Cheap Eats near the Space & Air Museum

[sandpiper]

I'm looking for cheap eats in the Smithsonian Museums area (particularly close to Air & Space Museum) for a friend and his kids who will be visiting several museums next week. I've found some ideas for lunches and dinners (mostly using metro), but have not found anything for breakfasts. Any ideas on an inexpensive breakfast or would they have to take metro for that as well? And where? They are staying at Holiday Inn Washington-Capitol, 550 C St SW, Washington, DC, 1 block from Smithsonian Air & Space Museum and 1 block from Metro., map is Here

Also I have learned his 12 year old daughter is somewhat of a picky eater, making lunch and dinner options more challenging. She likes macaroni & cheese, and chicken fingers/tenders (like most kids)... so does anyone know of a place nearby the Air & Space museum, or the other museums in the neighborhood, she could find them (and reasonably priced)?

Thank you.

[zoramargolis]

The food court of the Museum of Native Americans has the best food/most interesting choices of all of the Smithsonian Museums. I don't know if they open early enough for breakfast, but lunch is recommended. Picky eater might find something she likes at the Plains Indian counter--they might even have mac and cheese. Or maybe she'd go for a buffalo burger. And then everyone else could have lots of cool options, like tamales, enchiladas, chili, planked salmon. Sounds like this kid might be holding everyone in the family hostage. Why not bring an "instant" mac and cheese option to put boiling water in, if she refuses to eat anything on the menu? Maybe, when she sees everyone else enjoying delicious food, she might be willing to "try a taste" of something different.

The cafe in Eastern Market -- could someone provide the address? It's a great, cheap place for breakfast in the Capitol Hill area.

[Al Dente]

The cafe in Eastern Market -- could someone provide the address? It's a great, cheap place for breakfast in the Capitol Hill area.

Take the metro 3 stops from L'Enfant Plaza to Eastern Market station. Cross Pennsylvania Ave, and walk up 7th St SE. The market is a couple of blocks up on your left. Just before you reach the market, you'll see Montmartre-- which would be a fine choice for a brunch if it's a weekend morning. After breakfast, stroll through the beautiful neighborhood, and make your way towards the Library of Congress and Supreme Court for further touristic escapades!

[LizH]

Teaism is not too far (on 8th street, near the Navy memorial). They have french toast and eggs that are good but not too strange for the picky eater.

The National Gallery, where I work, has a good cafe, but it does not open until 10:00. I am a little sick of it... but it is one of the better places on the Mall. I also like the American Indian cafe. I think both there and at the NGA you can find "kid food"-- chicken fingers, fries, etc., but at least there are other things for the parents.

The cafe at the NGA sculpure garden is also good, and is a nice place for lunch. On Friday nights they have

"Jazz in the Garden," which is free. The cafe is open for the Jazz nights.

And I agree, jump on the metro over to Eastern Market (Saturday, not sure if it is open Sunday). The Market breakfast is fun. And I still do like the Crab cakes at lunch.

[yeuxblu]

The art museum also has a cafe/cafeteria that is below and between the 2 buildings. Its pretty good and would be my first suggestion (although I haven't tried the Native Amer. Museum's cafe).

Hidden between the Labor Department and 101 Constitution is an alleyway with a couple of shops near "My Brother's Place". Inside 101 Const. is a cafeteria that is open for breakfast and lunch. Food is okay but probably safe for the children partial to familiar foods. At lunch, they do have Mac & Cheese on occassion and its one of my favorites. On the same street, there is also a little coffee shop above the sushi restaraunt that has some muffins and basic sub sandwiches.

There is a cafeteria in the Capitol which I haven't eaten at in a number years but maybe some one else can chime in on that idea.

Emily

[lizzie]

In the hotel there is a cafe that is very mediocre, a Pizza Hut take-out, and Starbucks on the corner. There is a Vie de France in the office building across from your hotel serving breakfast items. There is also a MacDonald's at the far end of the hotel block. About 2 blocks away, on School Street, you can find The Atrium, a very good sandwich shop with lots of breakfast items - egg sandwiches, bagels, homemade muffins, etc. Next door in that building is a small take out shop with individual packs of pop-tarts and cereal.

You are a relatively close walk to Capital Hill where there are several easy lunch places like Cosi and Firehook Bakery, but probably less for dinner that your kids would like. Actually, it is something of a long walk up Independence Avenue, but it is within view of the Capitol and the monuments the whole way. It is only one stop on the metro to South Capital St. The restaurant in the National Gallery of Art has a wide variety of food and the kids get to watch the very cool fountain (including things that will appeal to the 12 year old). There is another small cafe at the outdoor sculpture garden at 7th and Constitution that has salads, pizza, and sandwiches. The National Musem of the American Indian does have the best of the museum cafes, as an earlier poster said.

For dinner, you can easily get across the mall to the Archives and Chinatown area -- your hotel is in a great area for sight-seeing, but not so great for after touring meals. But DC offers this great new bus system called The Circulator, which costs only $1 and passes all the major tourist sights. It is perfect from your hotel - one blck away nd takes you straight to Chinatown. It is chock full of national chains, but has a great variety of local, very good places as well. Kanlaya for Thai and Chinatown Express for great homemade noodles served as soup or fried (made in the window while you watch) are both on 6th St. just off H and are favorites of my kids. The soups are very mild, the homemade steamed dumpings are great, and the ducks and other meat in the window a great conversation piece. It is very reasonable - the soups are about $4.50 for a huge bowl. Kids can get an extra order of plain noodles on the side for a small extra cost. Jaleo is a spanish tapas restaurant where even most picky eaters can find something to enjoy. Austin Grill is ok Tex-Mex. Matchbox is nearby as well and is known for its mini burgers. You can find all these addresses online. This neighborhood also has the Spy Museum and the newlt re-opened Portrait Gallery.

[BookGuy]

I work across the street from the Holiday Inn and the area is a dietary wasteland except for lunch at the American Indian Museum. As someone has suggested going out of the neighborhood to Eastern Market, I suggest going over one block to Seventh Street and take the Circulator Bus into the Penn Quarter ($1.00 each way per person) and there are quite a lot of choices. For the picky eater, the new Clyde's down the block from the Verizon Center is the easiest pick. But there are so many others to enjoy.

[Joshua Grinnell]

There is a place that might qualify as a little too mundane for DR folk but might also appeal to out of towners with kids. Whenever I have family visit that aren't quite ready for ethiopian or big slice (the "only in DC" foods are fun to argue about), I take them to the Old Post Office Pavillion by the federal triangle metro. It's best if you've done the Air and Space and are going to do the Natural History to see the dinosaurs. You head out the back of the natural history and it's only two blocks north. After you eat, the metro is right there to wisk you away.

Essentially, it's a mall food court but the indian and the Quick Pita (no relation to the Georgetown one, AFAIK) are pretty good and offer samples to the timid. There're also more American offerings, so there's bound to be mac and cheese. There's also a Ben and Jerry's.

There is one excrutiating thing about the place: there are metal detectors at the entrance and it can be a tremendous pain in the ass to have to smuggle your pocket knife in your girlfriend's purse. I suppose if you've been going in and out of the museums all day this won't bother everyone too much, but it can be invasive straw that breaks the camel's back.

I also second (or third, of fourth) the american indian museum cafeteria. Get anything that comes on frybread. I have a recipe on how to make it (made frybread tacos, then laid very very still for a day or two) if anyone would like it.

Josh

[sandpiper]

Thank you everyone for all these wonderful and helpful suggestions.

[Al Dente]

One other thing, stand on the right, walk on the left.

Enjoy your visit

[Pat]

Since people are directing you towards Eastern Market, there's a Sizzling Express (buffet with sandwich counter and bar) in the 600 block of PA Ave., SE. In my experience, that works well for people with kids and picky appetites. I'm not sure if they have mac and cheese, but they serve all 3 meals there. (It's a block westbound from the Eastern Market metro, on the north side of the street.) The food is not spectacular but reliably average-to-above average for the sort of place it is.