Tibet Train Dining Options: Dining Car and Food Trolley Service

Due to the long distance along the way, trains to Tibet from major cities in China provide one dining car for passengers to eat and drink. If you are used to Chinese dishes, you don't need to worry about what to eat on Tibet trains. But for foreign tourists who don't like Chinese food, they may need to prepare food in advance to deal with this problem. Keep reading and get to know more details about the dining car on Tibet trains.

Where is the dining car located on Tibet Train? How does the dining carriage look like?

Usually, the dining car is in the middle of the Tibet trains. Passengers will see it next to the soft sleeper compartments. If you are not sure where it is, just go ahead and ask for the exact direction from a train attendant. The dining car is a place where passengers will feel cheerful since there you will see the fascinating scenery from the wide window. The interior of the dining car adopts a typical four-person booth layout, and its Tibet-style decoration will make you feel at home.

The dining car is kept relatively clean, with the floor swept regularly, seats wiped clean, and windows bright and wide. Some seats are equipped with power sockets for passengers to charge their mobile phones and other devices while dining.

In the front of the dining carriage is the kitchen area, where the train chef is responsible for preparing and heating meals. At the back is a small sales counter that provides simple foods such as instant noodles,biscuits, and drinks.

What food you can get in the dining car on Tibet train?

The dining car on the Tibet train offers a wide variety of meals to meet the dietary needs of different passengers during their journey on the plateau. What you can get for your breakfast is simple and all are traditional Chinese breakfast. You can get baozi (steamed stuffed bun), mantou (steamed bun), boiled eggs, soy milk, pickles, porridge and etc. As for lunch and dinner, you will be able to choose from more dishes, including Chinese dishes, Tibetan-style dishes and kinds of noodles. The menu varies from different Tibet trains in China. And as seasons change, the serving dishes will also change. But all those vegetables and meals are fresh since the train will get replenishment at some stops to make sure that every passenger on the train can eat safely.

In the dining car, tourists can also purchase some water, juice, beer, wine and other bottled drinks in a small bar. If you would like to have a cup of tea or coffee, you can get what you want and sit in the dining car to enjoy the moments that you have on the Tibet train.

Meals Price and Food Cost on Tibet Dining Car

The overall taste of the food was described by passengers as "average". But with limited food supply on the train, being able to have a hot meal is a great satisfaction. In terms of price, breakfast costs $2-4 (￥15-25), and dinner generally costs $4-8 (￥30-60). Specialty foods such as air-dried yak beef may be more expensive.

The payment method is flexible and it supports cash, Alipay, and WeChat payment, which greatly facilitates the consumption experience. Some tourists think the prices are a bit high, but most people find it acceptable considering the transportation costs and the special conditions of the plateau.

Meal Time on Tibet Dining Car

You can choose a table that you like to have your breakfast, lunch and dinner at mealtime. The dining car can accommodate up to 50 people at the same time, which means that you need to wait if there is no empty table. The serving time for breakfast is from 7:30 am to 8:30 am, lunch is from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm, and dinner is from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Do not miss the mealtime or you need to feed yourself with something else.

A Convenient Addition to the Dining Car: Food Trolley on Tibet Train

In order to deal with the limited room in the dining car, there will be train attendants push the food trolley into every cabin to offer boxed dishes to passengers who don't want to go to the dining car to line up for a meal. You can wait for the boxed meal when they come and eat it in your own cabin. During non-mealtime, train attendants will also push the food trolley to go around the train cabins to sell snacks, fruits and drinks. Passengers can get instant noodles, biscuits, peanuts, bottled drinks, and something they may want to eat.

Top Tips for Using the Dining Car on Tibet Trains

1) If you want to enjoy the spacious seating and stunning views in the dining car, you'd better order at least one drink.
2) Seats in the dining car are limited during peak hours, so people often share tables. If there's an empty seat next to a stranger, it's respectful to ask if it is taken.
3) Dining car and food trolley usually offer Sichuan and Tibetan cuisine, some of which are spicy and strong in flavor. If you have different eating habits, you can bring your own food such as instant noodles, self-heating rice, bread, snacks, etc.
4) There is a water dispenser at the end of each carriage, providing 24-hour hot water for making tea, coffee, or instant noodles.
5) Meal times on the train are fixed. In addition to the three meals, the dining car also provides midnight snack service from 10:30 pm to 6:00 am.

Conclusion

The dining car on Tibet train is not only a place to replenish energy , but also carries a unique cultural experience and emotional exchange. Here you can not only taste the local food, but also feel the warm atmosphere brought by the train staff and tourists. As the train passes through the magnificent snow-capped mountains and grasslands, the hot meals bring warmth and satisfaction to you, allowing you to temporarily forget the travel fatigue. Therefore, enjoying a warm meal on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway will be a rare and precious experience in your life.