafe car hours on long-distance trains,
  • The hours are typically from 6 or 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (or so) local time.
    • Boarding and arrival times play a significant role in determining the hours.
  • Times when cafe cars close
    • When the attendant take their meal breaks
    • When attendants prepare Amtrak Flex dining meals for sleeping passengers.
    • During engine swaps, when going through Washington, DC
    • When the Lake Shore Limited is being assessed or separated at the Albany stop.

If you board the train late at night, the food service cars may not be open. So, be sure to bring some snacks and drinks.

What food is available from an Amtrak cafe car?

The food and beverage options in Amtrak’s café cars vary among trains. Sample menus are below, but here is an overview of the typical offerings on most trains.

I have noticed a positive change in Amtrak’s service over the past few years. They have started offering combo deals on board the trains, which can help save some money. These combos usually include a beverage, entrée, and chips. However, there may be some limitations on beverage choices.

• Breakfast options (available at any time)
  • Yogurt
  • Doughnut holes, cinnamon rolls, and other sweet treats
  • Breakfast sandwiches and bowls
  • Bagel with cream cheese
  • Oatmeal
• Lunch/dinner choices
  • Hot and cold Sandwiches
  • Salads
  • Hot selections
• Snacks and treats
  • Candy bars
  • Cheese & Cracker tray
  • Veggies
  • Hummus and pretzels
  • Chips, pretzels, Doritos, and popcorn
• Drinks
  • Coke products
  • Beers, wine, and spirits
  • Iced and hot tea
  • Coffee
  • Bottle water, milk, and juice
• Extras, but not guaranteed
  • Card decks
  • Comfort kits

Amtrak heats food using microwaves or a convection oven. They also provide most condiments you need unless you want something special.

Toiletries like toothbrushes and deodorants are unavailable in the cafe, so pack accordingly.

Amtrak Café Car Sample Menus

These menus are guides; prices and offerings can change at Amtrak’s discretion. I keep this section as updated as possible—the last update was in December 2024 from the Amtrak Café page. If your train is not listed, please refer to the regional menu.

If your train is not listed, refer to the regional train menu.

Over the years, the cafe menus have improved, offering more “fresh” food. I appreciate the increased variety in these cars, especially when you are on the train for days.

Payment Options For Amtrak Cafe Cars

How to pay for your purchase:

• Cafe cars accept cash.
• Major credit cards
  • MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover
  • Also, debit cards should have a credit card logo.
• Amtrak does not take checks.
• You cannot use foreign currency.
  • You can use your loonies and twonies on the Maple Leaf while it runs in Canada.

Identification is sometimes required when using a credit or debit card or purchasing adult beverages, so have yours ready if needed.

If you have an Amtrak credit card, you can receive 10 to 20% cashback on your bill, depending on the card you hold.

Where you can eat Amtrak cafe car purchases

Visiting the café car is a fantastic way to stretch your legs and break up your journey during an Amtrak adventure. It’s also a great place to meet fellow travelers and share stories.

Once you’ve purchased it, you can choose where to enjoy it. You can eat or drink in the café car, your coach or business-class seat, sleeping accommodations, or even the Sightseer Car.

The café car is ideal for relaxing momentarily and leaving your seat. However, be mindful of other passengers who may also want to use the seating or tables. If the car is busy, consider sharing a table or offering a seat to someone waiting. When the space is quiet, take your time and enjoy the ambiance.

If you buy alcohol on board, you can consume it anywhere on the train. Remember to drink responsibly—unruly behavior could result in being asked to leave the train.

Some café cars feature seating on both sides of the retail space, while others may include business-class seating. If you see business-class seating, remember that those seats are reserved for passengers with a business-class ticket.

You will find the café on the lower level on trains with a Superliner Sightseer Lounge car. This design allows for easy refreshment access while passengers enjoy panoramic views from the upper lounge.

Bringing food onto Amtrak trains

You can bring food and drink onto Amtrak trains but must refrain from consuming them in food cars. Due to space, food safety, and the FDA, Amtrak cannot store, refrigerate, or heat personal food, drinks, or medication.

Alcohol on Amtrak – Purchasing & Bringing It Onboard

Passengers in coach class can bring alcohol on the train but cannot consume it in public areas such as coach seats, business class, or lounge areas. The lesson is that if you bring alcohol, please store and leave it.

Passengers found drinking alcohol they brought on board in coach class may be removed from the train and could face legal charges. The same consequences apply to disruptive passengers.

Those removed from the train do not reach their destination because the next train stop is theirs. Amtrak will not provide accommodations or refunds for these passengers.

Local authorities may detain them, and they might spend the night in a local jail.

Passengers in sleeper cars are allowed to consume the alcohol they brought on board, but only in their or their friends’ sleeping accommodations. However, if you get out of hand, you too can be removed from the train and face the same consequences.

All passengers can consume the drinks they purchase on the train in the café, in their seats, in the lounge, or anywhere on the train.

Where You Can Typically Find an Amtrak Cafe Car

The location of an Amtrak café car is standardized due to the different train sets used across the country. This section comes from my experience, so use it as a general guide.

Regional Trains

In the Midwest, the business class section is often at the back of the café car and typically at either end of the train. 

Amtrak uses the cafe retail section as a buffer between coach and business class.

You may find the café toward the train’s center, as on regional trains in the NEC.

The bi-level Amtrak California trains have a café on the upper level.

Long-distance train

For all but two long-distance trains, the café is between the coach and sleeper cars or the coach and dining cars.

On the Lake Shore Limited, the cafe car is in the Boston section of the train, separating the coach from the sleeper cars. It is located toward the front of the train and is unavailable to passengers between New York, NY, and Albany-Rensselaer, NY.

The Empire Builder’s café is in a different location. The café car is in the Portland section of the train, and when both trains are together, the café car separates the coach cars of each section. If you are in the Seattle section, you will not have a cafe car between Seattle, WA, and Spokane, WA.

On Superliner Long-Distance Trains (also known as two-level trains), Amtrak “hides” the cafe on the lower level of the observation car, which is often between the coach cars and dining cars.

The City of New Orleans and Texas Eagle have a cafe on the upper level of the food car called the Cross Country Cafe.

Amtrak Café Car Wrap-Up & FAQs

I hope this post helps you plan for your next Amtrak adventure!

As a seasoned traveler, I have one piece of advice: always bring some emergency snacks, regardless of your accommodations. You never know when hunger will strike, so being prepared is essential.

Safety and ID in the Cafe Car

When visiting the café car, please remember the following:

Amtrak requires passengers to wear shoes when walking around the train, especially in the food cars.

You will need a valid ID when purchasing alcohol or using a credit/debit card. While they may not always ask for it, it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Cafe Car Hours

The operating hours may vary from train to train, so please listen for announcements.

That said, they are typically from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The car may close for an equipment swap on specific routes, such as when Amtrak swaps locomotives in D.C. or if a train separates or comes together.

This procedure occurs on the Texas Eagle, Sunset Limited, Lake Shore Limited, and Empire Builder.

The location of a café car varies based on the type of train. On long-distance and some regional trains, the café is towards the middle of the train. On trains with business class, it often separates the coach and business class cars and could be toward the end of the train.

Please be patient and courteous.

Lines may form, so please wait your turn. The café closes at night on long-distance trains and may also close during breaks on all trains.

Please clean up after yourself; it’s the right thing to do, and it makes the journey better for everyone.

Getting your food and more.

• The café attendant uses cardboard trays with cup holders to facilitate the transportation of food and drinks to your table, seat, or room.
• In some cases, trains travel through “dry” counties, where the sale or service of alcoholic beverages is prohibited.
• Cafe staff offer customers cups of ice to chill their beverages since not all drinks are refrigerated.
• Amtrak stocks the cafe cars at the start of trips, so popular menu choices may run out before reaching their final destinations.
  • If there is something you want, get it early!
• The food and beer menus in café cars vary from train to train.
• Learn more about eating aboard Amtrak.

I look forward to helping you prepare for your upcoming Amtrak journey. I can’t wait to see you on the train!

Safe travels!

Kev