Spalding House Café

Located on the grounds of old Contemporary Museum… the restaurant is downstairs from the main entrance, and you need to still pay the $ 10 each entrance fee to get into the museum.
We selected to do the picnic lunch for $ 35. You get to chose 2 main courses from the list they give you and 2 drinks. We chose the Panini sandwich and a Chicken Kale salad with Bubu Arare, a Caesar dressing, shredded beats and another chick pea kale salad, our 2 drinks and 2 home made chocolate chip cookies. All this came in a cute picnic basket and they have mats for you to use to sit on after you pick a nice spot to enjoy your lunch. This is a weather dependent picnic and we got lucky on our day for the weather was sunny and breezy.
The best dish in our choices was the chicken kale salad with the Caesar dressing and bubu arare. That was surprisingly ono! Once we were done, returned the basket to the restaurant and took in the sights of the grounds. It’s much smaller than the Beretania location but I really nice place for couples to spend quality time to together and enjoy the sights, and each other’s company! If you chose to come here come before 2 for that’s when the Spalding House closes. Grind On! Pau!

The bathrooms here are pretty artsy looking, as befits a café in the middle of a museum. You’ll just have to see for yourself.
Nestled near the slopes of Tantalus, I thought about the light and dark side driving the twisty roads. An adventure just to get there, for you Initial D fans.
Parking’s not bad, as they offer space on the lawn if they 4 or 5 stalls in front of the museum are taken. The security dude was good about directing us where to go. The babes thought he looked familiar. I told her it was because he was probably the same security guard from the last time she went. Defend Spalding House, brah.
The museum grounds are picturesque, scenic, and quaint, even in the rain. Especially in the rain. It’s romantic when it rains during your picnic. At least, that’s what we told ourselves as we wrung the water out of our clothes. The green lawns, the sculptures, and the view of Honolulu shrouded in the rainy mist wasn’t too bad.
We opted for the picnic basket lunch, which is a great deal at $ 35. You get a picnic basket, choice of 2 entrees, 2 salads, 2 drinks, and 2 deserts. Deserts might be too generous a description though, as we were given just 2 chocolate chip cookies. We told ourselves that they baked the cookies in house to feel better. Even then, we both were stuffed at the end of our lunch. Paninis will do that to you.
The only thing missing was wine. I think I’ll have to look up if it’s BYOB.
A picnic, mountains, art, and rain.
Defend Hawaii.

Spalding House Café is a little place inside the Honolulu Art Museum with a reasonably priced, delicious, healthy menu. We had a reservation for a picnic lunch on the lawn this past Sunday (family fun day, free entry!)
We ordered at check in, paid, grabbed their provided mats and an umbrella and found a nice spot under the tree. We were told to come back in about 20 minutes and pick up our picnic basket. The picnic meal is a set price ($ 35) which comes with your choice of two entrees, two salads, two drinks, and dessert of the day.
We ordered:
–Mediterranean Quinoa Wrap: green spinach tortilla stuffed with curried quinoa, roasted red peppers, a hearty piece of eggplant, cucumbers, green leaf lettuce and herbed yogurt sauce. The curry flavor was very minimal; I would have preferred a stronger, bolder flavor. The yogurt sauce was delicious, but all towards the bottom of the wrap.
–BTG Wrap: green spinach tortilla stuffed with loads of bacon, sliced tomato and green leaf lettuce. It comes with a small container of «toasted onion» mayo. This wrap was so good and the mayo was like icing on the cake! I would definitely order this one again!
–Salad: green leaf and kale salad with garbanzo beans and diced tomatoes. The salad dressing was good, mayo base, but not sure what kind exactly.
–Chocolate Chip Cookies: definitely tasted homemade. Cold out of the fridge, but by the time we finished our meal, they had warmed up under the sun. They’re «not my mom’s cookies,» but still good!
–Iced Tea: unsweetened with loads of ice. Tea was super strong so the melting ice helped water it down.
–Iced Coffee: with a splash of milk. Just like the tea– strong but also loaded with ice. I enjoyed it.
Food was made with healthy, high quality ingredients which made it, «that much more» delicious. (Next time I plan to sit in the café so I can try those menu items.) Scenery all around is beautiful. It’s the perfect spot for a lunch date or a fun day out of the house with the kiddies.
FYI:
–Be very careful when going up or down the little stone steps from the café to the lawn. There is no railing and they are a little uneven.
–Since you’re there, walk around!
–Check out the arts and craft room to the left before you exit (I made a clay air plant holder that day).

Yes!!! so good. love the grounds!!!

This is becoming a family favorite! When I was younger, without kids, I would frequent this café with girlfriends and my then fiancé (now husband) often. I loved the simple, fresh food in the cute little café where the walls were covered in art done by various artists at different times of the year. Then I had kids. Life got busy. It was too much of a hassle to get my ginormous stroller down to this cute little café, and eventually, I sort of forgot about this spot that was once a favorite of mine. NOW, my kids are older, they can walk down those stairs themselves, they can read the menu and choose their own food, and they just love coming here to eat bacon and cheese grilled pita, fresh lemonade, and then going on an «adventure» down the stone laid stairs on the museum grounds! Life is GOOD!
On Family Sundays, we love catching the free shuttle to Spalding House and eating at the café, because the food is much better than what they serve down at the Academy on Family Sundays, it’s much more relaxed and the hubby and I will get a table outside while the kids sit on the grassy area right outside the café and listen to storytime. We had Mother’s Day lunch here this past weekend and even the grandma and grandpa enjoyed it very much! We also love this little café for the simple yet delicious food. Who knew deviled eggs could taste so good and I am pretty much in love with the Mezze plate, full of delicious and somewhat healthy things to dip their heavenly pita in.
You can also order a picnic lunch to take onto the grounds of the museum lawn and enjoy a pre-​packed, complete with blanket and basket, lunch with your family! And while this is not a review for their gift shop, be sure to check that out as well, right next to the café. It’s the loveliest little gift shop with tons of unique and interesting items, even for kids! Basically, Spalding House Café is one of our family’s little Happy Places and like I said, LIFE IS GOOD!

The service was excellent, food was specular and the views fabulous! Great spot for a romantic date or lunch with the ladies!

The food here is okay, and the location is beautiful. As I mentioned on my review of the Spalding House itself, the grounds are beautiful. This is reason enough to spend a leisurely afternoon here.
Apparently, you can get a picnic basket from the restaurant! I didn’t know that! And that sounds like a wonderful idea, because there is a beautiful lawn shaded by a huge tree. Afterwards, you can meander through the gardens.
The service here was excellent. Super attentive and friendly!
The main reason why I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5 is because the food is just okay. It is enjoyable, but for the cost, I would expect better. Still, I consider it to be a donation to the museum, so with that, I would definitely recommend including it as part of your day!

Despite our mild, world-​class tropical weather, there are sadly few places you can enjoy a meal or coffee outdoors in a tranquil garden setting. Spalding House Café is one of them. It may take me days to think of another. Excellent service, good food, real ceramic dishes, affordable prices. Small menu, but they have everything you need for a great lunch. Note the limited hours. TREAT YO SELF!

Love the food and the staff at the café! The soups and deviled eggs are to die for! And our waiter was great!
But dealing with the museum staff almost makes me not want to return. Pretentious and stuck up! FYI If there is a check in at the front desk policy, everyone should enforce if, AND THERE SHOULD BE A SIGN!
The café deserves a 5 star rating but the museum (front desk staff specific) deserves a 0!

I thought this place was very nice.
The service was kind and efficient. The food choices were good and even included some vegetarian items. And the food was good. The only thing I would say that I didn’t think was great was the décor. Or more specifically, the chairs.
I went there with a party of 7 for a celebratory lunch with a visiting scientist to Hawaii. It was a nice place that was perfect for chatting. The music was a tad loud but I blame myself because I could have asked them to turn it down but didn’t. The chairs were made of metal and were just that little step up from a lawn chair. Because our guest of honor is in her 70s, I noticed them more than I would have, perhaps.
I got the grown-​up grilled cheese sandwich with salad and thought it was all very nice. The cheese oozed out a bit more than I would have liked it too, but there were tomatoes in that sammie and I LOVE tomatoes. The salad was quite large and tasty. I left feeling pretty stuffed.
Oh, and the coffee came in a real cup and saucer! BONUS! I got several refills and felt like I might lift off to space at any given moment. Coffee flavor was ok, not great but again… the cups!
I think this is a lovely place to take people to when visiting.

Delicious cream of mushroom soup and deviled eggs today. The food is always good here.

Always satisfied with lunch here. I’ve even done the picnic option and had a wonderful picnic on the lawn with my friends.

In the HOUSE.
It was a very sunny day when some friends and I decided to meet up for lunch at Spalding House Café. Nestled in the hills of Makiki, this quaint and cozy café serves up simple fair that is both delicious and a delight.
LOCATION: On the grounds/​property of the Honolulu Museum of Art at Spalding House. Thank goodness for google maps that guided me to my destination without too much difficulty. Free parking available though the lot is not that big.
NOTE: Indoor and outdoor seating available. There is actually a covered/​tented area on the lawn adjacent to the café.
side NOTE: At the entrance to the museum, make sure to check-​in with the front desk as the staff will provide you with a sticker signifying that you’re dining at the café and a visitor to the museum (let’s be honest here: they’re just making sure people are not loitering).
For more information, including hours, menu and directions, please visit:
The indoor seating is not a large space, yet its simple and decorative with children’s artwork and smaller scale replicas of well-​known paintings (i.e.: the Mona Lisa) adorning the walls. The friendly host, who also doubled as our server, greeted us and let us have our pick of where to sit.
Altogether, we ordered the deviled eggs and mezze platter to start, while all of us opted to order their soup, salad, and sandwich combo. Their soup du jour was a delicious eggplant, garlic and potato creation with the eggplant picked directly from their garden. I opted for their classic panini which was outstanding. For me personally, the portion sizes in the combo meal was just perfect. To end our meal, we chose from their various gelato and sorbet selections. My choice was the calamansi sorbet, and it was very refreshing during this hot August heatwave.
SERVICE: Very good. The two young guys did a great job of checking on our group throughout our meal and readily provided water refills. Good service overall.
BOTTOM LINE: A delicious lunch with good friends in relaxing and peaceful setting.

Lunch today at Spalding House Café started off nicely enough, but as time passed and the place filled up the service grew thin. Had my fav Lomi Kale Caesar massaged with Parmesan Caesar dressing (this time a tad heavy) and crispy bubu arare (puffed rice), which was lighter in texture than in the past but still offers a nice texture contrast to the softened kale.
Also on the menu was Grown-​Up Grilled Cheese, in all its creamy, gooey, cheesy deliciousness and thinly sliced tomato settled between two perfectly toasted slices of bread. Rounded out with soup du jour Garbanzo Minestrone, a light and tasty broth with orzo and diced veggies sans tomato base.
My friend Melanie enjoyed her Mediterranean Quinoa Wrap, fresh cucumber, roasted peppers and greens in an herbed yogurt vinaigrette snuggled in a spinach tortilla.
Baked Eggplant Panini was friend Elaine’s choice: roasted peppers, provolone and kalamata tapenade on toasted flatbread with side house salad.
We were all very satisfied with our selections. The only reason I gave a 4-​star rating is because the service was a bit lacking but the staff were pleasant, just spread thin.

I must say the café food felt artsy. Service was very attentive, almost unusually attentive. In a great way, though. I believe they only had 2 highchairs in the place, and when the museum is offering free admission with storytelling it seems like they should have had a couple more (biased also because at one point I had 2 under 2… it’s now 2 under 3).
Anyway we ordered for the kids the grilled cheese (since that was basically the entire kids menu). It was pita bread with cheese served with cucumber slices. Props on the healthy ness to it all but if you have kids just be aware that’s what it is to manage expectations. My kids love bread and cheese, they were just a little confused I guess.
The adult grilled cheese was also a bit confusing. It was described as a cheese fondue sandwich with tomato, and accompanied by a kale/​chickpea salad and tomato soup. A hearty whole grain bread sandwiched an almost foamy cheese with tomato. It tasted like a grilled cheese cloud… I did enjoy it, just not what I expected. The soup was on the lighter side for a tomato soup which was perfect for the sticky hot summer weather. Also shared the mezzo which consisted of pita bread, hummus, two cheeses, olives, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes. Seemed a little steep for what we got but it was delicious.
The artsy ambiance was fun and whimsical, and the service again was really wonderful. I will be back.
If you come here with young children and they don’t have fancy tastes be sure to pack lots of snacks/​food for them.

I really wanted to love this café, but it was very average for me.
More please:
— ambiance. art-​filled space inside, airy seating outside
— picnic baskets! for dining on the lawn with a view our to Diamond Head
— service. friendly and attentive
— salad. was a heaping pile of mixed greens with tomato, carrot, chickpea
I’ll pass:
— flavor. my fondue grilled cheese was nice and melty but didn’t really taste like fondue. The lemonade needs a lot of help.
— price. yes, it helps the museum, but $ 20 for a mediocre lunch?
I won’t give up on this place (want to do a picnic!), but I won’t be racing back in, either.

Decent fare. The grounds make for a lovely ambiance. The dish we wanted to order wasn’t available. The staff seem really young and inexperienced. It was fine to try, but we are unlikely to visit again.

Such a quaint little museum with a cute café and gift shop located on the ground floor. I believe they also host some children’s educational events at this place as well. We went for my cousin-to-be’s bridal shower and it was a really gorgeous location. The grounds were very beautiful, green, and peaceful. It was a nice getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city, however, we went in the earlier morning… by the time we left the whole parking lot was packed. The food was pretty good. I had a chicken and kale wrap with some yummy potato soup and a nice salad. I wasn’t too happy with the service, we had to keep asking them for utensils and they had this inefficient method about bringing out our food. I’m not sure if they still serve you in the café as we were sitting in a tent outside for the shower.
I would probably go to this place again, and actually check out the museum and the café. It was overall a pleasant experience for me.

Great food but be prepared to wait and wait and wait and… We were also informed, well after we had ordered, that they had run out of two of our dishes — so by then it was too late to change up our order unless of course we again wanted to wait and wait… Overall we waited nearly an hour for our food. Not a pleasant experience.

Awesome place for a quick lunch with great food. Chef Susan has created a great atmosphere here.
Try the Turkey Rueben and the mushroom Gorgonzola soup. Or the Classic Rueben.
The Thai Iced Tea is a good drink for a hot day.

Amazing exhibit featuring the relationship between music and art. Great way to end the tour. Stop into the café for fresh pupus and great friendly service!

This review is for the family event held about a month ago.
Five stars because the kids had an awesome time.
It’s not often when your kids can paint on walls without getting into trouble. Lol…

In all of my years of living in Hawaii, I was taken away by this hidden gem when attending a dear friend’s bridal shower. The shower setting was outside of the café (under a tent) and it felt like a casual yet charming backyard event.
Being that it was my first time, the view and greenery took my breath away! I wanted to stay awhile. =)
The food was light and tasty. I had a wrap, salad, and the most delicious brownies drizzled with salted caramel. So lovely and filling!!! After the party, I looked online at the menu and it seems that our private event had a special menu. The service was attentive and smooth. It was such a rustic touch to have mason jars for our drinks!
Another sweet option is that you may order a picnic basket for 2 from the café for $ 30, and choose a spot on the lawn to enjoy a relaxing lunch in this serene getaway just moments from town. Who would have thought?
I wish I could visit every week for lunch, but I will settle for a monthly jaunt. Definitely a perfect venue for your next birthday party, brunch, wedding or baby shower, and almost any celebration. It is an ideal setting for an afternoon tea, that maybe the café can offer in the future…=)

Such a lovely place for a Sunday brunch!
I had the pleasure of being on the outside of the bridal shower described in Raechelle V.‘s review. My friends and I were inside, and had such fun listening to the games being played on the lawn! Their menu sounds delicious, as well. I can only imagine what fun it was to plan such an event at this café.
I was there to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with friends. That was our excuse, anyway. The honest truth is that we were there to celebrate each other. I am so glad that one of us spotted the announcement of the special menu for the month.
Menu–
Curried parsnip and carrot soup
Lomi kale salad with Guinness vinaigrette and aged cheddar
Corned beef or baked cod with mustard-​braised cabbage and turnip potato mash
Apple bread pudding with Irish whiskey sauce
I chose the corned beef, as did one other in our party. One of us had the cod, and the fourth member asked for the meat to be left off completely. All of us were well pleased with our choices, and we all look forward to a return visit!
The chef offers one prix-​fixe special lunch every month. As much as I look forward to trying out the rest of the menu, I have a feeling we will be back for another special meal. First, though, I plan to go back for a romantic picnic on the lawn.
PS– as wonderful as the meal tasted, what made the meal complete was the trip to the Art-​O-​Mat machine!
I ended up with a beautiful little origami card, and my friend found herself a new pet rock with a hand made sweater.

We had a wonderful time at the Spalding House Café for our dear friend’s bridal shower! First of all, what a beautiful place. I’ve always wanted to come here! The views and greenery are just simply beautiful. You can even get a picnic basket from the café and lounge on the lawn for a little picnic.
For our party, a tent was set up. Spalding House allowed us to decorate. Gotta love the random killer panda artwork in the background. We could even bring in our own Champagne. There was a buffet style menu complete with salad, sandwiches, pita bread with hummus, turkey wrap, and brownies. The food was delicious, filling, and healthy! Iced Tea and water was served. Our servers were super attentive. I’m such a slow eater. I was asked about 5 times if my plate was ready to be taken away. LOL! And the dear server with the super cute pink watch was such a good sport standing in the sun while taking a gazillion pictures of us girls.
They even provided bug spray for us, too. On the lawn in front of the café, they allowed us to play a super fun relay game. All in all, we had a wonderful time. It was like a private get away in the middle of urban Honolulu.
I am for sure coming back again with my husband for a little date! Soooo romantic. Hint to men out there… it’s a super romantic place to propose to your special someone.

2.9 stars.
Came here for lunch after perusing the immaculate grounds as the exhibits were temporarily closed for a new installation being brought in. Spent most of my time capturing great photos and filtering them via my Instagram application.
Ordered the Gouda & Pesto Grilled Cheese on Rye (2.5 stars). I was hungry, so this sort of hit the spot, but not really. The bread was more on the dryer side, but the wakame flakes were a nice touch, if only for visual fan fare. The side salad with beet vinaigrette was just average (2.5 stars).
For dessert I had the Kona Coffee Gelato (3.5 stars) that had that signature velvety coffee flavor that I adore, however it should have been called ice cream. I think many people are confused with how gelato should taste. You shouldn’t immediately think, «oh, ice cream», but more like, «whoa, this stuff is so smooth, what the hell is this?!»:
A nice and only choice for lunch here. Not bad, but not great. Perhaps with the merging of The Contemporary Museum with the HNL Academy of Arts, the food will elevate to the likes of the Academy’s Pavilion Café (or even exceed it). However things unravel, I look forward to be wowed next time around.
Tally:
Service: 3 stars
Gouda/​Pesto Grilled Cheese: 2.5 stars
Side salad w/​beet vinaigrette: 2.5 stars
Kona Coffee gelato: 3.5 stars
3+2.5+2.5+3.5= 11.5/4= 2.9 stars= 3 stars.
#Yelp 365: ⁰⁸³⁄₃₆₅

This used to be one of my favorite restaurants to go because I love the deviled eggs and crème brûlée… but…
I went the other day for lunch, and they didn’t have either! I was so sad so I had to ask about them even though they weren’t on the menu. They kindly were able to make the deviled eggs which were SOOO GOOD, but sadly no crème brûlée. *sniff*
So instead we got some falafel sandwich was just ok… and the artichoke salad which was horrible. The artichokes didn’t taste like artichoke and it had way too much dressing. Blah…
I sure hope they bring back their yummy goodness soon…
Unilocal 365 Challenge #80/​365