- Dec 27, 2022
- 15 min read
Updated: Feb 20
Ultimate Guide to Food and Drinks on Amtrak Trains
You’ve booked your Amtrak train and it’s a long ride, so what are you going to eat? In this article, we’re giving you a full breakdown of what to expect for food and drinks on Amtrak trains, whether your ride is 4 hours or 46, and what you are and are not allowed to bring with you.
CONTENTS
Amtrak Coach Class vs Sleeper Cars
The first thing to understand about food and drinks on Amtrak trains is that the rules and experience are different depending on what kind of ticket you have booked. For coach class, no food or drinks are included, but for sleeper car passengers (aka those traveling in a roomette or other private room), all meals are included, and some drinks too.
We booked our month-long train trip across the United States and back using the Amtrak USA Rail Pass, which meant we were traveling in coach the entire trip, even for the longest route we took, which was 46 hours on the Empire Builder traveling from Chicago to Seattle. With the USA Rail Pass, you are booked in coach and you cannot pay to upgrade to a private room, but if you are booking an individual train ride, then you can choose which option works best for you. Granted, the private room options will cost 3-6x the amount of a coach ticket if you’re traveling solo, and are still at least twice as much for a couple, so don’t get too excited about it being a great deal just because your meals will be included.
If you ask us, the private rooms are absurdly overpriced on Amtrak and coach seats are just fine. The exact type of coach seats will depend on which route you’re taking, but they will always be more comfortable than coach on an airplane. We talk about what the seats are like in each route review we do.
For sleeper car passengers, there are 2 types of dining, and which you get depends on which route you take. We'll talk more about that in the Dining Car section below. These meals are served in a dedicated dining car or through complimentary room service.
Otherwise, there is a cafe car on every train that is open to ALL passengers, regardless of where you’re sitting. For coach passengers, the dining car is only an option if there is availability after they accommodate all the sleeper car passengers. Again, we'll talk more about this in the Dining Car section below.
On double-decker trains like the Coast Starlight, California Zephyr, and Empire Builder, the cafe car is the same as the observation car: observation deck on top, cafe on the first floor. The stairs you will need to traverse are narrow and steep, so be careful, especially while the train is moving and especially if you’re carrying beverages. If you’re unable to go up and down the stairs, Amtrak employees should be able to help you get what you need (because eating is important, you know).
The good news is that, whether you’re in coach class or in a sleeper car, you ARE allowed to bring your own food and non-alcoholic drinks onboard. With Amtrak’s generous luggage allowance, it’s easy to bring aboard a small cooler with enough to get you through the longer routes.
Important Note: Due to federal health department regulations, Amtrak cannot store or prepare any food that passengers bring onboard, nor are there any self-service facilities, such as refrigerators or microwaves.
Bring Food with You
Yes, you can bring your own food on Amtrak trains, regardless of where you’re sitting, but if you’re sitting in coach class, this policy is going to be your best friend.
The onboard cafe is fine, but the food they serve isn’t great when you’re looking for an actual meal instead of just snacks. On our USA Rail Pass trip, we carried a food bag with us filled with our own snacks and foods that wouldn’t go bad without refrigeration, such as:
Cured meats - check the labels! You can often find salami that does not have to be refrigerated.
Fruit
Crackers
Chips
Protein/granola bars
Nuts/trail mix
Jerky
In addition to our snacks, we always grabbed a sandwich or salad to take on the train with us for our first and sometimes second meal. Whether it was pre-packaged from the local supermarket or from a sandwich shop at the train station, it was fresher and/or cheaper than buying meals from the cafe car.
This isn’t to sh*t on the cafe car though, because you need to have that onboard and they are super helpful for the last couple meals on those super-long train rides when you just want a hot meal. More info about the specifics of what the cafe car offers are in the next section below. The point is that you should absolutely use a food bag as one of your personal/carry-on items when you board a train that is any longer than 6 hours. At least that way, you won’t be forced to spend money in the cafe car when you get hungry.
During our month-long train trip, we saw a few people bringing on tiny coolers as a carry-on, and we thought that was super smart! After our trip, we purchased a soft, collapsible cooler to use as a beer cooler for camping, but we realize now that it would have been perfect for our train trip too. Do yourself a favor and get one, plus a couple of freezer packs, and you’ll be golden on the trains.
One other quick, funny story: we’ve heard of other coach passengers pre-ordering pizza from a local shop and having it delivered directly to the train platform during one of the fresh air breaks, and then being the envy of all the other passengers. While it could be a good idea, let’s also acknowledge that there are a lot of things that could go wrong with this plan, such as the train being delayed or cutting the fresh air break short, or your delivery driver being late and missing you altogether, so order at your own risk.
Pro Tip: If you happen to be riding on the Sunset Limited or Texas Eagle trains, then take a little cash with you to buy some burritos from "Juanita the Burrito Lady" at the fresh air stop in El Paso.
Cafe Car Food on Amtrak
The cafe car is a fairly affordable option for coach passengers to buy food on Amtrak trains, and sleeper car passengers are welcomed to it as well if you want a snack between your meals or additional beverages.
However, the food… well, let’s just say it’s not great. It will get the job done when you’re hungry, but think of it more like a concession stand instead of a cafe. All of the hot food is simply reheated in a microwave to order; there is no kitchen.
The menu and prices will differ depending on what route you’re taking, but you can view current menus on this page of Amtrak’s website. Here are some of the typical options:
Breakfast:
Breakfast sandwich
Oatmeal
Bacon and cheese omelet cups
Bagel with cream cheese
Blueberry muffin
Lunch and Dinner:
Cheeseburger
All beef hot dog
Mac & cheese
Deluxe stromboli
Turkey and cheese sandwich
Cup of Noodles
Snacks:
Cheese and crackers
Hummus with veggies
Chips
Nuts
Cookies
Candy
You can expect to pay between $3-$7 for a breakfast item, around $6-$9 for lunch and dinner items, and anywhere from $2-$8 for snacks.
We didn’t eat many foods from the cafe car because we always brought our own food, but for the last meal or two on our longer train rides, we were thankful the cafe was there for a hot meal. Adam tried the cheeseburger, and I got the hot dog, and they were both just fine. It kept us from going hungry, but I wouldn’t call it “good” food. The hummus is a nice addition though when you just want something a bit more fresh than all the salty, processed foods.
Drinks are also served from the cafe car, which we’ll discuss in the drinks section below.
There are no set hours for the cafe car, but it does close periodically so the attendant can take a break (and go to bed, on those long train rides). On most of the trains we rode, the attendant made announcements over the intercom about 10 minutes before they closed down for a break so passengers could run down and grab something real quick, and then they made another announcement when they reopened. They generally let us know well in advance what time the cafe would be closing for the night as well. If you don’t hear the announcements, feel free to ask.
The cafe car is almost always going to be ahead of you if you’re sitting in coach class or behind you if you’re in a sleeper car/private room. On the double-decker trains, it’s on the lower level of the observation car.
Dining Car on Amtrak
If you’re in a sleeper car, you will be provided with 3 meals a day, so all you would need to bring with you are snacks unless you have specific dietary restrictions. There are 2 versions of dining on Amtrak trains - Flexible Dining and Traditional Dining - and which you get depends on which route you take.
Flexible Dining
Flexible Dining is the less desirable of the two options, but still better than just the options in the cafe car. The food for Flexible Dining is reheated food (from frozen, if we had to guess), but you get a more options than you would in the cafe car, plus an appetizer salad and a small dessert with dinner, all with full-service like at a restaurant. Specific menu items vary by route, but you can view the current menus on this page of Amtrak’s website.
Flexible Dining is offered on the following routes:
Cardinal
City of New Orleans
Crescent
Texas Eagle between Chicago and San Antonio (then it switches to Traditional Dining between San Antonio and Los Angeles because it becomes the Sunset Limited)
The nice thing about Flexible Dining is that you don’t have to make reservations for the dining car; you can just show up when you’re ready to eat, which is especially nice on long train rides, as you can just go with the flow and not have to look at the clock. There are specific hours for each meal though, listed at the bottom of this page on Amtrak’s website, along with what time you have to board the train by to get what meal. Flexible Dining also comes with unlimited soft drinks while you're onboard!
Traditional Dining
Traditional Dining is the best food you’ll find on Amtrak trains, but that doesn’t mean it’s spectacular. Although we don’t have personal experience with it yet, I’ve seen a number of its meals in my research, and it looks like an unimpressive diner quality. BUT Amtrak does say they are “chef-prepared meals”, so it’s still way better than the reheated foods in Flexible Dining and the cafe.
Specific menus vary by route, but you can view sample menus on this page of Amtrak’s website. Traditional Dining is offered on the following routes:
Auto Train
Floridian
Silver Meteor
Southwest Chief
Sunset Limited
Texas Eagle between Los Angeles and San Antonio (then it switches to Flexible Dining between San Antonio and Chicago)
Reservations are required to eat lunch and dinner in the dining car with Traditional Dining, but you also have the option of room service. You’ll make these arrangements with your room attendant once you are onboard the train.
With both Flexible Dining and Traditional Dining, you are able to either eat in the dining car or in your private room, and you get room service free of charge. Another big bonus on both: you get 1 complimentary alcoholic beverage with dinner!
For coach passengers, eating in the dining car is an option only IF there is space available. Sleeper car passengers are given first priority for reservations in the dining car, but if there are seats left open, the attendants will come through the coach cars to offer reservations to coach passengers at an upcharge. Expect to pay around $20 for breakfast, $25 for lunch, and $45 for dinner. There's no guarantee there will be space for coach passengers though, so this is not an option that you can truly rely on.
Although having the meals provided onboard Amtrak trains is obviously a big plus, in my opinion, it does not warrant the ridiculously steep price increase from coach class. Maybe someday we’ll try it out, if we rack up enough reward points or if Amtrak wants to sponsor us 😉, but otherwise, I suspect that we are going to stick to coach class.
Pro Tip: Sign up for Amtrak Guest Rewards to earn points just like airline miles that you can use for future travel, but make sure the name on your account is exactly how it’s spelled on your ID or you won't earn points.
Drinks on Amtrak Trains
Now for the fun part… drinks! One of the nicest benefits of taking Amtrak trains instead of driving is that you can really enjoy the views with a drink in your hand, so take advantage of it!
Non-Alcoholic Drinks
All passengers are allowed to bring their own non-alcoholic beverages onboard Amtrak trains, which can really add up in savings over the course of a long trip. I really enjoy hot tea, so I brought my own individually-wrapped tea bags and asked the cafe car attendant for a cup of hot water, and it made a huge difference for me on the trains, being able to sip on my specialty teas in the morning instead of the generic stuff they sell in the cafe car. If you don’t mind instant coffee, you could do the same thing with a cup of hot water.
On that same note, if you bring your own sodas, you can ask the cafe car attendant for a cup of ice at no charge.
Pro Tip: Cafe car attendants accept tips, so if you’re asking for a free item such as hot water or a cup of ice, consider tipping $1 instead.
In the cafe car, they serve:
Coffee
Tea (hot or iced)
Sodas
Juice
Milk
Energy drinks
Hot chocolate
Bottled water
Expect to pay around $2 - $4 per drink in the cafe car, but remember that sleeper car passengers on trains with Flexible Dining also receive unlimited soft drinks on their train rides.
Alcohol on Amtrak Trains
That’s right; you can DRINK-drink on Amtrak trains too! Of course, don’t get sloppy. They can and will kick you off the train if you’re belligerent or disturbing other guests.
Coach class passengers are NOT allowed to bring their own alcohol (which we definitely did not do 😉), but it is available for purchase in the cafe car.
Sleeper car passengers ARE allowed to bring their own alcohol, but it can only be consumed in your private room. This means that, unfortunately, you cannot take your own wine to dinner in the dining car, nor a nice scotch to the observation car. However, your first alcoholic drink with dinner is complimentary, so you can still enjoy a glass of wine in the dining car at no extra cost.
Coach passengers must purchase their alcoholic beverages at the cafe car, and sleeper car passengers are also welcomed to do so. These drinks can be consumed anywhere on the train.
Specific drink selections and prices vary by route, but sample menus are on this page of Amtrak’s website. You can expect to find small selections of:
Beer (bottled and canned)
Wine (single-serving bottles)
Hard seltzers
Liquor (whiskey, rum, vodka, and gin)
Pre-made cocktails (such as a margarita or Moscow mule)
You can also ask the cafe car attendant for something like a whiskey coke and they will pour it for you, without you having to purchase the soda separately.
Water on Amtrak Trains
This was a big question I had going into our month-long trip across the country and back: “Is water provided on Amtrak trains?” The answer is YES.
Adam and I have big, refillable water bottles we take with us everywhere. I have had serious problems with dehydration in the past (I’ve been hospitalized for it twice), but I’ve noticed that when I bring my own water bottle, I drink WAY more water, so this thing goes with me literally everywhere now.
At the top of the stairs in the coach cars, you’ll find water stations where you can refill your water bottle. Sometimes they’ll provide small cups at the water stations for a quick drink before you go sit back down, but not always, so you should absolutely bring a bottle with you. However, we also had a hard time filling ours, because the water spout (which is built into the train) has a rather small opening, so we had to angle the bottles weird to get them in there and could never quite fill them up all the way. Inevitably, water would spill out onto the floor and we would just have to clean it up the best we could with the tissues we had or with paper towels from the restrooms downstairs.
We drink filtered tap water at home, and we thought this water tasted just fine, although we have since had an encounter on the Pacific Surfliner where the water tasted metallic and we did not feel comfortable drinking it. If you’re super picky about the water you drink, then I suggest you bring your own. The cafe car sells bottled water, but it will cost you $2-$4 per bottle.
2-Day Meal Plan
For those really long train rides, it’s in your best interest to pre-plan your meals, because eating every meal from the cafe car will be boring and more expensive than it’s worth. Take advantage of Amtrak’s policy that allows you to bring your own food onboard!
For reference, here’s an example of how we would meal plan for 2 straight days on the train without a cooler:
Day 1
Breakfast: Breakfast sandwich or bagel and coffee from a local cafe. Buy on our way to the train station and eat onboard.
Lunch: Sandwich, chips, fruit, and soda brought onboard. Pick something up from a local supermarket or grab something from a sandwich shop at the train station before boarding.
Dinner: Cured meats that don’t need refrigeration, cheese, crackers, and nuts, all brought onboard. Buy at the local supermarket before boarding.
Pro Tip: Check the labels on cured meats like salami at the supermarket. If it doesn’t say something like “Keep Refrigerated” then it will stay fine at room temperature.
Day 2
Breakfast: Protein bars and fruit we brought onboard, plus tea and instant coffee that we made with free hot water from the cafe car
Lunch: More cured meat, crackers, chips, nuts, and beef jerky. Consider getting hummus from the cafe car for a fresh option.
Dinner: Buy entrees from the cafe car, such as a cheeseburger or hot dog, and pair with whatever remains of the chips, nuts, fruit, and other snacks we brought onboard.
It’s important to note that this whole meal plan is done with just 1 food bag for the 2 of us, and it wasn’t even insulated. Once we discovered that we can take a tiny cooler onboard with some freezer packs to keep food cold, it opened up a whole range of other possibilities, like bringing our own hummus and more cheese because we can keep it cold and keep it from going bad while we’re onboard. Now that we know this, we've been able to get away with not buying any meals from the cafe car, at all!
Dietary Restrictions
Passengers with strict dietary restrictions, such as a food allergy or needing gluten-free, should plan to bring all the food they will need onboard. Here’s our easy-to-read breakdown of Amtrak’s guidelines based on several common dietary restrictions, but you can also view it in their language on this page of their website.
Vegan: Limited quantities of vegan meals are available in the cafe and on trains with Flexible Dining for sleeper car passengers and no advance notice is required. However, on trains with Traditional Dining, advance notice is required. Call 1-800-872-7245 at least 72 hours prior to departure.
Gluten-Free: Amtrak does not offer food that is guaranteed to be gluten-free. While they do have some snack options that are naturally gluten-free (such as hummus with veggies or salads on some routes), they can’t guarantee that there hasn’t been cross-contamination. You should plan to bring all of your own food.
Nut Allergies: Although Amtrak offers plenty of options that do not contain nuts, they cannot guarantee that there won’t be cross-contamination or that you won’t be exposed by fellow passengers around you. Make sure you have all necessary medical equipment with you at all times, such as an EpiPen. For life-threatening allergies, Amtrak recommends you bring all your own food.
Kosher: You must request and reserve kosher meals in advance, and it may require an additional fee. To reserve your kosher meal, call 1-800-872-7245 at least 72 hours before departure.
Amtrak also advises to “Plan for Contingencies” because trains are sometimes delayed in receiving food supplies, and therefore onboard options may become limited. There were certainly times on our trips when they sold out of a number of popular items, but it wasn’t a problem for us. If your options are already limited due to dietary restrictions though, then you could end up in trouble.
Quick Reference Guide
What | |
Included in Your Fare | Coach: None Sleeper car passengers: 3 meals per day and 1 alcoholic beverage per day. Some routes also offer free soft drinks. |
What You Can Bring with You | Everyone: Food and non-alcoholic beverages Sleeper car passengers: Food, non-alcoholic beverages, and alcoholic beverages to be consumed in your private room only |
Pro Tip | Get a small, collapsible cooler and some freezer packs to use as one of your carry-on items for long train trips so you can bring more food with you |
Cafe Car | Open to all passengers. Serves a small selection of items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus lots of snacks. Has lots of non-alcoholic drink options and limited selection of alcohol. |
Dining Car | Included for sleeper car passengers only, may sometimes be available for coach passengers for an additional fee. Not available on all routes. Some routes have Flexible Dining with reheated food and other routes have Traditional Dining with “chef-prepared meals”. |
Our Verdict | The cost to upgrade to a private room on Amtrak is STEEP, and not worth it even when you consider that your meals are included. You’re allowed to bring your own food, so do it! It will be better food and probably cheaper too. |
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