We visited the Gardner museum for a free First Thursday event. We had missed dinner and found that the museum cafe was open so we stopped in. We loved the decor and the employees were pleasant and friendly. My friend enjoyed the salmon Caesar salad and I enjoyed my potato leek and cheese quiche. We shared vanilla olive oil cake for dessert. We were pleased with the variety of menu selections. Great food option if you're visiting the museum or in the area. Service was fast as the menu itens don't require a lot of prep time.

The service was excellent. The host was super welcoming and friendly. The vibe was friendly. The food was yummy . Everything also tasted so fresh . The price is high because it's a cafe in a museum, no sales here . The ambiance is worth the price . Treat yourself why not . The parking is metered or the parking garage near Simmons.

Wonderful service, we sat outside in the beautiful shady yard, I had salmon Caesar salad which was just a bit bland, and my friend ate the spicy tofu plate with hummus and quinoa salad which looked fantastic, and she loved it. We drank peaflower iced tea which is blue and turns purple when you put lemon in it, a first for us. For dessert, olive oil cake and chocolate pudding with granola and blueberries and coffee. Lovely sitting outside on a perfect summer day. The museum is also gorgeous with medieval collections and a fabulous garden.

Was pleasantly surprised by the quality and quantity of the food and drinks given this is a museum cafe! We had the salmon caesar salad and pesto shells with burrata, and both were light enough to eat on a hot day and portions were generous. We also tried the sangria and the sparkling cava - the sangria was a bit too sweet for my liking, but I found the cava to be nice and refreshing. I thought prices were reasonable at roughly $30 pp for an entree and a drink at a museum. Service was a bit spotty but friendly, and we sat outside, which was nice.

One of the best museum cafés! There are not many food options near the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum. Given the good reviews, we decided to try Café G or The Gardner Café. The café is in the entrance building off to the side. Three of the walls are floor to ceiling glass with semi transparent shades available. The café is full of basic tables with red chairs - the tables/chairs are well spaced and the feeling is light and airy. The hostess and wait staff are great and friendly! There was a large group of more than 30 that entered just before us but the café is quite large and there was plenty of seating and this did not impact our service. The paper menu is also your placemat and lists 8 entrees priced from $20-$24 with 3 desserts and then beverages including wine and beer. The sandwiches did seem overpriced for $21 but the other entrees seemed more reasonable. We opted for the shrimp piccata and pasta shells with grilled broccolini, crispy semolina polenta with cream mushrooms and ricotta and curry chicken and root vegetable stew. The shrimp pasta is an excellent choice with over 6 large shrimp and al dente pasta. The crispy polenta is a wonderful surprise in a lovely cream mushroom ricotta sauce. We were a little concerned that the chicken stew would be heavily curry flavored but the waitress assured it was mild and it is but it is a pretty basic dish. We opted for dessert and ordered the valrhona chocolate budino and oatmeal raisin cookies. The budino is chocolate heaven well balanced with blueberries and broken crunchy graham crackers - we licked the spoon and came pretty close to doing the same with the terra cotta dish. The 2 oatmeal raisin cookies were homemade and good but not sure we'd order again for $5. It was a terrific and enjoyable lunch.

Came here for a work lunch and was pleasantly surprised. Stay was very kind and courteous. We had a party of 5, the food arrived quickly. I can say the quiche was delicious. The menu isn't large but all of the options sounded wonderful it was hard to decide. All of my coworkers got something different and were all very pleased with their choices. I will definitely be coming back here!

My wife and I popped in the Cafe G near closing time after wrapping up our visit to the Gardner Museum. The dining room was all windows with wooden chairs and tabletops. Despite all the hard surfaces, the noise level was OK, and we had no difficulties conversing. Our server was delightful and helped us with the menu. My wife and I wanted a drink and something to munch on. We ended up with two glasses of a tasty Côte de Rhone, a passionfruit cheesecake, and a dark chocolate pudding with crumbled Graham crackers. The passionfruit cheesecake was the clear winner. It was full of flavor and yummy. The pudding was also good. You can't go wrong pairing chocolate with red wine. Prices were a little steep but so is everything else these days. Hopefully some of this goes towards the museum.

Museum cafes can be hit or miss but this one was great for a birthday lunch. Went on the early side on a weekday and got a table right away. There are indoor and outdoor options. We both ordered the chilled salmon. It said it came with tabbouleh but it was more similar to a Greek salad. Everything was delicious and service was attentive and quick. Portion size was hearty and worth the price.