Sweet Magnolias Tea Bistro

212 Howard St, Auburndale
(863) 965-1684

Recent Reviews

Steve Ficalora

Absolutely phenomenal food, atmosphere and service. Can’t wait to go back and try some other dishes!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Cheesy Chicken Crunch, Soup

Emily Love

I came in today and as a server, I was extremely disappointed. Our server/the owner was extremely rude from the start. When she came over to take our orders she just stood there without saying a word to us. She brought us scones which were good, but when she dropped them off she just goes “scones”. My sister flew in from Maine to see me, her cousin, and her aunt whom she hadn’t seen in a year so we were all laughing and catching up. The owner comes to pick up plates and as she’s walking away my sister laughs at the conversation we were having before the owner even came to over. The owner then turns around and snaps at us for laughing because she seems to think we were laughing at her and that everything is about her. Happiness is not allowed at this restaurant. She also came over two separate times to ask if we had a reservation after we had already been sat. Which we did. It was like she didn’t believe us even though we saw our name on the paper when we got there. And then someone ELSE came and asked if we had a reservation. The owner clearly has some mental health issues that she needs to work out. She truly thinks the world revolves around her. She’s mean, rude, passive aggressive, and gets upset anytime someone even cracks a smile. We ended up leaving. I’m absolutely disgusted.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 1

j

terrible service, you're not allowed to laugh at this restaurant. the owner was snippy and rude with us and we were asked to leave after we already placed our order because she thinks everyone is talking about her or laughing at her when people are just trying to have conversation at their table. she thought we were making “snide comments and laughing” as she walked away. not entirely sure what she was talking about…

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 1

Steve Blume

Neat little tea room in an old house with Southern charm. After a sample of the blackberry tea, my wife and I were all in. Key lime scones showed up and were devoured quickly. Quite tasty. We both had quiche that came with a side. She chose the pineapple casserole (loved it) and I chose the chicken and dumpling soup of the day with a $3 up-charge. Although it stated that charge on the menu, our server pointed it out, which was very much appreciated. I wish I had taken a photo of that huge piece of coconut cake we ordered to share, but there was plenty to take home. This was a nice lunch treat and I highly recommend. Just remember, this is a tea room, not a chain restaurant, and the menu is perfect for what it is!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Coconut Cake

Mary Elias

Hours wrong on Google. They are aware but haven’t changed them to reflect actual hours. Wasted time driving there to be told we know Google has it wrong but we are open 11-2pm.

Frema Stanley

We had a Wonderful time ! Food Delicious ? GREAT Service ! Good Prices ! I had the Very BEST Chicken Salad that Magnolia Tearoom has EVER made - absolutely WONDERFUL!!! Probably the most delicious, best chicken salad I've had ANYWHERE !

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Coconut Cake, Broccoli Salad

Calah Beasley

This place is downright adorable. We booked a Saturday reservation. It is basically a private dining experience since they are open by reservations on Saturday’s. The food(seasonal menu)- we had the smoked Gouda and pumpkin dip as an app and it was amazing! The tomato basil bisque soup was great as well!!! Scones 10/10 buttery soft, warm, and the Devonshire cream was so darn delicious! For entrees we had Cobb salad, chicken salad on croissant, ham & cheese pinwheels, and the hay stack. Overall the entrees were lacking that wow factor- the Cobb was great, but my mother had to request extra dressing as only about one oz is provided for the picture below. It was very much a let down after everything else being SO amazing! Our server was kind, but seemed less than friendly. Not as attentive as I would have preferred for a private, reserved experience. I just felt this experience and entrees could have been better.*parking here is limited to street parking as available- not sure what they do if it isn’t available

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Pumpkin White Chocolate Scone, Devonshire

Drew

Fantastic Food and tea, with pleasant service.Only reason for -1 stars is the flooring in the bathrooms!There is seriously something wrong with the subfloor. The laminate flooring sinks down several inches when walked upon. Hopefully they renovate the restrooms soon and repair the joists and subfloor before someone falls through.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Cheesy Chicken Crunch

D Towley

Decided to splurge a bit and ordered the Afternoon Tea on this visit. While it was good, overall, I would rather order from the menu. You get several small sandwich bites that were on a croissant that was rather dry and tough. Two of the sandwiches are just lunch meat and cheese, and the others are chicken salad (from the menu). The scone was a pumpkin and white chocolate, which was heavenly on its own. Perfectly baked. The devonshire cream was not too sweet and added a nice touch. You also get two small samplings of salads (fresh broccoli salad from the menu) and a marinated vegetable salad plus a small selection of cut-up fruit. The final tier is all dessert, which was a huge slice of coconut cake and two smaller bite-sized desserts. I would recommend skipping this version and ordering your favorites from the menu or ordering the High Tea version, which requires 24-hour notice and a minimum of 2 orders.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: High Tea

Stumpies Marketing

Lunch was amazing.... Shepards Pie and homemade soup.... Great atmosphere and service.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

sandra Hudson

Very quaint. Food was delicious. Service outstanding.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Joy Houlahan

Really cute place for lunch. Waitress was really cute and very good. Presentation was wonderful.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Lynn Graham

Service, tea and lunch was excellent! The experience was wonderful. Love everything about this sweet little place.

Nataly V.

I really wanted to like this place. I am all about small businesses and put it in an old historic home and typically, I'm sold. Unfortunately, the only welcoming thing here was the front foyer which was light and airy but uncomfortably crammed with tables. This was understandable as they are trying to maximize usable space. There was no hostess when we arrived and when she finally showed up she looked frazzled. I gave her our name and she asked another person where the reservation book was and the other person said they didn't know. She dismissively informed me I could wait outside and then disappeared. Since she could not find the reservation book and didn't write my name down I wasn't really sure if I was checked in so I kind of just hung out where everyone else who was waiting was hanging out. Eventually we were all seated. They led us into the house past a dark staircase with a clearly visible landing that had all the Christmas decor just thrown up there. Lots of potential here for cute decor but just a clean area with lights on would go a long way. Our table was a small, rickety table with two small chairs with a tired looking table cloth. We were going to make the best of it until I made the mistake of looking down at the carpeted floor. It was absolutely filthy. I understand they were busy, and seemed to me very short staffed (I feel for the staff honestly) but we quickly exited without ordering after seeing that. I hope the owners see this and get the staff some help. The place has a lot of potential.

Dee Stevens

What a cool little place. Shop and eat at the same time. I loved the Chritmas tea and Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip scones. Yummy!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Quiche

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