Yellow Magnolia Café Reviews

One last restaurant week fling brought us to the Yellow Magnolia Cafe today. It is located within the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, next to their Conservatory. We discovered that their restaurant week offerings were an ideal preface to a tour of the Conservatory and it's myriad collection of plants from different biomes. Cream of cauliflower soup was my choice for a starter. It proved zestful, spiced with pepper and rosemary, the sort of delight I would love to create at home if my reverse engineering skills could serve me well. Cauliflower isn't know for its strong flavor but it provides a great platform for absorbing them. The chef knows her soups and how best to use cauliflower to better a cold day out. Chick peas are the usual prime ingredient in falafel, at least here in New York. Our chef surprised us by relying on fava beans as the base. Here I draw a blank in trying to guess the flavoring ingredients, possibly cardamon, a hint of cumin, maybe. Whatever its recipe, it proved delightfully different. One of the great things about cooking, that is akin to music, is its ability to offer interpretations that differ from the original, and can often yield equal or better results. You just need someone with the spirit of adventure, willing to try the changes. Enter the fava, exit the chick. The falafel balls were served with hot sauce (again different from the usual humus paste) and leafy greens on a grilled pita round, also deliciously spiced, and topped with a parmesan crisp. Dessert? I chose a coconut pudding to end my meal, a thin delicately flavored coconut yogurt laced with chia seeds and decorated with toasted coconut shreds and persimmon chunks. The house Chardonnay proved a balanced accompaniment for my meal from start to finish. Add to all this an attentive and cheerful server who knows what's going on in the kitchen and is willing to answer queries from curious wanna-be cooks, and you have a truly enjoyable experience that goes far beyond just eating out. And, again, timed right, you follow dessert with a guided tour of the Conservatory to enhance your knowledge while burning a few calories. The Yellow Magnolia Café at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens; do it.

The food was overall very good (Matzoh balls were a touch dense for Brooklyn, but the broth was spectacular), and the location is lovely. The restaurant is very new though, and it seems they are still developing their staff...they are clearly trying and working, so it is just a little thing that will work through time. The bones of it all are good, and this is a good place going in the right direction. The one frustrating thing was that we had made a reservation on Open Table and arrived (albeit slightly late). They flagged me in Open Table as a no-show, which was wrong. That is fixable, but Open Table has a harsh (for good reason) no-show policy, and that was an annoying email to get after getting home. Would have rated 4 bubbles for Very Good otherwise.

We were delighted to have a light meal at the Cafe during our visit at the BBG. We were able to be seated at some iron lawn furniture that was well spaced btw tables due to C19. There were quite a number of these tables available for visitors use. The cafe due to C19 is located outside of the original restaurant seen in the Title of the Review which is closed now. It is being served outside in a Trailer well maintained and clean by the staff preparing the food. Attached is the Menu posted at the beginning of the line heading to order your food. C19 distancing is maintained towards the order desk. All the items are made to order and fresh. BBG Members get a discount at the cashier off the food. Our selections were very good and satisfying. We would return without a doubt to pick up something the next time. Give it a try

This is NOT a fast grab a sandwich meal place. They are available in the Brooklyn Botanical gardens, but NOT here. Dine and enjoy your meal with a view of the botanical gardens outside. There are weekend specials and brunch specials Food is very tasty and well presented. All prices are moderate. Wait staff is friendly, helpful, and NOT intrusive. Be sure that when food is delivered, it contains what YOU ordered. My order was to contain sausage and then choice of bacon or avocado. The kitchen forgot the sausage! They brought it to me asap. The wine list is reasonable but not inexpensive. The Bloody Mary was perfectly prepared and for me, the correct spiciness. We were NEVER rushed out the door as we chatted with our companions for a while. All the food ordered was perefctly prepared and presented

When we arrived for lunch the place was full. The hostess took our cell number and said she would call in about 20 minutes. We headed to one of the displays to continue our tour. We were called and headed right over. By the time we arrived there was an even longer line waiting for service. The lobby was crowded and the restaurant was full. We ordered water and iced tea. I asked for unsweetened tea. It took an unusually long time for our drinks to come to the table. When they did we were able to order our food. We started with a biscuit box for two. I ordered the Ancient Grain Bowl salad and my table mate ordered the Ruben Sandwich. As we watched we noticed people all around us were waiting for food to arrive. We did get a couple water refills in the meantime. My tea, as it turned out, was peach flavored; at least I think it was peach. The table next to us had a biscuit box and their's arrived. Ours came out shortly afterwards. I ordered the biscuits to have with my salad. My tablemate ate his biscuit. It was served with a house made jam and salted molasses butter; both were good. The jam had a floral flavor; maybe rose. We waited. I decided I would eat my biscuit. The table next to us ate their biscuits and didn't leave. It turned out they also had more food on order. The lobby continued to fill and people waiting spilled into the dining room. The wait was becoming unusually long and uncomfortable. Everyone near us was looking around and wondering when the food would arrive. My table mate finally got the attention of our waitress, who I'm sure was trying to avoid us for fear of being yelled at. We asked about the food. She said she would check on it. We didn't yell! By now I knew for sure something was wrong in the kitchen. A, maybe manager, came to the table and said our food would be right out. There is no way we should have waited so long for our food. I do think this was unusual but I really don't know. And I was suprised the staff didn't explain what was going on and that an unusual wait was to be expected. Our food finally came with a slight apology. It was beautiful and tasted really good. I was happy with the food but the wait was too long. It may have been a fluke. The people waiting for tables had a longer than usual wait, we used our time at a table instead of enjoying the garden and no explanation was given.. On another note, they only had two unisex bathrooms. There was a line for the bathroom too. Apparently they underestimated their success when they built the place. I will probably try them again if I am there but I'll be wary. I'm still giving this spot a four dot rating. It was beautiful and the food was unique and fresh.

We enjoyed eating in Yellow Magnolia Cafe each time we visit the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens instead of the outside Canteen. We enjoy the interesting menu with its very inventive dishes on the menu. We always know we will receive very good service by a very dedicated staff who will answer any questions about the food and menu selections. We had today the following dishes: mushroom pie with époisses (v), hot fried chicken sandwich, and chocolate budino tart and Hot Beverage (Earl Grey) Tea. Of course, a Brooklyn Lager Beer accompanied my Fried Chicken Sandwich. Each of the entrees were very good and very well enjoyed. And the Chocolate Budino was very good as a treat to top off the meal. Also always, we will return next time for another meal on our visit. Why not try treat the Cafe on your visit.

What a pleasant surprise to find such an innovative and tasteful spot for lunch in the middle of the beautiful Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. With real napkins and silverware, we found the Yellow Magnolia Café to be a restful, relaxing place to refuel for another couple of hours of exploration in the gardens. I thoroughly enjoyed my Hake fish tacos with homemade tortillas and my friend loved her Grain Bowl. I'm looking forward to a return visit in the near future.

A cafe with a gorgeous view, Yellow Magnolia is hard to beat on a nice day! On the Washington Avenue side of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. You can get an entire meal or just a coffee and enjoy a lovely restaurant setting inside the garden. Highly recommend!

You may not be likely to make a special trip to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens just to eat here, but you should. It is a fantastic restaurant. My wife eats here regularly but this was my first trip to the restaurant (we went along with my daughter). Every time I’ve come to the gardens this place has been packed but we decided to put our name in and walk the gardens some more while waiting for a table on this trip. Well worth it! Every table has a lovely view out onto the gardens. The staff are warm and friendly. The food is interesting and delicious. We shared the polenta fries (which it seemed every table also ordered), bibimbap, biscuits, and French toast. Everything was fantastic and not a crumb was left. On top of all that we got to walk it off in the beautiful Gardens. Highly recommend this place, just make sure you reserve in advance.

Like a reviewer before me, my last experience at Yellow Magnolia was what you'd call a Mixed Bag. NYC has three botanic gardens, each with its own special charms. The one in Brooklyn is at its most glorious during Sakura Matsuri, the brief cherry blossom season in the Spring, and I am trying to make a tradition of celebrating it with a meal at Yellow Magnolia. Last year's luncheon was epic (I especially loved the bread basket), but this year's fell flat. The venue, a sunny converted greenhouse, definitely has casual charm. We lucked out with the best seat in the house, a bright yellow semi-circular banquette where we both could gawk at the tulips outside. Sadly, our meal did not live up to this promising start, or the happy memories I had of the previous year. Our shared mezze platter ($14) - attractively served in a wooden box -- was astonishingly mingy, although the grilled bread it contained was delicious. My steak taco entree -- three tiny blue rounds with a few morsels of meat and veggies - was so conspicuously fatty that I sent it back to the kitchen. When the chef sent word that all the meat came from the same cut and a better re-do was not possible, I settled for an $18 hamburger that was, well, edible, in the hopes that it would arrive in time for me to dine with my companion, who was already enjoying her spaetzle ($22). She did give the spaetzle high marks. (The manager was gracious and polite about my request. The burger arrived quickly. It just wasn't anything special.) We shared a Sweet Pea Budino for dessert ($11), as well as a portion of ice cream ($9). (The two flavors we tried, beet and rhubarb rose, were rather nice). My overall impression: the small cafe menu is very creative in conception, but spotty in delivery. We spent $75 (before tip) for a burger and pasta salad meal in a nice setting. The prices seem almost larcenous for what you get, and if I do return (which I probably will) I will order very carefully. How much of a premium is worth paying for a good seat with a charming view? This dining experience pressed the limits. How I wish it had lived up to its first impression, but I owe it to TripAdvisor readers to deliver an honest review.

The Yellow Magnolia Cafe recently opened at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. It was built in a former greenhouse and is just lovely with big windows overlooking the central walkway. The food was delicious. I had the Yellow Magnolia fried chicken with habanero honey and wild rice...a definite delight. My friend had the cheeseburger and said it was very good. We both had a chocolate caramel tart with sea salt that was out of this world. Make sure to make a reservation or you will be waiting quite a while.

We went for a restaurant week lunch following our Tai Chi class at the garden. We arrived early for our reservation but were quickly seated, as the restaurant wasn't crowded. It's in a converted greenhouse which means lots of light, overlooking the lily pools, and beyond the gardens. Our table was very comfortable, but the cushions were dirty. One of the staff tried to clean it off once it was pointed out. I had the mustard greens salad which was perfectly dressed, followed by the hake tacos. Portions were very plentiful. My husband had the roasted broccoli appetizer, followed by the white meat fried chicken. It was accompanied by a honey hot sauce, cleverly presented in an eye dropper bottle. We also ordered the biscuits which came with molasses butter and an apple compote; delicious! All of the food was really great. Service was friendly, but at times needed to be reminded to pour more water. Our entrees arrived before we finished our appetizers, but were readily held until we were ready. Our leftovers were put in compostable containers; a wonderful idea that we wish more restaurants would do. A good place when visiting the BBG.

Mediocre experience with lots if room for improvement especially since it has b en opened since April, approx 2 months when we visited. We ate here on a Saturday restaurant was not busy with multiple tables empty but was told to expect 20-25 min wait. Wait ended up to be 5 mins. Sat down was given menus. No waiter or water for over 10 mins. Suddenly our waiter arrives to fill 2 of the four glasses of our water, said would return shortly, never returned to fill our glasses 5 min later another waiter walked by with a water pitcher and we flagged him down. 10 more min later he returns to take our order, so from the kids menu:2 children hotdogs, 1 order of children fruit salad with came with drinks and dessert. Adults shared a salad and entree. Hotdog was just hotdog, no chips, fries or any side with buns that were burned. The child's fruit salad was:6 small red grapes two pieces (the size of a quarter and not slices) of cantaloupe and 3 thin slices of oranges in a glass container; this was a rip-off, my kids snack held more fruit that this entree. Don't order it!!! Kids eat and finishes, adults still waiting for their meals and drinks. At one point a hostess comes over to clear the children's plates and asks if we want our check!?!! We were baffled informing her that we haven't even started, no drinks , no salad/entree. 10 more mins later the salad and entree arrives together, drinks arrive afterwards. Beet salad was fresh and delicious. Pastrami sandwich came with undressed mustard greens. Sandwich was good but it was weird eating the dry greens. Atmosphere was light and refreshing. Service needs improvement. Certain sections of the food could be improved as well. Only reason to return here is to eat indoors with the air-conditioning on a hot summer day or with the heat during a cold winter.

We stopped in for lunch without a reservation, but the hostess quickly set up a table for us. We all decided on the scrambled eggs, which were so creamy and delicious (and with dabs of hot sauce, even better). But we of course started off with the biscuits, which were simply fabulous. The pace of dining isn't the quickest, but the servers are attentive and helpful.

Finally, a fine dining restaurant inside the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Healthy menu. Delicious. Members gets 10% discount. The Pea dessert sounds weird, but tasted fantastic.

This was our second visit to Yellow Magnolia and it was as wonderful as the first one. Finally, after being a loyal BBG patron for 20+ years, there a very nice reasonably priced cafe to recharge at and enjoy delicious food, friendly service, and cozy sun-filled ambiance. The restaurant offers a great menu with a generous selection of delicious gluten-free and vegetarian dishes. Yellow Magnolia Cafe is yet another wonderful reason to visit Brooklyn Botanical Garden and, if you find yourself at the garden, make sure to stop by and enjoy good food!

We went to this restaurant on weekdays in October. The service is nice but the food is not at all at the price. My son took the Italian sandwich, he was so hungry I thought he was going to eat the table. We paid 75€ and we were all hungry after our dishes. Avoid this "canteen, bring your cookies and enjoy the garden;-)

Stopped in for a late lunch on a Sunday afternoon. The fig and apple salad, with chicken, was somehow refreshing and hearty at the same time. Dressed with fig vinaigrette, it was perfect. The pear crumble was the dessert choice, and that was moist and flavorful. The wait staff was charming and friendly, but forgot to mention that the unsweetened iced tea was flavored (turned out to be delicous) and presented the bill before asking if dessert was desired. Service was unhurried (a good thing), so plan your schedule so that you can rest your feet and enjoy a lovely meal after you've toured the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

We went for a walk in the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens (one of our favorite things to do) and stopped for a bite to eat in their cafe. Not much for atmosphere (which is weird because the gardens are all atmosphere), but the food is good. We shared roasted bets and veggie bean tacos.

The celery root milanese was one of the best plates of food I've had in a long time. Can't wait to go back.

BBG offered a special dinner at the Yellow Magnolia for Valentine's Day, and it's a good choice for that kind of mildly romantic celebration. The space is stylish and pleasant, and there's enough room between tables to have a private conversation. The food was attractively presented and tasty, if not very memorable. The restaurant has a relaxing view toward the lily ponds. They had put some remarkable bonsai trees into a nearby heated gallery which diners could stroll through before or after eating. The only unpleasant surprise was that for these evening Special Event meals you must enter by the Washington Avenue entrance. The main entrance near the gift shop is locked. This event also didn't allow you to use members' tickets for the parking lot that the garden shares with the Brooklyn Museum. So plan to pay a fee or park on the street, and also plan to walk several blocks along the city streets to get to the restaurant. The neighborhood is reasonably safe, but of course not as attractive as a stroll through the Garden itself. That aside, it was an enjoyable evening! It's a nice and slightly out-of-the-ordinary place to celebrate a holiday.

It was so nice to walk through the gardens to reach Yellow Magnolia Cafe, and there is a beautiful view from inside. Very good service and ambiance. I had the polenta fries, chard stew with an egg, frittata, and the biscuits with molasses and jam. The stew had a weird balance of flavors, and I did not enjoy the polenta fries or frittata. The biscuits were wonderful and so was the molasses jam. Still a great experience.

Although the restaurant is modestly decorated, the fact that it is inside Brooklyn Botanical Garden, makes this spot a very valid option for brunch or lunch. Their menu is well focused with nice vegetarian options as well as "normal" food as chicken, salmon or beef.

Granted it was the first day of spring at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, and the place was packed. The manicured grounds were spectacular, as the first fresh Blooms of the season peppered the landscape with glorious colors and enchanting fragrances. The café, located with in the Gardens, is counter service with outdoor seating. There are enough selections to satisfy a wide variety of tastes, and as you are a captive audience, they take advantage of your need to eat to command higher than necessary prices. My first disappointment laid in the fact that while there is outdoor seating, the cafe sits walled in the courtyard of a large building with the spectacular gardens completely surrounding it but on the other side of the wall, completely out of view— poor planning in my opinion. On a busy day, there is clearly not enough seating so jockeying for a seat becomes a competitive sport. The food itself was just OK, keeping in mind we were more tolerant because it was a “quick serve“ setting. Although the lines to order food were tremendous, when the ordering took place we got our food almost immediately. I personally tried the chicken empanadas, a unique choice amongst the sandwiches and hot dog, but found it more pastry shell, potato, and fillers versus chicken— not a lot of seasoning/spice so not a lot of taste. The kids seemed to enjoy their chicken strips and Hebrew national hot dogs but enough said there— The $12-$13 price tag for said offerings did not include sides, and obviously enjoy a wide profit margin. Up side, the place is kept pretty clean for the traffic volume and we really appreciated being able to sit after a long and luxurious walk

Nice tasty food at this cafe . Ask for the adult Mac and cheese, it’s not on the menu , but give the polenta fries a miss. The cauliflower soup is delicious but it doesn’t come with bread which we found d a bit odd. Busy with families and couples and a welcome find in the gardens with not much else nearby.

Good variety of snacks available and lovely lemonade! Good outdoor seating available too. Nice spot to stop for a quick bite before going on around the gardens

Varied menu, interesting dishes, hearty portions, great coffee. Pretty close to perfect. They accommodated families of all sizes with children of all ages. Service was fabulous. Can’t wait to go back!

I was exploring the beautiful Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and decided to grab lunch at Yellow Magnolia cafe located inside the gardens. I’d just sat down and ordered when low and behold I saw Michelle Williams walk past me and sit down for lunch with a friend. It was my first and only celebrity spotting during my NYC stay and it was fantastic. No one made a fuss, she was just a normal lady having a normal lunch catch up. I found the lunch menu somewhat limited but was of a high standard with some very unique choices. I ordered the house-made blue corn tortillas with ninja radish, cabbage, avocado crema, and cilantro which were very tasty. The cafe is bright and minimalist in design with yellow and white colours and has a long open glass wall looking out to the gardens. A nice, trendy cafe in a beautiful garden setting.

Another reason to visit the park. The Reuben was perfect and a cream of asparagus soup matched it. Service promote and pleasant and it too matched prices.

Yellow Magnolia Cafe Brooklyn Don't believe what TripAdvisor and Yelp say...this place is now open. We were at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and stopped by for lunch in the dining room. They had clearly just reopened, so a lot of the staff appeared to be learning on the job, but the food was surprisingly good. The room itself lacks a little charm, but it was a pleasant surprise to find this spot right in the middle of the garden. There is also a place outside, the Yellow Magnolia Canteen where you can order and pick up food and sit at outside tables. I don't know what the menu is there, but inside there is a quite nice menu with about 8 "small plates" and 8 "large plates." I had a salade niciose and my wife had a seasonal tartine. Both were quite good.

We were visiting the Brooklyn Museum and Botanical Garden on a hot day. We had had a generous breakfast at our hotel and had a wedding to go to in the evening, so really just wanted something to tide us over. The soup of the day was a cold white cucumber gazpacho that was very nice. With a pool of jalapeño in the middle, the heat of the pepper played off well against the cool cucumber. We shared a serving of nicely prepared and attractively presented fish taco that made a surprisingly satisfying lunch. Our server was spot on in his recommendations.

Yep! That says it all. Homemade soup as thick as it gets. Delicious. Problem is you have to pay to go into the gardens to enjoy the soup which is as good as anything you might make at home. Ours was Chilli turkey. Other dishes passing our noses looked good. Sort of place hat exceeds expectations despite being rather ordinary to look at and sit in. Be surprised and give it a whirl. Some hot bread might have made it five stars.

Surprising to have many options for vegetarian. The beet/kale salad with pistachios and vinaigrette was delicious. The downside was no bread was supplied with salad and I wasn't asked if I wanted to add. Great seating area outside.

........not really. You have to understand everything together. Saturday morning, you can get into this world class botanic garden for free. Other times are free, too. The hundred-stem bouquet of 5-foot-long specimens of perfect gladiolas, sitting on the hostess desk, was befitting a display at the entrance to the Philadelphia Flower Show. We came for brunch at 11 AM. Definitely modern, fresh, creative cuisine, focused towards non-allergic, vegetarian, grains and 'crunchy', but they also make a fabulous 5 star burger on a perfect sesame seed bun (that did not fall apart), served with purple potato chips. A simple beautiful physical interior space, under glass, overlooking a beautiful million-dollar outdoor manicured environment. Offerings were a couple dollars more than you might want or expect to pay, but maybe not! All four of us, highly scrutinizing diners, were satisfied......I'd venture to say, even, more than satisfied.

The Reuben was excellent, but the spaetzle was disappointing. It looked attractive but had only a couple fiddleheads and one ramp.

Lunch was just ok. Wait staff needs more training. Atmosphere is nice but could be amazing if the right person came in to design something fabulous. If you guys are reading this...think "Terrain Cafe" in PA. Has alot of potential but needs some work. Would not visit again.

There are two restaurants in the garden, the full-service (indoor) Café and the casual, more economical (outdoor) Canteen. Both menus looked good but we choose the Canteen for a quick bite. Amazing! The Corn Chowder was likely the best bowl soup I've ever had; a creamy tomato bisque with a hint of smoke and lots of fresh corn niblets. So delicious. Hubby and I also shared a Chicken Salad Sandwich, another great choice.