New Hampshire's Dinner Train Takes The Scenic Route While Serving Up A 5-Course Meal

I love food, and I love trains, so anything that combines the two is a big "yes" for me. I've eaten in plenty of railcar diners (although I've yet to visit the Palace Diner in Maine), and had the pleasure of experiencing Amtrak's dining car before meals were replaced by what are essentially upscale TV dinners. (Amtrak has restored traditional dining on some routes, but these are mostly west of Chicago. Still, even cafe car train food beats nonexistent airline food.) The ultimate train dining experience, however, is something I've yet to experience: a ride on a dinner train such as Cafe Lafayette.

Cafe Lafayette, a rolling restaurant operating out of North Woodstock, New Hampshire, serves a five-course meal throughout a two-hour, 20-mile round trip. The train, which consists of restored 1950s railcars, travels through the Pemigewasset River Valley, which is as lovely to look at as it is hard to pronounce. En route, you'll pass over three trestle bridges and visit two different holiday-themed attractions: the Jack O'Lantern Resort golf course and a Christmas tree farm. As one Yelper noted, you'll also see quite a few front yards, but for the most part, riders give the scenery a thumbs-up.

The train doesn't run year-round, so if you're interested in riding, you'll need to plan your visit between mid-May and late October. Reservations are required, as might be expected, and children under six are not permitted aboard. The trip and meal combo is also pretty spendy — at the time of writing, the price is $125 per person, or $150 if you want a seat on the dome level. Drinks are extra, and these may cost up to $17 apiece.

If you book a trip on the Cafe Lafayette dinner train, you'll be offered a choice of appetizers and main meals froma seasonal menu. For summer 2025, the starter selections are gazpacho, sesame-crusted ahi tuna, chicken satay, and artichokes baked with breadcrumbs and cheese, while the entrees include salmon with maple-ginger-soy sauce glaze, chicken with lemon and dill cream sauce, pork schnitzel with mushroom gravy, and eggplant Parmesan. Certain selections are marked as gluten-free, and some are vegetarian, but only the gazpacho appears to be vegan-friendly. In addition to these two courses, dinner also includes salad, rolls, sorbet, and a chef's choice dessert.

In wintertime, when the train isn't running, you can dine at the station in a restaurant called The Depot. From December through March, it serves up a menu of both cold and hot tapas such as fig and goat cheese salad with blood orange vinaigrette, disco fries topped with pork belly and manchego cheese, garlicky lobster crostini, and pear-gorgonzola flatbread. There are also cocktails ranging from classics like the French 75 to a house-made liqueur called Lemon Basilcello. There are even tropical drinks like the Painkiller and Hurricane to transport you far, far away from that frozen New Hampshire landscape (the one that will look a lot prettier in spring when the train is running again).