The Horniman Cafe
The Cafe is open from 9am – 5pm daily.
Colicci serves memorable moments across London’s green spaces, alongside historic, iconic and cherished public spaces across the Capital – and now the Horniman!
We are proud to partner with local suppliers and producers at HG Walter Butchers, Bethnal Green Fishmongers, The Estate Dairy and Notes Coffee Roasters.
Our cakes and sandwiches are produced daily at our in-house kitchens ensuring freshness and seasonality.
We serve a delicious range of hot and cold meals, sandwiches, biscuits, fair-trade teas and coffees, and cold drinks.
We have menus for adults and children, vegan and vegetarian options, as well as gluten-free foods. Ask the Cafe staff for more information about what’s on offer.
The Cafe gets very busy between 11.30am and 2.30pm, and especially so during weekends and school holidays.
The cafe is small and we are unable to take bookings. If you are interested in booking a catered space please see our venue hire pages or email venuehire@horniman.ac.uk.
The Cafe and kiosks are cashless, so please pay by card.
Gardens Cafe
Opens 21 May
The Gardens Cafe is located next to the Kusuma Nature Play Area at the bottom of the Meadow Field, and is open:
- Summer opening times until Sunday 27 September –
- Monday – Thursday: 8am – 6pm
- Friday – Saturday: 8am – 6pm
- Sunday: 8.30am – 6pm
- Winter opening times from Monday 28 September – Sunday 7 February 2027 –
- Monday – Thursday: 8am – 4pm
- Friday – Saturday: 8am – 4pm
- Sunday: 8.30am – 4pm
The Gardens Cafe features a beer tap, sourdough pizzas, salad bowls and ‘foldwiches’ (pizza dough sandwiches) – perfect for summer picnics in the Meadow Field nearby. For the kids, you can grab dough balls and dips, Nutella mini pizzas and waffle fries.
From breakfast items with your coffee, to ice creams and iced drinks, there is something for any time of the year. Don’t forget to fill your water bottle at the water fountain on the outside of the Cafe.
Dogs are welcome inside the Gardens Cafe, look out for our treat selection for your furry friends.
Accessible toilets and baby changing facilities can be found to the side of the Gardens Cafe, as well as bike racks.
Indoor and outdoor seating is available for Cafe purchases only. Picnicking tables can be found on the other side of the Kusuma Nature Play Area.
Bandstand Cafe Kiosk
The Bandstand Cafe Kiosk is located in the Gardens across from the Bandstand. The kiosk is open Friday – Sunday and school holidays from 10am – 4pm most days (we may make the decision to close in bad weather) and offers hot and cold drinks, pastries, cakes and ice cream.
Being Green
You are welcome to refill your water bottle at either the Horniman Cafe or Gardens Cafe, or at one of the two water fountains in the Gardens (on the Avenue near the entrance and opposite the Bandstand).
We also offer a 20p discount on hot drinks when customers bring their own reusable cup, to help us cut down on waste.
Read more about the climate and ecology practices in our cafes.
Picnics
If you want to bring your own food and drink to the Horniman for a picnic, you can find great spots all over the Gardens. The Dutch Barn is open daily for picnicking in rainy weather – it is located opposite the Bandstand in the Gardens. We may open other areas for picnicking where possible.
There are lots of picnicking tables on the Bandstand Terrace and two large tables at the end of the Kusuma Nature Play Area, at the opposite end from the Gardens Cafe.
If you are unsure of the best picnic spots, please ask one of our Visitor Hosts.
We are unable to host children’s parties in our indoor picnic areas, as these areas are used by multiple visitors simultaneously. If you are interested in hosting a children’s party at the Horniman, please take a look at what we can offer you.
Please refrain from eating and drinking in the Museum, as this can attract pests that damage the collections.
No glass is allowed in the Play Area to keep this area safe.
Unfortunately, even very careful eaters can leave crumbs which attract pests. These pests can damage our collections.
In sunny weather, the Gardens have lots of great picnic spots.
During cold or wet weather you are welcome to use our Dutch Barn picnicking space. This is open daily.
The Dutch Barn is opposite the Bandstand on a raised terrace, next to the Pavilion. Find a map of the Gardens or watch this film showing the route from the entrance to the Bandstand terrace:
You can find more information on the schools plan your visit pages which will tell you about where to go and how to book your spaces.