Girls' Day Out in Lancaster - Casey Jones Restaurant

This is post 2 of 3 from a Girls’ Day Out in Lancaster. In this post, we’re reviewing Casey Jones Restaurant at the Red Caboose Motel.

After breakfast, Lancaster Central Market, Farbo, Troll Market, and Kitchen Kettle Village, we wanted to grab lunch before going to Strasburg Railroad. We didn’t have any firm plans, and as we headed toward the Strasburg Railroad, I pointed out the signs for Casey Jones. Jilly wasn’t familiar with the Red Caboose Motel, but when I explained it to her, she said that since we were spending the day doing touristy things, we should go all in and really do it all. So, Casey Jones it was!

Because it was the day before Easter, the place was busy. So we killed a little time wandering around the gift shop, watching the elevated train go around the ceiling, and reading the funny sayings on some of the clothing available. We’d been told it would be about 30 minutes until we were seated, but it didn’t take quite that long.

We were seated inside one of the old train cars and greeted quickly by our server. We placed our drink order and our meal order at the same time. The drinks arrived promptly. The meals themselves did take a while longer than I expected to arrive.

The atmosphere is very relaxed. Casey Jones has a fun, kitschy diner feel to it. Kind of kitschy, definitely touristy. It’s the kind of place that’s fun to bring the kids to if you’re in Lancaster on vacation. The staff is all dressed as if they just stepped off a steam train. Every so often, you can see the train from the Strasburg Railroad going by.

Onto the meals – we went fairly light since we had a big breakfast and plans for dinner. I was able to order a small Caesar salad with blackened salmon. The server had asked me how I wanted the salmon, and I said medium was fine. I tend not to go medium rare or rare for salmon unless the place specializes in fish. But that wasn’t the question. She wanted to know if I wanted it blackened, with garlic butter, or teriyaki. Okay, so maybe I am a little spoiled by a lot of the places we go to! The salad itself was good. It was what I expected. The fish was cooked right, the salad greens were fresh, and the dressing was tasty.

Jilly had the soup, sandwich, and salad combo. The sandwich was a basic deli sandwich slider with cold cuts, sliced cheese, lettuce, and tomato with mustard packets and mayonnaise packets to add as needed. The soup was a chicken corn soup that was okay, but nothing to highly praise. The salad was a basic garden salad, but she noted that the ranch dressing tasted odd, not odd in a “it has gone bad” sort of way, it just tasted different. It was a basic picnic meal or even a meal that one can make at home. All in all, a diner meal.

If you’re looking for a fun little themed side-trip, this is a good one. Basic meals, good service, and a train that goes by as you eat.