Magnolia House — Restaurant in Pasadena

It's a place that offers cocktails and small plates. I love the ambiance; candles lit, music playing, dim lights, and a nice lounge area.

Drinks We got wine, the Adami, Prosecco Garbel 13, Brut, N V, Italy, - Merlot, Blanchi, Paso Robles - and the Grenache, Coto de Hayas, Garnacha Centenaria Spain 2012. I'm still acquiring the palate for wine but I liked all of them.

Food We got the Beer Queso and Chips. It has horseradish, roasted red pepper, ancho tomato salsa and cotija cheese. I never had this before, it was different but I liked it. Next is the House Burger which consists of American cheese, thick cut smoked bacon, bourbon onions, and dill pickle. The bun was soggy but everything else was good. Then we got their special, it was Shrimp and Pesto on a flatbread. The shrimp tasted fresh and it had the right amount of pesto. If you want something spicy, get the following dishes. Gus' s Fried Chicken Sandwich, it has jalapeno, sesame ginger aioli, and herb cabbage slaw. The Korean Fried Chicken Wings was sweet and spicy. It was served on a wooden board with a side of kimichi cucumbers. I liked the tangy flavor of the kimichi cucumbers. The chicken wings were crisp and flavorful. We enjoyed all the food even if some of the items we ordered was too hot for our taste bud. I love the ambiance especially the open patio area.

Notes -According to their website, they do not take table reservations but they do reserve for private or group events up to 20 people. -Inside and outside...

While I live in the neighbourhood I hadn’t been in since the pandemic and was surprised my telephone number was still in their database. I did ask if the menu had changed and I was told yes. I thought “I’m sure I’ll find something.” I ordered the tuna Crudo, which was extremely overcooked, the Wagyu that also overcooked so much so that I sent it back (you couldn’t even cut into it and they only provided a butter knife) we then ordered the Bronzino, which was delicious. I also ordered the scallops which were OK and the Gem salad which I loved. My brother ordered two drinks, both being whiskey NEET and both times being served with ice and the second I sent back as it also wasn’t properly garnished. I had two glasses of Rose’. OUR bill was close to $200 and we tipped generously. The waitress was lovely but we had minimal contact with her. Although the GM, and host apologized for the poor preparation of the food it was still a very disheartening experience in my “back yard” ONLY because Nick’s had a hour wait did I stay- while the serving team shared, they had a 40 person event taking place in the back it’s still no reason for such a horrible...

The atmosphere is nice. The seating is a bit different. We waited over a half an hour before our waiter came to the table. We had to flag down two different servers for drinks and appetizers. We had to keep asking for water and service multiple times. If I could I would leave zero stars for service. We had the crap cakes, they were okay. The waiter came to take our plates and asked us to take our dirty silverware and place it on the table. there was no plate to put it on. Server take the plate with the dirty silverware and bring new silverware. I asked my burger to be medium rare and it came back very well. Tasted like shoe leather. Should have sent it back but just couldn’t get out there fast enough. Would never recommend this place for lunch or dinner. The menu is very limited for meals. Maybe for drinks and small plates. Maybe it was an off night. We are very generous tippers leaving OVER 25 % when the service is good but felt forced to give the small % we did give. I was surprised to see the high ratings maybe it was an off night with service...