Food was actually very tasty and worth the money.
After a beautiful and calm walk through the gardens we thought we’d enjoy lunch on the cool terrace overlooking the gardens ….. as we sit back take a sip of our beer; breathe in; about to relax; we hear an ear piercing call via bullhorn for patrons to get their food; mind you - in take out containers for dine in. The food was fine; however 3 mochi were repacked in ziplock baggies??? Say what??? This place has zero finesse. The worker/server counted the exact forks and napkins. No knives for big chicken pieces and salad. I think a 3 hour wait at a theme park would’ve been kinder to the soul…… such a disappointment!
As another reviewer pointed out this is a museum cafe, not a real restaurant that you can just walk into from outside. It is on a pleasant, covered patio overlooking the garden grounds. It is a bit informal. You order and pay at the cashier and you fetch your meal when they call your number. The dishes are in disposable containers. But the food was quite good, not just for a museum cafe, but on its own merits. I had spring rolls and the gyoza, my wife had the classic bento box, and our son had the curry chicken. The dishes were quite tasty and servings of generous size. We paid $12 to $18 for each meal, which was fair value for the quality of the food.
In picking up our lunch when the number was called, no sauces of any kind were offered , no tray for your orders, no chop sticks , etc During the 1 hour we were there , where tables were crowded together, not once was a table cleaned after patrons left . Ugh And then , you are told to take your garbage to the cans. Even the plastic cutlery was bad with teaspoons being provided for your soup and not in a sealed wrapper . Ugh Delray inspectors should close this place down
This is a cafeteria, it is in a busy (and a bit noisy) locale on a terrace overlooking a beautiful lake at Morikami Gardens....and it is not a restaurant. Now thats out of the way, lets recognise that for a museum cafe (often a tragic afterthought, or a smugly decorated theme dedicated to the museum at hand)....it's not bloody bad! I had a vegetarian bento box, which was filled to the brim with tasty little morsels of flavour, colour, and texture...all enjoyable. My companion had a chicken teriyaki on rice w vegetables and liked it a lot. **Covid protocols meant plastic containers, plastic forks etc....but I imagine they'll take a greener path once covid id past us ; ) High marks for view across the lake, open fresh air yet protected terrace, architecture, and layout.
Museum cafeterias are generally dull and unimaginative especially when they tout cuisines that reflect the type of Museum they are housed in. Having been a resident of the Washington DC area for several decades I was used to the bland unimaginative fare of the various Smithsonian museums. The Cornell cafe was a pleasant surprise. During the COVID era they had scaled back the number of offerings. We ordered the Bento box and it came with a variety of foods that were very tasty. The price is moderate but expensive for cafeteria food. The surroundings are beautiful and lend value to the dining experience.
The best! All i need to say.
They have Taiyaki ice cream which is hard to find and it's really good. I ate here a few years ago and menu options were very good.
I drank boba tea. It was good but not great
Surprisingly good food, reasonably priced.