# Dining Options on the Crescent.



## jpfrmks1 (Apr 12, 2017)

I will be taking the Crescent from Greenville SC to New Orleans in July.

I have looked over the menu.

My question is what is the quality of the food served on board.

Should I just bring my own?


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## Rail Freak (Apr 12, 2017)

Coach or Sleeper? If Sleeper, meals are included!


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## ehbowen (Apr 12, 2017)

jpfrmks1 said:


> My question is what is the quality of the food served on board.
> 
> Should I just bring my own?


If you are a gourmet you will be disappointed (severely), but if you're OK with Chili's and IHOP and the like you will be right at home. Actually, the Amtrak steak is pretty good, and we were at least OK with the rest of the dinner offerings.

If you have not eaten in a railroad dining car before, I recommend that you try it at least once just for the experience. Amtrak dinners are pretty good, but pricy; breakfasts are more affordable but still pretty good...lunches are pretty much forgettable but fairly cheap. If you're traveling coach I recommend dinner in the diner at least once if you can afford it; breakfast as a great and fairly affordable way to start the day; and take your lunch in a brown bag or buy from the cafe car.

If you are in one of the pricy sleeper accommodations then, as noted above, all of your meals are included; take advantage of them!


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## Devil's Advocate (Apr 12, 2017)

ehbowen said:


> If you are a gourmet [gourmand] you will be disappointed (severely), but if you're OK with Chili's and IHOP and the like you will be right at home.


Chilis and IHOP are in a completely different league than Amtrak. Chili's can modify your order to add something extra or leave something out while Amtrak cannot. IHOP can prepare your eggs however you like while Amtrak can only serve them dry and scrambled. Outside of their overpriced steak dish Amtrak's dining car menu is mostly precooked reheated freezer food and pantry snacks.



ehbowen said:


> If you have not eaten in a railroad dining car before, I recommend that you try it at least once just for the experience.


Even though I find Amtrak dining car food to be a poor value I agree that everyone should attempt to try it at least once. It's a genuinely unique experience that's hard to replicate elsewhere.


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## jpfrmks (Apr 12, 2017)

I am not a gourmand and can pretty much eat anything that is dead and cooked.

I have purchased a business class seat.

I'm catching the train in Greenville, SC.


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## jebr (Apr 12, 2017)

Business class will not include meals. That being said, I would suggest trying a meal (either breakfast or lunch, in my opinion) in the diner, with supper either brought with (such as a sandwich) or purchased from the cafe car. In my opinion, the breakfast and lunch options are generally reasonable, with supper being too expensive for what you get. The steak is certainly a decent enough steak, but it's no $25 steak.


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## City of Miami (Apr 12, 2017)

Just bring your own if you can and you're ok with that. The food offered in the diner will be overpriced and edible though sometimes barely palatable. Almost all trains these days have identical menus.


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## Lonestar648 (Apr 13, 2017)

I enjoy Dining Car meals, Dinner and Breakfast, because I get to meet people from all over. Sometimes our conversations carry over to the cafe or outside walking together. The meals are pricey, but eating as you watch the scenery pass by is special.


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## Maverickstation (Apr 13, 2017)

The menus were just updated, with some new items.

The foodfacts site as more details as well on nutrition and ingrediants.

https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/151/321/Crescent-Dining-Car-Menu-0417.pdf

Ken


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