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Tue-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
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tasty, affordable museum food. i've also been to the Restaurant at the Getty as well, but the cafe is where it's at.
my go-to is the portabello mushroom sandwich - a grilled portabello mushroom marinated in balsamic vinegar, fresh mozzarella, and pesto mayo on a grilled bun. yum. add onion rings or sweet potato fries for an extra $2.
get your made to order grub, sit outside, and enjoy the view and sunshine.
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2 to 3 stars for the Getty Center cafe. There were both positives and negatives.
Positives:
--The outdoor dining area. Very nice and comfortable with a great view.
--Food quality was a little better than other similar food courts out there. I went with the meatball sandwich, which was actually decent with a good bread (my only complaint was that it could have been hotter and a little more appetizing to look at). The homemade chips and salsa were okay (chips were very hearty).
Negatives:
--It was a little pricey for what you get (chips and salsa ran almost $4, and the meatball sandwich, with nothing else, was like $8).
--Tried out the rice krispie treats for a little dessert; I would pass on them next time.
You could do worse than their little cafe here. Though due to the nice picnic areas around, I think it would be better to just bring in your own food (like you would at the Hollywood Bowl). I know that you cannot bring alcoholic beverages into the Getty Center, but I think food is okay. You can purchase beer and wine at the cafe.
I go to the Getty Center two or three times a year and one of the things
I looked forward to was eating at their Garden Cafe. A bit pricey but
worth because of the quality ingredients and fresh flavors.
This last weekend I was shocked to find that the greens on my salad
were wilted and the peach slices browned. The so-called citrus dressing was so tasteless I had to augment it with juice from some lemon slices.
My companions were equally disappointed. My sons complained that
the meatball sandwich at Subway had more flavor at almost half the
price. I can only imagine that there must be new management and/or
cost-cutting involved. I'm going to the Getty Villa next month and hope that I won't find that same thing has happened there.
Surprisingly good. There are a lot of options here. Skipping breakfast I had the chipotle beef burrito. It is sad to report this but it was more flavorful than most of the mexican restaurants in LA. Their tamatillo salsa is good too.
They are not afraid of salt, but the also don't overdo it.
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Veggie sandwich: SOGGY. I can put up with many things, but a soggy sandwich is not one.
Brownie: slightly stale.
Salad: barely average. Weird-tasting dressing.
Beverages: expensive.
Yeah, pack a lunch.
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It was early afternoon on a beautiful Los Angeles day, one of those rare days where you can actually see to the ocean and the buildings from the museum as more than light brown outlines against the sky. This was one of those rare days where the temperature is warm and there is a light breeze sweetening the air. My date and I were already overwhelmed by the amazing architecture and exhibits at the museum and decided we would grab a bite to eat and some wine to enjoy in the garden.
I expected the food, like the food from most museum grills I've been to, to be mediocre and the wine to be expensive. I was happily disappointed.
We arrived late in the afternoon so we had to order from the grill. The chicken sandwich we shared was terrific and the full sized chilled bottle of California white chardonnay we shared was inexpensive and sublime in the afternoon sun with the light ocean breeze and we were satisfied and explored the secret little places and exhibits on intoxicated clouds of joy.
As we traveled back to the lower levels of reality in the chilled tram and I watched the shadows grow across the vineyards and the sun throw it's final brilliant colors across the sky I quietly thanked the heavens for this little cafe that helped turn an already wonderful day in to something unforgettable.
It has been several years since I've been to the Getty Center and that day still burns in my mind like it was yesterday.
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this food is terrible. Give me normal food or something cool for visiting.
Overpriced.
Blech.
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Compared to most museum fare, this is awesome!
with different stations to fill your tummy, you can't go wrong. and free refills on soda. AND they have cherry coke!!!!!!!
i had the soft tacos here and they were bomb. soo damn good!
service here is friendly and fast.
reasonable prices considering most museums will overcharge you for a sandwich that wont be as good.
this cafe is soo awesome. they serve alcohol too!
the cafeteria setting is cool, not the stuffy atmosphere with old snobby artsy folks talking, but just normal ppl enjoying a quick meal before heading to look at the wonders the Getty has to offer.
As a representative of BAMCO (Whom is Bon Appetit Management), I work at the Cafe and will absolutely give my approval ratings on the Cafe.
First off, the Cafe makes you feel like you're back in high school for the exception of healthy, wise, and fresh selections. You have choices; in foods, styles of food, genres, and taste.
We vary in selection such as latin, european, asian, american, but mostly we provide such healthy environment that your taste buds will go nuts.
What i love most is the support from local farms and we take part in local green to help our beautiful earth.
Ive read reviews and everyone is absolutely correct, wanna take a break from traffic smog and chaos? Come to the Getty Cafe for a crisp nice fresh air atmosphere with such beautiful view.
Bon Appetit!
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I was surprised at the numerous and healthy options available here at the Getty Cafe. The prices are pretty decent too.
I like the setting....lots of windows with flowers outside and views of L.A. Absolutely stunning!
I liked how they had different lines for different sections: American, Italian, etc.
As another Yelper already said, the moving belt for the trays is too awesome!
If you're ever at the Getty, I suggest eating here for a great afternoon lunch.
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The café up there is overpriced and the food tends to be bland. Getty outsources the café and restaurant to a company that provide cafeteria services to other museums and corporations. The café has a strategic advantage in that once you are up there you have no other options but the café and restaurant. You are better off visiting the museum, maybe having a snack at the café and planning on a meal in Santa Monica, Westwood or Malibu. Another option is a picnic up there.
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I actually really liked this place. The view is pretty awesome and the food was better than I expected. My friend and I had the Crab Benedict and the Cobb Salad. First the Benedict - the crab portion of it was amazing! Even the muffin part was delicious. The eggs were over-poached, but the crab made up for it.
As for the salad, you can't really mess up a salad. I typically don't like bleu cheese and only got the salad bc my friend wanted it. She said she thought the bleu cheese was a little overpowering, but I took most of it off of my salad so mine was fine.
The service was pretty good as well. So overall, great experience. I don't typically give five stars unless I absolutely love the place, hence the four stars :)
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I lived in downtown LA for 3 months for business recently - 7th & Bixel representin'! On my off-days, my non-driving ass would actually hightail it over to the Getty Museum. Notsomuch for the small and rotating collection, but for the mountain views...and the food.
Hands down, *BEST* museum food I've ever eaten in my life.
The grilled chicken club was so damn fresh and flavorful, I coulda sworn they just killed the bird and the hog that were on my plate. The panoramic views were lovely and complimented the mini bottle of wine or two that I indulged in at sunset.
Maybe...someday...I'll be proposed to on one of the faboulous lawns, and then we'll have an engagement party catered by the cafe...
A girl can dream...
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This is like my campus dining hall but 3,427 times prettier, healthier, and yummier.
After the claustrophobic experience of finding parking, going from P5 (and every other floor on the way up) to poorly ventilated tram crammed with people, the bright, clean, airy cafe was a delicious prelude to the sensory delight that is the Getty.
I thought that the food would be boring and overpriced but there were so many different options (Asian, deli, Mexican, salad bar, packaged foods, snacks, desserts, coffee, pastas) and considering the portions (huge!), I'd say it was pretty darn cheap ($16 for 2 people: veg burrito, soda, side of sweet potato fries, taco salad)! And it was fresh and yummy to boot! I devoured half of my veggie burrito and a couple of sweet potato fries and I was more than prepared to take on a day at the Getty at a leisurely pace.
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Great selection and and great food! I had the BLT wrap on a spinach tortilla from the "deli" section. It was delicious! The lady there making it was cool and let me have half salad and half cous cous. All their stuff looked yummy. The cafe has all sorts of food from sandwiches, to pizza, Mexican food, grilled chicken, etc. They also have a good drink selection. You can get anything from soda, to wine, and frozen smoothie drinks. The indoor seating area is really nice with windows all over to see the views. Prices are so-so but for the portions you get it's not bad at all.
Oh BTW...I thought it is so cool that when you are done you take your tray to a moving tray conveyor belt that pulls it through a little opening and into the kitchen area...it's like the best part! haha :)
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We were originally planning on eating at the Restaurant, but we didn't plan ahead and it was completely booked. Apparently the Getty is a popular destination every day, even on Easter Sunday. So instead we ate at the Garden Terrace Cafe. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed my lunch.
I had the seared ahi tuna salad, which was three pieces of tender tuna on a bed of field greens with steamed green beans, olives, caper berries, small white beans, and a lemony vinaigrette on the side. It tasted fresh and delicious. I also got a pretzel roll and a fresh-brewed iced tea. Even though the cafe is basically a cafeteria-style restaurant, the quality of the food was just as good as at a sit-down place. They also had other salads, soups, and sandwiches to choose from.
The outdoor seating has a great view of the gardens below and is perfect for people watching. You can also get some of the same salads and sandwiches from the coffee carts around the Getty, but I prefer the Terrace Cafe setting. I was really glad we got a table in the shade since it was 85 degrees today. Yikes!
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I love the Getty. I thoroughly enjoy the tram ride, the views of LA, the exhibits and the neatly landscaped grounds, but the biggest draw for me is their food court! Their menu changes up quite often and I usually enjoy all their selections, especially their soups, pastas and the ginger beer. Boy, I love me some of that spicy brew!
Prices are very reasonable, especially taking into account the views from the gi-normous windows encircling the entire dining hall.
So go up to the Getty Center this weekend and enjoy the great exhibits, architecture, views and of course, the food.
Note: I hear the food in the Cafe food comes from the same kitchen as the highly regard (and expensive) restaurant. Things that make you go hmm...
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Compared to most foods served at museums this is probably one of the better ones. I like the restaurant upstairs too but they like to close in those odd lunner hours in which I like to eat! I almost freaked out last time I was there with B because the restaurant was closed and I wanted wine. But to my rescue was the cafe! They have itty bitty bottles and full bottles and the prices were reasonable. So B and I got 2 plastic cups, classy, and pulled some patio chairs up the end and gazed out into the rest of LA before journeying out to our inebriated adventures.
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the conveyor belt is so cool. =)
a museum café should be an extension of the aesthetic experience. as if it's another gallery wing- the overall interior design, atmosphere and theme should be seamless and complimentary. this place does just that. cool breezes swirl through pillars of Italian stone and its views of the whimsical garden with modern architectural touches.
the cafeteria-style menu is highlighted with classic staples... like burgers & amazing french fries, Ahi tuna salad, crab Benedict and other American, Mexican or Italian inspired dishes. the selection of food is pretty impressive. i'm not much of an outdoor-diner, so the indoor seating is where i stick to. it's equally amazing and the views are spectacular.
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This place has THE BEST FRIES in L.A. or possibly anywhere. I mean normal fries, not criss-cut, curly, or any other whacky variation. They are slammin. Perfect! Crispy outside, soft inside.
They are considerably better if you get the very beginning of a batch than the very end. Yes I've researched this.
Also a great burger. Everything else looks really good, but I've only had the burger and fries. Go here. You will not be sorry.
The museum's ok too ;)
this is another reason why i need to go back to the getty. there is something about the location of this deli style restaurant within the premises that fills me up with nostalgia.
maybe it's the fact that after walking for hours, looking back at the imprint of human life and its history, there is nothing quite like finally sitting down with a trey of food, looking out to the beautiful garden, the wind blowing gently on your face, that makes you realize, you're passing through the same history you've been admiring all day long.
service is quick. prices are reasonable. selection is varied. desserts are delicious and best of all? you can walk down to the gardens and work off the delicious meal you've just consumed.
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I was here visiting with my sisters & they ended up leaving just before lunch, so I figured I'd stay and catch a snack. I'd seen the cafe on the mezzanine level and thought that was it. I saw a restaurant there, I'll check that out next time. One of my sisters said it was subsidized so asked me to check it out.
This place was great. The prices were fair, not what one expects from a museum cafe where you're liable to get scalped, but not super cheap either. The food was really good, which one does expect from a museum cafe. There's also great selection: there was Mexican, there was some kind of "European", and there were sandwiches. The tea served there was also pretty good!
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For a museum cafe, I was highly impressed: not only was the prices not at the usual gouge level, but the food selection was decent as well, even for vegetarians.
The outdoor seating is in the shade with a view near the edges.
This was definitely a nice place to stop in between the trips to the exhibitions, the gardens, and the over-looks.
They also had a surprisingly good drink selection and little wait. This place definitely added to Getty experience for me.
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Museum food? Typically nasty. But the Getty tries hard to bring fast but gourmet food to the masses.
My advice is to eat a big breakfast or lunch and avoid eating here so you can have a real meal at a real restaurant.
Their pizzas and salads are decent.
This place is way better than the Restaurant upstairs. The food isn't overpriced and you can easily walk out of there happy and well-fed. They have a ton of selection and it's cafeteria style. I had the traditional burger (it was a little dry and bland), but the yam/sweet potato fries were excellent. The eating area is clean. All in all, if you're at the Getty, you might as well eat here.
The best thing I can say about this place is: it's cheap! (at least by museum standards). The food was not bad, although we went late in the afternoon, about an hour before they were closing, and they had shut down most of the cafeteria-style food lines. So the only option was the grill, which had a rather limited menu. I had a cheeseburger and fries.
We wanted to try the restaurant, which is supposed to be really great, but the reservations had filled up several days in advance. Another nice option, if the weather is good, is to get food from the garden terrace cafe and picnic on the lawn.
Considering you have to pay only $8 for parking, you're getting a lot. Parking in the garage is a bit of a rat race, but fret not. Remember, you're taking a MONORAIL up the mountain--Aldous Huxley, eat your heart out. Once at the top, you'll find yourself amidst a kingdom of minimal and post-modern architecture. The gardens and all of the facilities are beautiful and from the southern edge, you'll find the best view of Southern California around! That's right, you see THAT much!
If you're into paintings, there are plenty from the Renaissance, Baroque and early American periods. The food, I might add, is also excellent. One kitchen serves a meatball sandwich that will knock your sox off! It's lean, has unique cheese and is all around tastey (sometimes they're turkey meat balls, which are way good). The big cafeteria on the west side has spaghetti, paninis, garlic fries and all kinds of gourment food, all prepared in a health conscious manner.
There are plenty of reasons to go. There is also a Malibu Getty "Villa" which looks like a Mediterranean homestead (big, but looks smaller than this Getty) and seems to focus more on paintings and traditional art. I'll have to check that out sometime.
Grabbing a meal at the Garden Terrace Cafe at the Getty Center was a smart move, imho. It gave our eyes a rest after touring the garden & grounds; it gave our stomachs a chance to eat delicious salads (I had the ahi tuna salad with white beans, string beans, olives, & caper berries), soups (lentil or clam chowder were the choices), and wraps. Given that you can easily spend hours here and that the food is quite good given your captivity, there is no reason to hurry away. I came for the Graciela Iturbide exhibit; friends came for the landscape architecture. If we tried to rush through the Iturbide exhibit just to eat somewhere else, it just would not have been enjoyable. They also serve locally made root beer and cream soda to get you through the rest of the pavillions.
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I love going here and getting a little bottle of wine and looking out over the gardens. I have often come to the Getty and I'm always happy to have a little place to get a snack. Over priced or not - it is like an oasis in paradise.
Even if the food was mediocre, the setting by the garden is so peaceful that it would still be a great experience. The food, though, is quite good. I had a choice between spending the day at the Getty or trying out the Rose Bowl flea market and I chose the Getty just to eat at the cafe.
I remember the first time I dined at the *gasp* Bay st Ikea cafeteria... This was that and a bag of artistic chips. It is a great place to take kids. My ... ok who am I kidding, I was amazed by their use of dorm technology: their conveyer belt for dirty dishes. No really! It was done with a touch of class. Also, the view is to die for. (My second) Also, their selection of tastey, posh food is so yum...I never look back at Ikea food because the Getty schooled me. Hit the road Swedish meatball. Did this review only make sense to myself?
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I had the ahi tuna salad and was surprised and pleased by the quality of the vegetables and fish. The choice of veggies in my salad went beyond the typical romaine lettuce. I had beets, peppers, and more than I can think of a week and a half later. All in all...very good place to have lunch while perusing this gorgeous place.
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My friend once ordered onion rings here and I still can't stop thinking about them. Everytime someone I know goes to the Getty, I tell them to get some onion rings, but they never believe me.
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It's not bad for a museum. Lot's of variety and good quality food with reasonable prices considering the location, which you can't beat.
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Beautiful terrace to enjoy the fare. And the fare itself was fairly priced and fresh, fresh fresh!
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sooo affordable for museum food! during the day they have a good menu with lots of options from hot veggie dishes to multiple salad to burgers to gourmet sandwiches to yogurt with fruit. near the end of the day they have fewer options as parts of the cafe close down, but still tasty. for two of us it was less than $20 for 2 full meals including drinks.
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the getty is awesome
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