The romance and frisson of rail travel are the perfect accompaniments to these superb dining experiences in the continent’s top stations
1e Klas, Centraal station, Amsterdam
Named after the former first-class waiting room the restaurant now inhabits, the 1er Klas is a wonderful slice of 1880s glam, with monstrously high ceilings, wood-panelled walls and intricate paintings of wildlife. The menu is wide-ranging and refreshingly inexpensive: you can grab some goats’ cheese with peach chutney for breakfast (€6.50), or go for a quintessentially Dutchkwekkeboom croquette on toast for lunch (€4), while a three-course dinner will set you back less than €30. And it would be rude not to choose at least one beer from its exhaustive list.
• +31 20 625 0131, restaurant1eklas.nl
• +31 20 625 0131, restaurant1eklas.nl
Le Train Bleu, Gare de Lyon, Paris
The queen of all railway station restaurants, Le Train Bleu – with its extraordinary frescoes, chandeliers and perfectly turned-out maîtres d’ – is a destination in itself. Opened in 1901 by French president Émile Loubet and completely renovated last year, Le Train Bleu has always been chic – regulars have included Coco Chanel, Brigitte Bardot and Jean Cocteau. The wine selection is vast, even by Parisian standards, while the menu is packed with traditional French cuisine from beef tartare (€35) to red mullet fillets (€46). The set menu is €65 and the quickie Traveller’s menu or €48. The only downside is remembering you have a train to catch.
• +33 1 4343 0906, le-train-bleu.com
• +33 1 4343 0906, le-train-bleu.com
Crystal, Jungfraujoch, Switzerland
Perched 3,454 metres up the Jungfrau like a Bond villain’s mountain lair, Jungfraujoch is not only Europe’s highest railway station but its most dramatic. The glass and steel eyrie boasts three restaurants, and the pick of them is Crystal, a swish establishment specialising in fine Swiss cooking with a smattering of international dishes. There’s grilled medallion fish with king prawn (€39.44) or you can go completely Swiss and sample a fondue. The menu is not cheap (hey, there’s even a surcharge for the cutlery) but the views are to die another day for.
• +41 33 828 7888, jungfrau.ch, à la carte menu at gletscherrestaurant.ch
• +41 33 828 7888, jungfrau.ch, à la carte menu at gletscherrestaurant.ch
Midi station Brasserie, Brussels
Belgium’s biggest brasserie is a thing of wonder. Its self-styled “modern baroque” decor was designed by Belgo-Portuguese restaurateur Antoine Pinto and its classic dishes include white asparagus from Mechelen, smoked salmon and mousseline sauce (starter €18.20), and tomato with Zeebrugge grey shrimps (main €19.40). There’s a cocktail bar, an oyster bar and, if this is not enough to mark it out from lesser station buffets, a dance floor. And in a throwback to less frenetic days, the brasserie also has its own cigar lounge
• +32 2 526 8800, midistation.be
• +32 2 526 8800, midistation.be
Järnvägsrestaurangen, Stockholm Östra
Tucked away in Stockholm’s east station, this a restaurant is so good the locals go there even if they haven’t got a train to catch. Virtually unchanged since it opened in 1932 (though a stylish glass wall was added in the 1950s), the restaurant offers good old-fashioned Swedish home cooking (vegetarians will go hungry). The short lunch menu (each dish is SEK 95, about £7.50) is changed every day, so you may find yourself trying the potato pancakes with fried pork and lingonberries one day, and coming up with an excuse to return for the mustard-marinated halibut the next.
• +46 8 612 0014, gastrogate.com
• +46 8 612 0014, gastrogate.com
Zanetti Eis, Berlin central station
Take a break from the currywurst and kartoffelpuffer and go to one of the longest ice-cream counters outside Italy. Excitingly, the ice-creams and frozen yoghurts are labelled in German, so take a dictionary or have fun guessing what the flavours might be from the vibrant colours. There’s a host of cheesecakes and torten on offer too, and while the indoor eating area is somewhat bland, there’s a lovely outdoor terrace where you can lick away at your chosen flavours in the warmth of the sun.
• Facebok page
• Facebok page
Orient Express, Sirkeci station, Istanbul
A haven of relative tranquillity in a noisy station, the moderately-priced Orient Express restaurant opened in 1890 but will forever be associated with the 1930s and a certain fictional murder. Beneath the high ceiling and circular patterned windows you can sip a coffee or take afternoon tea with a sweetmeat on the side while examining the inevitable black-and-white photos of Agatha Christie on the walls. Fans of the famous train can saunter down the platform afterwards to take in the tiny but free Orient Express museum.
• +90 212 522 2280, orientexpressrestaurant.net
• +90 212 522 2280, orientexpressrestaurant.net
Restaurante La Estacion San Pablo de Buceite, Jimena de la Frontera, Spain
Five stops north of Algeciras, the sleepy station of San Pablo has a delightful watering hole whose reputation for original food at reasonable prices draws in plenty of non-railway custom. Try one of its speciality mushroom dishes, croquettes filled with ham or spinach, or have a spin on the new tapas menu. In summer, the old stone station building keeps diners cool while in winter an open fire makes it a cosy spot for dinner – accompanied by a glass of wine from one of the many local vineyards.
• +34 956 642244, Facebook page
• +34 956 642244, Facebook page
To Treno Sto Rouf, Rouf station, Athens
Where better to eat at a train station than in a railway carriage? There’s a whole train of beautifully renovated coaches parked at Rouf station and dedicated to feeding and entertaining customers. One coach is a restaurant, another is a bar, while three others are dedicated to art, music and theatre productions. In summer, there’s also an open-air bar on the platform. The menu is short and sweet (and savoury), with burgers, sausages, cheeses and dakos (bread, tomatoes and feta) taking centre stage.
• +30 210 5298922, totrenostorouf.gr
• +30 210 5298922, totrenostorouf.gr
VyTA, Stazione Termini, Rome
When in Rome, do as a good number of Romans do at the Stazione di Roma Termini and slip into VyTA. It is one of a small chain only to be found at train stations (currently also at Milan, Turin, Naples and Venice and coming to Florence and Bologna soon). The modern, dark and expensive-looking interior hides a secret: while it serves diners everything from pizzas, panini and salad to croissants, coffee and wine, it charges next to nothing for them (€1 for an Americano, pizzas from €3, panini from €4.20).
• +39 6 47786821, vyta.it
• +39 6 47786821, vyta.it
