Magnolia Grill

It was my last evening in Fort Walton Beach and I treated my friend to her favourite restaurant. Well it was her favourite, not so much now.
This restaurant is lovely with a roaring fire and nice atmosphere. We asked for a table for two and passed a few tables in the main part of the restaurant set for two. We were escorted to a table set for four in the «added on» area at the side where a party of six ladies were dining. I got the distinct feeling that the main part was for couples. I may be wrong but it is how I felt.
It is quite formal with a nice tablecloth and napkins but was spoilt somewhat by paper place settings.
We both ordered filet mignon with salad and garlic bread. It came with a peppercorn and mushroom sauce. I am not keen on peppercorns and asked for mushroom only. Not possible I was told. I then asked for a simple gravy. Also not possible. Not what I expect from a restaurant of that calibre. My steak was perfect, a lovely piece of beef and done as I like it, medium rare.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said of my friend’s. There were three pieces of steak, one very small piece on top of a larger piece of steak and another small bit under that. The very small piece maybe, a 1 or 2 ounce, was filet, lovely to eat and very thick. The larger piece was ribeye and the third piece could have been New York Strip but was definitely NOT filet.
The waitress said that this is the way it is comes, in three pieces! I could not believe what I heard and when she insisted that I had been served the same, I had to use what my friend calls my «firm Scottish» voice. These steaks were charged at $ 34 each and when I order and pay for filet, that is what I expect. We should have sent it back but as it was my treat, my friend did not want to cause any upset.
The saddest part was, as we were leaving, we smiled at the owners and said good night. I said «it is very cold out preparing me for going home as it is my last evening». The owner mocked playing a violin which I did not appreciate. If that is what he thinks of his customers, what can I say.
Not exactly the pleasant evening that we had envisioned.
A word of advice. Check your steak and make sure you do not have it in bits. If you do the Filet Mignon is the little tiny piece on top!

We have been there for dinner twice in last 8 weeks. Both times food has been wonderful — we love the sautéed crab claws appetizer! This is fast becoming one of our favorite places to eat out for a nice meal since moving to the area 6 months ago. Service has been great both times also. For good food, service and a place that supports the community –you will not be disappointed!

Bought lunch for my sales people today, had to do take out because we were busy. Food always wonderful at Magnolia Grill, take out is SO hard to keep quality up. Every one of them raved about how good it was. Thank you to the Rice’s for such good food in FWB. VERY PRO Military family that give so much back to the community. Thanks again!

Huge portion, great service and these folks are great American patriots as well. You must also visit their history upstair. Lots a interesting military memorabilia.

Very cute and quaint restaurant. Lots of fun memorabilia. I want to go back and peruse the entire restaurant. Service was excellent. Prompt, attentive, and friendly. The food was good, but I will have to go back again and order more dishes to give a better evaluation. I went for lunch and ordered the Tomato Stuffed with Seafood Salad. It was very good. It had great flavor (not sweet and spiced well, and lots of good texture, good crunchieness). The side of potato salad was fabulous, but I I thought it was a bit of mayo-​overload having the seafood salad and potato salad together. Although, I hate to complain, as they were both so good.
Because of the location I was concerned about parking, but later realized they have a large lot to the right of the restaurant and a small lot to the left. There is also some street parking right in front, if you luck out.

A great relaxing dinner for four! Nice inside atmosphere… will plan to go when the rain lets up for a while to sit outside.
Casual yet quality food and preparation. We had seafood and steak and no complaints. Even had enough to take home which was superbly wrapped for us. Two Styrofoam boxes that were wrapped together in plastic wrap to ensurea safe trip home!
Prices are moderate but far lower than the quality and quantity presented.
Must return!
Warning. There is one whole pepper in each cup of black bean soup. If you do not like spicy, have them leave it out or take it out yourself. DO NOT CHEW IT IF YOU DO NOT LIKE SPICY. The soup was delicious!

Where do I even begin? I think I have finally found the true best kept secret of Fort Walton Beach and its Magnolia Grill. I have been wanting to come here for the longest time but for whatever reason I had not, until today.
Let me just start with the atmosphere of this restaurant. I walked through the door and felt like I stepped back in time. Quaint and cozy. while the dining room was actually quite large, tons of photos on the walls from places all over Florida and who knows where else. But I bet you the proprietors could tell you the story behind every one of them. The entire building is so charismatic and welcoming I felt like I was going to grandmas for Sunday brunch. With like 40s jazz music just barely floating through the room perfectly putting me back all the way to the 40s or 50s. I could go on and on about it how much I enjoyed just sitting in there but I’ll move on.
The service, Magnolia Grille is pretty formal. White table clothes, proper place settings and folded napkins. No rolled silverware or plastic placemats around which is a good thing!!! You come here for an actual dining experience and you get it. Our waitress couldn’t have been better, gave us the specials, and Soup of the day all which sounded great never left our cups empty, the definition of courteous. She was awesome! But what else would you expect? Now me nor my date are particularly difficult but I just have to stress how impressive our service was. The food came out rather quickly but I have to say if you want an in and out kinda meal you should save this treasure for a day that you can sit back and just enjoy the ambiance.
That brings me to the best part, the food! Now if you’ve made it this far don’t give up because I have a lot to say. I ordered the soft shell crab sandwich that came with fries, soup or salad this was one of the specials. I kind of wanted to not have fried food here but at this point I knew I’d be back so I went with it knowing I’d be able to get the menu items any other day. I got gazpacho as the soup and it came out first. it was so refreshing! And delicious! And fresh! Chilled perfectly with crisp, fresh ingredients that melded perfectly on my palette. My sandwich was a large soft shell crab breaded and cooked perfectly. Well seasoned and once again not drowning in salt or lawrys, atop a toasted roll. A salad of lettuce, tomato which I believe was a Roma, and red onion. Squirt of lemon and a swipe of there house tartar sauce and boy I’ll tell yea, it was perfection I would’ve normally wanted malt vinegar but it was perfect with the lemon and honestly would have been a disservice to the chef because it was again so. delicious. My date got the open faced prime rib, not on special. A very large piece of prime rib (ordered medium, arrived at the table perfectly seared) on toasted French bread, a side of mixed veggies, lettuce tomato and Au Jus. I tasted the rib, tenderest slab of beef I’ve ever had. Veggies were delicious and tender and fresh. Au jus was the perfect companion. I kid you not! I thought my meal was great but if the regular menu is full of dishes this inspired and delicious I will certainly be returning. And spreading my praises all over town. My date also ordered fries as his other side but was full didn’t eat them. But not because they weren’t good.
I’m telling you this place is deserving of fifty stars on this app. Now if your one of those people who want to alter recipes or substitute ingredients I say you don’t deserve to eat here. Go to Denny’s if you want frozen easily served food that comes out of boxes and freezers. But this food is crafted with respect to the dish, and it is all so fitting to environment. I cannot wait to return. Oh and I’d like to say our entire lunch including drinks was $ 30. Like what??? I would have paid more and have paid more at any other tourist trap in town. But Magnolia Grille is the real deal!

I don’t leave a lot of reviews but I had to leave one for this place to write about the piano player they had at the restaurant. He was Uh-​maz-​ing!!! I could’ve sat there all night and listened to this man play. I requested Elton John which he gladly played and we got to talking and I told him I was a Beatles fan and he played a few of their songs too. I had the chills when he played let it be.
Not to mention ghe atmosphere in the restaurant was really cute and cozy. The food was very very good too. I would recommend the spaghetti and the oysters Rockefeller.
Unfortunately we live in Houston, but if we ever decide to come back to FWB we will definitely come back to this place!

Our favorite meal since we have been in Ft. Walton! Great food and great service! Off the beaten path and full of local people and ran by great local people! Will be back!

Excellent– highly recommend… Prompt, quick service and a plethora of wonderful options on the menu. Flounder is out of this world…

My husband and I spent our 32^nd anniversary here last night. Being from New Orleans we would rather cook for ourselves than try a new restaurant out of town. The seafood gumbo was excellent. I had a prime rib which was too large to consume at one sitting. My husband had the crab cakes served with shrimp fettuccine which was also excellent. We were very pleased with the service and the owners Ms Peggy and Chef Tom are excellent hosts. We enjoyed the pianist during our meal. Don’t forget to tour the museum upstairs before you leave. They also served us Brocato ice cream from New Orleans. We will be back.

What a disappointment. Ordered the Meghan chicken sandwich. Chef forget the key ingredient (fried pickles). Chicken is a processed chicken patty. (Not a breast as described by the waitress). I could have gone to McDonald’s… I would think at a nice looking restaurant they would serve a real chicken breast. The soup was terrible. Described as pasta fagoli (sp?)… It was basically beans, chunks of ground beef, and tomato soup, and noodles. Possibly a glorified canned soup. Skip both of these.
On a positive note– someone at the table had a grilled chicken salad; they were satisfied.

This is one of the best service experiences I have ever had. Our waitress Rini was so awesome my glass was never empty. The food was delicious I had the meatloaf with mash potatoes great home cooking. I have tried the pork chops and the prime rib salad was fantastic. Again a great place to eat when visiting the area you are made to feel like you are at home. The desserts were also magnificent.

We had a large group meet here and couldn’t have been happier with the entire experience.
When we arrived we were quickly seated but we did call in advance and make a reservation so that was expected. It’s a nice old fashioned «bed n’ breakfast» type building with old wood floors and plenty of decorations on the walls. The staff was friendly, accommodating and we were well taken care of throughout the meal.
We couldn’t have been more pleased with the food either and everything was well prepared and quickly brought out from appetizers to dinner to the desert. Everything from the seafood to prime rib were genuinely great. We highly recommend this place and would gladly return again for any type of function.

This place is where your grandparents want to eat. The décor is cluttered memorabilia, the menu is pretty mixed with Italian and fish. The side salads were out of a bag but at least the lettuce was crisp. I had the trio with lasagna, spaghetti and chicken. The sauce on the spaghetti was delicious and fresh, the chicken was thick and juicy with tasty breading but the lasagna was mostly sauce and cheese. Don’t get me wrong I love cheese, but you serve it in a dish covered with so much sauce and cheese it stays molten hot the entire meal. They might have used a bechemel but my taste buds had been burned off. He ordered the shrimp linguini Alfredo topped with «crabcakes» which was just ok. This girl hails from MD, I know crabcakes, these were patties with more breading and filler than crab. Highlight of the meal was the garlic bread! Fresh, buttery, and toasted. Waitress was very pleasant and service was good but I think I’d only go back for lunch with the dinner prices, a little too high for what it was.

I am not going to say the food here is not very good… it is. The problem is Mrs. Rice the owner and how she has no problem being mean to a customer. I had always heard this but didn’t experience it until I took my son and friend there for a meal. The boys asked if they could substitute potatoes for the pasta on a steak dish. The waiter said yes. We received our meals and enjoyed them but when the bill came there was an additional 6.00 per meal charge because they «changed» the menu… For potatoes??? REALLY??? I asked about the extreme charge and was told we do not change our menu for customers and if they insist they must pay. If you don’t like it, don’t come back. I didn’t and I won’t.

No hungry Meow Bird will go unfed at Magnolia Grill during lunch time! Okay so I’ve been here for dinner and it was average. But the lunch! Oh the lunch! Monday through Friday, lunchtime. Come. You will not be disappointed.
Generous portions, delicious food, reasonable price. It’s too bad it’s so far from my work but dangerously close to home. Unfortunately, am never home during weekday lunches. Except for the snow day that we had. And they were closed. :(
But DRIVE here for lunch. It’s worth it. I got the prime rib sandwich once. Sandwich? It was a whole steak. Tender, juicy, ready to riot in your mouth and show your tastebuds a good time. The shrimp pasta with crab cake? Out of this world! You will not want to eat dinner that night, unless you are a beast like me! They even gave us free dessert once! Seriously hard to beat. If I ever get fired and subsequently get a sugar daddy we are coming here everyday for lunch.

I arrived around 11:15 and saw «closed» signs in 2 windows. I thought maybe they’d changed their hours. It turns out they’d forgotten to change the signs, and were wondering why no one was there. Once we did come in, we were seated quickly and waited on promptly. But as the place filled up, the service slowed down. When we finished our meal, the waitress asked if we were interested in dessert. We were, so she said she’d bring out the dessert tray for us to peruse after she took an order. 15 minutes later, with a very restless toddler, we gave up and asked for our check. My opinion is that they need another waitperson or two at lunch. One thing I really appreciated was that our waitress brought out the toddler’s grilled cheese quickly so he could occupy himself with that instead of the flatware.
The food: My salad was fine, and the French onion soup was wonderful. I strongly recommend it. My friend’s roast beef was great – it was cubes of tender beef with potatoes, carrots, and onions in a tasty brown gravy. The grilled cheese was good, and the fries were the coated-​with-​a-​batter kind.
I’d love to return and try some of the other dishes!

Our group had a not so pleasant service experience here and the steak was worse. However– the owner reached out to us after the Unilocal review– apologized & extended a gift certificate. I’ll definitely give this place another try when I’m back in town. Thanks to Magnolia for the kind gesture.

My husband and I came here for afternoon lunch. We love the vintage WWII vibe of this place-​which originally was a Sears catalog house. The big band music and military memorabilia is awesome. To the reviewer who wrote you have to be under 55 to enjoy this place– I don’t mind if Mildred and Erma are at the table next to me. It means that the noise level isn’t ridiculous and there’s not screaming kids and loud cell phone conversations. We never feel rushed and have yet to experience an issue with service and can enjoy a longer lunch at in a relax and welcoming environment.
The food is delicious. I usually order whatever is on special that day-​today it was the pot pie– and it didn’t disappoint. My husband ordered the crab cake fettuccini and he said it was also very good. We topped off the lunch with a slice of carrot cake. We’ve come here for lunch and dinner meals and the portions are great for the price.
If you want a break from the usual off of 98 check this place out. Also take a peek upstairs.