Shake Shack - Robinsons Magnolia — Local services in Quezon City

from the word itself, MAGNOLIA. This place has tons of memories from our fellow kababayans MAGNOLIA ICE CREAM PLANT. quote from fans 2009 "Early this year, I was saddened and surprised to see the Magnolia/Nestle Ice Cream House close down for good as only an empty space remains of what was once a lively landmark. Those old memories have now melted away to give way to commercial developments of Robinson’s Land (to which the land where the Ice Cream House stood was sold to by Nestle) and Vista Land. (which is developing the neighboring land where a Pepsi plant once stood) At least Robinson’s still recognizes the legacy of the place by naming their project there as the Magnolia Residences and Town Place. There was once an old building located in Aurora Boulevard, Quezon City known as Magnolia Ice Cream House. It was built by a rich corporation known as San Miguel adjacent to its ice cream plant in 1970. It was a time when the city was just developing and expanding. There were not many malls, restaurants and other places of recreation there back then as it is now, more so, a stand-alone ice cream parlor. It was a novelty. Many people loved that place and came there not only for its delectable ice cream concoctions but also for the delicious sandwiches, shakes and ice cream cakes it served. These brought a lot of "smiles and priceless memories". For decades, the place was a witness to countless family bonding, friendships and even teen romance but nothing can compare to the joyous magical feeling it imparts to children. Set amidst a colorful outdoor children’s playground and a beautiful landscape topped with Bermuda grass, palm trees and sculpted bougainvilleas , to many who just passed by especially the kids, the site, was an enchanting place. They often wondered what was like to be inside.

As the years passed, with the city’s landscapes and urban lifestyles changing, so too was the business climate... In the late 90s, faced with unfavorable condition of its Magnolia ice cream business, San Miguel sold it to its long- time partner, Nestle. The ice cream plant and the old Magnolia Ice Cream House building were however, spared. San Miguel instead, leased it to Nestle for a long- term basis.

With the change in management, the place was eventually renamed to Nestle Creamery. Many missed the old Magnolia Ice Cream House logo but still continued to patronize the place. After all, even with the name changed and the menu revamped, this was still the same old place that sheltered those priceless memories. Many who came there when it was already Nestle Creamery loved the place just the same. It still served those heavenly ice cream concoctions that satisfied many peoples’ craving. The place still continued to witness many family bonding, friendships, teen dates and still imparted that joyous magical feeling to children. Many swore that had they known that it was going to close, they would have visited the place for one last time, for old times’ sake. Many who have dreamt of going there had to accept the fact that their dreams would forever be, just dreams for the ice cream house was no more... Fortunately, Robinson has a golden heart and understood people feelings and sentiments. So in August 2012, in place of the old Magnolia Ice Cream House building, it inaugurated an upscale mall which it named Robinsons Magnolia , paying homage to the significance of that place. It will be part of Magnolia town square that will also include residential buildings called, Magnolia Residences. More importantly, there is a new Magnolia ice cream parlor inside the complex known as the , Magnolia Flavor House, for "old stories to be continuously retold and new memories to be formed. " Times have changed, the old building is gone but thanks to Robinsons and the new Magnolia Flavor House that place will continue to have a spot in the hearts of many. It was a nice...

There are only 2 malls IMHO that are deserving 5 stars so far. One is Mall of America in Minnesota. And the other is Changi Airport. Ok, I know Changi is not a mall, but the airport itself is a mall. Fly to Singapore and roam the entire airport to find out why.

That said, Robinson's mall is a beautiful mall. Good ambiance and very very pet friendly. Just chill at a spot and you can count the number of people bringing their pets to stroll. If you bring yours like the others - put diapers on them.

During levels 3 and above, this mall was basically lifeless. But it came back to life just a couple of weeks ago and the festive decorations around the mall are just so...festive.

Of all the Robinson malls I've been too, this has been my favorite. It has a better layout and a more positive vibe. There's a lot of places to dine but not much compared to other malls. And I haven't found any gluten-free dining. But for those without any diet restrictions I reckon they should suffice (McD, Kenny, JBee, Yabu, Botejyu) to name a few. I do not need to warn you about Sabroso selling spoiled Lechon as they left already (Thank goodness!).

Supermarket is a bit small but you can sometimes get fresh live tilapias from the fish section. Their beef and pork section is very limited though.

For now, the cinemas are still close and are being used for National IDs and COVID Vaccination sites. There are 2 Daiso (I don't know why), but the one on the 3rd floor is bigger and better. True Value for your hardware and other household needs. NoBrand outlet (of course) and the usual clothing and accessory stores littered about.

I mostly visit this place as this has "Healthy Option" for my ration of NZ Spinach as this mall is the nearest to my place. They have a Globe outlet here but too small and no cash-in machines so I forego them (too crowded).

There's also an alfresco dining with a huge park with a giant chessboard which you can play with a friend - it is a great work out for the brain and brawn. And you can let your rambunctious little tykes out here to burn up their energy for the day.

Overall, a good mall and not very crowded...

Our neighborhood mall. We're here at least once a week. It's small, but since it's expansion more options like high end movie cinemas and as yet to open food court, and more restaurants and stores have opened. Our one lament is the very small and limited department store.

Being dog lovers where there used to be only one pet store, our fave Bow&Wow, now there's a Pet Lovers Center too.

All in all its a great neighborhood mall, small, compact never gets crazy crowded like the other major malls as it's off the beaten path and tucked away in our neck of the woods. Plus there's a small hotel, Summit Hotel, if you need a place to stay. So if you seek a quieter mall vibe, head here.

An update: Since the pandemic people seem to have discovered our quiet mall, the crowds have increased exponentially, not SM levels, but compared to pre pandemic times, much more, where it gets really crowded specially on weekends, not only with families but even dogs, which is great for dog lovers. This is good for the mall as we've seen the opening of several good restaurants, the Bistro Group has Texas Roadhouse, Fish and Co. and Modern Shang. There's also Italianni's, and lately Manam, Las Flores and soon Breakfast at Antonio's by the garden area. Randy's Donuts opened last October to very long lines which has since diminished. Then there's Public Eatery that finally opened a few months back. The kiosks have slowly been opening with Anyhow Inihaw, 10 Ten, Bev Bar, Merry Moo being among the first to open. Lately, Samyan, Thomson Road, Morse Coffee, Le Chon and just lately, Bad Bird are also open with more to come. So Magnolia is finally a mall you can go to eat at as witnessed by the new crowd of people who come, most restos and specially the Food Court is always full.

As to shopping Uniqlo is the draw with H&M next. A lot of stores have closed since the pandemic, so there's still empty retail spaces. The newest food places to shop in is The Marketplace and specialty deli store Santi's is also here since last year.

Can't wait to see what else they have in store, pun intended, this...