KC Cafe

You will go here because of its convenience, not for the quality, quantity, or variety of food. The salad bar is the central focus. It has about 10 options, and you pay by the weight regardless of your selections. I had heard salmon is an option, but when we went this past weekend, the only protein was dried chicken and hard boiled eggs. For a full plate of salad with no protein at all, four stalks of asparagus, and the normal lettuce, cucumbers, etc, it was $ 15. Water is free: hurray! The grill was cooking up fries, chicken «fingers», burgers, dogs, and pasta. It all looked very packaged and from freezer to fryer.

The convenience is great. Overpriced for the quality of the food. The caesar salad was limp, the potatoes were oily and the meat was fatty. All that and a drink cost $ 36.00. The salad bar looked like a better option. So essentially go early because the lines are long, seating is difficult, food is mediocre — but they know they have you so it won’t change.

Avoid the Kennedy Center cafeteria «like the plaque» NOT just because it is overpriced but because the quality does NOT match the quality. Entrée selected both myself and my Oklahoma date (who had flown in for the KC event btw): salmon. If appearances were synamous with substance we were at

Lovely but expensive food and the chaos on this particular Saturday night in March did NOT leave me ever wanting to return. Could there be more disorganized place to have a meal. Pity since the space is inviting and the views, marvelous. Where was the management???

It’s distinctly overpriced, but I can’t complain about the quality… mostly.
Last visit, I had the Orecchiette with lamb and winter squash bolognese. Despite the fact that the pasta was ever so slightly overdone, the sauce well made up for it, with a wonderfully rich and meaty lamb flavor. The tomato sauce cut through the richness, though, and the squash provided a delightful sweet note. The side of salad wasn’t overdressed, or under-​seasoned, but it was rather bare.
All this for $ 19, seemed like a bit much, but it was filling, I will say. My wife enjoyed the penne with spicy Italian sausage and kale, which came with her choice of sauce and also the aforementioned side of salad. She went with Alfredo, which while being more of a behcamel, was still a good foil to the seasoning of the meat. This was also $ 19 and also quite enjoyable.
We passed on the carving stations, as $ 30 for cafeteria-​style entrees seemed a bit too steep, but I have to say, they did smell and look inviting. Maybe if we feel like splurging next time…
Thing is, if I’m going to go all out, I’d rather go back to the Rooftop Terrace Restaurant, the other dining establishment in the Kennedy Center. Sure, it costs more, but I feel like I’m getting what I’m paying for there. All the same, for a fast meal before an evening show or after a matinée, it’s hard to go wrong here… so long as you have some green for the scene.

Pretty much of a disaster. Inconsistent salad bar. Sometimes salmon, sometimes no. Sometimes some parmesan, sometimes no. Looked for a glass of wine — all the glasses were being washed. Steam table beef $ 28 (I passed). «Pasta Station» for $ 19. Soups from the Sysco bag. Come on Kennedy Center — this is 2014. How hard is it to step it up a notch?

I’ve been here 2 or 3 times. unfortunately there aren’t many food options before watching a show at the Kennedy Center.
The food here is mediocre at best. but the prices are extremely expensive. it is probably worse than a high school cafeteria, with prices of a 4 star restaurant. no thanks

My bf and I visited the Kennedy Center café just before a Washington Chorus concert. We were a bit rushed and super hungry, since it was right after work, so we decided to give this café a visit. We opted for the salad bar, which has fresh selections of standard salad bar items, with the addition of this awesome salmon salad. KC Café is tasty, fresh, decently priced, and very convenient if you are rushed to eat something before a performance. Highly recommended.

The production we attended was in between lunch and dinner so we didn’t want a meal, but we checked out the KC café out of curiosity anyway. I got a «mini wine bottle» and it was fine, a nice pour for the price. It was a hot day so we were happy to sit in the air cooled room with a nice glass of wine and a beautiful view, while we waited for our plays «reading» to begin. The menu board of salads, sandwiches and pasta bar seemed fine, not crazy over-​priced. If I’m going to pay a few dollars more I think I’d rather have it be for the Performing Arts than for some baseball mogul. We’ll be back to bring our granddaughter for the Nutcracker (we hope) and will consider a light lunch here in early November.

As several other commenters have shared, I am glad for a spot to grab a bite before a show. That being said, don’t set the bar too high.
For a glass of wine, a Dewar’s and coke, and a cheesecake dessert, we escaped with a $ 28 tab. The staff was all friendly. The tables were plentiful and bussed quickly once the patrons left.
I enjoyed the small bite and will likely go back again. I would certainly use it as a place to hold me over until a larger after theater meal.

I went in expecting to pay for an overpriced salad, and to keep it going. And that’s what I got! At least the ingredients were fresh. Everything here was really overpriced (i.e the pasta, carving station, etc). They also have pre-​made sandwiches like ham and brie. The hubs enjoyed the mini bottles of wine, and a pretty good selection to choose from.

OK, embrace it for what it is… a geriatric dining center for a captive audience! You’re going to overpay for EVERYTHING and it’s going to be OK– move on! I’m here a lot for the ballet– a lot! I enjoy my overpriced salad, glass of wine, and people watching. A glass of wine is $ 9.35 and a plate of salad is about $ 10 – 12 dependent of weight. I don’t eat or drink anything else. So far they haven’t ruined the salad bar and geri-​dining is good stuff! (quote from my 70+ year old ballet buddy).
It gets late early out there! Come early, get your table, and enjoy the show!

It’s certainly convenient to have a place to grab a bite before a show. I’m always nervous that I’ll be late for curtain when I’m dining in DC before showtime. Never really can enjoy it.
It is expensive and mediocre, and arrive early if you can. Expensive, as in $ 50 for two. You can probably score a nice salad or sandwich for less from the cooler. The pre-​pack sandwiches are not bad.
I don’t mind paying more as long as Kennedy Center is getting their fair cut of the take. Otherwise, it’s just criminal.

Cafeteria food at a premium. Right before shows, the place gets packed. The only things worth paying for here are the desserts. If you have time, eat at home, Foggy Bottom, Georgetown, or anywhere else so you can avoid the madness that is KC Café.

The food isn’t terribly good, but if you’ve got time to kill before a show and want a nosh, it’s better than nothing. Be prepared to drop a lot of money, though. Everything is insanely expensive.

It’s located on the 10^th floor roof top next to the Terrace restaurant. Cafeteria style service. Select what you want to eat, and pay at the cashier station.
Our guided tour concluded up on the roof terrace so we decided to stick around for afternoon beverage and snack.
They serve Starbucks coffee. We had beer, soda, and coffee with chips, cookies, and a scone.
We didn’t notice an area for your dirty dishes, and no one cleared off the tables from lunch either. We would have been happy to bus our dirtied stuff.

Pricey, tasty food, grumpy service staff always at this restaurant but it’s a good stop for us as we live on the Route 80 bus route and Kennedy Ctr is the end of the line. It’s also wheelchair accessible and has things we all can eat, including beer and wine, and it’s mostly serlve-​service. The food is very good, with interesting sandwiches and the most delicious desserts. It’s on the pricey side and the staff are always grumpy and not in the least bit helpful but we ignore their ‘tudes, as well as the dirty carpet and slovenly bus service. But if you like the terrace views, need to eat for an event at Kennedy Ctr, or just want a quiet lunch on Sunday, the food is worth it and no one will bother you.

Went for dinner before a show and you can’t really beat the convenience factor here. Granted, it is 12 for a pizza (that could be split) or 13 for baked penne and sausage with Caesar salad (quite tasty — large portions that could be split between two). Another person dining with us had the chicken with vegetables, it was well prepared, but luke warm.
Desserts are also quite nice. Amazing pistachio cheesecake!
Yes it is expensive, but you pay for the fact that you are at the Kennedy Center. Its the same arguement for beer at a ball park… worth not being rushed about.

Ok. I rarely, if ever, complain about pricing points. I think this may be the first one I’ve seriously complained about in say… the last 2 – 3 years.
Currently, the Kennedy Center is holding a free event called «Maximum India». I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was a free event and I enjoyed a brief tour of the top floor of the Kennedy Center where they showcased art and museum artifacts from india prior to watching Madama Butterfly.
In between all that, I decided to go to KC Café as I was a bit late to catch dinner in the Foggy Bottom area. To my surprise, the cafeteria was serving Indian food and I was ecstatic as I missed out on the food tasting event by Chef Hemant Oberoi, Executive Grand Chef of the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower in Mumbai, who held a tasting event at the Kennedy Center early on in the month. I was thinking that the experience at the cafeteria would make me feel better about the fact that I missed out on this event.
So…I ordered the Dosai which was $ 9.95 and then the chef said that I should try the desserts and suggested the Gajar Halva, a carrot pudding. I got about 2 ounces of it in a tiny dish and took it to the counter along with my dosai and found that my bill for the two was $ 22.
I asked the cashier how much my carrot pudding dessert was and she said it was $ 10.
My jaw dropped.
I immediately took this back to the chef and said this was robbery. He profusely apologized and immediately proceeded to add more dessert into the tiny dish.
What a joke.
I said there was no way in hell I was going to pay $ 10 for that and I left with my dosai.
I’m not sure what the Kennedy Center is thinking but $ 10 for something that should cost… at max…$ 3 – 4 is utterly ridiculous.
Maybe the person deciding on the pricing points for food there should get a better understanding of what is being served. It’s evil to try to rip off unassuming customers who have little knowledge about Indian food!!!
Watch out and pay VERY careful attention to the price of the items that you are ordering from KC if you ever go there.

At my first visit to the Kennedy Center it only seemed appropriate that I visit it’s tasty dining area on the second tier. To keep it sweet and short: It was delicious. I loved it. I had the best eggplant rigatoni pasta I’ve had in my life, accompanied by a delicious Caesar salad. I even had one of their tiny desserts and it was great.
The only bummer was it was a bit … costly. But hey, you’re at the Kennedy Center, with a view of the District. So I say it’s worth it.