Magnolia & May — Restaurant in Memphis

Visited Magnolia and May on 10/01. The service was horrible. Between forget items, bringing wrong items, and 25 mins to get a drink you would think the girl was swamped but she had three tables. It’s a full bar but ordering a dirty martini created a wave of confusion that rapidly washed over the bartender. I don’t think she ever recovered from that request as the drinks took longer and longer to get for all 3 tables. I asked for a small cup of olive juice to make it dirty and received a shot glass with a 1/4 of olive juice inside. I ordered a dirty martini, what I got was a warm cup of vodka. Mimosas were $2 more because they were out of Champagne and had to use Prosecco. Why would you charge your customer more for your error? Regardless, every dish we ordered was subpar and off. French toast came with no butter or syrup or even a dusting of powered sugar. A literal dry piece of toast. We ordered French toast and the server called it French toast when she sat the plate down, but it was just toast. The bacon was room temp and looked like it was precooked. Butter and syrup were requested but never came. The pimento cheese was good but the presentation was weird. Like someone dropped a scoop or pimento cheese on the floor, stepped and slid on it, then brought it to the table. Cheese smeared onto a wooden board is off-putting. The deviled eggs were flavorless. Salt and pepper are not provided and didn’t come when requested. The shrimp and grits were extremely overpriced for what you receive and with so much gravy, you’d assume there would be bread or at least a spoon involved. More of a soup than grits. A spoon was requested but never came. We stared at our drinks sitting at the bar for so long that when they were brought, they were room temperature. We could hear the whisperings of the table next to us and they were just as disappointed in the service and food. I don’t know which was more offensive, the bad service or being charged 50¢ for a tablespoon of ranch. Our server was never mean or rude or disrespectful in any way, she was just really, really bad at her job. There are too many restaurants in the area to...

I have been to this restaurant multiple times and always had a good experience. The food is good, nothing to overly rave about, however they have excellent cocktails and a fun environment and the staff has always been amazing. I called a few weeks ago to inquire about reserving the outdoor patio for a larger party. I was told that the outdoor area was first come first serve always. Ok cool, no worries. My husband and I went there this past weekend on Sunday at 2:00pm. The lunch rush was completely over and there was literally no one inside the restaurant. There were about 5 tables with people outside and there was one table left open that we requested to sit at since it was nice out and I wanted to sit in the sun. The table that was open was a 4 top that could possibly be a 6 top of you crammed in. I was told that we couldn't sit out there because there was only 2 of us and that was reserved for larger parties. Here is my issue: #1 there was literally no one inside the restaurant, the lunch crowd was completely over #2 they don't "reserve" the patio b/c it's first come/first serve, right??. # 3 there was nothing special about that table that would sit 12 people, it was one table that looked like all the other tables out there and certainly could have been offered to a party of 2. During these times, knowing a lot of restaurants are still struggling, we do what we can to support our local places and to be turned down for that table was ridiculous. This experience makes me never want to go back. I hope they read this and take it as constructive criticism. Business is business and when you are pretty much dead at 2:00 on a Sunday, I would not think you would turn...

𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐦

We found Magnolia & May—currently transformed into Magnolia & Mistletoe for December—thanks to a blog about their Christmas pop-up bar. Honestly, we came for the holiday vibes, but wow, we stayed for the food. And let me tell you, their okonomiyaki was hands down one of the best surprises I’ve ever had.

Picture this: a savory cabbage pancake topped with a perfectly cooked sunny-side-up egg, crispy pork belly (fried to perfection), pistachios, and this tangy, house-made soy aioli that pulls it all together. The flavors? Unreal. The pork belly brings that rich, salty goodness, the soy aioli adds the perfect kick of acidity, and there’s this sneaky hint of sweetness that ties it all together. It’s balanced, bold, and completely out of this world.

Here’s the kicker—I’d never tried okonomiyaki before. Who knew a pancake-cabbage combo could taste like something straight out of a foodie’s fantasy? Add in the warm and welcoming staff, and it was the total package.

If you’re in Memphis, you have to try this. Magnolia & Mistletoe is a hidden gem that deserves to be on every foodie’s list this holiday season. Seriously,...