Ocean Terrace Cafe

The grease definitely needs to be changed more frequently. This was my buttermilk crispy chicken sandwich. No fries. $15. I asked to swap it for a smoothie because of the way this chicken looked. However, the lady at the register was very kind & understanding.

Ordered two drinks at 2:44 the employee waited for several orders to stack up, then made them all at once. Did not get my drinks until 10 minutes later at 2:54. Seems like a cool place to eat your lunch but I would plan on brining your own.

The blueberry cheesecake and cold brew coffee went SO well together and was the perfect afternoon pick-me-up to keep exploring the museum! But wish we would have just split a coffee because you can’t leave the cafe with any food or drink!

Opens at 11AM so don't skip breakfast at home. How convenient is it to have this nice cafeteria restaurant right inside the museum? Very competitive prices to eating out in the streets at D.C. (which is expensive everywhere)...but you get a nice table and a chair and free glasses of water. I got sage roasted turkey breast with fresh cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes and gravy for about $9 (you pay by the pound so keep that in mind on heavy selections). Staff were friendly enough and gave plastic cups to fill up with water at the water fountain. Hot fresh krinkle fries, very large chicken breast sandwiches, hamburgers, large flatbread pizzas ($15). Nice selection of above average desserts (ex. cheesecake, rich dark chocolate cake). Overall appreciate this place and find it a decent city stop. The only downside is no hand sanitizer anywhere at the entrance or inside the cafe and no restrooms nearby....which isn't ideal in a place with lots of runny-nose hand everywhere children.

Bring your own food. This is overrated and crazy expensive food. Dry sandwiches and chlorine washed eggs. If you want to spend all your money in one place - with staff that barely acknowledges you while they charge you almost $200 - this is the place.

The most outrageous prices. My sandwich claimed to have salsa on it, in reality it had a smear of tomato paste. The burrito (which we had hope in because of the weight) was 80% hummus. The deserts were decent but not $7.50ea decent. By far the biggest waste of money in DC.

Just a few years back, most of the Smithsonian museums weren’t worth eating at. That has changed - first with the Native American Museum, then the African American museum and now the Museum of Natural History. There are four signature bowls. You can add chicken, salmon, or tofu to any of them. The bowls are right at 10 bucks and it’s 3 bucks to add a protein. They also have sandwiches and desserts, a coffee bar that’s open until 5 and I saw someone with popcorn and popcorn is always good. One of us is vegan and it was so easy to accommodate that here.

Super busy and confusing place. Chicken tender basket $14. Can of Dasani water $5. Soda is a hard find have to ask about it at register. There are much better food options on the street. It is what it is or so I’m told. Hunger is just happy for food.