Best Lunch near Air and Space Museum - L'Enfant Plaza Food Court

/ Smithsonian Air and Space Museum/

Just a quick walk from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Southwest Washington DC is the L’Enfant Plaza Food Court, which is by far the best option for lunch in this part of town. Urban Atlas recommends it for a quick and easy lunch (or snack) this is convenient, affordable, and friendly to all diets. It’s also convenient for travelers visiting the Hirshhorn Museum and the Museum of the American Indian.

L’Enfant Plaza

L’Enfant Plaza

The food court is fully open Monday - Friday; a limited number of establishments are open on Saturdays. On Sunday, the food court is closed.

Just a short walk from the museum

One of the biggest challenges when visiting many of the Smithsonian Museums on the National Mall is that you are relatively isolated from the resources of the city; the museums on the south side of the mall are particularly vulnerable as the area is pretty sparse. However, just a couple blocks away from the National Mall to the south in the L’Enfant Plaza Food Court.

Many great food options

There are over 20 restaurants, fast casual establishments, and fast food options inside. These include:

Jamba Juice at L’enfant Plaza Food Court

Jamba Juice at L’enfant Plaza Food Court

  • Amsterdam Falafelshop

  • Five Guys

  • Jamba Juice

  • Starbucks

  • Potbelly

  • Roti Mediterranean Grill

  • Panda Express

  • Subway

For the full list of available restaurants and other establishments, please see the L’Enfant Plaza page.

 
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Conveniently on top of L’Enfant Plaza metro station

The L’Enfant Plaza food court is on top of the L’Enfant Plaza metro station, the closest station to the Air and Space Museum. This metro station also is one of the main transfer stations in the metro system, meaning you can take the Blue, Orange, Silver, Green, or Yellow lines to this station. This makes it a great place to stop at before or after your museum adventure, as you can quickly hop on the metro and be off on your next excursion.

 

Great options for vegetarians and vegans

The food court also has many great options for vegetarians and vegans. Two particular call-outs are Amsterdam Falafelshop, which serves falafel and french fries, and almost all of their toppings are both vegetarian and vegan and Roti, which is a Chipotle style Mediterranean fast casual restaurant.

Bottom line

The L’Enfant Plaza Food Court is Urban Atlas’s best bet for lunch when you are at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum, and the Museum of the American Indian. However, if you know of any other good options in the area, let us know in the comments.