Cascade Cafe

This "cafeteria-style" cafe is cleverly located. It's in a vast underground space off a major connecting walkway/tunnel, with a glass-enclosed cascading waterfall as a focal point. The waterfall is a lovely spot for souvenir photos and many folks take advantage of it.CC accommodates a tremendous number of people. Since both the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian Institution draw so many visitors, CC is a good spot to rest. I like to take a break here; to grab a drink or something light to eat when viewing the world class art (all free) that the National Mall offers.Over the course of time, I've found that desserts are good; fries are tasty; drinks are plentiful; and sandwiches (cold and hot) are average.The Espresso & Gelato Bar, a separate food concession, is located next door and complements it.I'm glad that CC, with its endless number of tables and chairs, is here. It allows me to sit and catch my breath as well as get recharged for a full day of museum-going.

Terrible food and an expensive price. Truly, the NGA leadership should find a better caterer and source for food. This used to be such a delight to eat here. Now it is five dollars for a bag of chips, $13 for a crusty Turkey sandwich with lots of bread and no filler, or $14 for some chicken tenders. They even charge you $.50 for a cup for your free water.I live in DC and used to enjoy coming here for a meal before I took in the art. Not sure what happened since Covid but leadership needs to take another look at this. Really a disaster.

Wow, it's crazy to see how low the rating is here. I guess most people aren't going to bother reviewing a cafeteria-style museum cafe, and the tourists love to complain how expensive it can be, but personally, I find this to be one of the better places to eat on the Mall.The setting wins me over the most, I suppose. While it is underground, a lovely fountain spills into the glassed in area that also lets natural light in from the street level above. It's always fun to approach the cafe (or leave it) via the east building to ride the "Space Mountain moving walkway" as I like to call it. The twinkling lights always remind me of Disneyland, without the long lines, of course.But I digress, back to the cafe. Is it amazing food? No, but it has a nice variety of sandwiches and prepared food along with a "Build Your Own Salad" station, in which they will, shockingly, build you a salad. This was my choice on my last visit, and I was pleasantly surprised at the selection of ingredients to toss in beyond the usual salad bar fare, including such items as whole beets, Brussels sprouts, hard boiled eggs, etc. I genuinely enjoyed eating my salad while staring at the fountain cascading in front of me and watching museum guests transit from one side of the complex to the next. Compared to its competition around the rest of the Mall, you could certainly do a lot worse.

The cafe is located inside the National Gallery of Art. There are pre made sandwiches and salads, along with "grab and go" items in the chilled section. The items are a bit pricey, but typical for a DC museum. We didn't want to leave the building until we had seen all the exhibits we could cram into one day. There is a pizza station but it was closed the day we visited. There are hot items including fries and burgers. The sandwiches were great. The only item I didn't like was the mushy croutons on my salad. There is a sofa fountain and a selection of bottled and canned drinks. The cascading waterfall is worth a photo.

It's extremely expensive with very bad quality of food. The fries were cold! It's self serving place but asked for tips. It's horrible and I don't recommend at all.

For the convenience of a place to eat while browsing fine art, this place is what you could expect. However, don't expect to modify any of the pre-prepared food they have for sale. Not sure if that is a COVID measure or if it's always been that way. If you have food allergies (i.e., egg allergy), avoid this place. As an example: All of the sandwiches have mayo already on them and you can't get one that isn't already dressed. Would t it make more sense to have the mayo as a condiment that people can add as they see fit? For the price, you're better off going to one of the many food trucks that are located just outside.

Pretty cafe and conveniently located inside the National Gallery of Art. It's got plenty of space and beautiful view of a waterfall. Service was quick for a Sunday morning, but staff was rude and indifferent. I just paid $30 for a chicken salad, a cookie and a coffee. Grossly overpriced...most if the veggies were definitely canned and not fresh. Disappointing.

A museum as wonderful as the National Gallery should be embarrassed to host a cafeteria as sub-par as this one. The servers were silent and grim, the fries cold and the burger bare-bones and a bit dry. My wife's 'turkey sandwich' had some turkey in it, somewhere. This and two sodas cost $45.The dining area is spacious which made the sound of the attendant throwing chairs around even more annoying.Even the beautiful cascade fountain wouldn't lure me back to this place.

Not fair they make you give at least one star. What a cluster. Not enough staff. Long lines. Long wait for food that's gross and overpriced. Eat before you come. They don't even try.

Got a Smashburger. The meat smelled like Old re-cooked meat and tasted horrible. The fries were OK and the ambience is nice if you want a nice place to relax, just sit down and look at the waterfall and don't order any food.