I went with my mother to this café. It was very small, with cute décor and and an outdoor patio. Overall, I enjoyed the experience very much as it was cozy and personal sitting at our tiny table, but the food, well, read on. Please excuse the use of caps, but I am copying and pasting from their menu to be more accurate. Even though the prices are large, the plates I saw others eating from were tiny and I was hungry so I asked what out of the choices would be the more filling options. I was told the HOUSEMADE COUNTRY PORK PATE (pistachios, grain mustard and watercress), ORECHIETTE PASTA (Cape Cod clams, butter and parsley) or COD CAKE (toasted couscous and country olive salad). I opted for the pate. My mother opted for the GOLDEN RAISIN AND PISTACHIO CHICKEN SALAD (crème fraiche and steamed asparagus 15.00) They served us one roll each beforehand with a little cute tub of butter. It was good, but you only get ONE ROLL. They gave me the cod cake by accident and I sent it back - it looked unappetizing anyway. After I got my entrée, I wished I had not. The Entrees: The pate came and it was these two large slices of a hard formed pork bits similar to what head cheese looks like. I did not know that pate came in a hard version and I really wish I did not know. I cannot describe the taste because I think I am blocking it. It came with an insufficient number of crisps and I ended up eating the pate with just a bunch of mustard on it. Not worth the $13. My mother's dish which I tried was much better (the chicken salad), but the sauce surrounding the chicken had a strong raisin taste which was rather weird, but not unpleasant. My mother "saved" her roll for the salad to make herself a sandwich. Dessert: If I was to go here again, I would eat something - anything - else for lunch and just come here for the dessert. We got the chocolate mousse torte for $7. It was HEAVEN. And it was the only reasonably priced, generously portioned item that we received. It had layers of chocolate ganache, chocolate mousse, and chocolate cake. After we finished, I was seriously tempted to order a second one. It made up for the seriously disappointing lunch. The total came to over $60 including tax and tip - two small lunches that tasted strange, two cans of soda for $3.25 each, one slice of cake and one decaf coffee($3.50). Three stars for the atmosphere and the fact that this would be a great place to have an intimate conversation over coffee and dessert. 2 stars off because I would never, ever eat lunch here again. NEVER. read more

How often do you get to dine in a Renzo Piano designed building? The light, airy atmosphere makes this a relaxing spot for a Sunday afternoon snack. You don't have to pay for museum admission to eat here and you can wait in the "living room" if a table isn't immediately available. The servers are happy and friendly. The restaurant uses quality ingredients and the menu changes seasonally. You'll have to call and leave a message if you want reservations and no luck with same day over the phone reservations. read more

Wow. This food is so creative and delicious. They also offer very affordable wines by the bottle. Can't wait to return.

not as quaint as the former restaurant at the Gardner. Big, open, airy, and very noisy when the room is full. Menu is respectable, service is excellent, the museum and shop are wonderful. But it is noisy. Food is good but not great. Quiche was smallish, a bit dry, and the accompanying green salad with nuts and berries was the best part. Expresso was nice. read more

It was a delight to sit down at the cafe and enjoy a fresh and delicious lunch after wondering at length through the thoroughly enchanting Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. I enjoyed a toasted sandwich with a fresh green salad, which went perfectly with the friendly service and the bright, airy atmosphere of this most enjoyable cafe. read more

My mother and I were very pleasantly surprised at the quality of food here. The setting is lovely in this restaurant within the Gardner Museum which is surrounded on three sides by floor to ceiling windows. Our compliments to the Chef on an imaginative menu! I had the pan-roasted hake with cauliflower "couscous and snails which was presented beautifully. My mother had the quiche with salad (Sorry I can't describe her dish better but she said it was very good!). The wait staff was attentive and very helpful. I also noticed that they all seemed quite content in their work, which always makes me happy. This meal completed our most enjoyable tour of the fabulous Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum which should be on everybody's "to do" list when in Boston. read more

Better taste, textures and quality than anything around. Exceptional surroundings. My in-laws loved it.

after a trip around the museum, the troops and myself headed to the cafe for a lunch and some shared dessert. my sister had heard excellent reviews so we were all psyched up to satisfy our sweet tooths. We arrived a bit later than expected but they seated the 4 of us quickly. I'll agree with the other reviews saying that the interior didn't quite match the rest of the museum, but it looks like they did the best the could for the small space that they had (instead of craming in as many tables as possible) unlike other cafes around boston *cough cough* trident cafe *cough cough* our drinks came quickly and our food came amazingly fast as well, considering the place was full. There were two campanelle and clam dishes ordered, a goat cheese melon and panchetta salad and a sweet onion and gruyere quiche. the last was my dish. i'm a quiche fan and i've had more than my share throughout the years. this was the best. hands down. despite being rest stop fruitpie sized, it was filling and went perfectly with the lightly dressed salad that came with it. the shell was flaky and light, the filling tasted fluffy and fresh, the gruyere was perfectly melted and a bit golden on the top. i passed small mouthfuls around to the rest of my company and "excellent" "amazing and "heavenly" were the reviews. the pasta and clams had "good" reviews, the broth was a bit tasteless apparently and my sister loved her salad. unfortunately by the time we got around to dessert time theymuseum was closing and they ushered us out immediately after paying the bill. overall, delicious lunch menu. the sweet onion and gruyere quiche is HIGHLY recommended by the self titled quiche snob. and i'll have to go back for the dessert. i heard there were edible flowers. read more

Extremely small portions at an extremely high price. Ordered the winter pickles which for $5.50 turned out to be two very very small buds of cauliflower, two cocktail onions and 3 small rings of carrots. I then had the grilled cheese sandwich, although it was called something else. Really, you can't call it grilled cheese and then charge $12.00. The very special cheese, of which it was purported to have been composed, tasted like Kraft white american, and only one slice at that. Enjoy the museum, but then go someplace else for lunch. read more

The food was decent, but the portions are miniscule for the price charged, as is the case with nearly every museum restaurant I've ever visited. My daugher and I are fine with a smaller amount of food, but my husband left hungry. And really - $8 for four munchkin type donuts with a little sauce? Wine portion was very skimpy as well. Disappointing- enjoy the art, but eat somewhere else. read more

I went to lunch here today and I had the seared Yellowfin tuna which was so good. It came with various vegetables and olives and a subtle sesame dressing that hit the spot and didn't overwhelm the dish. There was a hardboiled egg on the side which went pretty well with it- which was kind of a surprise to me. The tables are small and it is kind of fancy-like but a great place to have a special lunch. We sat outside with the garden surrounding us and it was lovely. The service was fantastic- we had someone inquire about ingredients due to an allergy and the waitress knew her stuff which made it easy for us. Though the lunch is a bit pricey- $16 for the tuna- it was worth it. We had room for dessert which also knocked my socks off- I had the chocolate mouse torte...so perfectly chocolaty, moist, and smooth- it had a tasty raspberry sauce on one side and a cream sauce on the other that went just right. It was a fantastic lunch all in all- I'd definitely go back. read more

We enjoyed an outstanding Easter brunch at Cafe G. Some of our party arrived late and were welcomed warmly by the patient wait staff. Everything we ordered was delicious, delicious, delicious. Trout, salads, flatbread pizza, - there was something for everyone and each person in our party of eleven gave Cafe G 5 stars. Thank you to our delightful server, the accommodating reservation folks and of course, the chef. read more

My second visit to Cafe "G"..one would hope for some improvement..none was apparent. The Staff , principaly the restaurant manager remains inept and rude. The space lacks appeal. Harsh cold surfaces produce more noise then most people can tolerate. On a bright day the light is uncomfortably glaring. The food matches the design and service. Over priced, $5.5 for 1&1/2 deviled eggs, so over cooked they turned into rubber. Fried oysters (4) small, dry, and burned, served on a piece of cold slate which sucked out any remining heat. What chef in his right mind would serve hot food on a piece of cold slate? Design over reason !The Cape Cod Oyster stew: avoid at all costs. What was billed as oyster stew turned out to be a few minutely small clams served with two stale pieces of toast and less than two onces of broth. Hans Christian Anderson could tell of an ugly duckling turning into a Swan ..but there ain't no way a vongole can turn into an oyster. I grew up on the shore and have been eating clams and oyster all my life The manager insisted they were oysters. Was it lack of knowledge or sheer arrogance? The rest of the food was just as unpleasent: preposterously small portions,served cold by an untrained inexperienced wait staff. I see little hope of this ever being a worthy dining experience short of replacing the chef and management, installing some sound proofing and reducing the glare with some light filitering shades. Give it some time; maybe by the turn of the next century they'll manage to get it right. As of now: AVOID the restaunat and enjoy one of Bostons great treasures, The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. read more

Why is there not an option to give just a half of a star? or even NO stars? More importantly, Is it possible to review without actually GOING there? Well, I'm going to...I had an assistant call there to make a reservation for the Chair of our department. The first call he made late morning, the gentleman who answered the phone was not overly polite but bearable. He conveyed that they only take a few reservations, and those were all taken but a few tables are often set aside for others arriving looking to be seated...ok, that's fine. I had him follow up at 1pm again prior to the Chair arriving to see if a reservation could be made or table for 3 held, the woman who answered was SO rude, and SO off putting. She said they do not take reservations, asked who he spoke to - he answered and then hung up in his face. Honestly that RUDE woman made it so you wouldn't ever even WANT to go to that cafe for fear all workers are nasty. We work very nearby and have considered this cafe as an option for possible dinners, lunches etc for tenured faculty and visitors. Based on her attitude and treatment over the phone we are now questioning the potential treatment... read more

Tucked tightly between the museum's classic architecture and the museum courtyard this quite little cafe is a great place to dine when youre in the longwood area or if your doing a museum marathon day. There are more wines than there are dishes, but the dishes are so delishious you will want to come back again and again. Prices are high, portions are small. Dishes are butter filled and finger looking good--though the atmosphere is way too shishifoofoo for licking fingers. Great food, great service, worth the price! read more

great place to end a visit to the museum - good menu - pork pate didn't wow us, they served bread and butter with our small order which was great-nice workers read more

I spent a sub-par, expensive, but lovely none-the-less kind of an afternoon at Cafe G. : Service: While our waiter was charming, he seemed to have trouble explaining the specials, and verbalizing in general, but still honest and helpful! Beverage: The offerings for 'special' non-alcoholic drinks of the day all looked great! Quite hard deciding between the peach and ginger sweet tea, Moroccan mint ice tea, and cucumber fizz. Finally decided on the peach and ginger sweet tea. It came in a lovely shade of blush and was perfectly balanced. ($4) Starters: My two dining companions and I were made aware by our forthright waiter that some of the 'small dishes' (all $5.50) were down right miniscule i.e. the chicken liver (which comes with one liver for $5.50!!! While in the supermarkets, not even wholesalers, its $1 a bucket of livers!! *rant over*) So we opted for the pork rillette, sweet potato fries with curry aioli, and fried courgette (basically zucchini) flowers. Again, the balance of flavors were right on but lacked that little something in execution. The fried courgette flowers only came with two, first of all, but the texture was a bit gummy/chewy if that makes sense. (Maybe they were pre-fried?) The fries again didn't arrive crispy, but the curry aioli tasted great. The rillette was OK. The top sprinkled with pistachio, then a layer of thinly sliced pickled shallots topped the pork fat, then the pate mixture. The crusty bread came warm and tasty with room temp butter. We should've just stuck with that and asked for refills! Entrees: I had the veal schnitzel ($19, The G. offers a special monthly (?) menu that is inspired by different galleries in the Gardner, this month being of Austrian or German inspiration), and my companion had the cold potato soup ($12, also from the inspired special menu), and my other dining companion had the special of the day, short rib grilled cheese on wheat bread. Again, all were OK, but one or two execution elements just left the experience a little deflated. Dessert/Coffee: We were quite stuffed at the end of the meal, but still wanted something sweet. We all shared the peach shortcake. Again, it was OK. The top of the biscuit had a caramelized sanding sugar effect which lent its flavors well to the peaches and cream. Too bad the bottom half went soggy. Finally something done right, compliments on the cappuccino! One of the smoothest I've had in a while. I could've had two! (mostly because they were on the small side) Ambiance: Others have mentioned the sterility of the cafe, especially in comparison to the museum, which I understand. But to me, the juxtaposition highlights the specialness of each space. I appreciate the modernity of the new wing and think it would've been silly to try to replicate anything as grand as the Gardner. Take away/Next time: So the take aways from the meal is that small plates are REALLY small, and that the chef needs work on execution. Otherwise, if those two improved, I'd come back for the food. As standing, I would go again, but probably only to try their raved-about bread pudding along with a capp. and if only I'm in the area/visiting the museum. read more

Loved the food and atmosphere - such a simply classy place. Light and airy, slightly noisy but in a bustling way. Excellent menu - I wanted to order everything! And great service. Definitely will be going back at my next visit to the museum! read more

Tried this after reading reviews. Really delicious Scrod and quiche were both great. Service spot on.

Loved Cafe G! The food and service were great and the new space is beautiful. The room was full but the sound level was very pleasant and one did not feel crowded. On my first visit I had the deviled eggs and grilled cheese, both were delicious, especially enjoyed the unique cheese used, delicate and flavorful at the same time. On my second visit I shared plates of fried oysters, shrimp gnocchi and cauliflower soup. The fried polenta was amazing...the best I've ever had! Looking forward to trying the rest of the menu. read more

I visited Cafe G for lunch with 2 friends on a Friday at noon. The restaurant was busy, but well run. Our server promptly arrived at our table to greet us. After explaining the day's specials, she took our drink order then quickly returned with a basket of thinly sliced peasant bread with a delicious crust and a small crock of salted butter. I was impressed by the extensive wine-by-the-glass offerings. After sharing some small plates with my companions, (the artichoke and red pepper salad was especially yummy) I had the polenta with a mushroom ragu and ricotta. The polenta had a crispy crust but was soft and warm on the inside. The mushrooms and ricotta were pitch perfect. I am still thinking about the meal a week later! The dessert offerings were enticing, but we were fully sated by the small plates and entrees. read more

I've eaten at Cafe G three times now and have loved each bite! The small plates are delicious with a nice variety of flavors and options. The main dishes do not disappoint with excellent standards similar to what you would find in the old Gardner cafe, along with new and enticing options. The portion sizes are perfect for the addition of dessert, which is a must - so yummy!! Add to the taste, the exquisite presentation and friendly staff and this makes a wonderful new addition to the Gardner Museum. read more

Three generations of women gathered at Cafe G for lunch on a dreary January afternoon. In spite of the dreary weather the cafe felt happy and light with it's glass walls, decor and bursts of red it in the chairs, the light fixtures and the rugs. We ordered several "small plates", to start . Each one was as delicious as the next. We ordered the pork rillettes, the chickpea fries with curry aioli, and old bay deviled farm egg with celery root slaw, each one as delicious as the next. The staff could not have been more attentive. Peter, the manager, came to our table and made certain that we were happy with our small plates and wine. Our main courses were not only beautifully presented but also delicious. Dessert and coffee drinks; some of the best we have had. We never felt rushed, in spite of a waiting list and the pace of the service between courses was perfect. I would highly recommend Cafe G, the food is incredible, the decor is wonderful and the staff is warm and welcoming. read more

We had been searching for a special place to eat during our stay in Boston and happened on this little gem by accident. We were hungry and were not expecting anything extraordinary, what we got was a very special treat. The people working here were genuinely nice and I did not go to kiss the chef because we were running late from museum hopping. Just a real treat , keep up the great work, using fresh and what I hope to be organic ingredients, we will make this our destination on the next trip ! read more