Mitsitam Cafe

Had the chance to try indigenous food here before exploring the museum. It's been on my bucket list for a long time, so I was very excited. You pick your own drinks and snacks cafeteria-style, and there are four menus to which you can order food over-the-counter. I recommend walking around to see your options before ordering. The seating area feels like a cafeteria. I sat by the window to see the beautiful fountain.I got the roasted rainbow beets (with watercress, charred leeks, and hazelnut vinaigrette), corn pudding (with maple butter and walnut-and-cranberry gremolata), and mamoon cakes. I was initially going to get wild rice salad instead of the beets, but the person behind the counter told me that the wild rice salad is pretty much disassembled mamoon cakes and encouraged me to get something else.Rainbow beets: I'm a huge fan of beets, and their natural flavor was delicious, complemented by the leeks and the slightly sweet vinaigrette.Corn pudding: This was hearty. The gremolata was very tart and I would recommend eating it little by little so it doesn't overpower the corn pudding. Felt like a flatter cornbread.Mamoon cake: This was dry, kind of like a biscuit. It is compact wild rice. It had a savory flavor. I kind of wish I got this with the salmon. It was tasty although I wish I could try it hot and fresh.Overall this was a filling meal that jumpstarted my day. I will try other things if I came back, and I would look forward to seeing the rotating menu!

This is hands down my favorite (and hopefully, or soon to be, YOUR favorite) SI in-museum eatery. I just recommend you do your research!1. Many get in line at the first station by the entrance not realizing that "The Four Corners" (for tostadas, lamb stew, sweet onion tamales, and my personal favorite CORN PUDDING), the Campfire Grill (good for picky eaters and kids, burgers, chicken tenders etc) and Woodlands and Coastlines (cedar-plank and smoked/candied salmon) are just past the entrance with their own lines. 2. Know your fry bread! Now, you'll see from my photos, I double up, sweet peach cobbler over fry bread followed by savory bison chili over fry bread. You'll see some try to tackle these piled-high delights with a knife and fork. Personally... I grab an extra napkin or three and dive in with both hands. 3. Bring your appetite! And save room to at least split a dessert (my favorite is the corn pudding). If you don't see it, they will call down to the kitchen and get you an ETA on the next batch. It's worth the wait, and you'll want it fresh from the oven after lunch anyway!I've never met an SI staff member that wasn't delightful and helpful and this place is no different. If you're having trouble finding your way, the managers here are happy to point you to some great options.

Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe at the National Museum of the American Indian is widely regarded as one of the best museum cafes on the National Mall. I even celebrated my birthday at the cafe once, during the time I lived in DC's H Street Corridor. It was the perfect venue. The food and museum were a great conversation starter with my cerebral group of friends. Months after the event, my friends were still saying things like, "Celebrating your birthday at Mitsitam Cafe was such a great idea. I want to go back and get another steak from there. I really enjoyed the combination of seasonings they used on their steak."The cafe is extremely spacious, and my group of 15-20 people could easily sit together and converse. The casual cafe setting also made it more comfortable for people to come and go without the pressures of splitting a check for the table, waiting for the entire party to arrive to be seated, etc. On a final note, the service was satisfactory, and there was a good selection of Indigenous foods from throughout the Americas on the day of my event. The only negative was the long line to enter the cafe (around lunchtime on a Saturday).

Washington DC - you're in the museum area and honestly the food choices wouldn't be plentiful. However. fellow Yelper Jessica C. Recommended this spot to grab a quick lunch between museums, so there we were. What so special about this café is that they serve Native American foods inside the Native American museum. We didn't check out the museum but just came here for the café and so glad we did. The bison chili on bread was delicious. I don't know what type of bread that was, but it's delicious with the chili! I don't eat much carbs but I found myself forking piece after piece and I almost finished the whole big piece of bread! I cant tell bison from other meats especially with the chili sauce. Nonetheless it was yummy. I also got a horchata. Unfortunately my husband spilled it when it's still pretty full. The staff were very helpful to clean up the mess for us and even refilled my horchata! Very friendly and helpful staff. They also have different stations serving different regions or tribes of food. Some were pretty much like Mexican food, while others had something different. Come check it out if you need a bite between museums!

It's always a good experience, although not as great as it was when it first opened. I remember it having more options with some higher end offerings. I didn't deviate too much from what I had the first time. The Native Woodlands menu always draws me in with their cedar planked salmon. I think it was prepared differently this time. I didn't detect any of the maple juniper glaze. That may have been because of the blueberry sauce. I should have asked them to put it on the side. I ended up getting one side dish. Normally I would get the sampler, but bison wasn't an option that day. It was some sort of venison chili. I'm not fond of venison. However, I did get the rainbow beets. It was a good healthy option to go along with the salmon. Everything was prepared very well. I do kind of wish that I had tried the manoomin cakes. I've read that the rice cakes have smoked candied salmon. That sounds more innovative than just wild rice.My husband went with the chicken tostada from the Mesoamerican menu. He really liked all the fresh ingredients. We also liked the fresh juices and aqua fresca. There are other stations with bison burgers and chili. They really do have something for everyone. There are many veggie options for those who don't eat meat. It was all very wholesome. The food here embodies the true meaning of living off the land. The best part was the view of the waterfall. It was relaxing, comfortable, and quiet. There weren't many people there at 11:00 am on a weekday. They've also added a grab & go counter for those who don't want to dine in. We originally thought that it was the entrance. The cafeteria style restaurant is behind it as you walk towards the back of the museum on the ground floor. The visit brought back memories of my mother. We shared a meal here together and had a discussion about the Native American regional cuisine. Good memories.

The cafe located in the Museum of the American Indian is amazing. Delicious and unique food. They had 5 stations open when we visited, each with a different menu. We tried the bison chili, the veggie soup and the corn dessert with Cranberry. Everything was delicious and way better than the food offered at most other cafeteria food in the museums. If you are close by it is worth the walk over to enjoy.

Update: the food still isn't as amazing as people once said it was but the prices have remained the same five years laterso I feel like you get a good amount of food for the price. If you're super hungry while strolling the Mall, this isn't the worst option. It's definitely better than the food trucks that rip you off. They didn't have fried bread while was there but the menu is about to change. Hopefully they bring it back.

Highly recommended. I had a taco salad, served on top of some tasty frybread. There was a wide choice of food, including vegetarian options. Too bad checkout is automated. The Smithsonian should do better with keeping actual people employed.

My 6-year-old dined with me, and of course, she went for the chicken tenders--because she's 6 and her taste buds haven't discovered adventure yet. She declared them the best chicken tenders in the history of chicken tenders. For the rest of the day, she was like a tiny town crier, announcing to everyone how these were the tenders of her dreams. She was ready to come back for round two at dinner like it was a chicken tender pilgrimage.Meanwhile, I got a taco salad in fry bread. Was it life-changing? No. But it was pretty good. While she was out there preaching the gospel of chicken tenders, I was just enjoying my salad, quietly wondering if I'd ever experience the kind of culinary joy my kid just found in fried chicken.

I was coming to the National Museum of the American Indian anyway, but my family and I decided to eat here solely based off Mike V's recent review, so shoutout to you Mike, thank you! Exactly as he said, a small line was forming by the entrance but thankfully I knew to walk past and keep exploring the options. My younger sister is a typical kid who just got the chicken tenders and fries which she said were great. As for my mother and I, we decided to give the chicken tostadas a try and WOW! The flavor had me forgetting we were even in a museum. Fresh vegetables for toppings, nice crispy corn tortilla tostada, deliciously marinated chicken...overall an amazing dish. To top it all off, I got lucky with a fresh, warm slice of the corn pudding and I was in love. Again, such great quality that it felt as if we were in a restaurant rather than at the cafeteria of a museum. I see why they have won awards! Friendly staff for food service and checkout as well. All in all, I'm giving 5 stars because I feel as though there was nothing lacking. This is now my go-to spot for lunch when visiting the museums! Thank you to everyone at Mitsitam Cafe!