Austin has lots and lots and lots (and lots) of good places to eat. The capital of Texas is known for its many, independently-owned eating establishments that understand how to make good food and often at a reasonable price. I don’t make to Austin as often as I would like, but when I do I try to check out a new place each time. But then there are several places that usually demand a return trip while I am in town, and Magnolia Cafe, with its all-day breakfast and eclectic menu, is definitely one of them. I happened to be in Austin this past week and happened to stop by Magnolia Cafe (be prepared to wait), and while perusing the menu my eyes went right to a rather tempting dish on their breakfast menu.
Titled Chicken and the Egg, following is the full description from the menu: A cornmeal jalapeno pancake topped with ancho chicken, mixed cheddar/jack cheese, and two eggs over medium. Served with black beans, avocado, pico de gallo, sour cream and lettuce on the side.
Magnolia Cafe makes some of the best pancakes you will find in the state (and this is a big state), but this was the first time I tried their cornmeal jalapeno pancake. As expected, it was fluffy and delicious with a nice bit of sweetness and and decent kick from the jalapenoes, a johnnycake with a Texas upgrade. The ancho chicken is shredded and placed on top of the pancake with the two eggs over easy topping that. The chicken is tender and well-seasoned with a bit of heat from the anhco. The eggs were perfectly cooked, and when you cut into them the velvety yoke becomes the perfect syrup to complement this pancake dish gone wild.
The sliced avacado and pico de gallo are on the side, but you will be wanting to get those in the mix. It also came with a side of their housemade salsa, though that was not mentioned on the menu. That is a rich and thick tomatoey salsa with strong hints of cumin and a kick of its own, and it is the perfect way to top everything off. It also comes with a dollop of sour cream which I forgot to ask to be left off. I quickly extracted it from my plate as it is completely unnecessary and would dilute the wonderful flavors on this plate. The black beans on the side were quite tasty and certainly cooked with some bacon drippings. I didn’t finish them because of the size of the plate, but took them home and made some excellent bean and cheese tacos the next day.
When you first start on this dish, you don’t notice too much in the way of heat except for maybe a slight kick. But as you continue your way through this rather sizeable portion and as you get that pico and salsa worked into the mix, the burn starts to build. By the time I was half way to the finish line, this was close to a medium heat. And you can throw on some tabasco if you want to kick it up a bit more. Just don’t overdo it because you don’t want to coverup the wonderful flavors from this plate.
Magnolia Cafe is an Austin institution that has been around since 1979. They did have a second location, but sadly it closed down during the pandemic. Their remaining store on 1920 South Congress Ave is all the more busier now, and sampling just a few of their offerings will explain why. I typically go for their breakfast items which are some of the best in the state. But they have great burgers as well, some killer pasta dishes, and a veggie reuben that is off the scale (you can see their full menu at their website). I’ve yet to try their Mexican dishes but each time swear that is what I will get when I return because they look fantastic. You will definitely have to wait to get a seat if you are dining in, but it’s worth it. This is one of the absolute best Austin eateries that I have been to, and that is saying quite a lot for that city.