Welcome to Café 43
At Café 43, nestled within the George W. Bush Presidential Library, an unforgettable culinary experience awaits. This elegant café captures the essence of American breakfast and brunch, beautifully combining fresh, locally sourced ingredients with a touch of presidential charm. Guests are treated to delightful dishes like the Pecan Crusted Chicken and inventive starters such as the Fried Avocado. The ambiance is warm, featuring natural light and plush decor, creating the perfect backdrop for memorable meals, whether casual or upscale. Café 43’s commitment to exceptional service and delectable flavors ensures every visit feels special, making it a true gem in Dallas.
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2943 SMU Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75205 Hotline: (214) 200-4302
Welcome to Café 43, a hidden gem situated within the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas, Texas. Nestled at 2943 SMU Boulevard, this elegant café invites guests to indulge in a delightful array of American breakfast and brunch offerings. With a sophisticated ambiance featuring ample natural light and beautifully adorned tables, Café 43 creates a setting that is both classy and welcoming.
As you step inside, you are greeted by a warm, amiable staff eager to make your dining experience memorable. Whether you're here for a casual brunch or a business lunch, the environment strikes an ideal balance between refined and relaxed.
The menu at Café 43 is a culinary journey that celebrates both classic and contemporary dishes. Start your meal with enticing starters like the Fried Avocado, accompanied by black beans and chipotle aioli, or the Hummus plate featuring roasted pepitas and grilled flatbread. Each dish is thoughtfully prepared, ensuring that every bite is a delightful experience.
- Main Dishes: Dive into signature items such as the Brioche French Toast, topped with smoked bacon and fresh berries, or the Avocado Toast with two eggs and a refreshing grapefruit salad. Both dishes highlight the café's commitment to fresh ingredients and balanced flavors.
- Salads: The selections here are equally impressive. The Seared Salmon Salad offers a perfectly cooked salmon on a bed of greens, while the Cranberry Chicken Salad combines unique flavors that leave a lasting impression.
What truly sets Café 43 apart is its connection to its surroundings. Many dishes are inspired by the Bush family, with favorites featured throughout the menu. For instance, do not miss Mrs. Bush’s acclaimed Cowboy Cookies, available for dessert or as a delightful takeaway treat. Diners have lauded the creative combinations and attention to detail, solidifying Café 43 as a culinary retreat worth exploring.
Don’t just take our word for it; reviews from diners paint a vivid picture of the joys awaiting you. One guest noted, "The pecan-crusted chicken is worthy of any President!" while another remarked on the smoked chicken salad as a must-try fusion of flavors. Consistently, patrons appreciate the attentive service, beautifully set dining space, and, of course, the deliciously crafted menu.
So, whether you're a local or visiting Dallas, Café 43 invites you to pause your day and savor the culinary delights within this landmark. Indulge in a meal that resonates with history and heartfelt service, making each visit a delightful experience in itself.
For reservations or inquiries, you can reach Café 43 at (214) 200-4302. Treat yourself to a memorable dining experience at this exquisite café, where every dish tells a story and every meal is a celebration.
Pecan Crusted Chicken is worthy of any President or one who served under him! What a great surprise! Who would have known a restaurant at a Presidential library would have been such a wonderful experience. We were there on Presidents day. The restaurant is immaculate inside with servers and staff who know how to take care of their customers. It was an unforgettable meal in an unforgettable place.
I've been to all the presidential libraries and unfortunately not all of them have restaurants; President George Bush's Cafe 43 is a pleasing sit down establishment, replete with cloth napkins in a handsome, classy venue. You follow a long hallway/corridor to get to the beautifully adorned tables and chairs. Almost immediately, we were brought a tantalizing arrangement of different breads. Some crunchy, some soft, all great tastes. We ordered the Hummus plate appetizer to share and thoroughly enjoyed it. For my main course, I ordered the shrimp po boy sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries. Very good dish. Don't forget to grab some of Laura Bush's "Cowboy cookies". Staff even provided us with the recipe; naturally we had to buy some for the road too! Overall great experience and friendly staff!
Wonderful experience. Family really enjoyed it. I had the pecan crusted chicken with green beans and herb mashed potatoes. It was fresh and tasty. Would have it again. Service was excellent, I felt a bit under dressed. I would return just to enjoy this restaurant without going to the library, ambience is upscale and refined
Visiting Cafe 43 was not on my Dallas to do list, but after working up an appetite from checking out the presidential library, this place was just too convenient to pass up. I was expecting a small cafe with a few grab and go options, but this was a beautiful, full blown restaurant. You do not have to visit the library to eat here, but there is a fee to park in the lot across the street. We were seated right away and customer service was great, although a tad bit slow. We were not looking for a heavy meal as we had more plans for the day in Dallas. The brunch menu mostly leaned on the healthier, lighter side which is exactly what we were looking for. They have starters, salads, sandwiches, entrees and desserts. They do have Mr. & Mrs. Bush's favorite items scattered throughout the menu as well which I thought was a nice touch. They started us off with a little bread basket. It was nice to munch on while waiting for our food. There was a lot of good options, but for some reason the omelet stood out to me. I usually require some sort of protein with my breakfast or brunch, but this dish did not come with one. The omelet came with mushrooms, spinach, gouda, a mix of fruit and a salad. The omelet was really good and I did not miss meat at all. The salad that came with it was nicely dressed and complimented the omelet perfectly. The fruit was fresh and a refreshing bite after the savory items. This meal filled me up and left me completely satisfied. From walking through the library and even seeing cookbooks in the gift shop, Mrs. Bush's award winning cowboy cookies kept being mentioned so I had to get them. We did not want them right then so they do have the option of getting some fresh cookies to go nicely packaged. The cookies were indeed good. I'm glad we checked out this cute little café located inside the presidential library. Sometimes you gotta take a chance on these little hidden gems.
What a beautiful café! I did not expect for Café 43 to be a full service restaurant. I was thinking it would be more of a grab and go, counter service type of establishment. We had lunch at the café after visiting the Bush Presidential Library. The staff kept telling us how good the food was while we were there. I honestly thought they were blowing smoke, but I have to admit, I really enjoyed my meal. I ordered the Avocado Toast. It came with salad. It was very light and refreshing. There was a good amount of avocado on the toast, but it didn't over power the dish. I ordered the eggs scrambled and they were very good and firm. I liked that they were placed on a bed of spinach. I'm not usually a fan of fruit in a green salad, but I enjoyed this one. My friend had the Omelet and enjoyed it. It looked really good, but I did not try any. Our server was Manny. He was very nice and personable. He made good recommendations and answered our questions. The dining room is very large and there are a ton of windows which allows in natural light. I recall seeing a small patio, but no one was sitting out there. The space would be great for a gathering like a bridal or baby shower. There was a painting by President Bush near the entrance which I found to be a nice touch. I'm happy we were able to eat lunch at the café. We had a busy day so it saved time being able to eat here after visiting the library.
Came back to try something else and DAMN! This place is great! The host is so nice and welcoming! But why did this sandwich taste so good?! I've never had soft ciabatta bread before and this bread was so soft and was so good with the avocado inside. The grilled chicken was like a herb chicken and was cooked to perfection. The sweet potato fries were so crisp and delicious with the aioli sauce it came with. It was such a great experience. Everyone was so nice and attentive that waited on us. Even the manager kept walking around, checking on all the tables making sure everyone was okay. Everyone seemed so happy to be there. Love it!
Excellent service and really good food in pleasant surroundings...I had a lovely omelet and Bloody Mary. The dining room has wonderful natural light and the windows look out on the pleasant grounds...a favorite George and Laura's favorite ice cream for dessert! Check it out because I'm not telling you what flavor Double Ya likes!
We had a business lunch with 7 people on a moderately busy Thursday afternoon. Our server was very attentive and helpful. He kept our party happy with drinks refilled regularly. The food was good. For lunch, there was a nice range of salad options and some sandwiches and entrees, too. I had the salmon salad. It was a play on a Niçoise salad but the other ingredients (potatoes, green beans, etc) were is short supply. The salmon had a very nice crisp to the edges but was still tender on the inside. Quite tasty! A great option for group business lunches!
Was a delightful lunch at President Bush Library's Cafe. 43 is upscale and elegant setting with lots of light and windows. My appetizer was the fried Avocado. Delish! I enjoyed my Bacon Burger. Was cooked perfectly at medium and very flavorful. The sweet potato fries were cooked perfectly and the aïoli to dip in was yummy. Hubby had salmon salad with Dill dressing. Was good but salmon a bit over cooked. We finished off with Mrs Bush's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (2) and vanilla bean ice cream. So glad we ate here before our tour!
Everything we ordered was delicious! The waiter was wonderful and kind to our 6year old. The place is modern and an overall nice setup. The view is nice and the dining area is beautiful. Our total was around $100 for four lunches, 3 starters and one drink. Not bad at all.