Amtrak Has Just Revamped Their First Class Dining Experience Featuring Favorite Dishes from Restaurants in New York And Philadelphia

Amtrak has a new dining experience in its first-class cars that can compete with top restaurants in some major foodie cities. Amtrak has just introduced a new dining experience that rivals the best restaurants in major foodie cities. 

Amtrak, in collaboration with restaurateur Stephen Starr launched a new dining option in mid-May. The menu features rotating dishes from Starr’s restaurants in New York City and Philadelphia. The new menu features some of Starr’s most popular dishes, including the chilled sesame noodle dish from The Continental Mid-Town in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse square, as well as the black pepper steak from Buddakan in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. Pizzeria Stella Adrian in Philadelphia offers Italian dishes like vegetarian lasagna, baked manicotti and more. The dishes will rotate every three weeks. This means that travelers will always have a variety of options.

Acela, Amtrak’s high-speed Acela train, runs between Boston, Massachusetts and Washington, DC. It offers first class seating. Amtrak attendants serve passengers at their seats with complimentary food and beverages (including alcohol). Premium cars come with additional perks, such as assigned seats, priority board, and large seats with footrests. Acela passengers can upgrade to first class for less money or book directly in the business class car.

Starr is an Amtrak frequent passenger, so creating the train menu was special for her. “I’ve worked on some really cool projects outside the walls of our restaurants, but the opportunity to collaborate on a premium dining menu for Amtrak’s Acela First Class might be my favorite project thus far,” Starr, who is a James Beard Award winner, said in a statement. “I’ve always loved train travel, and I’m a frequent Acela First Class customer on the Philly to NYC segment, as are many of our guests. I’m excited to offer my fellow travelers restaurant-quality meals inspired by our popular restaurants in Philly and New York.”

Amtrak said the menus have been changed in response to customer feedback. As part of the upgraded dining experience, first class also got a refreshed wine list, featuring new tipples like Pommery Champagne, Justin sauvignon blanc, Landmark pinot noir, and Daou rosé.

The new Starr menu is not the only change to the Acela routes this year. Amtrak plans to introduce a new fleet of Acela trains in the fall. The new fleet will consist of 28 trains that will reach speeds up to 160 mph, compared to 150 mph currently. They will also have sleeker interiors with more spacious seats in first class and an option for a single seat.