Bob’s Train

You don’t find historic places like this where you can have a good meal at an everyday price that is also steeped in circus history which is what makes this city so unique. Bob carries the flame like no one else in Sarasota.

We attempted twice to have breakfast/​brunch here. Saturday of all days they aren’t open until dinner time. Today we went in waited, no one acknowledged us and I walked up to talk to Bob who was doing something on his phone behind the omelette station and said he was problem solving. I asked if we should seat ourselves, we were told yes. We walked to the back and sat unacknowledged for another 10 minutes while Bob ti went another table and got them up for what I assume was their omelette making time. We were not offered menus, drinks, nothing.
After our second attempt to dine here, we are done. Between the Solo cups used to serve beverages and Bob touching his phone while ignoring us and serving food, I am too annoyed and grossed out to bother.
Not sure this place caters to anyone who is under 70 years old or anyone who comes in with kids.
Too many clean and great breakfast places to patron in Sarasota to waste time and money here.

I got to say you wouldn’t know bobs train was even there the parking lot is questionable to me but I got say the food was good. my mom enjoy here meal and I did too and they had a couple people has know him for years. and comes back. and my food was good I loved the chips myself.

It’s neat to eat in the train and walk through the other cars to look at the pictures. The food is mediocre. Ours was anyway. I had the Brittany salad and hubby had balsamic chicken. It’s not easy to find.

Cool old timey train dining car… Fun ambiance, and good burgers. A great experience.

Bob’s train is a wonderful restaurant run by a great man. What a wonderful opportunity to eat in a museum. It’s great… Listen though: if you want great food, what are you thinking going to a train? Did you bump your head? The food is good… no question… but it’s a TRAIN! How big of a kitchen do you expect? How many employees do you expect??? Based on what Bob has to work with here, the food is five star, the customer service is five star, and the experience is out of this world… but if you expect five star food, Go spend fifty bucks on lunch at Jack Dusty… don’t go to a train next to a dark match rocky warehouse near downtown… come on. Think.

A historical dinner venue every visitor must do when coming to Sarasota. The owner is living history at table side.

Cozy sweet old fashioned feel of family and Bob is interesting and fun
Great cook. He makes everything fresh. His Homemade potato chips are very special!
I enjoyed very much the Brie and Berries melt. Our 8 yr old son loved his hot dog with cheese and my husband enjoyed our sons hot dog too and cheeseburger
Wonderful display of circus art and old pictures
A little get away with blue velvet curtains on the windows and nice all around

This place is such a cool experience! Great place to take your lovely significant other to enjoy great food and company by Bob.

This is a fun place to visit with lots of memorabilia around. Bob is friendly and made sure to visit our table and invite us to tour the other cars. Unfortunately while doing this, we found the storage areas, including those around the kitchen, to be messy and dirty.
The food was not that great. The artichokes and blue cheese tasted straight out of the bottle and were very watery. My first hamburger was way overcooked, and although they were nice about replacing it, the second one was totally raw. (I had asked for the standard medium-​rare.) We did like the chips.
There is no music or soundproofing, so you hear everything that the people sitting next to you are saying. But that was kind of fun.
Got to add that the bathrooms were immaculate, but the kitchen area and areas surrounding a dining car have to be clean too to meet my lowest standards, even in an old train. Still, it’s got it’s amusement factor, and kids would enjoy it, so I’m giving it three stars.

What a fun surprise !! Talk about off the beaten path … We were initially skeptical as you drive past broken down boats in a warehouse type area, but this is the real deal. Not only do you get a home cooked meal, but Bob (yes there really is a Bob) gives you the circus history review prior to you touring his remodeled train cars filled with old circus pictures. My five year old nephew loves trains and he said he likes this place «a million times». Check it out!

If you want a great burger get the Moose burger. No, it’s not made of moose. Great service and great concept. I wish Bob the best! Only problem was it was a little difficult to try and find. Completely off the beating path.

Really amazing experience, the inside of the train will blow you away.
I had Brie and Berry melt and it was great!
Kids will love the place.
The outside and surrounding area is odd but inside is priceless.

Great burgers. Kids enjoyed it. The owner will show you around and tell you stories while your food is cooking. Check it out!

My husband and I love Bob’s for Sunday breakfast. We took my parents the last time and Bob was his usual friendly self. He goes above and beyond to make you feel welcome. I highly recommend stopping by for the Sunday omelettes he has so many toppings he can please even the most picky eater.

What a fun place to eat, went with friends for my first visit can’t wait to take by boys this weekend! A true hidden gem in Sarasota, I can’t believe I never knew about Bobs until now.

I love this place so good. Fun to hear Bobs story about the trains

In short– a circus museum housed in a train with food
«Bob’s Train» is an immobile restored Ringling Circus train sitting on an inactive train track off of Fruitville Rd.
Bob, on the other hand, is like an out-​of-​control Acela train careening down the tracks at 150MPH.
You’ll have a hard time keeping up with his walk, speech and quick wit. He is so much a part of the experience that my wife and I, being so enthralled with his story, almost forgot to eat. He is so eager to share his story and show his cars, that he was warned by the waitress that he needed to get back to his omelet station.
THE FOOD:
On Sundays, there is an impromptu omelet station set up at the end of the dining car. We opted for the omelet breakfast and each table is called up to the station where you pick your ingredients and your omelet is completed. Yes, it was very good.
He later talked us into trying his chocolate spaghetti (aka Worms in Dirt). I was full but had to give it a go. The spaghetti was angel hair pasta coated with cinnamon and two types of Ghirardelli chocolate topped with vanilla ice cream, peach tree schnapps and whipped cream. It was great.
There is a complete menu if you don’t want the omelets. Lots of regular lunch items and a litany of Bob’s creations, like the Moose Burger and Beaver Tail. Reading his blog and Facebook page, there seem to be many happy customers.
THE TRAIN:
This is the real story. Bob was gracious enough to give us a tour through the three cars. He staved off the demise of these former Ringling cars from the scrap yard some years back. He, by himself, restored the dinner train to the now dining car; aka Bob’s Train.
The two other trains house hundreds of memorabilia items and pictures of circus life, entertainers and actors and actresses from Sarasota’s heydays. Oh yeah. He built the furniture too including a zigzag table (his mind runs faster than his speech).
THE FUTURE:
Bob shared his vision of raising funds, through his restaurant profits, to someday run a dinner train with trips to Tampa and Port Manatee.
I recommend going when it is not busy as I’m sure Bob will be only too happy to give you the tour… and it will keep him from getting in trouble with his staff.

If you have ANY interest at all in Circus and/​or Sarasota history, you owe yourself a visit to Bob’s Train. This place is the true epitome of eater-​tainment! Bob (yes, there IS a Bob) is a walking/​talking history of all things circus, and Bob’s Train (an old circus train) is a great place to learn a thing (or ten!) about Sarasota’s rich circus lore as well as enjoy a tasty bite to eat.
On Sundays (10:30−2:00), Bob sets up his lavish omelette station (40 toppings to choose from I believe). Catch him when he’s not too busy (as we did), and he’ll be happy to walk you through his current labor of love, the renovation of JOMAR, John & Mable Ringling’s private train car. You can also spend as much time as you’d like, checking out the thousands of photos lining one of the train cars.
Bob’s Train is tucked away in an industrial yard off of Fruitville. For detailed directions, see his blog: