All Aboard Diner

Excellent train diner. Honestly probably the best in the Chicago area. They do it right. Food is good. Atmosphere is great. Service is excellent. Hats off to the owner for making the place memorable and special.
If the owner is reading. Please keep this place going for many years to come. It is one of a kind.

It was my family’s first time here and we were very happy with the food and service. The kids were distracted by the trains and cartoons and the adults had time to talk and enjoy their food. Nicole was a great waitress and always around if we needed something. My husband’s bacon burger was a bit too greasy, even for him, but the cheese curds are out of this world and my turkey burger was superb as well.

Awesome family friendly, delicious fresh food and drinks? They serve beer and wine also. Husband and wife with son. They are on site all the time and work hard to make this wonderful place a success

I just had lunch here with my kiddos and they LOVED it! The food was great, for kids and adults, and it is brought out to you on a train if you sit at the counter. My 3 year old was in heaven with all the Thomas stuff around and there were some games for them to play, train rides and an electric train the kids can control with buttons! It was a great experience and the staff was VERY friendly!

This is a great place for kids, but even a better place for parents! When you can actually sit down and enjoy a meal without your kids being bored it makes the experience all the better.
If you have kids that love Thomas the train or just trains then enough said. The staff is always very friendly and accomidating. If you go after lunch and before dinner you have the place to yourself (maybe not anymore if you read this review).
The food is actually pretty good, and there is plenty of it, along with reasonable pricing.
Most importantly they are nut-​free! For families with nut allergies this place is a great alternative.
Don’t forget to blow the whistle on the way in!

Kids have much more fun at The Junction restaurant in Forest Park and food is sooooo much better. All Aboard appears to be kid friendly but all they really have are machines which require quarters. There are no trains for the kids to play with. Food was bad greasy and bland. Burgers tasted like frozen patties. The Junction is 20 times better.

My family and I frequent All Aboard Diner. We have never had a bad experience. The restaurant is clean, and the food is always surprisingly fresh and delicious. The staff is consistently courteous, responsive, and kind to our children.
While the restaurant is intended to cater to the kids, the adults often enjoy themselves just as much.

Absolutely hands down a great place for kids and family! Food is good. There cheese curds are homemade. The owners are such wonderful people and so accommodating! Love taking my kids here.

I honestly am not sure you can order anything but a burger here. I tried a few other items and everything has that wonderful taste of a freezer and oil that needs to be changed out. My kid loves it cause of the trains but I’m not sure the food is fully edible.

This place isn’t that big so but luckily it wasn’t that busy so the wait wasn’t long. It has about 6 kid games and rides they can play while u wait. I came for my kids to see the trains which was cool they bring out your food on the train. The food wasn’t good though the only reason I gave it 3 stars was for the trains other then that service was normal and food was over priced for its quality.

Great place for kids to enjoy all the trains and I got to say that for a kids place the food was excellent! Keep it up All Aboard Dinner! We will be back!

Update:
So I went here last Friday night and it was about 7:30pm so business was closing for the night. The old lady (owner’s wife) gave us a booth which was filthy dirty from a prior party. She goes, «let me clean it» — and she smiled. When she cleaned it; she still left food particles all over the table so I had to finish the job myself.
The friendly waitress takes our order and brings back a burger, hotdog, and kids chicken fries. I had the burger and I want to say they switched to food service products because it tasted just like a patty I would get from Sam’s or Costco but at least the fries were okay. I noticed my daughter barely ate any of her chicken fries so I took a bite to coax her to eat it. What a mistake did I make… The chicken fries were sort of luke warm in the middle and I reluctantly swallowed the fry. Awful undercooked food service product. I didn’t say anything to the waitress and we just took our check and left. The next day I spent the morning on the crapper so I had to assume something wasn’t right with the chicken. My stomach felt bad all day long until Sunday.
That’s sucks, because I used to really like this place and I’m disappointed that they switched over to crappy food service products now. Or maybe I just never realized they were food service products all along?

When you get married, have kids, and don’t have a babysitter, dining priorities can change. Sometimes, a night out with simple food and plenty of distractions for the kids is just what the doctor ordered.
That’s where All Aboard Diner excels.
At the counter, a small train passes by, carrying food to customers, stopping at its destination before the waitstaff serves it. My boy loved watching it. Fair warning: if your kid is hungry, expect some whining when the train passes by to serve other customers. Fair warning the second: you’ll probably have a longer wait time if you want to sit at the counter than if you want a booth.
The place does get busy. Luckily, there’s another model train, complete with effects, in front of the restaurant. Two other coin-​operated trains, which kids can ride for 50 cents, are also in the restaurant.
Beer and wine are offered for grown-​ups. I was pleasantly surprised to see Revolution’s Anti Hero on the menu.
We’ll be back with our little one. Thumbs up.

Pretty much the cutest local restaurant for kids. Kids can sit at the counter and have their food delivered to them. The food is good and good selection. Adult food is good options and beer/​wine also available.
We really appreciate that it is family owned and geared towards kids!

This restaurant is train themed and geared toward kids. We took our grandchildren there on a Sunday afternoon and they enjoyed the experience. My 4 yr old grandson did put his hands over his ears a lot during the time there because it is a very noisy place with trains whistling and lots of kids. My 7 year old grand daughter loved the atmosphere and seemed to enjoy the activity overload. We all had burgers which were fine. The kids can have fruit cups which were fresh fruit instead of fries or chips. It was a lovely time before our park excursion.

This is a super cute place. Ideal for groups of 4 or less. Tables are somewhat small. There is a party room, however it’s usually roped off for the frequent parties. Food is good. Nothing amazing but definitely enjoyable. If your kiddo is into trains, you’d probably want to sit at the counter. Your food is brought out to you on a train if your at the main counter. If you sit at a table, there are trains near the ceiling that circle the room. I remember when my daughter was a baby and in a car seat, she enjoyed seeing the trains go by. So, I guess this is a great place for big kids, little kids and even babies to enjoy!
The people are nice. Food is average price. Not too expensive but not cheap. The location is interesting. It’s easy to find, easy to park and there is a Toys r us down the strip. But, if your goal was to park, eat and walk around to shop, there aren’t many other child-​related stores near by.
The place is clean. I know we had to use the bathrooms before– I believe there is a changing table in the women’s restroom. Highchairs available. Fun décor.
Overall, I’d recommend if you have a train lover in the family. :)

Great idea!!!
food was fine, for what it was.
Staff was very friendly!
The train is awesome.
Great family restaurant

Very cool little restaurant! I’ve always meant to come here but finally had the chance as I brought our G-​daughter here today. I later come to find out that the owners are the originals owners of the Royal Shield restaurant in Darien which if you grew up here you’ve definitely been to a time or two! I always heard the owners were going to start another restaurant but never envisioned them opening a kiddie place?! Their menu was pretty basic but had some nice completer items such as salad, appetizers, and fried pickles which I’ll get next time when there is more than one adult present. They had a cool inactive railroad right when you walk in which made it difficult to get back to our seats. There was a railroad going around the perimeter of the restaurant and another little railroad that brings the food out to you if you’re seated around the «bar» area where your server will assist you to take it off and get you whatever else you need. Our server was very nice and helpful! The food wasn’t bad! A little expensive for kid food but you have a lot to experience while you’re there and it’s entertainment your paying for!

We’ve been wanting to check out a train themed restaurant for a while. We happened to be in the area and needing some lunch. I saw this on Unilocal and we went right over.
Holy trains! Everywhere! There’s a Thomas movie playing on a couple screens, a train that runs on a track near the ceiling, a train set near the front door and, the best part, a train that drives up to you at the counter to deliver your food.
My husband and i agreed: the food was actually very good! I kinda expected it to just be mediocre and that the place thrives on the train gimmick. But I had a bacon cheese burger that was pretty amazing. My husband enjoyed his burger. The kids shared a meal and inhaled it. Next time I’ll pass on the special fried pickles, they needed more pickle, it was like eating fried cucumbers.
I will also add that while we were there, the woman sitting next to my husband had a medical emergency. The employees handled it all in a very professional manner. A gentleman working the front counter took the very young boy up front to have ice cream while the paramedics worked on his mother. I was impressed by how well everyone handled themselves. Extra star!

Busy joint! I can see why. My 2-​year old was quite thrilled to be going to the choo-​choo restaurant just like he’d visited with his grandparents. So for his birthday, we took him with little sister in tow.
We had to wait a sizeable amount of time– but to be expected on a Sunday for prime seating at the counter.
The restaurant was clean, very stimulating, the food was good and the prices were reasonable. I was shocked at the great variety of food. They had THREE types of vegetarian burger patties! I ordered one of those and my husband had a chicken burger with mango salsa. We were quite pleased.
The train delivers the food and comes around about every couple minutes for your kid’s enjoyment. There is a lot going on, so if that’s not your kid’s thing, this might not be the place for you. Obviously, weekends and peak hours will have you waiting.
Have plenty of quarters on hand if you have a kid who is aware of that sort of thing, because they have kid machines with cheap toys lining that joint. If it’s a birthday, let them know and your kiddo can choose a cupcake or scoop of ice cream with lots of options.
We’ll be back. Fun experience indeed.