Garden Cafeteria — Restaurant in Boston

We visited on a Thursday in mid-June 2025 for lunch.

It was hard to find in the basement. It was pretty packed around 1ish when we arrived. It was 90+F outside. It's a bit over priced but it's museum food, so it's expected but it was more affordable than trying to feed an army of children upstairs at the fancy restaurant. The chairs also did not slide well on the floors.

We ordered: Chicken bowls (pretty good, we went back and ordered 2nd) Cheese burger (meh, standard but reasonable price) Chicken tenders (hot but good and kids ate it all, also reasonable price) Fruit cup $5 not bad. Wanted fruit after all fried foods

Overall we'd probably pick this again if we were spending the entire day at the museum. There is a snacky store by the main gift shop at the back of the museum but it's really...

There's a good variety of food at reasonable prices. If you're on a budget, or trying to feed a small herd if children, you can't go wrong. It does get hectic early on with families coming in, but it's never too hard to find a seat. Matbe worse on Open House days, but still manageable. Things you'll find: pizza, cheese/burgers, hot hogs, chicken fingers, fries, onion rings, chips, 2 choices of soup, a salad bar, a by-the-pound hot food choice (varies), frozen novelty deserts, soda, juice, coffee, beer,...

The Garden Cafe is the most reasonably priced food option at the MFA and, all things considered, the best one. There is a wide variety of hot and cold foods. But the best bet is the fresh and varied salad bar. The indoor space is bright and pleasant with a wall of windows looking out onto a large garden that offers beautiful outdoor seating under the trees three...