Reviews

The main meal was excellent but I spent a portion of my time looking at my dessert . . . a delicious chocolate tart. It gets crowded so the best time to go is just as it opens for lunch.

A nice selection of food to choose from. The coffee and strawberry pie was great. The seat was a tad crowded , the all glass walls allow for a view of the garden and there is garden seating offered.

After having a wonderful lunch at the de Young Museum I was expecting the same quality and choices of food but I was let down. I felt that the menu was limited, our choice of quiche with salad did not live up to the price, commercially made quiche with a small serving of salad and a tiny slice of bread stick. The atmosphere inside the cafe was of a cafeteria, unfortunately on the day of our visit it was cold and grey outside and we were not dressed for the weather.

Unlike some establishments where there are limited places to dine, the Cafe at the Legion of Honor strives (and does) provide fresh, tasty, well executed items. All of the salads are fresh. The breads and sandwiches are of high quality, and the service is friendly and efficient. While not for those on a shoestring budget, it is not extravagant for fresh cuisine in SF. Enjoy the exhibits in the museum and have a light meal. Perhaps the fog will clear and you can sit on the patio.

Simple and pleasant menu. Staff was helpful and patient. The food was fresh and not a processed mess from a bag. I enjoyed the veggie burger that came with a side salad and enjoyable vinaigrette dressing. Hats off to the chef and crew!

Features both indoor and outdoor seating. Standard museum café set-up: order in a café-style line, with selections brought to your table by servers. Creative menu, priced a bit high, as with any museum eatery. The free water carafes were an unexpected surprise, making our already-purchased bottled water unnecessary.

A great museum café which was a welcome break after four hours enjoying this beautiful museum and a special exhibit of Impressionist art. The quiche was tasty with a fresh accompanying salad. The pastry was crisp and did not seem to have been reheated in a microwave. Salads and soups looked inviting and the desserts looked delicious and as mini works of art themselves. Prices are a little on the steep side and I did wonder whether there were facilities for the many school kids on their field trips or others for whom something less expensive might be welcome. We did enjoy our meal and hopefully were also supporting the Museum!

For an Cafe within an art gallery we were very pleasantly surprised by the menu and the quality of the food. Excellent food, good staff, very clean and nice atmosphere. I recommend the cafe to anyone visiting the Legion of Honor.

Really it's the only café in the place. Very decent cafeteria style. Good place to mingle...not too overly crowded...so you have space to talk.

Artfully presented delicious salads, sandwiches, soups and much more in a cozy seating area to look out at the surrounding park. Prices are reasonable for healthy menu.

It's a nice little place to grab a bite after your feet wear out. The quality is actually pretty good, and the service is better than your basic counter service. The menu is a bit limited, but what they have is much better than a lot of museum cafes.

I am writing this (partly) as a response to the negative reviews. While I didn't enter the Cafe when lines were long (nor would I), and yes, the prices are high -- but this is a Museum, for Heaven's sake. San Francisco's prices (and its cost of living) are relatively high. One should be aware of those factors & come prepared. Day earlier, we'd visited the deYoung Museum (the sister museum to the Legion of Honor), and I'd been warned by my brother (that) "the prices are high, but the food is excellent." So I didn't eat at the deYoung cafe as there were many other choices in Golden Gate Park. There aren't any in Lincoln Park, so bring something if prices concern you. Now, to the cuisine. The menu had many choices and fortunately, the special of the day was a tortilla soup with a mini baguette. We ordered a salmon burger, loaded with avocado, red onions and other veggies on a large bun. To be washed down with pure, apple juice. The soup, (served in a bowl), was more than satisfying. With the baguette, it took 10 minutes to finish. The cafe was nearly empty (Thursday, 2 p.m.), so we had the sandwich boxed up for our later visit to the Marin Headlands.

Beautifully prepared food, generous portions. When we first looked at the menu, the prices seemed steep -- but when we saw the portion sizes, my husband and I shared a sandwich (the Camille, chicken salad with arugula and brie - yum!) and it was plenty. So that brought the price into the reasonable zone. Sit indoors or out. There is water available after you go through the line, so don't feel that you have to buy a bottled beverage if you simply want water.

It is museum food, stand in line, order, etc. But the quality is fine and it isn't too expensive. Sure beats hunting for a restaurent when you are enjoying the view and the museum. In good weather you can eat outside, too.

The Legion of Honor Cafe is a wonderful place to visit for lunch even if you aren't visiting an exhibit at the museum. The cafe is located on the first floor of the museum across from the museum store. The cafe offers breakfast pastries in the morning and an assortment of soups, salads and sandwiches for lunch. The cafe also offers unique menu items themed after current exhibits. By far, my favorite thing on the menu is the BLT with meyers lemon aioli. The cafe also has some of the best iced tea in town as they brew delicious Paradise Flavored Iced Tea. The cafe is not only delicious but is a beautiful space. The flower arrangements and decor change often and are always seasonally themed. Outside seating is also available with a view of the Barbara Osher Sculpture Garden. It's a great place to relax with a salad and a glass of wine.

Good menu, but it is crowded and impersonal. In the basement, but there is light from windows on two sides. The patio offers outside seating which would be lovely on a sunny day. The food is good, if a little pricey.

Lovely menu and location within the Gallery, at the time of visiting the Menu reflected the Fashion exhibit I saw - I ordered the 'Dior'.

I had the BLT sandwich with the house salad and house dressing--absolutely delicious. My wife had Tony's #8 noodle dish. She loved it so much she asked the staff for the recipe, which they gladly agreed to share by email. We learned the menu changes over time. We found the location beautiful, with original sculptures in the garden dining area. We were very pleasantly surprised that the Legion of Honor had such a well ran and delicious cafe. Recommend highly.

Airy dining room with a great selection of food. The outdoor terrace is lovely. Tends to be on the pricy side.

My friend and I visited the museum today and decided to get lunch at the café. They have several choices on the menu and the prices are reasonable. Yes, you could probably find another interesting place to eat in San Francisco but this is in the museum and after eating, you can continue your visit. We both had the chicken/brie sandwich. Yum!!

I hade a great meal here. One of my favorite museum cafes. Tasty food but a bit pricy. The museum is great and this is a great museum restaurant.

really bad coffee. no surprise.

Like all museum cafes I've ever visited, this one was a little pricey for what you got. However, it did provide quite good choices and a different variety of foods than just the standard deli selections.

Part of the museum and right across from the gift shop, this is a place if you want to get a drink because the food was a bit pricey. The chocolate mousse cake that I had was of rich good taste, however. It has both a patio and an indoor section.

You don't expect a delightful lunch when visiting a museum, so it's a real bonus when you do. the Legion of Honor Cafe, in the lower floor overlooking garden views is more or less a cafeteria. However, the food is very, very good. The mushroom quiche with artichoke hearts and three cheeses is as good as you'll find anywhere. The sandwiches (with clever names I can't recall) are also delicious. If you go to the museum, plan it around a meal, adding to the overall experience.

This cafe offers inside and outside seating (in a delightful courtyard). You order at the counter, then place a number on your table and they deliver your food to you. You help yourself to water or coffee. The menu is extensive and varied; I had a hard time choosing because everything sounded tempting. I ordered a salad which had many interesting ingredients and was very filling. I also ate dinner later at the DeYoung cafe, but I much preferred this one.

This cafe on the lower level of the museum requires ordering at a counter, finding a table, and waiting for a runner to bring your food. The menu is very limited with only one or two vegetarian entrees. Two people can easily spend forty dollars for lunch here and leave unsatisfied. However, as there is no other place to eat nearby, be there before noon to avoid an often long line if you have money to burn or are famished for some food.

This cafe had long, slow moving lines, even after the typical lunch time. They had menus to look at while waiting in line, but they were not updated. The food was okay, but the menu choices were a bit on the pretentious side. The food in general was overpriced.

You are at the Legion of Honor, one of the Jewels of the City. If you are hungry the food is edible. Just enjoy the beauty. :o) Ms. Traci

We went mainly to see the special exhibit on Houghton Hall with friends so we wanted to also have lunch without the hassle of having to drive the car and park somewhere else in the city (San Francisco). We checked out the menu online for the Museum cafe and found that it would be very convenient for us. One of our party had food allergies but she was able to talk to the staff and order something suitable and good to eat. Her husband had the fish and roasted potatoes which was good. My wife had the Cesar salad which she said was excellent. I had the "Houghton Hall" English tea plate with which was also excellent. It had four or five different small sandwiches, two mini scones with jam & butter and a huge selection of different desserts of small pastries & cakes. I gave two desserts to the other man in our party as I was getting very full. He very much appreciated that. My wife and I also had the organic English tea to drink which was very tasty. I do not know what the other couple spent but my wife & my lunch was $50 and of such quality to be worth every penny. It is very much above a "cafeteria" lunch and very worthy of being a Museum Cafe! Would recommend it particularly if you are going to the museum anyway.

Enjoyed lunch here. Order at the counter and the food is delivered to your table. Silverware, some drinks, condiments are self-serve. Located on the lower level with glass walls that let in plenty of light make this a lovely place to take a break or have a meal. Food is fresh and well made - I would eat here even without going to the museum and you can by entering on the lower level near the bookstore.

We love this café!!!! The food is fresh and the selection inspiring. The large indoors section is bright and airy, and the outside courtyard is delightful on a pleasant day. Well worth a visit.

The Cafe at the Legion on Honor is a delightful place to take a break while touring the museum. The menu has a wonderful assortment of snacks and meals. The serve San Francisco tap water in bottles to take to your table, discouraging the plastic water bottles!

Nice black bean soup and reasonable

Avoid the Sunday Brunch! In concept it sounds great, but in execution it falls way short. The food is unexceptional. Fancy wording on the menu makes a comedy of the paltry food on the plate. Service is provided by pleasant, unprofessional young men. Even the music is inconsistent and insufficient. Save the $53 and have a meal at one of San Francisco's many worthwhile cafes before visiting the museum.

The Cafeteria overlooks a garden giving it an airy feeling. The menu selections were very interesting. There were free bottles of California tap water. Good sandwiches and very refreshing salads.

after slogging through a lovely and large exhibit, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of food here. After moving through an efficient cafeteria line, we were given our drinks and a number and our main idhses were bought to the table. It moved quicly and our wait, though not short, was reasonable. This is a big restaurant, with high ceilings and a cheerful outlook to nature. Tow of us had hot sandwiches (one salmon, one Turkey). which were served on excellent bread with a small side arugula salad. Excellent. the 3rd person, a vegan, was very happy with her Melissa Salad. We were unhurried and enjoyed the refreshing lunch break.

Located within the beautiful Legion of Honor building, this cafe serves a limited but interesting menu. The service is cafeteria style and the prices, despite other reviewers complaints, are right in line with similar restaurants. I enjoyed the food and the ambiance and would recommend this cafe highly.

It's really convenient to grab a salad, sandwich, or entree before or after your visit to the Museum. We've been going here for years and never had a bad lunch. The people watching is great.

Museum restaurants are generally pretty good and this one stands out as the best we tried in San Francisco. The menu is a bit limited, but both the smoked salmon sandwich and the plate of charcuterie were very good. The museum itself is a bit off the beaten track, but it is worth the visit, especially if you know you can get a really good lunch while you are there.

After seeing the Bonnard exhibit, we came here for lunch. There was a long line, so we took turns cruising the book shop. The box that held menus was empty, but one of the ladies at the front of the line went in and grabbed a handful and we all passed them around. The staff was a model of efficiency. Our orders were taken, paid for and we were given a sign with a number it. We found a seat without any trouble. It was a chilly, overcast day and we opted for the indoor seating. Water. lemonade and coffee were self serve. Our salads came quickly and were fresh and crisp and delicious. The café was bright, clean, comfortable, nice to look at and be in.

The menu is a cut above, featuring fresh ingredients and made to order choices. Coffee is good, can get beer and wine. Definitely an upscale cafe, with live jazz on some weekends, check the website. Can sit outside to take in the views of the Golden Gate, although it may be a bit chilly. A favourite stop even for locals!

We always have lunch at Legion of Honor Cafe when we go to an exhibit. The menu is vaired, food is well-prepared, delicious and the setting is lovely with both indoor and outdoor seating. The staff is pleasant and accomodating. Bonus: eating at the cale supports the museum.

What a great experience it was to have a Swedish-inspired lunch to enjoy after the excellent Anders Zorn exhibit! The Zorn salad was one of the best salads I've ever eaten (with kale, persimmon, squash, beets, and shaved cheese). The Swedish meatballs (served with mashed potatoes, great bread, and a good small salad) were also very good. We've eaten here a few times and always liked it, but this lunch (about $30 total) was really outstanding.

The menu is not very large, its limited. If you are a vegeatrian, there would be little maybe one entree. The menu is expensive, about $15-20 per entree and when you add extras and such, you will spend about $25 per person. There is ample seating inside and outside which is a plus. There are milks, chips and some fruits for kids. And tap water is free :-) so you don't have to buy bottled water !

Only came in for a quick caramel latte and seeing all the good food passing by while waiting for the coffee made me hungry. The cafe is was packed at 1:00pm and I didn't have to wait long for my drink. Next time I am in SF, I would definitely stop in here to eat at the cafe. Seeing higher prices from a quick glance at the menu was understandable being inside a museum. I liked the fact that they had several different bins for recycling and using containers, utensils, etc. with sustainability in mind. Definitely worth a try.

In terms of food quality, this is one of the best museum lunch spots I've been to. The other one, both in San Francisco are the California Academy of Sciences and The Exploratorium on the Embarcadero. The food -- whether sandwiches, soups, or salads, hot or cold, are excellent. There's a beautiful outdoor seating area if the weather is up for it. It's not a bargain, but is in line with what museum cafes cost. If you just want to eat there without paying to enter the museum, just mention this to the ticket agents and they'll let you into the cafe for free. The other great service is that are aware of the needs for gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan.

The Legion of Honor Cafe offers museum visitors quality snacks, sandwiches and soups at a reasonable price with comfortable seating inside and outside available.

With a captive audience of visitors, it's best to plan ahead and bring your own beverages and snacks. About $8 for a cold drink and pastry. Has outdoor seating area. Gives a visitor a chance to rest their legs then resume viewing the exhibits.

The service was adequate and outdoor eating area was very pleasant with the warm sun shining on our faces. The food was another story. How difficult would it be to make nice deli sandwiches for people to eat? Instead, I received a nasty looking chicken sandwich with sauces that made me wonder if they were safe to eat. Greasy looking potato chips were thrown on the plate to fill the space. This meal could easily have come from a fast food joint. My husband was very unhappy with his meal also. HIs beet salad consisted of a couple of beets and spinach leaves thrown on the plate. Avoid this cafe, unless you would just like to eat a dessert or have a glass of wine. It's very overpriced for the food that they serve.

We did not plan on eating at the Legion of Honor during our visit, but we were so hungry from walking all day that we stopped by for a snack. We each ended up having a sandwich and split a piece of pie for dessert. It's cafeteria-style gourmet. The curried turkey sandwich was extremely fresh and very good. The tuna was also very good. Ice water is there for free or you can choose from their selections (which included a small variety of beers, sparkling flavored water, juice, etc.). It was quite pricey though, but that's to be expected.

Perfectly good museum cafe. 9 days later, I can't remember anything about what I ate there. I know that I had a hot dish. That's it.

We were looking for a nice lunch when we arrived at the Legion of Honor Cafe, just finishing a walking tour before taking a 45 minute bus ride to the museum and we wanted to eat something before we started around the museum. When we arrived I could not believe how limited the menu you was. We expected to get a sandwich or maybe a cup of soup, nothing overly fancy but we were disappointed when we realized that they offered so little. We considering skipping it all together, but we decided to get a snack and drink. They did have several coffees to choose from and a few danish like items, the only other drinks were bottled. I ended up getting a bag of chips and coke and my friend ordered a coffee and yogurt. There was an outside garden that you could sit in and we enjoyed that area while we snacked. I would not recommend that you plan to have lunch at this cafe, without first checking out the menu online, but it would be useful if you were looking for a snack or drink during your trip.

This café is a lovely place to take a break, or to start or finish your museum visit. My daughter had a gourmet hot dog and chocolate mousse cake, together with a designer root beer. I had champagne and a salade nicoise, and my husband had a gourmet sandwich. We all enjoyed our meals. The food was quite good - not extraordinary, but quite good. We sat in the outdoor courtyard on a November afternoon. That may have been one of the best parts because the atmosphere was lovely after leaving snow in the high mountain desert. -- Just beware the dark-headed little birds - they are rather aggressive little creatures who were ready to pounce on my daughter's hot dog the minute she left to go the restroom!

When visiting the Legion of Honor, a memorial to American service members lost in World War I and now a superb art gallery, be sure to plan on having lunch here. You place your order at the counter and a server brings it out to you. The atmosphere is busy but comfortable, and the food was excellent.

Another great meal in an art museum. I had the curry, which was excellent. Cafeteria line; no table service.

Eat before you go to the Legion of Honor as this cafe is WAY overpriced, it was nearly impossible to get a table, and the noise was deafening. Close to $50 for two people to eat lunch --- not worth it!!

Good selectionof sweets and light snacks, soup. Ample dining space indoors and out. Very pleasant garden. I had a tasty bowl of soup and we both had very good coffee.

I have dined numerous times in the Legion Café and have always enjoyed the really delicious food. It is plated really well and prepared to please your taste buds. You may also meet Tom Sotelo who is in an upper level management of the Café. he is a handsome and charming man who will endeavor to meet your reasonable needs. The dining room is staffed with a courteous group of fine attendants. it is a large and airy venue, you also eat on the outdoor patio. I look forward to a flavorful lunch in The Legion Café.

If you are visiting the area, the museum, or simply going for a walk or a jog, the sandwiches in the museum are pretty good but they are pricey. I had the unfortunate experience of having to deal with a grossly incompetent security guard at the museum, whom, after it was explained to him that I was going to visit the café, and that I had no interest in visiting the museum, he behaved in a hostile and suspicious manner, which was really offensive and that really turned me off. I don't think I could have stomached a sandwich after that, so I left. It is always a shame when anyone goes out of their way to show contempt towards a member of the public, when their job is to greet the public or at the very least treat everyone in a respectful and courteous manner.

We enjoyed locally made soup, salad and excellent lattes. The cafe has an outdoor court yard that looks like an excellent venue for a summer event.

The food is OK, but is nothing special. The DeYoung Museum in San Francisco has great ethnic food and diversity.

Great kale salad, had it both times I visited. Daughter was very happy with open faced chicken and brie sandwich. Really so much better food then you'd expect at an public attraction, good value and super delicious. Sitting outside in the sun on patio was really nice

Pricey burgers and sandwiches for mediocre quality but rather cozy setting inside the museum.

I am usually a little leary of food service associated with museums, but this place really impressed me with their offerings, the setting, and the friendly attentive staff. The day I visited was sunny and warm, so the patio seating was a welcome option. The food prices were on the high side, but it still is a great option for lunch while visiting the park and museum.

Had lunch here, food was good, service friendly and not too expensive

Busy, fast paced this is a great stop. Not a place one would get dressed up and reserve a table, just almost a grab and go. Clean, well staffed..the perfect place to just hang out after your visit upstairs!!!

The cafe was a welcome break from the absorbing exhibits. The menu is limited, with emphasis on "no substitutions," but the garden burger was good, nicely topped with pickled veggies and avocado. Prices are high, but the location and free parking can't be beat.

It is cafeteria style service, and the service is not too friendly, but the food is pretty good for a museum cafeteria, and they have gluten-free bread for the sandwiches. There is a fairly goo view from the patio.

Shared a sandwich with my husband (the Van Gogh meatball) and a slice of rhubarb tart. It was all very nice and relaxing.

check out the menu at the Legion of Honor Café...had the Veggie Burger ....it was fantastic.... Such a surprise. Sat outside ...weather was great ...

We always like to have lunch here when we visit the Legion of Honor. It's never disappointed us in our expectations. Entrees are always enticing & feature local ingredients. Large selection of beverages. This time I was tempted by the quiches but decided on a BLT which both looked good & tasted good. Splurged on a blueberry tart which was delectable. We prefer this cafe to the one at the deYoung, which also has very good food, because the Legion's cafe never seems as crowded & noisy as the deYoung's.