What you need to know about Amtrak Dining Cars

Over my years of traveling with Amtrak, many great memories and “interesting” conversations happened over a meal in an Amtrak Dining Car. Even a long-term friendship started aboard the in the combined Sunset Limited/ Texas Eagle train over lunch in the dining car. (Hi Sean and David)

The dining car is the heart and soul of the train, where people gather for a common goal, food!

Amtrak food update

According to a recent article in the Rail Passenger Association hotline #1,125, Amtrak is going to modify all Eastern long-distance trains to the new contemporary meal service on October 1, 2019.

The meals service change could affect the following trains: Cardinal, Cresent, Silver Meteor, and possibly the Auto Train. The Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited have already converted. Although this change could bring the return a dining car to the Silver Star for this service, the Star currently only has a cafe car service. 

For more information on this service check out the section of this article about Meals on the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limed section on this article 

What this article covers

• What Amtrak trains have or do not have Amtrak dining cars
• Links to dining car menus
• The type of dining cars used on Amtrak trains
• Meal times
• How to make meal reservations
• Car etiquette

Diner on the Silver Meteor

What Amtrak trains have dining cars and what trains do not?

Trains that do not have dining cars

Amtrak’s Silver Star in Orlando, FL

• Regions trains (trains that travel less than 750 miles)
  • Examples of regions trains routes include the Midwest Corridor or the Northeast Corridor ( and there are others)
  • These trains have cafe cars instead of dining cars
  • Short run trains, like the Hiawatha and others, often do not have food service
• Silver Star (long-distance train)
• Palmetto (long -distance train but not an overnight train)

Amtrak Trains that have modified meal services

• Capitol Limited
• Lake Shore Limited
  • The dining car is not available between the cities of Albany, NY, and Boston, MA on trains 448 and 449, during that section there is a cafe car.
• Cardinal
• City of New Orleans

You’ll find more information on the modified meal service is further down in the article under the sections  of Trains that are exceptions, part

Amtrak trains that have standard dining cars

• Auto Train 
  • All passengers on this train get their meals in the dining cars
    • And included with their tickets
• California Zeyphr
• Coast Starlight
• Crescent
• Empire Builder
  • The dining car is not available between the cities of Portland, OR, and Spokane, WA on trains 28 and 29, there is a cafe car, and other food is available for sleeping passengers
• Silver Meteor
• Southwest Chief
• Sunset Limited
• Texas Eagle

Wait, let’s back up for a second, what is a dining car?

A dining car is where Amtrak serves meals in a restaurant-style; a cafe car sells grab and go food, beverages, and snacks.

Amtrak dining car menus

The menus seem to change quarterly, and some trains have off-menu specials, but not all. Occasionally some meal choices run out along the way, but other options are usually are available if your first choice isn’t. Sidenote: trains are stocked with food at the end point and not restocked er route.

• This menu is the menu for all long-distance train but the ones below
• The Cardinal has these offers
• The Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited box meal and breakfast choices
• The City of New Orleans has a Northbound and Southbound menu (Amtrak at the time of publishing of this article did not have a North Bound menu posted) South Bound Menu
• The Silver Star does not offer a dining car but provides this menu; you can purchase these items in the cafe car.

If you have special food requirements or questions on special meals, click here.

The four types of Amtrak Dining Cars

Amtrak runs both bi-level and single-level trains, the single level trains are those that go in and out of New York Penn Station. The bi-level trains do not fit in the tunnels.

• Viewliner

  

  An inside view of an Amtrak Viewliner dining car

  • Newer single-level cars
  • The kitchen is on one end and booth and accessible seating on the other
  • Found on the Silver Meteor, Cresent, and used as a Sleeper Car Loung on the Lake Shore Limited

• Dinnette Cars

  • Only on the Cardinal
  • Single level cars similar to Amtrak Cafe cars
  • Booth seating both sides
  • The dining car seating is on the business class, and sleeper side and the booths on the coach class side are for the cafe seating
  • Serve premade meals both reheated and chilled

• Superliner

  

  Capitol Limited Sleeper Lounge Car

  • Bi-level cars
  • Booths seating on the top level with the kitchen below
  • Found on every long-distance train that does not go through New York Penn, and the City of New Orleans and Capitol Limited use a modified version of this car (see below)

• Superliner Cross Country Cafes

  • Refurbished Superliner Dinner Cars
  • The cafe is on one side and dining area on the other
  • Booth seating on both sides with the kitchen below
  • Found on
    • City of New Orleans
    • Capitol Limited used as a sleeping passenger lounge
  • For more information on Cross-Country Cafes click here

Meal times in the Amtrak Dining Car

Amtrak Signature Steak dinner served on the Silver Meteor

Meal services operate on local time

The exceptions are those trains like the Cardinal and the Capitol Limited where the mealtime start shortly after the trains leaving Chicago in Central Time. Along those routes, the time changes from Central to Eastern Time during the middle of mealtime, so dining car reservations are maintaining time maintain Central Time for the dinner service. The remaining meal services follow are served in the time zones they start.

General dining car note

• Abridged or omitted meal services may occur if the train reaches its final destination during the typical meal service
  • Ask onboard staff if you have questions
• The cafe car is available to purchase food from early in the morning to late at night but does close for the attendance breaks

Breakfast

• Breakfast services time is from 6:30 am – 10:00 am
• Last boarding time to receive breakfast service is 9:30 am
• Reservations are usually not needed
• There are no announcements for the start of this service; you may go for breakfast anytime after  6:30  am

Lunch

• Lunch Service is from 11:30 am – 3:00 pm
• Last boarding time to receive lunch service is 2:30 pm
• Reservations could be required

Dinner

• Dinner service is from 5:00 pm – 9:30 pm
• Last boarding time to receive dinner service is 8:30 pm
• Reservations are required

Be advised, all this can change at any time and can vary from train to train.

Meal reservation information

Amtrak’s salad and dinner roll

You need to have reservations for supper, possibly for lunch (depending on the train), but never for breakfast.

Sleeping car passengers

There are times when your car attendant will make the reservations for you; an example is if you are not on board during the time reservations are being made.

For sleeper car passengers, making reservations is easy. The dining car makes an announcement stating that they are coming around to take reservations, and during that time have at least one person in the room to make the reservation. Often when you make your reservations, they give you a reservations reminder slip.

Coach passengers

For passenger in coach class, after they take the sleepers reservations, the dining car steward walks through the coach cars to make reservations for those passengers, wait at your seat till after they come through if you want a ticket. There is a chance that you could catch them in the observation car, but your reservation choice could be limited. If you board the train after they take reservations you can ask in the dining car if there are any openings or wait and see if they have the last call. The cafe is always available for food as well.

If you miss getting a reservations

If there are open seats at the end of the service, they may announce that seating is available for people without reservation. During that time, if the diner becomes too full, they take names in order of that you arrive and call you back as seats open.

Ask your car attendant if meal services the announce reservations or if you should walk to the dining car at your reservation time.

Be aware at times the dining car is busy, and 6:30 reservation could get called at 6:45, but they still call it a “6:30.” This congestion can be due to passengers lingering too long after their meal or not coming at their scheduled time.

When you enter an Amtrak Dining Car

Skip this section if you plan on riding the Capitol Limited, Lake Shore Limited, and Silver Star and go the next section for more about the services on those trains

Below is common practice for eating in an Amtrak Dining Car

The exceptions are the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited, more on those later.

• When arriving in the dining car, wait to be seated
  • The steward will often tell you where to sit
• Amtrak practices community seating mostly when they are busy
  • If there are fewer than four people in your party, others may join you
• Sleeping car passengers
  • Before you order your meal, the staff will hand you a piece of paper fill in your sleeper car number, room number/letter (this info is on your ticket), and then sign the staff will fill everything else out for you
  • All scheduled meals come with the price of your room ticket (so pick what you want), a meal includes one entree, plus meal appropriate extras such as breakfast meat, cheese, desserts with lunch and dinner, and salad and dinner roll
  • Meals include beverages but not alcohol (except for the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited)
• Coach passengers
  • You will not have to sign a slip
  • You are responsible for paying for your meal
  • The experience is similar to that of a restaurant

The trains that are the exceptions to the ones above ~ The Capitol Limited, Lake Shore Limited, Silver Star, and Palmetto

Silver Star and Palmetto

• These trains do not have any dining cars and only have cafe cars
• The Palmetto is not an overnight train, thus no sleepers
• You can use the cafe car to grab food whenever you want, providing it’s open

Dinner aboard the Capitol Limited

The food offered on the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited

• Dining car service is not available to coach passengers on these two trains
• Amtrak offers a “contemporary” food selection
  • The “Limited” trains meals are pre-made meals
    • Dinner comes in a wood box
    • Offerings include both hot and cold meals
    • Breakfast is similar to a hotel set up with a heated up sandwich and drinks available from the attendant
  • Amtrak is still working on these new meal programs last updated in January 2019
• On these two trains, the diner cars are now lounge cars and only for sleeper car passengers
• Meals include your first alcoholic beverage
• Unlimited non-alcoholic beverages throughout the whole trip
• Menu for these trains

Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited in Albany.

Getting your food while riding the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited

The following is from my experience and can change at any time:

Capitol Limited

• When it is time, head to the dining car, aka the “Sleeper Lounge Car.”
• After walking into the “Sleeper Lounge” head to the counter to order your meal (there could be a line)
• After placing your order find a place to sit
• The attendant will bring your food to your table in a green bag
  • If you want, you can take your meal back to your room and eat it there
• Enjoy your food
• Clean up and head back to your room when you finish

Lake Shore Limited

• Walk to the “Sleeper Car Lounge” and find a place to sit unless assigned seating
  • If you are in one of the 448 or 449 sleepers, you need to walk through the cafe car and the coach cars to get to the “sleeper lounge.”
• The attendant will come to the table and take your order
• When your food is ready, they will bring it to your table
  • You may bring your meal back to your room if you want
• Enjoy your food
• The attendant may bus your table

Listen to the car attendant for instructions on getting your meal, for the rules could have changed.

This meal was handed out after leaving Portland, OR.

Trains that split ~ Empire Builder and Lake Shore Limited

A few trains like the Empire Builder and the Lakes Shore Limited that split or join another train with the same name en route. During your part of your trip, there may not have a dining or cafe car. Often your section of the train will have one or the other.

For example, the Portland section (28) of the Empire Builder joins the Seattle section (8) in Spokane, WA. The Seatle section has the diner, and the Portland section has a cafe car. If you are a Portland sleeper passenger, you are handed a meal soon after you leave, and after the two trains combine, you will enjoy the rest of your meals in the dining car.

Tipping

Tipping is appreciated, and many passengers base the tip amount off the menu prices.

Safe Travels!

Kev

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