Amtrak dining options

Amtrak dining options vary depending on your ticket and train route. Long-distance trains have dining cars and free meals for sleeper car passengers, and all trains have a cafe car open to all. During the pandemic, all food is served to go. See below for the list of dining options on each Amtrak route to learn more.

Traditional Dining

The following Amtrak routes had traditional table service and communal dining in the dining car before the pandemic — and this service may return in the future:

Note that passengers who book sleeping accommodations have free meals. Otherwise, if you are sitting in coach, you must pay. Everyone eating in the dining car must also select a reservation time, which is handled on board the train via Amtrak staff.

New Flexible/Delivery Dining

The new dining option on Amtrak is the flexible dining option, which is a free meal service for passengers who have booked sleeping accommodations on the following routes (currently offered on all overnight routes to help with physical distancing during pandemic):

You can have meals delivered to your roomette or bedroom or eat in a private lounge car available only to sleeper car passengers. Reservations are not required.

Cafe

Cafe cars are also available on almost all trains, including trains with dining cars. You can purchase light meals and snacks. If you don’t see your Amtrak route on any of the above lists, then the Amtrak cafe is your only food option unless you pack your own meals and snacks. Note that a small cooler counts as a carry-on bag if you need to keep anything cold.