I always enjoy art museum cafe’s but this new addition to the Houston Museum District is far and above any I’ve been to incloHouston’s earlier rendition which I also liked.

This delightful cafe is the next level for the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Everything is simply delicious! You can view the various Italian inspired items then order at one of the cash registers. When ready, the very helpful servers will bring your food to your table.

Items include incredible salads, various sandwiches on tasty Italian style bread, flatbread pizzas to die for, as well as lasagna, salmon, and other great entrees.

And save room for dessert! Incredible homemade ice creams, popsicles made of ice cream and pastries galore! The lemon tart with meringue was perfect as were a raspberry eclair. There are also a variety of cookies too.

The word is out on how delicious the food is so if you come over the lunch hour be prepared for a wait. But well worth it! Yum!

Did not want to try to food under the cloches being heated all afternoon and the pizzas frankly looked a little burned and were also sitting out so we ordered sandwiches. The Chicken salad one was pretty good, but no pickle and no chips. The Vegetarian sandwich, however, was inedible. I doubt the cook had tasted that concoction that day. It was so bitter from the braised greens my wife could not get the taste out of her mouth for 24 hours! There was so much spice put on it to cover up the other flavors that it was far too spicy for any palate. It was a BAD sandwich. Go with the chicken. Also, the wine there is VERY pricey for a SMALL bottle.

This was our first visit here-presentation and taste match. We went early on Thursday- glad - by the time we left it was full with people waiting for a table.

We stopped in to Cafe Leonelli after touring the Hockney/Van Gogh exhibit at the MFAH. The food is set up cafeteria style so you can get a peek at everything before you order, and then the food is brought to your table. We ordered the meatball focaccia with hot peppers and ricotta and a mixed green salad that had a nice combination of lettuces, radishes, goat cheese, toasted homemade croutons, and a delicious vinaigrette. Everything was tasty, and portions were large enough that we were able to bring some home. The pricing structure was a bit odd; a huge focaccia slice was only $5.50, and lasagna only $11.00, but a chicken Caesar salad seemed a bit pricey at $16. They had a nice selection of little desserts and gelato, but we didn't want to wait in the long line again, so we'll try those next time. We were there about 3:00 p.m., so I imagine it's even busier at lunchtime. Food was a little slow to come to the table considering everything seemed pre-made. I was happy we waited to eat until after we viewed the exhibit since we had timed tickets. We really enjoyed our meal though, and the atmosphere is clean and bright with a lot of natural light and comfortable seating. The location is right near the sculpture garden which is worth a stroll while you're in the area. Outdoor seating is also available, perfect for when the weather is nice. They're open daily from 8-5 and until 8 p.m. on Thursdays. We'll definitely come back the next time we're visiting the museum and would recommend this spot for anyone who enjoys Italian bites.