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Eat Beat: Museum Cafes

By now we've all heard it a thousand times: Gas prices are out-of-this-world, the economy is tanking and at any moment we're all going to lose our houses and end up sleeping on a street corner and begging for food.

We get it; upper middleclass life as we know it is going to end at any second. It's the end of the world as we know it (at least until November 2008). Heck, it's so bad that many of us will likely have to forgo our end-of-summer vacations.

Never fear, though, Richmond can serve as your own stay-at-home summer's end vacation. There's plenty to do in this city. And, more importantly, there's plenty to eat. Richmond is filled with an array of fabulous museums, many of which are home to in-house cafés and restaurants.

These museums / cafes can make for a perfect day of learning, exploring and treating yourself to a delicious meal … and you hardly have to leave your backyard to do it. So what are you waiting for, the end is near.

Museum Cafés  

Café Portico at the Science Museum of Virginia:

With an Imax theater, The Grand Kugel and its own planetarium, there are plenty of reasons to stop by the Science Museum of Virginia, but let me give you one more, genuine Starbucks coffee. Café Portico not only serves the brewed blends of this coffee giant, but it also serves its espressos, mochas and lattes. Of course, the café offers actual food too, all made fresh by local favorite Belle Kuisine. The signature item at the museum is the same at Belle's parent location at Stony Point, the delicious chicken salad. But four types of quiche, plenty of wraps, sandwiches, soups and salads give the chicken a run for its money. Box lunches are also available. Museum admission is not required. Prices range from $3 to $8. Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2500 W. Broad St., (804) 864-1414

 

Café Richmond at the Valentine Richmond History Center:

Who could resist a sandwich called the "Maggie Walker" (tuna salad) or the "Bojangles Robinson" (turkey and havarti with sun dried tomato spread) how about the "Marshall Street" Cobb salad or "Manchester" turkey panini? It's all part of the fun, delicious and creative menu prepared by Dagwood's and served in the Valentine Richmond History Center. Hot breakfast sandwiches, desserts and plenty of other fare are available and can be enjoyed in the café or outside in the historic garden. Box lunches are also available. Museum admission is not required. Prices range from $3 to $7.75. Open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Museum is open on the weekends; the café is not). 1015 E. Clay St., (804) 649-9550

 

Garden Café and The Tea House at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden:

Is there anything better than dining in a beautiful, blossoming garden? Lewis Ginter boasts not one, but two delicious on-sight cafes. The Garden Café, with its menu of more than seven salads, is the perfect stop for a light lunch. The café is self-serve and you can dine inside or out. But if you're looking for the place for ladies who lunch, you should head over to The Tea House, which is a full-service restaurant with panoramic views of the lake and garden. The menu includes upscale entrees like salmon and crab cakes, all prepared onsite using the finest ingredients. Museum admission is not required for the Garden Cafe. Prices range from $5 to $14 for the café and $7 to $18 for The Tea House. Open Daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Garden Café) and 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Tea House). 1800 Lakeside Ave., (804) 262-9887

 

The Hard Tack & Coffee Café at Pamplin Historical Park:

If you can't count on a museum that regularly hosts a 19th century Civil War immersion camp to cook their own barbeque, you can't count on much in this world. You're sure to build up an appetite trekking all over the 422-acres of this Petersburg museum, but they've got the menu to satisfy your hunger. From old-fashioned Virginia barbecue, slow-cooked in its own smoker, to hot dogs, sandwiches, subs, soups and salads, there's something to satisfying even the finickiest of eaters -- even if that diner insists on ordering genuine 19th century fare. Dessert items and box lunches are also available. Museum admission is not required. Prices range from $3 to $8. Open Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (hot food not served after 3 p.m.) 6125 Boydton Plank Road, Petersburg, (804) 861-2408

 

Maymont Café at Maymont:

Is there anyone in Richmond who hasn't, at least once, spent an afternoon sucking all the flavor out of a Maymont snow cone? Well you'll be happy to know that the Maymont snow cone is still going strong and giving brain-freeze to a whole new generation of kids. These days, though, the Maymont Café provides plenty of family-friendly fare as well. Sandwiches, like turkey and havarti and steak and cheese, desserts and PBJ and grilled cheese for the kids, are all available in this café that's catered by Boss-Chi Catering. You can grab lunch or a snack in the Robins Nature & Visitor Center, check out the otters and stay to tour the gardens. Seating is available inside the café, outside on the terrace or on the lush, beautiful lawns. Museum admission is not required (or ever charged). Prices range from $2 to $6. Open Tuesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 2201 Shields Lake Dr., (804) 358-7166

 

Sweetpeas at The Library of Virginia:

What do you get when you combine history, archives and books with gourmet cooking? Sweetpeas café at the Library of Virginia, of course. This quaint in-house café serves breakfast, lunch and enough sweet treats to tempt even the strongest of wills. The diverse menu includes hot breakfast sandwiches, paninis (like chicken pesto), wraps, specialty salads and even an option to create your own salads. You can enjoy your meal in the indoor seating area, the garden patio or take it to go. Box lunches are also available. Museum admission is not required. Prices range from $1.50 to $6.75. Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. 800 E. Broad St., (804) 692-3500

 

VMFA Café at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts:

VMFA Café is open in the Marble Hall and members receive 10 percent discount. Its lunch menu is available from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and includes upscale entrees like grilled rockfish, harvest chicken salad and a roast beef and bleu cheese wrap. From 2:30 until 4 p.m. desserts, beverages and light snacks are available. Museum admission is not required. Prices range from $4.50 to $16.50.Wednesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (lunch served till 2:30 p.m.) 200 N. Boulevard, (804) 340-1400