Kresge Court at Detroit Institute of Arts

The atmosphere at Kresge Court is wonderful — chic but comfortable and the food menu is representative of the vibe. I came with a large group of friends and luckily, the court was relatively empty. The menu is limited and quite expensive but if you are looking for a quick, tasty bite in the middle of your museum experience, this is it! I ordered the bleu cheese and pear flatbread while my friends chose pasta dishes and the turkey Gouda sandwich. No one really had complaints besides one of the pasta dishes being sprinkled with too much black peppercorn. I thoroughly enjoyed my flatbread — crispy, savory with a hint of sweetness from the pears. One of my friends could not stop raving about the turkey sandwich. Overall, great ambience and a cool place to meet friends for a bite!

Such a gem!!! Love their layout and comfy chairs, ample lighting, and free wifi! The turkey focaccia sandwich is SO delicious and comes with pickles and a side.
My only cons are:
–it’s pricy (which is slightly alleviated by their 10% student discount)
–you can’t bring backpacks into DIA, so you have to check a bag in and carry all your notebooks separately
–their drinks are limited. No iced tea options
Other than that, a great place to study or catch up, relax after DIA, and grab a bite to eat.

Best sandwich of my life. I got the turkey sandwich and couldn’t have possibly been happier. I was sad when I took the last bite.
Atmosphere is so cool. Place is quiet which was a cool change of pace. I think I spent over 2 hours there just sitting and talking and enjoying the beautiful environment.
Drinks were good but VERY expensive… Wish they had a mid to high shelf grade liquor option so it was slightly more affordable, but the drinks we had were great and strong so the money didn’t feel wasted at all.
I will be back again. Definitely my new favorite lunch spot to bring visitors to Detroit, especially family who may not like the divier restaurant side of the city.

Lovely lovely lovely.
I had about 45 minutes to kill before my volunteer shift at the Detroit Film Theatre and this was the perfect place to relax.
This little hidden nook is right across the way from the DIA cafeteria. They have an extensive food and drinks menu (Never eaten here myself but I was impressed with some of the food options scrolling through the photos on Unilocal) but you don’t have to buy anything to hang out here. Most people weren’t even eating when I came. They revamped this place a while ago and call it the DIA’s new «comfy living room.» Aesthetically it’s very pretty on the eyes and it gets wonderful lighting with the huge skylight. This used to be an open air courtyard back in the day which is kind of fun to think about.
I sat in one of the futuristic looking yellow chairs and although it looked cool, it wasn’t the most comfortable for leaning back and reading. Required me to almost go supine plus my OCD tendencies were kicking in and I wondered how clean the fabric was with everyone just lounging on these chairs so I didn’t want to lay all the way back.
Pretty much every Sunday at 1pm and 3pm, they have free live music here! Music acts are listed in advance on the DIA website and lucky for me I happened to stop by when this was happening. Definitely something worth checking out!

I actually give this place a 5 for ambiance and for being located in the awesome DIA. It offers a small selection of interesting food and drink choices but is basically self-​service and pretty expensive. I’ve come here to work in the afternoon before and liken it to a Starbucks that serves hot food and alcoholic drinks.

Great service in an amazing setting. The menu is simple consisting of mainly salads & sandwiches. The service is prompt & the staff are friendly.
My sandwich was delicious enough & marble cheesecake a fantastic treat. Glad I fuelled up for the gallery, which was bigger than I expected!
The atmosphere was nice & quiet. Secluded from the bustling crowd. Feels like I was dining in a castle. with an ipad for cnn news

Several nice gluten free options on the small menu, along with the intimate setting, made this the perfect place for a lunch break during our recent trip to the museum.
I loved both items I tried. The popcorn, popped in duck fat and served with generous sprinkles of cracked pepper, was great. The watermelon-​feta salad was perfect, served over arugula and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
I would highly recommend this spot to gluten-​free visitors.

Kresge, not to be confused with the cafeteria visible from the door (called CafeDIA — don’t go there), is a surprising find in the basement of the DIA. They have several delicious lunch options, although not that many of them — the menu is a little limited — but they really sold me with both the flavor and the extensive collection of Boylan sodas.
I had a chicken salad sandwich that was surprisingly great. It also came with chips in a cup, at the bottom of which was a surprise remoulade. I regretted not discovering this earlier into eating the chips, since the remoulade was amazing and I would’ve liked it on each and every chip. You have been warned.

Wow, this is a hidden gem in the city! Hidden in the DIA! The presentation amazing, craft drinks terrific! Quiet, intimate setting! Service excellent!!! Thursday night great night!!!

Loved the recent changes to the menu and décor. The food seemed interesting and updated.
The perfect place for a lunchtime break complete with wine, dessert and delicious potato chips and dip.

I’m in love, I’m in love with this beautiful spot! Art museums should be places where you can hang out, maybe meet up for a book club or just get out of the house. The DIA has done a wonderful job of encouraging visitors to do just that.
The glass roof allows for a ton of natural light, even on a cloudy day. Plenty of nooks and crannies to tuck away in or tables to spread out some work. Free wifi and little coffee shop make for happy art lovers. After walking the exhibitions it’s wonderful to decompress in this space.
The day I went it was packed, I had a hard time finding a free chair. Once I did I settled down to read a book… The great thing was that as many people as were in the room, it wasn’t loud. I was able to focus on my book with no problem. I’m thinking it could be a nice change of scenery from the library work station.
I recommend all my fellow Unilocalers to come here and at the very least have a cup of tea and enjoy for a few minutes.

we stopped in here to grab coffee at the recommendation of the employee we got tickets from but damn is it nice in there! the cozy couches, open window ceiling and relaxing vibe made us want to stay so we had a whole lunch.
i cannot begin to tell you how utterly impressed with this food I was. i didn’t expect much because it’s not like they have to do much. the ambience is incredible and they’ve already got me in the museum; feed me microwaved crap with hot sauce on it for all i care. but no, i ordered the artichoke and spinach flat bread with chicken and it was so fresh and flavorful and the veggies were so abundant i seriously forgot i was in a museum and not a luxury restaurant.
the cook forgot to include the chicken on my flat bread which was $ 4 extra dollars. notice that they aren’t missing a star for this. why? because the service is so good– the manager offered to make a new one but i’d eyed what looked like homemade kettle chips and asked if we could just have some of those instead. he obliged and also threw in a delicious slice of chocolate cheesecake.
the chef also came over and personally apologized for forgetting the chicken. honestly it was so good that i didn’t miss it but THAT is outstanding customer service that makes me wanna come straight back next time i’m in town.

What a gem of a find, Detroit continues to surprise with places like this. The atmosphere is definitely unique, an open courtyard in the basement floor w/​natural light flowing in from the glass covered roof. Whoever did the staging in here did a great job. Enjoyed the ambiance, especially w/​the live pianist providing a great backdrop to the setting. Definitely worth a stop while taking a break from enjoying the art in the DIA.

Wow, when did this place get so trendy?
Kresge court has always been beautiful, with the natural light coming in from the glass ceiling, and the beautiful brickwork on what I assume was once the outside of the museum. They’ve taken it to the next level however, by adding gorgeous furniture, a full bar, ipad stations and a small menu of snacks and entrees.
Prices are what you’d expect in a museum, $ 10-​$ 15 dollars for a light meal, $ 3 or so for non-​alcoholic drinks. We just had some pop, so I can’t speak to the quality of the food.
It’s a nice, relaxing oasis to recharge in so that you can walk around the museum for another few hours.

Hidden within the heart of the DIA exists a magical place to let your body relax and your conversation about the art of the museum flow. The entrance is wide open with a high ceiling letting in natural light and the ambient music relaxes you as you enjoy many of the tasty treats, beverages (alcoholic included), or meals.

Amazing food, even if it is a little expensive, with friendly staff and ample place to sit and relax or study. I love going on Sundays and listening to live piano music while I study! They also serve alcohol if you’re in the mood.
Favorite menu items currently — Pepita quinoa salad ($ 10) and chicken salad sandwich ($ 12)

As a self-​employed consultant, I’m always on the lookout for a good place to work from. This is a great alternative to coffee shops. It’s chic yet comfortable, and has free wifi, pricy snacks, and art. I like it!

I do love the DIA, it’s always a wonderful place & time. AND, Wayne, Oakland & I think Macomb resident’s are free with driver’s license. Take some time and enjoy the DIA

Such a great space inside the museum. Great light and open setting, if you love this museum, you’ll love the restaurant as well. Menu seems like it’s still getting totally perfected, but offers a ton of really interesting fare. They also have daily specials and serve beer. Who doesn’t love that at lunch? Don’t think there is a better spot to get a little Diego Rivera Mural action in the center court of the museum before lunch and follow it up with the Dutch Masters while your food digests…

The newly renovated Kresge Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts opens this weekend for their grand opening. It’s been recently renovated to elevate its food for small bites and evening starters in a very comfortable and beautiful atmosphere. After speaking to one of the employees, it was also designed to host your planned or impromptu meeting over coffee and an easy place to plug in and work remotely.
We were treated to a tasting for several items on their newly designed menus. They offer two menus, one during the day and the other on Friday evenings. We had items on both menus and after looking at the rest of them, there are several others that I’m looking forward to trying.
From the Friday night menu, we sampled the Artichokes and Flat Bread, Toasted Farro Salad, and Smashed Beets. The artichoke dish is served with a black olive aioli and a very thin flat brad, almost a cracker, with delicate spices. The artichokes were extremely soft and light in flavor. They are not over powering in oil or vinegar, just a nice mild flavor that matches the very subtle flavor of the black olive aioli. The aioli is made with regular black olives, not kalamata, so it’s not very salty or strong. The farro salad is a healthy, vegetarian, and hearty option. It’s slightly on the al dente side, having a firm texture than a soft texture as rice. My last item on the tasty triptch menu was the beets in a dill yogurt sauce. The beets were prepared well with them being soft and flavorful. They are still firm and not mushy. It’s beautifully presented and the dill sauce compliments the beets well. There is a nice balance of acidity and dairy to have a smooth flavor.
On the afternoon menu, we tried the Wich Came First. It has pulled chicken, hard boiled egg, kale, tomato, and tarragon mayonnaise. The chicken was very soft and tender and cooked nicely. The hard boiled egg gives the sandwich a level of creaminess. The tarragon mayo was an excellent choice with the chicken and eggs. They use a local bread company, which was nice and fresh as well.
The review would have a sense of loss if I don’t mention the setting. The Kresge Court is in this beautiful courtyard with relaxing and brand new furniture. It’s better than any coffee shop you will sit in. It’s designed for a light bite, but also for relaxing and reading a book, working remotely, or having a business meeting. Some off their table tops are designed with removable paper so you can take notes and then take it with you. They also have iPads available to the public on some of the high top tables. Good luck in finding any place that has a beautiful glass roof, stained glass windows around you, stunning architecture, easy listening music, and a comfortable atmosphere.