Magnolia Cafe

I had always heard so much about this place and finally recently I was able to come and dine here.
It has a very interesting yet comforting atmosphere which was nice. They have someone constantly refilling and that is always nice. The food all sounded good and came out in a timely manner. But, I will have to say the food was not as good as I expected it to be. The bbq chicken enchiladas tasted as if it all came out of a can. It was very mediocre. The tuna melt sandwich was great. I do recommend sharing this because it is HUGE!
Besides the food just being good and not great. The prices are fair and the staff is friendly. So if your not looking to be impressed food wise. This place is great!

There’s too much to love about Magnolia. You’ve got to know how to order there — stick to pancakes, breakfast, and Mexican food, and you will be loving life. Believe everything you hear about the Mag Mud. It’s that good. My personal favorite pancakes are the Elvis pancakes, which are technically on the late night menu but you can get them any time (bananas, pecans, chocolate chips, heaven). You also can’t go wrong with the Eggs Zappatino, T-​Rex omelette, or straight up old fashioned migas.
It’s a classic diner but they do it right. It’s open 24 hours, which is one of the biggest perks, but that doesn’t mean the food isn’t good, because it is.
Definitely an Austin staple.

Solid brunch spot! Their food is super fresh and wholesome. I had the veggie omelette and split my friend’s buttermilk pancake with bananas and chocolate chips. The veggies in the omelette were super prominent which I enjoyed since you know that they’re fresh and not hiding. The pancake portion was HUGE. Definitely the star of the show.
Service is also great along as well as the décor of the place as well. Definitely will come again soon.

THE MOSt DISGUSTING FOOD YOU CAN EAT; THE SWISS BURGE!!!
1. The bun was wet soaked eew disgusting!!!
Wet!!!like wet!
2. Cheap meat with no spice whatsoever bland BLAAND
3. FREIS! Well burnt uncooked potatoes and (unpeeled unwashed) that seems to have been sitting on the counter for a day or so
I would go back there to get my money back if I wasn’t sick and it wasn’t 1 am !
It’s the first time I regret not going to a fast food
DISAPPOINTED HUNGRY AND SAD YES BECAUSE I THROW IT AWAY!

Diner food Austin–
Style with love migas and some
Huge gringa tacos

I love this place. Not sure what the complaints are for but it’s great. The menu is different than a regular café you’ll find. The atmosphere is «weird» compared to others as well. The pancakes are great! They mostly have regular pancakes and don’t go all out for different styles like Kirby Ln. but comparing their other dishes with Kirby’s, I’ll still to Magnolia. Kirby seems to never salt their food or over salt it. This is at every location. Their burgers are bland and flavor then becomes dependent on the other items added to their burgers. I haven’t noticed this so much at Magnolia. All their dishes are perfectly seasoned. The coffee is strong here as well. I can only handle two cups and the third will give me the shakes. So be careful. Their queso is one of the best I’ve had in Austin. I can’t resist having it added to dishes.
My advice is to get queso and try the Señora dishes.

We came here with high hopes after having tried Kerbey Lane two days before — but unfortunately the pancakes we ordered came nowhere near the amazeballs cinnamon swirl pancakes and beignet pancakes that we had at Kerbey. Queso was pretty decent, and the corn chips that accompanied the dip were freshly fried and very good. We also ordered the pasta caspian (sauce was a tad watery), and the Baton Rouge and California salads. Salads were ok but a tad small, and the house made dressings were good (try the garlic cream and the ginger soy).
We got desserts — the Magnolia brownie (not bad, but could have been fudgier), and the peanut butter pie (pretty decent)!
Service was attentive and very polite. But if you’re looking for the best pancakes in Austin, go to Kerbey Lane instead.

Sean was our server and he is an absolute doll!
He was so prompt with service, drinks, food, check-​ins, etc. All food was absolutely delicious, hot, fresh, and fast: Mud (dip), Bacon Swiss Burger, Love Migas, and Gingerbread Pancakes! The mimosa was to die for! Very strong, so elegant, so tasty! They are open 24/​7, have a great atmosphere, and are so quick and friendly. Mags is an Austin must!

I ordered a small Migas which came with a side of tortilla and black beans. My friend ordered ginger bread pancake with bananas. I think my order was okay and could have been more tastier. The eggs were good but the sides were bland! My friend thought that her pancake was very bland too and she couldn’t even finish one!
There were few flies on our table which was next to the door and when we complained they asked us to change the table. I feel kerbey Lane is more hospitable and friendly than magnolia!

I would describe Magnolia Café as America meets Austin.
They serve all the classic American diner foods — free coffee while you wait for a table on a weekend afternoon, pancakes and omelettes, burgers, soup, sandwiches — they’ve got it all. I wouldn’t go as far as saying their food is especially delicious, but it’s decent, the menu is pretty vast, and definitely fills you up.
I like their brunch menu — I think I got a salmon benedict once and it was pretty good. They have good breakfast tacos as well! I haven’t actually tried their pancakes but I’ve heard they’re alright.
Inside it’s like a hipster diner, decorated with children’s drawings and odd knick-​knacks, and the tables have unique designs.
Pros: Open late, safe brunch spot, Austin classic
Cons: nothing special about the food

Went for lunch. Nice cozy place. Had chicken/​grilled pineapple taco, it was fresh and salsa was just hot enough. Blueberry pie was good, thick flaky crust, consistent blueberry filling. Food was okay, but i wont be going back.
I’m giving 2 stars due to wait staff experience. They were slow getting drink order. It was not busy. Then they pretty much ignored us. Everyone else around us was well attended to. Did not even ask if we wanted more water or were okay. Had to ask for everything ourselves.

Their Southwest Breakfast Burrito was cool. Chipotle tortilla filled with eggs, cheese, peppers & sausage. It was topped with queso & shredded cheese. Very hearty & kinda spicy. Their salsa is good. What even made it better, their mimosas. At a cheap rate, that made me have more than one. They had a lot of options & their breakfast is ²⁴⁄₇. A very popular place/​location. & I can see why.

My husband really likes this place for breakfast, but I’m just «meh» about it.
In my opinion, the food is just okay — kind of bland, nothing special. The service is also just okay. The wait on the weekends is usually long and again, which deters me even more from wanting to come here. I also think Austin just has a shortage of places for breakfast.
I will say that the pancakes are pretty good. My husband always gets the chocolate chip ones.
I think it’s just a local thing and that’s why people love it.

My office is in the neighborhood and I eat breakfast or lunch here regularly. I usually sit on the diner stools by myself, so I rarely have to wait in the line which is usually out the wahzoo. I’ve always had fast and fairly attentive service. They get me in and out of there with a full belly. I normally order the migas which gives me both breakfast and lunch for the day because of the ample portion size.

Since I was told this place was an Austin staple, we decided to give a go. The SoCo location was way closer to us but since they had a 30+min wait, we decided to drive the extra 11mins for the immediate seating option. Two entrances… go left or right for 2 separate dining areas (did not realize this at first, just by habit chose the door on the right.) Both dining areas are small and quaint. Glad I chose the door on the right because it offers more sunlight in my opinion and Luckily we ended up snagging a booth by the window! The menu is Extensive to say the least. Everything from chips and queso, burgers, salads, enchiladas, fajitas and a variety of breakfast goodness. Our spread:
–Mag Queso, Chips & Salsa: Delicious! A Must!
–Super Deluxe Nachos w/​Chk: Meh, tasty but I could have down without. Would have been better if topped with more cheese.
Ancho Chicken Quesadillas: 2 thumbs up. It may have just been shredded chk and My friends thought the chk was over seasoned with too much chili powder but I disagree. I enjoyed the flavor and would order again.
Love Migas: interesting concept and since I am down for anything garlic butter, I had to try. Very different flavor experience when you add garlic Serrano butter to eggs. It tasted like the liquid crack butter that comes with the Pappasito’s fajitas (which I drool over) but just not sure about it here. Its not bad tasting, just very different to me. My friend finished that dish with a smile on his face though with no complaints.
The Flaco Tacos: HUGE and Overstuffed with eggs! One would have filled me up and my friend got 2! He enjoyed them very much.
Banana Chocolate chip pancake– ooey gooey chocolate banana goodness… if you are into that kind of thing and apparently my friend was because she finished it like a champ!
Overall experience: Very Satisfied. Its a cute laid back atmosphere. Good bang for your buck here. Friendly service, good food, clean bathrooms. Only thing is no split checks and max of 3 credit cards per table. Not sure what that is all about but whatever, no biggie.
Wish there was patio seating but is what it is… neither location offers it. Still, glad we tried it out and totally would come again

This place is cute! We ordered the fruit & yogurt, two coffees, and the primavera omelet. Everything was wonderful. The omlet was ginormous.
Our waitress was prompt and kind, very attentive as well. The whole bill came to $ 24.00. I would suggest this place!

This is my favorite restaurant ever. Like number 1 on my list.
The food is good and consistent. The service is just right, they check on you but not to a point where it’s annoying.
Black bean entrée is my go too. But the turkey tacos are a close second.
Their spinach artichoke dip is amazing, but they’ve got queso like it was made in Mexico!
The chocolate chip pancake is huge so just get it!
Lots of tea choices, beer choices, and desserts!
Both locations in Austin have great atmospheres and a great vibe. So go. Go now. And wait if you have too.

I love Magnolia’s!
It was late for dinner– after 9pm. But I had just gotten off from an airplane, and hadn’t eaten since that morning. I was Hangry. If I didn’t get food fast, someone (my husband) was going to have his head bitten off. So we Unilocaled, to find something not too far away that was open. Viola! Magnolia Café!
The veggie enchiladas were so good, and the serving size was massive. I was satisfied! Plus, the waitstaff was funny and friendly and silly and laughing– this is my kind of place!
We’ve since been back for breakfast, and the French toast is to die for! We are definitely going to be regulars now!

Date of service: Jan 17, 2015
Meal: Brunch, eat in
All Ratings out of 10:
Quality of food: 8
Food to Spend Value: 8
Quality of Service: 7
Overall Rating: 8
When I am in Austin there are 2 spots I like to have breakfast: the original Kerbey Lane, and Magnolia Café. I was in town long enough to hit up both, but on this morning I excitedly headed over to Magnolia for a Saturday morning brunch.
Magnolia is popular and hence is always super busy, particularly on the weekends. We had to wait a bit but were eventually seated. We ordered the flaco tacos and Texas Eggs Benedict. The flaco tacos, which are on the regular menu, are breakfast tacos containing scrambled eggs, avocado, cheese, bacon, and a side of salsa. They were very flavorful and stuffed with filling. It was nice to be back in Texas and be able to get real breakfast tacos, definitely something I have trouble finding in the Pacific NW.
The Benedict was on a special seasonal menu and had 2 poached eggs, sausage patty, and biscuit with chipotle hollandaise sauce. It came with home fries and a choice of fruit. It was also a nice sizeable portion and was quite delicious. The chipotle hollandaise in particular really finished off the poached eggs nicely, and the home fries were very nice and tasty. It was a bit different having eggs Benedict on a biscuit rather than on an English muffin, but it worked quite well.
The prices were reasonable for the amount and quality of food, and we left with both our tummies and taste buds quite satisfied. The service was pretty attentive, which was impressive given how busy the place was. We did have to wait almost 30 minutes to get seated, but the wait was well worth it. If you are looking for a great brunch spot in Austin, then you should definitely pay a visit to the Magnolia Café.

Great location, cool place! The menu is large and varied (something for everyone) — breakfast all day, enchiladas, burgers, salads, etc. And lots of vegetarian options: veggie burgers, veggie enchiladas, breakfast items, and more!
However, the food is only so-​so. My friend and I shared the Mag queso (queso with avocado and pico) — the portion size was CRAZY and it was okay. She tried the Magnolia Stir Fry with tofu and found it to be so bland, she asked for extra soy sauce (I tried it and agreed). I had the black bean entrée: bowl of black beans topped with avocado, tomato, lemon sorcery sauce, and cheddar/​jack cheese & served with a small cornmeal pancake. The cornmeal pancake was good — but definitely not small. And the black bean bowl had too much of the lemon sorcery sauce. If I go back, I’ll definitely try something different. Probably a breakfast dish.