Mitsitam Native Foods Café
| Address: | Independence Ave SW & 4th St SW, Washington, DC 20024, USA |
| Phone: | +1 202-633-6644 |
| Site: | mitsitamcafe.com |
| Rating: | 3.5 |
| Working: | 11AM–5PM 11AM–5PM 11AM–5PM 11AM–5PM 11AM–5PM 11AM–5PM 11AM–5PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 12
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STEVEN VONG
Probably the best food around the Smithsonian, but too overpriced for such a small meal. If youre looking to eat something besides Mickey Ds at Air and Space, this place is for "adventurous" people who are willing to pay a lot to try interesting items. Located in the American Indian Museum, this cafeteria is very nicely decorated and located by a window next to calming flowing waters from the fountain outside. The stations and food are very unique, all coming from different sections of the US and based on a "Native American" theme. I ordered a buffalo sandwich which was something over 10 bucks. It wasnt worth it, though I can say I now have eaten buffalo meat. My friends tried the fry bread with chicken and a tiny plate of salmon, and though both were described as "high-quality," it definitely didnt fill them up. This place gets an extra star for the setting however, the dining area is large, the food presentation is very nice, and it is one of the highest quality cafeterias I have eaten at (cant wait til Vegas!)
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Toivo Voll
The idea is lovely, and there are several interesting options listed on the display boards. However, its a bit of a challenge to navigate the entire food court to find the various offerings, and the prices are, even for museums, excessive. Worse, though, is that when I went to order dishes displayed on the computer displays I was informed the displays were wrong and some of the dishes were actually not available. The restaurant was out of straws and a fountain soda -- when I pointed the malfunctioning soda fountain out to the staff, they apologized but did nothing to fix it or mark the machine as out or out-of-order. All of this really left me with an air of lackadaisical attitude to service which definitely did not live up to either the prices charged or the rest of the museum.
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Lucy Dee
Ok, I totally was excited to try the Native American food at this museum cafe. I had heard wonders about the bread. First of all, the frybread wasnt that great. It seemed like you took funnel cake dough, and just turned it into a mass and fried it. I wasnt a fan, but maybe because I was so excited for it and I just couldnt be satisfied. Second, they sadly ran out of the buffalo and duck burger, which I had also heard was a must-try. So alas. We got some sort of sampler platter, which had all sorts of things on it. None of them particularly stood out, and if I recall the beef was a bit tough. I think if youre museum hoping its still one of the better options, but generally Id say its not a place one must visit.
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Emma Jewett
Contains a large variety of foods, but the pricing is confusing. As others have said, the sampler plate tastes great and is a change of pace from regular restaurant fare. When we paid, we didnt realize that an extra order of fries had been charged, and the cashier didnt understand why this was a problem. This small mistake took way too long to sort out and required the help of an additional employee. (Speaking of the French fries, they are not a side - regardless of what the signs claim.) The food tasted okay, but I think better choices exist for a group of people. I would recommend this cafeteria to visitors who have time and money to spare and want to experience a different meal related to the museum they toured.
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Oliver Ames
I cannot describe in words how amazing this place is. I went in expecting a cafeteria and while it is set up in the "cafeteria style", the food is incredible and most definitely not "cafeteria style". I had the buffalo skirt steak, some amazing spinach and vegetables, and the creamy broccoli. Definitely skip the hamburgers and head straight for the authentic food. The names might be frightening but everything is delicious and flavorful. They cook the meat right in front of you over big fires which makes the food and experience even better. Great to relax with family, eat slowly to enjoy your food or if you need a quick bite.
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M S
Ordered the pork shank on a bed of beet root mashed potatoes with oxtail soup on the side. It came out to be close to 27 bucks total. I dont think Id pay even a third of the price for the quality of cooking and seasoning that I had. The pork was somewhat dry and bland inside and outside, the seasoning that it had made it seem like it was going to be a lot tastier than it actually was. The seasoning was pretty bland too. The mashed potatoes were decent, the only thing decent that I had and the gravy was very salty but edible with the potatoes. The oxtail soup was subpar- watery, too light, and forgettable meat.
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Shana Manuel
Great ethnic food options representing cuisine from Native American cultures spanning the Americas, i.e. MesoAmerica, Northweat Coast, Northern Woodlands. Type of foods spanned the gamut from your everyday taco served in a warm tortilla to grilled napoletas and chilled ceviche. There was something for everyone: child to adult. Tons of healthy food options. Only downer was the price. Expect to pay in excess of $30 for two if youre wanting to sample this authentic cuisine. But was it worth it? Most definitely.
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A Private User
Great place to eat while on the Mall. Being veg, I had many great choices from wild rice and greens to veg tamales to squash and fry bread. For the carnivores, they have duck and buffalo. Very creative meals from different native regions from Canada to the SW. Loved it so much I bought 3 cookbooks. Note if you want to have your cookbooks shipped, buy from the museum and not the cafe because only the museum will ship for you. Nice to not have to carry all those books with you in your luggage!
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Scot Duke
I was very, very impressed with the food at the Mitsitam Native Foods Café in the National Museum of the American Indian. The Pork Chop with Grilled Cherrys was off the chart awesome. The Grilled Okra and White Corn on the Cobb was very well done, The Lima Beans with Zucchini was well prepared and over course the banana bread cup cake was very good. The downside was....the price for a meal was over $25 which I felt for a Cafeteria Style setting was over priced.
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Grant Feichtinger
This is a great place to take people from out of town. The food is excellent and unlike anything I have seen anywhere else. But building itself is also excellent. I would give give stars, but the staff can be hit or miss. They have been very helpful during some of my visits, but at times they have also been pretty useless and even rude. But seriously, come for the experience.
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Wilhelmina Wise
This is a fun and interesting place to eat. It is arranged like a food court with a central set of cash registers for checking out. Each station serves native based foods, arranged by geographic region. I found the dishes uniformly delicious and in several cases surprising. The lobster and cauliflower mash, for example, looked like boring mashed potatoes but tasted incredible.
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Maloupu Watts
My group got the pork and salsa tacos with some cornbread, rice, and tapioca pudding. All of it was certainly tasty, but the food lines are cafeteria style and all the items I bought were way over priced. Taste-wise, the cafe is pretty good if you know what pairs with what well. I imagine many people would not know and just resort to eating typical American food.
