Magnolia Cafe South
1920 S. Congress, 445-0000Daily, 24 hours
“Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity!” “The Grand Slam Breakfast!” These dubious monikers (do you really want a “tooty” breakfast?) are given to various meals at the familiar pancake house chain with the blue roof. What they are touting are substantial, homestyle breakfasts at reasonable prices. Maybe the campaign succeeds, maybe it doesn’t; the stuff is developed in a test kitchen and sent out through corporate headquarters. But substantial breakfasts are welcomed, sometimes at 6pm and sometimes at 3am.
In Austin, we have something infinitely better for breakfast than an international chain could ever dream up at some headquarters: We have Magnolia’s. Forget canned, overly sweet fruit toppings on industrial-strength pancakes made from a mix. Try the gingerbread special: a platter-sized, fluffy cake with the pungent kick of ginger ($1.75 for one; $3.75 for three). Two eggs, hash browns, and toast more to your liking? Don’t bother with the frozen, smashed mound of shredded spuds; try on an omelette stuffed with fresh steamed spinach, red onion, bacon, and cheddar and Jack cheese with a side of genuine crusted home fries and fruit ($6.50). That does sound better, doesn’t it? This is only a tasty tip of the breakfast menu which is blessedly offered round the clock at Magnolia’s.
Magnolia’s has a menu that reaches far beyond breakfast, too, and their results are infinitely more successful. A recent dinner of spinach lasagna ($7.25), Popeye (spinach) quesadillas ($5.75), and Magnolia enchiladas ($6.50) was a straight-up winner across the board. Freshness is the key to the success of the meals here; the cooking is hearty, honest, and unpretentious. It may lack delicacy and finesse, but it is utterly satisfying.
God knows how many mountains of dark-green, sturdy, fresh spinach the kitchen goes through in a 24-hour period, but at all hours, it has appeared just wilted and far removed from that bitter taste that betrays old greens. The lasagna is a massive slab of al dente pasta loaded with fresh sliced tomatoes, beautiful spinach, and fresh mushrooms and smothered in a lovely, not-too-sweet marinara. It made for two substantial meals. The Popeye quesadilla is filled with spinach, red onion, bacon, and melted Jack cheese between two grilled flour tortillas. Sour cream and sliced avocado accompany the oozing wedges. In a bold departure, the enchiladas at Magnolia abandon the spinach for tomatoes, avocado, black olives, and cheddar and Jack instead.
The staff at Magnolia’s is the textbook definition of Austin service, which is to say: friendly, iconoclastic, and laid-back. Along with the locally produced art that graces the wall and the ceiling, it’s an integral part of the experience. And the experience is perfect for a family meal of wide-ranging tastes. On any given weekend, you can spot hordes of retirees, slackers, artists, and families with young ones all in the mix. Thanks to the doors being open 24 hours, you can find a younger, even more ravenous club crowd at 3am. And all of the patrons eventually find themselves leaning against their chair backs at the end of a meal, thoroughly satisfied with a hometown, homegrown version of a true pancake house.
This article appears in October 20 • 2000.