Dining Car Menus of European Trains
One of the biggest joys of European rail travel is savouring the excellent food and drinks offered on the menus of the dining car aboard many premium trains.
On this page, you can explore the latest dining car menus from the most important European trains. Bon appétit!
Avanti West Coast
Avanti West Coast, an English train operator, offers an on-board counter for passengers to buy drinks and snacks.
You can find the buy-on-board menu for Avanti here.
In first class, Avanti West Coast passengers enjoy complimentary food and drinks served at their seat, with the selection varying by departure day and train.
You can find the first class Avanti West Coast menu here.
České dráhy (Czech Railways)
Czech Railways offers dining cars on many of its premium international and domestic services, including Railjet (RJ) and SuperCity (SC) Pendolino trains, and most EuroCity (EC) and InterCity (IC) trains.
You can find the latest Czech Railjet menu here and the latest Czech SuperCity Pendolino menu here.
The menu on EuroCity and InterCity trains depends on your connection, so use the Czech search tool here to find it for your train.
For example, this is the menu found on the EuroCity ‘Metropolitan’ train between Prague, Bratislava, and Budapest.
Deutsche Bahn (German Railways)
It’s a real treat to sit down in a Deutsche Bahn dining car for a pint of Erdinger Weizen beer served in proper glassware, alongside a plate of delicious currywurst.
You can find a dining car on Germany’s premium high-speed ICE trains, although due to somewhat shambolic operations in recent years, it’s unfortunately common for them to run out of stock or for fridges and ovens to be broken, being unable to serve cold drinks or hot food.
That said, the Deutsche Bahn dining car offers an extensive menu, with something to suit every taste.
You can find the latest Deutsche Bahn dining car menu here.
A bowl of chili in the Deutsche Bahn dining car. ©AndyBTravels
Eurostar
On-board service on Eurostar depends on the booking class and train service, with better food offerings on trains to and from London compared to the Eurostar trains (former Thalys) running between France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany.
Regardless of the train service, second class only has a bistro counter called Eurostar Café where you can buy food and drinks.
Eurostar Plus (standard first class) includes a light meal and drinks on routes to and from London, but offers no food or drinks on other routes.
Eurostar Premier (premium first class) includes a full meal, champagne, and offers a much higher level of service overall.
The on-board catering for Eurostar Premier was completely renewed recently, so be sure to check out my earlier news report if you haven’t already, to find out what’s new.
LNER
LNER (London North Eastern Railway) has a bistro point where second class passengers can buy food and drinks, while first class passengers can choose from a complimentary menu.
You can find more information about on-board catering on LNER trains here, and the first class menu of LNER on this page.
Complimentary tea and cake in first class on a LNER train. ©AndyBTravels
MÁV (Hungarian Railways)
The dining cars on Hungarian Railways, catered by the MÁV subdivision Utasellátó, are among the best you can find in Europe.
The food and drinks on offer in the dining car menus varies slightly depending on the specific train service.
This is the dining car menu for the EuroCity train between Budapest, Prague, Berlin, and Hamburg, as well as the menu for the Budapest-Warsaw EuroCity train.
The menu for the Budapest-Vienna EuroCity train, Budapest-Brasov ‘Corona’ night train, and Vienna-Budapest-Baia Mare EuroCity train can be found here.
The special MÁV Advent EuroCity services over Christmas, running between Budapest and Vienna, and between Pécs and Zagreb, have their own menu, which you can find here.
On domestic IC+ services within Hungary, there is a bistro counter offering a much more limited buy-on-board menu, which you can find here.
ÖBB (Austrian Railways)
On ÖBB’s premium Railjet trains (RJ, RJX), as well as on some of their InterCity and EuroCity trains, you’ll find a dining car.
The Austrian dining car is operated by the catering company DoN, and you can find their latest on-board menu here.
PKP (Polish Railways)
A truly underrated dining car on European railways is that of WARS, the catering company that operates the restaurant wagons for Polish Railways (PKP).
These dining cars can be found on Polish high-speed EIP trains, some EuroCity trains like the one between Berlin and Warsaw, and many domestic InterCity routes.
This is the current menu for the dining car for Polish EIP and Express InterCity (EIC) trains, and this is the one for InterCity trains.
A bowl of Żurek soup from the dining car on a Polish train. ©AndyBTravels
Renfe (Spanish Railways)
Renfe’s high-speed trains feature a dining car, though it’s more like a bistro counter where you can buy food and drinks.
On some routes, a premium first class ticket includes complimentary food and drinks served at your seat.
You can find more information about Renfe’s dining car and their food menus here.
SBB (Swiss Railways)
SBB, the Swiss Federal Railways, also offers dining cars on many of its main domestic InterCity (IC) and international EuroCity (EC) services.
You can find the Swiss dining car menu here.
The stylish interior of a Swiss dining car. ©AndyBTravels
SNCF (French Railways)
On board most French high-speed TGV trains, you’ll find a bistro counter where passengers in first and second class can buy food and drinks.
The standard InOui TGV trains have such a bistro counter, and you find the current buy-on-board menu for them here.
Note that low-cost Ouigo TGV trains do not have a dining car, so bring your own food and drinks if you are booked on one of those.
TGV Lyria trains between France and Switzerland feature a buy-on-board bistro counter for both 1st and 2nd class, with complimentary food and drinks for travellers in premium first class (Business Première).
You can find more information about catering on board TGV Lyria trains here.
VR (Finnish Railways)
On many InterCity trains, as well as on its night trains, VR (the Finnish Railways) offers a proper sit-down dining car where you can enjoy food and drinks.
You can read more information about the VR restaurant car, and find the menu, by clicking here.
