Museum cafés are more than just a spot for a quick snack or a rest after wandering through galleries. For many, they’re an essential part of the museum experience. As Vaso, a writer for BCE50.com, describes: “You go up to the 8th floor at the Whitney Museum, grab a glass of white wine, immerse yourself in the world of art, and only then explore your favorite floors and works.” Museum cafés are also perfect for business lunches, casual dates, or meeting friends. Here’s our curated list of the top 10 museum cafés in New York City.
1. Cozy Morgan Café at The Morgan Library & Museum
Morgan Café is a light and inviting café nestled inside a glass atrium, creating the feel of an outdoor café indoors. It offers full service with snacks, main courses, pastries, afternoon tea, and a selection of fine wines.
2. Studio Bar & Café Terrace at Whitney Museum of American Art
Located on an open-air balcony, Studio Bar & Café offers views of Manhattan, the High Line, the Hudson River, and the city skyline. Guests can enjoy light bites and drinks including coffee, wine, and beer. Summer also brings refreshing options like lemonade, iced tea, spritz, and matcha lemonade.
3. Trie Café & Garden at The Met Cloisters
Set within a covered gallery garden in the Trie Cloister, this café is surrounded by a fountain garden adorned with 15th-century elements from southwestern France. It serves light dishes such as sandwiches, salads, snacks, desserts, as well as hot and cold beverages including coffee, cappuccino, espresso, soft drinks, and sparkling water.
4. Elegant Westmoreland Café at The Frick Collection
Westmoreland Café features a refined interior with deep green tones, pastel accents, walnut furniture with bronze details, Murano chandeliers, marble floors, and Art Deco luxury touches. Overlooking the 70th Street garden, it offers seasonal American dishes, pastries, and desserts inspired by the Frick family.
5. Michelin-starred The Modern at MoMA
The Modern is a Michelin-starred restaurant inside the Museum of Modern Art, overlooking the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden. It offers two dining experiences: the refined Main Dining Room with seasonal tasting menus and the more casual Bar Room with à la carte options. The contemporary American cuisine emphasizes fresh ingredients and elegant presentation.
6. Gastronomic experience at The Wright Restaurant, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Named after architect Frank Lloyd Wright, The Wright Restaurant blends minimalist design with bright accents reflecting the museum’s modernist aesthetic. The menu features contemporary American cuisine with seasonal ingredients, from signature appetizers and fresh salads to sophisticated entrees and desserts. Carefully selected wines and cocktails complement the artistic dining experience.
7. Hidden gem: Lox Café at the Jewish Museum
Lox Café serves familiar comfort foods like cheese pancakes and borscht, paired with stunning views of New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty, and the Verrazzano Bridge. It’s a perfect spot to relax during a museum visit.
8. Refined Café Sabarsky at Neue Galerie
Café Sabarsky brings the elegance of a Viennese café house to Manhattan. Its early-20th-century-inspired interior features dark wood walls and upholstered banquettes. The menu highlights classic Austrian and Hungarian dishes, including Wiener schnitzel, goulash, and spaetzle, along with desserts like Linzer torte and chocolate-nut mousse. Evening events, Cabaret at Café Sabarsky, celebrate German and Austrian theatre culture from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
9. Historic Fraunces Tavern
Founded in 1762, Fraunces Tavern is a historic New York restaurant and bar. It offers American and European cuisine, including burgers, sandwiches, seafood, and salads. The interior, with wood paneling and antique furniture, preserves the charm of the 18th century.
10. Tarallucci e Vino Café at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Located on the first floor of the historic Andrew Carnegie Mansion, Tarallucci e Vino offers a cozy setting with a seasonal Italian menu emphasizing fresh, high-quality ingredients. The café features a terrace overlooking the Arthur Ross Garden, ideal for enjoying meals outdoors.
