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All looks but little substance unfortunately. At first glance this place is beautiful. It's big, it's clean, it has outdoor seating, indoor seating, and they even have food, pastries. Also, this is right across from the MFAH on Bissonnet so don't go by what google maps tells you. Customer service on the other hand is pretty bad. The person I was with was asking the kid taking the order whether some of their deserts were gluten free and the kid started acting weird and almost getting upset because it was such a hard question. It could have been as easy as "I'm sorry, I don't know, but I can ask my manager and get back with you!" but his reaction was just awkward. And then for me, on a 100 degree day, I asked for Iced Tea, after the person ahead of me got one and I was told "Sorry, that was the last one". This was around 5 PM and they close at 6 so I'd understand that if it was 15 minutes till closing and they didn't want to brew a whole new batch, but with another 50 minutes to go, they likely would have still sold a few more cups before closing and even if they didn't, at the prices they charge, even selling one cup of iced tea would have covered the cost of the big tea-bag they use for iced tea so if they had to throw a little out after closing, it'd just be a cost of doing business. I mean the place is cute so I probably will be back but they need to train their people better here.
We went looking for an Italian bakery in the area and found Café Leonelli. I did not get anything due to concerns of cross-contamination between the Hazelnut gelato and the Almond Croissant with other pastries. A very spacious, sun-lit café in the Museum of Fine Arts. Maps isn't going to help you getting here, since it's in the museum and parking is elsewhere. We parked on a Sunday afternoon on Main Street outside St. Paul's Methodist Church and walked over. There are two entrances to Café Leonelli: (1) from inside the museum itself, and (2) from the left side of the museum (facing it from Bissonnet Street) in a little walkway. The café prices are high, as anticipated by a restaurant for convenience inside of the museum. We sampled the butternut squash soup, which was a bit sweet; and the Tuscan soup, which was a bit salty. There are other sandwiches, hot foods, and pizza available for entrees. Coffee, tea, pastries, and gelato are also available. Complimentary water is available at multiple locations in the café, which is nice.
I found this cafe on TikTok after looking for a local place to "work from home" during the day. Turns out, it is connected to the Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH). I arrived at about 9:30AM and it was super quiet. I loved the lighting in this cafe, it was very bright and airy. I ordered an oat milk latte that was really good. Once lunchtime came around, the cafe became flooded with people (mostly museum visitors). Before the rush, I ended up trying the margherita pizza and the chicken Caesar salad. Both were just okay in my honest opinion, but not much is to be expected of cafe food. The menu is not very robust, it's just cafe food with an Italian style menu as there were lots of pizzas and bread, and a salad bar. It was quite limited in options. I really enjoyed working in this space before the lunch crowd rushed in, there are tall glass walls and I had a nice view of the museum statues and the street. I'd come back for a morning working session, but the lunch crowd was a bit too loud and hectic for me to work, so I left shortly thereafter.
I came back last week for desserts after eating lunch elsewhere and finally good a good desserts this time at Cafe Leonelli. The eclairs this time wasn't dried as last time.
The flavors and textures of the Slice of Sausage and Rapini and Slice of Margherita, which I shared with my sister, were pretty good. You choose from the slices that are in the display case, then it goes into the oven to be heated up. The cheese is melted, and the dough gets crispy. They hand you the slices on plates while you're in the line, and then you pay at the register. The fennel seeds's flavor was apparent, and I like how the cheese had toasted. The mozzarella on the Margherita had softened enough to be enjoyable, while the tomato had a slight blistered edge.
This is a beautiful place and convenient for hanging out after visiting the MFAH. It was about 4 p.m. and they were already out of the tomato gnocchi soup. Mind you, they close at 6 p.m. Plus at $4.50 for a small cappuccino, they should have brown sugar available. If you're a member of the museum, you get a 15 percent discount.
A great museum café is part of the experience. Cafe Leonelli makes a trip to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston even more satisfying. The menu ranges from satisfying hot entrées (salmon, potatoes, etc.) to soups, salads, and sandwiches. They have kid-friendly foods like cheese pizza, and also pizzas with flavorful toppings. For beverages, they have coffees, teas, and Italian sodas. There are self-service water carafes. For desserts, they have chocolatey brownies, as well as several flavors of gelato. As any good museum café should, the surroundings elevate the experience. You might think the light fixture is just a light fixture, but it's actually an installation: "Moon Dust" by Spencer Finch (2014).
This cafe was conveniently located within the Kinder building and had adequate outdoor dining tables. So, if you were visiting this museum, this is a great one stop shop. We had to go to the museum across the street, though. But, we decided to get a quick bite here first. We wanted something savory for this visit and settled on their mushroom and margherita focaccia breads. They were pretty good. They both had punchy flavors, but I wished they had put more sauce and toppings on the bread since they were quite pricey. They did have beverages available, but we opted for their sparkling water. It was ok. I wished they had Topo Chico. Oh well. Overall, I'm giving them a 3.5 stars for now. But, I do plan on trying out their desserts next time. They look delicious from the pictures. I'll have to give their coffee drinks a try too.
Café leonelli is it quaint, modern bistro, perfect for a snack or a lunch. They had a variety of sandwiches and salads and hot plates, as well as a European pastry case and gelato and sorbet. I ended up getting the mango passion sorbet and it was refreshing, tart, and berry smoothies. It is attached to the Kinder building, but you don't have to be visiting the museum to eat here. If you were an MFAH member you do get a discount, I think 10%.
Review #2 We have a Michelin star chef in the house Houston! Chef Jonathan Benno has an impressive resume. Working in San Fransisco and of course New York City. Yes he even worked along side Daniel Boulud!!! How's that Houston, Texas!! I was laughing tremendously because a Yelper compared Cafe Leonelli to Houston's Common Bond. I almost wet my pants. Y'all this is NOT EVEN remotely the same. Two totally different concepts. Isn't Common Bond French influenced? Cafe Leonelli is Italian influenced. Lord help us all with some of these Yelpers! Located directly across from the MFAH Sarfin building which actually seems if it is on Bissonnet, but the address seems to be on Main. Confusing. It is located in the MFAH Kinder building. Beautifully lit with wall to wall windows to let in natural light. Modern lights hang from the ceiling, with minimalistic decor. Remember this is a cafe, so prices are extremely reasonable. Food ranges from fresh pasta, baked pasted, porchetta sandwiches, salads, sweet breads and deliciously eye appealing pastries. I was excited to dine the first weekend after opening. Extremely exceptional service with a wonderful atmosphere. Order at the counter and the food will be brought to you. One side of ordering is strictly for sweet treats and the r other side order anything. It will make sense you get there. Remember MFAH receive a discount so be sure to show them your membership!
This cafeteria style cafe was set up in a way that some of the offerings were just as you walked in but had to turn the corner to read the menu and see the hot offerings. The options were plentiful but my veggie sandwich was just ok. The gelato was excellent. They had a lot of staff behind the counter but none clearing the garbage or self service bus pan.
Museum Cafes are usually best kept secrets with great lunch selections and coffee/snack/dessert options. Leonelli meets this billing. Quite busy on a Thursday afternoon around 1:30. Thursday is free for general admission so possibly why?- as well their reasonable prices We mixed it up with ordering lunch (Lasagna) and Dessert (Apricot Crostata Della Nonna) with a Cortado. Tasty lasagna with spinach and mix of beef/pork filling. I asked which pastry, Crostata or Babka? The Apricot was excellent with a good balance of fruit and cookie crumble. Will try the Babka next time. They had some sandwiches, flat breads as well ice cream. You line up to place your order and they bring your food/drinks to your table. Friendly people behind the counter, making the food and delivering to the tables. Plenty of windows and light in the dining area make for a pleasant experience. Work this spot into your MoFa visit!
4 years ago
Really fun eatery at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston that perfectly complements the new wing of the museum. Enjoyed our lunch and drinks, as well as the view looking out to the street. Very nicely done! read more
Stopped by for some coffee and also got a pain au chocolat. The latte I got was lukewarm and the chocolate croissant tasted really oily. I know that it's supposed to have so much butter that if you are a scientist you can probably reverse engineer it to form a gallon of milk but unfortunately this had a very non-buttery fat. You know when you are eating something that has been cooked in animal fat or a dish with marrow and you eat it without properly reheating it and just end up with a fatty coating inside of the roof of your mouth. That's what I experienced after; I don't know how else to explain it. Come for the ambiance but I am not sure how you can enjoy that either with their closing time being 6:00pm and the latest is 8 on Thursdays. The chandelier is so nice but you can't even fully appreciate the interior because sunset is after 8 ... just saying. The natural light coming through is nice. I guess I should not be so critical since I haven't tried their lunch or any other hot items but if the lattes that I have gotten here in the past are any indication of how "hot" the food will be I think I'll pass. read more
3 years ago
4 years ago
It's been a year since we have been back and something happened to this place . The menu selection shrunk quite a bit. We got two mains for the price of $15 - this comes with half of a sandwich and a salad. The sandwiches are not fresh and the balsamic vinaigrette was insanely sweet and sour, it did not blend well with the salad. We are quite sadden this has happened....can't say I recommend this place now read more
2 years ago
5 years ago
A friend and I walked from her home nearby to enjoy a late lunch here yesterday. My first impression was the nice sleek and modern styling of this restaurant space. You order at the counter while viewing most of the food displayed before you. Nothing jumped out immediately to me, so I settled on a roasted chicken salad sandwich on their focaccia bread. The menu description on the menu board above said herb dressing, so I inquired if I could get it on the side and I was told no, that it is already mixed into the chicken. My friend ordered the eggplant Parmesan which was obviously already made and just reheated. What caught my eye was the large bowl displaying roasted butternut squash with roasted small pieces of green cabbage and toasted pumpkin seeds. I asked if I could order a side of it and I was told yes! It turned out to be delicious and the best part of my meal! The roasted chicken salad sandwich was nothing like you would expect! First off it wasn't an herb type dressing, but just (gross) mayonnaise as their was not a hint of herbs in it. Second it wasn't a chicken salad, but small pieces of chicken taken off a whole chicken - hence white and dark meat. A few slices of tomato, a few small pieces of romaine and a LOT of focaccia. I barely ate any of it - the focaccia was thin and certainly could have been crispier, but biting into loose pieces of chicken with mayonnaise and no other seasoning was just awful. The reason for the 3 stars is the gem of a side dish I thoroughly enjoyed. Since my friend and I had such a late lunch, and the place was sparsely occupied, I don't know why it took so long to bring pre-made food. My friends eggplant Parmesan did not appeal to me at all. They have a lovely display of gelato, but we did not partake. For a pricey menu, the food does not live up to my returning again. There are just too many places that offer better food! read more
4 years ago
5 years ago
Yes, this is a negative review. I've long had issues with dining at MFAH. The last cafe was not much better than the old Cafe Express. This latest attempt at feeding hungry museum-goers (as opposed to the fine dining restaurant slated to open soon) is even less of a success. I've enjoyed dining at many museum cafes, from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Musée D'Orsay in Paris, to even the Chicago Institute of Art and the Cleveland Museum of Art. These have all been pleasant additions to the museum-going experience. Did no one responsible for Cafe Leonelli ever check out how it can be done well? First of all, why Italian? While there are not a huge number of Italian restaurants in Houston, I think we've all had our share of eggplant Parmesan and lasagna to not be wowed by that choice. And Cafe Leonelli's version at the counter looks no more enticing than that of the school cafeteria. What about a farmer's market concept? A Houston-centric international bend? So many more choices than Italian! You stand in a cafeteria line, although not all the menu choices are visible. Once you place your order you pay and are given a number. Seating is obviously self-service with rows of cafeteria-style tables and some counter seats facing the wall. Outdoor seating is limited. Service was really slow, but I visited on a free Thursday, and they have just opened, so definitely giving that a pass. The woman who brought my food apologized and offered a free dessert. And the food? Well, it was only me, so the vegetarian plate was all I tasted. At $14 my dish consisted of rubbery, under-seasoned mushrooms, well-seasoned greens (but way too much of them) and tasty but somewhat stiff polenta. It was by no means a thoughtful presentation. The pastries looked perfectly manicured but not exactly freshly made. I passed on the free dessert. As the old joke goes, I've been to Cafe Leonelli twice--first and last. read more
5 years ago
4 years ago
This was one of my favorite meals I've ever had. The ambiance of the cafe is so pleasant with the big window providing natural light and the chandeliers. I ordered the Bianca and Pepperoni, and my friend ordered the other two flavors. On the bianca, I loved the rosemary topping and the bread was somehow soft and crispy at the same time. The pepperoni was delicious too. The cheese was so smooth. The red pepper made it a bit spicy for me, but I still enjoyed it. The price is a little high but you get a really good portion. Next time I want to try the ice cream too! read more
5 years ago
What a great addition to the Museum of Fine Arts!! Had the pleasure to attend the soft opening and the food is delicious! The salmon was melting in my mouth and as a side dish I had the best mushrooms ever ! Let's talk about dessert and coffee: there are many exquisite pastries to explore there. The quality is outstanding and I can't wait to go back to try the ice cream as well. The team is very friendly and attentive. Strongly recommended ! read more
5 years ago
4 years ago
Another gem in our wonderful city! This Italian-inspired place is everything one would want before and/or after viewing beautiful art. This cafe is located on the ground floor of the NEW building of the MFAH which currently houses modern, contemporary and Latin American art. Designers did a wonderful job with the relatively small cafe space to make it feel ample and very welcoming. I appreciate that they also have some tables outside for folks who want to be extra cautious re-COVID, or don't love air-conditioned spaces. The menu is quite small while offering a little something for pretty much everyone. Being a visual person, I appreciate that all the food is on display, making it quite self-explanatory. Staff is very friendly and at hand to answer questions. My family had 3 different kinds of focaccia and they felt that they looked nicer than they actually tasted. Apparently, they lacked flavor. I ordered eggplant parmigiana that wasn't warm enough for my taste. They warm up the food in a microwave oven and it was not evenly heated. Since I was not in the mood to return it, I just focused on the lovely flavor. A special mention goes to the pastries, gelatos and sorbettos! Sweets are as delicious as they are aesthetically pleasing. They allow samples of the frozen treats and you'll want to have them all! They serve 1, 2, or 3 scoops. Overall, this locale provides a wonderful experience pre and post art. read more
5 years ago
This is a super cute little cafe in the NEW building of MFAH. I didn't sample the gelato but it looks really good as did the pastries. I went with a porchetta sandwich that was delicious--salty and a little spicy--and I love the roasted veggie on top. My main complaint is it was Huge and wish I could have ordered half a sandwich instead. The iced latte was also good. It was very busy but it was also a Thursday with free admission during the summer so you get what you get. It was really yummy and I plan to be back next time i am hungry and at the museum. read more
5 years ago
We returned to Cafe Leonelli and again we indulged in food and dessert that were above and beyond. The Ribolata soup warmed the soul. The lasagna with spinach noodles gave the classic dish a new twist. Meatballs and polenta brought a sense of comfort. The dessert of ice cream brought back memories of childhood days. The chocolate pudding and s'mores flavors rekindled memories of the more simple and early years when life was more simple. The red velvet and cherry made a wonderful complement to the rich chocolate. Cafe Leonelli is an asset to MFAH and to our City. We can't wait to come back again very soon. read more
4 years ago
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5 years ago
Today is the first day for this cafe to be open in the Kinder Building at MFAH. The food is amazing, the wine perfectly chilled and the service outstanding. Make it a point to come visit soon. You will be glad you did! read more
5 years ago
Absolutely incredible food, housed in a gorgeous minimalist setting. The Eggplant Parmigiana was to die for, and the chicken cacciatore left us speechless. The client service is top-notch, and their staff is incredibly kind. Our order came a bit late, but the staff was generous enough to serve us a dish of desserts on the house without us saying a word! Can't wait to return. read more
3 years ago
5 years ago
Great meal, great selections. Enjoyed the Tuscan inspired soup, mushrooms, and homemade focaccia. Recently opened, service tip-top, so don't wait to go! Great hot and cold coffee. Save room for the you-choose-your own cookie assortment and the eclairs, the fillings have the fruity intensity of a gelato. Many thanks to the pastry chef! read more
5 years ago
4 years ago
5 years ago
Cafe Leonelli is one of the newest additions to the Kinder Building located within the museum. Led by Chef Benno, it is clear there is an emphasis on quality food with locally sourced ingredients, as well as cleanliness. The open but cozy environment allows for guests to enjoy a pleasant dining experience and there is plenty of indoor and additional outdoor seating as well. I went on a Thursday and it seemed to be quite busy due to the museum visitors but regardless they entire staff provided excellent service. I ordered a Margherita focaccia which was pretty good, the only minor thing was that I would've liked if the focaccia was a little bit crispier but that's just my personal preference. Additionally the croissants were amazing. There are a few things to look for in a croissant such as crispness, separation of layers, and this one had it all. The food and pastries in house were all great and ingredients are locally sourced. Would recommend going in for breakfast and/or lunch, you just might find yourself going to the museum just for the food! read more
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