It's a cool little restaurant to stop and eat at if you are passing through the area. The inside of the restaurant is actually trains which were built into this in 1909 or around that time period. It has been well up-kept and is nice. Food is pretty good but a tad on the pricy side. Workers are very nice to. Not to bad though cause it's a cool place to eat some food. I would recommend stopping by if you can. read more

This resturant is famous for it's smoked BBQ ribs & chicken. & prime rib! The blu cheese dressing is a family reciepe & should be bottled & sold. Made famous by the founder of this place. the daughter took over the business & is keeping the tradition the same. There's a waitress (Dawn) who worked for the founder of this company for a long time & has come back to work here again. She is really great, as a waitress & karaoke host. She sings beautifully, & her husband who is a bartender there makes the best Long Island Ice Teas that I have tasted anywhere & I have tasted alot. Plan your weekend here stay the nightin a caboose, drink & sing in the bar, then have free breakfast in the morning which is with your room. Make sure & have the hashbrowns... Comes highly recommended from me. Keep the history alive... It's a truly great experience you'll never forget. read more

Mount Rainier Railroad Dining - panaramic view found on the web - American Near Me - Elbe, Washington

We had a great time here. We spent the day hiking at mt. rainier and had to stop when we drove by this fun little restaurant. My boyfriend loves trains and this seemed like quite the experience. The server was incredibly sweet. She was super helpful, walked us through the menu, and made us feel very welcome. We got the Elk Burger with fries (the fries are like boardwalk fries, they're cut in house and were great) and the fried chicken dinner which came with more fries, garlic bread and green beans. The elk burger was delicious and the fried chicken was some of the best I've had. The portions were great, and this was the perfect dinner after spending a whole day hiking. We enjoyed every part of it. read more

Stopped in for a meal b/c we were traveling on Highway 7. The entire restaurant is in a train! Includes dinning area, lounge, and motel. Super cute and super cozy. Service was fast and friendly. Had the hobo stew with beef, onions, potatoes, and carrots served in a bread bowl. Comes with a side salad. Great dessert menu although I passed on the sweets this time around (hell must have frozen over). read more

We got a beer brat and a pulled pork sandwich. Both were not good. It was over priced and took a 1.5 hours from start to finish. Don't waste your time or money. read more

This place is great if you want to wait 70 minutes from the time you order to get lukewarm food cooked by an incompetent chef. A $17.99 salad at a dump like this is an insult. We paid $15 for spaghetti with garlic, parmesean and margarine, served with some soggy garlic french toast. A drunk frat boy could make a classier dinner in a dorm room microwave with ramen and a stick of butter. Eat that last cliff bar and stick it out until you hit Tacoma. STAY AWAY! The wait staff was very nice and we feel bad for them. F- read more

Slow service, mediocre food. The place looks cool from the outside but that's where you should remain... outside.

This little tourist attraction has been around for years now and if you're in the area for a few days and the weather is good it's a great way to see the mountain and grab a bite to eat at the same time. Upon paying the per person fee you get a two hour train tour of the park and a decent quality meal. Most people do this for lunch since you can choose to ride in an open air rail car. Check this place out even if you've lived in the Puget Sound area for years, it's quite an experience. read more

dude. this place rocks. train restaurants are the best. and this one was no exception. we sat in the bar area which was super cute with little pink booths. we had breakfast only - and everything was really good. biscuits and gravy . . . eggs and bacon . . . . thick cut toast with homemade jam. yuuuummm. the service as a bit slow i suppose, but we didn't mind. our waitress was hilarious and lovable anyway. and we weren't in a huge hurry or anything. if i'm ever back down in elbe, i will definitely hit this place again. read more

Love this place! Ramona has great customer service and suggestions! Everytime! This time I got an elk burger and it was sooo good. Ask to add mushrooms and blue cheese with it too. And I don't even like blue cheese but they make it in house and it's amazing! read more

We walked in without a reservation on a very cold night, seated ourselves and treated the waitress with quite a bit less courtesy than she deserved. We were still served hot, hearty food and were treated with respect and kindness. Kudos to these guys! They dealt with our unruly bunch with class and some good home cookin'. We will be back!! read more

Overpriced for what you get. I think they are trying to consider themselves fine dining, but they fall very short. They need to crank up the heat too, because it was way too cold to remove sweaters and beanies. Do not order the burgers. We've had better burgers from fast food joints for a third of their price. Cute place, but definitely not worth it!! read more

After spending the morning at Mt. Rainier Natl Park, we decided to stop here for lunch. My 2 year old son was so excited to eat in the train. Unfortunately, we never did get to eat. After being seated, we sat patiently for 15 minutes waiting for someone to help us. Another party sat down next to us and immediately the waitress came over to ask what they wanted to drink. At this point my husband and I were furious. We decided to leave. My two year old did not like this idea. We had to pull him kicking and screaming from the restaurant, and for 30 miles down the road we had to listen to him cry because he wanted to eat at the train restaurant. Overall, this place has very poor service, but I cannot comment on the food. read more

Last Sept, we were going to go to the pizza place next door on the way back from Rainier, but walked into this place by mistake (both eateries are in RR cars). We were one of two groups in the dinning car. I read the history of the restaurant built in the late 80's from train cars. Judging from the mauve carpets and pinkish paint job, I figured that they haven't done any remodeling since then. The food is just ok. The server during our visit was super helpful and never missed a beat. We now know what it's like eating there after years of passing it by, but I don't think we'll visit again. read more

I don't know if management changed, but this place went from 4 stars pre-covid to 1 star. I got the taco salad. The beef was dry and stale, no dressing, a small cup of salsa and sour cream. The lettuce looked sad to be there and the taco shell tasted like it was definitely not made that day. There were also croutons in it and large chunks of mushrooms, which seemed an old choice. $18.99 for this mess. The fried green tomatoes were soggy and disappointing. The kids didn't touch their food, and after a day of hiking, you usually don't have to threaten no dessert if they didn't want to eat. Not that we got dessert anyway- the waitress tossed our bill down a few bites into our meal and didn't give us the chance to order anything. good thing the general store across the street had ice cream or I'd have had a mutiny after bribing them to eat that awful food and not being able to pay up. Very disappointing for a $50 meal. read more

Eat in actual train. Food was ok but dining area was cold. Could not take off coat due to being to cold. Service was nice very friendly waitress. read more

Our group thought we'd try this gimmicky restaurant for Saturday dinner after discovering their web site. It's quaint and cutesy; food was plentiful and tasty, but prices are pretty high. And not much menu variety. Web site and local tourism advertising rave about "Alder smoked prime rib," but our server knew nothing about such an entree choice. We had a great server who took care of us, but a couple of the meals took an extremely long time to prepare and serve. Entrees don't all come with a salad, and the "dinner side salad" is pricey. The baked potato comes with sour cream, butter, and chives, but if anything else like shredded cheese or bacon bits is added the cost is a lot. I had BBQd pork ribs and they were overwhelmingly plentiful. Lots of meat and tasty, but too much sauce. The half ear of corn was cold and tough. I'll check out hotel restaurants in Ashford if I ever stay here again. read more

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars. I added in the extra half because of the strawberry shortcake and the creativity of the vegi burger. Seemed busy when we got there. Our party of 5 had to split into 2 tables. No big deal because they were right next to each other and it is an old rail car. Not a lot of extra space which is understandable. Service was slow, even after the place cleared out. The waitress was nice, but she seemed a little overwhelmed. The vegi burger impressed me. I was expecting a pattie, but it was just a bunch of grilled vegis on a bun. Onions, peppers, mushrooms, whole cloves of garlic. I'm glad I ordered it with cheese to help hold it together! Messy burger, but I loved it. The vegi soup was good. Just enough spice for me. I split a strawberry shortcake with my husband for dessert that was really good too. Overall, I liked this place. They could use some extra staff though to cut down on the wait times. read more

We stopped here on our way to the Mt. Rainier train. Three people had the shrimp salad. A little on the pricey side at $16.00. Personally, I thought it should have had a hard boiled egg, but it didn't. Otherwise they said it was pretty good. Black olives, different lettuces, celery, shrimp. The funny part? There were 2 full size celery ribs on the side of each plate! I got a veggie 'burger'. I asked what brand they were and she said they made them right there. I gotta say - one of the strangest veggie 'burgers' I've ever eaten! First - it was in no way shape or form a 'burger', or a pattie or anything else of the sort. It was fresh veggies sauteed together and put on a bun. Mostly onions. And olives. Fortunately, I had cheese with it which helped a little to hold it together. It was rather slippery. Not bad but not at all what I was expecting. Once we told our waitress we were in a bit of a hurry she seemed to make an effort to get our lunch to us quickly. The service was ok, the staff friendly. read more

Three stars for the place fourth was for our server Jill. The food was a little overpriced but still good. When we first went in a large group of people stood around waiting to be seated with no one even around to try to seat us, this lasted a good 10-15 minutes. Finally Jill came and took a bunch of people into another section. Now some people left because that side of the dining area was cold having just been opened but we were in a rush to eat and get on the polar express. Jill was great! She brought everything we needed for the kids and helped us get out of there fast. It's was a fun option for dinner as it's in converted train cars but I definitely wouldn't drive out of my way for it. It was right next to the train depot though. All in all a great trip with a full belly! read more

Stay clear of this place. My wife and I had the "specials" and they were both horrible, reheated (and still barely warm) crap. We never recieved our salads, and their prices for milk for our children was just plain outrageous. read more

We stopped here for lunch on a trip to Mt Rainier because we thought it would be cool to eat in a train. When we sat down and looked at the menu we were shocked at the prices for food. $17.99 for a salad??!! This place was no 5 star that you'd think would be charging such prices. We were going to stay and order burgers but after being seated the server told us that our 15 year old would have to sit at a table by himself as they didn't have any tables for 5 (the place was NOT busy) and he couldn't sit in the aisle at our table. This wasn't acceptable so we left. This place was old and run down and the prices are ridiculous. After leaving we went across the street to eat at a little burger shack which was delicious. I read some reviews on here after and I'm glad we left as others have complained about the food. read more

I had a friend visiting from out of town and wanted to show her a good time on our way to the mountain. We needed sustenance for a strenuous hike. This was not the place to find it! Although there were only a few patrons, the place seemed understaffed and the service was glacially slow and indifferent, if friendly. I ordered the Hobo stew NOT in a bread bowl but they brought it that way anyway. It turned out to be a vat of lukewarm gravy with a few vegetables and one (count it, one) tiny piece of what I hope was beef. Made me feel like an actual hobo! Honestly, if I hadn't been with my friend I would've simply walked out. I can't believe with the thousands of travelers passing through this area every summer, they can't put on a decent meal. And oh, did I mention the prices? read more

This place is so funky! We saw it on our way up to Mount Rainier and had to stop on our way back! An entire railroad train decked out with a full restaurant and bar. So amazing! read more

Totally disagree with the low reviews. The food is really good. Good home cooked meals. Best steak I've had in a while. Great friendly staff. I recommend eating here and experiencing the fun time in a train car. read more

Cool to eat in a train but the food was mediocre and overpriced. Hubby had BBQ that wax very dry and served only with beans and a biscuit. I had fish and Chips and one piece of fish was raw inside. Might try breakfast here but dinner wasn't worth it! read more

We had a late lunch here yesterday and the food was pretty good! I had chicken and waffles...sadly my chicken wasn't cooked through but the waitress was super sweet and offered to have it redone. I declined since I was full (the waffles were AMAZING) so she removed the whole meal from our tab! The blackberry lemonade is fantastic as was the Monte Christo! Service was a touch slow, but super friendly so we didn't mind. And you're on a train so...it really wasn't a big deal :) This was our second time going and we really enjoyed it! read more

Very unique dining experience... If you love trains, you need to experience lunch here... Food is OK...not bad. Better than your round-a-bout typical places. read more

Ended up here last night after helping some friends out at Rainier. They hadn't had dinner yet so I stopped in here mostly so I could get a drink. The other draw to stopping in here was it's entirely made out of old dining cars! We walked in and waited to be seated when a nice lady (never got her name) came around from the bar car and asked if we were all 21, which we all are. She then seated us in the bar car and handed us menu's. Since I already had dinner, I wasn't to hungry but decided on an order of sweet potato fries, bread pudding and a blackberry lemonade. I was expecting a small order of fries but oh no, it was a huge portion that would have been enough for 2 people to split over a burger! They came out piping hot with a side of ranch dressing, dusted in powdered sugar. Although my friends had both ordered some burgers and fries (elk and buffalo), they still partook of the massive pile of goodness. The only thing I was less then pleased with was the bread pudding...don't get me wrong it was good but as a personal preference I like my bread pudding to have more rasins in it. The only other issue was it was served with a HUGE amount of whipped cream on the top and it was good enough that it didn't need any of it. The blackberry lemonade was very refreshing, not to tart and not to sweet. I didn't foot the bill for this, my friends husband did and it was 55 dollars pre tip. They also ordered a beer each, which came in a can. I would go back for the fries and the lemonade but wouldn't order a domestic. read more

Mount Rainier Railroad Dining - Blackberry Lemonade...sorry I was thirsty and stirred it all up together. - American Near Me - Elbe, Washington

See all

I stopped here for breakfast and had the fireman's omellete. The omellete wasn't anything fancy, but it was hot and well made. The home fries were excellent!! I like good home fries and these were it, I could have eaten a whole plate. At $12.99 it was a bit overpriced IMO. The service was friendly and the railcar dining was neat. read more

We went on a day trip trip to MT Rainer and had this place picked out on the way up..I give you 5 star for small town dinning.. The elk burgers and fries were great and the lemonade was good.. A little bit price could use more meat on the elk burger but I have to say I was pleased with everything.. Friendly staff and clean for a few old boxcars.. We will see you next time we are at MT Rainer.. read more

5 order where sent back in the time we sat at our table. They charged extra for cheese on a bacon cheese burgers. The watier was rude and rolled his eyes at us when we had a question. The other waiter argued with the customers. The food was ok but expensive for what it was. It was $50 for 3 burgers. But the fries were good read more

Had a fun night. I can see why the stew receives such opposite reviews. It was very tasty but it truly had very little meat. Enjoyed the ambiance and the food. read more

Terrible. Like many people I was charmed by the exterior and thought it would be cool to sit in a train car for dinner. I ordered the ribs special for myself and the chicken special for my wife. The food came out in 4 minutes (meaning the food had been sitting in the back), the biscuits were cold so no melted butter on biscuits (one of my favs), the corn cobb was soggy luke warm and my wife's chicken was not worth eating. The ribs were not too bad although I was hoping for a larger portion for the $19 price. Thought it would be a charming place to eat after a day in the park. I gambled and lost. Closing thoughts. The music from the bar was so load i could here it along with the music playing in the dinning area. Very irritating. read more

I'd been through Elbe many times on the way to Mt. Rainer. Me and my girlfriend thought we would stop here for a quick lunch. Not a good Idea. The prices were outrageous. Hamburgers were $15. A garden salad was $17!...a garden salad! ...and this was the lunch menu! My $15 lasagna was overcooked and mushy. My girlfriend's ham sandwich was "ok". Definitely a tourist trap. I doubt any of the locals would eat here. If your hungry I would keep driving. Eatonville and Morton are close by. read more

Got seated and waited 10 mins before we gave a drink order. Mind you it was not busy. Took another 20 minutes before she walked by and said i will be back. We left we were very hungry and wanted to try something new but very disappointed. read more

Friendly service, but bad listening skills. Had a simple order that was completely messed up and forgot A LOT of our order. Food was okay but def nothing to brag about..... Too pricey for the quality of food and service. Pure disappointment. read more

This place was pretty awful. Came through around 10:00 on a Sunday morning, and it looked cute so we came in. There were two servers working on about 10 tables, maybe. It took FOREVER to get our drinks, to get our food orders taken, to get our bill. The food is hyped up as being authentic and homemade... biscuits clearly not made from scratch, orange juice came out of a machine... for the prices they charge here, the food NEEDS to be better. What's annoying about a place like this is that people will continue to go -because it's cute and who doesn't love eating in a railroad car - despite the awful service, so it probably won't change. read more

Wow, I'm surprised by the negative reviews! This is a very cute, family owned establishment in a very tourism driven town. Also, it's literally a diner car so not sure why people expect much more than diner food. That being said, we stopped here yesterday for lunch and had a really tasty meal. I had the buffalo burger and very much enjoyed it. My partner had the bleu cheese burger and was very happy with that as well! The fries were delicious, the blackberry lemonade had muddled blackberries in it, and the service was great. If I'm ever in the area again, I'd definitely return. read more

Horrible food. The fries were old. The chicken in the burger was greasy and fried and the same one as the kids meal. There was a reason why this place was empty on Mother's Day evening. We didn't check reviews before going in. The waitress was rude. I ordered a mushroom Swiss burger and asked her if the beef could be replaced by chicken and the bill came as blue cheese chicken burger plus $5 extra for extra and cheese. The burger was horrendous. When I told her why I am not being just charged for the mushroom cheese burger, she seemed upset and then grudgingly took it away. Will never go here, the most horrible food I have ever eaten. I mean how can you screw up fries so bad? Did you microwave day old fries? read more