Magnolia

**this review is based on what I’m assuming is their new location (6266 ½ Sunset Blvd. — Hollywood)
Went here with my fiancé for dinner before we went to see The Book of Mormon. We ordered the short rib grilled cheese and cobb salad. Sandwich came out with soggy bread (yuck). Cobb salad was just mediocre at best. Ordered the flour less cake for dessert. That was the best part of the meal, but I like anything chocolate. I expected it to be warm, so I was a little bit disappointed when it was served cold. Service was just ok. Sat with an empty wine glass for far too long before being asked if we wanted another.
The most irritating part if the whole experience… we walked out to get another drink two doors down where friends were finishing dinner, only to realize that restaurant didn’t have a bar to sit at. So we decided to walk back into Magnolia to grab another glass if wine to kill time. We walked right in before another couple who I over heard saying to eachother, «there’s two empty seats at the bar!» However, we walked in before them, therefore I grabbed them before they could. The host then walked up to me and apologized, proceeding to tell me that those seats were reserved for that couple. Complete lie. And that he’d be happy to seat us in the dining room. I was so appalled, that he would ask us to give up the seats at the bar after spending money for dinner earlier. I told him we’d take our business elsewhere. I would NEVER come back to this restaurant. or recommend it for that matter. Poor customer service, and the food is not worth it.

I don’t usually give out 1 star to a restaurant unless it’s just really bad but the food here is really bad.
Service is ok but not enough to even make up for how bad the food is. Maybe it’s the location because restaurants that tend to open up shop in this location don’t last longer than 3 years.
Food is really greasy, bland and overpriced. Well, I guess anything is overpriced when the food is really bad. Save your money and if you want to go to someplace that has kind of this «classy» look, there’re plenty of bars around DTLA that at least serve edible food.

I came to this place via my school’s networking mixer and reception from a big conference in the Downtown LA area. The décor and look of the restaurant is definitely on the modern and contemporary edge which I love but the space was really small. However, its location in the DTLA neighborhood was very easily accessible as well as easy to find. Parking is in the structure behind the restaurant and with validation are the 2 hours free. This is definitely great because as my friend and I left the venue, the parking cost would’ve been $ 25.
Although, I haven’t formally eaten here, I can still write my review based on my experience and the appetizers that I had. The space was relatively small for a large mixer, and it was very difficult to navigate around as you’d be constantly bombarded — they did have an outdoor patio which was very necessary as the restaurant got really stuffy and crowded. The few appetizers that I tried were the spinach dip, cheese dip, sliders, french fries, and chicken skewers. Out of the different appetizers, the sliders were definitely my favorite as they cooked it perfectly medium and it was very juicy. For the other appetizers, they weren’t that amazing.
The staff for this private event were great though, as they were constantly circulating the restaurant with appetizers and picking up after the customers. The bar tenders at the bar were great as they were very attentive and receptive to everybody and made all the drinks really fast.

Here’s the thing … I like Magnolia. I don’t dislike it. I just don’t love it.
My fiancé and I treated another couple to a birthday dinner the other night and I chose Magnolia as the venue. I actually liked the fact that (via Unilocal) it has a reputation for being a ghost town on saturday nights. There are quite a few other restaurants in the area that tend to do bigger lunch time business than dinner due to proximity to the banking district … those of you less familiar with downtown in general shouldn’t take it’s lack of a crowd as a sign of anything truly negative.
We had a lovely dinner. Three of us chose the chicken Jadori dish … it was scrumptious. The drinks were good. Our waiter was very pleasant.
That said, we never received a side dish we ordered (but thankfully was not on the bill) and when it came time for dessert we were informed that the dessert menu is being revamped and the only thing available was ice cream. Meh. We had just dropped almost $ 200 on dinner … and were kind of hoping to finish big with something sweet. It was a bit of a letdown.
It wasn’t the end of the world … we just went up the street to have a nightcap and dessert at Bottega Louie. But it would have been nice to do it all in one spot. I guess the truth is that while we had a nice time, it wasn’t particularly memorable. I am not likely to wake up in the middle of the night sweating over an intense craving for some random menu item that I tried there. I’m not likely to say to a friend, «I’m totally jonesing for some Magnolia.» It just wasn’t THAT kind of experience. But if my parents ever come to town and I’m desperate for somewhere nice and yummy to take them where they won’t complain about it being loud or obnoxious, I’d totally bring them here.

My friend had her birthday get together at Magnolia. It’s a really cute restaurant but was shocked it was completely empty on a Saturday night. I think it’s partly the location. It’s across the street from LA Live so you’d think it could be a good spot but I think it’s more of a miss seeing how empty this place was.
One good thing, they do offer free 2 hour parking in the structure behind the restaurant (off 8^th place). If the structure is closed, you can push the intercom button and they will let you in.
Everyone thought the food was pretty good but I felt uncomfortable on how rushed we were to leave. They close at 10pm on Saturday and they made it pretty known they want you out at 10pm — the workers were staring at us and it was obvious they all wanted to go home and start their evening. For a restaurant as slow as they were the last thing they should do is rush out a group of 10… word of mouth is really strong and I can’t imagine any of us suggesting Magnolia as a place to go back to.
I don’t recommend Magnolia as a venue for any special occasions, there are plenty of places in downtown LA to check out.

Why are there even bartenders when they don’t serve any drinks? The two ladies behind the bar merely walked around, SLOWLY, sending out a drink every five minutes or more. When there are forty people surrounding a bar, they need to hustle a little more than that.
It was really crowded for an event, and I was pushed by several little girls that needed a beat down. I don’t think this is my scene.

I went here for a FREE NYE party with Lena and Joe. This place is hard to find on Google Maps since for the same address you can have two different zip codes and those two locations are within a block of each other.
So Lena and I were lost for a bit while trying to find this place on my iPhone. It’s right next door to the Pantry though. We parked down at the meters since it was after 8PM and walked to this place. It’s fairly small and I think it’s busiest times are during lunch time.
Since it was NYE it was packed but we were still able to walk around easily and dance on the dance floor.
If there were another party here, I can see myself going back.

This is a review for a catered event! we had our post wedding brunch here… all of our family was staying at the Ritz and we wanted to have a Sunday brunch within walking distance, the morning after the wedding (we decided against the Ritz’s private room for a number of reasons). Our wedding planner (No Worries events) suggest that we talk to Magnolia. Getting this set up was one of the easiest events I have ever planned — one phone call, one meeting and we were good to go.
On the day of the event our guests arrived for Sunday brunch and we had the entire restaurant to ourselves. it is a really nice space… clean, airy and very relaxing. we had scrambled eggs, waffles and eggs Benedict and thankfully there was not a chaffing dish in sight. everything was fresh and tasty and all our guests remarked at what a great way this was to end our wedding.
Magnolia did a top notch job and I would not hesitate to use them again for an event such as this

I came here for a group event (around 20 people). We had a pre-​fixe menu of appetizers and small bites set up for us. It was around $ 30 a head. Granted, I was here for the group event than dining so I wasn’t expecting an «experience» per say.
But what they brought out for $ 30/​head was downright disappointing. Spinach dip, deep fried cheese balls, chicken skewers and mini beef sliders. The beef sliders were overcooked and dry as in no sauce. Who eats a slider like this? Just bread and beef? How about some condiments like ketchup or mayo? It would have been fine if the beef wasn’t cooked beyond well done.
Okay fine, I’ll try the chicken skewers. They were overcooked too! At least they had sauce on them. I grabbed a nacho with some spinach dip to help wash down the chicken. I didn’t even bother touching the cheese balls.
Oh man I need a drink asap. I headed over to the bar with some friends to get our libations on! What a mistake. It took almost 20 minutes to get our order. And the bar wasn’t that busy. The bartender kept making drinks for the tables first. I felt bad for her as I can tell she was trying to keep up. However, if a place is going to have one bartender for the night, hire someone who can multi-​task or bring in two bartenders to cover a big group!
I don’t think I’ll be coming back here anytime soon. And if I do, I’m going to get my pre-​drink on first because I don’t know when I’ll get served here.

It’s disappointing when a place I like opens up a different location and the newer location isn’t as good as the first. Magnolia in Hollywood is a mostly decent place to grab some dinner before a movie at the Arclight, but their downtown location lacks the quality service and extra attention to detail. While my meal here recently was good in terms of taste and execution of the dishes, my experience left more to be desired.
We made a 7p. m dinner reservation and walked into a completely empty restaurant. The Magnolia downtown space is lovely; modern, chic, with little organic elements like greenhouse skylights and tree-​branch inspired lamps. We took a seat in a comfy booth next to the window and ordered cocktails and salads to start. At first our waiter was attentive and friendly. The Caesar salad was not as good as I’ve had from them before (in Hollywood). The lettuces were limp and had a chemical after-​taste and overall, I did not feel it was worth the $ 10. My entrée however, was fair. I would give them 3-​stars just from the quality of my skirt steak which came with creamy mashed potatoes and sauteed mushrooms. While nothing on my plate was mind-​blowing, it was decent diner fare at a reasonable price with good portions.
The real drawback here was the service once the food arrived. After we finished our meal, it took about 20 minutes to receive our check and another 10 to have it all squared away and settled. Considering it took us only 20 minutes to eat our meal, I think that’s a pretty big deal-​breaker for me… considering by the time we were done there were only three other diners inside the place. A place with potential, but could use a bit of work.

I ordered the Skirt Steak sandwich here with a side order of sweet potato fries. I had the Skirt Steak medium rare.
This was perhaps the best skirt steak sandwich I’ve ever had.
I haven’t tried the other stuff in the menu to give a more complete estimate of the whole place, but this was truly excellent and juicy skirt steak, cooked to perfection, wonderfully flavored, blending perfectly with the grilled onions and vegetables in dressing, nestled between the crusty bread. I’m not easily impressed by steak sandwiches of any sort – this, however, was awesome. The sweet potato fries on the side were quite pleasant (as they should be).
The interior is low-​lit with dark colors and classy atmosphere. There is patio seating, looking out toward downtown LA, where the busy intersections are, several blocks away from Staples Center and such. It is right next to The Pantry, which I notice tends to get a good line going on Sunday mornings when I drive by.
The interior has a bar, it is medium sized, and a group of 4 – 6 would be a good group number to bring. Entrees range from $ 16 and up, and sandwiches, salads, and appetizers range from $ 9 and up. There is a parking garage in the back, where you can get validation for 2 hours.

This being my first review on Unilocal,I wanted to write a decent review. With Magnolia, I was very unimpressed. I usually look at Unilocal reviews first, but Groupon had a coupon for this restaurant. I figured why not spend $ 25 for $ 50 worth. NOTE: Magnolia has a weird policy on tip and tax and requires you to pay the tax even though you don’t even spend the $ 50 mark. LAME!
The restaurants’ ambiance was a definite 4 stars. There was a sun roof all around the restaurant with ample light without using any electricity during the day. The feel was very earthy, using brown hues and natural materials, such as a driftwood lamp, throughout the restaurant.
In regards to the food, I was highly disappointed… we ordered:
Cobb Salad ($ 12): I’m not sure if I was expecting too much, but using the cheapest kind of green, Iceberg lettuce, is disrespectful at such a nice restaurant. For the atmosphere and price, I expected to have a mixed green salad with watercress and arugula. The salad was overdressed and very mediocre. The chicken was overcooked and hardly seasoned and to tell you the truth, the best part was the fresh pepper. If you REALLY want a Cobb Salad, ask for the dressing on the side…
Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak ($ 20): The best part in skirt steaks are always the marinade. Magnolia’s rendition, nothing stood out to me. The side brussel sprouts were burnt to a crisp and the marinade was just a simple au jus red wine reduction. There was no complexity in the dish. The steak was tender, but the entire dish could be found sadly at a diner…
Butternut Squash Ravioli ($ 16): This dish was the best of the 3 ordered. The butternut’s sweetness in the brown butter sauce and parmigiano reggiano saltiness gave the dish a balanced taste. However, I do feel you could buy something very similar at your local Trader Joes.

Despite Unilocal’s inconsistent reviews, I actually really liked this place. We came here for dinner on a Wednesday night. There weren’t many people so the service was really good.
Their cocktails are nothing too exciting and about $ 9 a piece, which is what you’d expect at a place like this.
We started off with the Tuna Tartare, which was very fresh and came on pretty unique and delicious giant chips. Then I got the butternut squash ravioli, which was definitely the right move. The butternut squash was perfectly prepared and the re was actually enough ravioli to fill me up, rather than just 4 pieces like at a lot of other places.
For dessert we split the ice-​cream sandwich, which came on two great and sturdy cookies and was exactly the right size for two people.
Parking is in a garage in the back, on a steet called 8^th Place. It’s two hours free with validation, then $ 5 for the next hour, and $ 2.50 for every 15 minutes after that. That’s not exactly what it says on the signs, so be careful and double check.

One of the best tuna tartares I’ve had, thus so far. I can’t say that I remember much else of the food, but the memory of this tartare has stuck with me over the span of like, 2 years. Now that’s impressive.

Yay to Dine LA! My husband and I had a satisfying lunch for $ 16 each. The meal wasn’t perfect but it was well worth having.
We walked into the restaurant for a late lunch. The place was pretty empty but we liked the atmosphere. We first tried to sit outside in the back patio but there was a wafting aroma of trash that kept blowing by us so we packed up and moved inside.
For the appetizer I had Arugula Pear Salad with Gorgonzola and Candied Walnuts. Sadly, the arugula was freezer-​burned and had that translucent look. But overall the salad was good. The Gorgonzola was extra delicious as was the pear and walnuts. My husband got the Tomato and Burrata Crostini. This plate was super simple but the components made it delish. The Burrata– to die for!
I ordered the Vegetable Pappardelle for my entrée. This dish was a total snooze – BORING! The semolina pasta tasted good but they were all stuck together in a clump which made it unappetizing and hard to eat. The vegetables seemed to be playing all on their own and didn’t join together to make a comprehensive dish. Thankfully, my hubby’s Turkey Brie Sandwich was a winner! The bread was toasted perfectly with heavenly, melted Brie atop juicy slices of turkey. The apple slices and cranberry sauce help make the sandwich into a sweet and savory party in the mouth.
For dessert we ordered the Mint Chip Ice Cream Sandwich and the Warm Mixed Berry Tartlet. For some unknown reason, they didn’t have the Mascarpone Chocolate Toffee Bar. The tartlet was nice. It was sweet, but not too sweet. The shortbread box and the berries meshed well together. The Ice Cream Sandwich was a disappointment. It had a blast of minty flavor followed tragically by a subtle taste of the freezer that was embedded into the cookie.

I went to Magnolia last night for Soundlessons New Year’s Eve Bash. (If you like Classic Soul, Funk, Hip Hop, Afrobeat, Dancehall, and Soulful House like I do, then you definitely should check out Soundlessons.) Magnolia’s interior is sophisticated and classy. Very stylish.
We had dinner at Magnolia, and ordered the skirt steak. I asked for my steak to be cooked medium rare, and they cooked it PERFECTLY. It was nice and red and juicy inside, but seared on the outside — slightly crispy. The flavor was amazing! I give it a 9.5 out of 10. Pretty damn excellent.
It came with mashed potatoes that were so creamy and smooth, I think I remember saying, «damn, I wanna put my mashed potatoes in a big ass cup and drink them like a smoothie.» I give them a 10 out of 10. No joke.
My order also came with brussel sprouts, which were pretty good! They were buttery and pan seared, so they were slightly crispy. Very, very good. I’d give them an ⁹⁄₁₀ because they were soft, but seared/​crispy outside.
The person I went with ordered the Magnolia Burger with sweet potato fries — DEFINITELY a good choice! The flavorful burger was cooked perfectly inside, and the bread was nice and soft. It’s pretty hard to go wrong with sweet potato fries, and overall the portion was even bigger than the skirt steak I ordered, so I helped her finish some of her burger and fries. Sooo good.

The decoration of the place is pretty chic.
I had to go to this place coz a friend was hosting his bday party. Before I went to the place, I read the review, then decided to eat before I leave the house.
Turns out I was right. I ordered the calamari, which was tasteless. And so does the mac and cheese. It just all tasted like hospital food — tasteless and uninspired.
They had some specialty drink that night. It was some blueberry girly drink, turns out wasn’t that bad. A friend sitting across the table had a crème brûlée for dessert. He told me it was good and I trust his taste.
We were the only people in the restaurant. The bill came out to be a grand for about 25 of us. Was the food worth the price? no. But the friendship and a great time? yes.

I’m not sure how this place stays in business since I never see that many people here, but it’s not a terrible place. It just has a terrible location.
This place occupies the site of the old Zita’s restaurant (could Magnolias be the next former…).
If you come, try the Magnolia burger its good. Sweet potato fries are similar to Father’s Office quality, so if you like them then order it. The sandwiches are good.
The calamari is mediocre (that means don’t buy it). The fancy steaks are small and overpriced (that too means don’t buy it).
As far as the bar goes, it seems like a casual, more private change up to the trendy and overcrowded downtown spots like Club Elevate up the street.

Came here on a Monday night for a graduation dinner I threw for myself because I’m just that narcissistic. I made a reservation for 9 people the morning of, but it really wasn’t necessary as when I arrived the place was virtually empty. More people came in later, but my goodness was it weird to see a completely empty restaurant at peak dinner hour!
Parking is in the structure behind the restaurant on 8^th Place (NOT 8^th Street). They give you 2 hours free with validation so be sure to manage your time wisely, or else it’s $ 4 for every 10 minutes. Or there’s $ 7 no limit parking across the street, pick your poison.
I don’t remember what everyone else got, but the bf and I shared a baked mac & cheese, I got the veggie burger, and he got the skirt steak. My burger was really dry, I’d recommend going for something else instead. The skirt steak was amazing, very tender and flavorful.
Ooo also, try their Pimm’s Classic Cup. Delish.
Other than that, the service was pretty good. A little pricey, though, so that kind of deters me from racing back here again.

I heard good things about this place so I was happy to try it.
Came on a Saturday evening and the restaurant was practically empty which is not a good sign.
Ordered the Skirt steak w brussel sprouts and sweet potato fries and the steak came out lukewarm! I also asked for medium and it was definitely overcooked and tough. I didnt want to ask them to take it back but I had to-​so they «reheated» the steak but it still came back barely warm. I had to take it home and give the rest to my puppy.
Fortunately they comped the mint choc chip ice cream sandwich which the best part of the dinner.
Crazy-​if the steak would have been cooked right it would have been a satisfactory dining experience.