Café Serai

"Fairly basic cafe service (tea, coffee, chips, pastries) in a beautiful space inside the museum."

"I went for a quick look at the Rubin for a school project and stopped by for a drink afterwards. When I went to order a chai latte, I was baffled to be served a cup of hot water with a "chai lattee" bag. If you're going to serve it in a bag, change the price, please."

"Few days ago I had a guest from India and invited him to spend a Friday evening with me at The Rubin Museum . We sat down for a quick meal - couple of small plates and matcha ice cream - before the guided tour and talk at the museum theater. When we asked for a cup of tea we were told that they don’t serve tea but they have alcohol and sodas. Paradox ! Both of us , as yoga teachers and sattvic spiritual life practitioners , don’t drink alcohol and you really don’t expect this kind of answer in a place like this great museum."

"The only saving grace is it’s location inside the museum. I ate here when I attended an all-day music festival at the Rubin because it was convenient. Even overlooking the unreasonably priced food, I got sour attitude from the person at the counter and poorly spiced aloo gobi. The girl clearing the tables was really sweet though. I’d skip it and bring a doggy bag."

"I don't come here for the food and I don't think of this as a museum restaurant or a food destination, think of it as a nice lounge inside a great museum that happens to serve tea, pastries, and food. I like to come here to write or work because the place is usually quiet. Even with people browsing the gift shop and it being near the museum entrance, there is little noise. The ambiance is peaceful, like the rest of the place. The chairs are comfortable enough, the tables nice and big. Since this is a museum cafe, the place isn't usually crowded in the afternoons. I've sat here all day writing and never had a problem. If you need power, just be aware that the only outlets are along the wall and there are only a few tables on that side. I've had the teas here and liked them, though they are overpriced. Same with the pastries. Not ridic, just more than I'd like to spend for sitting all day. The biggest drawback to this place are the museum hours. They're not open Tuesdays, not open late most days. The days they are open late the cafe either gets in a bar crowd for happy hour (Wednesday) or a club vibe when the DJ shows up (Friday nights). Other than that, this is a sweet spot."