Address: 415 Couch Dr.
Phone: (405) 235-6262
Hours: Mon 11 am - 3 pm
Tue-Sat 11 am - 10 pm
Sun 10:30 am - 3 pm
Development: OKC Museum of Art
Status: Opened
Links:
Official Website (http://www.okcmoa.com/eat/)
Menu (http://www.okcmoa.com/eat/menus/)
Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Museum-Cafe-at-the-Oklahoma-City-Museum-of-Art/120884487922374?fref=ts)
Yelp (http://www.yelp.com/biz/museum-of-art-cafe-oklahoma-city)
Urban Spoon (http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/46/501036/restaurant/Arts-District/The-Museum-Cafe-Oklahoma-City)
Eat Around OKC
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Information & Latest News
Gallery

This Thursday only mention you're with AMA and you get in for like $4 bucks.

As far as the food goes, it is impeccable. I ate there last year for my birthday and it was amazing. I don't remember what all we ordered but everything was excellent. I know I had the goat cheese kisses and they were amazing. I also had some sort of a tomato-basil or roasted red pepper soup that was amazing. Other than that, I don't remember what else we ordered. I definitely recommend the cafe as well as the museum and the cocktails on the skyline.

This Thursday only mention you're with AMA and you get in for like $4 bucks.

As far as the food goes, it is impeccable. I ate there last year for my birthday and it was amazing. I don't remember what all we ordered but everything was excellent. I know I had the goat cheese kisses and they were amazing. I also had some sort of a tomato-basil or roasted red pepper soup that was amazing. Other than that, I don't remember what else we ordered. I definitely recommend the cafe as well as the museum and the cocktails on the skyline.

I agree, Metro. Excellent restaurant. I think the problem is the branding. "The Museum Cafe" just doesn't quite say what they are all about. It makes it sound like a greasy spoon lunch counter attached to the museum, when in reality, as Metro said, it's a fine restaurant with wonderful food.

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I would say it's one of the top 10 restaurants in the metro, maybe top 5.

Anyone been to the Museum Cafe? I hear they have a wonderful brunch and I'm thinking of checking it out with some family members for my upcoming birthday gathering. Does one need to dress up? How is the food? Any one?

Business casual, though some people dress down quite a bit more! My sister and I went for her birthday and dressed up; went for mine, and wore nice jeans and nice sweaters. You'll see all kinds for brunch. For dinner, I imagine, you'd dress up more.

You can make reservations online. It even has a place for "special instructions" and you can tell them it's someone's birthday and you'd probably be able to wrangle a free dessert out of them! We did!

I can't remember the site where I made the reservations, but if you google "oklahoma city museum cafe" you'll find a site that offers to take your reservations.

The food is really good--both the french onion soup and the tuscan tomato soup are yummy, you get free little muffins at the brunch, and you can get an omelet with just about anything in it, including artichoke hearts. The pancakes are quite good, and my sister had the bagel and lox once and enjoyed that quite a bit. I don't do fish, but it was obviously very fresh.

Also, mimosas are like, $2 ;)

Enjoy!

Great restaurant.

Been for brunch, lunch, dinner and high tea.

Yet to have bad food or bad service.

Sunday Brunch in the Museum Cafe | Oklahoma City Museum of Art | More Than A Museum! (http://www.okcmoa.com/SundayBrunch/p/7475/Default.aspx)


Here's a link to thier menu - take me with you.....

yep, there have been several reviews already written on it:

http://www.okctalk.com/food-court/7004-museum-cafe.html?highlight=museum+cafe

Thank you all for your replies. I can't wait to try it out. Of course you can come too, Karrie!

Good Egg Dining Group to operate Museum Cafe in downtown OKC (https://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=592-Good-Egg-Dining-Group-to-operate-Museum-Cafe-in-downtown-OKC)

Operators of Cheevers, Republic, The Drake, Barrios, Iron Star, Red Primesteak, Kitchen No. 324 and Tucker's Onion Burgers to operate the beautiful restaurant space next to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/museumcafe1a.jpg


Press release:

*****

We're happy to announce that A Good Egg Dining Group will begin managing operations of the Museum Cafe.

We're excited to announce a delicious new partnership!

A Good Egg Dining Group is now managing the Museum Cafe operations

As an OKCMOA member, we know you are invested in the Museum and we thank you for your support. We are excited to let you know about a new artistic and culinary partnership with A Good Egg Dining Group. A Good Egg Dining Group will bring their outstanding customer service, excellent food, and 19 years of experience to manage the operations of the Museum Cafe!

The Museum Cafe will undergo a refresh from April 7 to 18 and will be closed to patrons during this renovation. The restaurant will reopen with an updated, more modern look and a reinvented menu that includes many beloved American classics with influence from French brasseries. The grand reopening is planned for our Third Thursday: Black and White event on April 18.

Third Thursday: Black and White will feature live music, cash bar, art activities and gallery experiences. Admission to Third Thursday is always free for members!

Beginning April 19 we are also pleased to announce extended hours for the Museum Cafe. New hours will be Monday through Friday, 11 am-9 pm and Saturday and Sunday, 10 am-9 pm.

We hope you will join us April 18, 5-9 pm, to celebrate this exciting next step for the Museum Cafe.



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Nice! We've eaten there over the past 10 years and while good, it's been stagnant for a while, should be interesting to see what they do to it, it'll be bumped up to near the top of our humongous new-places-to-eat-at list...

It's one of the most beautiful spots in town and AGE always does a great job.

Looking forward to eating there more often.

I remember when they opened it was one of the most innovate restaurants in OKC, and one of my favorites. I haven't been in years though. That and Tratorria il Centro back in the late 2010's.

Was it an amiable parting of the ways?

I remember when they opened it was one of the most innovate restaurants in OKC, and one of my favorites. I haven't been in years though. That and Tratorria il Centro back in the late 2010's.

Trattoria il Centro was actually open 2005 - 2012.

It's a great space, but their food was always so-so... looking forward to what they offer.

It's a great space, but their food was always so-so... looking forward to what they offer.

Not sure when they opened, but we didn't start eating there until we moved back in 2009, and from 2009 - 2013 or so, the food was pretty good (I think it was the venison that was the best thing they offered), but then when they switched chefs around then, it wasn't as good. So yeah, me too, looking forward to something new and different

Such a beautiful venue, location and art collection demands a top-notch restaurant.

If they drop the lobster bisque, I may have to throw a fit.

I sent an email to them about that very thing. The lobster bisque is great. I got a response that my email would be passed on to the powers that be. (my words not hers). I also mentioned how noisy Cheevers is. I really love Cheevers.

I haven't been to the Museum Cafe in nearly a year, and was perusing their menu on the web. I was stunned to find out they are no longer open for dinner service - they have shortened their hours to 11AM-3pm; no dinner service.

They DID return Lobster Bisque to the menu. But if they're never open for dinner, it won't matter.

Situation doesn't sound good to me.

^

Good Egg ended their management of the cafe.

Dang... that didn't last long. Has new management been announced?

Wow, hadn't heard that, either. That didn't last long. It was the new leadership that overhauled the menu (and dumped the lobster bisque). Doesn't sound like any of it worked out very well. Hate to say it, but the future is sounding kinda bleak.

Truly sad. This has been a favorite of ours, great atmosphere, vibe, but I have to agree - this doesn’t look good.

Is it the management?, or is it the public’s support? ( or lack of) . Whatever, it’s a really nice place for an evening meal, if the food and service are good. Hope something good will happen.

Is it the management?, or is it the public’s support? ( or lack of) . Whatever, it’s a really nice place for an evening meal, if the food and service are good. Hope something good will happen.

Me, too. It was such a nice place for a special meal before a concert or other event at the Civic Center. My fear the last few times I had gone was that it was starting to look a little tired and just needed a bit of sprucing, but the sprucing became an overhaul, and the overhaul became a mess. Multiple operators, limited hours, just not a good trend.

Here's the backstory...

The cafe has struggled from its opening 7 years ago. Virtually no dinner business unless there is a show at the Civic Center, which isn't that often.

So, Good Egg took it on under a year's contract, which ends at the end of the month. They have decided not to renew because there just isn't enough business.

The museum conducted a survey of approximately 40 museum cafes in similar-sized markets. Virtually all of them are only open during the day.

So, the museum will carry on with the cafe but now realizes it is really just an amenity, not a stand-alone business.

The most important thing is that it will stay open and they will continue to use it for various events.

I'd always enjoyed the Museum Cafe until the change a year ago. Before it offered a casual upscale atmosphere, good food and attentive, unintrusive servers, but all of that changed.

We travel quite a bit, and I always investigate museum cafes hoping to find the previous experience we had here. Many are not much more than snack bars, but there are some true treasures with great chefs, servers, menus and atmosphere.

I miss what we had until a year ago, but won't miss what replaced it, nor the elimination of dinner and a place for a quiet drink in the evening. Sorry Good Egg Group couldn't make a go of it, especially with their track record.

Here's the backstory...

The cafe has struggled from its opening 7 years ago. ...

Has it really only been open 7 years? Museum's been open a lot longer than that (2002) and we've been back here 11 years now and I could've sworn we had eaten there earlier than 2013...

I'd always enjoyed the Museum Cafe until the change a year ago. Before it offered a casual upscale atmosphere, good food and attentive, unintrusive servers, but all of that changed.

We travel quite a bit, and I always investigate museum cafes hoping to find the previous experience we had here. Many are not much more than snack bars, but there are some true treasures with great chefs, servers, menus and atmosphere.

I miss what we had until a year ago, but won't miss what replaced it, nor the elimination of dinner and a place for a quiet drink in the evening. Sorry Good Egg Group couldn't make a go of it, especially with their track record.

The museum itself had a lot to say about all the changes.

They were trying to change things up to attract more evening business but finally realized they are never going to get the necessary traffic.

Everyone was well-intentioned, and it seems the museum had finally come to understand the realities of the cafe.

The museum itself had a lot to say about all the changes.

They were trying to change things up to attract more evening business but finally realized they are never going to get the necessary traffic.

Everyone was well-intentioned, and it seems the museum had finally come to understand the realities of the cafe.

My issue with the museum was the lack of changing exhibits. They only really have the one exhibit that changes every few months. The rest has been in place for over a year or two with the glass stuff being the main attraction. If they would get 2-3, maybe 4 exhibits changing over throughout a 12 month period then I could see more traffic coming through. Also, the movie theater is a bonus for this place. We have been to a number of screenings, but most of them are just too out there for us to enjoy all the time. We always felt the cafe looked closed when we visited, which are mostly Sundays after church.

FYI, I believe the museum is considering a major expansion.

FYI, I believe the museum is considering a major expansion.

Tell us more please. This is great news.

would it not be possible to be open for dinner service when there are shows at civic center or special events? I am sure that would be difficult but seems it could work but i clearly don't run food service. Even if they did special menus for shows.

would it not be possible to be open for dinner service when there are shows at civic center or special events? I am sure that would be difficult but seems it could work but i clearly don't run food service. Even if they did special menus for shows.

Guessing the staffing problems would kill that, since if they're only open until 5, a lot of their staff goes on to other jobs after they leave the Cafe. I don't run food service either, so I don't really know that it may actually be a problem, but I'm pretty sure a lot of people in the restaurant sector tend to have multiple jobs.

Guessing the staffing problems would kill that, since if they're only open until 5, a lot of their staff goes on to other jobs after they leave the Cafe. I don't run food service either, so I don't really know that it may actually be a problem, but I'm pretty sure a lot of people in the restaurant sector tend to have multiple jobs.

They're only open until *3pm*. I don't know if you could even try to set up for "special" nights with Civic Center events when you normally cut off so early. You'd need a really good plan for what to purchase and the size of crowd to expect. For what would, in that model, be a decidedly one-off situation, wherein dinner was no longer a regular service, that'd be a really tough thing to get a handle on, I'd think. No foodservice person here, just an arm's-length guesstimate :)

Even before the remodel and prior to Good Egg's management takeover last year, I remember going there for supper before a Civic Center event and the place was barely a third occupied. I remember making that observation only because I'd made a reservation, but realized upon arrival it was not even remotely necessary. Walkups were readily seated.

Whatever the situation, it's unfortunate. And I agree with an earlier poster that it surely seemed that place existed prior to 2013. My mom used to talk about it all the time after she retired, and she's been retired a *lot* longer than 7 years.

Yes, the Museum Cafe has been open since 2002, I believe.

Yes, the Museum Cafe has been open since 2002, I believe.
Hah! That sounds more like it. My wife reminded me she and our daughter would eat there before going to the Nutcracker back when she was in elementary school, and that was well over a decade ago.

You know, in rereading this thread, the cafe management arrangement ending as discussion of a museum expansion emerges makes me question whether the cafe will even exist in a few years. I'm no expert on the MOA property, but it seems any expansion would have to go into that restaurant space.

You know, in rereading this thread, the cafe management arrangement ending as discussion of a museum expansion emerges makes me question whether the cafe will even exist in a few years. I'm no expert on the MOA property, but it seems any expansion would have to go into that restaurant space.

No, that is not the plan as I understand it.

just saw that OKCMOA is moving the gift shop "the Museum store" into the Cafe space ...... so this is no longer a restaurant spot ..

just saw that OKCMOA is moving the gift shop "the Museum store" into the Cafe space ...... so this is no longer a restaurant spot ..

I believe they will serve coffee and pastries and a few other food items.