Magic Tree Pub & Eatery — Restaurant in Ohio

The Magic Tree? More like The Tragic Tree of Winged Terror.

This place used to be a cozy little spot. Now it’s a post-apocalyptic fly sanctuary with a side of sadness. The food tasted like someone challenged a raccoon to a cook-off and then served the losing dish. My wife’s meal looked like it had been plated by someone blindfolded and emotionally unavailable.

But the real entertainment? The flies. Oh, the flies. It was like they were hosting a family reunion on our table. They dive-bombed our plates like tiny kamikaze pilots, did synchronized laps around our drinks, and one even tried to land on my fork mid-bite. I think another one whispered “you gonna finish that?” before taking a stroll across my fries.

And the waitress? She watched us swatting and flinching like it was just another Tuesday. No apology, no acknowledgment, not even a raised eyebrow. If she wasn’t fazed by the insect invasion, I dread to imagine what her home looks like. If this is her baseline for cleanliness, her kitchen probably doubles as a breeding ground for pests and poor decisions. Honestly, she radiated the kind of apathy that makes you wonder if she’s seen things—fly-related things—that broke her spirit long ago.

We left 99% of the food untouched—not because we’re picky, but because we were outnumbered and emotionally defeated. I took one fry for morale and fled the scene like a war hero escaping enemy territory. My wife dove through the door like she was evading sniper fire.

Just kidding—we did pay. But we left the waitress a $10.00 tip, which felt generous considering she treated our insect battle like dinner theater. Honestly, it was less a gratuity and more a symbolic offering—like, “Here’s ten bucks for watching us suffer.”

If I were the owner, I’d shut the place down, fumigate it, and maybe call an exorcist just to be safe.

We’re never coming back. Not even if they offered us a free meal, a bottle of wine, and a heartfelt apology from the flies themselves.

Fly Yelp Review: “Great ambiance. Loved the Philly steak and Impossible Burger. Fries were awesome. Staff didn’t bother us at all. 5 stars. Would buzz again.”

Fly Influencer Post: 📸 Buzzin’ with @FlyEats “Magic Tree was lit 🔥 Fries were crispy, vibes were fly. Humans were dramatic but harmless. #FlyDining #NoHumansNoProblem #BuzzLife”

Fly Podcast Episode: 🎙️ Tabletop Takeover: How We Dominated the Magic Tree Hosted by Buzz Lightwing & Wingston McFlap “Today we break down our legendary swarm strategy, discuss the fries-to-face ratio, and interview the fly who landed on the fork mid-bite. Spoiler: he’s a hero. #FlyPod #BuzzTalk...

Humm. We are at a loss.

Normally, the staff seems prepared to handle a rush but THIS evening, not so much tonight.

Both seated by an attentive and personable guy with a beard who informed us our server, Emily I believe, would be right with us. So we wait. And we wait. And wait some more until the gentleman that seated us stops by, tells us our server is very busy and he proceeds to start with drinks. Thanks for noticing. And I have to admit, given a large private party in the other room, you could see that some of the servers and staff really trying to hustle, although 7 tables are not filled. That being said, not ONCE does our so called server ever acknowledge us, let alone say HI or so sorry were so busy.

Eventually Carson (just got his name), the gentleman that sat us, came back after bringing our drinks and proceeded to take our order. We both ordered the Magical Meatloaf dinner with mashed potatoes, which is pictured. So now we wait. Still no Emily anywhere, not even a hello but Carson went outta his way to ensure we were dealt with in a timely manner and not once did he seemed stressed about it. I have to assume he is the host, given the multiple hats we clearly see him wearing.

Meal arrives and albeit has been obviously micro'd, it was a tasty but not without its share of hot and cold spots throughout. That's to bad but not a total meal killer. Were both satisfied if not a bit disappointed but the gleaming light was Carson who handled everything g graciously and professionally. We want to be SURE he gets the tip since he did all the work.

I really want to give them 4 starts but the lingering idea that our server never once even acknowledged us is a tough pill to swallow, busy or not. Carson just explained she's new, blah blah but THAT'S no reason NOT to say hello.

If Carson is our server next trip and the foods not so rushed (I understand why), we'll definitely be back! He solely saved this trip but we still can't honestly em a 4...

I absolutely loved this place. I always look over a restaurant's menu before showing up, so I looked at this one online and thought, "Oh man, we have to go here because everything sounds delicious." So we show up, all staff were masked (thank you!), we were seated quickly at 8:30 on a Friday night, and our server (gosh I wish I could remember his name but I'm so awful with names) was wonderful. It's extremely rare for me to be completely torn between so many dishes on a menu, so when our server came to take our order, I literally just winged it. Got the Magic Mushroom Melt sandwich with a side of the cheesy tomato grits. HOT. GOT. DANG. Melt-in-your-mouth (literally) beef, the sweetest most delicious caramelized onions I've ever tasted, and lots of melty cheese. Had to ask for extra horseradish sauce on the side because that sauce was also amazing. My husband got the chicken tenders with Cadillac sauce. THAT CADILLAC SAUCE!! That sauce was so dang good, we couldn't stop talking about it after we left. 😂 Get literally anything on the menu that includes the Cadillac sauce if you're a buffalo sauce fan. Overall, excellent service, excellent atmosphere, extremely excellent food, great prices, perfect portions, it was fabulous. If I had to complain about anything at all, the bathroom was hot, like no A/C. Lmao literally the only thing I could fault about this restaurant. We only make the 12+ hour drive to OH about once every 5 years, but we WILL be coming back to this restaurant each time we come back up here. I'm gonna be dreaming about that food for a...