Great for a museum restaurant and nicest option in the area for lunch. Food is good to great. You'll occasionally get something phenomenal and atleast decent. The portion size is huge. You likely won't need an app unless you're splitting them. The iced teas are interesting and refreshing. The chicken salad is always a solid go to and uses creme fresh instead of mayo (though I suspect a tad of mayo). The salmon flatbread is basically a medium sized pizza of goodness. The osso buco is always done well. Don't sleep on the desserts. The location and vibe is modern and green. The restaurant is playfully located to be in the shade mid-day so enjoy the outside. The flatware to plastic chairs are all artful. Service is good as one would expect at these prices. Nothing too snoody though and always helpful and gracious. Less expensive prices would be nice but perhaps that'd bring down the quality. Don't go on a Tuesday. They're closed. read more

Cafe G - Chicken salad - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Four of us, mid day, 9/24, had to briefly wait to be seated. One had the daily special-soup and bread; one had quiche; two had grain and burrata bowls; carrot cake at the end. Were we ever satisfied. Totally surprised and blown away by the quality and taste of each dish. Wholeheartedly recommend this establishment. Service was friendly, attentive and timely. And, don't forget to try some of their delicious Mem Tea. read more

Cafe G is the beautiful restaurant inside the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. And it is popular. I was at the museum this past Friday in the afternoon, and the museum was crowded, and so was Cafe G. I noticed lots of people standing outside or hovering nearby waiting for a table around lunch time. Around 3:30, I decided to get a glass of wine at the cafe. There was still a bit of a wait! Luckily, they have those buzzer things so I could still walk around explore while I waited. About ten minutes later, and I had a table! I got a glass of wine, but I also couldn't resist the rose panna cotta they had on the dessert menu that day! It was BEAUTIFUL. At first bite, I thought they had used too much rose flavoring (rose water?), but when I got a bite with the tiny pieces of rhubarb on top, it WORKED. A beautiful, light, romantic dessert! The restaurant is beautiful, and it was a nice place to take a short break from the museum! read more

Cafe G - Rose Panna Cotta - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

This cafe was unexpectedly a great find! It's a sophisticated cafe with floor to ceiling windows that let in a lot of light. We were at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum when we realized we were a bit hungry, but dinner time was a ways away. We decided to grab a light bite at Cafe G. Man, this cafe is all about presentation! The two appetizers were got were not only delicious, but beautifully decorated. Guess you'd expect nothing less in a wonderful gallery such as Isabella's. read more

Cafe G - Crispy Chickpea Fries - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Stopped in for a quick bite before a reading at the museum. Quick it was. We were promptly seated, quickly greeted by our server. Food came out much faster than I expected. The presentation was 5 star! The ambience was spot on...clean, modern, trendy, spacious a very opened feel. A touch on the pricey side. Which is the reason for the four star rating. read more

Cafe G - Eggplant appetizer. - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I see the past reviews, and I'm just going to assume that this place got worse over time. Giant flies buzzing around, the food really is subpar. I mean, the two desserts are dry af poundcake and pure melted chocolate. The museum is awesome, but this place? Doesn't hold up. read more

Went to the cafe after visiting the museum. Very limited menu. Party of five was seated promptly. Atmosphere is modern and clean. I ordered the chicken sandwich and sangria. No fruit in the sangria. Clearly not freshly made. Tasted okay but over priced. Chicken sandwich was very processed tasting. Like a frozen patty. My wife and daughter's grain bowls were too lemony. Overall mediocre. Avoid if possible but passable if hungry. read more

I have not been to the museum in 15 years and honestly was not in love with the modern addition, though I get they needed something like this. I realize I am an old fuddy duddy who does not like change, but I really enjoyed the way it felt entering the house before, more mysterious and grand. They did the add on trying to not change the look best they could I suppose. That said, the cafe was wonderful. The food is pricey but everything was delicious and it was some of the best service we have had in ages. Other restaurants should come here to see how it is done. When service is good it almost feels like they are reading your mind. I think if Mrs. Garder were alive even she would approve of Cafe G. read more

We had lunch here while visiting the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The dining area is very pleasant with simple furnishings and colorful rugs scattered around. There are large windows letting in plenty of light. We both ordered the Greek style grilled flank steak salad which was delicious. It included cucumber, tomato, feta, oregano, olives, and greens and came with fresh bread. Definitely a nice way to refuel while visiting the museum. read more

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The food was so so. The services were terrible. The waiters there were rude and had no verbal communications. They put the check on your table before we started eating, without a word. They took your credit card and came back with the bill for your signature, without a word. You walked out of the door after finishing the meal, the host just watched you walking out, without a word. It felt like we have upset them and ruined their day by eating there. The worst restaurant experience ever. read more

This is a nice place to go with your family. The food is simple, and inexpensive. Service is quick and friendly.

Quite different to the Isabella Gardner Stewart Museum is it's small modern American cafe. It lacks the decor and ambiance to be a 5-star destination but the service, menu and prices certainly make it a must-do if you're thinking of spending the day or the evening in Isabella's house. Great date spot. I came here for a light dinner, where small beautifully presented dishes are available for around 8 dollars each. Hana and me weren't cool enough to join all the other yelp people on their cool kids table so we had to make do in the ugly people corner. Pork shoulder in blackbean and orange sauce was wonderful and the bread with cheese plate was excellent too. Isabella would be proud. Hana had the panacotta which was tasty as hell - I know because I ate most of it. TOP TIP When dining with a vegetarian, get a friend (Laura M) to come in and mention that their dish is made with ground up animal bones. That way the vegetarian will quickly give up eating it and the rest will be left for you. Mwhahaha! By the time Yi-Hwa came and told Hana her panacotta was probably perfectly fine for vegetarians I'd eaten it all up. Yum Yum. Thanks Laura. read more

Cafe G - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Better yet, the museum (http://www.yelp.com/biz/cPyQFwnQNW4HLAGt17hxYA?hrid=a_4qU4qo91ejcIMZ43-CAQ) has a cafe of its own. Be sure to wait in line and put your name on the waiting list because it is a tiny place. Looks like outdoor seating is also available during summertime. Let's get rolling! We were seated at 2pm and had 30 minutes before the guided tour began! The creamy potato soup with basil mousse was just what we had in mind on a wet and rainy day. On the other hand, the roast Atlantic salmon was seared perfectly in golden brown and team well with steamed beets, watercress salad and Japanese mayonnaise. After our not-so-ladylike lunch, time's up and yes, we have to get going!!! read more

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This cafe restaurant is super - the atmosphere is airy - the food was excellent - and the prizes were very okay. Only the waiters were a bit slow. Maybe because they are more artists then waiters. read more

I don't recommend coming here! I'm not fussy, but this place is lacking so much. I came here because I visited Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum before and decided to come again to enjoy a nice lunch beforehand. It took over 30 minutes to get a table, but that's completely fine, especially as a walk-in! The hostesses were very sweet and didn't mind answering any additional questions. However, once seated, we were greeted by a very hectic waitress who was zooming around the entire place and answering to the most pressing matters-- which seemed to be turning tables and getting the guests out as fast as she could. I needed help twice during the meal, but our waitress didn't care to at least look up once at the room to see if any of her tables needed help. And while looking around the restaurant, it seemed like most of the waiters/waitresses went by the same plan. Now, onto the main topic- food. It was basic, gross, unexciting, bland, smelly... to summarize it- mediocre, maybe even disgusting. This is a place you bring your very distant cousin to eat (out of necessity and not because you want to make them happy). So disappointed to have such an overall mediocre experience, at a place that has a beautiful design complemented by one of the most exciting museums that I have ever been to. read more

Cafe G - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

This cafe is located at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. We decided to eat before touring this beautiful mansion. Our seating was outside on a perfect day. The food was impeccable. One had quiche with salad, another salad with salmon and I had the chicken salad. The blood orange mimosas go well with all entries. The service was wonderful. A nice bread came before our entries that was a full bodied bread and a transporter of some delicious butter. The gardens around the outside dining area was full of beautiful landscape as well as a bunny and a few birds. read more

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Food was delicious and so were the desserts. I got the zucchini and summer squash quiche and my mom got the Greek steak flank salad. We shared the cheese slate. I also got strawberry short cake which was good as well. She loved her flourless chocolate cake. Prosecco and Malbec were good and my mom said her coffee was great. A good place for lunch if you're visiting the museum! read more

Cafe G - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Excellent meal. High-end restaurant with their prices. My wife had the steak salad and I had the quiche. Bread pudding was amazing!! Wait staff was attentive and efficient. read more

Café G is real swell. Most all art museum restaurants are very good. Perhaps artsy peeps have extra-sensitive perceptions and thus demand above-average-quality grind and décor. The G has Eames-style décor and good service and an educated vibe. Nice and quiet here. A caveat: the G's food portions are semi-teenie-weenie and pricey and food is somewhat off beat(nik). The cuisine is best described as "a pedantic culinary manifestation of haptic and oral jubilance that engages the eater in a tour-de-force of flavors, curiously yielding inescapable and subconscious deviation from a post-Fauvist jejune self-reflection." Peep out Café G, all you Dadaists, Anti-Anti-Art artists, Willem "King of Stations" van Genk groupies, Stuckists, Chris Burden imitators, Outsider artists, Damien Hirst fans, and all Gs in the hizzie... read more

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Service: Jon was courteous and welcoming. Food: We enjoyed a glass of wine that we shared, two dishes, dessert and coffee. All plus tip it was a bit less than $80 for two people. Location: It's inside the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, so it's convenient if you plan to enjoy the exhibits. read more

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Absolutely fantastic restaurant with strong dishes and lovely ambiance. One of the best museum restaurants I've ever dined in. Higher recommended. read more

Amazing food, and completely unexpected for a museum cafe! Highly recommend the crispy semolina polenta and the quiche!

Very pleasant way to start or end your tour. The space it clean and light and modern. The menu is light and limited, but everything was aesthetically pleasing, fresh and tasty. We had the quiche and the fried chicken sandwich, both of which came with a large helping of salad, either Romain hearts with a creamy parmesan dressing or oakleaf with grapes and farro lightly dressed with oil and vinager. And the blue ice tea was a delicious as well as eye-catching surprise. The service was very friendly and attentive and gave us lots of great tips about local attractions. The prices are what you would expect of a top-rated museum cafe, so plan your visit accordingly. read more

So, for our monthly MomDay - we chose to spend a few hours gazing longingly at gorgeous art and a beautiful courtyard AND have lunch at the Museum's Cafe. (I will yelp about our adventure in the actual museum later) I really didn't know what to expect other than very high prices and a miniscule amount of food. Mom wanted to make sure we could sit outside in the "garden" - which if you really want to know - is under construction and disappointing unless you were facing the side I was which the view was all trees and shrubbery - not bad for me. So the let me tell you - the menu is wikked small. The tables are pretty close together but not as close as at Neptunes in the North End (check out my review of that fantastic place!) It was kind of weird looking too - especially coming in right from the museum which is in shadows and stone. The cafe was bright and filled with silver and plastic. Interesting.... Anyways..onto my fave part - the food. What was ordered: Me: Moroccan Style Lamb Tagine with mixed olive couscous salad Hubbie: Brazilian Fish Stew Mom: Apricot and Pistachio Chicken Salad with asparagus and tarragon vinaigrette All of us: Cauliflower Soup The soup was kind of bland but it did have a kick of black pepper that made it palatable - and it was warm because it was breezy in the open air. The fish stew - which I had a taste from Hubbie - was nice. Tomato-ey which actually isn't my fave taste. MY meal was awesomeness in a bowl! The lamb was succulent and flavorful. It was sweet and spicy in one. I think it had peaches in it but I don't know for sure - the cous-cous was good too. I didn't taste the chicken salad that my mom-in-law had but it looked great - cranberries and wonderful asparagus..YUMMIE They did bring one roll for each one of us with our soup - I WANTED to ask for more but I figured that there may be another charge - and I'm glad I didn't because, seriously, one roll is always enough. So Mom wanted us to see the dessert menu because she caught a glimpse of how pretty the desserts were - so when she saw me taking pictures of the meal - she said "We have to order dessert so Joanne can take the pictures!" Oh yea - sure blame the calories on me... Dessert Order: White Chocolate Bread Pudding (ME ME ME - I guess I needed more bread!) Chocolate Mousee Torte The bread pudding was DIVINE and warm and I barely tasted the chocolate (which I wasn't too upset about) because it was awesome!! so much so that when they came in with it - the people at the table behind us - had to order TWO of them ; ) - they were sweet too! (little did they know that I was listening to their conversation - well not really, one of them had the best accent in the whole world - he sounded just like Liam Neelson - ok I'm weird ok???? so I listened when he talked a bit...) Ok now that I got that off my chest, I have to say that I loved this place and it was even better when my Mom picked up the bill ;) LOVE YOU MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

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Absolutely a wonderful meal!!! Salmon on a bed of greens with strawberry ... well, it's been too long since I ate at Cafe G, and I don't remember. Lesson to be learned, I'll try to write my review ASAP. Evidently, I was impressed because I did immediately post a 5 star rating. read more

Less than average for what you are paying and with poor service. The $25 stuffed quail was dry with mediocre flavor. For the small quantity of food the put in their entreés, one would hope it was better so as not to leave you feeling a little gipped. The wait staff is not very attentive. You will need to call them over to get an iced tea refilled. I never saw my server again until she was rushing me out with the check. I had to bother another server who took my cup and brought it back with lukewarm tea with no ice so maybe they mixed up my iced tea for their ever popular Cafe G Room Temperature Tea. And, of course, they take all your utensils asap to get you out (1 hour wait today) so you are stirring in sugar into your tea with your finger. Maybe they serve your tea at body temperature for your finger's comfort? Either they have neglectful service or they are just ignoring you to get you to leave so they can fill the table with the next batch of suckers. I was rushed out before I could even ask for their dessert menu. I was definitely disappointed as I was looking forward to eating there on my museum visit. I would not recommend this place unless you have nowhere else to go. One thing that got me immediately worried was that their Monday specials the waitress read off at the table were ALL fish. Cardinal rule: Never order fish on a Monday (unless they source their fish daily) because that is when restaurants try to dump their old fish before Tuesday deliveries. They push them at the table so it seems aligned with being rushed out to turn more dollars... the customer comes second. read more

Cafe G - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

We just want to have some drink and we found this cafe in the museum, we ordered fried oyster and it is super delicious, recommend

Such a lovely cafe! The food is simple yet upscale. They have lovely views of the historic building at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The coffee, iced teas, quiche and chickpea fries are especially yummy. I highly recommend a visit. read more

I came with my 3 year old daughter on a Sunday (8 mo pregnant myself) and with bunch of tables available (and by the way, stayed available after we sat down and left), I was refused to be sat, so they "can save the tables for a bigger parties". Yes, basically, we are not a huge ticket party, and not helping the restaurant make the sales. It was very annoying to be singled out like that, but luckily, there was a party of 1 right behind me, so I offered her to join us for lunch and we had to be sat. The service was mediocre at best, since we had a toddler and everyone tried to stay away from us like we had a plague. The corned beef flatbread was pretty good, but kids noodles were sinking in butter and they didn't even bother for a requested veggie or promised cheese. Also, we sat by the bread station, and that bread had so much sourdough, it stank pretty awfully. It was a huge turn-off. I've worked in the restaurant business for years when I was in college, and have a pretty good idea why a server/hostess/manager would be annoyed and unfriendly to a small parties with babies, but you know what, a little human treatment would have gone a long way in the impression the whole experience has left on me. I'll probably never go back to that restaurant, Cafe G would definitely not be my recommendation to my friends, especially if they have kids. Good luck on your sales tactics, Cafe G. read more

What a lovely night out! The restaurant is attractive and the staff was very welcoming and well trained. The food was delicious and beautifully prepared. We shared Nantucket Scallops and a beet tartine and then had lamb followed by a currant sorbet and a wonderful bread pudding topped with a thin layer of melted cheddar. Delicious! Thank you! read more

The museum opens at 11am, just a lunch time. It seems no other place for lunch, if one wants to visit the museum with ample time. The place was in great decoration with enough light and sunshine, but too noisy and a little crowded. The menu was unexpectedly rich, however the taste was just so so. I took rib as entree. However, it was a tough work for my teeth... read more

This was the first time I'd returned to the Gardner since the new addition containing Cafe G was built. First, let me say that the ISGM is my favorite in the world and I've been to many. There was a reviewer who called the museum "underwhelming". Maybe he was a sports fan who'd gotten lost. As to the Cafe itself; my wife got the steak salad and was very pleased. Steak was of good quality and cooked the way she liked it. Due to some dietary restrictions, I decided to have a couple of appetizers. The waitress encouraged me to get three. Bless her. Some reviewers have split appetizers, others have called the portions "large." I'm forced to assume there have been some recent changes because to call my apps "petit" would be overly generous. The portion size of the Comte cheese suggests that it is literally worth its weight in gold. It would not have been pretty but I'm fairly certain I could have placed the entire corn waffle with avocado in my mouth at one shot. The chic pea fries with Sri Racha aeoli were a bit more substantial at about half the expected portion. Fortunately, all of these apps were delicious, creative and artfully presented. Though the meal was somewhat expensive, the conveniently close proximity of Cafe G to the Gardner, the high quality of the food and the casual but efficient service lead me to believe I'll be back. read more

Fun fact: the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum has its own wormhole! That's right: make your way to the back of the museum, and you're transformed from the beauty and splendor to....a Best Western conference room! It was quite a shock to see such a contrast between the museum and the cafe, but lo and behold, there it was. My compadres and I gathered to form the "cool kids" table that everyone wanted to sit at. Well, except for the middle-aged lady scrunched into one of the two-seater tables between ours and the patio, who I'm sure instantly regretted her choice in seating and GTFO as soon as humanly possible. Some ordered dinner, while others merely took advantage of the free dessert afforded to the Elites. Everyone at our table ordered a different dessert, which of course meant that there would be sharing. I had the panna cotta, which was absolutely delicious, creamy, and light. I also enjoyed the strawberries, which were a wonderful complement to the panna cotta. I sampled the bread pudding (which tasted like really decadent French toast) and the ginger ice cream (yum, but not my favorite compared to the other two). The merlot was decent, though probably not the number one pick to accompany panna cotta. I also tried a bit of Chloe's rigatoni, which was indeed fantastic. The food is clearly stellar, but ISGM really needs to rethink their design scheme for the cafe. It's disappointing when the food is a hit, but the the decor and ambience fail to match up, especially when surrounded by such splendor. read more

First time eating at the Cafe during a museum visit and what a pleasant surprise! We had the Bell & Evans chicken salad with homemade chips, Chilled Cucumber & Greek Yogurt Gazpacho, and Crispy Chickpea Fries with Siracha Aoli. Everything was wonderful and the service was great. The soup was beautifully presented and had a nice texture and seasoning. Those chickpea fries!! Crispy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside. I would highly recommend this place whether visiting the Gardiner museum or just in the area. read more

Cafe G - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Mediocre food at best, considering the prices. But if you're hungry after a long afternoon walking around the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and really just need to sit down ASAP, this is your only option. Service is pleasant, I love the decor, but the chicken salad with apricots and pistachios in it was not worth the whopping 15 dollar price tag. And it came out from the kitchen so fast that there's no way that it was freshly prepared. Same goes with the salad my mom ordered. Oh well. I definitely didn't come to the museum for the food, that's for sure! read more

Cafe G - Chicken salad and potato crisps - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

What a great place for lunch! This could be Boston's best kept secret. I ate there recently with a friend and we shared a few dishes- we actually only ordered a couple things but we ended up adding on a bunch of courses because things were so good. The Grilled cheese was out of this world; how can you go wrong with prosciutto and comte? You can't. and the the grapes that came with it were a perfect accompaniment that rounded out a simple sandwich. My friend had the trout that came with olives and oranges (but she didn't share too much with me unfortunately) that looked and smelled awesome. We had several small plates including fluke carpaccio with pineapple water, deviled eggs with celery root (highly recommended) and curried sweet potato fries (unreal!!). The best of the best was the pork terrine- with a pate or terrine on every menu in Boston these days, I didn't want to get it because I'm usually disappointed with the level of execution that restaurants are serving but my friend wanted it so she ordered it. It was so good I ended up ordering a second round. We were too full to get dessert but I will pace myself and make room next time I'm in there, which will be soon I'm guessing. To all the Yelp posters who are saying the portions are too small, you have to realize that you are paying for the quality of food. If you go to any decent place in the city, you pay this price. If you're looking for big portions, chances are the quality is sub par or they just buy frozen products and cheap cuts of meat- Cafe G does neither. We asked our server who was on his game about food suppliers and the kitchen's background and they were all top notch. read more

Stopped off here during the After Hours event last night for a bite to eat. The cafe doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the building since it is modern and the tables are fairly small, as is the room. There is outdoor seating, though I don't know if it is open all the time. The wine is a bit expensive, the beer is normally (for these types of places) priced to cheap-ish (3.75 for a Heinniken). The individual dishes are tasty, but not large so this is definetely a place to go for lunch, not dinner. If you are a vegetarian, then you won't have much to choose from as almost all of the menu items had either meat of some sort or fish. The penne would work out for you, and its pretty tasty. The flan wasn't as sweet as I thought it might be and the bread pudding got good reviews from all the people around me. read more

I wasn't expecting such service and class when my friend and I decided to eat brunch before exploring the museum. The waiter was attentive and polite. The butter for the bread was good stuff. $3.50 for a cup of coffee was a bit steep, but it was brewed nicely - not acidic or burnt. I got the soft-shell crab sandwich which was surprisingly delicious. read more

Since I'm used to museum restaurants being operated by the likes of Danny Meyer, I walked into the MFA, looked at the cafeteria and turned around. Thankfully, Cafe G was close by. This may not be Untitled or the Modern, but it was pretty good for a museum cafe. The atmosphere itself is very relaxed but elegant, or what I term classic chic. The service was slightly lacking, but I do think that may have been because they were very busy. The bread in a box was a very nice touch. Onto the most important topic - the food. I had the quiche and my friend had the flatbread. We also split appetizers. Was the food amazing and worth the trek here? Probably not. Was it one of the more decent options around? Definitely. The flatbread was very basic and the quiche was, well, a quiche. It wasn't the best quiche I ever had, but it also was pretty tasty. You also definitely pay for the ambiance, as the menu isn't cheap. Overall, not a bad option if you are in the area and are less worried about the dollar signs on yelp. (FYI Yelp, it's more of $$$ than $$). read more

Museum dining can be hit or miss, like finding an extraordinary item at a museum gift shop. Don't hold your breath. But on a recent visit to Boston, we had our best meal of the weekend at Cafe G. While the Gardner Museum is a bit stale, not unlike the apartment of your great aunt you were forced to visit as a child, the new wing is a wow. And the cafe is a first class dining experience. Food and service were excellent. The eggplant appetizer was a revelation - so often it is fried and tastes like an oil soaked sponge or stewed into mush. And the seared cod perfect with a harmony of favors. Our waiter's wine suggestions only added to the experience. No need to combine it with the museum if touring another's cluttered house is not your thing. Go for the food and a civilized lunch experience in an interesting architectural structure with a high tech greenhouse. read more