Food is decent and expensive service was bad. Many better options in Waco. Not the easiest to find or park

Beautiful does not describe... but it's a place to start. The building. The Staff team (working on Thanksgiving and all so friendly and full of grace) were so lovely. The entire experience was wonderful. Definitely will return. read more

On July 4th, the Hotel 1928 had a occaision on the roof. The price included on of their 2 specialty drinks and "holiday" food. The drinks were terrible, and they charged $16 for a rum and coke. The hors de ovres were pretty good. The "holiday" food was a hamburger or sausage sandwich with homemade potato chips, potato salad, watermelon with blue cheese. The sausage, hamburger and chips were pretty good. The view of the fireworks was terrible. They were blocked by a building. There was only one restroom that was unisex. I will certainly not attend next year. Chip & Joanna seem to be enamored with themselves. read more

Very nice stop in to check it out. Hit the roof top bar. Had two drinks from the specialty list. They were ok. No rave and expect to pay $15 per drink. Beautiful setting. Details matter and area should be clear of wrappers, waste and the beautiful floors spot mopped. read more

Nice space, awfully unwelcoming atmosphere . I'm a grad student and came here with a friend to do some work, as we're in the midst of finals week. After all, Magnolia & Waco is a huge college town because of Baylor!!! We got to do some work in the coffee shop area & were enjoying the downstairs area until a manager came and told us that the area was for "overnight guests only" so we had to go upstairs if we wanted to stay. So we relocated upstairs to that part of the lobby area. Not long after, the same lady told another student sitting on the floor with her laptop on the short coffee table (hence why she was sitting on the floor to use the short table) "we ask that you not sit on the floor, thank you". No smile, no tolerance, no kindness or understanding. We, and another employee looked at her confused at why she was micro-managing so strictly. So unnecessary. They ended up leaving, and so did we. As a new hotel, coffee shop, etc. in downtown Waco, you can't expect students to not try to enjoy the space. We weren't even acting informally at all, but I could still feel eyes from the workers & felt looked down upon. We are still customers trying to enjoy a new space, but we were definitely discriminated against for being students, looked down upon, and unwelcome. Very different from what Magnolia tries to portray themselves to be. Also, the buying & turning free parking lots in the area to valet hotel parking only is ridiculous but for some reason I didn't expect anything better at this point. If you folks don't want students here, just put up a sign that says "no students" or "hotel guests only". What a shame, as the founders of Magnolia are alumni themselves. They are obviously trying to cultivate an environment for the formal & rich only! Unless there is change made, I will not be coming back. read more

Don't go here if you are looking for good service (talking about the cafe specifically) All of the staff we interacted with were rude and talking down to you In addition the coffee was mid at best DO BETTER ! read more

Review for Bertie's - We booked a dinner reservation for 4pm on the day we got into Waco with our infant daughter. On the website, it said "there might be a $10 cancellation fee." We booked for three people and indicated in the notes that it was two adults and one infant (stroller). Unfortunately, our daughter was having a horrible afternoon, so we decided to cancel 90 minutes before our reservation. We assumed that we might have a $10 charge, but we hoped that since it wasn't during rush hour and we let them know in advance, they would show grace. The next day, we were charged $30. We called and tried to reason with them, explaining our circumstances, but they refused to refund us. We were already having a not so great day, and we didn't want to force everyone in the restaurant to deal with a screaming baby, but I guess that means we had to pay the restaurant $30. read more

Came here for the New Year event and stayed overnight. Am absolutely in love with the decor! Definitely feel like we took a step back in time in a fancy schmancy way. Could have spent a day looking through all the vintage library books! Very quaint hotel and not too small or too big. During our stay, only one of the elevators was working so we had to wait a bit each time. Also, the New Year's event was definitely not worth the $125/guest ticket. There was not enough food (even though apps) being offered and only one drink included. Unfortunately seemed like a huge money grab there. We sat outside the entire time and the live music was great, but all the food was depleted by the time the wait staff got to our area. I was able to get one mushroom and one deviled egg the entire night. The hotel room itself had some HVAC issues and took 3 hours to warm up. Other than that, really loved the hotel! read more

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Loved the vibe of the hotel. The service was a touch slow and we were disappointed that we couldn't get breakfast. We got there at 11 and they don't serve breakfast after 11. The lunch menu was ok, just not what we were in the mood for. I had made a reservation at magnolia table not knowing they were closed on Martin Luther king day. So, not sure why I was able to make a reservation. Anyway, it all worked out. They did a great job remodeling the hotel. The restaurant was good. We also got coffee at the coffee bar. That was great. read more

Worth the visit. Breakfast was great downstairs and the service was pretty good. The whole building is so pretty.

Great new place, beautifully decorated, but the food offerings could improve. It's also overpriced for what you get.

Cool place, awful customer service. I went to the top restaurant with my wife around 3pm and we ordered a couple of drinks. They kicked us out for not ordering food when we were literally the only people in the restaurant... 15+ open tables and we had to leave even though we were still spending money. Note- we were only sitting inside because it was summer and over 100 outside. Would never come back here again or recommend it to anyone. read more

Beautiful place with a great view from the roof!! The service was great very polite and quick!

This place is legit, definitely a great 30th birthday present to myself. I came to Waco to visit the silos & see some of the stuff from Chip & Joanna Gaines' shows. I booked a night at Hotel 1928 and I couldn't be happier with my experience. The design of this place is amazing, there is so much beautiful detail everywhere, and the food/drinks were great. The place has a high class look and feel, yet the staff are low key and very helpful. My whole experience has been great, definitely recommend the trip. read more

While it's a beautiful hotel with signature Magnolia charm, my wife and I were underwhelmed with the customer service we would have expected for paying over $500 per night for a hotel experience. Upon arriving into our room, we noticed our side table had coffee ring stains which hadn't been wiped. Once we alerted the front desk, it took about 10 minutes to get housekeeping management to our room to wipe it off. She wiped both side tables, but it led to concern right off that our room had not been thoroughly cleaned. No one on staff beyond the housekeeping manager (very nice) offered an apology for the table not being clean. We were then supposed to have coffee delivered to our room at 7:30am, since no coffee pots are in room. We never received it, and when we went downstairs to ask about it at 7:45, they did not have us on their list at all. We had watched the manager put it on the list the night before, so not sure what happened there. We were on a time crunch and had to leave, so we couldn't wait to put in another order. These weren't massive things, which is why I didn't give it a lower rating. But my wife and I are well-traveled and have stayed in many hotels all over the US and other parts of the world. It takes more than beautiful decor to create a 5-star experience. We expected and hoped for more from Hotel 1928. read more

Great burger, as well as brunch. They've got good starter foods too, like their cornbread.

Of note, this is only a review of the downstairs restaurant- The Brasserie. Being a Wacoan, we were very excited to try out a new spot in town for brunch. Our reservation was for 10:45am, but we were disappointed to learn the kitchen had already stopped serving breakfast (online and in-person listed 11 as cutoff). All fine and well but when trying to order off the very limited lunch menu, no substitutions could be made. Staff did not seem very knowledgeable about menu items either. Food was okay but incredibly overpriced- would call the food simple and lacking depth overall (friend got a pimento grilled cheese that was cold, purposefully so, which seemed odd). Overall not horribly tasting food but way overhyped and many similarly priced spots in town with more imaginative culinary creations. Aesthetics are nice, I hope they are able to make some improvements with time. read more

We were disappointed with our lunch. The restaurant is beautiful,but the white marble table tops were not clean (waterspots). We ordered the cauliflower soup and it was cold soup in a hot bowl. They fixed it right away. And then the,waitress was trying to wait on numerous tables and was overwhelmed. We had to wait for our bills and then again for her to charge us out. read more

Called 5 times within in a week got hung up on. No answer twice after transferring me to resterant next time call was some how connected with another guest. Then no answer again ,then told I did not need a reservation. Got to hotel found out needed reservation. Sent to bar so they could try to fit us in along side a couple from Florida who also was told did not need reservations. After that lunch was good but charged twice for bar tab and server could not get change for bill . All in all not great. read more

Stopped at the cute restaurant inside the hotel. Service is horribly untrained and all seem very unhappy. Drip coffee is $4.00 and apparently no free refills. Unknowingly I ordered a second cup and boom, $8 for drip coffee. Food was just ok. I know my expectations are higher but I was really disappointed. read more

The bartenders are absolutely amazing! They're so nice, fun, and make the whole experience worth it. I absolutely love heading over and having a drink or two with my friends and having such a great time! The atmosphere is wonderful, the drinks are great. Gissel won me over the first time I ever checked it out and I been going ever since! read more

We traveled to Austin for the MotoGP event, and decided to celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary in Waco at the 1928 Hotel. Dinner was at the Brasserie where we made reservations 2 months in advance for 2 @ 8pm, and let them know we were celebrating our anniversary. The hostess who greeted us had zero personality, and after walking past several unbussed tables looking for somewhere to seat us, decided on a large round table that sat 6 guests in front of the area where servers enter their orders, the LEAST romantic table in the restaurant. We asked to be seated at a nearby available smaller table away from the server traffic and were told that the table was reserved because they were "packed" that evening (even though it was half empty). 15 minutes later she sat a couple at the same smaller table we requested and asked if it was ok - clearly they had not requested that specific table. The restaurant was very bright with no ambience for dinner dining. My husband ordered a martini with Belvedere vodka; our server returned to tell him that they did not have Belvedere, and listed all of the "Gins" that they had, unaware that Belvedere was vodka. He decided to order one of their beers on tap, and she returned again to say that the tap had died, but brought him a similar beer from a can. Our baked brie cheese appetizer was ok, and our entrees came out in about 15 minutes. Shrimp and grits were good, but their signature dish, braised pork, arrived cold in the center. We had to flag down another server to send it back, and 20 minutes later a "manager" brought the second dish to our table, but by then we had been finished with first entree for quite awhile. We proceeded to recap our poor experience so far that evening, beginning with the hostess and our table, and all she could say was "yes mam, yes mam". She offered to comp our app and entree (which we barely ate) and offered dessert, but we were over the whole experience at that point. We didn't come there to have our meal comped, we were looking forward to celebrating with a wonderful dinner experience. Our server had given up offering any resemblance of service, and was busy discussing her classes at Baylor with the table next to us, so we waited another 20 minutes with dishes piled up on our table, trying to flag her down for our check (and of course she had to adjust the check as the manager had not communicated her discussion with us to the server). We thought we would try to salvage the evening buy having a drink on the rooftop but when we got up there the main bar was closed down for renovations (didn't this hotel recently open?) and all they had was a disappointing drink cart. To top things off, they charge for valet parking, even when you dine at their restaurant. The next day we visited the Silos, and my husband had yet another bad experience at Magnolia Press - cappuccino was so bad he left it sitting on the counter and walked out. Needless to say we blew off our lunch reservation at Magnolia Table - we were not willing to give a Magnolia concept any more of our business or to have another disappointing experience. read more

i don't drink and was hanging out with a few friends while staying in waco. the bartender sam was very accommodating to my non alcoholic cocktail requests. they were delicious. he was very attentive and overall made the afternoon a pleasant experience. read more

This is probably the most bizarre and disappointing experience I have ever had with a hotel. My husband and I got a last minute invite to stay for a night in Waco to meet up with two other couples. We decided to book a room at Hotel 1928 hoping for a beautiful hotel stay on such a rare occasion for us as we have 3 younger kids at home. I did receive an email confirmation of the booking. We had just driven into Waco at a little after 6pm when I got a call from the hotel. I thought it would be about our dinner reservation on the property. Instead we were told that they were calling any existing reservations that had not checked in (5 in this case) to see if anyone would mind booking at another hotel for that night and then having the rest of our stay at half price. I was told that a medical emergency had occurred at 3pm that day and that caused them to be short a room. I question the validity of this excuse and still do not understand the situation but this is all the information I was given. I explained that we had just arrived in Waco and were only staying for one night and were also meeting another couple that was staying at Hotel 1928 that night. I asked if I could call them back and if they would call the other reservations on their list to confirm they were planning to come. I began to get text messages about moving to another hotel and more phone calls but we were trying to decide how to handle this situation with our friends. I did feel that whomever was calling me from Hotel 1928 was being particularly pushy with me about this. My friends were not getting multiple phone calls asking to cancel their reservation. I checked my email and realized that Hotel 1928 had CANCELED our reservation without me agreeing to this. My husband tried to call the hotel and talked to another front desk agent. They seemed completely unaware of this situation and transferred the call. At this point I was given the Manager's cell phone to communicate with about other accommodations. I was told that out of the 5 remaining reservations I was the kindest and seemed to be the most understanding and this is why I was the guest they decided to move. Quite frankly this was a bit frustrating to hear. They offered to book us a room at another hotel and invited us for breakfast at their expense. I explained again that we already had dinner reservations at Bertie's on the Rooftop for that night. We had other plans for breakfast the next morning. Hotel 1928 did pay for us to stay in a suite at PIVOVAR which is an absolutely lovely hotel/brewery/restaurant right across the street from Magnolia. They also took care of our dinner at Bertie's on the Rooftop. The manager at Bertie's was very kind and checked on our table a few times. I may write a separate review for Bertie's. I really can't give a review of the rooms at Hotel 1928 as we did not actually get to stay there. The hotel itself is absolutely stunning and worth at least a walk through if you are in the area. I do realize the management was apparently in a very tough situation but this experience was just not up to the standards of what should be expected from a hotel of this caliber. If you decide to make a reservation I would confirm you have a room by calling the hotel before you make the drive to Waco. read more

Spinach artichoke dip had a layer of cardboard cheese you couldn't cut through and the bow tie pasta has sauce made of oil and grease. Was sick all night read more

I can only review the terrible customer service we've received from this hotel. My husband and I planned a trip in Dec 27-30 it was intended as a mini vacation and we looked forward to seeing the hotel in person. We were flying in from CA and unfortunately to due some weather in Texas all flights were canceled and the airlines could not get us there til the 29th. We called the hotel and told them what happened and they were able to cancel our reservation and told us they would refund us the prepaid room reservation I made. They said it would be 10 business days. We are now the end of February and they still have not refunded us or even given a credit to use later. We are out $1500.00 they charged us ahead of time for our stay. I've emailed them and tried to contact them several times with no response. Terrible customer service and I cannot believe that they have no problem just keeping the money they charged us in exchange for nothing. So disappointed I hope Joanne and Chip see what they've linked their name to. read more

What a pleasant surprise to find this restaurant. We were not aware of it having recently opened but are happy we came upon it. We stopped in without reservations hoping for a nice Thanksgiving dinner and they did not disappoint! We were greeted pleasantly at the front lobby door, again by the hotel desk hostess and finally by the restaurant hostess. We were seated promptly at a nice table along the windows facing out with a great view of the ALICO Building (ok, I know. We are suckers for a little history with our meals) and most of the inside of the restaurant. A very nice menu, but we were here for thanksgiving. Dinner was served (to include a hamburger) and everything was flavorful and delicious. Our server was delightful, knowledgeable and always right there yet never hovering. Hospitality, service, excellent food and a truly nostalgic vibe throughout After dinner we walked through the lobby to the coffee bar and enjoyed a cup of hot coffee while exploring the early 20th century architecture, furnishings and assorted visual treats sprinkled throughout. There is even a rooftop restaurant (closed during our visit) that boasts a terrific panoramic view of Waco. We are already planning our next visit and will be adding 1923 to our list of must do's whenever we visit Waco. read more

Tonight, I got the pleasure of dining at Bertie's roof top dining room. My party did not have a reservation but the manager, Lilu, got a table for my group within a couple of hours. I had the mushroom and leek risotto and it was fantastic! I cannot say enough about this hotel and staff. Our waiter, Tyler did a fantastic job! I highly recommend visiting while in Waco. read more

Service. Stopped in for a drink just now and got every excuse in the book for not getting the correct drink.

beautiful venue. we were very excited to enjoy a special Christmas stay with two friends that we met there to celebrate. The food was wonderful even though the menu is limited. the rooms are nice and the refurbishment and historical ambiance is top notch. HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT A LUXURY EXPERIENCE. The logistics for food service and bar service leave a lot to be desired. They are most definitely Understaffed and the staff they do have have had zero training in even the basics. Birdies looks like an ice cream parlor though the food is spectacular and very flavorful. Our waiter who is usually the bartender and was filling in was super nice, just way overworked and disappeared often because he had to run downstairs for coffee, outside for drinks and serve. Our table had appetizers and salads and no one ever came to clear in between service so the table was full of plates when our meal arrived (finally). Check in was a mess. we arrived at 4 which is an inordinately late check in and were met with a scowling front desk girl who (im sure was overworked but shes the face of the brand and first impressions do matter) who said your room isnt ready and you cant check in yet. no offering of where to go or what to do with our luggage which by the way we had to lug in as there is no bellman or porter (again not luxury hotel, more like Hampton inn). I asked if we might go ahead and check in and store our luggage and was met with a shrug and a no you can't check in until the room is ready. Im pushing a wheelchair, lugging luggage and meeting friends no offer of please take a seat and have a coffee or glass of wine while the room is finished up. We FINALLY GOT OUR ROOM AT 5:30 PM. Had dinner reservations at Birdies at 6:30 so it was rushed. Went down to the Library to hang out and no service of any kind down there. Only after finding someone to ask were we told that we had to go back upstairs to get a drink or coffee and bring it downstairs ourselves. They need a dumbwaiter and a server down there for sure or at least someone circulating. Its Christmas and they had piped in music but would have been great and Easy to have a Christmas playlist and maybe tea and scones or mimosas or something festive for holiday fare maybe even one Joannas cookies and a spot of tea. Pretty place but lousy experience. Hope they work it out because it could be great but misses the mark by MILES. I have no problem with the cost if the experience is worth it, but this was barely Motel 6 in Experience. read more

What an amazing venue. So beautifully renovated by Chip and Joanna the food was OK but the ambience was worth seeing and we will be back again to enjoy the location. It's a great place to get together with friends. read more

Beautiful restaurant and food was good. Service/waitress was VERY bad. Extremely slow service; four people's entrees delivered in 3 trips spread out by 5 mins. Bartender accidentally pulled the wrong tap and didn't get the beer I wanted. Clearly different than first one. Waitress insistent that she has ordered same as first-I'm sure she did, but it was poured wrong and she was a jerk. Intended to order dessert but she didn't offer and we left. This place has great potential but service needs to improve quickly. read more

It pains me to give this place a bad review since I love Chip and Joanna Gaines so much. We didn't stay there because the price of the hotel was a little out of our range at $350-$450 a night. However, with that said we chose to just have lunch there. We got to the restaurant about 3 o'clock on a Tuesday afternoon and sat at the bar. There were a few people there, but it wasn't very busy. My first thought was that the staff wasn't living up to what I believe Chip and Joanna would want. One bartender was a little bossy and the other two were talking about her. It was very unprofessional. Let me back up and say when we walked in a young, skinny black guy was behind the bar. We said hello and he did not acknowledge us. Pretty much from the beginning to the end he was standing around snapping a bar towel waiting for dishes to dry I guess. When one of the female bartenders told him he should clear the dishes off the bar first, he rolled his eyes and then talked about her rudely to the other one. A customer approached the bar from the dining room and said that he had been waiting 15 minutes for his beer, which you were out of but nobody bothered to tell him that. Instead, they said they were in the back still looking for it. It was as if I was watching a slow motion twilight movie. They should have immediately offered him other choices. Back to the food. We ordered pimento cheese and crackers, which were good and came quickly. We also ordered a turkey sandwich. 40 minutes later the bar tender went to look for it but came back and said it would be a few more minutes. She went back 10 minutes later and returned to say they had to make new fries because the other ones were cold. Obviously it had been sitting there for too long. This was not a complicated order. The service was awful. The staff was falling all over themselves, getting ready for the evening I guess and arguing with each other about how to do things and each talking about the other. It was all very uncomfortable and we won't be going back. Your reputation had me expecting so much more. read more

Poor service - sat in bar for 15 minutes until was asked about drink order. Food selection limited. $25 Hamburger is ridiculous. Atmosphere is good and great addition to the city. At some point they get it figured-out - pulling for them. read more

The hotel and rooftop are absolutely beautiful - but the service is atrocious. I have been to the coffee shop (best part of it all) which has amazing coffee, sad pastries, but pretty great baristas. The restaurant was not at all what I had hoped. It took forever for our server to come, and after that we had to flag her down multiple times to get what we needed. I did not care at all for the wine, tasted like boxed wine you would get at the gas station. I was even more hopeful for the rooftop bar, but did not get to try it as we waited 30 minutes with no server, and decided to go to diamondbacks instead. My friends have since went back and have expressed distaste for the drinks and the service. There is so much potential in this space, yet it is being managed horribly. read more

Gorgeous facility. Grossly understaffed. We waited at the bar for over 30 mins for anyone to take our order. They had one bartender for the entire restaurant at 730pm. read more

Hotel 1928 is a beautiful property. Chip and Joanna did an outstanding job renovating this historic location. We enjoyed both restaurants on site and played checkers in the library. Can't wait to get back. read more

Stayed here 1 night. Loved every minute of it. Stayed in one of the suites with the tub. So relaxing. I must say everything was perfect. The staff I can't say enough. The made you feel so welcome and like you're part of a family. We ate at Bertie's on the roof Excellent and so delicious. I highly recommend this place. read more

First day on the rooftop with Alex Lopez was such a joy! She provided exceptional bar service while going above and beyond to transition the outdoor patio for the season! Thank you! read more

Waco local here. Today was my first and last visit to the restaurant at Hotel 1928. Truly, other than the ambiance, I can't think of any positives. The food was just ok and overpriced. The service was abysmal. Long waits for seating, food and drinks. Absolutely nothing for children - not even crayons. Lots of better choices in our awesome town! read more