Charger Features

A two-in-one deal found at Magnolia Place

Leigh Ivey, Editor-in-Chief

“Casual dining, warm southern charm.”

That’s the motto of Cookeville’s new eatery/tanning building at Magnolia Place. It was the destination of the most recent restaurant review.

The Magnolia Cafe, located at the intersection of Dixie Avenue and Spring Street, is a small, homey cafe.

Since it’s Christmas time, the room was decked out in tiny Christmas lights, a tree, and even frost on all the windows. I can’t ever remember seeing a restaurant as quaint and cozy as this one.

It was a bit of a shock when Emilee Chaffin, Hillary Pate, Senka Hadzimuratovic, and I walked in and were asked if we were there to eat or tan. You just don’t get that a lot when you walk into a restaurant. We were shown into the dining room, filled with small tables and old-fashioned decor.

The menu at the Magnolia Cafe is typical of most small restaurants, with soups, sandwiches, and desserts.

They do, however, offer an item I’d never seen before--soup served in a “bread bowl.” This is what Emilee chose to eat, and it was the neatest looking thing we’d ever seen, and it tasted as good as it looked. We wondered for a few minutes if you were actually supposed to eat the bread after you eat the soup, but when Senka compared it to an ice cream cone, we realized that there was nothing wrong with that.

Hillary chose a bowl of chili (and hot chocolate...a combination that seems a little bizzare to me) and Senka ordered the “strawberry delight,” a dessert composed to pound cake, strawberries, and whipped cream. I don’t know if the presentation of this or the beautiful decorations around my cheesecake were prettier. They looked like the food on Iron Chef, with syrup and powered sugar arranged around the food. It was almost a shame to eat them, looking as pretty as they did.

The food was magnificent and the atmosphere couldn’t have been better. The place was absolutely charming, as was the manager, who gave us a tour of the house (which itself was enough to get a great review).

The Magnolia Cafe is an excellent addition to Cookeville’s square. Stop by to experience homestyle food, a warm atmosphere...and tanning beds.