First-class destinations to dine in before you board.

The sophisticated traveller doesn’t eat a Meatball Melt from Subway before a long train journey. Those in-the-know dine like dukes before their journey begins. This ensures that any trip to a buffet car is for nothing more than a gin and tonic. Eating crisps in public is never a good look. For anyone.

And, sustenance aside, there is a glamour attached to dining in a railway restaurant: it brings to mind the golden age of travel, of porters, and first-class compartments, comfortable seats and trains with names. Whether you are seated with a companion or a client, the clink and clatter of the bustling railway restaurant is guaranteed to add a frisson of anticipation, as you glance down at your watch to check the time, safe in the knowledge all you have to do is wave for the bill and then plod along to your platform. And that is to say nothing of the often-inspiring architecture of the places.

To ensure you get the very best meal, though, you need to plan. If you want three courses and a bottle of Montrachet, you need to do a little research and leave yourself a little time. To help you on the way, we have scoured the globe to find the six finest railway restaurants.

St Pancras Station, London

Designed by Mr George Gilbert Scott in 1873, the former Midland Grand Hotel, which closed in 1935, became the St Pancras Renaissance in 2011, after extensive renovations brought this Gothic Revival masterpiece back to life. One of the great British railway hotels, at its heart is the Gilbert Scott restaurant with its beautiful canary-yellow dining room furnished with burgundy leather chairs, starched table cloths, marble columns and up-lit oil paintings. There’s also a chef’s table in the engine room and a private-dining parlour for 18 people. Described as an “English feasting hall”, chef Mr Marcus Wareing has created a menu of classic British dishes using only seasonal ingredients. Try the dill cured salmon with green chilli salsa and 35-day dry-aged Aberdeen Angus sirloin. And, if you’re happy to slip into slumber on your way north, finish with the hot chocolate pot with salted caramel ice cream.

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Centraal Station, Amsterdam

Signposted “Grand-Café Brasserie”, 1eKlas is located by platform 2B, in a former Art Deco waiting room dating back to 1881. Things get going as early as 8.30am as travellers start arriving for breakfast, but staff attired in white with black bowties continue working late into the evening. Whether you are off to Brussels, Berlin or Cologne, starting your journey with some reliable comfort food is no bad thing. For €27-€29.50, you can put together your own two- or three-course meal, which might comprise the Dutch shrimp cocktail with toast, followed by the sliced beef tenderloin with stroganoff sauce. As this is an informal restaurant, booking isn’t essential.

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Gare de Lyon, Paris

With high-speed TGV trains departing this 117-year-old station for cities across France, Switzerland and Italy, Le Train Bleu is the perfect place to dine before a long journey. The palatial restaurant has served more than 500 people a day since it first opened in 1901, when it was frequented by the likes of Mr Jean Cocteau and Ms Coco Chanel. Made an official historic monument in 1972, it competes with the restaurants in many of Paris’ most lauded museums and galleries for the title of “most storied”. Decorated floor to ceiling in gilded stucco, timber panelling and elaborate chandeliers, the walls are rich frescoes by more than 40 famous painters of the early 20th century, such as Messrs François Flameng and Henri Gervex, who depicted destinations along the extensive rail network. Waiters fly back and forth with multiple a la carte gastronomic creations: home-cooked duck foie gras with hibiscus jelly; roast leg of lamb with potatoes au gratin and Fourme d’Ambert cheese. There is also a two-course “Traveller’s Menu” served in 45 minutes for €49.

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Ginza Metro Station, Tokyo

A city of commuters, Tokyo excels in fragrant platform noodle bars and pretty takeaway bento boxes, but if you find yourself staying in the Ginza district, make a reservation to eat at Sukiyabashi Jiro, the metro station’s much-publicised underground sushi bar. Headed up by the master himself, Mr Jiro Ono (there is a documentary about him called Jiro Dreams Of Sushi on Netflix), not only has Mr Barack Obama eaten here but it has three Michelin stars. Begin with a seat at the bar (there are only 10). Here you will be given a hot towel to cleanse your hands and a green tea, while delicate pieces of fish (fresh from Tsukiji market) are prepared at speed in front of you. Presented on perfect pillows of rice, the 20-course “omakase” tasting menu, which changes daily, might include squid (sumi-ika), tuna nigiri (akami, chu-toro and oo-toro), octopus (tako) and clam (akagai). You’ll be out in under 45 minutes. Note that Instagramming the food is frowned upon. Dress smartly and avoid wearing heavy fragrances as it intrudes (that’s right) on the subtle flavours of the food.

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Union Station, Denver

An example of farm-to-table cooking at its freshest, chef Mr Alex Seidel uses produce from his Fruition Farms outpost, where he raises pigs, honey bees and dairy sheep (for Colorado’s first sheep’s milk creamery), and grows all kinds of greens, herbs, fruit and vegetables. Clad in white metro tiles and hardwood floors, the airy, double-height Mercantile’s restaurant (there is also an artisan grocery) is a relaxed place to come for a health-giving bite to eat before getting the train to Salt Lake City in Utah or Santa Fe in New Mexico. Starters include roasted bone marrow with apple and walnut salad, Bangs Island mussels with house-made fennel sausage or heirloom tomato salad with marinated feta, crispy baby eggplant and harissa vinaigrette. For your main, order a plate of hand-made Maine lobster tortellini.

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Grand Central Station, New York City

This landmark intercity railroad terminal, on Manhattan’s 42nd Street and Park Avenue, is one of the busiest stations in the world, transporting more than 200,000 people a day via its network of subway and overland services. Built in 1871, this Beaux Arts edifice is a sight to behold, even if you aren’t travelling to Long Beach, Montauk or Boston. Meet by the familiar opal-faced clock, then make your way down to the Grand Central Oyster Bar for some shucking. Opening in 1913, the 400-seat restaurant, retains its trad look with red chequered tablecloths and a sit-up counter. From Bluepoint and Canada Cup to False Bay and Mystic River, it serves up to 30 varieties of oysters a (about $3 a piece) on a daily basis, although its full list tops 250. The enormous menu also includes the fried oyster po’ boy sandwich, shellfish platters, jumbo shrimp salads, smoked Idaho brook trout fillet, Cajun grilled catfish and a good selection of champagne ($120 for a bottle of Bollinger Special Cuvee). There’s also an after-work happy hour and as anyone who’s experienced the thrilling fizz of a can of G&T on the Friday-night commuter train will know, rail travel tastes infinitely better under the influence.

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Santa Maria Novella Station, Florence

Ciao bello! This 76 sqm deli exudes style in a way only Italians can do. The bottle green and white-striped Italian Verde Alpi marble flooring is reminiscent of Florence’s Duomo cathedral, while viridian walls contrast with rose copper, polished glass, timber boiserie, pendant bulbs by AfroditiKrassa and monochrome prints to great effect. Opened in 2016, this former 1930s first-class waiting room has been reimagined by interior designer Ms Daniella Colli. You’ll find it in the main lobby of the station near platforms 12 and 13. After selecting what you want from the display counter, take a seat at one of the turquoise Miunn bar stools by La Palma. Join the locals in a dark espresso, or consume fresh mignon (bite-sized) gourmet panini (€2) and a glass of prosecco.

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For more restaurant recommendations, visit the MR PORTER Style Council