Great Western Railway operate trains between London and South West England. On the Plymouth-Paddington route, two services a day offer fine-dining in a dedicated carriage. It sounds far grander than the reality – in fact the whole thing is a bit of a shambles.
Issue 1: Pullman dining is available on trains that depart around 1pm or 7pm. However, it will be another hour before you will eat. That means a very late lunch.
Issue 2: The Pullman dining carriage isn’t accessible to the entire train as some carriages don’t have doors between them. You could easily find yourselves unable to reach the carriage.
Issue 3: You can only book Pullman dining in advance if you have a first class ticket for the journey. If you have a second class ticket, you have to take your chances and hope there are table available. However, the GWR site is pretty useless and doesn’t validate your ticket when you make a booking. There’s nothing to stop you booking as Mickey Mouse, cancel just before departure and hey presto(!) a table is available.
Issue 4: The GWR first class complimentary snacks and sandwiches are very nice. It almost makes no sense to spend £40 per person for two courses.
We had first class tickets on the 13.15 Plymouth to Paddington route. Our seats were pretty comfortable.
The complimentary menu was also good.
We almost stayed in our seats, but we’d made a booking and wanted to try Pullman dining. It was about an hour before we were able to take our seats in the next carriage. By then, we’d already had some sandwiches.
The staff were all really friendly and professional. Prices correct as June 2026.
The menu:
It’s very cheeky that there is an additional £15 supplement for a 6oz Fillet Steak.
Soft drinks, mixers and tea are complimentary (not sure if they are for second class passengers). Wine is expensive.
Salmon Roulade: Salmon and horseradish roulade with herby asparagus, mustard pickled cucumbers and caviar. This was nice – nothing special.
Herb Stuffed Chicken: A herb stuffed chicken ballotine with crispy potato hashes, smooth fennel and chervil puree, Tenderstem® broccoli, pickled beech mushrooms and a chicken and lemon thyme jus.
This was pretty good, especially as it was prepared on a train and an absolutely huge portion of meat.
With the pre-lunch sandwiches and huge main course, we had no room for desert.
We stayed in our dining seats until the train arrived in Paddington.
It was an interesting experience, but at over £100 for two including wine and tip, this felt expensive for what we had, especially as we’d already paid for two first class train tickets.
Pullman dining makes no sense for first class ticket holders. What would work is if you have a second class ticket, want a better seat and feel hungry.
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