The Dining Car

I went to their truck at the South End Open Markets today — though they are at other locations too.
The lamb sandwich (at $ 11) and cauliflower side ($ 4) were actually really good. l, but their customer service skills were lacking. I would have given it a 4 for the food but a 2 for the service.
I placed my order and paid by credit card as most people were doing. Then while waiting, another woman ordering noticed the small confusing sign indicating a «7% tax but a 7% discount» for cash orders.
When I inquired about the extra charge, the woman replied that there is no extra fee, but that they don’t charge tax to people who pay cash!
When I then asked if I could now pay cash and void out the charge, was told it could not be done. (They are using a square system which I know allows you to cancel/​refund orders).
So just be forewarned if you go and want to pay by credit

A foodie’s lunch oasis! Gourmet combinations that are delicious and full of quality ingredients. My personal favorite sandwich in the WHOLE WORLD is the Chicken on Goat, you can never tire of the perfect combination of ingredients that become a lunch symphony of flavor. The people are super nice, the turn around time to get your food is quick and they keep the line moving. I really don’t know what else you could ask for!!!

Goat cheese and chicken salad was excellent until i got to the non-​fresh, chewier pieces of chicken. But the goat cheese was wonderful so next time I’ll get the plain goat cheese salad and the fried cauliflower! I did have sticker shock when they gave me a relatively tiny salad box for $ 9.70, however. Really great: when they park on Pearl and Congress there’s like NO line, it’s awesome.

Order their signature side dish –crispy cauliflower florets. The coating is gluten free and made of corn flour. Florets are coated and fried until nutty and crisp. Doused in curry aioli.
Pretty good, taste a expected.
Pro tip: ask for sauce on the side so the florets don’t get soggy.

I only got a drink, but I’m glad I didn’t get more because I’m not sure how long I would have been waiting then…
I ordered the strawberry lemonade, saw it come up and sit for a few minutes while I’m staring at it and the staff is fumbling about unsure how to answer a question as to what’s on the side of the truck (the photos next to the menu). I tried to grab the drink and they just stared at me. It tasted like syrup.
I was just put off by the staff I can’t imagine going back there…

This is one of those situations where I’m glad I didn’t consult Unilocal first.
Fantastic Food truck — Chicken sandwich was great (cucumber was a good addition.) Lightly fried Cauliflower side was unique & worth trying.
Put in Dining Car in your rotation.

After perusing the menus at about 20 food trucks at SOWA we settled upon The Dining Car. Their menu item descriptions had a ton of quality ingredients that sounded like they would make for the tasty food truck eating we were looking for. We hit the jackpot here! The Korean BBQ pork slider had a nice little kick topped with grilled onions and pickled veggies. The pork was very tender and good quality. At 5 $, go for two. The honey truffle goat cheese sandwich lived up to the ingredients listed and was an excellent veggie option. The crispy french bread was fresh and the perfect vehicle for this sandwich. We also indulged in the fried cauliflower with curry aioli. While good it’s the one thing I wouldn’t get again. I would definitely check out this food truck again as the food was fresh, well prepared and very good.

I stopped by The Dining Car one Sunday at SoWa Market, got the Honey Truffle Goat Cheese sandwich, and wasn’t all that impressed. It was good, but it wasn’t outstanding or memorable. Anything with goat cheese spread and honey truffled walnuts is bound to be tasty, but overall it was really just an average sandwich that had a little bit too much sherry vinaigrette.
I came back a second time though and tried something else. And I’m pretty glad I did, because the Korean BBQ Pork Slider is where it’s at. The pork was tender and delicious and I only wish I had gotten like five of them instead of only one.
I’ll have to come back to try the meatball sub that everyone else is raving about.

Slow service, and there were 3 people in the car. They ‘ran out’ of the bread for the honey truffle goat cheese sandwich i wanted, but when another person ordered it 5 minutes later they miraculously found some and didn’t feel the need to offer me my original choice but gave it to him instead. Even after I questioned this, they just said ‘sorry, we found it after you placed your order’. So maybe that guy can tell you how it was.

Ahem. Excuse me while I wax poetic about a meatball sub. What’s that you say? You have never had a meatball sub for which waxing poetic was appropriate? Look no further than The Dining Car, my friend.
Ordinarily I would wait until I had eaten a few different items off a menu before taking to the internet, but this sandwich was so good, I couldn’t wait. (I also doubt I’ll ever try anything else from The Dining Car, but that’s another story.) The meatballs were tender and moist, slightly crushed to prevent from squishing out the end when you take a bite. An even distribution of stringy mozzarella throughout the sub. A perfect amount of delicious marinara sauce, enough to keep the bread moist, but not soggy. The bread is not your standard squishy sub roll — instead they are serving up these meatballs on a baguette with a soft interior and a crust with crunch to provide texture.
Some may feel the value isn’t there with The Dining Car, but I found the meatball sub to be rather filling, and $ 8 isn’t all that uncommon for a sandwich in the area. But then again, I did lick the paper clean of marinara, so I’d say I got my money’s worth.

Tried this today at SoWa market. I ordered the Mediterranean chicken sandwich. It was an $ 8 sandwich, and I have no idea why. It also took about twenty minutes to make. Was not pleased with my selection. I would advice to try ANY OTHER food cart at the market.

* Came for the lamb, stayed for the pork *
I came to this food truck for the roast lamb sandwich, which is served with goat cheese, minted greens, and pomegranate vinaigrette. Unfortunately it was not to be as they were out of it. :(
I figured since I had already tracked them down I may as well try something else, and got the «New England Pulled Pork.» I had never heard of New England style pulled pork before — thinking it was a Southern thing. I’m not sure what makes it New England style — perhaps the cider based BBQ sauce? In any case, the meat itself was smoked low and slow. It had the wonderful smoky flavours that only slow smoking can impart. It was tender, smoky, and well spiced with the sauce without being over sauced. The bun had a slight crunch to the outside and was soft enough to sop up the juices and sauce inside. A very nice surprise overall. Photo:
The guy taking orders was quite nice, and perhaps because of the lamb disappointment, or just perhaps because he was a nice guy, he gave me a free lemonade. That was a nice touch.

I am really always displeased with the service from the Dining Car. I have had some of the food and it’s ok. But what really «grinds my gears» about this place, is that I have waited for 10 minutes or more for a lemonade.
The first time, they were at Harvard. I was in a bit of a rush to go to get in line for the cooking public lecture and was super thirsty. I saw this truck sitting right outside the science building. So I walked up to get a lemonade. Yes it was tasty. When I finally got it, and missed the lecture from the wait. They put their tickets in for drinks, just like it is a food ticket, and I had to wait for all the people in front of me to get their food, instead of just getting a quick drink. And I told the guy collecting money and taking orders that I was in a bit of a rush, and could I get my drink quickly? He said sure. and then was too busy taking orders on his ipad and forgot about his customer service skills.
So about 9 months later, I decide to retry their lemonade on a hot summery day at SoWa market. Cause I did like the rosemary lemonade. It’s unique and tasty. So my roommate and I got in line, ordered just two lemonades. And they did it again. WTH. Put the drink orders in with the food orders.
You know what every other food truck was doing that day? Selling butt loads of lemonade. Cause they had it already portioned out, and a separate space in their food window to come up and get your lemonade after you paid the cashier.
So sorry dining car. No more lemonade purchases from me. Bön Me’s thai basil lemonade and Roxy’s blueberry lemonade are gonna be my go to choices from now.
If you really wow me with something good on the menu, maybe just maybe I’ll try you guys again. Only if none of the other food trucks at SoWa have nothing better, which I highly doubt.

Tried one of their sandwiches at the Food Truck Festival in Brighton today. Description: honey, goat cheese, truffle, walnuts, and mixed greens.
Taste? Pretty freakin’ good. Really nice balance of textures and flavor, though some more dressing on the greens would have been great. Definitely delivered on everything they promised was in the sandwich (sounds simple, but places often fail at this very critical step…).
Main complaint was that sandwich wasn’t put together especially well — bites on the right side of the sandwich were all bread and greens, bites on the left were cheese/​walnuts/​honey. Again, might sound silly, but it was tough to get a bite with everything in it (check out my photo and you’ll see exactly what I mean).
Finally, really enjoyed their bread. Perfect mix of fluffy and crunchy. Would be interested to try some more of their food.

I’ve been visiting this food truck since they first set up shop in Boston and I usually go for lunch once a week. The grilled chicken sandwich, the Mediterranean chicken sandwich, and the «SPOPS» (I think that is the correct acronym for their tasty sausage stew sandwich) are all very good. They use high quality ingredients and produce a consistently good sandwich.
My only complaint is that I miss the focaccia they used to bake on the truck fresh and use for the grilled chicken sandwich. The crusty french bread they use now is still good, but that focaccia was amazing.

«Honey Truffle Goat Cheese» sandwich — FTW!
As an added perk (actually, a borderline prerequisite in Boston & Cambridge these days), they take payments using LevelUp.

Pretty good sandwiches. Great bread and fresh ingredients. I especially would recommend the Strawberry Shortcake. While the sandwiches really are great, I think the $ 7 – 8 price range is a bit steep for truck food…
Read the full review at the Boston Food Truck Blog:

I patronize The Dining Car on its weekly visits to the Boston Public Library. On my first visit, I ordered their roast chicken sandwich, and that’s what I’ve ordered every time since. I’ve meant to branch out, I really have, but then I hear the chicken sandwich whisper my name.
The sandwich features the most amazing crusty-​yet-​chewy baguette, roast chicken, cucumbers, avocado, and wasabi mayonnaise. My only two complaints about it are that the wasabi flavor should be punched up (sometimes it’s barely a hint of spice), and it’s a little small for $ 8. I gotta be honest: The real draw here is the fantastic, fabulous, fresh bread.
Credit cards are accepted.
This is my public declaration: Next time, I will try another dish at The Dining Car. Maybe they’ll let me have it with a side of bread.

and yet another food truck. occupied the «spot-​of-​honor» on their first SoWa Sunday. tried the marinated pork sirloin w/​onion relish and bbq sauce on baguette. could have been a lot better toasted. or maybe on their fresh baked focaccia instead. just sayin.