Theory Eatery At OMSI

Stopped in here for Salt and Straw Ice Cream. Only 4 flavors but still so delicious. Other food looks pretty good quality for a museum eatery I think it’s good pricing and value. Pizza was fresh baked and only $ 3 for a plan slice. Specialty slices were $ 3.50-$ 3.75. Great view of the river and also seating outside when the weather is nice. Would come here again on a long day.

Sandwiches, salads, pizza, tons of drinks to choose from, beer, wine, and salt and straw ice cream. Good prices of great food. If you’re a member of the museum you even get a discount. I’ve yet to be disappointed and I come here a lot.

Café type food. Selection and prices could be better but not unreasonable in a controlled space. Simple chicken or pizzas not available.

For a quick grab and go snack, the selection here is reasonable. Prices could be better but are not outrageous. We had a couple of slices of pie and a soda to carry us over until dinner.
Be sure to check the offerings at both counters before making your selection. The first area has salads, sandwiches and a couple of hot dishes. The second area toward the back has pizza and yummy ice cream by local ice creamery Salt & Straw.

Somehow I have managed to missed this place in the back corner over the last few years. The snack bar lady directed us here for more of a lunch and I’m glad she did. There are handful of good, real food options and a hearth making pizzas. There is a nice Riverside patio. Definitely one of the best dining areas in a museum/​zoo/​kids area b that I have been to. The prices aren’t cheap but they are reasonable.

This place has all the makings of a good eatery, but seems to have issues putting everything together and getting a solid finished product.
I really enjoyed the house made chips, pickle and the sandwiches in full view in the deli case. It made deciding easy and my italian sandwich was very delicious. I also got a chocolate cream sandwich cookie that caught my eye, but it wasn’t very good. it was somewhere between a cookie and a macaroon. It needs to go one way or the other, because the in-​between is weird. The other thing that was weird was walking across the dining room to look at the pizza. let’s get that all together so parents toting kids don’t have to move to another location to complete the meal. That was irritating.
The ceaser salads looked good, so we ordered a side salad with some mac and cheese. The Mac was really meh, and the salad was a total disaster. It was absolutely soaked in dressing to the point of being inedible. After struggling to stomach it I came up with the idea to ask for a little handful of lettuce to mix in to dilute the excessive dressing. Someone took my tiny plate and came back with a brand new side salad… dressing on the side. Now I have a tiny plate, some dry lettuce, and a small dish of dressing. This is not helpful. I could not mix it together to save my life. At least give me a bowl! Reaching the point of emotional exhaustion I resolved to just dunk the lettuce in the dressing. Also not a good option. All I wanted was a dressing with a reasonable amount of dressing. I’m no prude when it comes to condiments so simply leaving my salad dry and putting the dressing on the side was a little insulting.
Alas, we are museum members, and perhaps will try again another day. Hopefully someone is taking time to read reviews in an effort to improve.

Came in at the end of the lunch rush. Pizzas are served under the «celebrate Oregon agriculture» sign. After enduring attitude from the pizza server because we asked her what was on the special versus reading the menu, I had to go to a separate station to request salad greens with my slice. They told me I had to wait 15 minutes even though I was looking at the bowl of greens and the server could have opened the deli case to put a handful of greens on my plate. There was no one else waiting and I could have paid for a small salad.

After visiting OMSI we stopped at Theory for lunch. This place had a great menu. You can tell that the staff takes pride in putting out a great menu. Their items change often. They purchase their food locally. There is a nice patio outside with a great view of the river. They also have a wood fired pizza oven.

Pretty decent food at a very reasonable price — especially for being at a children’s museum!

BLIND TASTING BINGO OMG its like Christmas and my birthday all rolled up into one sweet little event. This was beyond fun. I was a little bit scurred at first I must say. I mean you are blind folded and feeling around for food you have no clue about and then biting into it. But it was so fun and we had so many laughs. Such a great thing to go do with a good group of people. You will laugh A LOT and if you aren’t then you are doing it wrong. Chef does a fantastic job of working the crowd and the big reveal at the end was awesome. I didn’t even come close to guessing right HA! But there were 10 freaks with super human tastebuds that won so that was pretty rad. Just do it. You have to. Its inexpensive comedy and you actually feel full after.

The food is very good and seems to be mostly healthy. Vegan and vegetarian options are available for those interested in that. The atmosphere is great, and when you’ve finished your meal you can continue to enjoy the museum.

Love the atmosphere! Not your typical museum eatery! The pizza is delish but the sea salt caramel icecream is absolutely amazing!!!

I’m giving this place 2 stars because it’s a nice place to eat, with nice views. The food was very disappointing. The tomato basil soup was too salty, the grilled cheese was very bland & the farro broccoli salad was inedible because all I tasted was mustard.

Wow, what a nice place to eat while visiting the museum! You’ll find a few different counters here, one for quick pizzas and one for the rest. Pick out what you need, pay and they will give you a number for your table (if you ordered something requiring preparation).
Especially of note is that at the pizza counter they also serve Salt and Straw ice cream! Score! I don’t need to go to the actual location to try some!
The food was good, I enjoyed the kale, potato and chorizo salad (although it was heavy on the dressing). The sandwiches come with chips and a dill pickle.
The place was clean and inviting and as soon as we were leaving, someone was already wiping down the high chair, which was nice to see knowing how well they take care of everything.

This place is well thought out for the modern Portland parent. Beautiful surroundings. Quality food. Local Portland beers on tap. All in the same building as OMSI.
Because it is a quality place to eat, it extends the likelihood that I will go back to OMSI more and more. Especially during the winter when the weather is bad. One stop recreating for the kids. Can’t beat that.

It seems most restaurants inside recreational facilities are usually not so good because they know you are trapped in and will pay to prevent starvation. Not this place, it seems most of the restaurant employees are culinary trained and can talk «food.» They offer many delicious choices, vegan options, plenty of well prepared favorable vegetables, meats, desserts, coffee, iced-​tea and bottled drinks.
The restaurant has high ceilings, great ventilation, a view of the river and a submarine just outside. They have great service from knowledgeable staff.
I enjoyed the restaurant more than OMSI.

Rude staff, most stuff is pre-​made, and confusing by making people order at two separate machines for the same stinking counter. Really? Two transactions because someone wants a piece of pizza and a sandwich.
Never again…

It’s a lot nicer than you’d expect for a restaurant attached to a children’s museum! It’s very modern and offers a variety of food, including ice cream provided by Salt & Straw. The nice thing is that you don’t need to go to purchase admission into OMSI to eat there, you can just drop by when you’re walking/​biking on the trail, or just go through OMSI’s lobby and let them know you’re going to Theory when they ask for your admission.

I’ve enjoyed many meals at Theory. I am impressed with the diverse menu selection, local ingredients and the freshness of the food. This is not a cafeteria! I was pleasantly surprised to see the cafeteria of yore completely remodeled and the standard «museum» menu of chicken strips replaced with more adventurous and healthier options. The space is well decorated and has awesome river views!
I recommend trying the «Streets» selections (excellent Bahn Mi recently) and pizza (yum)! Theory is obviously good for lunch when visiting OMSI but you can also access it via the esplanade (which I have done when biking). Oh, and I recently attended an event there, Food Luminaire where they host menu’s by other well-​known Portland Chefs. It was a fun date night and delicious.
One issue I’ve experienced is the long lines and wait times during school breaks but I imagine you can’t cater to every variable. Well done!

Atmosphere, service and food selection are top notch here.
The staff was almost overly helpful, buts that a good problem to have.
I can’t say more good things about it without gushing and I don’t want to steal your precious decision-​making time, so:
Eat there when you are on a break from the day at OMSI or whenever you have the chance! The gado gado salad is now one of my favorite dishes — hubs and I tried several options and everything tasted so fresh and high quality.
You MUST try:
Salt and Straw ice cream by the scoop! Organic ice cream at its best!