Magnolia Grill

The presentations were visually appealing, most of the dishes were delicious. The main dishes seemed over-salted, but the desserts--which they are famous for--were amazing. more

This place is a great place to go for any special occassion. No, the service is not the fastest but fast-food service is not what you're looking for here. An experience that you can get no where else is exactly what you get. The food is unique and delicious. I have been to many ""Nice"" restaurants where the food was beatifully presented but only half the things on the plate were edible. Here, everything tastes atleast as good as it looks. And the desserts were delicious as well. My wife and I visit once a year and each time is worth the wait. And for the price, it is reasonable compared to comparable experiences. Compared to Outback, yes it's pricey. but compared to Ruth's Chris, it's a bargain. Pros: Delicious, Unique and Original Cons: Reservations Hard more

The BEST meal we've had since leaving DC and landing in RTP. Excellent balance of flavors, textures, visual appeal, and portion size. We left very satisfied and not stuffed. Fabulous service, food, and ambience. Highly HIGHLY recommended!! more

This restaurant is all about GREAT FOOD!!! Ben Barker the chef is truly a food genius. The flavors of the foods served are simply azing. Although the restaurant is simple, it is nice. The wait staff is always attentive. If you are a FOODIE like myself, this is the restaurant we all seek. These people who complain about the wait need to go eat at their local chain restuarants and quit taking up valuable table space. Pros: Delicious, Delicious, Delicious more

This restaurant is amazing. The food is to die for and the service is perfection. The back waits are very speedy and courtious. I hope to return there soon even this saturday. Pros: Food, Atmoshpere, Not too pricy Cons: N/a, N/a, N/a more

Wonderful experience tonight....we had family in from California and were looking for a unique dinner with casual ambience. Our family were extremely impressed, the exterior of the building is very unassuming, but the food/flavors/texture....everything, just prefect. The only place I've ever been that our extended family wanted to try each others food.....it kind of brought us closer together. A wonderful experience! Will visit again! Pros: Food, Casual, Staff more

This was a huge disappointment for me and all of my family. At the prices we were charged, we were expecting great food, but it was averaage at best. The hen had a tart lemon flavor, the grouper had a strong ""fishy"" taste, etc. The appetizers were very disappointing, except the calamari appetizer, which was the only tasty item from our group of 7. The service was also very dissapointing as it was slow and snooty. They would not allow us to order our appetizers while we thought about what we wanted for our main meal, so we had to wait a long time. And then we had to wait forever to get our credit card receipt. In short, we will not return to this highly OVERRATED restaurant. Pros: calamari Cons: food, service more

Although the food was very tasty, it was absolutely not enough to bring me back to Magnolia Grill. I could not think of a better word other than 'snotty'. I have been to countless fine dining restaurants and the service my company and I received at Magnolia Grill was insulting. Not only was the waiter very impersonal, the host was horrible! One would think that spending an above average amount of money on dinner would at least warrant a 'thank you' from the staff, but instead we saw the host and the waiter run over to our table to check our bill after we had stood to exit. I WILL NEVER RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT TO ANYONE. Pros: TASTY MENU Cons: TERRIBLE SERVICE, CAFETERIA ATMOSPHERE, SIMPLE BAR ONLY more

I took my father here when he was visiting. My father is a tough customer (is in the restaurant business, doesn't mind giving you his unadorned opinion). Not only was the food and service top notch, my Dad was impressed by the complexity and execution of the items on the menu. He said, ""everyone is going away from these kind of menus because they are so time and labor intensive, for the owner to do these kind of dishes, it must be a labor of love."" Yes, there are newer and trendier restaurants out there, but for a true fine dining experience, this is the real deal. Only disappointment: no creme brulee, custard, mousse type of dessert. Pros: the food, the food, the food more

Very creative kitchen staff continues to put together interesting new combinations of flavors, that fit together extremely well. I am amazed at how well they have been able to keep this up over the years. Wait staff is attentive, but not obstrusive. Slight drawback is the high noise level. Pros: tasty new flavors, creative cook, attentive service more

Have been eating at the MG since the early 90's. The food is consistently good and sometimes excellent. However, it continues to amaze me how poorly the manager and the owner treat their regular clientel. Most excellent restaurants cultivate a loyal following and MG definately does not. Even if you eat here 2X/month (at least) they act as if they have never seen you before and that to me is rather low class. Examples that they should follow - Shane at Four Square in Durham, Scott Howell at Nana's or the Inn at Little Washington. I have eaten at the French Laundry and then made reservations at Per Se (both Thomas Keller restaurants) and when I called Per Se, they knew that I had already eaten ""with"" them (albeit on a different coast). Clearly this is done by computer but, one would think that if the same diners showed up at almost any medium rated restaurant, they would get to know you by the time you had visited there > 100X's!! It is indeed odd to experience a restaurant that is so aloof and unfriendly. Fortunately, some of the waitstaff make up for the poor performance by the manager and the chef. Come on Ben and manager - raise your expectations of yourselves! Pros: food, proximity to Duke Cons: manager and owner come across snooty more

My wife and I decided to try Magnolia Grill for our anniversary. After reading some of the other reviews, I was a bit hesitant. Reports of snotty service, uncooked food, and a rude wait staff are tough to get excited about. However, from the moment we arrived, everything was great. The staff there was very attentive without being bothersome. Them menu had so many wonderful items on it, we had a difficult time choosing. I had the duck while my wife had the ribeye. The duck was cooked perfectly and the steak was supreme. Undoubtably the best food we've tried in quite a while. The only reasons that I don't give Magnolia Grill a 10 overall is because of the setting and portion size. While my wife's steak was more than sufficient, the serving of duck I recieved was a little small. Pros: Wonder food, Fantastic desserts, friendly service Cons: cinder block building, portions can be small more

I rarely give out 10s as I think it makes people suspicous that the review is by the owner, however, this restaurant is different. I have people visit me from out of town just to eat here. This place is renowned outside of the triangle and measures up to some of the best restaurants. Food is great, innovative, flavourful and well presented. Service is always good. Wine selection is quite good. Pros: Great food, Great service, Good wine selection Cons: crowded, reservations hard more

The food was divine, the service was excellent. I wanted to lick my plate clean! Delicious! Pros: Great food, Great presentation Cons: It's not inexpensive more

We went for my wife's birthday last night. Yes the service was a little slow, but no problem - at these prices I want to savour the atmosphere and a ""dinner"" like this is supposed to be relaxed. If you want to be turned around like a fast food place stay away! Food was excellent, although as others have mentioned it was small portions and there are some ""weird"" combinations. Octopus salad for starter, rabbit, halibut and salmon for entrees were all great and tasty. The creme brulee and banana fritters didn't seem to go too well together. The waiter was very helpful though not over attentive (which can also be good!). Price was the only drawback - even with this quality it seemed a little steep for the small portions. I would still recommend it though for special occasions. Pros: food, relaxed pace, weird combinations Cons: price, weird combinations more

The food at MG is immensely creative, surprising in its range, and subtly playful in composition. I have eaten at MG more times than I can count and the only criticism I can level, is that some dishes dont measure up to the high standards set by othersan inevitable consequence of extraordinary talent. I don't usually participate in these ratings-sites, but some of the absurd negative reviews here need to be countered. Appreciate a restaurant for what it IS, not for what you think it SHOULD be. more

I've been going to Magnolia Grill since 1998 and have never once had a problem with the food, the lighting, the ambience or the service. I'm also fairly young, so in many of the nicer restaurants in the area, I am treated with less respect than other diners. I have NEVER had a problem at Magnolia Grill and am saddened to read reviews from people who have had other experiences. Nevertheless, I must say it's on my top 5 list of the state and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a delightful dining experience. Pros: Food is wonderful, Service, Great desserts! more

After reading other reviews, I was concerned about what service was going to be like. I was happily surprised by the gracious and attentive staff. The food is wonderful, if a bit pricey, and is elegantly presented. We felt like we were back at some of our favorite places in Boston, but this time we could actually park for free right by the restaurant! One con: The lighting is all wrong for an upscale dining experience. I'd suggest that they temper the florescent lighting with candles on the tables. Would improve the ambiance significantly and make the prices easier to swallow. Pros: Food, Presentation, Service Cons: Lighting, Ambitious pricing more

Creative combinations of foods with smooth, subtle flavors - never overpowering. An outstanding dining experience. Pros: Outstanding food, Attentive waitstaff, Owner usually there more

The evening of our engagement, we had a lovely dinner at the Magnolia Grill. The food was outstanding. The pan seared scallop was done just right and the sauces were fantastic. Mixed greens with sourwood vinagrette and spicy pecans made the salas especially enjoyable. Finally, the filet mignon on hash and leeks was the best filet I've had in quite some time. The service was attentive and friendly. Overall, a great experience. Pros: Good service, Filet mignon, Sauces more