Amtrak Cafe Car
Amtrak Cafe Car

Amtrak Cafe Car: What You Need To Know

An Amtrak cafe car is found on every train except five regional trains. These cars sell snacks, warmed grab-and-go meals, hot, cold, and alcoholic beverages. Some trains have additional food cars, such as dining cars and at-seat service on Acela.

Coffee on a NEC train
Dunk’n coffee on Amtrak

You can bring food on Amtrak trains, but Amtrak cannot store or heat your food.

Alcohol can be brought aboard but cannot be consumed in coach class, but if you have a sleeper, you can drink it in your room.

If you have reservations for long-distance, Acela, regional, or combination trains, this article has something for you. You can look at menus, see where you can eat on the train, and learn more about bringing food onboard trains.

Some passengers call the Amtrak cafe car the snack or bar car, and some trains double as a lounge.

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

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

Regional trains

All but five regional trains have a cafe car, which is the only food car option on these trains.

Aclea

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

Long-distance trains.

All passengers can use the cafe car.

Sleeper car passengers on long-distance trains have a meal program as part of the reservation. Check out my articles on Amtrak’s traditional and flex dining if you have a sleeping accommodation.

Amtrak trains without a cafe car.

All Amtrak’s Acela. Long-distance and regional routes have a cafe car, but for five, it is listed below.

Coffee on Amtrak

Amtrak Coffee
Coffee tastes better on the rails, especially from the Amtrak cafe car.

I often get asked about coffee on Amtrak, and as a coffee drinker, I understand!

If you are picky about brewed coffee, I’ll help you find the best coffee you can.

If you like the “fancy drinks,” you will be disappointed because the train only serves brewed coffee.

There is no fresh cold brew or iced coffee on the train, but some may have bottled choice.

Drip-brewed coffee is in the cafe and dining car and percolated in the sleeping cars. The roast and brand can vary from train to train.

For me, the best onboard coffee comes from the food service cars, but that percolated sleeper car coffee does the job early in the morning, especially if you have an early departure.

Amtrak Cafe Car hours

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

Amtrak Cafe Car
Inside a Horizon Amtrak Cafe Car
  • Regional train hours can vary.
    • On average, the cafe car is open for most of the route.
    • Exceptions are beginning at the end of the journey and attendant break times.
    • 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.
    • The cafe may close during dinner on trains with Amtrak Flex dining.
    • Cafe cars close during engine swaps if your train has a Washington, DC, stop.
    • Boarding and arrival times play a huge part in determining the hours.

If you are boarding the train in the middle of the night, do not plan on any food service cars being open, so bring some snacks.

What Food Is Available From An Amtrak Cafe Car?

500th train and Amfleet cafe car
This is the 500th Amtrak train I was on, train 301, the Lincoln Service—a view of the cafe car.

The food and beverage options in Amtrak’s café cars vary from train to train, but here are a few things you can expect. The following section has sample menus.

  • Breakfast options (available all day)
    • Yogurt
    • Doughnut holes, cinnamon rolls, and other sweet treats
    • Breakfast sandwiches and bowls
    • Bagel with cream cheese
    • Oatmeal
  • Lunch/dinner choices
    • 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

Amtrak uses microwaves or a convection oven to heat your food.

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

Amtrak Cafe 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 on March 2024 from the Amtrak Cafe page. If your train is not listed, refer to the regional menu.

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

Payment Options For Amtrak Cafe Cars

How to pay for your purchase:

Amtrak Credit Card
Amtrak Credit Card (Courtesy of the Amtrak Website.)
  • 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 three Amtrak trains that run in Canada while they are 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 10-20% cashback on your bill, depending on the card you have.

Where to eat what you bought from the Amtrak cafe car

Amtrak Food
You can bring the food you buy in Amtrak’s Cafe car back to your seat

As I mentioned, you can enjoy the food you purchased in an Amtrak cafe car, in your seat, in sleeping accommodations, or in the observation car of Superliner trains.

A cafe car is a great place to stretch out, enjoy your food, or maybe get some work done, but be considerate of others who may also want to use the tables and seating.

If the cafe seating is full of passengers, it is not polite to occupy the whole booth with your belongings, especially if you are not actively consuming what you bought.

If you are in a Superliner (two-level) train cafe, Amtrak asks that you head back upstairs to enjoy the views when you finish consuming purchases, mainly if the area is busy.

Some cafe cars have seating on both sides of the retail space, while others have business-class seating. If there is a blue curtain, you’ll need a business class ticket to sit there.

Bringing food onto Amtrak trains

You can bring food and drink onto Amtrak trains, but you cannot consume them in food cars.

Due to space, food safety, and the FDA, Amtrak cannot store, refrigerate, or heat personal food or medication.

Alcohol On Amtrak – Purchasing & Bringing It Onboard

Coach passengers can transport alcohol on the train but cannot consume the liquor in public areas such as coach seats, business class, or lounge areas. The story’s moral is if you bring it, please leave it stored.

Travesl with Kev
Kev is enjoying a beverage in a Superliner Roomette.

Passengers caught drinking alcohol they brought on board can face being removed from the train and legal charges. The same is true for belligerent passengers.

The passengers who get removed from the train may not be dropped off where they want, and Amtrak will not accommodate or refund those passengers.

Local municipalities may accommodate them with silver bracelets and a night stay at Slammer Hotel, a.k .a. arrested in a night in the drunk tank.

Sleeper car passengers can consume the alcohol they brought on board, but only in their sleeping accommodations (or someone else’s). If passengers get out of hand, they may be put off the train, face legal charges, and forfeit a refund, just like coach passengers.

All passengers can take the drinks they purchase anywhere on the train.

Where You Can Typically Find An Amtrak Cafe Car

The location of an Amtrak Cafe Car is standardized due to the different trainsets used across the country. This section comes from my personal experience and is meant as a general guide.

Regional Trains

Amtrak San Joaquins
Amtrak’s San Joaquins (a California regional train) sits in Bakersfield, CA, waiting for its crew and passengers to board.

In the Midwest, the business class section is often on the back of the cafe car and is typically towards either end of the train.

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

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

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

Long-distance train

The cafe is between the coach and sleeper or coach and dining cars for all but two long-distance trains.

Views from the Capitol Limited
Views from the Capitol Limited Observation Car

On the Lake Shore Limited, the cafe car is on the Boston section of the train, and it separates the coach and sleepers. The cafe is unavailable to passengers between New York, NY, and Albany-Rensselaer, NY. This is toward the front of the train.

On the Empire Builder, the cafe is in a different location. The cafe car is on the Portland section of the train, and when both trains are together, the cafe 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. This is toward the back of the train.

On Superliner Long-Distance Trains (aka two-level trains), Amtrak “hides” the cafe on the lower level of the observation car and often is between the coach cars and dining cars. The City of New Orleans, Texas Eagle, and Capitol Limited have the cafe on the coach class side of the dining car.

Amtrak Cafe Car wrap-up & FAQs

I hope this helps you plan for your next Amtrak Adventure!

As an experienced traveler, I have one piece of advice: always bring a few emergency snacks for you and your travel companions! You never know when that hunger bug will hit; being prepared helps.

Safety and IDs in the Cafe Car

You should know a few things when you go to the cafe car.

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

Have a valid ID handy when purchasing alcohol or using a credit/debit card.

Cafe Car Hours

An outside view of the Cardinal's cafe car.
The Cafe Car on the Cardinal

Hours may vary; listen for announcements. Often, it opens not long after it leaves the initial stop and will close before the last.

On some routes, the car may close if there is an equipment swap, such as when they change locomotives in DC.

Some long-distance routes may lose the cafe car or make it the only car with multiple route numbers on train routes. The cafe car is often closed while the train is being put together.

The location of a café car varies based on the train type.

On long-distance and on some regional trains, the cafe is towards the middle of the train. On trains with business class, it often separates coach and business class cars and could be towards the end of the train.

There is only one cafe car attendant

  • Lines can happen, so kindly wait your turn.
  • The café closes at night on long-distance trains
  • They can also close during breaks on all trains.
  • Please clean up after yourself; it’s the right thing to do and makes the journey better for everyone.

Getting your food and more

Food from an Amtrak Cafe Car
Amtrak cafe attendants use cardboard trays to make transporting your food more accessible.
  • The café attendants use cardboard trays with drink holders to make it easier for you to transport food and drink back to your seat or accommodation.
  • Occasionally, trains go through “dry” areas where alcoholic beverages cannot be sold or served.
  • Cafe attendants offer a cup of ice to cool your beverage because soft drinks are not continually refrigerated.
  • Amtrak cafés are stocked at the beginning of the trips, meaning they may run out of popular menu choices as trains near their final destinations.
    • If there is something you want, get it early!
  • The food and beer menus for café cars vary from train to train.
  • Learn more about eating aboard Amtrak.

I hope this helps you get ready for your next Amtrak adventure. I hope to see you on the rails!

Safe travels!

Kev

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Kevin Monteith

Kev Monteith has been traveling on Amtrak since 2012. With over a decade of experience, he has been on over 800 trains, covering over 200k miles of rail. Kev enjoys helping others achieve their travel dreams by providing support and information. Outside of travel, Kev enjoys making music as an organist and outings with family.

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