Any proper exploration of a museum should include a stop in the cafe. A good museum watering hole can let the visitor experience everything from Queen Victoria’s traditional high tea to Southern comfort, all in unparalleled settings. We’re not saying the following restaurants are more exciting destinations than their museum hosts themselves, but trust us: after hours spent wandering galleries and halls, these cafes are just the reward you deserve.

Otium: The Broad, Los Angeles

The food truck scene at The Broad makes it one of the most Instagrammable museums, but Otium is driven solely by the vision of Chef Timothy Hollingsworth, formerly of The French Laundry in Napa Valley. It’s fine dining without any of the formalities, putting the focus squarely on the food. The menu is eclectic (funnel cake with foie gras, pig’s tail crepinette) and always changing with the seasons.

Café Jacquemart-André: Jacquemart-André Museum, Paris

In the former dining room of the mansion that’s home to the oft-overlooked Jacquemart-André Museum, Café Jacquemart-André is often called the most beautiful tea room in Paris. The Café is independent of the museum, allowing visitors to stop in after a day of shopping on the Champs-Élysées to have a pastry made by Pâtisserie Stohrer and Michel Fenet’s Petite Marquise.

Light meals are available at lunchtime, but crowds reliably show up on Sundays at 11 a.m. for a very fashionable brunch. Menus change to complement the museum’s current exhibitions.

Mitsitam Cafe: National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C.

Visitors rave about the restaurant at the National Museum of the American Indian, which serves dishes from the indigenous cuisines of the Americas. “Mitsitam” means “let’s eat” in the native language of Delaware and Piscataway people, but the menu covers foods from peoples from the Northern Woodlands to Meso America.

Culture and history come together at the five food stations where guests can find everything from the famous fry bread to a very memorable chili and cornbread. Chef Freddie Bitsoie uses his culinary training and background in cultural anthropology and art history to create dishes that illuminate Native American foods and traditions.

The Morris Room: Victoria & Albert Museum, London

The most quintessentially British experience to be had in London is High Tea in the Morris Room at the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A). The V&A worked with food historian Natasha Marks to recreate the traditional experience of Queen Victoria’s afternoon tea, which includes Mrs. Beeton’s cucumber sandwiches, iced orange cake, and fruit sconelets.

High tea is served every Sunday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Morris Room, which is decorated from designs by the leader of the Arts & Crafts movement, William Morris. Reservations are required.

The Modern: MoMA, New York City

Pair a world-class museum with a Michelin-starred restaurant, and you’ve got The Modern at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. Overlooking the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, the restaurant is filled with bright light during the day. At night, it becomes a Modernist statement piece.

The menu features Chef Abram Bissell’s contemporary American cuisine with presentations that will remind you of Minimalist and Constructivist paintings in the galleries upstairs. Run by Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, the service is impeccable.

The most luxe experience you can have here is the “Kitchen Table,” a four-person tasting table that serves as a front-row seat as you watch chefs prepare a meal customized to your tastes. If you’re unable to get a reservation, stop in for a drink at the bar where you will also be able to order lunch or dinner.

Museum Café: Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice

Imagine yourself nibbling on Italian pastries and sipping an Aperol spritz while overlooking a modern sculpture garden on Venice’s Grand Canal. The Café at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is a favorite spot for tourists to take in the sights of Venice, while it also serves as a relaxing escape amidst the packed tourist foot traffic.

The Museum Café serves lunch and snacks and is highly recommended as a place of respite amidst the heavy tourist flow in Venice.

Eleven: Crystal Bridges, Bentonville

Eleven, the restaurant at Crystal Bridges, celebrates comfort food from the High South (Ozarks) with a modern twist. Dishes like “Sweden Creek Mushroom Lasagna” with locally grown shiitake mushrooms layered with truffled béchamel, smoked Gouda, ​pine nuts, and spinach served with marinated tomato confit are worth the trip to Bentonville alone. “Strawberry Shortcake Tres Leches” is another standout.

Crystal Bridges has also introduced a new food truck, “High South on a Roll,” to showcase the cuisine of the Ozarks in a more casual and easily accessible way, putting many of Eleven’s signature dishes on a sandwich roll.

Café Sabarsky: Neue Galerie, New York City

In keeping with the museum’s exhibitions of German and Austrian art, the popular Café Sabarsky serves elegant pastries in a setting reminiscent of a Viennese coffee house where intellectuals would meet. A Bösendorfer grand piano sits in the corner, contributing to the atmosphere.

The café’s menu is created by Michelin-starred chef Kurt Guttenbruner, known for his expertise in Austrian cuisine. While lunch reservations are for members, dinner reservations are available to the public, making it a favored spot for New Yorkers, especially for their famous strudel.

Klint Café: Design Museum Denmark

Nordic cuisine continues to inspire chefs and foodies at the Klint Café located inside the Design Museum Denmark. With a casual, family-friendly atmosphere, dining here is affordable, especially in Copenhagen where food can be pricey.

The lunchtime menu is inspired by a traditional Danish lunch table, featuring hearty yet fresh dishes that frequently change. Guests can enjoy open-faced sandwiches that resemble art pieces, as well as signature Nordic desserts, making it a delightful dining choice for families and art lovers alike.

Russ & Daughters: The Jewish Museum, New York City

New York’s iconic Russ & Daughters has become a pilgrimage site for both locals and tourists. Known for exquisite smoked fish and bagels, it is a key part of the Lower East Side’s Jewish history. It recently expanded to the Jewish Museum, where visitors can enjoy both a restaurant and an “appetizing” counter for their famous smoked fish, all without requiring museum admission.