I had such a wonderful experience at this tea café! Scheduling the tea party was incredibly easy. I reached out via email and received a quick response, along with a list of sandwich options and the opportunity to share any dietary restrictions, which was a great touch. When we arrived, we were seated right away and asked to choose our tea flavor. I loved that each person gets their own full pot of tea. It made the experience feel extra special. The food was absolutely delicious! We started with a fresh salad, followed by a beautiful three tier tray filled with sandwiches and desserts. From the scones to the bonbons and mini cakes, everything was flavorful and thoughtfully prepared. The staff were incredibly attentive and made sure we had everything we needed throughout our visit. It truly felt like a full experience, not just a meal. If you are looking for something fun and a little different, I highly recommend trying the tea experience. And if that is not your thing, they also operate as a café where you can stop in and enjoy a treat without committing to the full tea service. Either way, it is definitely worth a visit! read more

Met my friends fo an afternoon tea. WHAT AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!! The staff were very personable and friendly. Service was impeccable. Food was delicious. Chicken salad on a croissant was absolutely delicious. Ample street and lot parking near by. This restaurant was so quaint, cute and uniquely decorated. Definitely returning! read more

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Visited this quaint tea shop for Afternoon tea with the ladies. It was a cute experience we were in a reserved space allowing for private conversations. The tea selection was nice and there was even bubbly options. The finger food options were simple and filling. I recommend the lemon ginger tea and the apricot peach teas. This is a great time to go out and sample what they offer. The bathroom could use some updating but other than that it was a great experience read more

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I came here for their afternoon tea service and I thought it was amazing for its price. I'm a seasoned afternoon tea haver, and I've mostly gone to the fancy hotels for them. They're always pricy but most always a great time. This cafe was just as good but cozy instead of fancy! We got a pot of tea, a salad, 3 sandwiches, scones, and 4 mini treats for $35. You can't beat that! The service was great and I would love to come back here and take others when they visit! read more

Really nice little place to go have a fresh lunch. Always a wedding party or birthday party going on. Not a huge menu but nice fresh food good service and a wonderful atmosphere. Great tuna and chicken salad, fresh salads with great dressing and nice little delicious cup cakes for desert. You are never full when you leave but great for a light bite in a great little town. read more

We stopped in for a quick bite. The Mediterranean salad was delicious. I ordered it with the sweet onion dressing (YUM). my daughter enjoyed their butter chicken grilled cheese. Unfortunately, they should probably remove "cafe" from their name. I've had their teas and they were ok but their iced coffee is horrible. It's made with drip coffee, not espresso. read more

Been there for a private party, a large group tea, and individual tea experiences. The prices are not cheap, but I have felt they were fair for the experience. Every employee has been kind. The bites are delicious. The tea is superb - so many delicious options. I have no complaints about this place. It's like stepping back in time and stepping up a class level. Strong recommend when in WF. read more

Sugar Magnolia Cafe is located in Downtown Wake Forest and seemed the perfect spot for a bite to eat after exploring some of the shops in town. Ordering is done at the counter. There is a blackboard menu as well as a regular menu if that is easier for you to view. Service was very friendly and attentive. I was told I could sit anywhere and everything would be brought to the table. I ordered the egg salad sandwich on a croissant and that came with a side salad. The mixed greens were very fresh as were the cucumbers and carrots. The egg salad was great too. I had a glass of lemonade too. I want to return and try the tea service as well as some of the other menu items especially the chicken salad. read more

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Always an enjoyable experience. The food is tasty and d fresh. I especially like the chicken salad sandwich and enjoy a pot of tea with it. The service is friendly and prompt. I ate alone this time but have arranged for a larger group of 20. I also watch for their specials. read more

Sugar Magnolia Cafe was the absolutely perfect place to host my daughter's Bridal Brunch the day before her wedding! Amy and her team prepared a delicious brunch for 13 of us; it was delicious and beautifully presented. They were attentive and responsive to every request and they were so kind and patient with us. It was just lovely from start to finish. Amy was so easy to work with, from reserving the space to choosing the menu and setting up for us -- it couldn't have been more perfect. Thank you so much Amy and team. We loved every minute of our time at Sugar Magnolia Cafe! read more

Absurdly slow service. Ordered a chicken salad sandwich, it took over 30 minutes to bring it out. How long does it take to slap some chicken in a croissant? The place wasn't busy at all. They must have slaughtered the chicken themselves and made it from scratch, but it sure didn't taste like it. The food definitely looks better than it tastes. Cute little place in a quaint area, but service and food leaves a bit to be désired. Update: According to the manager's comments they are aware that they can't put food out in a timely manner and have done nothing about it. Getting "busy in waves" does not at excuse a 30-45 minute wait. There were perhaps 4 other occupied tables (dates, families of 3-4, not large groups). Upscale fine dining places do not take this long and they actually make their food from scratch. In fact, I could go out to eat at any sit-down restaurant and bet you every dime I have the wait would be shorter. Nice attitude by the way, with "we are not a fast food restaurant," fast food unfortunately is higher quality, and your comment is abhorrent. Lost another star for that, congrats. Get it together. read more

Sugar Magnolia Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina

Excellent Sandwiches, especially the Chicken Salad! Service was fine. Ambiance was good read more

Breakfast Sandwiches (bacon egg and cheese and sausage egg and cheese on croissants) were amazing. Iced vanilla latte was great. A few words were said in the kitchen but he apologized to us and complimentary dessert was given. The atmosphere is tranquil and cute. Overall great place and we will definitely be coming back :) read more

Sugar Magnolia Cafe - Iced vanilla latte, orange juice - Cafes Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina

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An all-time favorite place for tea and lunch: great service, delicious food and tea, and a lovely atmosphere. A highly recommended restaurant to visit or to make a routine in your life! read more

Sugar Magnolia Cafe in Wake Forest is a charming and cozy spot, perfect for a relaxing lunch or a fun afternoon tea party. I had the chicken salad on a croissant, which was fresh and delicious, along with a refreshing hibiscus lemonade--a perfect combo! The friendly staff and the unique emporium add to the cafe's charm. I look forward to stopping in for breakfast in the near future. I really wish they were open for dinner and on Sundays. I'm sure they would get the business if they did. Whether you're stopping by for lunch, coffee, or a tea party, this place is a must-visit! read more

I love the ambience of this place. It's like a cute little tea party house. It gives a perfect vibe to the small Wake Forest downtown.

Great experience at the Sugar Magnolia - the store and cafe are a great place to visit but I'm reviewing also on the Listening Room which is the venue in the basement. The owner, Howard, was gracious and so kind. Progressive Music put on a holiday show there and the event was a resounding success! Fantastic location, great venue, very welcoming and such a great offering for Wake Forest locals! I didn't partake in any food but many people at the venue did and raved about the menu and how good the food was. Highly recommend - visit this gem in downtown WF! And, parking is not a problem, big perk! read more

Sugar Magnolia Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina

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Its a very cute place but the food was not that fresh at all. And portions are small for the price. Its a niche kind of place that was good to try once but again, food was not that fresh read more

I went with my mom for Mother's Day 2024 on Tuesday before Mother's Day. The entire store cafe shop was so cute! The decor and ambiance even down to the wood floors where it creaks were so perfect I loved the old building feeling with all the cute teapot art and the colors just made the experience amazing! The staff was great the place was clean and we met the owner Amy she was so professional and nice let us know the history of the building and how they started their business in the building. The food and tea were THE BEST! I can't wait to go back for the bigger tea service package with a few more people! read more

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Charming and delicious! I went for a wedding shower. We had private room. It is a jewel!

This place was wonderful! I couldn't recommend it more!! Was able to reserve a table for my birthday tea with some girl friends and it was smooth sailing. Delicious food and wonderful atmosphere!! 10/10!!! read more

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I visited Wake Forest for the first time yesterday and what a nice town it is! I was so hungry and when we passed by this cafe my friend looked inside the window. We could tell it was really cute and they had items for sale so we went inside. The owner has great taste in decor. The menu is small but offered salads, chicken salad sandwiches, pimento cheese and a few other items. They also had a case of desserts with mini cupcakes, sugar cookie bars, brownies and a few other things. My friend and I ordered two different sandwiches so we could split and share. We also got one of each cupcake. The pimento cheese is amazing! It's warm and gooey and so creamy. Next time I will order the pot of it which comes with veggies and crackers to dip. The chicken salad was good...not my favorite ever but still delicious and served on a croissant. I. Chose a salad as my side and the dressing was obviously homemade and yummy. The cupcakes were ok...the cake part was kind of dry. The cookie butter and Champagne flavors were the best of the four. I would take a half star off for the dry cupcakes and the wait time for our food but overall this is a VERY cute place with great food. They also offer tea parties so I need to go back with my daughter sometime. read more

Sugar Magnolia Cafe - One of each flavor of cupcake - Cafes Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina

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Sugar Magnolia has tasty treats, great drink options and such a cute and cozy vibe. Perfect for tea parties or just a morning tea.

We did a tea party here for my moms birthday, so fun! The tea was good, wish they offered more gluten free options as I didn't get to try much of the food here. read more

Such a cute place with great handcrafted food. My sister and I stopped in for a late lunch and got a caprese sandwich and chicken salad sandwich that we split. Amazing. Cant wait to go back! We will be trying a tea party soon too. read more

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Very relaxing and food was delicious. Also recommend getting the apricot tea, very refreshing

I visited Sugar Magnolia Cafe for an afternoon tea with several other ladies and truly enjoyed myself. The Cafe is so cute, and the food and tea was very good! We had a salad, sandwiches, Scones with Devonshire cream and assorted desserts. Amy, the owner herself served our group, and her attention to detail was spot on. I definitely plan on going back!!! read more

Was looking for a nice cafe to take my mom who was visiting from out of town and I came across this hidden spot. It was really quiet and peaceful! The menu option for food isn't too extensive but the quality was delicious. I ordered the caprese sandwich and my mom ordered the chicken salad and we were so impressed with the quality. Bit on the pricy side but it was definitely a nice afternoon. Decor wise, some spots are really well decorated while other walls seem a bit bare so it would of been nice to have a pretty background for picture memories from my moms visit. Overall good experience, friendly service and yummy food! They have their tables really spread apart to limit social interactions and staff was wearing masks correctly which made us feel comfortable. read more

Sugar Magnolia Cafe - Caprese Sandwich & Homemade Chicken Salad - Cafes Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina

Super cute lunch/ tea/ coffee spot! service is very nice and attentive. Food is tasty and healthy and extremely fairly priced. The location is very cozy and filled with details. Highly recommended! read more

Sugar Magnolia Cafe - Super cute lunch/brunch/breakfast tea spot. Definitely a place to come back to. - Cafes Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina

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Had a great time. Wait staff and owner were very attentive. Had a signature chicken salad on croissant sandwich. Best I ever had. Great service. read more

Great atmosphere, great service, and great food! I went with my family during the holidays, and we really enjoyed ourselves!

Gee wiz! Let me tell you about this place. I absolutely love their store-bought Little Debbie cakes. Boy do those bring me back to my childhood. And they charge you h $20 for them + a cup of tea? Even better! It's like the best deal in town. Even though Sugar Magnolia advertises their food is made fresh along with their pastries, you can get everything exactly at Harris Teeter and Sam's Club! Woah! Is Sugar Magnolia making their pastries for both places? What a coincidence!! Surprisingly, Sam's Club charges a lot less for their pastry trays which Sugar Magnolia should make sure they fix! I used to love going here for a cuppa tea but stopped after an overgrown, half drunk man was sitting talking to the woman behind the counter for 15 mins while slamming a can on the table! I mean... I didn't know Bigfoot was in town! Whoever the mystery man was, the lady behind the counter knew him fairly well. Enough that she completely ignored us for a good 15-minutes! Anyway, love this place and pre-packaged snack trays and Harris Teeter Chicken Salad that they slap on a roll and serve "fresh" for the low price of $19.50! Wake Forest proud! read more

I hosted a bridal shower for my SIL on March 9th, 2019 at the Sugar Magnolia Cafe. Everyone in attendance had an amazing time. The food was exceptional and the tea service was divine. The hostesses/servers were so very friendly and courteous and added to the overall wonderful experience. It was a great setting for an intimate bridal shower (20 women)! I don't normally like honey mustard dressing but their's was the best tasting dressing I have ever had the pleasure of eating on a salad. Some of the guests added the dressing to their turkey and cheese sandwiches and loved it! This is a gem of a cafe and if I lived closer to Wake Forest, it could be a twice a month thing for me, even if I had tea service alone. I will definitely host other events or stop by for a tea service on a weekend morning!! read more

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We stopped in at Sugar Magnolia on a recent Saturday. Hadn't been there before, and decided to try someplace new in downtown Wake Forest. The space is typical for S. White Street - an old building refitted to attract strolling passersby. Sugar Magnolia is both a cafe and a shop, featuring items created by local artists. Food, coffee and tea are ordered at the counter, and brought to the table. There are perhaps a dozen tables, widely spaced in a room reminiscent more of a dining room than a restaurant. It's a charming and quaint setup. There are a number of sandwiches and salads on the menu. It's not a huge menu, but there's enough variety for everyone to find something they'll like. Even pizza! I opted for chicken salad on a croissant. This is served with a small side salad. The chicken salad was tasty, big chunks of chicken and just enough mayo and spices which didn't overpower the taste. The croissant was light, airy, buttery and fresh. Side salad was the right size to accompany the sandwich - no leftovers. And a delicious brewed iced tea to wash it all down. Amy opted for the garden salad. This was a large serving of delicious fresh vegetables, with dressing on the side. A little bit more than she wanted for lunch, so we took some home. Amy ordered hot tea with lunch, which is served in a cool 2-serving teapot with an infuser built into the center. I'm not a big tea guy, so this may not be unusual - but I thought it was cool. So cool, in fact, that we bought one to take home! And some delicious tea, which they sell by the pound. Christine took care of us this day - taking the order at the counter and bringing the food - plus the teapot and the tea. Job well done - friendly, knowledgeable and efficient! Sweet Magnolia is a great little spot for a light lunch and to browse. Definitely will stop back next time I'm in downtown Wake Forest. read more

My experience at Sugar Magnolia was comically terrible -- like a dramatic movie that is so incredibly bad it ends up being totally hilarious. I will forewarn you this is going to be a long review but trust me, it will be worth the read. My mother, sister and I arrived to the café and were not greeted by anyone nor were there any signs directing us where to go. We finally meandered up to a counter with a frantic looking woman who asked us our name and walked us to a table. As we were about to sit the owner abruptly walked up explaining that she had written down a 12 party reservation as being only 2 and needed to move our table to make room. Our table was quickly shoved in the corner and when my mom asked if she would be able to sit on the other side so she could look out at the restaurant she was met with a stern "no!" From what we could tell there were four people working: the owner, another woman and two teenagers. It was nearly 20 minutes until the woman approached our table and explained they had 3 types of tea: peach, Caribbean and mint. Now I'm no tea expert but I know enough to know that those are some pretty weird options. I asked what flavor Caribbean was and the woman replied "fruit." When she returned I asked if they had any green or black teas as I knew my mom wasn't a fan of fruit teas. I also figured it wouldn't be a stretch to ask a TEA room if they had some of the most basic teas in existence. Instead of getting a simple no I was told "no we do not, we were trying to give you flavor with your meal." Weird but ok, all of this can still be forgiven. It was nearly 15 more minutes until we finally began to see a large silver bowl circulate. The owner was walking around with a metal mixing bowl filled with raw spinach. Now I love a good spinach salad as much as the next girl but normally there's something more than leaves, leaves and more leaves. Once she finally arrived at our table she began to plop the salad (aka the spinach) down on our plates. As she put it onto mine she exclaimed "oh, I went a little overboard!" She then began to pick the pieces OFF OF MY PLATE and put them back into the bowl. The best part was that she noticed she had dropped a few leaves on the table and must have decided those were good enough for me to have because she one by one picked them up and put them BACK onto my plate. 5 minutes later one of the teenagers arrived at our table and asked if we wanted dressing for our "salads" and it took a lot for me to not reply with "no I always eat my spinach leaves dry". It was another 20 minutes until we began to see tea trays circulate. I had a bad feeling as I scoped out a few of them coming out of the kitchen. Our 3 tier tea tray was set in the middle of our table with the bottom tier consisting of 6 or 7 odd pieces of sandwiches. The middle tier was loaded with sad looking desserts and the top tier sat empty. I'd like to think I'm not overly picky but for what we were paying they could have at least stuck a dang plate with a few cookies or flowers on top. We began to examine the sandwiches further and no one wanted to admit what we were all thinking: they looked disgusting. One of the 3 varieties was a thick wheat bread that had been stuffed with a bright orange pimento cheese which had clearly been sitting out for such a long time that the bread was crumbling and the cheese was crusted. I decided to take one for the team and try the chicken salad croissant. The chicken salad was thin, garlicky and served at room temp. The last "tea sandwich" as they were optimistically called was a turkey and a Kraft single smothered in mayo on what looked to be a Wonder Bread roll. The cherry on top of this entire event, so to speak, truly was the dessert. We all stared at the tray as my mom surprisingly asked "Is that a Little Debbie cake?" Indeed it was. Aside from the Sam's Club brownie bites and Walmart mini cupcakes our "desserts" consisted of leftover Easter bunny Little Debbie cakes that they had no doubt stocked up on during the after Easter sales. We were also provided with a single "brioche cinnamon roll" as they describe it on the menu which in reality was a dried up packaged cinnamon roll that they had gotten in a pack of 30. The best part was that they had topped each item with one single jelly bean which somehow made the tray that much sadder. I looked around to see that some trays had even been topped with a Hostess snowball - the pink dyed coconut was unmistakable. We were preparing to leave when the owner approached our table. My sister kindly pointed out some of the issues we had and instead of an apology we were met with anger and annoyance. She told us that "this is what they have always done" and said that we were the first to ever complain (doubt it). When the Little Debbies were brought to her attention she told us "well it's not like we're a bakery." Looks like all you need to open a restaurant is a Sam's Club membership and a bad attitude. read more

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This place has a lot of potential but is complete cluster. No hostess so you don't know where to sit. Some service is waited, some at the counter but of course no direction on what to do. The few people that did work here ignored us. You know it's bad when I don't order food (it took forever just to get a menu so I figured I would be here all afternoon). My friends made the mistake of ordering food. They waited forever. They ordered the small tea which was supposed to come with a sweet. They forgot so a trip back up to the counter to remind them. They ran out of milk. Back up to the counter again. Very frustrating. I have to say the coffee was good and tea selection amazing but it was all ruined by such crappy organization. Its rare I have to suffer a place so bad. It's not that hard to run a cafe folks. Figure it out. read more

It is a cute little place. Our online reservation was lost, but they were able to set up a table for us when we arrived. We had the Mini Magnolia tea service for my daughter and Carol Ann cafe tea service, with an addition of the scones with Devonshire cream for my MIL and myself. The food was okay. I felt it was overpriced for what was offered, taste was basic, not horrible but not what I was expecting based on other reviews. The scones tasted like baking powder, we could not get through them. The other desserts were okay. Maybe it was an off day for them. Overall it was a cute experience for my daughter, and she enjoyed the quality time. However, for myself, it was not what I expected and I do not think I would return. read more

I took my daughter here for her birthday. We were looking forward to a nice traditional afternoon tea. I am sorry to say that the tea sandwiches were dry and there were too many sweets. I would have preferred the sandwiches to be cut into smaller size pieces with more traditional tea fillings (like cucumbers, or chicken salad for instance), and a soup would have been nice. The restaurant itself is welcoming and the setting is pleasant. I love that they support the local art scene. In fact they have many local crafts here for sale. I think as a cafe, bakery, gift shop, and music hang out, it's great. For tea parties, though, it is disappointing. I won't be taking my daughter here again for the Magnolia tea. read more

Decent local cafe with regionaly themed sandwich and salad options. Manageable portions. Nothing fancy, but great for a quick sit-down lunch. Beer and wine available. read more

What a little gem! Attended the soft opening and this is the start of something special! The mint lemonade was just tart enough and the capresse sandwich was the perfect balance of mozzarella, grape tomatoes and herbs. Delicious! And Robin's chicken salad was equally yummy. Looking forward to dining here for dinner!!! The decor is clean and elegant , quite inviting! Now to hit the gallery downstairs! read more

Sugar Magnolia Cafe - Capresse! YUM - Cafes Near Me - Wake Forest, North Carolina

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