The Getty Villa Cafe

Actually has great books next door

Fries and soup needed more seasoning the day we went, but the ingredients were fresh. Don’t sleep on the ranch. We would come back just for the ranch sauce!

This was great fun. It's a little pricey but the food was excellent. We enjoyed sitting on the patio with a bottle of champagne and a great plate if snacks. Definitely worth a stop while at the Getty.

Amazing chicken sandwich and garlic fries with a peaceful atmosphere

The cafe was another of the highlights of the visit to the villa. We had the antipasto platter which was perfect as a snack after the visit. But all the food looked great. They offer free water from a container but also offer sodas, beer, and wine. It's an awesome setting and food was fast. Great place!

This coffee kiosk was a welcome rest stop, while on a busy day at the Villa. Good latte, along with a pasty... Enough to keep you going! Lots of patio seating

Surprisingly good food here. Order at the counter and they will bring out the food to your table. Portion were good, price is very reasonable. Four of us shared two dishes and we were satisfied. The dessert is pretty and tasty. Very nice place to grab a bit after all the walking inside the villa.

Their burger is actually really delicious, the patty is juicy.

The cashier was great describing some questions we had regarding menu items. Very nice and friendly service. Great choices to choose from. We had the pita and hummus. The hummus was simple and delicious. The corn pure type of soup was also yummy!

Attempted to book their tea service which I later found out that it has to be reserved months in advance. With out of towner’s luck there was a cancelation and scored a table. It was an all thumbs (and pinkies) up! Starting with the chief waiter Jonathan who imbued the proceedings with humor and clever repartee. The serene surroundings, peaceful views and quiet atmosphere with ample room (a toddler and her nanny made a few laps around the room, delighting all of us humans and a well behaved, huge rotweiler) . Their signature black tea with lavender was a perfect accompaniment to their offerings. Perhaps a little more contrast in flavor between the sandwiches would be my only suggestion (perhaps smoked salmon in liey of the roast beef). But for the money, presentation and overall experience this place was far superior than the Connaught hotel in London and Tiffany’s Blue Room in NYC. Bravo to the staff and management in charge.

Visited both Getty Villa and Getty Center. Had a very nice lunch at the Getty Villa Cafe. Ordered the burger with bacon and humus (fresh but under seasoned). The bacon was the killer (sweet and thick) and made the burger great. The cafe has a very nice view and relax setting. Definitely recommend to have a relaxing lunch here.

Good food, good service, wonderful view of Villa! Their Insalata della casa was AMAZING 🍅💕 Their unsweetened iced tea was pretty good too (you can actually taste the bitterness from the tea leaves 🍃)

We ordered spaghetti with meat balls and burger and fries. The pasta was cooked just right, the sauce NOT over powered by garlic. The onions in the burger are deep friend onion rings. The waiters who delivered our food and picked up our trays were happy and polite. Since the food is paid for cafeteria style (in advance), the wait staff must be well paid and well trained. The villa is a nice, large open building, together with the patio, it is a restful and lavish environment for lunch. Lavish because I can imagine it being a previous home for entertaining friends. 20 minutes from Santa Monica, it is worth paying the parking fee just to eat here rather than struggling to find parking in Santa Monica.

While this place is a little pricey, most entrees are easily shareable. The patio was quiet, clean and scenic. Highly recommend stopping here if you have a chance to visit the Getty Villa

Very nice museum cafe, had a small pepperoni pizza that was freshly prepared and delicious and the Mediterranean platter which was great. Also the outdoor courtyard setting makes for great views.

Good food at a reasonable price. Servers are friendly. Dining environment is beautiful too. Only thing I didn’t enjoy is the terrible coffee they sell at the coffee stand.

Lovely cafe with great service and huge servings! My country didn’t have a tip culture and he took the initiative to press no tip!

Jon Marco

The cafe was another of the highlights of the visit to the villa. We had the antipasto platter which was perfect as a snack after the visit. But all the food looked great. They offer free water from a container but also offer sodas, beer, and wine. It's an awesome setting and food was fast. Great place!

Alisa S.

Surprisingly good food here. Order at the counter and they will bring out the food to your table. Portion were good, price is very reasonable. Four of us shared two dishes and we were satisfied. The dessert is pretty and tasty. Very nice place to grab a bit after all the walking inside the villa.

Opinion_is_a_Right

The cashier was great describing some questions we had regarding menu items. Very nice and friendly service. Great choices to choose from. We had the pita and hummus. The hummus was simple and delicious. The corn pure type of soup was also yummy!

Quasar

Attempted to book their tea service which I later found out that it has to be reserved months in advance. With out of towner’s luck there was a cancelation and scored a table. It was an all thumbs (and pinkies) up! Starting with the chief waiter Jonathan who imbued the proceedings with humor and clever repartee. The serene surroundings, peaceful views and quiet atmosphere with ample room (a toddler and her nanny made a few laps around the room, delighting all of us humans and a well behaved, huge rotweiler) . Their signature black tea with lavender was a perfect accompaniment to their offerings. Perhaps a little more contrast in flavor between the sandwiches would be my only suggestion (perhaps smoked salmon in liey of the roast beef). But for the money, presentation and overall experience this place was far superior than the Connaught hotel in London and Tiffany’s Blue Room in NYC. Bravo to the staff and management in charge.

Carolyn Chow

Visited both Getty Villa and Getty Center. Had a very nice lunch at the Getty Villa Cafe. Ordered the burger with bacon and humus (fresh but under seasoned). The bacon was the killer (sweet and thick) and made the burger great. The cafe has a very nice view and relax setting. Definitely recommend to have a relaxing lunch here.

nt mcle

Good food, good service, wonderful view of Villa! Their Insalata della casa was AMAZING 🍅💕 Their unsweetened iced tea was pretty good too (you can actually taste the bitterness from the tea leaves 🍃)

No MSG No Garlic Foodie

We ordered spaghetti with meat balls and burger and fries. The pasta was cooked just right, the sauce NOT over powered by garlic. The onions in the burger are deep friend onion rings. The waiters who delivered our food and picked up our trays were happy and polite. Since the food is paid for cafeteria style (in advance), the wait staff must be well paid and well trained. The villa is a nice, large open building, together with the patio, it is a restful and lavish environment for lunch. Lavish because I can imagine it being a previous home for entertaining friends. 20 minutes from Santa Monica, it is worth paying the parking fee just to eat here rather than struggling to find parking in Santa Monica.

Jamie Dahlke

While this place is a little pricey, most entrees are easily shareable. The patio was quiet, clean and scenic. Highly recommend stopping here if you have a chance to visit the Getty Villa

Paul

Very nice museum cafe, had a small pepperoni pizza that was freshly prepared and delicious and the Mediterranean platter which was great. Also the outdoor courtyard setting makes for great views.

Henry Chen

Good food at a reasonable price. Servers are friendly. Dining environment is beautiful too. Only thing I didn’t enjoy is the terrible coffee they sell at the coffee stand.

Javier Tan

Lovely cafe with great service and huge servings! My country didn’t have a tip culture and he took the initiative to press no tip!

Anne Weidner

Great museum, worth a visit. Eating here is expensive, so bring your own lunch with you.

jose ortuno

Food was delish! Pizza, hamburger and the portabello sandwich are amazing!

Enjoyed our meal. High quality and efficient service.

They are back to serving their full menu. Overpriced, but heck it's a museum cafe. Coffee bar outside is popular.

Our lunch was tasty and healthy! We ordered a salad (ricotta, pistachios and artichoke), a margherita pizza and a chicken wrap. Portions were alright, but could have been more generous with the cheese on the pizza and the chicken inside the wrap. Some might find the food to be light-flavoured, but it was alright for us. Prices are alright, about the same as any other cafe in LA.

The beet salad was really good. A a little pricey for what it is but it is at the museum.

I had lunch here during a full day visit. For Gluten free options they had soup and salad. They said they could do a hamburger without a bun, but the risk of cross contamination was too great for me. It all tasted great and cost about $20. The coffee cart has a gluten free Coffee Cake one day and a pumpkin muffin the next which were great.

The chicken sandwich was delicious and the view was beautiful. I guess I have to wrap my head around that the sandwich is almost $20 because of the view?

Nat G

Our lunch was tasty and healthy! We ordered a salad (ricotta, pistachios and artichoke), a margherita pizza and a chicken wrap. Portions were alright, but could have been more generous with the cheese on the pizza and the chicken inside the wrap. Some might find the food to be light-flavoured, but it was alright for us. Prices are alright, about the same as any other cafe in LA.

John Storms

The beet salad was really good. A a little pricey for what it is but it is at the museum.

Gary Standke

I had lunch here during a full day visit. For Gluten free options they had soup and salad. They said they could do a hamburger without a bun, but the risk of cross contamination was too great for me. It all tasted great and cost about $20. The coffee cart has a gluten free Coffee Cake one day and a pumpkin muffin the next which were great.

Inday Michelle Rim

The chicken sandwich was delicious and the view was beautiful. I guess I have to wrap my head around that the sandwich is almost $20 because of the view?

As the only place to get food at the Villa, you are a captive audience, but at least they do a decent job with the feed. FOOD: A variety of wraps and burgers and salads -- nothing earthshaking, but tasty and of decent proportions. Indeed, I was surprised by the amount of garlic fries that came with my burger. SERVICE: Everyone was nice. Food, prepped fresh, came pretty promptly. AMBIANCE: The place is clean and well kept, in the architecture of the modern additions to the Villa complex. VALUE: The food is pricey. Very pricey. You know how amazing it was that there was no entrance fee (parking notwithstanding)? This feels like where they make a bit of that back. On the other hand, it is (a) tasty and (b) the only game in town.

Dave Hill

As the only place to get food at the Villa, you are a captive audience, but at least they do a decent job with the feed. FOOD: A variety of wraps and burgers and salads -- nothing earthshaking, but tasty and of decent proportions. Indeed, I was surprised by the amount of garlic fries that came with my burger. SERVICE: Everyone was nice. Food, prepped fresh, came pretty promptly. AMBIANCE: The place is clean and well kept, in the architecture of the modern additions to the Villa complex. VALUE: The food is pricey. Very pricey. You know how amazing it was that there was no entrance fee (parking notwithstanding)? This feels like where they make a bit of that back. On the other hand, it is (a) tasty and (b) the only game in town.

I like to visit museums and have a nice lunch with wine at their restaurant. LACMA, the Getty Center, the Academy Museum....The Getty Villa was on that list until this visit. The Cafe used to have excellent food and nice wine. Not anymore. The pizza had a pita-like crust and tomato sauce from a can, more like a kids pizza. They have 3 wines (white, red, rose) all the same price. White as expensive, and it was terrible. I'll be eating in Malibu before my next visit. I'm sorry to see this restaurant take a turn for the worse. It's OK, not as good as it used to be.

Not bad. That it is overpriced is nearly a convention to museum restaraunts. But while some of them are quite good, the food often matching the art displayed, here at the Villa is not the case. No, the food is not bad, but really a pity that it does not match the glorious art and architecture of the Villa. Saying it's Mediterranean inspired food only increases the frustration of eating it, and feeling the impossible distance to the actual Mediterranean diet, from present and past times. That said, it feels more like airplane food flying economic over the Aegean. And if the staff actually expects tips they should place someone at the till who is not rude like the girl we dealt with on our visit.

Love the location and vibe. Coffee was great. The barista was stereotypically unfriendly, however. People don't have to act fake, but scowling at your customers and not saying thank you doesn't entice me to come back.

Marielle

Love the location and vibe. Coffee was great. The barista was stereotypically unfriendly, however. People don't have to act fake, but scowling at your customers and not saying thank you doesn't entice me to come back.

Food in bad, they could improve that and get better coffee for such a beautiful place

The coffee was good and the seating pleasant, but the flourless chocolate cake was not fresh. And it cost $10 a piece for very narrow slices. My husband and I regretted spending $20 for a pretty bad dessert.

Clean environment and nice outdoor seating. Food is nothing special and overpriced (free admin to museum, so I understand/expect the high price at any museum)... but if you’re gonna charge an arm and a leg, I expect decent service and good food. If you pay with card, they force you to tip prior to getting food (again, not uncommon when you pay and order at the same time, but they then say “please select an option and then press continue” which puts you in an odd position... I’d rather tip the amount I like on paper, or by putting cash in a jar). Iced coffee served without a straw (again, I understand plastic straws are no longer a thing due to CA law/environmental concerns, but I was provided an iced coffee lid with a place for a straw, but no paper straw or anything to put in it).

Although I enjoyed the Getty Villa, the Getty Cafe? Not so much. Don't get me wrong, food was very good. Just way overpriced. Burger, Fries & Coke was $23.82 + 50 cent extra to eat outside (to go box). Not cool.

Very disappointed. And one of the desserts I ordered on line (the preferred method) showed a picture and the description that it consisted of 4 pieces. When I picked up the order it was only 2 pieces so I went back in to ask about the 2 that were missing I was told it was a typo and the serving was only 2 pieces, not 4. It only mattered because our party consisted of 4 people so we had to share. Had I known, I would have ordered a second dessert - but it actually saved me the extra $8 that would have cost.

Besides the mediocre and overpriced food, I was double charged for lunch, and only noticed the mistake on returning home. Trying to reach someone at the Villa Cafe proved to be a frustrating experience - recorded messages and long on-hold times and after wasting a good part of my morning, still no resolution to the problem. Perhaps The Getty Center has become like other organizations - too big to care.

They were out of a few things that we wanted. The tuna sandwich was soggy and tasted like cheaper tuna, which shouldn't have been the case for the high price. Will be taking my own lunch if we ever go back.

this place service so terrible and the food and drink it bland and cold and the place is dirty and the overall experience is bad i will not come back for more

On July 28, 2025, around 11:15 AM, I visited the cafe. The server was rude and had a bad attitude. He also tried to charge extra for the syrup we requested to add after payment.

I can't speak for any other items, only the item I bought, which was the tiramisu. It tasted weird and was not good. I shared it with 3 other people, and they only ate 1 bite and did not want more. Instead of getting fancy using orange liquor which was the wrong move, stick to more of a traditional recipe.

No taste concerning the burger, the aioli felt like it was missing - tasteless-, the blue cheese nonexistent, the garlic fries were just fries with a bit of garlic and parsley on the side. On another meal, Had the impression the salad had no seasoning no ingredients, the sauce was tasteless. Everything was very blend.

I ordered the soup and salad after waiting way too long for the few people in front of me. The person taking order could neither understand or articulate anything resembling the English language. She did ofcourse make sure I reinserted my cc 3 times because you had to choose the tip first. Tasteless soup and salad arrived. I started to eat and then 2 seconds in wanted milk for my tea. Leaving my coat and umbrella got up for 1 minute to grab milk. Came back to no food. Crazy beautiful place with tons of idiocy and tude.

Focaccia bread was too salty. It came with a raspberry spread which was sweet and the combination of both was not good at all. The chicken was so dry that it crumbled apart. The garlic fries were the normal frozen ones you get at the supermarket with raw garlic on top. All this for a total of $32 Please spend your money elsewhere

Jackson Vance

Focaccia bread was too salty. It came with a raspberry spread which was sweet and the combination of both was not good at all. The chicken was so dry that it crumbled apart. The garlic fries were the normal frozen ones you get at the supermarket with raw garlic on top. All this for a total of $32 Please spend your money elsewhere