Gazebo Cafe

Recently reopened under new management, along with the reopening of the American Textile History Museum. The menu is quite large, offering everything from freshly prepared pizza and pasta to sandwiches and fried foods. A convenient option for museum goers, Sun employees, and local residents.
I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when I first approached the counter, only to see a huge pre-​packaged ice cream poster taking center stage on the wall, followed by a cooler of 20oz bottled sodas immediately behind the counter. These two things led me to believe that perhaps I was walking up to a glorified snack shop, rather than a café with freshly prepared foods. Luckily my curiosity overcame my first impression, but I’m afraid this café might suffer a little from trying to do too many things OK, rather than doing a few things really well. That being said, our food was fresh and tasty, it just lacked originality.

March 31, 2008: Gazebo Café closes and owner retires. See below.
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Original review:
The Gazebo Café in located in the lobby of the American Textile History Museum. Since last year, the building also houses the offices of the Lowell Sun newspaper.
The Gazebo Café is a little jewel of a spot in what may seem to be an unlikely venue. While many museums have places where visitors can sip tea and eat dainty sandwiches, the Gazebo’s menu is built around hearty homemade-​style soups and generous sandwiches always made from fresh ingredients.
And it’s a good thing, because those Lowell Sun newspaper people probably are not a tea-​sipping and dainty-​sandwich-​eating kind of crowd.
The Gazebo Café makes its own breads and baked goods. There are always several specialty breads to choose from, such as anadama, bacon & cheddar, sun-​dried tomato, cinnamon raisin, maple brown sugar, as well as their standards: white, whole wheat, rye and honey-​herb. They make their own muffins, sweet breads, rolls, various cookies and baked deserts like apple crisp. The New England Indian Pudding is a treat not to be missed! This is a great place to get your mid-​morning coffee and muffin, or to have an informal business lunch or lunch with friends or co-​workers.
Or show up on most Sundays for a brunch menu which includes eggs, omlettes, and similar fare. (Call ahead to confirm times.)
There is plenty of parking and the entire facility is handicapped accessible. You do not have to be a member of the museum or to pay any admission fee to access the Gazebo Café.
Note: The museum itself is currently under renovation and is expected to reopen in a few months. (See the Unilocal!listing for the American Textile History Museum.)
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Epilogue:
It’s truly a shame that Dick Barry and the Gazebo restaurant were left twisting in the wind while the Lowell Sun took over much of the Textile Museum building. The extended closure of the museum coupled with the Sun and its employees not generating enough business to keep the Gazebo alive are a sad statement about Lowell, which I had come to think of as a dynamic and creative city providing a nearby alternative for the cultural community which has been priced out of the Boston market.
If Lowell’s major newspaper cannot stir up the business community enough to get the Textile Museum operational — and can sit by quietly as the public lobby of its new flagship offices and newsroom begins to look like a failed shopping mall — then it does not bode well for the City of Lowell’s ability to sustain the remarkable revitalization which has occurred over the past few years.
I am saddened to see Dick and employee Barbara Wilson have to call it quits. They deserve better, having worked so hard to run a quality operation in the face of such a failure of civic responsibility.