The Historic Washington Restaurant That Serves Guests In FDR's Train Car

If you've ever driven north through Seattle's SoDo (South of Downtown) neighborhood towards Lumen Field for a Seahawks game, you've probably passed a cluster of a half dozen or so old train cars painted bright yellow. Seemingly plopped down in the middle of an industrial lot, the large sign rising above the cars is adorned in traditional Chinese characters on one side and "Orient Express" on the other. One particular car has a platform at the end with a placard reading "Presidential Limited." Indeed, this humble railroad car once carried Franklin Delano Roosevelt during his 1944 campaign for a fourth term as president; it's also one of the most intriguing bar/restaurant/karaoke spots in Seattle.

Orient Express is one of those quirky historic joints that garner attention from sites like Atlas Obscura and Roadside America. More recently, it was featured in an art book published by the web-based preservation project Vanishing Seattle. Still, this oddity on Fourth Avenue seems to remain a hidden gem. In other words, people are missing out. 

The classic diner-turned-Chinese restaurant and karaoke bar is a funky walk through the past with a friendly staff, fun cocktails, and a rabbit warren of connected spaces. Sure, Seattle boasts intriguing dishes like iconic French tacos and one of the best Cubano sandwiches (for real), but the old-school Chinese-American and Thai-American dishes at Orient Express hold their own local, nostalgic charm.

By 1949, restaurants shaped like rail cars had been on the scene for a half century. Most were pre-fabricated to emulate classic railroad dining cars (like the ones showcased in "Murder on the Orient Express"), while some were actually fashioned from retired dining cars. In 1949, Seattleite Andy Nagy decided the concept still had juice, and set down a railroad car along Fourth Avenue, an industrial district filled with hungry factory and warehouse workers.

The restaurant, called Andy's Diner, quickly became renowned for its perfectly seared steaks and ice cold martinis, popular with Boeing workers, police officers, and politicians. What started as one car (which moved two blocks south in 1956), soon expanded to several, most secured from Seattle City Light, a utility company which owned its own railway from 1919 to 1954. In the mid-1980s, Nagy's nephew and business partner, Andy Yurkanin, bought FDR's car and added it to the restaurant. The car included original lighting fixtures, pictures of the president and others, and even the call button Roosevelt used for table service.

In late 2007, Andy's closed, reopening as Orient Express shortly after under the new owner Gun Ting. Interiors and exteriors were re-done in vibrant colors, faux diamonds decorated the upholstery buttons on the booth seat backs, and a large fish tank in the foyer welcomed guests. But the connected rail cars, including FDR's car, remained in relatively nice nostalgic condition. 

Walking up to Orient Express can be a bit intimidating as it seems to be in the middle of nowhere. Look across the street, though, and you'll see there's an old-school burger spot, cool distillery, and a cider bar nearby. The exterior evokes a threadbare movie set where mobsters might meet to hammer out territories, or cowboys for a shoot-out. Cross the threshold, and you still might not relax, as the restaurant has a vintage — or dated, depending on your tastes — look and very dark lighting. Still, the staff is welcoming and helpful and the Asian menu offerings are simple but tasty; it won't be long before you feel at home.

The main restaurant consists of two adjacent cars, featuring booth seating, TVs, and a full bar. Wander some hallways behind the bar and you'll find both the restrooms and private karaoke rooms. But you're really here to see Roosevelt's train car. It's been used in the past as restaurant seating or for special parties, but according to the staff, not for a long time. Instead, ask nicely when things are quiet, and they might unlock the door and let you look around. You'll see tables and chairs set up like a long banquet table, historic pictures on the walls, an intriguing stained-glass skylight, and a few of the other original lighting fixtures — a truly lovely blast from the past.