Iris

I took my sister to the Escher exhibit for her birthday (wonderful exhibit) and had lunch at Iris. I made reservations fortunately and we were seated immediately. We had their version of Eggs Benedict with fried green tomatoes. Excellent choice! Service was good especially since they were busy. A bit pricey but worth it for such a special day.

For brunch it is very expensive for the quality. Servers seemed very inexperienced and stressed. Food was meh especially for the price.

Delicious! We went at 10:30am for breakfast/​brunch on a Sunday before seeing an exhibit.
We made reservations (they only take reservations over the phone) and were seated quickly. It started to fill up slowly then there seemed to be a rush at 11am.
Note if you’re unaware, you can’t order alcohol (mimosas, bloody marys, etc) on Sundays in NC until noon.
Kyle was our waiter — he was great. Very attentive and friendly.
The menu options for breakfast items are limited but strong! You can make your own omelet, they have their twist on Eggs Benedict (with delicious ham and a fried green tomato on their twist of a southern biscuit) and waffles. The special of the day was an omelet with some fresh special ingredients (I think a featured cheese, amazing sautéed onions and sausage). You also get complimentary cheddar and scallion scones. They’re more like the consistency of a biscuit but still tasty.
They seem to be well known for their chicken salad and have a chicken salad of the day but we didn’t get it.
Coffee was delicious and Kyle made sure our cups were always full.
I’m SO glad we asked about the ice cream and sorbet flavors that day. We decided on a single scoop of Strawberry with Black Pepper. It was SO good.
Parking is free if you’re curious. Park in the NCMA lot and walk to the buildings… Iris is on the left. It’s clearly marked.
Would definitely recommend! Bright atmosphere in a cool location. Check out the museum or sculpture garden after. You won’t be disappointed.

Had brunch here while seeing the Escher exhibit (see it!) and everyone in our party enjoyed their ample dishes. Omelets, burgers, their inventive eggs benedict, and huge bloody marys were the orders. My eggs benedict was one of the best «versions» I have ever had, which used fried green tomatoes, sweet potato scallions cakes, rosemary-​cured ham, excellent hollandaise sauce and traditional ingredients. Good service and refined surroundings added to the experience. Make a reservation if you go on the weekend to avoid a wait.

Great service and nice to be as part of the art museum. The smoke salmon salad with cheesecake with green dressing was so good. Sweet potato fries were great. Bread pudding was alright. Dessert sampler was alright as well. Recommend this when you go to the museum, not otherwise.

Exquisite lunch in a cool white setting with extraordinary art. I had the golden beet salad. The eggs Benedict, burger, & chicken salad were all enjoyed at our table along with a side of (perfect) cheese grits. Excellent service.

I highly recommend making a reservation if you are dining on the weekend. Iris seems to book quickly. I have had lunch there twice, and the last time I had the Iris Burger – local grass fed Double R Cattle beef, house made onion roll, lettuce, Chapel Hill Creamery hickory grove cheese, green peppercorn chive sauce, choice of greens or sweet potato fries. As anyone in their right mind would, I opted for the sweet potato fries (teasing – greens are good too!). The burger was good in its own right. I order my beef well-​done, and yes I heard that collective gasp from all the foodies, but you can get a good well-​done burger. This is one of them. It was just a tad dry owing to the fact that it was good, dense beef and not all fat. The cheese was phenomenal. It was flavorful and creamy and really added to the burger experience. The sweet potato fries were delish. I enjoy dining at Iris obviously for the good food, but there’s an awesome museum attached to it too :)

Been here quite a few times for brunch. Had their Oak City Benedict w/​Mimosas — a brunch staple in my book. With their changing menu — have tried their eggs frittata, huevos rancheros, watermelon salad– all good! Have brought girlfriends here & out of town friends. So far all our visits here have all been good dining experiences! This is a nice start before you head on to your art tour. Make it a museum day out in Raleigh with a nice brunch at Iris when you come out here!

Yesterday afternoon a friend and I had lunch at the Iris Restaurant at the NC Museum of Art. We each had chicken salad served with greens, fruit and a Dijon dressing. The chicken salad had suggestions of apricot and nuts, and it was scrumptious. The mini scones were delicious. I should have asked for a pat of butter for them, but they were great on their own.
The beautiful, clean-​lined décor blends perfectly with the museum itself, and a monumental swirling twig installation hangs on the wall.
The wait staff was cheery, helpful, speedy and unpretentious.
I recommend Iris highly for a meal with friends whether or not you stop to enjoy a tour through the museum.

First time visiting, today 9÷2÷15. Food was ok. Service was awful. Atmosphere very nice.
Food: We ordered 4 dishes for the 2 of us so we could try different things and take the rest home. We had a lot left over but, we didn’t take anything home. Chicken salad sandwich served with sweet potato fries, sandwich was tasty. Scallops with rice, very small potion for $ 16. Lamb and shrimp salad, lamb dry and hard, shrimp uncooked, over salad with a lot of carrots. Chicken served with sweet potatoes, sauce on chicken good, chicken very dry. Too many dishes served with different forms of sweet potato.
Service: server was named Gary. He was stiff, unfriendly and made me feel uncomfortable. We were never told of the specials. I heard a lady serving in the area attending to her tables in a friendly up beat manor. She informed her tables of the specials. He never asked why we were not eating or taking the food with us. We won’t be back.
Décor and atmosphere are unique.

One of the coolest atmosphere’s where I have ever enjoyed a meal. Made a brunch reservation here when some friends were coming to visit from out of town. The food was very good, it is pretty busy, but not hectic and the staff was all great. The service was a bit slow as we made reservations for the time it opened and there was line, but other than that everything was great and tasted very fresh! I will definitely be back here!

I feel like I need to preface this with some history. The museum restaurant (the Iris and the former Blue Ridge Café in the original building), has always been my five-​star, impress out-​of-​town visitors, go-​to brunch restaurant. I have observed many birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions here over years. We’ve had a lot going on and we just haven’t gotten over here in the last year.
My sister was visiting from out of town, we have brought her to the museum restaurant many times, and she specifically requested to come to the Iris on this trip. I was really excited for brunch because it had been too long.
What a disappointment. The menu was smaller by about a third than it used to be. In fact everything was smaller, the bread basket is gone, instead of a small piece of sweet bread and a scone for each person, it was a plate with one scone for each guest. The legendary herbed scones were tiny and we had to ask specifically for butter. The omelette special was shrimp, spinach, and St. Andre cheese. I ordered this, without the shrimp. My sister ordered the same and added mushrooms. The waiter came back to tell us that the chef wanted to inform us that fillings were not available individually, that they were ‘pre-​mixed’ for the special. There was no green vegetable of any kind on the fillings menu and I was told specifically that I could only order from the toppings listed for the omelette. I ultimately ordered ham and caramelized onion with provolone and a side of cheese grits. My sister ordered an omelette with ham, mushrooms, and cheddar. Our dining companion ordered the Oak City Benedict and was very pleased with his meal.
The omelettes were reasonably well-​prepared, but, again, much smaller than they used to be. The onions were soft, definitely not caramelized, and there were way too many of them. The grits were the serving size I remember but they were incredibly dry and lumpy. They no longer serve fruit with the omelette and it’s on the a la carte list.
I can support generally reducing portions; the more money that goes to the museum, the better. I can get behind a smaller menu too; less waste and better operating margins. I am, however, very sad at the sharp decline in the overall quality and service. I will no longer recommend Iris to friends and visitors.

We went for brunch today (Sunday at 10:30am) and here are my initial thoughts — I’m glad that we went. I love the atmosphere and I like the seasonal menu. It is a little pricey though. My favorite part of the experience was the fact that we were eating in the art museum — it is such a neat location and would be great for a date. I love the «bird’s nest» art work on the wall of the actual restaurant — super cool.
We had great service. We parked in the lot that I usually park in for walks on the art museum trails (check the trails out if you haven’t before — they are fabulous). We walked down towards the main building of the museum — that you can see from this lot — and were greeted by some great signage that let us know we were going the right direction. Iris is in the West building — the entrance is right near the silver tree outdoor sculpture. I was nervous, as we didn’t have reservations but, we arrived around 10:15am. The museum was open but the restaurant didn’t open until 10:30. I was still able to walk over and put our name on the list — which wasn’t even necessary as we were there early enough.
Food wise — the menu looked fantastic. We were excited. The food was beautifully presented but, it was slightly underwhelming (especially for the price — we had one cappucino, two brunch entrees and one salad to split for $ 52 with tip). My husband ordered the Huevos Rancheros and I ordered the Oak City benedict. We enjoyed both entrees but, I would say that the salad that I split with my girlfriend was the star of the show. It was a seasonal Dinosaur Kale Salad with grilled pears, kobucha squash and pumpkin seeds. I love a good salad and this was a good one. It is definitely an entrée sized salad or good to split between two. When I return, I will probably order the salad again but, will try a different entrée.
I do hope to return but, price wise, we just can’t make it a staple. Also — I still like Humble Pie’s Huevos Rancheros over any others that we have tried in the Triangle.

This is one of my favorite places to dine in Raleigh. The hostess, Lynn, is fabulous, friendly and remembers frequent diners so that helps in getting a great table.
The menu at Iris does change seasonally but the online menus will give you an idea of what they may offer. There are daily specials as well.
The restaurant is located inside the North Carolina Art Museum. It is all open and white. I preferred the décor when the restaurant was in the older building but the food is so great that the boring décor is forgotten.
The restaurant is open for lunch Tuesday-​Friday; Brunch Saturday and Sunday; and dinner on Fridays. The dinner menu is my favorite as I love the filet mignon but there are tasty options during the daytime as well. The eggs benedict is a flavorful combination. I like that there is an a la carte menu if you want to make your own meal.
Museum members receive 10% off the bill and the food at the museum is tax free so it is a win win.

The Museum café used to be in a lovely location, with a beautiful view of a pastoral landscape through floor to ceiling windows, generally with a pianist playing softly in the background. It was cozy and a place to enjoy lingering in.
Now picture eating in a cold high ceiling grey and white concrete box.
That’s Iris.
The food is the same… relatively expensive but well done. The atmosphere is terrible… cold and industrial and cramped.
If you want to have lunch at the museum, this is your only choice. If you enjoy dining in an aircraft hanger, you’ll love the new ambiance.

Overrated and pricey!
I ordered eggs Benedict and they were cooked to death along with the cured ham. Food was tough and dry. Probably won’t be returning here anytime soon.
Nice atmosphere but strange hours. Make sure and check before driving out here.

Sleek, stark, striking… very contemporary. Most importantly, food quality for our Sunday brunch was quite good.
Do note that the menu on line is not up-​to-​date. Personally I like seasonal surprises! Today, mine was an Asian-​type flank steak salad with cashews and mango with a light dressing. Husband went pretty basic with a bacon and cheddar omelet, topped with a mustard hollandaise served with breakfast potatoes
Another in our group tried a burger with salad instead of sweet potato fries and the least adventuresome went with fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, bacon and toast.
All of us were very pleased with the quality and taste. I will say that I was surprised that the steak on my salad was served cold. (I know, salads are cold), but slices of freshly grilled warm steak was what I had envisioned. The steak was nicely marinated in an orange/​sesame/​soy way. It did work, but would have been more of a wow warm, imho.
The star of this art show, though was the dessert! I’m not a cheesecake person, but who could resist one that was described as apple with gingersnap crust, cinnamon whipped cream, caramel and bacon? Yes, this was as good as it sounds! And yes it was as rich as it sounds! Fortunately I had enough help with it or I would never have made it.
Service was just fine. The guys’ coffees were kept replenished. Very pleasant experience all around.
TIP: Can’t stress enough… MAKE RESERVATIONS!

What does a person do on a Friday night in December? Christmas party! The food is good, but it’s not WOW! and the portions are a bit on the light side. In other words, pretty tasty but not very filling and not quite to the value being charged. The potato soup was very good, however the scallops with black rice was just okay.
Service is good, and the wine selections and recommendations are just okay. I was hoping for something more like a Chilean Carmenere or a malbec, but had to settle for a spanish red for our party. Personally, I was unimpressed.
The attempt to appear «classy» was overdone by the spiraling branches on the wall in what seemed like a café’ atmosphere, and the classic country/​rock band playing on the other side of the partition.
Iris is okay but not a place I’d go out of my way to recommend.

Went to Iris to meet some friends for dinner on Friday after work. I was on the phone when I arrived, so I sat outside for a few minutes at the tables in the patio area. It was quiet and relaxing there and I was quite comfortable.
When I went inside, I discovered that there was a live music event going on (which apparently happens every Friday). The jazz band was fantastic and there was quite a large crowd, some standing and others sitting at tables and conversation areas. I spotted some small plates of food in the crowd and located a bar in the rear corner. The line for the bar was really long and not moving all that fast — they need a better system for that kind of crowd — but the wine was good and the menu of small plates looked good. The bar drinks and food were on the pricey side though.
Once part of my party arrived, we sat down. I was facing the swirly twig wall, which I found to be a striking and stunning contrast to the all white décor. The hostess was great about directing the few stragglers in my party to the table and the server was great. Everyone enjoyed their meals and thought they were well worth the price paid. My only critiques of the restaurant experience were that the restaurant is open to the entry area were the live music was, so the noise from the crowd made it difficult to converse at the table. Also, our food was delivered by a man wearing disposable rubber gloves, which seemed out of place in a place where how things look is so important.
Things to know:
They are only open for dinner one night a week.
When you call to make a reservation, you have to leave a message.
There are two parking lots — one bordering Blue Ridge and the other closer
The museum shop is next the restaurant — it’s worth a walk through.

I ate here on a weekend with bf and our moms. It was a good thing he made reservations because it was very busy. I love the clean, fresh feeling of the white tables, as if they are blank canvases ready for art aka the food.
We all enjoyed our lunches very much. I would definitely get the eggplant dish again, and my bite of bf’s tandoori chicken was so good.
I love eating in the museum restaurant and knowing the proceeds are going back to the NCMA because I am a member. (Bonus: members get 10% off dining.)
The coffee they serve is really good, too, and you get some interesting rosemary scones with it.