The Café Gala is on the first floor of the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, FL. Like many of the hidden gems found in some of Dali's more famous paintings, the search to find Café Gala is more than worth it for a fantastic dining experience! The incredibly curated Spanish themed menu is a perfect match with the art of Salvador Dali that you will find in the museum. You can dine in the café without having to pay for admission to see Dali's art. If you only ate in the café, you would have a wonderful experience. But, if you also view Dali's art on the floor above the café, both enhance the other amazingly. We sat at the bar and were provided with expert care by our server Shannon. She was knowledgeable, friendly and offered great advice. I started out with a Carpano classico vermouth rosso with orange peel. An excellent pre-lunch beverage. For lunch, we had the - The Pressed Serranita 1906 roasted pork, serrano jamon, Manchego, tomato, piquillo pepper, pimento aioli, chips, olives. The bread was lightly toasted, the Manchego oozing. Every bite demanded, and got, a moment of appreciation and reflection as to just how good this sandwich was. Pairing it with a glass of the red sangria was a good choice. In addition to the standard fresh fruit garnish, a big blackberry was in there too. Also, the Caprese Tuna - Chimichurri spiced tuna, baby heirloom tomatoes, cana de cabra, Valencia balsamic reduction, arugula, almond pesto, spiced pumpkin seeds, served with toast points. The tuna was just slightly seared, very tasty and juicy. I had a 5 oz glass of Albariño; a white wine native to the coastal region of Galicia. The crisp citric and sea-breeze taste went very well with the tuna. For dessert, I had the Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding and a Cordato. The pudding was moist and tasty with the occasional explosion of chocolate chips that were baked into the croissant. We also had an iced coffee drink for dessert. She had The Tiramisu; espresso, chocolate, mascarpone whipped cream, lady finger & sea salt chocolate crumble. The whipped mascarpone cream on the top could have been a dessert unto itself. Sitting at the bar, we got to see the cooking, prep and plating of the food. Astonishingly, the cook/prep area was about 10 x 12 with two chefs literally shoulder-to-shoulder. It was like watching a ballet. I find it difficult to imagine how so many complex menu items can come out of such a small space. The atmosphere was light and airy with a few tables and the bar near large floor to ceiling geodesic dome windows. Come here for a great value-for-dollar spent dining experience. read more

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Located inside the Dalí museum is Café Gala. I've been here several times and it's always been great. Beautiful view of the staircase of the museum on one side, and the other overlooking the water through the unique windows. I got the white sangria this time and it was perfect for summer. Quick and friendly staff. read more

Cafe Gala - White sangria - Spanish Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

What a treat to go to the Dali Museum but an even equal treat in Cafe Gala. The food is fresh and made to order, the views of the bay are spectacular and the service is wonderful. The staff is helpful, knowledgeable and the chef is trained in Spain! The Cafe is Michelin worthy. Get the beet salad, the potato tortilla, the chicken salad, the coffees are amazing and different and don't leave without an apricot scone ( and I am not even an apricot fan!?). Best meal around and very budget friendly. read more

Cafe Gala - Spanish Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

Got to visit the museum with my mom which we had planned for a while. We debating eating before hand but I remember there being a cafe at the museum and convinced her to try it with me, and i'm so glad we did! I ordered an iced creme catalana and my mom got a barcelona gothic. Both the drinks were delicious, my mom's was like drinking melted chocolate with hints of espresso and mine was sweet n light with oranges. We also split the tortilla española which was one of the best omelettes i've ever had. The seating is right by the giant sideways dome so the view and lighting is naturally lit. There are also seating options outside by the garden. The staff was friendly and efficient with our orders, being kind enough to bring it to our table. They had plenty of options on the menu that i'll have to try my next visit! Although there are plenty of cafes in the area, if you're visiting the dali museum you gotta stick with the custom! read more

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I only got the Dirty Dali and holy moly, that was amazing. Coffee and earl grey blend with the cookie crumble on top was chef kiss. The wait was a bit long but they have decaf espresso and actually adjusted the sweeteness as requested. They also have strawberry matcha and some Spanish hot chocolate items that sound super interesting! read more

Cafe Gala - dirty dali - Spanish Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

Ended up visiting the Dalí and dining here twice in one month by chance and enjoyed both times! Standouts are the sangria pitchers and service. Portions and prices are reasonable--especially compared to most DTSP restaurants--which makes me want to come back. However, the sandwiches/wraps aren't enticing; would love to see more dishes from Spain/Basque. Their simpler baked goods like croissants/muffins can't compete with the dedicated patisseries in St. Pete, so I think focusing on exciting desserts like the stuffed pear/tarts/bread pudding would make more sense. I'm hypersensitive to caffeine but the café drinks are so interesting I want to try them all! Would love to see some creative cocktails as well. read more

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Tiny little cafe with serious Tempranillo and dishes fit for a full scale restaurant. Every interaction from ordering to having the Busperson clear plates was fluid and well timed. I know most people don't visit a museum to eat, but if you needed to, this is a pretty rad place, and quite "surreal" read more

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We had a quick lunch after watching the Dali Alive 360. They have beautiful outdoor seatings. It's perfect for a breezy Feb lunch. We had a tuna wrap (with 3 different olives) and fabulous salmon Caprese. They're both delicious and reasonably priced! They were busy so it took a while to get our lunch but we're in no hurry, just enjoying the beautiful afternoon out there! read more

Cafe Gala - Tuna wrap & Salom Caprese - Spanish Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

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This café is a hidden gem inside of the Dali museum. You don't need to be a member or buy a day pass to dine here. I could not recommend this place enough. The pricing is very competitive considering the quality of food you're getting. The table's total was about $107 before tip. I would consider this more than fair for all of this very complex and intentionally design food. (One drink is missing from the photos) The outdoor seating provides a beautiful waterfront ambiance and the inside seating is in front of the dome-shaped triangle window-wall. Such a unique visual dining experience, but the food itself stands alone in impressiveness. I will be coming back to try EVERYTHING on this menu! My personal favorites from this spread were my own dish (Cesar salad with steak) and the roasted beets!! I never knew beets could be soo addicting and flavorful. All of the food was very good. read more

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I was hungover from the night before when I was having an early birthday celebration. We had tickets to go to the Dali Museum on my actual birthday. Fortunately, Cafe Gala was available on the first floor of the museum to enjoy some iced coffee and eats to help speed up my recovery before attending the Dali 360 exhibit and the other ones located on the third floor. The iced creme catala was a nice sweetness and spice of cinnamon that helped perk me back up, while the tortilla espanola was delicious. We enjoyed our beverages and food with the interior side of the large free-form geodesic glass bubble known as the "enigma" stood to our left that comprised more than 1,000 triangular pieces of glass, and the helical staircase to the right that goes straight to the third floor. The servers were very affable and conversational, discussing some of the Dali exhibits that we had already seen and some of the new exhibit. It was a good way to get me back on track before making the rounds through the museum. read more

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Incredible! After a nice afternoon visit at the Dali museum, we stopped by for a light treat at this cafe, and was so impressed - menu was extensive and had delicious looking speciality cafe food items from sweet to savory, I was especially intrigued by the poached pear and bread puddings. Both desserts came out like works of art and were crafted beautifully! I also ordered the strawberry matcha as well and was very happy with the quality and taste. Would return here just for brunch! read more

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A very nicely appointed cafe at the entrance to the museum serving tapas, wine, beer, speciality coffees and desserts. You order at the counter and wait for them to let you know your selection is ready. There is seating inside beside the helical staircase or outside in the beautiful garden, currently looking at the 360 dome. A nice touch to add to your Dali experience. read more

This cafe is located inside the Dali Museum, and the food here is a true work of art. I had dinner plans after, but was feeling quite peckish and needed something to do while waiting for my phone to charge as I was on 1% (and they have charging stations near the restroom and charging cable for sale in the gift shop). Someone mentioned the cafe had a Michelin chef, so I knew I had to give it a try. Unfortunately they were fresh out of the Tortilla Española and there weren't many other gluten free options, so I ended up just ordering dessert and a coffee. The Dalí Stinger was decent but didn't have as much of a honey flavor as I was expecting. Just very light on flavor and very heavy on espresso. Still tasty, but not as sweet as I anticipated. The Poached Chocolate Truffle Stuffed Pear was not listed as gluten free, but I asked what in it had gluten and they said it was actually gluten free -- just not listed on the menu. I ordered it and had no regrets. This was so good that I honestly considered ordering a second one, but knew I wouldn't be able to eat dinner (at the Social Roost (10/10!!)) if I did! Employees were friendly, food was served on real (and reusable!) plates with silverware, and they had inside tables, outside tables, and bar-style station options available. I do not believe you would be able to take food into the exhibits upstairs, but this was the perfect stop to take a break and digest all the art after visiting the exhibits. read more

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Wow. Where do I start? This iced strawberry matcha is seriously one of the yummiest drinks I've ever had. Hands down. I've never had a matcha drink taste this good before. My mom ordered iced creme catalana and that was absolutely delicious as well. We drank those drinks too fast because we couldn't get enough! The service was great as well and the ambiance was lovely as we were in the Dali museum. This cafe inside made my mom and I have flashbacks from when we were in Spain. They did a great job giving a Spaniard feel. read more

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In the Dali museum is the cafe named after Salvador's wife, Gala. It offers light Spanish fare which was perfect for our day! We had the Spanish Farmhouse Cheese Plate $18 fig & honey goat cheese stuffed hibiscus poached pear | trio of Spanish cheeses |sunflower brittle | spiced almonds | apricot jam | basque peppers | sea salt crostini - this is fun! So much going on here! Heck, if you bring a date and have nothing else to talk about, this should last :15! Break bread with Dali $8 rustic grilled bread | manchego almond pesto | spiced almonds | mixed olives - the bread is perfect for dipping in the manchego dipping sauce (reminded me a bit of Trader Joe's Zhoug Sauce. A bit salty, not too thick but again a wonderful accompaniment for dipping. Roasted carrot hummus $10 tricolor carrot escabeche | pistachio | carrot oil| grilled bread - unbelievably creamy! Don't skip eating the carrots that come with the hummus! So tasty! Pickled, slightly firm, yum! The pita was warm, soft and perfect for the hummus. And Matcha latte ($5.5) cafe latte ($4.5) and Kaya coffee ($3.25). We parked for the day in the lot, $10, the Dali museum is amazing, do take the docent tours. I might live almost 2 hours away but I'm coming back for the cafe AND the museum ;) Go and enjoy! read more

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It was raining when we walked into the Dali Museum so after buying our museum tickets we walked into the cafe for lunch. It's not big but it's GREAT! I had the Pan con tomato with mackerel. Toast covered in a crushed tomato sauce, cheese and a tin of mackerel. It was delicious! Along with it I had a cup of mushroom bisque soup - wow, excellent! My SO had the Charcuterie platter. A wonderful mix of Spanish cheeses, nuts, fig bar, sunflower bark, candied pear, almonds, apricots and toasts. Ooooooo! A great cafe in a first class museum! Nice! read more

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Absolutely wonderful gem. Small & easy to miss, but you'll definitely want to go. The menu is unique & absolutely delicious. We got the deviled eggs, steak wrap & salad with heirloom tomatoes, caper berries, slivered almonds & figs. The Chef was even kind enough to come out & personally sign my Cafe Gala Cookbook I had purchased & the gift shop. Great experience all around. read more

Cafe Gala - Cookbook from museum gift shop - Spanish Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

Cafe Gala in Dali Museum was top-notch. Beautiful presentations of each dish and incredible tastes. Standard items offered with unusual twists (i.e. egg salad on great bread with microgreens and pieces of bacon on top). Great prices. I wish it was a stand-alone cafe in Sarasota. I DEFINITELY would purchase food there again. read more

Pretty good. I really like the food here, it reminded me of Spain for they have alot of Spanish dishes. A bit pricey but worth it. Best coffee I've ever had so delicious, regardless of which one you get. I totally recommend this place. This cafe is located inside of the Dali Museum, which I was kind of disappointed of since they don't carry many of Dali's famous pieces and the exhibition it relatively small. Museum entrance is pricey and not really worth it but the cafe I would go to again. read more

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I will say, I am not impressed with the Dali museum. I don't particularly like his style of art but I was very impressed with the cafe! Wow to the steak wrap and beet salad! The beet salad was so refreshing and the steak wrap was tangy and tasty with a small garbanzo salad next to it. The combination was perfect. I love Mediterranean food, but the flavors at this cafe were incredible and my body really felt good eating it. It's worth the parking price to come here and eat al fresco! They have great views read more

Cafe Gala - Beet salad - Spanish Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

Grabbed a quick bite of tapas and sangria before exploring the museum. Eclectic menu with many options that are all made fresh and so tasty! Indoor and outdoor seating, outdoor is shaded. Order at the counter and they bring it to you. Be patient, can be 15-20 to get food as it is a small kitchen and they make as ordered. The deviled eggs are so creamy! The burrata toast was creamy with a tomato spread on the bread. The sangria is not too sweet, we had red. If you visit The Dali, go hungry! Enjoy read more

Cafe Gala - Tapas and sangria! - Spanish Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

The food was great and the service was super nice. The café is smaller what I expected, but very open and airy. They have tables where you can sit and enjoy your meal or you can sit at the bar. read more

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Food here is not what you expect at a regular Cafe. It's elevated Cafe Food. Located inside the Salvador Dali museum there's a lot of Spanish influenced dishes. We got the Spanish bean and ham soup withGrilled cheese, deviled eggs and the chocolate truffle stuffed pear before we left the museum. Everything was absolutely delicious. The stuffed pear is on a totally different level. Do not leave this place without trying it. read more

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Another great meal at Cafe Gala. This time I enjoyed the roasted beets with pistachio garnish, and the wedge with steak. Both dishes were delicious and highly recommended. read more

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After visiting the museum, it is worth a trip to the cafe for a nice lunch or brunch. I had a tuna melt for something simple. Really enjoyed the lite meal and the seating was comfortably casual. Also, the staff was super friendly and happy to help me read more

I was delighted to find Café Gala. It's located on the first floor of the Dali. It's small, having only around 8 tables, but with a good garden-like pleasant atmosphere. It's small plate tapas and charcuterie, all with a distinct Spanish touch such as their very good "Taste of Spain" with long stem artichoke, Spanish meats and cheeses, spiced almonds, carrot escabeche, black mission fig, dried apricot, etc. I didn't note anything directly from Dali's cookbook, "Les Diners de Gala." But then again, I really never noted a recipe in it worth my time in preparing with some ingredients seemingly leaning towards things like existential duck livers. read more

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The café inside the museum. Some great choices for sandwiches and small plates. Decent wine selection to pair with them as well. Seating was first come first serve but luckily we didn't have to wait very long. There are not that many due to 'you know what'. So we started Gazpacho. It was delicious! Eat it with a spoon or just drink it. Beautifully presented. Great for a hot day in St Pete. Still hungry we ordered Deviled eggs. Awesome as well. The detail and layers of flavor was great. A work of art! Deb was still hungry and by this time we had had a few glasses of wine so needed more in our stomachs so we order a sandwich to split. Forgot the photo but suffice it to say it was really good and filling. Very impressed with the whole café experience here. Servers, shout out to Jorge who was awesome!, food delicious and well presented and just over all vide was cool. We became members this day partly just for our experience at the café and wanting to come back. read more

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You must have admission to Dali Museum to dine in cafe. We ordered the gazpacho and tortilla espanola. For dessert pumpkin muffin and butter cake. The gazpacho was perfect. Purée with olive oil drizzle on it. Great creamy garlic tomato bell pepper combination. 9/10 The tortilla espanola was great. Chunks of potatoes in egg like quiche. Served with olives and lemon aioli. The lemon aioli compliments this dish well. 9/10. Desserts: good. Even though they don't have a Spanish theme. Pumpkin muffin 8/10. Butter cake it was sweet- id like a softer cake. 7/10 Beverages: sangria-10/10 fresh fruit mixed it. Service was also excellent. Amber Rose made sure we had everything we needed. read more

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This is *not* your typical cafe/tourist attraction food. Despite living in Tampa, I frequently make trips across the bridge just to eat here, even if I don't have time to make it up to the galleries. Cafe Gala has delicious Spanish fare and perfect drinks, made just right for lounging in the garden on a warm day. You order at the counter and can choose to sit inside on the ground floor or outside on the patio. I always, always order a bowl of the caldo gallego with extra bread-- to this day, it's the best soup I've ever had. P.S., if you're a member of the museum, you also get a discount here, so be sure to mention that/show your wristband. read more

Cafe Gala - Caldo Gallego, House Wine - Spanish Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

I took a quick break during my Salvador Dali museum trip, not expecting to eat an exceptional sandwich. The multigrain bread was perfectly toasted, and the chicken salad serving was quite generous and absolutely delicious! read more

Cafe Gala - Barcelona Chicken Panini with chips - Spanish Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

Caught me by surprise the Great food and service. Recommend the caldo Gallego a must try !!!! read more

Cafe Gala - Cafe Gala at the museum - Spanish Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

The Dali museum may be interesting, but the cafe is downright excellent. This place punches above its weight on every part of its menu. You almost can't go wrong. NOTE: you can reserve zero dollar tickets for the "ground floor only" of the museum and that's how you can come and eat here even if $29 worth of Spanish surrealism isn't on your personal menu for the day. Poached pears. Coffee. Cake. And all manner of the foods. Authentic Spanish excellence with no compromises. Top quality ingredients. Lots of room to sit outside and the friendly servers will bring your food out to you (wait inside and collect your own drinks). read more

If you're looking for a unique atmosphere with delicious food, views, and a place to spend your entire morning / midday - this is the place for you!! The interior / patio garden space is absolutely stunning and overlooks the boats at the marina. You can overlook small puddle jumper planes taking off over the water, or simply take in the stunning views of the museum itself. There is a garden out back behind the patio seating area where you can walk through the greenery after you eat. The menu has something for everyone from salads, to a sandwich, to a croissant. You can get a big bottle of sparkling water, coffee, tea or an alcoholic beverage. It's a MUST GO in st pete! read more

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We visited the Dali museum and had a bite to eat while we were there. Like the rest of the museum, they were taking a lot of precautions due to COVID. You order and they bring you your food. They had some outdoor seating and a couple of tables indoors. The day we were there, they had one of the meeting rooms behind the cafe open for extra indoor seating. I'm not sure how often that happens. This isn't your typical food stop at a museum or place of interest... much like Dali himself, it's unique and a bit fun. They had a lot of options and you could choose from some meat/cheese/salad options as well. My only knock would be that I think the prices are too steep for what you get. It was decent enough food, but above the quality/value line. read more

This whole experience was so breathtaking I can't remember what each of these items were but everything was amazing and I recommend trying anything that catch your eye on the menu. I have faith that everything serve here will be of the upmost standards visually and taste wise. read more

Cafe Gala - Spanish Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

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8/21/24. Lunch with Wife. Gala is inside the Dahli Museum on the 1st floor. There also is outside seating. You order at the counter and the food is brought to your table. Service is friendly and efficient and prices are reasonable. The cuisine has a Spanish bent as it should be considering the artist on display. We are members of the museum and come to Gala for lunch several times a year even if we're not view the art. The food is very good and highly recommend if you're in the area and are looking for a good light meal in a very pleasant environment. read more

Excellent food, and excellent service. Love this place! Very cool museum. We go often.

Café Gala is the café inside Dali museum. It offers outside garden seating as well inside seating with about 8 or 9 tables and equal number of counter seats. The ambiance is nice as you facing the waterfront. The outdoor garden is beautiful on a nice day. You can look at some of beautiful sculptures while eating. If you want more, you can break off your wrist band and tie it under wishing tree. Make a wish and hope all your wishes come through! On a prior visit, I had a Tortilla de Jamon or Spanish Quiche that was excellent. The key to this café is that they have a limited menu and they can prep ahead of time. Staff then serve customers quickly. An excellent idea! Today, I have Steak Carpaccio. This is a thinly sliced steak served with cheese, watermelon radish, capers, black olive emulsion and a little sea salt. Amazing, it served in a tapa style and was tasty! Wife ordered her favorite Rosemary Chicken wrap. The wrap was excellent but she prefer something like coleslaw instead of chips! We have frozen Strawberry Sangria - a white sangria with strawberry yogurt with a blue berry. They are in 'frozen' style but more with ice cubes. It is more on the sweet and creamy side rather than a full taste of white sangria! Nevertheless, Café Gala is my favorite stop for coffee before the museum tour or lunch after the tour! BTW, Gala is Salvador Dali's Russian born muse and wife! read more

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I selfishly hesitate to reveal my secret creative recharge spot... If you want to experience a bit of creative and uplifting life recharge....have lunch at Cafe Gala....a cup of gazpacho, the Salmon Caprese salad and a glass of Cava. Definitely Sit at the bar! ....look up through the roof and soak in all that you see, be present, notice the people; young and old and from around the world who seek out this most intriguing collection of Dali's creations. The cafe is simple with serene lines and a ginormous space filled with creative, cleansing energy (at least for me). Finish with a double espresso & a final glance around the world of Dali.... then ease back into reality...slowly and savoring each moment. It is not a place you would think to stop in only for for lunch or a dessert but it should be.... just hold a seat for me at the the bar is all I ask! Thanks! read more

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So my girlfriend and I came to the Dali Museum to spend the day doing the audio tours and having a nice little lunch. Mission accomplished. In the middle of the two gain galleries, we came here to get our eat on. Inside there are a few tables and there are bar stools so you can eat right there next to the prep station. We went outside, though. The day was beautiful and there are like eight tables out there under umbrellas. You order and they bring the food right out to you when it's ready. By the way, you can come here and just eat if you want. You don't have to pay for museum entrance. You still get access to the outdoor courtyard of the museum with the mustache, the bench, and the labyrinth. You'll see in my photos. We ordered two things: the charcuterie platter (serrano ham, chorizo, lomo, olives, almonds, bread) and the plato de queso (assortment of spanish cheeses, poached pear, fig jam, sea salt crostini). So the meat platter was ok. The chorizo you get is super thinly sliced. Maybe too thinly sliced. There was barely anything there for me to get the flavor of. The serrano ham was good. Two nice slices. I would have liked to have seen maybe one more to make up for the chorizo incident, but I know how museum food goes. The cheese platter was much more bang for the buck. There were a couple wedges of a couple of cheeses. The poached pear was brilliant. I wish there was more fig jam, though, More jams or more filler in general would have been appreciated on either platter. Overall, it was fine. I'll probably come here again when the new exhibit gets put in, but if you're not going to the museum, don't bother going out of your way just to come here. read more

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