Review: Cafe Magnolia

Hello there, good to see you again.

Cafe Magnolia 4700 Gettysburg Rd Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

(717) 901-9700

This nice BYOB, cozy little house-looking restaurant is, in my opinion, the very best place to have a business meeting, get together, or just to have a relaxing lunch. Here's why.... let's start with the entrance.

A very nice atmosphere of the outside patio; Perfect for casual lunch or business meeting.

As soon as you walk in, you will get the sensation of home: the relaxing environment, clean dining room, and a great smile from your host. All the staff at Cafe Magnolia have exceptional hospitality skills, so have no worries about getting good service here because it will be great!

My highly recommend drink here is the Magnolia Cooler. The ice tea with fruity flavor is just so perfect for the hot days and it is also free refills!

The menu design is nice and easy to read. There are so many good options here my favorite ones are...

Cranberry & Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich

The ultimate awesomeness and sensational sandwich, so unique that you have to get it here! Ciabatta bread at many places are just too tough, but Cafe Magnolia prepares them perfectly; soft and crunchy at the same time, the seasoning is perfect with provolone cheese that will boost the taste in your mouth.

The best burger you will ever find in central PA: Traditional Burger! The beef is cooked to its perfection with American Cheese and house fries.  It's so good that you will want to come back for more.

You want to know why this place is so good? The answer is simple:

Chef Brien Reynolds, the executive chef and general manager of Cafe Magnolia! ICC Graduated chef from New York, mentored by the legend chef Jacques Pépin. Chef Reynolds is the nicest person you will ever encounter. His enthusiasm and passion about good taste and service are beyond ordinary; he only delivers excellencies.

If you are looking for a great place for your lunch and exceptional service with great prices, Cafe Magnolia is highly recommend you will definitely experience something sensational from this restaurant.

Check them out on Facebook. Website.

Restaurant Review: Masala Bistro

Hello there, good to see you again!

Attention ladies and gentlemen! If you're living in Central Pennsylvania (Harrisburg area) and you've never tried the superb, authentic Indian-style cuisine, Masala Bistro, you are missing one of the few reasons to be proud of where you live. Let me tell you why.

Let start with walking inside the restaurant. Atmosphere.

As you can see, they've won many awards for "best restaurant" and you are about to know why. With the elegant decorating, soothing authentic Indian music playing in the background, and the aroma of Indian spices in the air, the first impression you will have is that it is going to be a good experience. 

We were greeted by a really nice Indian girl who sat us down on boot the left side of the restaurant as she asked us for drinks. We ordered simply water.

Now for water (drinking water).....I believe every good restaurant must filter their water. No matter how exclusive looking or how great your food tastes, if your water is not filtered, you can't call yourself a restaurant! So, the first iron rule was passed! There is nothing better than started your meal with sitting in the nice seat and have a refreshing glass of cold water (without the taste of sink and well!).

The best way to enjoy this restaurant at it's full potential is to come at their buffet time. It's cheap, tasty, and you can sample almost everything that they have on the menu. Their weekday lunch buffet is Mon-Fri 11.00 am to 3.00 pm for $8.95 and weekend Sat-Sun noon to 3.00 pm for $10.95.

Now here's the best part:

As you can see they are vegetarian friendly, and even if you are not vegetarian, their veggie dishes are pretty damn good. They have the best naan (Indian Bread) in the area, in my opinion. So soft, buttery, and goes extremely well with all the food they have to offer.  My absolute favorites are the lemon rice: the chickpeas in the rice is phenomenal! The goat curry and chicken pakoras are sensational; you will want to go back for more and more (especially the pakoras is to die for). I'm not a dessert fan, but the mango dessert is an excellent finale of this Indian cuisine adventure.

WARNING:

We have only seen one waitress in the whole restaurant, so service might not be as fast as you want, but the atmosphere, taste, and aroma is enough compensation for you to eagerly return to this place to have good time.