The Alaska Railroad's dining car offers a full-service menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on trains between Anchorage and Fairbanks and Anchorage and Seward. While passengers are free to bring their own snacks and food and eat it on board the train, the dining car offers a unique experience reminiscent of the grand passenger trains of years ago. All of the food is cooked on board, and while the menu does not offer a huge variety of options, there are enough different items available that anybody should be able to find something to his or her liking. Seating in the dining car is unreserved and handled on a first come, first served basis. Travelers by themselves may be asked to sit with a stranger during busy periods, but rather than being awkward, this provides the unique opportunity to share a meal with an interesting person from another part of the world and discuss your individual experiences during your trip.
My two rail segments on the Denali Star afforded me the opportunity to enjoy all three meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, aboard the train. For breakfast I selected the excellent cinnamon-battered French toast, which was served with a choice of bacon or reindeer sausage (I chose the delicious reindeer sausage), fresh fruit, and coffee and orange juice. The railroad dining service is generous in its portions and breakfast entrees include coffee or a large juice in the price. However, if you desire both, they will gladly bring both a small juice (still a nice serving) and a mug of coffee without an extra charge. For lunch I had the cheeseburger (it's listed on the menu as a hamburger but cheese is available at no extra charge) and a nice serving of very good potato salad. Chips were also available as an alternate side item choice. Finally, for dinner I had the 12 oz. steak topped with a Jack Daniels mushroom sauce. It was served with a choice of soup or salad, garlic mashed potatoes, and grilled vegetables. I opted for the soup, which was a delicious salmon and corn chowder. The huge steak was cooked to perfection and was too big for me to finish. The vegetables and potatoes were good as well. For dessert I had a slice of cheesecake topped with strawberry sauce and a cup of coffee.
Overall prices are not cheap, but they are reasonable for the large portions and good quality of the food. Sample menus are available on the railroad website, and dinner specials are frequently offered in addition to the regular menu items. Additionally, Denali Star trains feature a bistro car, with light snacks and sandwiches, ice cream, cookies, and a wide selection of beverages available throughout the entire trip. Occasionally some items may not be available, especially if you dine near the end of a meal period. Service is always fast and very friendly, as the railroad tends to hire people who are truly excellent in delivering top notch customer service.