Museums are for art, but a museum cafe recontextualizes art back within its city and moment in history — or, at the least, offers a welcome space for reflecting on it. Sure, you can drink in a Klimt painting at the Neue Galerie sans a cafe visit (although, boo), but wouldn’t your visit be made all the more special when topped off with some glühwein in a place that, to quote the Neue Galerie, “draws its inspiration from the great Viennese cafés that served as important centers of intellectual and artistic life at the turn of the century”?

Art is not born in a cultural vacuum, nor should it stay there. If we’re all being honest with ourselves, the dining component of a museum is often just as effective at creating a memorable experience as the text on an exhibit wall — sometimes more so. The Getty Villa comes to mind, because its whole schtick is being an accessible re-creation of a Roman seaside home. I love drooling over Etruscan vases as much as the next nerd, but what I remember most about visiting the museum with my mother was a meal at the Mediterranean cafe; it gave us opportunity to soak up the sun amongst the Corinthian columns and olive trees, and wonder what it must have felt like to be alive a thousand years ago, also eating some version of hummus with a sea breeze present.

This winter, and beyond, lean into the museum cafe. Sip some wine at the Met Cloisters, and imagine what it was like to be a painter of medieval tarot cards; get your hygge on at the contemporary Glenstone museum cafe, seamlessly outfitted with white maple walls and a picture window that must be framing the snow in showstopping fashion right now.

The following is merely a handful of the Eater staff’s favorite museum cafes and restaurants, from coast to coast, whether you’re looking for impressive architecture or a dessert you’ll never forget (we still talk about you, glenstone Royale Cookie).

Cafe Ohlone (Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley, California)
The food here is indigenous to California, specifically to the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Area. The dining tables are also surrounded by native poppies, mugwort, and hummingbird sage.
FIKA Café (American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis)
Beloved for its take on New Nordic cuisine, it serves traditional smörgåsar (open-face sandwiches), gravlax, Swedish meatballs, and even an aquavit-based bloody mary. Plus, it’s semla bun season.
The Morgan Café (The Morgan Library, New York City)
Architecture buffs will enjoy dining in the luminous, Renzo Piano-designed addition to the historic library, whether for crab Louis salad and smashburgers or afternoon tea service.
Lamy’s Diner (Henry Ford Museum, The Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michigan)
Even if you have zero passion or affinity for Henry Ford or cars, this 1940s-style diner in the museum is a worthwhile visit, famous for its period-accurate interiors and frappés or what it calls “the original Northeastern milkshake.”
Fanny’s (Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Hollywood, California)
Taking its namesake from the character of Fanny Brice, this Hollywood studio-backlot-inspired cafe is led by decorated chef Jun Bum Oh, offering lobster Cobb salads, steak frites, and an inspired movie-themed cocktail program.
Café Silvia (Magazzino Italian Art, Cold Spring, New York)
Day-trippers from NYC will enjoy this farm-to-table Italian cafe, which features ingredients and pantry items from Italia and the Hudson Valley.