Great service, great food, great atmosphere. I've been to Magnolias several times and have not been disappointed. Charleston has many great restraunts, this is one of the best.

We first went to Magnolia's almost 25 years ago when it was an oasis in the culinary desert that was Charleston. Charleston has certainly changed dramatically for the better restaurant-wise, but Magnolia's remains at the forefront of the city's best restaurants. We arrived early, but the place was packed and the receptionist somewhat cool as she informed us they were seating people "strictly according to the time of their reservation." Fair enough, we were seated promptly and the Southern hospitality began. The waiter was professional and steered us to the chef's new signature dishes (shrimp and grits was a revelation here 25 years ago). Our dinner of 'fried' mac and cheese, soft shell crabs, blackened catfish, and pecan pie was magnificent. A side of 'creamed' corn was fresh off the cob and light as air. There are so many imaginative dishes to choose from that we will be sure to make Magnolia's a regular stop whenever we visit Charleston. Be sure to book well in advance, as this place is justifiably POPULAR.

We visited Charleston for the first time and knowing it's called the friendliest city in USA were unpleasantly surprised with unfriendliness of the restaurant personnel. The restaurant is a bit upscale but we didn't have a chance to dress up as we walked the Market Street and it was a rainy and windy day so we probably didn't look elegant enough to the hostess who asked us if we had a reservation. We haven't and she said that she has everything booked starting at 5, but it was only 4 and the restaurant was half empty. There was no effort taken trying to figure out what can be done. The customer service was really poor and we're not people who are hard to please. If we saw that there was an effort to help we would totally understand. We asked if we could sit at the bar and were seated there. The bar counter wasn't clean and no one wiped it or told us it will be done. We talked to a waiter and faced the same unfriendliness, no smile and "you can go somewhere else" comment when finally decided to leave the place. We ended up at Amen Street which is a few steps away and had friendly staff, great southern food and nice ambience. Sadly places like Magnolias get spoiled by great reviews and don't provide the great service thinking they'll have crowds anyway.

Went on a girl's weekend and had special Bday dinner at Magnolias. The food and service were both AMAZING. Our waiter Sam was fantastic and gave great recommendations. Our favorites include: the award winning mac and cheese (creamy and rich), New York strip and buttermilk fried chicken. The collards were wonderful too. They saved the best for last. We had a kitchen staff member named Julius to deliver the birthday dessert. Who knew that he was also an opera singer. He sang to our friend with a beautiful rendition of happy birthday. What a perfect evening.

My first trip to Charleston and everyone said I had to go to Magnolia's. I was expected to be disappointed. WRONG!! The crab bisque was thick and loaded with crab, do not add pepper and spoil the refined taste. The seafood with grits was worth every penny. Go and enjoy the great food and the great atmosphere.