The Guggenheim Museum Caf�

Part of the Museum Food Series

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.  1071 5th Avenue (at 89th Street), New York, NY 10128-0173.  212- 423-3618.

From visiting the Guggenheim Museum Web site, you might not believe they have dining facilities.  It is only mentioned very briefly in two places, a frequently asked questions section and the days and hours section.  Neither description offers any usable information about what kind of food is served.  Could this mean that they aren't proud of their Caf� or does it mean that they would rather you didn't eat there.  Even in the museum the Caf� is hard to find.  We had to ask museum guards for directions.

The Guggenheim Museum is a spectacular building.  As an art museum, the interior space is mostly wasted on empty space.  The structure might be better suited for a skateboard amusement park where skateboarders could skate down the spiraling ramps.  Still the middle of the museum would be wasted.  Recognized as an architectural masterpiece that also attempts to exhibit art, it works.

The Museum Caf� looks like an afterthought.  It is tucked in around a corner in a room whose decor looks like it hasn't changed since the museum opened.  The food is standard museum cafeteria fare leaning toward outsourced food service quality.  Why is it called a Caf� when it is really just a cafeteria.  It's better than a fast food burger franchise, but not as good as many museums of lesser stature.  Quality restaurants are some distance away, so if you are in the museum at lunch time, plan on eating in the Museum Caf�.  The prices are reasonable for what you get.  If you aren't too tired to walk a couple of blocks, skip the Guggenheim and go to the Metropolitan Museum for lunch. 

There are lots of tables and they are rarely all filled.  This is good news for people like me, who use their time in the Caf� to read or write.  There isn't much competition for tables, so it is possible to leisurely rest your feet over a cup of tea while reading travel guides to figure out where to go next.