Museum Cafes: The 11 Most Stunning in the World

Come for the art. Stay for the pastries in marbled rooms and gilded chambersCafé im Kunsthistorischen Museum, Vienna.SuppliedIn many ways, beautiful museum cafés are aesthetic aperitivos. These spaces stimulate your appetite for elegance before an afternoon spent taking in stunning artwork and breathtaking architecture. The best museum cafés honor the spirit of their surroundings while striking a note of contrast—perhaps a contemporary design detail to enliven a historic interior. Here, we’ve selected 11 of the most beautiful museum cafés and restaurants across the globe that combine high style with fine dining.V&A Café, V&A Museum (London)The Gamble Room. Photo: John HarperOpened in 1868, the V&A Café set the template for all other museum cafés, as the first venue of its kind in the world. It consists of three ornately decorated rooms. The central focus is the Gamble Room, decorated by designer James Gamble with layers of Italian Renaissance–inspired majolica tiles, enameled-iron sheets on the ceilings, and stained-glass doors. Adjoining it are the Morris Room, designed by William Morris with Gothic and Elizabethan influences, and the Poynter Room, which features blue-and-white tiles reminiscent of Middle Eastern ceramics. The flamboyant decor is not only representative of the V&A’s collections, but also eminently practical, designed to be easy to clean and resistant to fire, steam, and cooking smells.Ladurée at the Grand Egyptian Museum (Giza)Diners can enjoy views of the pyramids at Ladurée at the Grand Egyptian Museum. Photo: Courtesy of Ladurée at the Grand Egyptian MuseumParisian patisserie Ladurée brings a dash of French elegance to the contemporary architecture of the Grand Egyptian Museum, thanks to its filigree white and gold interior. Crystal chandeliers, panoramic murals, and brushed-gold walls and ceilings lend glamour to the neoclassical space, which naturally serves Ladurée’s signature macarons and teas. For a more regional flavor, there’s also Beano’s Café, decorated in local materials like Aswan granite, alabaster, and basswood.Bar Luce, Fondazione Prada (Milan)Wes Anderson designed Bar Luce. Photo: GIUSEPPE CACACE/Getty ImagesFans of Wes Anderson won’t want to miss Bar Luce at the Fondazione Prada. The American film director designed the café in 2015, describing the project as a “childhood fantasy come true.” Adorned with retro wooden paneling, flashes of pistachio-green and pink Formica, and architectural murals that reimagine the glass decoration of Milan’s famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele shopping emporium, the space evokes a classic Milanese café. It’s whimsical and unique, just like Anderson’s films.Louvre Abu DhabiThe Louvre Abu Dhabi was designed by Jean Nouvel. Photo: UCG/Getty ImagesJean Nouvel’s modern architectural masterpiece boasts a variety of dining experiences with spectacular views of the sea and the Abu Dhabi skyline. In addition to the main museum café, there are pop-up experiences at different times of year, such as the Trio coffee shop beneath the museum’s latticework dome, and the Art Lounge, which opens on the rooftop in the cooler months. The latter is one of the best places in the city to watch the sunset.Café im Kunsthistorischen Museum (Vienna)The cupola hall includes a café that transforms into a restaurant on Thursday evenings. Photo: Peter AdamsOpened in the 1890s, Vienna’s principal fine arts museum has a soaring, marble-clad octagonal cupola with views of the historic Maria-Theresien-Platz square at its center. The cupola hall, with its gilded archways and ornately tiled floor, plays host to a café-restaurant where you can admire the architecture from red sofas tucked beneath black marble columns. The menu is in the best tradition of Vienna’s celebrated coffeehouses, and on Thursday evenings, the space transforms into a restaurant for atmospheric dinner dates.Café 1902, Petit Palais (Paris)Café 1902 is best enjoyed during good weather, when patrons can sit in the courtyard. Photo: Luc Castel/Getty ImagesBuilt for the 1900 Universal Exposition, the Petit Palais has been a museum since 1902, and is an enchanting mix of galleries and gardens in metropolitan Paris. Café 1902 is one of its chief attractions, especially in good weather, when its patrons can relax in the tree-filled courtyard. Though its surroundings are classically French, the café interior is understatedly modern, with details in wood, marble, and canework, with petrol-blue accents.Bacha Coffee, Dar El Bacha Museum (Marrakech)Coffee and design lovers will find plenty to admire at Bacha Coffee. Photo: Courtesy of Bacha Coffee, Dar El Bacha MuseumWhere better to have a great coffee experience than Marrakech? Bacha Coffee is a beautiful courtyard café in the Dar El Bacha palace, the historic former residence of the Pasha of Marrakech, which is now a museum. Its salons, gardens, and fountains are fine examples of traditional Moroccan architecture, and the café pays tribute to this with its fretwork screens, palm trees in elaborate jardinières, and checkered flooring. It’s also a haven for coffee connoisseurs: Here you can sample over 200 single-origin varieties from around the world.Museo Correr (Venice)The menu at the Museo Correr’s café is inspired by Venetian artists. Photo: DEA/A. DAGLI ORTI/Getty ImagesThe Museo Correr is dedicated to the arts, culture, and history of Venice. In its café, romantic classical tableaux adorn the walls; the banquettes are clad in amethyst velvet; and marble tiles are arranged in geometric patterns on the floor. The menu is inspired by Venetian artists, and thanks to the café’s location on the first floor, it’s the perfect spot to observe goings-on in neighboring St Mark’s Square.National Kitchen by Violet Oon, National Gallery (Singapore)National Kitchen by Violet Oon blends Singaporean cuisine with influences from China, Malaysia, and India. Photo: Courtesy of National Kitchen by Violet Oon, National Gallery SingaporeSoutheast Asian art and heritage come to the fore at the National Gallery Singapore, which occupies two restored historical monuments, the former Supreme Court and City Hall. Chef Violet Oon’s National Kitchen is the perfect complement. Focusing on Singapore’s culinary heritage, it serves “heirloom recipes” blended with influences from China, Malaysia, and India. The venue’s interior is dark and opulent, with details in black, gold, and emerald green illuminated by mirrors and crystal chandeliers. Visitors should try the Singapore High Tea, a reimagining of the classic afternoon tea with Coronation chicken and coconut panna cotta.Le Nélie, Musée Jacquemart-André (Paris)Le Nélie is located inside what was once a private mansion. Photo: Courtesy of Le Nélie, Musée Jacquemart-AndréThe cafe’s setting reflects much of the building’s original opulence. Photo: Courtesy of Le Nélie, Musée Jacquemart-AndréOverlooking the courtyard garden of the much-loved Musée Jacquemart-André is Le Nélie, a restaurant–tea room known for its delicious pastries. Once a private mansion belonging to art collectors Édouard André and his wife Nélie Jacquemart, the museum dates from the late 19th century, and its café has retained much of the original residence’s grandeur. Gilt-framed tapestries hang on the antique paneled walls, and the menu features dishes inspired by artists in the museum’s collection.Absis Restaurant, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (Barcelona)Absis merges the museum’s historical architecture with a contemporary twist. Photo: Courtesy of Museu Nacional d’Art de CatalunyaSince 1934, the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya has occupied the Palau Nacional of Montjuïc, built for the International Exposition of 1929. Bringing together art from across the ages (including some of the world’s best Romanesque murals, and works by Gaudí, Miró, and Picasso), its soaring spaces include a marble-clad former throne room that now houses Absis, a bracingly contemporary café-restaurant. Unfolding like a modern intervention, the design contrasts swaths of original stone with a slanting mirrored ceiling and partitions in timber and gold.A version of this story originally appeared in AD Middle East.Not a subscriber? Join AD for print and digital access now.Sign up for our daily newsletter to get the best of design in your inbox.Amy studied English at Cambridge University before going to work at a trend forecasting agency. Her passion for design and the built environment led to a focus on interiors and architecture. After working at leading design publications, she decided to go freelance in 2017. ... Read More