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Visitor Information
- Smithsonian museums & the National Zoo (DC, VA)
- American Indian Museum Heye Center (NYC)
- Note: Tickets are not used for general admission.
- Cooper Hewitt Museum (NYC)
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Dining at the Smithsonian
Smithsonian cafes are generally open in conjunction with museum hours. Restaurant hours may be confirmed at any museum information desk or by calling 202-633-1000 (voice/tape).
Group Options are available for parties of 10 or more. Please call us toll-free at 866-868-7774 or email groupsales@si.edu
Featured Menus
Seasonal Menu from the American Indian Museum Mitsitam Café »Please note: No accommodations are available for eating bag lunches within the museums except in the Kogod Courtyard of the Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture.
Smithsonian Castle, Information Center
1000 Jefferson Dr., SW, Washington, DC 20560Castle Café
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Specialty sandwiches, soups, pastries, organic salads, antipasti, Peet’s coffee, espresso/cappuccino bar, teas, bottled beverages, beer, wine, and novelty ice cream (seasonal).
Outdoor Carts
Open seasonally
Discounts available in Castle Café for Smithsonian Members
Free visitor Wi-Fi
Air and Space Museum
6th Street and Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20560
Food Court (First Floor-East Wing)
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Open until 7 p.m. during the museum's extended hours.
McDonald's, Boston Market, and Donato's Pizza: hamburgers, French fries, chicken, pizza, salad, milk, sodas, shakes and desserts.
McDonald's and McCafé
(Upper Level, Enter from Food Court)
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Open until 7 p.m. during the museum's extended hours.
Specialty coffees, teas and frappés.
*Subject to early closure for non-public museum events.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open until 7 p.m. during the museum's extended hours.
Opens seasonally and weather permitting.
• Kiosk offers McDonald's quarter-pound hamburgers, Chicken McNuggets, French fries, and beverages.
• Carts offer Hot dogs, chips, pretzels, bottled beverages, and ice cream.
Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, VA 20151
McDonald's
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Open until 6 p.m. during the museum's extended hours.
Full-service McDonald's menu featuring burgers, salads, fries, chicken sandwiches, sodas, shakes, and desserts.
African American History and Culture Museum
15th Street and Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20560Sweet Home Café (OPEN SEPT. 24, 2016)
10 a.m.–5 p.m. daily
The café showcases the rich culture and history of the African American people with traditionally authentic offerings as well as modern-day-inspired foods.
American History Museum
14th Street and Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20560Stars and Stripes Café (Lower Level)
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekends and during extended hours
Natural and sustainable foods including natural beef burgers, pizza, hot dogs, BBQ,
Sandwiches, soups, salad bar, fountain and bottled beverages, and desserts.
Jazz Café (1st Floor)
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Open until 7 p.m. when the museum has extended hours.
Sandwiches, salads and soups made with natural and locally grown ingredients. Pastries, ice cream and specialty coffees, bottled sodas and water.
Discounts are available for Smithsonian Members with a valid membership card.
Free visitor Wi-Fi in Cafés
*Subject to early closure for non-public museum events.
American Indian Museum
4th Street and Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20560
Mitsitam Café
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(Limited menu after 3 p.m. off season)
Visit the Mitsitam Café website
"Mitsitam" means "Let's Eat!" in the Native language of the Delaware and Piscataway peoples. The café enhances the museum experience by offering Native-inspired cuisines from five regions of the Western Hemisphere, including the Northern Woodlands, South America, the Northwest Coast, Meso America and the Great Plains.
Tamales, roasted turkey, grilled salmon, homemade seasonal soups, buffalo burgers, Indian fry bread, a seasonal variety of aqua fresca and desserts.
Mitsitam Espresso Bar
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Pastries and casual fare from the cafe’s repertoire, plus Tribal Grounds Coffee—organic, fair-trade coffee grown by indigenous farmers and imported, roasted, and provided to the museum by the Eastern Band of Cherokee.
Discounts are available for Smithsonian Members with a valid membership card.
Free visitor Wi-Fi
Natural History Museum
10th Street and Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20560***3-Star Certification as a Green Restaurant
Atrium Café (Ground Floor)
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily
Open until
5 p.m. when the museum has extended hours.
Natural and sustainable foods including BBQ beef brisket, rotisserie chicken, burgers, pizza, hot dogs, gourmet sandwiches, house-prepared soups, fresh salads, organic fruit, bottled and fountain beverages, and homemade desserts.
Café Natural (Ground Floor)
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Open until 7
p.m. when the museum has
extended hours.
Ice cream, homemade desserts, specialty coffees, gourmet sandwiches, and fresh salads.
Outdoor Carts
11 a.m. to 5 p.m., weather permitting
March 28-Sept 5
Hot dogs, sodas, and
ice cream.
Discounts are available for Smithsonian Members with a valid membership card.
American Art Museum and Portrait Gallery
8th and F Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20001Courtyard Café
11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.* daily
Soups, made-to-order salads and salad bar, sandwiches, bottled beverages, espresso/cappuccino bar, wine, beer, coffee, teas, pastries, and ice cream.
Discounts are available for Smithsonian Members with a valid membership card.
*Subject to early closure for non-public museum events.
Free visitor Wi-Fi
National Zoo
3001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008
Mane Grill (near Tiger/Lion Hill)
10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Fall/Winter
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Spring/Summer
Fast food service including Angus burgers and all-natural, chemical- and hormone-free grilled chicken sandwiches and chicken tenders, kids' meals, to-go items, as well as Smithsonian Bird-Friendly Coffee.
Heirloom Grille
(Outside Mane Grill, Lion & Tiger Hill)
10 a.m.-4 p.m. April-Aug.
11 a.m.-4 p.m. weekends only, Sept.-Oct.
Closed: Nov.-March
Angus burgers, grilled salmon, bratwurst, salads.
Seal Rock Cafe
(American Trail)
11 a.m.-4 p.m. April-Aug.
11 a.m.-3 p.m. Fri. & weekends, Sept.-Oct.
Closed: Nov.-March
Light fare including wraps, sandwiches, salads, whole wheat PB&J, all-natural hot dogs, hand-dipped ice cream.
Panda Overlook Cafe
(overlooking Giant Panda Habitat)
10 a.m.-5 p.m. April-Aug.
11 a.m.-4 p.m. Fri. & weekends, Sept.-Oct.
Closed: Nov.-March
Panini, fatoosh salads, wraps, Smithsonian Bird-Friendly coffee, and freshly-made smoothies.
Panda Grill - Italian Kitchen, Po' Boy Shack and Backyard BBQ (Panda Market Square)
Pizza, pulled pork and po'boys, nachos with beef smoked on-site daily.
Hot Dog Diner
(near Small Mammal House)
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fall/Winter
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Spring/Summer
All-natural and chemical-free beef hot dogs.
Group dining packages are available. Call 202-633-4480, order online, or email grouptours@fonz.org for more information.
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
2 East 91st Street, New York, NY
Café (Ground Floor)
7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturdays, 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Italian restaurant and caterer Tarallucci e Vino operates our new ground-floor café, featuring a contemporary layout and expanded seating inside and outside in the adjoining Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden.
Executive Chef Andrew Welch's seasonal menu offers Tarallucci's popular pastries, legendary espresso, salads, soups, and panini, as well as a large selection of wines by the glass.
The café, along with the garden is accessible without an admissions ticket.
