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    • John B. (4/5) on Yelp
      Really decent food + nice folks + 24 hrs = four Yelp stars. Some days are better than others, but the good far outweigh the bad. I'm a big fan of all the breakfast stuff they have, and you ( Yeah!… […]
    • Samantha C. (5/5) on Yelp
      So, so good. Especially at 2 am, when everyone bands together after a good night out to celebrate their drunkeness with gingerbread chocolate chip pancakes and love migas. I always think I'll branch… […]
    • Kacie M. (5/5) on Yelp
      I had to pick ONE restaurant to stop at as we drove through Austin, and Magnolia Cafe was it. I was a little worried since their specialty is breakfast and we were were for dinner, but when we drove… […]
    • Troy H. (4/5) on Yelp
      Good food whenever you want. I have to say that as a person who knows Cajun food; they know how to make it blackened, creole, or the Acadian way. I have not found another Austin restaurant that… […]
    • Robert H. (5/5) on Yelp
      What can I say that hasn't already been said? The best food in Austin after 2am. The BBQ chicken tacos are delicious! […]
    • John B. (4/5) on Yelp
      I've been coming here on-and-off for 15 years. They have good food at a decent price. I love the breakfast tacos, the burgers are tasty and as you can read in other reviews they have an abundance of… […]
    • Robin G. (5.0/5) on Yelp
      We get to Austin about every 6 weeks or so.....we always go to Magnolia Cafe for breakfast, but this past trip went for lunch on Friday and breakfast on Saturday. YUMMO! They do everything right and… […]
    • Nancy C. (5.0/5) on Yelp.com
      Definitely a quaint place with great food and service. […]
    • Just saw The RZA at Magnolia Cafe. Also, mighty delicious blueberry pancakes. I love Austin.
      Just saw The RZA at Magnolia Cafe. Also, mighty delicious blueberry pancakes. I love Austin. […]
    • Deborah C. (5.0/5) on Yelp.com
      awesome awesome awesome. Will be back next time I am in Austin! […]

Magnolia Cafe South, Red Shirt Thursdays

Magnolia South - Cooks enjoy "Red Shirt Day"

I could spin a story about “Red Shirt Thursdays” at the Magnolia Cafe South. Suffice it to say, the cooks pictured (Adam, Regina and Randy) are NOT required to dress as triplets when they come to work. They do this on purpose and voluntarily. That says it all.

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Magnolia broadcast: Come eat your home fries

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We were happy to learn that the Magnolia Cafe was chosen as one of the 40 best restaurants to eat breakfast in the state of Texas.  “Top 40″ may sound like a big field, but Texas is a big state of course.

Here’s what Texas Monthly (Dec. 2011) had to say about us:

Is it the whimsical artwork, cheery print tablecloths, and mismatched booths?  Or the toy pterodactyl hanging from the ceiling?  Either way, the South Austin Magnolia has the hippie-dippie vibe nailed.  The coffee is better than average, and the menu is economical and good.  Order the fried-egg sandwich on sourdough–two eggs over easy, three tomato slices, ruffly leaf lettuce–or the house version of the three-egg omelet, with avocado and cheddar-jack cheese (you know you want that lemon-sour cream sauce).  And never, under any circumstances, pass up the city’s best home fries, creamy inside and perfectly crispy from the griddle.

Shoutin’ out a big Thank You to Texas Monthly.   (And to the nice Magnolia Cafe South employees who stepped up in the line of fire!)

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Magnolia South Wedding Report

Over the years, there have been a few marriages made between Magnolia employees who found each other and fell in love at work.  Russ and Kathy.  Al and Valerie.  Sue and David.  Melanie and Chris.  And now Dennis and Ella.   To celebrate the June 1st, 2011 wedding of our latest Magnolia Prince and Princess, the Magnolia South will be closed for the day for routine maintenance. (This allows our staff to go to the wedding, just like Cinderella!).

The brooms will be dancing around the cafe’s dining room while the employees play, and the restaurant will be freshened up and open again for customers at 10pm on June 1st.  Since most of the employees will not be going on the honeymoon, they can come back to work.

We apologize to our loyal customers for the inconvenience of being closed.  And we send our warmest congratulations to the newly married couple, Dennis and Ella.  They will continue to work at the cafe, so you are invited to congratulate them yourselves.

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The RCA Victor Dog Mural

restore historic sign
Remember the excitement of getting your first color TV?  We do.  So we decided to preserve a bit of history on South Congress.

If you can drive by, check it out: the “Sam Allred and RCA dog mural” is getting spiffed up. You may recognize the artist, Corn, who is doing the restoration painting.

This is from Wikipedia:

In 1953, RCA’s all electronic color-TV technology was adopted as the standard for American color TV…

To read more about RCA on Wikipedia, click here.

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Spiffed up for SXSW 2010

Every year, the Magnolia Cafes host some official and unofficial SXSW breakfasts. No RSVP or special invitation is ever required, honest.

But returning visitors to the Magnolia South (1920 South Congress Ave.) will hopefully notice the spiffing up we’ve done for the event. Though you won’t be back in the kitchen to see the completely refreshed floors and fixtures, you will most certainly notice that the dining room is now a beautiful aqua blue, and that the patio has a computer and beverage station to speed up service for you.

Just as we wiped the dust off our jeans and put the cafe back together again, we were introduced to two young men from Minneapolis, John Grider and Mike Fitzsimmons. Their business is called Broken Crow (http://www.brokencrow.com/about), and they came to Austin searching for large bare walls to paint murals on. Our niche of the neighborhood now has stalking lions, roosters, a giraffe, and birds coming out of an old Victrola.

Last, let me mention that the Magnolia Cafes have been included in the SXSW Eat Well Guide (http://maps.eatwellguide.org/maps/homepage/view/113). Between us and the other fine restaurants in Austin, there’s no need to go home hungry.

Have a great visit to SXSW 2010. Let us know if we can do anything to make it better.

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Kid Art Show July 2009

Kids draw the funniest, beautiful and intriguing things.  Here we present a selection of children’s art left at the Magnolia Cafe:  inspired and heartfelt.

crayon drawing of Sponge Bob

crayon drawing of Sponge Bob

(Click the picture to be taken to the slideshow.)

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Yummmm… at Tony and Paige.com

We’re sending out a ‘thanks’ to Tony and Paige for writing about their meal at the Magnolia Cafe South.

Tony and I had a delicious Valentine’s dinner at The Magnolia Cafe on SoCo. It was the best restaurant we have been to since we moved to Austin…

Thanks y’all! We hope to serve you many more great meals, and thanks for telling your friends about us. To read the full post, here’s the link:
Yummmm… at Tony and Paige.com

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Valentine’s Day! 2009

You’re looking very beautiful tonight. No, really. I love your hair like that. And you’re also looking for a perfect place for a romantic dinner. Well, let’s look no further than one of the Magnolia Cafes.

Magnolia Cafe, Lake Austin Blvd., is offering Heart Shaped Ravioli, Thai Chili Shrimp on coconut cilantro rice, Tilapia Florentine topped with spinach and crab meat, and Flat Iron Steak with mushroom gravy and caramelized carrots. For dessert: Chocolate Torte with Raspberry Compote or Gateau Marissa with strawberry icing. Entrees range from $10.95-$11.95.

Magnolia Cafe, South Congress, is offering Peppercorn Encrusted Filet of Beef with goat cheese tamales and asparagus, Asian-Style Halibut with baby bok choy and wasabi rice, Apricot and Lamb Tagine with ginger couscous, and Heart Shaped Ravioli. For dessert: Gateau Marissa with strawberry icing, or Chocolate Covered Strawberries. Entrees range from $12.25-$15.25.

Making memories.

At two locations.
Magnolia Cafe, 2304 Lake Austin Blvd., Austin
Magnolia Cafe South, 1920 South Congress Ave., Austin

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A great pic of Magnolia food



Originally uploaded by murphelz

A customer has posted this beautiful picture on Flickr. We just want to say – thanks! I think that it’s a Flamingo Sandwich with bacon added. It has been a popular vegetarian item (minus the bacon) for a long time. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm.

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We are not Martha: Gingerbread Pancakes

Many people ask us for the Magnolia Cafe’s recipe for Gingerbread Pancakes. We have a scaled-down version of the recipe that was once tested by Dweezil Zappa and Lisa Loeb on the Food Network. Two young women from Boston recently decided to mix up a batch for dinner, and here’s the link to their story featuring Magnolia’s original recipe. They’ve done a great job adding their own detailed photos and instructions:
We are not Martha: Gingerbread Pancakes

To Two 20-Something Bostonians: Cooking at home can be dangerous. You’ve acted bravely. Thanks for blogging about our delicious food, and we hope that you’ll come dine with us whenever you can get to Austin.

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