Cornell Café at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens — Restaurant in Delray Beach

I’m involved in Big Brother’s Big Sisters. I took my Little here, who is 10 years old. He was in the hospital a few weeks ago and has dietary restrictions. He ordered the coconut shrimp not understanding it’s fried. Once the food came and he told me couldn’t have it, I went back to order him some vegetables and miso soup. The lady at the front who is the manager (Like the mean nurse in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and said I couldn’t order again unless I waited in line. (1/2 an hour) with my hot food already out. She also said it was my Little’s fault. My Little was looking at coconut shrimp, and didn’t understand that it was fried. I said I’m not trying to return it for money back but we’re already sitting down and there’s hot food on the table and just want him to have something to eat. Those she said are the rules with no exceptions. Two people who work with her, looked at her horrified but she runs this place with an iron fist, and no empathy.

Besides that, one has to remember the menu from the menu sign post which is away from check out and order from memory. There is a menu at the stand but she wouldn’t let you see it. It’s a family business and this lady is just on a power trip.

Our tables were dirty as well and I had to ask someone else for napkins because the paper napkins are guarded by Nurse Diesel at the front. There is literally a rope with a sign that says do not pass, guarding the precious paper napkins, and soy sauce.

They have a monopoly and just a really bad experience for no reason on a nice day. Someone could give her a $100 tip and she still wouldn’t...

Food=5 ⭐️ Service=5⭐️ Prices= 4-5⭐️ Ambiance=5⭐️

Eating at Cornell cafe is one of our favorite things to do at the Morikami Gardens. We arrived about 2pm and there was a LONG line of about 20+ people waiting to order. I worried that we wouldn’t be able to get lunch before they closed. But the line moved very quickly! We were able to order within 10 minutes and find a table. We sat inside, but they had both doors open and a fan on. It was a very windy day and with the fan, it was too much, so we sat in a booth out of the wind blowing through the restaurant. We ordered some pan fried chicken gyoza, a vegetarian bento box, a fried pork entree and a crispy chicken entree. Altogether with a boba tea, and green tea, our bill was $55. Everything comes in To-go containers.

Everyone loved their meal. The bento box is a really good deal! I will definitely get that every time I go. We had a bit of leftovers to take home. I highly recommend getting to the Gardens a little earlier and having lunch here. Don’t worry if you see a big line. It moves quickly. The restaurant adds to the all around experience...

The older reviews are not a fair representation of current offerings. These gardens deserve better dinning. The views are spectacular but the cafe lacks charm with plastic chairs and no attention to detail. You order in a line and then choose a table, several were dirty. Service is minimal and even rude. The amount of food you get for the price is not that great. I think the house salad was literally two pieces of lettuce sliced up. The miso soup was served in a mini bowl, (probably smaller than the size a tennis ball cut in half). The spring roles are very small, half the size of regular ones. The sushi roles were good, but basic. The experience could be much better with just a little more attention to the details, like nicer chairs, how the food is served, and being a little more generous with the quantity. I was a member years ago (just joined again, I am second guessing this choice) and they used to have better service and more and better dishes to choose from. I won't be dinning there again until I hear they make...