Magnolia Café

"In the second year of my Communication major, I panicked about graduating without any “tangible” skills and did what every college student does to make themselves feel marketable: I picked up a Business minor. That ended up being almost a complete waste of time, but I did add a few business-y phrases to my repertoire that I pull out in casual conversation to seem very smart. One of them is this: “You can’t be all things to all people.” Magnolia Cafe, however, is the restaurant that proves that saying dead wrong. It’s actually everything that everyone needs it to be—no matter if you’re 12 or 60, coming in at 8am or 8pm, craving queso or a vegetable plate. Magnolia isn’t just a place you come for drunk pancake binges (though you can always count on it for that). The menu is huge, and everything is fresh and consistently tastes exactly like you want it to. Looking for something healthy? You got it. Have a sudden need for migas at 9pm on a weeknight? Breakfast is served all day. Want a proper dinner, with an entree and sides? You can have that, or pasta, or your pick of seven burgers. We could go on, but the point here is that it’s impossible to not be “in the mood” for Magnolia—that’s basically like saying you’re not in the mood to eat. Which is obviously never the case. So whether you’re rolling up by yourself for a quick solo meal, with a big group of friends after a night out, on a casual First/Early in the game date, or desperately hungover—we’re here to remind you that there’s no situation that won’t be greatly improved by these tacos and pancakes, or migas and Mag Mud, or any other order here. We miss the original location on Lake Austin Boulevard, but the remaining South Congress outpost has proven just as reliable. I may not have many tangible skills, but I know enough to tell you that there is nothing else like Magnolia Cafe. Food Rundown Breakfast Tacos All excellent, but our move is always bacon egg and cheese, add avocado. photo credit: Magnolia Cafe Love Migas Maybe the best migas in town. Jury’s still out on why “love butter” (with fresh garlic and serrano) hasn’t replaced regular butter altogether. The Eggscape If you’re so hungry you wish you could dive into a pile of food, the Eggscape is your order: a literal mountain of potatoes and sausage, with eggs and cheese on top. photo credit: Magnolia Cafe Pancakes In the great Kerbey Lane vs. Magnolia pancake debate, we’re strongly on Team Magnolia. These are the perfect, thin-but-not-too-thin consistency, and if you don’t add chocolate chips there may be something wrong with you. photo credit: Magnolia Cafe Mag Mud It doesn’t get better than this. Queso, black beans, lots of avocado, and pico. The answer is always yes. Cheeseburger Should you come to Magnolia craving a cheeseburger, it’ll do you well. Plus, the wheat bun always helps us pretend it’s healthier than a normal cheeseburger." - Katherine Lewin