Magnolia Cafe

I was coming here for about 2 years for the wonderful dining experience that I enjoyed. I must say, their beef tendeloin & pulled pork was out of this world. The way the combination of flavors came together in every dish was out of this world! Thought I had found the diamond in the rye of Uptown.

However... a month ago I came in expecting for the same consistent dining experience, but boy was i majorly disappointed. The food was awful. The mussels were not fresh and the tomato-y sauce they used tasted like it came directly out of the can. The crab cakes were still not completely thawed when it was put on the fryer, so it was burnt on the outside and had a freezer burnt taste on the inside. The sauce used in the pulled pork was extremely salty. All in all the flavors just didn't blend well together at all.

Magnolia, I don't know where you went wrong. Did you change your chef, perhaps? I wanted to voice my thoughts but at no point did the server ever came over to check on us after the entrees were brought out by another staff. Were they cutting cost with the ingredients due to all the promos they were running to stay in business?... I wanted to be proud of having such a wonderful restaurant in my neighborhood. A place to showcase what's good in the 'hood. An upscale dining experience to bring friends and family to... but I regret that it will no longer be the case, for what it's worth.

Magnolia Cafe is wonderful. I cannot say enough great things about this restaurant. The wait staff is always incredibly friendly and helpful. The food is absolutely phenominal. The full bar is also great and they have a nice selection of cocktails/wine. It's a cozy/romantice atmosphere but also is great for a lunch date with a friend. Try it! You won't be disappointed.

The service here was so rude, we nearly left even though the food was fantastic. Our waiter rolled his eyes, took years to take our drink order, then years to bring them. In between, he flirted with some girls at the bar. There were two other waiters and we watched them treat other patrons the same.

The food was phenomenal so I hesitated to blacklist this place. I told a  friend ab my experience, and he decided to try it, based on the food rec alone. As he walked in, he noticed the place was empty and asked if they were open. The response: "Does it look like we're open?"

This is Chicago, there are hundreds of places with great food and decent service. This is not one of them.

(My experience was a Sunday brunch. My friend went in early on a weekday).