Ocean Terrace Cafe — Restaurant in Washington

Opens at 11AM so don't skip breakfast at home. How convenient is it to have this nice cafeteria restaurant right inside the museum? Very competitive prices to eating out in the streets at D.C. (which is expensive everywhere)...but you get a nice table and a chair and free glasses of water. I got sage roasted turkey breast with fresh cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes and gravy for about $9 (you pay by the pound so keep that in mind on heavy selections). Staff were friendly enough and gave plastic cups to fill up with water at the water fountain. Hot fresh krinkle fries, very large chicken breast sandwiches, hamburgers, large flatbread pizzas ($15). Nice selection of above average desserts (ex. cheesecake, rich dark chocolate cake). Overall appreciate this place and find it a decent city stop. The only downside is no hand sanitizer anywhere at the entrance or inside the cafe and no restrooms nearby....which isn't ideal in a place with lots of runny-nose hand...

I stopped in for a bite to eat during my visit, and while the food wasn't horrible, it definitely left something to be desired.

First of all, the prices were astronomical. And the worst part? The sandwich was way overcooked. I could barely even tell what kind of meat it was supposed to be. It was like trying to eat a hockey puck with a side of fries.

That being said, I will give the Ocean Terrace Cafe some credit - it was a nice place to sit down and take a break from all the walking. The chairs were comfortable, the tables were clean, and the atmosphere was calm and peaceful. So if you're looking for a place to rest your weary bones, this might be the spot for you. Just don't expect to be wowed by the food.

The food was meh, the prices were yikes, but the seating was a-okay. It's not a must-visit by any means, but it might be worth stopping in if you're really hungry and desperate for a place...

After reading the description of food choices online at the museum’s website, we planned our day to include lunch here, but we were disappointed. The line was long and very very slow to check out. There were self service grain bowls that you had to weigh and pay for. There were 3 choices of sandwiches for $13 each, which we got. Mine was mostly bread with a couple of small slices of mozzarella and tomato. We know that it’s hard to find good help these days, but they could have figured out a better way to have people check out. Many families with small children had to wait in line a long time. The food could definitely be better and gosh, a little cheaper. Whoever is running Museum food...