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Cafe 43

4.5 (91 reviews)
Closed • Closed
Updated 3 weeks ago

Cafe 43 Photos

CAFE 43 ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Classy
Outdoor seating
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Cafe 43

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Tiffany J.

What a beautiful café! I did not expect for Café 43 to be a full service restaurant. I was thinking it would be more of a grab and go, counter service type of establishment. We had lunch at the café after visiting the Bush Presidential Library. The staff kept telling us how good the food was while we were there. I honestly thought they were blowing smoke, but I have to admit, I really enjoyed my meal. I ordered the Avocado Toast. It came with salad. It was very light and refreshing. There was a good amount of avocado on the toast, but it didn't over power the dish. I ordered the eggs scrambled and they were very good and firm. I liked that they were placed on a bed of spinach. I'm not usually a fan of fruit in a green salad, but I enjoyed this one. My friend had the Omelet and enjoyed it. It looked really good, but I did not try any. Our server was Manny. He was very nice and personable. He made good recommendations and answered our questions. The dining room is very large and there are a ton of windows which allows in natural light. I recall seeing a small patio, but no one was sitting out there. The space would be great for a gathering like a bridal or baby shower. There was a painting by President Bush near the entrance which I found to be a nice touch. I'm happy we were able to eat lunch at the café. We had a busy day so it saved time being able to eat here after visiting the library.

Exterior of the George Bush Library which houses Cafe 43
Alex C.

I've been to all the presidential libraries and unfortunately not all of them have restaurants; President George Bush's Cafe 43 is a pleasing sit down establishment, replete with cloth napkins in a handsome, classy venue. You follow a long hallway/corridor to get to the beautifully adorned tables and chairs. Almost immediately, we were brought a tantalizing arrangement of different breads. Some crunchy, some soft, all great tastes. We ordered the Hummus plate appetizer to share and thoroughly enjoyed it. For my main course, I ordered the shrimp po boy sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries. Very good dish. Don't forget to grab some of Laura Bush's "Cowboy cookies". Staff even provided us with the recipe; naturally we had to buy some for the road too! Overall great experience and friendly staff!

the entrance to the building
Justin T.

Visiting Cafe 43 was not on my Dallas to do list, but after working up an appetite from checking out the presidential library, this place was just too convenient to pass up. I was expecting a small cafe with a few grab and go options, but this was a beautiful, full blown restaurant. You do not have to visit the library to eat here, but there is a fee to park in the lot across the street. We were seated right away and customer service was great, although a tad bit slow. We were not looking for a heavy meal as we had more plans for the day in Dallas. The brunch menu mostly leaned on the healthier, lighter side which is exactly what we were looking for. They have starters, salads, sandwiches, entrees and desserts. They do have Mr. & Mrs. Bush's favorite items scattered throughout the menu as well which I thought was a nice touch. They started us off with a little bread basket. It was nice to munch on while waiting for our food. There was a lot of good options, but for some reason the omelet stood out to me. I usually require some sort of protein with my breakfast or brunch, but this dish did not come with one. The omelet came with mushrooms, spinach, gouda, a mix of fruit and a salad. The omelet was really good and I did not miss meat at all. The salad that came with it was nicely dressed and complimented the omelet perfectly. The fruit was fresh and a refreshing bite after the savory items. This meal filled me up and left me completely satisfied. From walking through the library and even seeing cookbooks in the gift shop, Mrs. Bush's award winning cowboy cookies kept being mentioned so I had to get them. We did not want them right then so they do have the option of getting some fresh cookies to go nicely packaged. The cookies were indeed good. I'm glad we checked out this cute little café located inside the presidential library. Sometimes you gotta take a chance on these little hidden gems.

Ceasar Caesar Salad
Liz M.

Everything we ordered was delicious! The waiter was wonderful and kind to our 6year old. The place is modern and an overall nice setup. The view is nice and the dining area is beautiful. Our total was around $100 for four lunches, 3 starters and one drink. Not bad at all.

Avocado appetizer
Kristi B.

Was a delightful lunch at President Bush Library's Cafe. 43 is upscale and elegant setting with lots of light and windows. My appetizer was the fried Avocado. Delish! I enjoyed my Bacon Burger. Was cooked perfectly at medium and very flavorful. The sweet potato fries were cooked perfectly and the aïoli to dip in was yummy. Hubby had salmon salad with Dill dressing. Was good but salmon a bit over cooked. We finished off with Mrs Bush's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (2) and vanilla bean ice cream. So glad we ate here before our tour!

Chicken Salad

Wonderful experience. Family really enjoyed it. I had the pecan crusted chicken with green beans and herb mashed potatoes. It was fresh and tasty. Would have it again. Service was excellent, I felt a bit under dressed. I would return just to enjoy this restaurant without going to the library, ambience is upscale and refined

Grilled Chicken Sandwich with sweet potato fries
Amanda E.

Came back to try something else and DAMN! This place is great! The host is so nice and welcoming! But why did this sandwich taste so good?! I've never had soft ciabatta bread before and this bread was so soft and was so good with the avocado inside. The grilled chicken was like a herb chicken and was cooked to perfection. The sweet potato fries were so crisp and delicious with the aioli sauce it came with. It was such a great experience. Everyone was so nice and attentive that waited on us. Even the manager kept walking around, checking on all the tables making sure everyone was okay. Everyone seemed so happy to be there. Love it!

Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Ashlei C.

Cute little spot on SMU campus. I liked that there weren't too many options on the menu. I don't know if that's because I went around 11 am or if it's always like that but they had some great options. I enjoyed my meal and Bernard our waiter was a gem.. very kind!

Nicole S.

I had lunch for 1 and enjoyed my entire experience! I started with a Texas mimosa. I don't know why - but I was expecting something bigger, but it was served in the classic mimosa flute. When I think Texas, I apparently think big! Then I had the hummus. Yum!!! Super super fresh and homemade! It was served with a bit of pesto on top (I believe) it was salty and my favorite part. It came with pita and roasted veggies. I had Mrs. Bush's favorite sandwich. Mashed avocado, fresh mozzarella, tomato and mayo. I could definitely be best friends with Mrs bush because this was SO SO SO GOOD!!!! This was a great start to my museum adventure! Friendly staff, clean decor, and amazing yet simple food!

Chicken sandwich with fresh fruit

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When you in the Dallas business district try Cafe 43. We had great salads, wraps, and let Line Pie. Good stuff!

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Ask the Community - Cafe 43

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Cafe 43 - cafes - Updated November 2026

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