ATMOSPHERE

Magnolia Cafe is a small, family-owned restaurant located at 1218 NE 4th Ave. When first arriving, I could barely find the entrance behind the galore of greenery, such as the beautiful bougainvillea and small pots of various flowers. Once getting past the jungle, however, I was happy to arrive at a charming restaurant resembling a house.

Making my way through the door I was instantly captivated; it felt as if we had entered a cozy home, because of how comfortable and happy we were made to feel. The room was covered in trinkets and ornaments; there were coffee mugs hanging above my head, teapots on every shelf, miniature statues of cartoon characters, and so many other fun novelties that you will have to check out for yourself.

All the tables and chairs are unique–there was not a single table that looked alike! The rooms are covered with vintage memorabilia ranging from posters to records to typewriters. Magnolia Cafe is a bit peculiar, but that just makes it an even more welcoming place to kick back.

MENU

Immediately inside the entrance a vast menu is displayed on the wall organized in categories. This cafe has a wide variety of breakfast and lunch foods including waffles, omelets, paninis, and salads as well as coffees, teas, juices, and lemonades. They even have a make your own tea station.

To start, my friend and I ordered the turkey panini, chicken panini, elderflower lemonade, and blackberry lemonade. Both paninis were amazing: cheese, basil and tomatoes pressed on mouthwatering, fresh ciabatta bread. The lemonades were unlike anything we had ever tried before; they were fizzy and not too sweet.

For dessert I asked the owner of the restaurant what he would recommend for us to try, and he suggested their house made famous pineapple upside-down cake. I have tried pineapple upside-down cake many times in my life, but never have I ever had one as good as theirs. It was a light, fluffy, cinnamon and brown sugar cake topped with sugar crusted pineapple caramelized to perfection.

Being juniors in high school, my friend and I did not go in with a huge budget so we weren’t able to try everything on the menu like we wish we could. However, we found that the prices were extremely reasonable for the amount of food we were getting, as well as the quality. The elderflower and blackberry lemonades were both only $2.50, which is a small price to pay to try this unique drink. Both paninis were only $7.00 each, which is less than the price at a mainstream restaurant for the exact same product.

CUSTOMER OPINIONS

I made sure to ask other fellow customers what they thought of the place, and their food.

The table next to us was a group of women trying the cafe for the first time, accompanied by their friend who was a regular. They ordered two nova lox bagels and a tuna salad sandwich. The newcomers said they loved their bagels and were very happy with their meals. The regular told us that she comes to this cafe every Friday for the tuna salad sandwich because it is the best in town. She suggested that we try it the next time we come.

Altogether, I had a wonderful time at Magnolia Cafe, I was quite impressed by the food and enjoyed the decorative scenery. Not to mention, it is within walking distance from the school. If you are looking for a new place to grab a coffee, or sit down to do homework, then you should definitely check out Magnolia Cafe!

Magnolia Cafe
1218 NE 4th Ave (Fort Lauderdale, 33304)
(954) 295-9694

Tues 10:30AM–5PM
Wed/Thurs/Fri 10AM–5PM
Sat/Sun 9:30 AM–5 PM
Mon Closed