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    Sweet Home Cafe

    3.5 (368 reviews)
    ModerateCafes, American
    Closed 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

    Sweet Home Cafe Photos

    SWEET HOME CAFE ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Sweet Home Cafe

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    Great food. But cost way too much!   In the plate from left to right: fried catfish, collard greens, mac and cheese, pulled pork
    Taylor L.

    TL;DR: Great food, but pricey. Lines can get long so pack your patience when you come. The African American History Museum is one of the best museums in DC. Not just because the exhibits are well-detailed, but because of the food served up at Sweet Home Cafe! The museum itself (review coming soon) is massive, and it can easily take you an entire day to see just half of it. But this review is about the cafeteria. It's a great place to eat food. I decided to go during the halfway point of my visit. Not the best time considering lunch rush. But it felt like a slap in the face as I got reservation tickets for lunch, yet people without one had to wait in the same long line!! No matter, I was hungry and excited. I was going to get the fried chicken and two sides, but one of the employees mentioned that the fish of the day was fried catfish (yippee!!!), so I opted to get the two sides (collards and mac), but then I saw they had BBQ pulled pork and that suckered me in. Then I got some catfish and a bottle of coke . In total my meal cost over $45 (yikes!) but the food was yummy! Collards needed some salt and pepper for taste but everything else was well seasoned! Despite how busy it was there was actually plenty of seating. The cafeteria also looked like it was apart of the museum. I always hate when cafes and cafeterias doesn't fit the museum they're placed in. Not Sweet Home Cafe. It was pretty big and reminded me a lot of my college campus dining area (not in a bad way). Def will be back (and hopefully the not to burn a bigger hole in my pocket!)

    Feast!
    Rachel B.

    Impressive cafeteria for a museum! They offer an assortment of southern and soul foods. I really enjoyed the fried chicken tenders, mac n cheese, collards, fried catfish and carrot cake. We splurged and ordered way too much food. It was a feast, and we felt like we had to walk it off and spend another hour walking around the museum after lunch. At the dining hall, you order at the counters. There are various lines for the different offerings. Then you bring your tray to the checkout line. There was a long line just to get into the cafeteria, but it was worth it for us! We really enjoyed the food! There was plenty of seating available once you get through the checkout.

    Denise J.

    Sweet Home Cafe is located inside of the National Museum of African American History and Culture on level C. Be prepared for the prices, it's quite expensive. My son ordered 3 pc Fried Chicken, sides: Mac & cheese and collard greens, One cornbread, lemonade and vanilla pound cake. It totaled 57.00. I like my food hot and the food was barely warm. We shared the food and it was just "OK" The setup gives a cafeteria feel. Theres plenty of seating. All the staff were patient, helpful and kind.

    Fried chicken plate with mac and cheese and collards, smoked pork with beans and cole slaw
    Natalie Z.

    I was pleasantly surprised by Sweet Home Cafe after seeing a lot of middling reviews. My partner and I ordered fried chicken with a side of mac and cheese and collars, as well as some kind of BBQ pork with beans and cole slaw. For dessert, we got a slice of sweet potato pie and banana pudding. The good: The chicken was very crispy and had a perfect layer of batter on it. Collards were a little over-salted but had the umami of bitter greens I love. All of the other sides were pretty standard and paired well with our meal. The pork was not dripping in sweet sauce (which I prefer) and was tender. We also got to try it with a few sauces, I believe we tried something akin to a Carolina Gold BBQ sauce. It was really good! The mid: The banana pudding was definitely made from some kind of Jell-O satchel and had a very prominent artificial banana flavor. I didn't hate it, but to charge over $5 for that is a choice. The sweet potato pie tasted like it was bought from a grocery store and had one of those crackery, pre-made crusts. Not bad at all for a museum cafe, especially when so many serve premade, limp sandwiches for the same amount of money.

    This was a horrible experience 2 pounds of water melon costed 30 dollars which could have gotten about 10 watermelons at the store. Never again!

    Maritza R.

    Someone's grandmother is cooking. This food was the best home cooked soul food ever in life! And it was at a cafeteria style cafe. There were so many options we had to try a little of everything! The service was impeccable. Everyone was friendly and helpful in directing us which was to go. We throughly enjoyed everything we had.

    Jay S.

    I wanted to give this spot a try, even with the mixed reviews on social media. The soul food section was overpriced and didn't deliver. The line was long but kept moving. While waiting, I noticed--along with a few others--the portion sizes weren't consistent. The man serving was loading the sides up, almost to the point of spilling over. The woman, on the other hand, was real stingy. Barely filled the bowls. That's a problem. The food wasn't cheap either. I went with the sides trio: mac and cheese, collard greens, and potato salad. The greens were solid--seasoned right. Everything else? Just okay. I wouldn't go back, and I wouldn't tell anybody else to go either. Grab a soda and a cookie to show some support, then keep it moving. Management needs to tighten up on training--make sure staff knows how to serve and keep it consistent.

    Fried chicken, potato salad, corn bread, and a Coke Zero.
    Hayley H.

    Not to bad for a museum cafe! After walking around the museum for hours, this was a great spot to sit and enjoy lunch. I got the fried chicken (two pieces) with potato salad and corn bread, along with a fountain drink - Coke Zero. Fountain drinks came with free refills. The chicken was delicious! No food or drinks are allowed to leave the cafe, so you'll need to finish everything before leaving. The bottled drinks were limited - Coke, Diet Coke, and Fanta. I was hoping for a bottled Coke Zero. The eating area was quite a mess. I think a few school groups had just been through.

    Sy L.

    This is my second visit to the African American History museum and made sure that I visited the restaurant Sweet Home Cafe ( located inside of the museum). When I walked by at 11am there was no line. When I came back at 12pm there was a long line ( but it moved quickly). When you make it inside grab a lunch tray and decide what type of food that you want and get in that line. I chose the Agricultural South line and ordered Mac n cheese, greens, and fried chicken. I got in the dessert line for a slice of sweet potato pie. The greens need to cook longer although I know they are trying to turn around the food quickly to feed abundant amount of people. The Mac n cheese was okay while hot but when it hit warm it wasn't so good. The chicken and pie were the best tasting items from what I ordered.

    Pastry Chef book signing and pie at the museum/cafe
    Zaria S.

    It was great! However I primarily was there to try Paola Velez's bakes! The Pastry Chef was at the museum for a book signing and I tried her Carrot Buttermilk Pie. Delish! I did try the cafe's fried chicken and Mac and cheese which were both very much on point! My review lost a star though, because the restaurant doesn't give out to-go boxes(?) I only found that out while checking out at the cash register, purchasing extra sweet treats to bring home. I had to throw food away... So, bring a small food container with you if you want to bring home a sweet treat or something. But all in all, I would recommend getting your meal here if you visit the museum. Very good food.

    Chicken and Mac N Cheese
    Latrese P.

    I kept seeing this place on social media and just had to try it. While in the DMV visiting again, I decided to give them a try. I arrived around 1:45pm on a Tuesday and there was no line at all. When you enter, the first station has two lines to order. I ordered chicken with Mac 'N Cheese (tasted the greens from my daughters plate). I didn't really see anything else that caught my eye at the other station. After you get your entree you pay then self seat like cafeteria style. There's plenty of seating. My meal was ok...I wouldn't make a special trip just to go there like I did.

    Dr. Shannon W.

    Stopped here for lunch after walking around the museum for several hours. They have 4 lines: fried chicken and sides, fried fish/chicken tenders/bbq chicken/bbq ribs line with different sides from the fried chicken line, a dessert line, and a pasta line. I would call the food decent. We were advised prior to our visit to stick with what was safe. I got the fried chicken and it was really good. Well seasoned! My sides were the collard greens and the mac and cheese and I would give them both a B grade. My friend got the ribs and they were not good. Maybe a C. Their baked beans and potato salad were also not good. The beans were still hard but drowned in sauce and the potato salad was just ehh. Not so good. Sweet potato pie was a B. Ambiance was nice. The dining room was full of exhibit materials that were food related. But overall, I would recommend it for a lunch stop as a part of the museum's experience. Just stick to what's safe!

    Tiara B.

    Decided to finally try the Sweet Home Cafe while visiting the museum after seeing a lot of recent reviews on Instagram. As a disclaimer, the food here will not taste like your auntie or grandma from the south. Please do not go in with that expectation or you'll be disappointed lol. Overall, I thought the food was decent. My boyfriend and I had the fried fish which came with two pieces, collard greens, and mac & cheese. Food and drinks were pricey for two. Besides the bottled water, no food or drinks are allowed outside of the café. There is a large dining area, which was a plus since there were a lot of school groups present.

    Fried chicken, Mac and cheese, collard greens

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    The line was very long to get in. It was fine, the portions were good, but truly not soul food, at least not southern.

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    Page 1 of 10

    Sweet Home Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Sweet Home Cafe

    Do they have outdoor seating?

    I didn't see any outdoor seating. sweet home Café in the Smithsonian African-American Museum looks like a huge school cafeteria with 4 different food stations, a couple of cash registers, and hundreds of rectangular tables side-by-side.

    If I have a 12:30 pass may I eat lunch before?

    If you ask the staff, there is a good chance that you could eat earlier, especially if there aren't crowds. The cafe would welcome the business.

    Do you have to go through the museum in order to eat at the cafe?

    You cannot gain access to the restaurant unless you have a ticket for that day and have entered the museum. It's a major flaw in the design that you can't access food or the gift shop without having a timed entry ticket.

    Do they offer their full menu until they close at 5pm? The site says lunch is just until 3pm...

    Believe the site, but I think there is still coffee, beverages, maybe desserts.

    I have an 11:30 ticket to the museum; can I eat breakfast there beforehand?

    With a 11:30 pass you cannot enter the museum until that time. Lunch starts at 11:00. Breakfast will be over. You will not be able to eat breakfast at Sweet Home Cafe.

    View All 6 Questions

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    Sweet Home Cafe - cafes - Updated May 2026

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