Food at Washington Union Station

joelkfla · Jul 30, 2024

I had some free time at WUS on 7/14/24, so I decided to tour the station and see how many food locations I could find. I was surprised by the number, and by how well patronized most were. I snapped photos of each; somehow I missed McDonalds and Pret. There's also a fancy chocolate shop that was giving out samples, and an ice cream shop under construction.

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBBVLC

MARC Rider · Jul 30, 2024

joelkfla said:
I had some free time at WUS on 7/14/24, so I decided to tour the station and see how many food locations I could find. I was surprised by the number, and by how well patronized most were. I snapped photos of each; somehow I missed McDonalds and Pret. There's also a fancy chocolate shop that was giving out samples, and an ice cream shop under construction.

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBBVLC

During the past year, they opened a new Raing Cane's chicken fingers outlet. I happened to be passing through on opening day, and the line was out the door, so I didn't sample their product. I guess it shows that Corporate at Raising Cane's thinks that WUS has a future. I'm also glad to see that the East Street Cafe (in the upper level) has survived the pandemic; that was one place I would go if I wanted a sit-down meal.

Alas, the Center Cafe closed some years ago, and Bojangles Fried Chicken (in the lower food court) got clobbered by the pandemic. Bojangles was one of my regular dinner places on the nights when I stayed late and took the 7:10 home. Another one that just recently bit the dust was Au Bon Pain, where, just a few months ago, I had breakfast. By the end of my working life, when I took the late train home, I'd just get a baguette sandwich at Pret. They gave you this nice little bag to carry it, and the sandwiches were well put together and didn't leave all sorts of crumbs and droppings when I ate it on board, unlike the Chipotle burritos.

Cal · Jul 30, 2024

MARC Rider said:
During the past year, they opened a new Raing Cane's chicken fingers outlet. I happened to be passing through on opening day, and the line was out the door, so I didn't sample their product.

Cane's is pretty popular where I am out by LA. I don't mind them (love their bread).

Very glad to see that WUS is getting active!

joelkfla · Jul 30, 2024

Cal said:
Cane's is pretty popular where I am out by LA. I don't mind them (love their bread).

Very glad to see that WUS is getting active!

I tried them at WUS. Personally, I thought their food was over-salted, and I didn't appreciate the lack of seating. I prefer Chick-Fil-A.

I think Crepe Lena down in the food court is good and under-patronized. Freshly made crepes or waffles with fresh fruit and whipped cream -- Yum! I haven't tried their savory crepes.

City of Miami · Jul 30, 2024

Last time I looked there were 2 Chipotles, 1 in the West main concourse and 1 in the downstairs food court. Once upon a time that food court was bigger and more interesting. My favorites were the South Indian place, the Japanese place and the Caribbean place, all displaced by Walgreens.

crescent-zephyr · Jul 30, 2024

For any coffee fans - the Blue Bottle Coffee is quite good - this is a west coast chain that is slowly making it's way east. I've been to this location a few times when passing through and it's always been good.

west point · Jul 31, 2024

One of the long range plans actually had proposal for new tracks and platform going under the present upper level tracks. These tracks if built might cause the lower level food court to be moved somewhere else if those tracks proceeded into the lower level area.?

JamesWhitcombRiley · Sep 20, 2024

west point said:
One of the long range plans actually had proposal for new tracks and platform going under the present upper level tracks. These tracks if built might cause the lower level food court to be moved somewhere else if those tracks proceeded into the lower level area.?

Tracks under tracks were in a 2012 plan called "NextGen Northeast High-Speed Rail."

The new plan is different and does not have tracks under tracks. The lower level concourse seems to have the same footprint, but there are also three new concourses at the lower level.

It's fun to look for the old numbered portals behind the restaurant counters on the north wall of the lower level. Probably they went to stairs up to the main track level platforms (the sub-end tracks).

This diagram is from the 2024 plan. https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra...f Preferred Alternative_WUS FEIS_508-pdfa.pdf

Food at Washington Union Station

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