Mitsitam Espresso Coffee Bar

After ordering quad Espresso And they charge 4 single even if they have a menu double and additional shoot $1.45 and double $5.20 which they charge me $7.20 be careful ppl whit those scam guys inside. What a scam uneducated guys. Can't believe it!!!

I liked this for a quick pick me up while waiting for timed entry. Positive serving staff made the line entertaining. We had the bison chili that was flavorful and I had the Mexican Hot Chocolate that was well spiced and sweet. I would highly recommend for a quick pick me up while touring the museums on the Mall.

Very positively surprised about the food. If you find most of the food in US too sweet/fatty/oversalted, it will be a nice surprise to find normal food here. We ordered bison chilly stew with corn cupcake and really enjoyed it. No idea, why this place has such a low score, maybe this food is too bland for the american taste (but perfect for ours coming from Europe). The only thing which we found strange was eating from disposable dishes. Not very environment friendly.

Price is decent and inspired by Native American cuisine, how it's prepared sucks. The frosted apples on my turkey tasted like undercooked turkey; it was definitely a lousy experience altogether.

We walked all the way here for the main cafe, it was closed, but NOTHING else is near by. So we ate at the espresso bar. They didn't have the majority of their menu available. They still charged full price for this food that was not as described.

Meh: low quality, over-priced, pre-packaged, corporate concessions. Hot chocolate was undrinkable it was so sugary. Kind workers, but real missed opportunity.

Coffee is tasty from an European perspective but the croissant is overpriced. 8$ 🤯

Expensive, of course, but fast and friendly service. They even had a cherry blossom beer for the season.

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.

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!

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.

Update: the food still isn't as amazing as people once said it was but the prices have remained the same five years later so 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.

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.

What a tasty little place. Creative menu with a wonderful serving staff. I had the Bison Chili and Cornbread. Denise had the Wild rice and Cranberry with cornbread. Deliciousness Thank you

I stop here and get a Latte every time I'm here and they're open. Amazing coffee. Very friendly personalized service. A gem of a coffee spot.

While on vacation, my wife and I stopped here to have lunch with a dear friend (his suggestion). I am not the one to try new things. My tastes are extremely simple. My wife was surprised that I agreed to eat here. I have to admit, the food is seriously the F'n bomb. I had the fried bread with bison chili over it. It was suggested that I also have a bison dog with everything. I wrinkled my nose to all of it and I am so glad I tried it. I ate EVERYTHING. There was enough food to feed 3 people and I inhaled it all. I even forgot something and one of the cooks came to me and delivered it. The place was packed, but you could easily hold a conversation. Extremely clean and well lit. If you don't try this place, you are a moron. I ordered my wife the cookbook the chef wrote.

Mitsitam Cafe was a nice surprise. I didn't intend to have lunch at Mitsitam Cafe, but am glad I found out about it while checking out the National Museum of the American Indian. And it seems like it's one of the more popular spots around the National Mall to do dine at. While I was getting more information at the National Museum of the American Indian, the friendly staff told me what to check out at the museum, and to not miss the award-winning cafe here, the Mitsitam Cafe, which has a rotating menu of Native American foods. On a weekday during the lunch hour, the place was pretty busy! I noticed that many of the patrons here weren't just visitors, but it looked like a lot of people who work in the area came to Mitsitam Cafe for lunch. The day I visited, they featured an Indian taco, which is fry bread with chili and other toppings. I was stoked when I learned this because it's something I don't often find where I'm from and secondly, it reminded me of my time in Arizona where I last had an Indian taco, which is something you have to try if you haven't had before! My lunch was filling - and delicious. The fry bread had a good, soft texture to it, and easily soaked up the chili and green chile! Other toppings included shredded lettuce, diced tomato, pickled jalapeno, cheese and sour cream. It was a favorite at the cafe. However, they have many other intriguing options, such as a lamb stew and a buffalo burger! I can see why Mitsitam Cafe is a popular eatery, not just for those visiting the museum, but for the locals. Glad to have visited this eatery for a cuisine I don't often eat, but enjoy.

This restaurant is inside the Museum of the American Indian on The Mall and serves authentic Native American food. I dined there for lunch a couple of days ago. It is cafeteria style and I chose the lamb stew (a cafe favorite) with fry bread meal for $16.45. It also came with a fresh sliced avocado half. I added a tall glass of Aqua Fresca for another $3.80. The lamb stew was very good taste wise and had plenty of meat and vegetable content in a savory brown sauce. That large piece of fry bread was equally delicious and paired with the stew very well. Finally the avocado half was fresh and enjoyable and everything together made for a filling meal. The drink was deliciously refreshing too. In the dining area there are large windows overlooking a low waterfall outside for your viewing pleasure. Mitsitam Cafe is probably one of the best museum cafes in DC. It's unique in that is serves specialty food along with regular items like burgers and chicken tenders. I understand the Indian Tacos are also another favorite.

Very disappointing and ultimately museum-quality food. These folks are doing a disservice to the food of indigenous people.

This is a tasty restaurant located on the first floor of the Museum of the American Indian. The options range from very standard (fries, chicken tenders, slices of cake) to dishes inspired by First Nations recipes. I ordered the chicken tortilla soup, which was pretty straightforward. It tasted good, but nothing unique--you could make a similar meal in a crockpot. The stewed hominy was outstanding! The flavors and the textures were so good. I also enjoyed the calabasa salad! Squash and pepitas are a great combination. The service was not great, which is not dissimilar to other experiences I've had at Smithsonian museums. The cafeterias are often short staffed, which makes lines long and tempers short. It's a relatively standard setup, and there is ample seating in the cafeteria too.

I had the bison burger. It was good with good seasoning. Make sure to note not all meals come with fries included. The burgers are made to order so the speed is not very fast especially if it is around lunch time. The price was a little too high for my liking. The ambiance was nice in the American Indian museum.

I remember this place had a grilled bison steak with a couple of hot sides that was wicked good. Also memorable was a wild salmon platter served on a cedar plank. But that's not happening anymore. Their current menu is limited, with items like chicken tenders, burgers and fries. No doubt this is due to the pandemic. There's a few cold side dishes and salads that are Native American, plus fry bread and desserts. Overall, I find the food to be below average. My most recent experience was so-so. The wild rice salad was overly hard, not flavorful; the grilled jicama salad was served with too many onions; the chicken tenders were par; the apple tart was overbaked; and the only beverages offered were aqua fresca and beer (drink dispensing machine was out-of-order). Located on the ground floor, the dining room is unique and pleasant, one of the best of the museums on the National Mall. My hope is that Mitsitam Cafe can revive its former self.

I was looking up which Smithsonian museum had the best food and apparently the Mitsitam Cafe in the National Museum of the American Indian is on every list. The food was different than the average cafeteria food since they have Native American cuisine. We ordered the Indian taco (chili, cheese, tomatoes, onions, green chilis, fry bread), the bison chili dog, and the bison burger (Monterey jack cheese, bacon, tomato, green chili aioli, potato bun). The hot dog and burger both came with fries. The best dish was the Indian taco. The portions were large and the food was tasty but too expensive even for a museum. It was convenient to eat there but I would rather go somewhere further for cheaper and better food.

Over the course of the last dozen or so years, I've stopped by the Mitsitam Cafe for lunch. While I greatly enjoyed the Turtle Soup, I haven't seen it around over the last several years, and I don't know why. Maybe it's the result of the COVID pandemic, lack of demand, or some other reason...? I've come here alone, to connect with colleagues from other offices and organizations, with out-of-town guests, and, more recently, with our office interns. I've always had positive experiences here. While it's not fine dining in the traditional sense (it's a cafe after all), the offerings are varied and tasty. "The Cafe features Native foods found throughout the Western Hemisphere, including the Northern Woodlands, South America, the Northwest Coast, Meso America and the Great Plains. Each of the five food stations depicts regional lifeways related to cooking techniques, ingredients, and flavors found in both traditional and contemporary dishes." (https://washington.org) There are a number of vegetarian and vegan options here. Many of the selections here, outside of the fry bread, fries, and a couple of other things, seem like they'd be on the healthier end of the spectrum. I greatly enjoyed my selection this trip, which included the salmon with blueberry glaze (I asked that the glaze be on the side) and two sides of my choice (pictured). While the prices can be on the higher end, Federal employees receive a 10 percent discount when they present their PIV cards.

Surprisingly, food at museum's cafeteria can be good. Everything was very well seasoned and delicious. The rib has a sweet taste from the sauce that they brush on top. The salad the comes with it is very good. The goat stew has somewhat a strong goat smell but it is fine for me, and the meat is really soft. Dipping the fry bread in the stew is really tasty. Dessert is the only thing that is disappointing.

My dad and I met a friend at this cafe for lunch. I ordered the chicken tinga tacos and a cherry pastry. For museum food? These items were really great. In comparison to actual restaurants, they were somewhere between good and mediocre. This place has good service; nice workers who will follow your instructions well as to what to put on your food. If you can, try to get a table next to the window with a waterfall-- a perfect view to company your meal. Next time I visit the National Museum of the American Indian, I will go to this place for a meal, but I might be hesitant to return if I have other meal options.

While on a visit to the Native American Museum, I stopped here for a caramel skim latte and a small pear. The latte was $6.50 for a med/LG cup. It was very sweet and hot. No complaints. Unfortunately, I didn't try any of the other food items. I have heard great things about this cafe, like the food is authentic and ties into the historical context. There were 2 dining areas. One are was huge, like cafeteria huge. That area was closed off since it was almost closing time. Then there was a smaller cafe where we sat, to sip coffee. Service was very polite.

The best museum cafeteria bar none. Apparently the menu is not as extensive as it used to be, but we had chili, vegetable tamales and several side salads. All were good. Only off note was the cornbread which was so sweet it tasted like I was in the south. Not thinking too authentic! Nice staffers. Lunch for three:$65.

I heard really great things about the cafeteria in the national american Indian museum and was excited to try it. Not all the stations were open on the day I went, but there were a few selections. I settled on the Indian taco, which was frybread with buffalo chili (extremely watery) and toppings: lettuce, onion, cheese and tomato. It was not that great, and honestly, even for half the price I paid ($15), I would've been disappointed. On the bright side, the weather was bad, it was convenient, and the seating area was nice, so it worked out. I definitely think it's way overpriced and could be tastier with more generous portions.

I'm a bit surprised that this place averages only 3.5 stars. I'm guessing it might be due to the inherent confusion, the prices, or misunderstanding of what you are buying when it comes to Native American food, especially considering that the options span much of the Western Hemisphere - from Alaska to Latin America. The food and cooking techniques from the diverse regions feature ingredients indigenous to those areas and cultures found there. Confusion abounds. Individual stations representing different cuisines are located throughout the serving area. So you need to wend your way through other curious and hungry customers to check the menus at each station, then remember what you might want from more than one station (if you choose to mix and match your regional options). Drinks are not included in the entrees or sides so they must be purchased separately. The cafe is alive with hurried and often puzzled patrons of all ages. Many, if not most, don't realize what constitutes a main or entree in a given cuisine or what sides come with it. Perhaps more important, you often can choose a main from one region and supplement it with sides from other areas. It can be a bit of mix and match mayhem with no immediately apparent rhyme or reason or sequence to the regions - spread out around the sides of the serving area. As a whole, the food is excellent - it delivers on authenticity, ingredients, and flavor. Portion sizes are fair, if not generous - so while the prices may seem steep, the museum is free, and so to me, they offset each other. Styles-cuisines-ethnic eats run the gamut from Alaskan Salmon (tender and quite sweet-naturally) to Bolivian braised pork shanks or ceviche or octopus salad. (Yes, this is just a hint at how diverse the menu is.) If you're looking for something sweet, try the "Boniato" - candied bacon empanada (little hand pie) with pineapple pureé. All the serving stations have both savory and sweet items from which to choose. I had a Green Chile (one of my all-time 'most-faves') Bison Burger. Big sandwich but a bit short on overall flavor. It just didn't transport me back to my days in New Mexico. (Maybe I should have had the ground buffalo and duck burger or Elk?) When you are finished eating, bus your own table and simply put your tray on the large door multi-section conveyor near the exit. Mitisam was a nice hidden gem at the end of our journey through parts of the Americas often forgotten, routinely neglected, sometimes abused, and nearly always misunderstood.

Came here for lunch before touring around the museum. It's my first Native American foods so i have nothing to compare it with. But i had the buffalo chilli with cheese and raw onion & fry bread on the side theyre sooo good cant really explain it with words. I had to eat it slowly cz i dont want the meal to finish soon. Honestly i'll come back just to eat there and order the same one, or the bison burger Yes it was a bit more expensive than other places but i mean..where else could you get native american foods around? And the meat is 'exotic' too so ofc it would cost more than your regular chicken meals.

Pre-pandemic I had heard rave reviews of this restaurant "the best in any museum", and was excited to finally try it. As of this writing in May 2022, the food was low quality and extremely expensive. Frybread taco was a stale piece of frybread, inedibly tough, with low quality toppings piled on top. Drinks - a can of soda or a bottle of water - are $4. I realize the museum is free, so I usually overlook the price gouging on food, but this was an incredible disappointment all around.

Love how this place serves regional native cuisine for all over the country. I ordered the Arizona pork posole. It had big, tender chunks of meat and was really delicious. My friend ordered bison chili on fry bread which looked really good too. The portion wasn't huge, but it filled me up anyway. I paid $8 for the posole and $6 for a fruit tart. Keep in my that Mitsitam is pretty expensive. I wanted to try a fish dish but I couldn't get myself to pay almost $30 for one entree. But I get it. This is a restaurant inside a Smithsonian museum (in Washington DC where food doesn't come cheap to begin with). And considering that Smithsonian museums are free to enter I guess it kind of makes up for it. Mitsitam feels like a nice sit down restaurant even though you order your food cafeteria style. It has a nice aesthetic and very clean.

Stopped by the Mitsitam Cafe for a late lunch before exploring the Museum of the American Indian with friends. I had a hard time picking what to eat, since the selection was so wide and everything sounded delicious, but I ended up getting the two shrimp tacos with two sides (tricolor potatoes and broccoli in buttermilk). I really enjoyed the meal! The server was very generous with the sides, which I appreciated, and the shrimp was flavorful and juicy. The tortillas were okay, but I feel like the tacos would've been better if there was something else in them besides the shrimp. Still, a very solid and filling meal. I'd love to try one of the bison burgers the next time I'm visiting!

I had been to this cafe inside the Native American museum a few years ago at a friend's recommendation and it was very good. This time was really disappointing. A few of the kiosks were closed and there was only one register open with a long line of people. The trays are a bit small if you have a drink, making it a bit precarious to balance the drink. My friend got the bison burger and fries and I had a tostada type dish (can't remember the name). Her burger was ok but she didn't love it. The corn base of my dish was not very good and I ended eating to toppings and leaving it. The black beans and guacamole on top were good. The meal was $50 with tax for a cafeteria lunch that was not very good. It was disappointing. It seems this cafe has really declined.

Security to get in, but amazingly peaceful location for lunch. Fry bread, chili, bison and more (usually fish) Lunch is sometimes great, sometimes good, and occasionally just ok. Lunch here is always relaxing. I like the Indian taco or buffalo chili. Bison burger is a burger. Fries haven't been very good.

You might need to take out a second mortgage to pay for your meal, but you are unlikely to find a better food court meal anywhere. I was especially impressed with how friendly all the staff were. We liked all the food but the soup and burger with New Mexico Green Chile were notably delicious. Only the key lime pie underperformed. Skip it.

Your Native American Museum experience isn't complete without a trip to the Mitsitam Cafe. Featuring an incredibly eclectic selection of First Nations cuisine from every region of the Hemisphere, you're sure to find something to your liking. A small beef and rice dish set me back $16.50 along with a $4 Coke and I probably could have gone back and purchased three more entrees before feeling full. A minute or two of waiting in line to pay and the food had cooled off considerably. After enjoying the food, you get to clean up after yourself. No refills on soda that I saw. The menu is so large you could have this same experience for months and never eat the same thing twice. The Cafe's prices and setup seem to prompt complaints that it's too expensive, poorly run, and a "rip off," but these reviewers have obviously missed the overall instructional point of the museum that the restaurant reinforces.

I totally get that museum cafeterias are overpriced and usually not great. It's expected. But this is absolutely the worst I have ever experienced. I wanted something small since I wasn't that hungry. They are severely understaffed in the cafeteria and one poor man was doing way too much and it was taking forever. When he finally got to me and I asked for tamales (2 for $10.50), he had to call someone and they said it'd be at least 5 minutes. I'd already been waiting a long time just to ask about them and needed to just grab something and sit down. I tried to get a fountain drink, but the first one I tried, only the ice worked. The second let me get sprite, but I thankfully took a sip before buying and promptly spit it out and left the cup there. It was literally just sparkling water with no trace of sprite. It's so hot that I decided I just wanted something small and cool, so grabbed a bowl of guacamole and chips. I got a water bottle and a mini can of sprite. My totally was $25. I was totally stunned and wanted to dump it on the floor and walk out, but I had a gift card someone gave me for my trip and there was such a long line behind me that I just paid it. How their water is more expensive than the water from street vendors, I don't know. I do know I will never patron this place again, and I strongly recommend you don't either.

Honestly, I was so incredibly disappointed in not just the cafe, but the museum. They only had one authentic Native American/American Indian dish in the whole cafe. It was vegetarian, which was no problem for me, but for a museum of this caliber, I expected the whole menu to be comprised of authentic tribal foods. There was not one actual Native person working I. The museum or the cafe. Maybe that was to be expected, but I felt disgusted with the experience (not the food). The plate of colors, which was the 1 dish that was authentic (I hope), was excellent. But for $50 for lunch for - child and 1 adult, I was expecting so much more.

I came in here because I had heard great things about the food from friends and I was not disappointed! I got the veggie Indian taco and it was so tasty! The vegetarian chili was really good and the toppings pair so well with it even though I wasn't a fan of all of them individually. The combination was great and the one taco was really filling. I absolutely loved the fry bread. It was thick and a little tough to cut but so good. The one star dock is really just for the price. It feels pretty pricey for what you get but I think that's true of all the Smithsonian food options.

I stopped here hungry but to escape the heat & humidity. I came from the US BotanicGarden after viewing the blooming Corpse flower, but they have no food there. I liked the healthy fruit and veggie selections. Tried the chayote & grilled hearts of palm and found it flavorful, bought a tiny chocolate bar for dessert. I returned the next day after my return visit to smell the Corpse flower. Chose the delicious and refreshing pink grapefruit & jicama salad for just $1, Really! Yum. I've enjoyed the tasty wild rice salad too. I'll be back to try other items.

While all the options sounded delicious and representative of cultural cuisine, it's so hard to get over the prices! I mean, $24+ for a fish dish is not what I am looking to spend when I'm seeking a casual and quick museum lunch. I thought about just getting chips and guacamole ($5) but decided to go for the bowl of buffalo chili with cheese and onions. It came with either fry bread or corn bread. The fry bread was really good, but I was only able to manage a few bites as my son gobbled it up. The chili was ok. It was more beans than anything and had no "kick" to it. For $8.95 , the portion was more like a cup than a bowl. I also got a fountain drink......$4.10 and it's not refillable. Yes, there is a captive audience, and yes, it's probably the best Smithsonian museum food option, but right outside are several food trucks, so if you are looking for a more budget-friendly meal, check those out!

Unbelievably disorganized; this cafe is government in a microcosm. The line was quite long at 1:30pm on a weekend. Once inside the top small space you pick a line, each stall's line blending into the next. Despite having electronic menus, they weren't current and several dishes were not available, but not worth another 10 minute wait. Then another wait at the register while the overpriced food went cold. The staff was generally unhelpful too. The food itself, was reasonably tasty.

This is a hidden gem within the Smithsonian. This is closer to a 4.5 star review instead of a 4 star review. It is a cafeteria style restaurant with choices of Native American food from around the country. The locations would probably have made more sense had I gone through the museum instead of just eating. The group that I was with, we all found something to eat. You had the ability to bounce around to the different regions. There were the standard drink choices as well as ones from each area. All of my sisters were able to find food that they liked. The actual setup to pay was similar to that of a cafeteria and I could see how this would be confusing with more people eating. When we went there wasn't a lot of people which made it easier to figure out where to go. There were no gluten free desserts which was sad as a lot of my sisters were able to eat dessert.

For a cafeteria, this hit the spot! Of course there was rush for lunch, as folks tend to get hungry around the same time. Nonetheless, the selection of food varied and represented different indigenous tastes of the world. I stuck with fry bread (I ordered both the "Indian taco" and "fry bread with honey and cinnamon") because it brought me back to a time when I was in Navajo Nation. I do admit, the fry bread shouldn't be as tough as it is served here. However, it was filling and satisfied the tummy. The fry bread with cinnamon and honey reminded me of a donut, ish. My pops had the chicken tenders and French fries, which wasn't very memorable. My brother ordered a bison cheeseburger, which was alright. We don't normally eat bison, so we didn't have a means of comparison. I just added ketchup as I thought it needed it. Just remember to clear out your own stuff/bus your own tray! It might help if the were more signs around... but I just looked around. Overall, just a convenient place to eat while going from museum to museum! Would come back to try other food from other places.

I have to come here every (EVERY) time I visit DC. there's so many different indigenous and indigenous-inspired dishes that there's something for even the pickiest of eaters. where else can you eat foods from the great plains, south America, Pacific northwest, mesoamerica and the eastern Woodlands all in the same place? ok, there are probably plenty of other places, but it's just cooler here. a bit pricey, and pretty packed during the lunch rush, but if you arrive at 11AM there's plenty of room to browse and meander across the continents to choose your dishes. you can sample most anything (save the entrees), and they are forthcoming about the ingredients to ensure no allergic reactions. definitely worth a visit.

When a friend's brunch plans fell through, and I was put on the spot to come up with somewhere for lunch on the National Mall, I wasn't sure I had an answer. However, I decided we should check out the Mitsitam Cafeteria, and it proved to be a hit! While VERY pricey for what you get, it's a really fun experience. I ordered a Najevo Taco ($13.99) and a bottled peach tea ($3.75). The Navajo Taco was good, although I was really disappointed they were out of the other options that were displayed. It was fry bread with turkey chili, cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce. The veggies were not great quality nor terribly fresh, but the fry bread was really delicious. It wasn't $13.99 delicious, but since I don't see much other Native American food in D.C., I don't mind paying extra. There are many stations as people pointed out, but on a Saturday, most of them were out of food, and the lines wrapped all over the place. I would highly recommend coming on a week day. All in all, a cool experience once, but I am not rushing to return either.

Mitsitam is easily the best of the Smithsonian Cafes (just slightly ahead of the offerings at the National Museum of African American History and Culture). There are five stations, each representing a different region: Mesoamerica, Northern Woodlands, South America, Northwest Coast and Great Plains. The menu rotates seasonally, though there are some items that are always available, including the green chile bison burger and the Indian tacos (vegetarian and meat-based options for the chili exist). The rotating foods offer a decent value - most entrees come with 2 sides (and you can mix/match sides from different stations). I've been eating here for years, and some of the more memorable items have been the bison & duck burger, the tamal, and the braised pork shanks. My friends have enjoyed the cedar-planked salmon, and I always grab anything with nopal in it if available! Vegetarian options are usually plentiful, especially in terms of sides. Prices are a little bit higher than other Smithsonian cafes, but you will actually want to eat the food here. Virtually every other Smithsonian (save for the aforementioned NMAAHC) has cafes that serve mediocre food at best (sending serious side eye to Air & Space and American History). Here, you'll get something interesting and tasty, all served in a beautiful venue -- okay, it's still a cafeteria, but this one is a bit nicer. Signage could be *way* better - people tend to cluster at the entrance where they pick up their trays and don't realize that there are several stations. The folks working the checkout are really friendly, but the line situation can get intense during peak hours, especially if there are a lot of schoolchildren visiting. Mitsitam is technically open until 5pm, but in the off-season, it often closes by 3pm. Plan accordingly. There is an espresso bar available out front if you just want a quick drink, but in my experience, it's better to skip this - the drinks are often not very good and are a bit pricey given their quality. Just head into the cafeteria for something better or go visit a nearby coffee shop if you must have a hot drink. I would love a sit-down version of Mitsitam because cafeterias are inherently limited in what they can do food-wise. Avoid peak lunch hours because of the noise, lines, and lack of seating and you'll do just fine.

I would give this place maybe 4 stars for quality (taking into account that it is a cafeteria style venue), 3 for value for your money, and 4 maybe for service (it was kinda bad and disorganized but I can empathize with the people who worked here trying the best to manage a busy lunch hour). So the food. I ordered the chocolate rubbed boar which was tasty. It was 14.50 without the side and 20 dollars with two sides. I liked the boar. It was somewhat funny that in the bill the dish is spelled as "Bore" which was somewhat true as a description but what was really a bore was the side dishes in that station. The wild rice was not that great and so was the brusselsprouts. The brusselsprouts from the African American museum was better. The cafeteria also had several kid friendly dishes such as chicken tenders, fries, burgers... There are also more traditional native American cuisine. So would I go back, perhaps if I am in the mall area. It is better than the food court at NGA and the Smithsonian castle but maybe not so great a choice when the right food truck is parked on 7th st.

It was a delight to visit this restaurant in the Native American museum. There were several dish choices , that we wanted to try. We decided on this and it was really good. I wanted some other dishes to sample, but I couldn't eat another bite... The museum is a must see, informative details about native Americans history. The restaurant was icing on the cake.

Tried the vegetarian Indian Taco (was. Ice that there were several vegetarian options). Very good and close to authentic. Also ate the fry bread w honey and cinnamon, but it really needs to be more fresh if you are gonna eat it that way. Located on the entrance level in the back. Closes at 3pm (on the dot)