The Dining Car

We stopped by on our way thru town, so we picked this place based on the Unilocal reviews… It was marked as kid friendly, and really wasn’t. Ours could manage, but there were no children’s offerings, or even an alternative to glass water goblets. Although a little disappointed, we figured the food would be the reason for the rave reviews. Unfortunately, it wasn’t really great. We built our own burger, and it didn’t come out right. Our chicken sandwich was dry and rubbery. We stopped in late, well after the lunch rush. We got less attention than we would expect our of an almost empty restaurant. Our server never introduced herself or made any recommendations. We would have been happy to add on specialty drinks or dessert– but we were never offered any extras or house specialties. Over all, the food was average. The service was disappointing. The best I can say is that at least it was a pretty good value.
If we were in town, we probably wouldn’t go back.

I am shocked the service at this establishment! The cocktails and food were just ok, as well the atmosphere. BUT waiting 10 min to have the server come and fill our water and leave for 5 min, then my husband asked about the soup of the day (which she did know at
7 pm and disappeared for another 10 mins, returning with the cocktails we ordered 20 min earlier.

On a rainy Saturday my husband and I were feeling sick of all our usual favorites and didn’t want to travel out of town, but we wanted to treat ourselves to a nice lunch out. The Dining Car proved to be the perfect place for that! Although we didn’t do drinks on our first visit, they have a nice higher end menu of cocktails and spirits that begs to be sampled in the future. This restaurant has nice, not overdone, tasteful décor and low lighting. Very comfortable tall booths lending themselves to a romantic and relaxing meal. Service was very friendly and leisurely pace was a bonus, as this isn’t the sort of place you want to just get in and right back out. I definitely would name The Dining Car among the very top Joplin restaurants to take a date! Such a nice place for that. We checked out the menu and although it wasn’t particularly expansive it was filled with the sort of fare we love, some Southwest dishes, pizzas and «better» sandwiches. So it was hard for us to decide! My husband went with the salmon sandwich which he proclaimed as good as anything he had in Seattle (a huge rave for him). The fries were excellent too. I decided to go with the slightly odd-​sounding special of the day, a blackberry BBQ pork sandwich. I feel it was a mistake, but only because I didn’t see it on their regular menu and I have a feeling I will crave this amazing sandwich from here on out. It had just a light blackberry edge to the BBQ which was perfect, and the meat on the sandwich was a large portion and extremely moist and delicious. It tasted like the apex of someone’s lifelong work of making BBQ pork in a Crock Pot. I mean that in the best way. This was a sandwich that requires a fork. It also had wonderful coleslaw and cheddar on it, making it one of the best lunches I’ve had maybe ever. I still kind of thought of the Gryphon building as a defunct Bagcraft plant where they used to do spookhouses — this changed my mind and I’m excited to visit The Dining Car again as well as some of the other tenants.

We have frequented The Dining Car several times since they opened, and initially we really enjoyed it. Since then the quality seems to be on a decline. In particular the Cushion Rider (ravioli) used to come with a very flavorful sauce which now seems very watered down and bland. Some other dishes such as the spaghetti weren’t impressive either. The chicken and portabella over potatoes with avocado and sauce dish was still very good, as were the homemade (?) chips and salsa.
The service is usually good to average, however tonight we had a bad experience. We came for a late dinner with our 1 year old who was well-​behaved for the most part and the restaurant was not busy. At first, both drinks we asked for were not available, and then instead of taking our order we were asked if we were only there for drinks. Our server was inattentive, but dropped our check off with no warning and removed the chips (over half left) when she took our payment, without asking if we were finished. The receipt was returned with a curt «can you sign this?» and we left quickly after.

Every was GREAT! From Weston Brew Rootbeer (Not your ordinary root beer) to butternut squash enchiladas, to the zephyr chicken!!!

They weren’t overall busy when we visited, but the staff was attentive.
My food was not only tasty but plated in a very appealing setting.
The lighting was low, and the was to sphere was just right for our romantic evening before the theatre.

Ordered the chicken and portobello mushroom fish over mashed potatoes. It was DELICIOUS! Co-​workers ordered the seared tuna, which was overcooked and not very good. The nachos were piled high and pretty good. Service was ok, but kinda slow… the salads arrived before the beers.

The place is under new ownership and management since the first time I came. It was good then, it’s very good now. I had the Caesar Salad, expecting something pretty generic, but was pleasantly surprised. Great Caesar and great service. I don’t live in Joplin, but I’d probably be a regular here if I did.

Nice place to dine with an interesting menu. The atmosphere is great and the food and service were great as well. The menu seemed a little small, or rather many of the items just didn’t particularly appeal to me, but the item I ordered did end up being completely awesome. I would go back solely for this one item. I think it was called Canyon Creek Chicken maybe?
Others have mentioned this being the best of the 3 restaurants that have occupied this space in the past few years… I never tried the first one because I heard so much negative feedback (I don’t think the original restaurant was run by the same people that operate in now). I probably liked Table Mesa overall a little more than Dining Car, but both are great.
The food and experience was nice, so it’s a great option if you want a nice evening but it didn’t strike me as quite as spendy as some of the other nicer places in town. I am looking forward to returning sometime!

WONDERFUL dining experience! I had the peach, sweet tea which is made with fresh peace juice and is not overly sweet (they have 6 flavored to choose from), the Canyon Creek Pass chicken, and topped it off with the tres leches cake. It was a wonderful meal in a quaint, saloon-​like atmosphere. LOVED IT!!!

Came here on a weekend night and it was really quiet. It has a dark, cozy, slightly upscale ambience with plenty of seating. The novelty craft cocktails were great and there was a wide selection. I had pasta and steak (which was much larger than I was anticipating). The steak was good, though I wasn’t crazy about the pasta. Service was attentive and made an effort to entertain my party.

After several attempts at restaurants occupying (and failing) in this lovely spot inside the historic Gryphon building, I’d say that they may have finally settled upon a winner. The Dining Car seems to be more realistic to what the local clientele would want in a menu — classics, favorites, a few out-​of-​the-​box items, but mostly things that are familiar to your average small-​town diner.
Same as before, the restaurant doesn’t vary much from its previous occupants. Same dim lighting, same booths, same bar. They did change the décor a bit by adding several railroad/​train themed pieces. But you don’t walk in and immediately think TRAIN. So it’s not gauche or over-​the-​top.
My husband and I went on a Friday evening, and they were relatively busy. We started with their drink menu. My husband went rather traditional with his Old Fashioned, but I decided to try one of their signature cocktails called Wild Bunch — a mix of blueberry vodka, Chambord, and lemon juice. This was a really delicious drink. A great balance of sweet and tart. I was told it’s one of their most popular offers — and I can see why.
Menu consisted of sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, and pastas — nothing too flashy; perfect and familiar. However, I do tend to pick things that are more extravagant or unique. Decided to try the Butternut Squash Enchiladas as that is definitely something I’ve never seen anywhere else. Stuffed with a tequila-​sautéed spinach and covered in a delicious cream sauce, this had to be one of the best tasting enchiladas I’ve ever had. It was slightly sweet but mostly savory. I had to remove some of the extra shredded cheese they put on top because it was a bit much for me. And I didn’t necessarily get a taste of the tequila in the spinach; however, it knocked my socks off anyway. I would order this over and over and over and be perfectly happy.
My husband got the Mahi Mahi tacos. He enjoyed this as well. The fish was slightly overcooked, but not terribly so. I think I picked the better entrée if you ask me. Both were served with Mexican rice and black beans. Nothing extraordinary about either but they tasted good and went very well with the rest of the meal. A side note: I prefer black beans over refried beans, so they get points for that.
We will most definitely come back to eat here again. We had a great meal, and one that I talk about and recommend to lots of people. I don’t know if I’ll try a different entrée because that enchilada was so dang good. Trust me on this one.

It may be unfair to evaluate a restaurant in comparison to another, as opposed to on its own merits, but this may be helpful to those wondering how The Dining Car compares to Table Mesa, an earlier restaurant at the same location. In fact, several dishes on the current menu are reincarnations from Table Mesa. The new dishes are cheaper and larger, but not as tasty. The food is by no means bad, and the change may make the restaurant more successful. But I ordered the butternut squash enchiladas (a staple of the Table Mesa menu), and they were simply OK. The delicious chile sauces have been replaced by some generic sauce and even the black beans and rice seemed to have been executed as a mere afterthought. It’s fine for dining, but it’s not «fine dining,» which Joplin actually needs.

This restaurant is in the refurbished Gryphon building. There were a couple of other restaurants in this location but this is the best one so far. We had the nachos to begin with and I had the ravioli and my husband had the chicken dish with the Portobello mushroom. We finished with the pecan pie. Oh my goodness. It was all very delicious. Prices are very reasonable too. We will be back!

We went to this restaurant the first time thinking we were going to the place listed on the signs outside. We were quite confused to find it called «The Dining Car». After a brief chat we found out this restaurant was still in it’s first week! I’ve been there twice in it’s two short weeks in business.
We ordered an appetizer and drinks. We were advised by the waitress that eventually they hope to have over 100 beers on tap. The waiter that delivered our apps let us know that the chips and salsa are still old style, as in the Table Mesa recipe. So it was still great homemade chips and salsa. The second time I had the guacamole. Pretty great, not quite as amazing as Chipotle but way better than something like Moe’s (runny).
Also, I had the same meal both times because I really loved it. I can’t remember the exact name but it was a cheese ravioli with Alfredo sauce. The raviolis were pretty large, there were around six or so on the plate. It tasted great. My son had a raspberry iced tea and I must say, it was good. Very fresh tasting. I honestly don’t even like flavored tea. I would and have never order one, but I will admit that I tried it and it was tasty. He also had the chicken tenders which appeared and tasted like they were freshly breaded.
Next time I go I may do this butternut squash enchilada dish that seemed really interesting.
It’s also owned by the former Jim Bob’s people. I say, good for them. Stepping it up to new clientele.

The sign on the door says, «Since 1915,» which seems odd when the restaurant only just opened. Is it a chain? Well, it doesn’t matter, because this is the restaurant the Gryphon building has been crying out for since it was restored.
My wife and I went for lunch. We arrived a little after 11 and were the first patrons. The décor is not much changed from the previous occupants (a mashup of urban chic and 1950’s posh dining) except for some railroad signage and a novelty drink/​martini menu featuring post office photos of various train rovers and gangsters.
But the menu is varied and fresh. Not the same old pasta or Tex Mex (though you can get both if that’s what you really want). My wife chose the mahi mahi tacos and I the tuna steak sandwich. Both were very well prepared. Instead of rice and beans, she had mixed veggies and sweet potato fries (which came with a delicious but very sweet honey-​based dipping sauce). My sandwich came on a bun like a potato roll with a spicy chipotle mayo on the side. I give it an 8/​10, and a better, less squishy bun would raise that to a 9. The French fries, however were perfect, lightly coated, crispy outside and tender inside.
The soft jazz music and general dinner party vibe made for a relaxing hour-​long getaway from work. There was a small but diverse wine menu and a classy drink menu with paragraphs telling the history of the classic drink offerings from mohito and old fashioned to lemon drop and cosmopolitan. When we left shortly after noon, the place was packed. And our tab was under $ 25.
We’ll be back. Go there and keep them in business.