Cafe Bagatelle in The Wallace Collection

More and more people are visiting museum cafés and restaurants. I think that the way people use these places has been changing. Before, visits to these cafes and restaurants were seen as part and parcel of going to a museum. Now, however, you can see them from a different angle: instead of the arts and artifacts being the main purpose of a visit to a museum, why not look at them as merely a marginal attraction with the cafes and restaurants being the main purpose of the visit? This is what I sometimes do. There is a lovely café/restaurant in the centre of London that I enjoy popping into while shopping or walking. It is Café Bagatelle in The Wallace Collection.

The Wallace collection is housed in Hertford House, Manchester Square in London. The house was built as Manchester House in 1776. The Museum is easily accessible from both Bond Street and Baker Street Stations. Admission to the Wallace Collection is free of charge. It has Europe’s finest collections of works of art, paintings, furniture, arms and armour and porcelain.

Café Bagatelle serves morning coffee, lunch, and afternoon tea. It has a very elegant interior and also boasts a magnificent glass ceiling. What a good break from shopping a visit to this place makes! A finely-tuned service is offered here. Not only can you choose the size of your dish, any item on the a la carte menu can be ordered as an appetizer.

The restaurant not only caters for visitors to the museum, but has also established itself as a venue for local people and residents.
You can enjoy it while taking a break from shopping or walking as well. There is a big department store, Selfridges, near the museum.

The atmosphere in the museums with their superb works of art, adds to the pleasure of drinking and eating there. You can enjoy delicious food and drinks and authentic arts in a historical building all at the same time! It might be one of the best ways to enjoy life in an everyday context.

On top of all this, the cafes and restaurants make a good excuse for visiting museums if you are not all that interested in the arts. Perhaps you might even be tempted to join the ever-growing numbers of people now visiting museums for their arts and artifacts.

The Louvre museum and the National Gallery

The Louvre museum and the National Gallery are my favourite places to visit to view art. I have not finished exploring these museums yet. They are too large and the works in them too great to rush through. I would like to talk about the profiles of these places, focusing particularly on their cafés.

The Louvre museum is one of the most famous museums in the world. It was established in 1793 in the centre of Paris. The building was initially used as a palace and became a historic monument and a national symbol before the museum opened. The collection contains about 35,000 pieces. The collections in the Louvre museum were the first in the nation. These treasures of France were opened to the public in the 18th century. Entrance fee is 9 euros and, unfortunately, there is no student discount. I think it is a little expensive.

The National Gallery in London was founded in 1824 and built in the centre of the city. It has been funded with donations from the people of Britain. It is one of the most famous museums in the world and contains truly magnificent works. Having said that, entrance is free. When I visited it for the first time, I was so impressed.

Each museum has a good café in which to rest. Cafe Marly in the Louvre museum is beside the entrance to the glass pyramid. The view from the terrace is really interesting and attractive. The opening hours are long and last from the early morning to midnight. This means that not only tourists but also the local people who may be busy during the day, have the opportunity to enjoy the museum café. Many foods are served. I especially recommend the macaroons.

In comparison, the National Dining Rooms in the National Gallery in London are open only during a much more limited time: 10am to 5pm every day except Wednesdays when it is open until 8:30 pm. There are many kinds of teas, as may be expected in a tea-loving country such as England. There is a pleasant atmosphere but the service was rather poor.

The histories of the museums are very different. The Louvre Museum was founded by the state whereas the citizens of Britain were responsible for establishing the National Gallery.

Even if I were only to focus on their cafés, I could already say that the character of each place is very different. I think this is because they have been coloured by the culture of the country in which they can be found. Café Marly is less formal than the Nationl Dining Rooms and you can’t help feeling as though the conventions are less important here. In the National Dining Rooms, on the other hand, the more formal atmosphere makes you want to mind your manners far more. When all is said and done though, both of these cafes are so lovely in their different ways that any comparison is difficult. Perhaps you could say that the different character has each place has is part of what makes it so special.

My favorite Paris museum café and restaurant.

The arts have given me a great deal of inspiration and have empowered me. I really like museums. When I feel little tired, I drop in for coffee or tea there. The museum café/restaurant plays a great role in relaxing me and adding to my sense of enjoyment in whatever place I am visiting. I have been to Paris several times. It has the greatest museums in the world.


1. Cafe Marly in the Louvre museum
It is located in the Richelieu wing of the Louvre Museum. The view is fantastic. You can see the entrance of the glass pyramid and Denon wing from the terrace. It is open from 8am until midnight. A really sophisticated time can be had here, overlooking the courtyard in the Louvre Palace.

2. Restaurant ‘Cristal Room Baccarat’ in the Musee Baccarat.
This is located to the south west of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Foods are served in vessels made of gorgeous Baccarat glass. They have a soft appearance and are pleasant to touch. They also sparkle like diamonds. The toilet is special. You must try it.

3. Musée d'Orsay
This building used to be the Orsay train station and hotel. It was built to accommodate an influx of people for the Paris Exposition of 1900. From the window, you can see the Seine. The view is really stunning. The décor of the rooms is gorgeous and reminds you of a 19th century palace.

The café and restaurant in the museum add to its charm. It is a pleasure to enjoy the arts here but, after doing the rounds, eyes and feet can end up very tired. The café and restaurant are nice places to relax in and gather strength for further museum appreciation.

Museum Café: Victoria and Albert Cafe

The Victoria and Albert Museum is located in South Kensington in London. It is one of the greatest museums of art and design in the world. I sometimes went for a walk to the café in the museum: it took only 30 minutes from the house I stayed in while I was in London. It was a good place and I spent many an enjoyable hour there reading books.

When you pass through the entrance, there is a fashionable fountain in an inner courtyard surrounded by elegant buildings. First, you can find unique sleekly designed chairs in the garden. The café there is such a beautiful place. You can enjoy drinks and food while feeling the gentle breeze under the sunshine. It was with the greatest pleasure that I spent time relaxing here, shedding all my feelings of everyday stress.

Inside the building, facing the garden, there is a buffet-style canteen. They serve meals cooked with fresh ingredients for customers: grilled fish, salads, sandwiches, scones, pastries, coffee, tea, beer and wine. The scones in particular are very delicious.

The cafés within these buildings are spacious and are sometimes classical or modern in style. You can pick a place according to your taste and then hang around. I enjoyed lingering and reading books and doing my homework in the fashionable and modern rooms. Many people enjoyed talking with their friends while sampling the tasty food and drinks.

Areas such as South Kensington, a very fashionable place, are wonderful to visit. There is a famous department store, Harrods, there as well. Going inside and looking at the people and the goods for sale is an experience in itself.

I really enjoyed London’s traditional arts and the gorgeous spaces it has in which I would while away my own time. I particularly loved the elegant inner courtyard in the Museum.

Museum Café : The Portrait Restaurant

Recently, museum cafés/restaurants have become some of the most fashionable places to visit in London. When I went to England, I really enjoyed visiting the museums there. The Portrait Restaurant in The National Portrait Gallery was one of my favorite places in which to take a coffee break. I lived in London for one year to study art history and I sometimes went there after my classes.

It is located next to The National Gallery facing Trafalgar Square. There is an unparalleled vista that takes in Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square, Big Ben and the London Eye. There is also a glorious view of the city from the rooftop restaurant. I especially loved the view from the window at sunset. The blue of the twilight at this time is special.

The head chef was headhunted from a famous restaurant and offers good drinks and food with efficient service. Here is an introduction to the menu. In the daytime, you can enjoy authentic tea, coffee, food and sweets. I especially recommend afternoon tea: delicious sandwiches, cakes and scones with clotted cream and preserves. Also, you can have champagne with afternoon tea. At dinner time, they serve British delicacies and interesting dishes in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. On top of all this, there is also a selection of wines, cocktails, beers and soft drinks to choose from.

There are many pleasant places in London for all sorts of people to enjoy and one of them is the museum café. The diverse clientele includes visitors from all over the world. They always looked so happy and I found this infectious. In the evening, local business people come along as well. I was surprised to see how good-looking they were, rather like movie stars! In this sense, there is a different atmosphere during the day and in the evening.

It is so cheerful: you can enjoy a superb view, delicious food and drinks and authentic arts in the historical building at the same time.
The portrait restaurant is a wonderful place to observe from both the inside and the outside. I am sure anyone would enjoy this fashionable place.