‘Cargot Brasserie’, at the old Princeton Rail Station (click to expand).

A new upscale restaurant opened today at the former Princeton ‘Dinky’ rail station. ‘Cargot Brasserie’ now occupies one of the buildings that made up the historic station, joining ‘The Dinky Bar and Grill’, which opened in the former passenger waiting room last year. The restaurant offers another alternative to diners looking places to go around Princeton’s walkable downtown. Across the street from McCarter Theater, ‘Cargot Brasserie’ is just a few minutes walk from Palmer Square, and right next to the Princeton University campus.

Today, July 12, marked the first night when Cargot was open to the public. Over the past few days, they have had ‘friends and families’ evenings to get everything ready. The old rail station building, which was mostly used for storage before, is now ready to welcome everybody. Rail service to Princeton moved to a new rail terminus one block south in 2014.

View from outside, withe Princeton University ‘New South’ building at rear. (click to expand)

On entering the restaurant, customers find themselves in the bar/café area, where lighter bites are available, and full drinks menu.

Café and bar area. (click to expand)

To the left, a private dining area is available for reservation by private parties, seating up to 30.

Private dining room (click to expand)

Another view of the café area from the private dining room:

Café area at Cargot Brasserie (click to expand).

At the back, through the café, lies the main dining room. When I visited earlier today, they were holding a staff meeting to get ready for opening, so this is the best shot I could get:

Main dining room. (click to expand)

Back in the café, a full oyster bar is available, if that’s your thing…

Raw bar with oysters. (click to expand)

Out the back, near the new Princeton University ‘Arts and Transit’ complex, you’ll find a very attractive patio dining area…

Patio area. (click to expand)

The menus and hours are all online now at http://www.cargotbrasserie.com. The food is French-inspired. Dinner menu:

Dinner menu (click to expand).

Breakfast and lunch menu:

Breakfast and lunch menus for ‘Cargot Brasserie’ (click to expand).

Between lunch and dinner, the café will serve this menu:

Afternoon café menu. (click to expand)

During dinner hours, the café will serve a restricted menu. My guess is that the café is going to be more of a bar at this time…

Night-time café menu. (click to expand)

Reservations will be accepted for lunch and dinner starting July 19. Overall, this looks like another quality, albeit pretty pricey entry into Princeton’s downtown dining scene. Could be a good option for special occasions and visitors to McCarter Theater.