NHM Grill

The food was fine, the ladies behind the counter were so friendly and the ketchup!!! They had jalapeño and Cajun style ketchups! Asked the gal where we could get some and she says they make it themselves. They gave me some of their special hot sauce to make my own which was so nice.

Beware, Its is museum price food, make sure not to get caught in the confusion of distribution of food

I wouldn’t come back to eat the actual cooked food here. It was bland down to every piece of each item, resulting in a plain meal. I can’t say that I expected superb cuisine from a museum café, but the price really isn’t worth it. You’re better off packing a lunch to eat here, or just buying a bag of Chex Mix to snack on instead. There are extra tables outside of the café, but still indoor, if you find yourself without somewhere to sit. While sitting here, we spotted two comedians with their kids. We didn’t say anything, as they sat further away from the café, but I would imagine that this is a good place to spot some low key celebs if you’re lucky.

standard, predictable museum food…
after a late breakfast, hubby and i headed to the nhm for a couple of hours, then got a little hungry. with dinner several hours away, we decided to pop into the restaurant/​café on the ground floor to see what they had for us to munch on, hoping that whatever they had would at least tie us over til dinnertime.
unfortunately, since it was closer to 4pm, no hot food was to be seen, despite the made to order food signs above the cashiers’ station. i did see that there was a variety of cold sandwiches and salads and fruit available in the refrigerated section, so i grabbed a chicken chipotle wrap that appeared big enough for the 2 of us to share. note that they also had chips and crackers and other packaged, non-​perishable goods on display.
for $ 8, i had a generously sized tortilla wrap filled with lots of grilled chicken strips, tomatoes, and lettuce. the chipotle dressing was put in a small container so i could add as little or as much as i wanted. for me, i just wanted a little to taste, for hubby, he opted to take a «lot» and poured most of the dressing on his half. life is good!
not a bad option for a quick lunch or snack while visiting the nhm as prices were reasonably high, but not ridiculously, insanely high, like some other tourist traps. and they do accept credit cards!

Great little café to grab a salad or something from the grill. They have indoor seating but have a large patio with sunshades to keep things cool during the summer heat. Nice selection of kid-​sized desserts.

I had a pleasant experience here. At first my boyfriend and I were turned off because of a couple of negative reviews, but we were starving! It was extremely empty considering it was a Saturday. Maybe it was because we went during the late afternoon. Anyway, the person taking our order was courteous and took our order quickly. We sat down to wait for our meal and it took no longer than 5 – 7 minutes. The tables and chairs were clean, and the personnel cleaning was working very diligently.
The food was made quick and was nice and warm. I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich and it included fries. The chicken tastes citrus like. I was hoping it would be more juicy but u can’t really complain. The portions are appropriate for the price.

The bacon cheddar cheese burger with fried were good! It was a very pleasant surprise. The bacon was nice and thick, and the beef patty was nice and juicy. It was a big portion for a café! Haha. I definitely liked the snack choices they offered. Seasonal fruit ready to go, organic juices, healthy salads and sandwiches too. There’s indoor and out door seating and everything is serve yourself-​type-​of place. Casual and reliable!
Felt that the portion of the kids Mac n cheese was too big though.

Located downstairs at the Natural History Museum with seating both inside and outside, the NHM Grill does its job. It has decent food that is somewhat made to order and seems reasonably fresh at prices that aren’t outrageous for a museum restaurant in pleasant, well lit surroundings. We waited in line, and placed our orders: Chinese Salad for AC, hot dog for aC, and a grilled chicken sandwich for me. We waited for 5 – 10 minutes until our buzzer vibrated and voila. The chicken wasn’t dried out and the fries were hot and crispy. The best part about the meal was the variety of ketchups (regular, Cajun, and jalapeño). The Cajun is where it’s at and I’d definitely recommend it!
If you think the prices here are too high ($ 8-​$ 10 for a salad or burger/​sandwich with fries) you can hit up the McDonald’s connected to the Science Center or you can go for a little walk down to Pizza Studio on Fig.

Their fresh soft baked cookies are good!

The food was much better than I expected and the variety and quality were decent, too.
Lots of outdoor patio seating but there are places to dine inside, too. On a nice day, the patio is very pleasant.
Everything appears to be cooked fresh to order (although they have a selection of pre-​made stuff in the refrigerated section). I saw a salad of some type that was massive and looked very fresh. The giant plate of nachos someone else was enjoying looked decadent.
The grilled chicken bacon sandwich, with fries, was plenty for two of us to split, and it was very good. For almost $ 10, yes, it is on the high side, but it was fresh and was lunch enough for two moderately hungry adults. By that standard, it’s a good deal.
I also loved the massive selection of drinks, chips and other snacks. It is like a mini-​grocery store.
Tons of different ketchups, too. Cajun ketchup? A little odd but I liked it. Jalapeño ketchup? Not bad, either. Hey, give ‘em points for trying. It’s not just a bunch of old ketchup packets sitting around.
I’ve seen a lot of museum cafes in my time and this one beats most of ‘em. That’s the competition, folks, so don’t necessarily trust all the reviewers until you see and try the place for yourself.
By the way, you aren’t supposed to bring in outside food and drink to the musuem (although they don’t check bags). I won’t judge you if you sneak food in to save some money but this café is not a bad alternative.

Worthless, crappy and over-​expensive café. $ 2.50 for a disgusting, tasteless, made 6 hours ago coffee :-(Get your own food from home but don’t buy any food here.

My family and I visited this weekend.
The café is on the bottom floor of the Natural History Museum, next to the nature center and opens outside to the grassy amphitheater.
There are at least 20 tables of four outside under modern umbrellas, and bright green stokke brand high chairs in plenty supply for the children. The straps were difficult to adjust and they needed a cleaning. However, nothing antibacterial wipes did not quickly take care of.
The menu is well represented by the picture taken on May 2013, by another member.
I had the chicken breast sandwich with bacon and my family had the shredded beef sandwich and french fries. The order was taken by a somewhat overwhelmed young man whose first language was mumbling. I was given a buzzer to let me know when my order was ready. He did get my order slightly wrong, but nothing enough to anger me to change it. There was a soda fountain, with 1 refill requested. There were many beverages, bottled water types, chips and ice cream confections available too.
Food was serviceable and the fries were the type with a potato starch on them. They came out crispy and well seasoned to the satisfaction of my family. The chicken and beef sandwiches were not dry and there were plenty of condiments including a cajun or jalapeño ketchup to spice up the sandwiches.
It was a nice day outside and it was nice to be able to get back to the museum. We cleaned up after ourselves to enjoy the dinosaur exhibit.

pretty terrible food greasy lazy lame
the museum should really do better than this junk…

I ordered the cheeseburger, my husband got the swiss avocado burger, and my godbrother ordered a bacon cheese burger. All three burgers were tasty and I thought the fries were really good. The burgers were fresh to order and the avocado looked fresh, too. Overall, it was exactly what I was expecting for a mid-​day meal at a museum. There is plenty of places to sit inside the café as they remodel their outdoor dining area. It looks like they have a decent selection of «grab and go» options too.

As with most Museums and cultural institutions, the food in the cafes tend to be a bit overpriced for what you are getting and the grill at the Natural History Museum is no exception.
That being said, the food is fairly decent, with standard café fare. No bells and whistles as this is not fine dining but they do offer a variety of made to order items (both hot and cold), along with a good selection of grab and go salads, sandwiches and side items like chips, jello, cookies, fruit cups and such are available. Fountain drinks along with bottled beverages are also available.
There are large electronic menu boards outside and inside the café, making it easy to see what the options are before entering and they offer two separate lines, one for items that need to be ordered, and a grab and go line for people looking to get in and get out.
There is ample seating inside the café, though there is no outside seating and lots of construction going on, so it can be quite a bit loud in the dining area. The dining area is clean and well maintained with high chairs available for younger diners.

I wasn’t expecting much, knowing Trimana runs the joint and having had my share of negative experiences with that company (they tend to run afoul of fresh). But I was actually pleasantly surprised with my Avocado Swiss Burger. Yes, the avocado was partially grey in the center, but there was a nice chunk of it, it tasted fine, and it was later in the day. It wasn’t a deal breaker for me, and the burger was tasty and generously sized, with a tasty side of fries to accompany. It’s pricey, as expected at any museum café. But I wouldn’t mind stopping in again next time I am at NHM.

Came in today during my first trip to the museum. My boyfriend and I got hungry about half way through our trip and decided to get lunch downstairs at the museum café. The interior is pleasant and organized.
They have menu boards stationed in three locations, the first is just outside the café, the second once you walk in along the wall, and the third directly at the register.
They offer a wide selection of drinks, chips, baked goods, etc. along with pre-​made salads, sandwiches, and wraps. The pre-​made items are cheaper than the food off the menu, but doesn’t look too fresh. I checked out something with avocado on it only to discover the avocado was already brown.
After deliberation I ordered a ranch chicken sandwich on sourdough off the menu and my boyfriend ordered a cheeseburger. Each of our meals came out looking okay and each came with fries. Neither were anything to get excited over. My chicken was fairly dry so I was glad to have some ranch to add to it so I could add some more flavor.
Overall I would say it was all just okay for a $ 6 — $ 8 plate of food.

Decently priced, yummy food inside the Natural History Museum. whaaat?!
About halfway through my NHM trip my stomach notified me that if I didn’t feed it soon, it would go ahead and begin eating itself. This of course worried me because the nearest food location I remembered was McDonalds (umm. no.) at the California Science Center across Exposition Park, and I seriously try to avoid McDonalds. Then I saw a sign for the NHM Grill, and decided to check it out.
At first I was worried that it would be the usual overpriced, under-​seasoned, and greasy type food that is custom with amusement parks, but I was actually pleasantly surprised! The prices are decent, and the food is good!
I got a cheddar cheese burger for under $ 10 AND it came with fries. AND AND AND! it was good :) My mom and sister ordered off of the kid’s menu, both got a hot dog and fries (for $ 3.99), and the bf got the chicken sandwich with avocado (for 9something, which he said was delicious.
We all walked out full and content :)