McHenry serves as one of the two “ends of the line” for the Metra Union Pacific Northwest Line, with Harvard being the other. While service in and out of McHenry is unfortunately very limited, the station does have something that makes it very unique compared to typical Metra stations. While some stations have coffee shops, the McHenry train station is also home to the Main Street Station cantina and restaurant.

Parking is managed by the City of McHenry and features free daily parking with a little over 100 spots, many close to the tracks. There is no ticketing agent on duty, and while there used to be an indoor waiting area, that appears to have been discontinued. With only 2-3 trains in or out a day during the week and no weekend service, the restaurant may be a bigger draw than the trains.

Main Street Station

Perhaps the only thing more important at the McHenry Metra station than the train schedule is the daily menu special. That’s right, the McHenry Station also features a full restaurant inside the Metra station.

The Main Street Station is a family-owned and operated restaurant that has been managed by the Covalt family since 1987. Who doesn’t like tacos and margaritas with a side of historic train memorabilia? Like the train service, hours are limited as they are only open for dinner, though at least at the time of writing, that’s as early as 4 pm.

Jill and I actually ate there shortly after we had moved into the area; Prairie Grove at that time. Still getting accustomed to train travel, she had accidentally missed her stop one evening coming back from Chicago. Fortunately, though, I wasn’t traveling or out of town and was able to drive up to get her. So we made a date of it and had a nice dinner out of it!