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Mitsitam Cafe

3.5 (569 reviews)
ModerateAmerican, Cafes
Closed 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Updated 3 months ago

Mitsitam Cafe Photos

Business Info

MITSITAM CAFE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Touristy
Moderate noise
Good for kids
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Mitsitam Cafe

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Linnea E.

Best dining option on the Mall! Museum prices but you get your moneys worth and there are actually good options, not just chicken nuggets and pizza. Everything is served cafeteria style with multiple stations serving different options. The fry bread taco is my personal fave and sometimes I'll swing by just to have it for lunch and then walk through the museum. The dining area is also very nice with a view of the outdoor water feature. It also tends to be less crowded than say the Museum of National History which typically has more kids and families.

Jai Y.

I had the chicken mole tostada, apple agua fresca, corn pudding , and succotash. My wife had the fried bread taco. Everything was extremely delicious except the apple agua fresca which was meh. It tasted water downed and pretty flavorless.

Fry Bread Beignets
Antwon C.

We decided to check out this cafe for a late lunch before heading to museum. I decided to go with the chicken tostada. The chicken was flavorful and all the toppings were crisp and fresh. The crema complimented the dish well. For dessert tried the fry bread beignets they were good the honey was good with them. Service was good.

Fry bread taco
Sharon L.

Try out some native american foods at this café inside the National Museum of the American Indian. The fry bread taco, mole tostada, and cornbread were all pretty tasty. A good place for lunch on the National Mall while exploring Smithsonian museums. The café is cafeteria style: grab a tray, head to a station and order your food, then checkout at the register before finding a table to sit down. Complete cafeteria experience by placing the tray on the tray carousel when finished!

3 side sampler
Lynn W.

The food was very tasty in this cafeteria style restaurant within the Smithsonian American Indian Museum. The menu features indigenous meals are there is a wide variety of offerings. There are different stations with different types of food so it was perfect for a large group of people to each get what they wanted to eat. I tried the three side sampler (which was quite affordable at $12.95). I chose buttered squash salad, marinated mushrooms and Indian Pudding. The pudding was amazing with a cranberry sauce on top. I had never eaten that before but always wondered what was in it. It is like a cornbread cake. It is self serve but the manager was great about opening up a new checkout line when the line was getting long.

Chili Special and Peach Frybread
Tom P.

As museum restaurants go, this is in the top tier in the district. They offer an array of Native American inspired foods along with some Southern and Mexican foods. I like that they go out of their way to offer more flavor than the plain vanilla options at most of the Smithsonian's. And although you are in a dining hall, it is comfortable with some nice windowed views of the outside water features. Lastly, and maybe it was just the day I was there, EVERYONE in the museum was so nice. From the guards at the door, to the information attendants, to the service staff in the restaurant. Very nice people.

Mischa J.

I recently came here and tried Native American food for the first time. I had the fry bread taco with braised pork and okra. The dish I had was also topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, shredded jack cheese, cilantro, and jalapenos. I thought that everything I tried was great! I just wish that there would be more Native inspired drinks as well. For dessert I had the Mitsitam cookie, which was made with Native inspired ingredients, like blue cornmeal for example. I highly recommend giving this place a try, because this is the only Native American eatery, restaurant, and food court that I have personally ever come across in the area.

Vegetarian tamale was so good.
Amy Lauren S.

I visited this museum JUST to eat at Mitsitam café when I was in the district for a conference. It was a very cold day, so indoor dining was my only option, and I wanted a food item that I can't normally get back home. I had a calabaza, sweet onion, and toasted pepitas tamale with ranchera sauce, which was vegetarian. I appreciated vegetarian options that were marked. The tamale was warm and flavorful, although the portions are a little small for the price points. Since I was supporting the Smithsonian and the museums are free to enter, I was fine paying a little extra than I'm used to. Some food options like tamales, fry bread tacos, tostadas, stews, and bison may be a little exotic for little ones, but you can get a regular hamburger, cheeseburger, or packaged snack items. If you're an adult, Mitsitam is the best food you will find at any of nearby the Smithsonian museums. If you want to refill your water bottle or get a cup of water, there's a fountain/refill station on the way out of the restaurant.

Bison sausage
Doug P.

Service is good. Employees were very friendly. The atmosphere is nice. They have some interesting food choices. I really enjoyed the Buffalo sausage but would pass on the sauerkraut next time. My wife had the chicken tenders and they were excellent with a generous serving of French fries

Peruvian Chicken, Wild Mushroom Salad
Chelsea C.

One of the few places you can actually get native food in the area, and it happens to be in a great museum. Its also probably one of the best cafes in the whole Smithsonian branch because you can see the attention to regional specificity they alot to their exhibitions and collections. Here, there is a wide breadth of interpretation when it comes to what is native food, but leaning into more earthy flavors is pretty much the way to go. There is a wide variety of offerings to suit anyone's palette. Since its in a federal building, they probably cannot get too experimental with their sourcing and ingredients but the spirit of this being a Native-style cafe is unlike a lot of after cafeteria spots so I'll take it. Fry bread is not common on a menu so we made the order, and it was good, topped very similar to a taco salad. The Peruvian chicken I got was a bit cold, but well seasoned and flavorful with the cilantro sauce it came with.

Michelle V.

Had the chance to try indigenous food here before exploring the museum. It's been on my bucket list for a long time, so I was very excited. You pick your own drinks and snacks cafeteria-style, and there are four menus to which you can order food over-the-counter. I recommend walking around to see your options before ordering. The seating area feels like a cafeteria. I sat by the window to see the beautiful fountain. I got the roasted rainbow beets (with watercress, charred leeks, and hazelnut vinaigrette), corn pudding (with maple butter and walnut-and-cranberry gremolata), and mamoon cakes. I was initially going to get wild rice salad instead of the beets, but the person behind the counter told me that the wild rice salad is pretty much disassembled mamoon cakes and encouraged me to get something else. Rainbow beets: I'm a huge fan of beets, and their natural flavor was delicious, complemented by the leeks and the slightly sweet vinaigrette. Corn pudding: This was hearty. The gremolata was very tart and I would recommend eating it little by little so it doesn't overpower the corn pudding. Felt like a flatter cornbread. Mamoon cake: This was dry, kind of like a biscuit. It is compact wild rice. It had a savory flavor. I kind of wish I got this with the salmon. It was tasty although I wish I could try it hot and fresh. Overall this was a filling meal that jumpstarted my day. I will try other things if I came back, and I would look forward to seeing the rotating menu!

Mary C.

I had heard the Mitsitam Cafe was one of the better museum cafeterias, but I really don't think it's worth going to at all :( Even if you are starving, go elsewhere (like a food truck!) As expected for museum food, it was VERY pricey (like $4 for a teeny tiny corn muffin, or $20+ for anything substantial, this 3 sides combo option was over $15...) and the food is very mediocre, borderline bad. We got the kale which was cold, the wild rice which was also cold, and the sweet potato cake (the only thing that was warm) but also flavorless

Elizabeth L.

The food I had was really good but to echo other reviewers, the museum shouldn't pander to tourist palates (IMO). I had the butternut squash (5/5) and corn pudding (4/5). The coffee at the museum is also solid. There weren't as many "native" foods as I was hoping for. There were burgers, chicken fingers, and a taco bowl being offered which I think diminishes the point of this unique platform. It would have been nice to see more options that reflect more of "native" cultural food, particularly in the desserts offered since basically all of those were mainstream items. I would also suggest they offer a sampling of sides. The food here is pricy at $20 a plate or $5 per side. It would be nice to have an option to get a little bit of everything (eg the various veg sides) for $20

Sweet potato corn cake with salmon

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20 days ago

Love the Indian Tacos! Every time I'm in DC I go here just for lunch! Also the views of the little waterfall are gorgeous.

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It was a beautiful day on the wharf, and my cousin and I were hungry. I checked Yelp to see if they…read morewere any ongoing happy hours, and this place crossed my radar. I had never been before, and he was seemed curious to try, so we stopped by. They have outdoor seating, but there was no service at the time, which was too bad because the weather was outstanding. The host is said we could take drinks out there, but not food. So we just opted for the bar. Thankfully, they eventually opened one of the doors real wide so the outdoor air was coming in and that was nice. Happy hour was going until 6:30, and I have to admit that some of these happy hour prices are regular prices at other places XD, but remember it's the wharf. And there was a time when happy hour there wasn't even a thing. So I got a glass of wine and yellowtail tacos with salad. I wasn't expecting the yellowtail to be fried, but it was fine. The salad was way bigger than I thought it would be. It was good. My cousin got the burger and fries... I tasted it and I think I enjoyed the burger more, haha. That smoked cheddar, whew! I found the fries to be pretty average. The ambiance of the place is very nice and I could see myself returning. Some other people at the bar got some amazing looking dishes too, but I know they were expensive XD.

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I've visited the Salt Line a few times over the years. I like the food, nautical decor, and…read morelocation in Navy Yard next to the river. On my recent visit, I stopped by on a Wednesday at 6 PM. The place was pretty quiet since it was mid-week and there weren't any sports games nearby. We had some wine ($14/glass), stuffies (3 for $13), Waterman's Platter ($36), and Scallops (5 for $36). Everything was very good. The scallops were served with a nice autumnal sauce and brussel sprouts. Waterman's Platter was fried oysters, fish, baby shrimp, and scallops along with fries, onion rings, coleslaw, and dipping sauce. Everything was crispy and nicely fried. The portal was large enough to take about half as leftovers. We were celebrating a special occasion and they brought over two small glasses of sparkling wine (basically half a glass each), which was nice but also a bit tacky to not give a full glass. Like, I would rather you just verbally acknowledge it and do nothing than take a half-measure like that. We had a nice time but a few things could have been better. They were out of the beer I ordered, so I went with wine. The free sparkling was originally on our bill (and billed as a single glass) but the server realized this just before I asked about it and removed it. I was excited to get a milkshake for dessert -- they used to do massive, delicious milkshakes -- but apparently they stopped doing this about a year ago, so we passed on dessert entirely. They still have a 4% surcharge; c'mon, it's far past time to drop these. Prices overall are a bit high for fairly standard food.

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We came here for a group lunch. Matchbox has lots of seating and is good for large groups. They had…read morelarge tv screens showing the latest sports news. The atmosphere was lively during a weekday lunch. They also had WiFi available. They have a $15 lunch special where you can get a small personal pizza and a cup of soup or side salad. I ordered the grilled chicken and avocado sandwich ($19) which comes with a side of fries and a pickle spear. It was just okay. They serve shoestring fries - just like McDonalds, but not as golden and not as crispy. The sandwich had good structure and was filling, but the chicken was bland and dry. I could've used some more sauce. I think I'm used to Nando's chicken which is moister and full of saucy flavor. Other people at the table ordered the fish and chips ($24) which looked good - it came with two large, meaty pieces of cod and the same shoestring fries. Also on the menu - Matchbox now serves sushi! Service was sufficient but a little absentminded, particularly for drinks. Some people never got their water (I think she forgot) and drinks were never refilled - cups were empty. We were checked on a couple of times, but drink service was often overlooked. Food trickled out for our group. It came in about three waves. It was a reasonable wait (nothing offensively long), but it's always nice when the food comes out at the same time, or when some verbal acknowledgement is given to say that everyone's food would be out shortly. I would say food and service were average overall.

Mitsitam Cafe - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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