The fresh brewed iced tea was great, and that counts for a lot with me. However, I was quite disappointed to find the Shirazi was not well done. I love Shirazi and used to eat it all the time at a favorite Persian restaurant. With the current issue in the country around salad/ greens, I was excited, thinking that the bulk of this dish would be the cucumber, tomato, and onion, as I have always known it to be, but in this case, it was just an American salad with a little bit of those 3 items on top--not what I was expecting. So that was a bummer. On the up side, the tomato soup was good, and they had a cake of the day--bourbon with brown butter, I believe, and that was quite tasty. read more

See all

The café feels like such a missed opportunity. A museum should inspire people, and the café should be an extension of that experience--not the most disappointing part of the visit. My scone was basically a lump of soft dough. While I had to wait to be seated by someone who clearly didn't want to be there, my waiter was an absolute delight and one of the bright spots of the visit. read more

Terrace Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Inside the Cincinnati Art Museum is a really nice Terrace Cafe to have an enjoyable upscale lunch. They have indoor and beautiful shaded outdoor terrace seating. Lylie was very nice and helped me on deciding what to order off the menu. No rushing, calm and quiet place to just relax. I had the most delicious strawberry burrata salad. It was very fresh and the tangy vinegarette was made in house. The burrata was a nice size and brought all the flavors together perfectly. A French bread accompanied the salad. read more

See all

We stopped in around 2:30 - the cafe was almost empty. We told the waiter we wanted just coffee - a cappuccino and an Americano. The Americano was cold. Like room temperature. Below is a pic of what they served as an $8 cappuccino - it tasted terrible. There were no spoons or stirrers anywhere. There was no milk cream or creamer with the Americano. When we asked for some they brought milk in a plastic cup. There were at least 5 employees standing around doing nothing. We paid $15 for two drinks we couldn't even drink it was so terrible. When we complained- just got blank stares in response. Very very disappointing. read more

Terrace Cafe - This is what they brought when we asked for cream - Cafes Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

See all

This is a nice little restaurant situated inside the Cincinnati Art Museum. It is my go to restaurant if I am seeing a play at the Playhouse. The menu is not overly big. They offer salads, sandwiches, and usually a couple of soup options. The prices are very reasonable. Weather permitting, you can sit outside. I would highly recommend this. read more

Terrace Cafe - tables and chairs in a restaurant - Cafes Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Our experience is a one and done deal for us. My daughter refused to eat any of her chicken tenders as they came out soggy and bland. My sandwich was unimpressive too so I didn't fault her for leaving it on her plate uneaten. Too bad the food quality was below average. We must have come on an off day for them as service was slow with a tour group that arrived just before we did. There are plenty of options available outside of the museum that I will go to prior to or after our visit there. read more

Wonderful experience, loved the outdoor seating! The service was great. I recommend the club sandwich and either the cold brew or hot coffee, both are delicious. read more

Terrace Cafe - panini and Chicken Club Sandwich - Cafes Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

This place surprised the hell out of me, a cafe and a museum is not a place I would expect to give five stars. But really honestly? They were five stars. it's a really simple menu, And we got very simple dishes, but neither my mom nor I were the least bit disappointed. gigantic club sandwich, a gigantic cobb salad, really light and flavorful dressings, and very fresh produce throughout. service was friendly and fast, and you can't beat the ambiance. definitely going back. read more

Terrace Cafe - Cobb salad - Cafes Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

See all

Wonderful both times I ate here! An added tear to the Museum's offerings! I have tried both the Cáptese and the Vegan sandwiches and loved every bite I wolfed down! Great salads and coffee too! read more

See all

I ordered the Smoked Gouda Grilled Cheese, and it was great! I love this little cafe in the Art Museum. It wasn't very busy when I went there, and our server was great. I will definitely be back! read more

Good food very good salad and soup. Highly recommend the shop. Dine in or outside. Service is fast nice waitress

This is such a cute and fun cafe to have a coffee, tea, or lemonade while visiting the museum. The atmosphere is generally calm and relaxing and they even have a little bar area that you can sit at if you are dining alone and want that sense of safety. However, they have limited options for plant-based eating. I ordered a veggie wrap today, told my waiter that I was vegan, and to skip the cheese and mayo and they still made it with mayo. I took two bites before I realized this and they still charged me full price for my order even though I was only able to finish the fruit. Sad and feeling the lack of empathy. read more

We were very thankful that there was an operating cafe within the museum! When we arrived there was a party of 4 on the inside and more guests in the exterior seating area. Two guests were in front of us waiting to be seated, for the place not to be packed the wait was longer than expected and the guests ahead of us were getting impatient. Seemed to be 3-4 staff working and probably needed more to be out of food prep area and serving guests. When host/server came she was nice and she sat everyone. We opted for interior table since it was way less people. Table was dirty that she sat us on, thankfully I had my own sanitizing wipes in my purse. I order the club (can't mess up a club) & hubby got the smoked brisket. I asked for dressings on side and we both wanted honey mustard but they did not have any. Server tried to accommodate with a honey vingarette. We were both pleased with sandwiches! Presented nicely and good lunch portion. Seasonal fruit was basic. My favorite was the flavored nitro cold brew!! Gave me the pick up I needed. Nice quaint spot overall. Just prefer clean tables and faster seating when a place is far from packed. read more

See all

Went to the Cincinnati Art Museum recently and was going to be there all day for Art in Bloom. Decided to have a late lunch at the Terrace Cafe with a friend. Of course it was busy, but we didn't wait an unexpectedly long time. We were seated next to the windows and it was a very nice view. If there had been an opening, then it would have been great to eat out on the patio. The soup and salad I ordered were both delicious. An added treat was the Chihuly glass art hanging in the restaurant. Fantastic touch. read more

I've had so-so experiences here. The last one was really underwhelming. I went on a Thursday, when the cafe is open late, and the staff was terriblem. They were arguing over who's table is was who's, and complaing to myself and other patrons about other staff. It was very awkward. However, on a good day, they offer lovely teas which add to the experience at the museum. They also have a pretty epic hummus plate. Service has always been slow and prices are high, but meh, I would probably order a pot of tea next time I'm here, but I'd give myself extra time and patience for the service. read more

We love the Cincinnati Art Museum and have been to the Terrace cafe before but didn't write a review then but remember everyone liking their food and at that time we had our picky kids with us. Anyway, today it was just my husband and I. He got the chicken salad with a side salad with balsamic dressing and I got the chicken verde sandwich with fruit. We finished everything and rarely do that in any restaurant. We both preferred the chicken verde sandwich as the flavors were awesome. I love that I could actually taste the garlic. This part of the country is filled with restaurants lacking flavor. Also, the chicken was great quality and everything was fresh and flavorful.... wonderful... the chicken salad sandwich was also very good and maybe we just felt like a warm sandwich more but I think, today, the flavors of the verde sandwich were ultimately some of our favorite flavors and definitely won us over. Salad just tasted fresher then other restaurant salads... balsamic was okay :) Service was great.... I loved that he didn't stop by too much or too little. He definitely knew what he is doing. We plan to visit each week until we have really seen the whole place... looking forward to trying other menu items.. thanks! A tip... go early. We got there at 11:30 am and when we were done... slightly after noon and it was getting busy on a Thursday. read more

See all

Had a disappointing visit for several reasons. It's usually much better than this. 1. Our reservation was not on the page of reservations (it was on the seating chart) which made the manager sigh. 2. Tomato soup was "at the literal end" and our cups of soup were half full. 3. Mentioned to server who told us this was it, no options. 4. Next table over got a whole bowl after us. 5. Bacon jam and Gouda sandwich proportions were way off. 6. Shrimp were cooked hard. 7. 7 people working for less than 30 diners and no one checked on our water or food. 8. Got the bill without being asked if we wanted anything else (yes, coffee, please). Server scrupulously avoided eye contact. Something was way off and I hope for better luck next time. read more

Seems to be terribly understaffed. Long lines to a slow service. However I must confess the venue here is really great. So if you're willing to pay high prices for slow service it might be okay. Keep in mind the parking here is really very limited. read more

Ehh I would never go here without a museum trip being the main attraction but we had no major complaints. Breakfast sandwich was pretty good, pleasant service though maybe a bit inattentive considering the empty restaurant. Food sat without cinnamon roll even started, had to ask for drink refill, not offered a highchair. The room atmosphere overlooking the courtyard is quite pleasing. read more

See all

You know when you go to some restaurants and they have ridiculously overpriced artwork hanging on the wall? Well here, the costs can run into the millions of dollars. Crazy... who the hell's going to buy a tiny little 12x12 pencil drawing by this (investigates signature) Picasso bloke? They say first impressions count. But enough about the French 19th Century art movement and on with my review of this groovy looking diner located in the Cincinnati Art Museum. The food has a good pedigree with a menu created by famed restauranteur David Cook (or Daveed's no less). It's quite simple - a few salads, a few sandwiches and a handful of main courses. Our experience on a busy end-of-year weekend was sub par however, our server distracted enough to entirely forget to log one of our entree choices into the order queue, leaving my wife without food whilst others tucked in. I went for the Lamb Gyro which turned out to be a massive disappointment. The lamb was cold and tasteless, the taziki sauce and limp lettuce failing to add any kind of kick. Worst of all was the Pita wrap it came in... if I was a betting man I'd say it had been sitting around waiting to get used for some considerable time. Very stale and dry. I left most of it behind on the plate, meaning I essentially paid $9 for "Next to nothing and chips". Our visitors opted for the Pot Roast Panani (verdict: "looked better than it tasted") and the Veggie Burger ("home made but an average bun") and left the restaurant satisfied but far from full of praise. It's a good looking space inside what is otherwise an excellent museum but one which should improve itself in terms of service and food choices/quality. If you are thinking of eating there be aware that spending $10 or more will reduce the museum's $4 car parking fee to zero. However, this Yelper feels there are far better alternative dining choices in Mt Adams. read more

Based on the two previous Yelp reviews, I felt confident that, while taking my mom to see the Wedded Bliss exhibit for her birthday, I could treat her to a lovely lunch, as well. And, having lived in England and visited the Tate and other museums so often, I am used to museum restaurants being a good choice for a lovely meal and ambience. We arrived at the cafe about 1:30 and it was quite busy. We gave our name to the hostess, who said it would be about "20 minutes" until a table was available...not a problem--who would mind waiting 20 minutes or so while you can look at early Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Etruscan art? We were seated within that 20 minutes, and happily sat down at a table giving my mother a view of the courtyard. We were eventually greeted by our server, who seemed frazzled, and, either irritated that she had another table, or incredibly efficient in that she didn't bother to tell us any specials, soup of the day, or that there was even wine available. Because we had waited so long for her to actually "get" to us, we had already decided on what we wanted to order, but she seemed really put out that she couldn't just take our drink order and disappear again...My mother ordered the Red Wine Pot Roast, and I ordered the Terrace Chicken Salad with a cup of the creamy tomato soup. The soup was brought first, and while it was creamy, it was entirely too sweet. I love tomato soup of all types of , from bits of basil and parmesan, chunky, smooth, to simply old cream of tomato, but this entirely too sweet and I couldn't finish it. We had both sort of "saved" ourselves for this lunch treat, so by the time the lunch entrees arrived, we were very hungry. My chicken salad was fine--less enticing than the menu description, but still, all in all, a safe bet for lunch. My mother's pot roast wasn't so great--the celery was crunchy, and the meat was chewy--a sure sign of a rush job in the kitchen. There was ONE small bit of carrot floating around in the broth. Also, there was no accompanyment...no crackers, no bread, nothing to sop up what little broth there was left. It was about this time that I looked around to notice ladies drinking wine and wondered if it was only that people who "looked" like they might tip well got better service? Our server came back around when we were finished to ask if we wanted dessert, and made a comment about "things slowing down finally so I'm a lot happier, now!" and we simply asked for the bill. $28.79 plus a tip, we left hungry, and now know that, next time, we'll probably eat elsewhere BEFORE coming to the museum. read more

Attended Mother's Day brunch here yesterday and received excellent food and service. It was a three course set menu which included slow roasted tomato and ricotta frittata, two different kinds of colossal shrimp on top of greens and polenta with pesto and balsamic reductions, and lastly Neapolitan cinnamon French toast with strawberries and plantains. All of this was accompanied by a delicious blood orange mimosa. It was a great brunch that my entire party enjoyed in a wonderful atmosphere of the Cincinnati Art Museum. read more

Terrace Cafe - Jumbo shrimp on polenta cake - Cafes Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

See all

All my previous experiences with the Terrace Café have been pleasant, however, yesterday was another matter. Upon arrival I placed a take out order, and then walked around the museum while my food was being prepared. I returned ten minutes later, and paid for my food ($23.00 for two sandwiches) via credit card. Since it was take out, my initial thought was to not leave a tip, but instead I left two dollars. Upon inspecting my statement online that evening, I was surprised to find that I had been charged a full 20% tip, bringing the total to $27.60. I signed $25.00 on my bill, and that's what I should have been charged. Isn't that stealing? I hate to bitch over $2.60, but isn't it the principle? It's as if the hostess was disappointed with what I left, and decided to take it upon herself to correct the tip. That's not how it works! This experience has soured me on the Terrace Café. I will not be returning there. read more

I ate here twice over the Christmas and New Year holidays. The first time we went was on the 23rd December and although it was crowded, the service was swift and the food was good (although very expensive). My friend got the vegetable fritters and I got a devilled egg. There were three generously sized fritters, and he shared one with me, as my egg was pretty meh. I then returned on the 28th December with another friend and the place was in chaos. Wait staff were jumping behind the grill to cook and the front-of-house was delivering food. We could see they were understaffed so we were intent on being patient. However, it took 15 minutes for our order to be taken, and another 15 minutes for it to be delivered. We both ordered the vegetable fritters, at my recommendation. Big mistake. Instead of three good-sized fritters as had been served only five days before, we were given TWO miniscule fritters that had been cut in half (to give the appearance of four... nice try), along with about five cherry tomatoes. The meal had been microwaved and was tough and not really edible. To be charged $26 for two fritters and a few tomatoes and watery Coke, we cannot recommend this place. We will not be returning. read more

I see there are quite a lot of bad reviews -- perhaps they have seen those and worked on improving. I had lunch there with a friend -- we had a reservation, which was in their records. She had the black bean burger and said it was good ; I had the lamb gyro and I enjoyed it. They were not particularly busy and we had prompt service. I seems like the cafe is a bit of "hit or miss" but, I would go back. read more

I would love to give a 4 star rating, because I have been to the Terrace Cafe many times before, and even enjoyed the food but not today. I arrived at 12:30 with a reservation, knowing that it would be crowded and that a reservation would be necessary. I was with my mother, sister and aunt. After waiting for them to reset and prepare our table it was clear that there was no hostess on shift, because 4 different people kept frantically asking if we had been helped or if we had a reservation. We arrived at our table, and after about 7 minutes were told by our server that it would be a minute until she could take our drink order. About 8 minutes later she finally rushed over and said 'sorry we're so busy, yeah sorry.' After 15 minutes we finally ordered. Taking absolutely no time to tell us about the specials or to ask how we were doing she just scribbled down our orders. Turns out she didn't write them correctly, when the food arrived she had ordered the wrong salad for my sister, given my mother the wrong side with her sandwich, and also had no idea who had ordered what (talk about unprepared to serve food). My salad was smaller than the side salad my aunt had ordered, and was half rotten. The spinach leaves were slimy and black. I commented on the size of the salad immediately, instead of acknowledging me she refused to make eye-contact and abruptly left. She came back to the table to slam down my Mother's fruit salad - complete with a rotten grape, and skipped to the next table. Angry and hungry I raised my arm and flagged her back "I am not satisfied with this salad, and would like to send it back." Dumbfounded she looked at me and said "Oh do you want the same thing?" I was not ready to give the spinach a second chance so I ordered the chicken salad and asked to hold the chicken (I'm vegetarian). When she brought the salad it looked much better and I enjoyed it, she never once asked how things were for any of us or how the food was or if we needed anything. The one time she did come back to the table after serving the second salad to me, she said in a patronizing way, "Do you like that better now?" The experience was frustrating and very uncomfortable. As someone who works in the service industry it takes a lot for me to send back a dish, and to write a negative comment, I know how hard it is to be a server, but I never take my frustrations out on customers. Wishing I had something better to write! read more

This cafe has one of the most lovely outdoor seating places in the city. It is really pleasant, though I do miss the fountain. With large windows offering a view of the courtyard, the inside is not so bad either. Though this time they had the walls decorated with absolute horrific art. The terrible bunny "art" on the wall can only be described as art by the insane, painted for the insane (I would name the artist, but I don't want to give him any advertising). I was with some other artists and we almost fought over who got to be seated so as not to have to face at that tacky wall of garbage. The service was better than usual this day. It is often suspect. My issue was with the roasted veggie melt. It was just kind of slimy and did not really have the flavor of roasted veggies. There were olives on it which took over and make it kind of tart. Maybe the sandwich was made special to go with the art on the wall? With the art and the unpleasant sandwich, all that was left to make it more of an assault on the senses would be if the curator of the art had been poking me with a stick while screaming as loud as possible. I will come back in good weather when I can sit outside, but may have to be a bit more selective at my menu choice, like simple grilled cheese with soup. read more

First of all, let me just say that the view outside of this cafe is beautiful. As someone who has been a huge fan of eating at museums, the view from this cafe has to be one of my favorites thus far. Unfortunately, the food and the service was unsatisfying. My friend and I ordered tomato soup and caprese salad to share between the both of us. The tomato soup was rather acidic and the caprese salad was unacceptable. The Caprese salad came with store-bought sliced cheese, avocados that appeared to have come from a can and a fuschia pink vinegrette made with rasberries and lime. Therefore, I was very dissapointed in not only the dish, but the service and quality as well. read more

Terrace Cafe - The unconventional Caprese Salad - Cafes Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

The Terrace Cafe is an undiscovered oasis in Cincinnati. As you stroll past the gorgeous Joan Miro painting you'll have your choice of dining indoors on the terrace or along the beautiful gardens. I settled in with an ice tea that along with refills only set me back a buck. When seated on the top level of the outdoor terrace you'll have a view of a peaceful and well appointed garden, and free access to wifi. Forget the internet cafes - head to the Terrace Cafe at the Cincinnati Art Museum for your office away from the office. (By the way, the Museum is free so you're all set). read more

The Terrace Cafe is always relaxing, sophisticated and reasonable. The staff is helpful and attentive and the food is great. I had the Terrace Cobb salad, and it was a meal. $8.50 was a little high, but it was filling, and you don't feel sick afterwards, like if you ordered the Monte Cristo at Bennigans, which I'd still do, anyway. read more

I ordered hot tea, listed for $4 in the menu. Was charged $2 for hot beverage and $4 for tea. Asked why the $2, it was for the water.(they did not bring extra water or anything). Me and husband had sandwiches, waitress asks: It comes with soup, salad, chips, what do you prefer? We asked for a cup of soup each. Mine was $2, husband's $4. We thought it was included based on the way the waitress asked the question. Anyway. why the price difference? Because the husband's sandwich came with a side of BROCCOLI!!!! Is Terrace Cafe dabbling in absurd theater or what? read more

Stopped by for lunch today just me. Service was wonderful I was seated immediately and my waiter Ellis was very kind, responsive and a great listener. The food was not memorable. I had the club and was not very impressed for a $11 sandwich. read more

Great Food. Wonderful Service. Hostess needs help. Arrived on Sunday about 11:30 am; party of eight. Did not have a reservation. While the restaurant appeared 90% empty, the hostess was frazzled that we had shown up without a reservation. She said we would likely need to sit at more that one table - not a problem with us. Then it got a bit irritating as she struggled to determine how to divide a group of 8 into more than table. After about 5 mins of this, we were seated at an 8 top (grateful for that). Food was wonderful and service staff were friendly and attentive. Make a reservation; it isn't fun watching people struggle with simple tasks. read more

Delightful experience at this cafe. Veg soup hearty & flavorful. Bahn Mi was spicy and delicious. Kind of pricey but portions were ample and it goes to a great cause. read more

I heard about this place and how great the food is and finally tried it out. The food was indeed good, albeit not extremely memorable, as I don't even remember exactly which salad I had. The key lime pie was delicious though. I just didn't really like the atmosphere, it was kind of messy, disorganized, nothing special. read more

Better than expected, being attached to the museum and all. We ordered the turkey club and the Ruben, both were very good. But when I saw their salads I regretted not ordering one. read more

We wanted to eat here but were told that it would be an hour until a table became available. Half the tables were empty and had reserved signs on them. A woman who came to the front of the long line told the hostess her party had a reservation and the hostess sent her back to the back of the line to wait. This was noon on a Thursday and no one had been served food yet though they had been open for an hour. The hostess was rude, not bothering to look at me as I spoke to her. We were glad to leave and do not see ourselves returning. read more

Charming atmosphere with the art and the view outside the windows but the service was terrible. I waited at least 15 minutes to even have a waitress approach my table (which only happened after I flagged someone down), food then came out at a reasonable speed, but then sat another 20 minutes AFTER finishing just waiting for my waitress to offer me the bill. I tried to have my credit card ready but the check was placed on the table so fast that I couldn't just hand it to her in that moment so then there was more waiting (maybe another 10-15 mins or so before asking another server for help). To top off the experience, I received the bill without a pen to sign with. I had the black and blu chicken sandwich with a side salad...the salad veggies were fresh but the sandwich was not that exciting since the chicken tasted too dry. Frustrating visit. read more

Very disappointing visit today after viewing the Terracotta soldier exhibit. We were seated promptly then a long delay before anyone acknowledged us and brought us drinks. Another wait and our order was taken. A LONG wait and we finally got our food. Not sure the big delay-we ordered a club sandwich, a salad and a veggie burger. Meanwhile we're out of water, finally caught the hostess and she refilled our water. Food finally came-sandwiches were fine. The $14 Caprese salad was so over-salted that it could not be eaten. Returned it but my daughter opted for nothing to replace it. Our waitress finally returned and left the check-no offer of coffee or dessert. I asked for the salad to be taken off our bill-she "had to ask her manager". She returned and said they could give us a "discount". We were given $5 off our bill for the problem with the salad. However in my view a $14 salad should be pretty good! Overall, very nice setting with beautiful outdoor seating as well. Unfortunately the service and food does not measure up. The servers are all standing around chatting waiting for food to come up. Management needs to up their game. Not sure if the problem is management or training but improvement is needed. read more