The Magnolia Pancake Haus — Restaurant in San Antonio

⭐️⭐️⭐️ The food was genuinely enjoyable, and the atmosphere at this restaurant was warm and inviting. From the moment I walked in, the ambiance gave off a cozy, well-designed vibe that made me feel like this could easily become a regular go-to spot. The layout was clean, the decor tasteful, and the environment felt family-friendly and welcoming.

However, despite the positive first impressions, the customer service fell short and unfortunately impacted the overall experience. During our meal, a server who was cleaning a nearby table accidentally dropped a cup, causing water and ice to fly in our direction — soaking us in the process. While accidents do happen, what really stood out was that at first, there was no apology or acknowledgment at all. We were left sitting there wet and confused, and the moment just passed without any attempt to check on us or offer help.

Much later, the server did return and apologize, stating that she was having a bad day. And while I appreciated the honesty, it was disappointing that the apology felt like more of an afterthought — prompted more by circumstance than genuine concern. A bad day should never override the importance of hospitality, especially when the guest experience is directly affected.

Adding to the frustration, I only received a drink refill after being shut down earlier in the meal. I had to get up myself to find a straw from a different server and ask other staff members just to get basic service like refills. Our server never once returned to check on us proactively. Meanwhile, I watched other tables nearby receive attentive, cheerful service — their servers were engaged, laughing, and interacting warmly with their guests, which made our treatment feel even more isolating.

It was disappointing to feel overlooked and undervalued, especially when the environment clearly had the potential to offer a high-quality experience. Good food can only go so far if it’s not supported by consistent, attentive service.

In the end, while I can absolutely say the food and atmosphere were well above average, the poor service and lack of professionalism really took away from what could have been a five-star experience. With better staff training and more consistent attention to guests — even on tough days — this place could...

We used to love Magnolia… not anymore. We have been to Magnolia several times. Long story short, on this most recent visit, we went for my wife’s birthday and left extremely disappointed.

My wife’s father surprised everyone by showing up at the restaurant unannounced, about 10 mins after our table was seated. Our server informed us that he was allowed to sit at the table but NOT ORDER ANY FOOD since we already ordered our food. We thought that this policy was insane, and our server felt bad, so they eventually allowed him to order food, under the guise that it was actually ME ordering a second plate (so strange).

Once he sat at our table, the ENTIRE hostess and server staff turned to watch him enter and sit down. The staff then began to stare and whisper amongst one another. This made my wife and her family feel very uncomfortable and unwelcome… all because my wife’s father wanted to surprise us for her birthday brunch.

We were gracious to our server for allowing my father in law to join us for my wife’s birthday brunch, but after the meal, I asked to speak to the manager. The manager informed me that the restaurant has a policy that nobody else from the party can order food once everyone has already ordered. I explained our situation, that nobody knew my father in law was going to join us, etc, and the manager continued to explain that allowing someone to order their food late “throws off the timing in the kitchen.” I tried to explain the humanity of the situation, but the manager didn’t seem to care. He stuck to his guns that their policy is what it is. Which goes to show that Magnolia cares more about getting people in and out of the door than they care about patrons having a good experience in their restaurant.

Furthermore, the food quality has gone down in recent years while the price keeps going up and up. The long wait time just is not worth the experience any more.

All in all, the way we were treated by the staff, the food quality, the price, and the wait time made the entire birthday experience a terrible one. We will never return to Magnolia...

I tried out the Magnolia Pancake Haus this past weekend. Before driving there, I checked out their menu and the reviews. There is a nice extensive menu with lots of breakfast choices. The reviews are excellent. So we decided to give it a try. We arrived about 845 and it looked pretty crowded in the parking lot already. But when we walked in, we were seated right away. The restaurant is pretty large with people seated in different rooms. The waitress assigned to our table showed up right away and took our drink order. She was friendly and professional and provided great service. Our coffee showed up right away and with a glass of water. Then it was time to make the decision on what to order.

Under the Hash It Out section of the menu, I ordered the hash and the eggs. My friend ordered the stonewall ranch breakfast. Under the Oma’s Favorite, we ordered the Apfel Apfellkuchen (apple pancake) to split. The food arrived hot and looked great. We both dug into our breakfast and both of us thought our breakfast choices were the best. I have ordered hash from other restaurants and am usually disappointed. I was not disappointed at all with the hash here!

After we finished our meal, the apple pancake arrived. It was hot and smelled delicious. It reminded me of a funnel cake. It had stewed apples, plenty of great spices, and whipped cream on top. Our waitress brought out syrup for it, but had we used the syrup I may have gone into sugar overload. It was great without any syrup on it.

While we were there, the manager stopped by to check on us to see if we were okay. Before he walked away he said please leave a review, to which my friend replied, that I am the review queen and she knew I’d be leaving a review.

All the staff was inviting, friendly and professional. I will be returning to The Magnolia Pancake Haus for another visit! I highly...