Union Station, Washington D.C.

The idea of this restaurant was what first intrigued me--a wide variety of dishes showcasing the ethnic variations of various locations throughout the USA. The restaurant itself is located inside Union Station, with some tables overlooking the US Capitol Building, and others overlooking the main hall of Union Station.

Favorite Dish: I had a marinated portobello mushroom and sun-dried tomato sandwich on focaccia, served with fries, cole slaw, and a pickle. The mushroom was huge and nicely spiced, and the presentation on a patriotic plate was beautiful!

Within a busy train station and connected to the city metro is a relaxing and elegant spot for American Southern style food blended, according to the web site with, Cajun & Creole (which all sounds southern to a northern girl like me). The service here is classy, the food devine. I try to come here at least once during every trip I make to D.C. since I discovered it in the winter of 2003.

Like in any good restaurant you can save a little, or more than a little, by going for lunch rather than your evening meal.

Favorite Dish: oh my, let me think, have not been to B's in a bit -- I have never had anything here that I did not enjoy

crab cakes are a safe bet, chicken too

have not tried fried green tomatoes here, but they are on the menu

now I remember, it is a desert, Coconut Cake, oh baby, heaven

One morning we decided to take our breakfast inside the Union station. On the lower lever are located numerous fast food options, the locals see hungry early in the morning before they take the train, it was amazing looking at the people eating all these burgers and bacons at 9.00am!

We were desperate until we found a tiny one at the corner that was serving soups. We ordered a veggie soup and a meat soup, both of them were really tasty and they were coming with a fresh juice of your choice. You can choose from oranges, mango, pine apples etc They also gave us a fruit (we took banana) and a small dessert!

The bill was up to $24 and the man was very friendly and remembered us the last day when we took the train off DC.

Another day we ate at CAJUN & GRILL, where we took chicken with rice and 2 salads for $11.40.

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Very delicious and healthy for quick pre-prepared food. I think the combination plate I had cost about US$9.00 with drink. Chicken with various vegetables, rice and watercress salad. Located on the lower level.

This a very impressive place. It's where you can eat, shop, catch the metro, train, and the Gray Line Tours. Many just come here to hang out. I know why, because it's pretty impressive place just to eat. They have a food court and it is busy during the week during lunch time, so be prepared. Dinner is not so bad. Oh, there is a movie theatre down stairs, which is impressive because they left the hallways as is, so you can tell they had to cut some serious rock to form access for the theatre. It was clean here too! So, check it out!

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America is one of the four or five big sit-down restaurants on the main level of beautiful Union Station. The restaurant takes its name from the variety of American regional specialty dishes they serve such as Cajun, barbecue, Tex-Mex, Chesapeake Bay and New England seafood, Idaho potatoes, and America's favorite food--the hamburger.

We took a seat on the second floor overlooking Union Station's main concourse. I had the Cuban sandwich with roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, pickles and fries for about $11. My friend Moe had the New Bedford haddock fish and chips for $15 that came with bread and fries. Both meals were large and reasonably priced I guess, though an $11 sandwich may be a little steep for most people. The food was good, but not over the top. The grilled pork on my sandwich was so bland, I couldn't even figure out what it was until I checked the menu later. The fish and chips was large enough that my friend couldn't finish it all.

The service here was very good, though they almost try to be too formal for a quick lunch stop.

The company that operates America manages the Thunder Grill and the Center Cafe, also some of Union Station's nicer restaurants. They operate 15 or 20 other restaurants in New York, Las Vegas, and Atlantic City, many in hotel and casinos. Oddly all of their restaurants seem to have different names and themes, rather than perfecting one menu and running with it.

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Mamma Ilardo's Pizza has about 26 locations in DC, Maryland, Virginia, New York, Nevada, and California. That vast majority of them are located in airports, at highway rest areas, casinos, malls, corporate food courts, and other places with a generally captive and/or transient audience.

In DC one of the locations is the big food court at the lower level of Union Station. It is located at the quiet end on the opposite side as the Metro Station. Here you can get your fill of thin or thick crust pizza by the slice for about $3 to $3.50 each. Their meals include two slices of pizza and a drink for around $7. You could also get whole pizzas, calzones, mozzarella sticks and bread sticks. It's decent pizza, especially if you are stuck at Union Station and don't want to spend a fortune.

If you want a nice sit-down pizza meal around Union Station, try Armand's Chicago Pizza just a block or two east on Massachusetts Avenue.

On the lower level food court I had the best fried chicken I've ever had at a restaurant anywhere. There were many side items you could get with a meal. I had Lo mien and fried rice both were very good so much so I had the exact same meal again on my way back home. With a drink for less than $7.

Favorite Dish: Very large hot and juicy chicken breast.

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About 120 retail and food shops on three levels offer a wide array of merchandise. And you'll be happy to find that most of the offerings in the Food Court are not fast-food joints but an eclectic mix of restaurants.The Food Court offers a mind-boggling 32 eateries, with everything from Acropolis Greek food to Wingmaster's Grill sandwiches.

Finding reasonably priced meals in Washington can be tough, but you can't go past Union Station, Although there's the usual sugary, fatty rubbish you'll find all over the States, the giant food court also offers a range of cheap, good food and large servings - just right if you're on a budget or don't fancy some of the more forbidding-looking restaurants around town. Best of all, Union Station is at the centre of every subway line, so you won't have to walk far to find a feed.

Favorite Dish: If you're REALLY on a budget, take advantage of the free samples offered by almost every food stand throughout the day. If you do a couple of circuits of the station, you probably won't need to buy a meal at all! (It's also about the only way to avoid the 15-20% tip expected everywhere on top of the price of your meal).

the choices are endless, though I can recommend the Panda Rice Bowl Chinese outlet. They do a great bowl of rice with a selection of meat or vegetarian dishes. Most places do a meal deal so you get a drink included, which is helpful. Other options range from fruit shakes, through salad and sandwich bars, to steak houses. There is also a large range of international food, the Chinese I mentioned before as well as an Aditi India Kitchen indian place, Kabuki Sushi Japanese place, Treat Street a fish and chip place, King BBQ, a Greek kebab outlet, a Mexican outlet just to name a few. There are also a couple of ice-cream outlets: Ben & Jerry's, Baskin Robbins etc.

UNION STATION STORE HOURS Monday – Saturday 10am-9pm ; Sunday Noon-6pm

There's plenty of seating, but be warned - half of Washington seems to eat here during the week, so claim a place well before noon if you can.

America was the best of the restaurants we sampled at Union Station. Very eclectic menu, attentive service, good food, good value. Thunder Grill was just a tick behind, losing points only to America's wide ranging menu. The service and food at Thunder Grill were on par with America's (excellent). The service at The Station Grill never got a chance to shine because they were out of ingredients for 3 of 4 of their "featured" cocktails and for one of their appetizer "specials" on one visit and for a different cocktail on the next try. The food, that they did have, was very good. The fisrt day we stopped in, the men's room was out of order, also.

Favorite Dish: At America, Clams Casino, at Thunder Grill, the oysters, at The Station Grill the Scallops.