TV Restaurants

Is Magnolia Cafe Still Open? Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Update

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 5 Austin, Texas

Current status

Open

As of October 2026, Magnolia Cafe is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed September 8, 2026.

What the source shows: Magnoliacafeaustin.com and Yelp (Sept 2026 update, 2,032 reviews) confirm the South Congress location continues operating; the 2020 Lake Austin location closure remains historical and unrelated. How we decide a status →

What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives? 2 episodes

Part 1 — Season 5, Episode 3 Aired

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives featured Magnolia Cafe in Austin, Texas, for the episode "Not What You'd Expect," which aired 2008-11-24, spotlighting the Tex-Mex and breakfast menu at this South Congress Avenue cafe. According to Wikipedia (revised 2026-07-11), Magnolia Cafe opened in 1979 on Lake Austin Boulevard as Omelettry West, became Magnolia Cafe during 1986-1987, and opened a second location on South Congress Avenue in 1988; the Lake Austin location closed during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. According to the restaurant's website (magnoliacafeaustin.com), last modified within a day of the 2026-09-08 check, the South Congress page reads "Yes, We're Open!" and lists hours of Monday through Wednesday 7 am to midnight. Wikipedia also reports the South Congress location now runs reduced hours compared with its formerly 24-hour schedule.

Part 2 — Season 43, Episode 16 Aired

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: Triple D Nation revisited Magnolia Cafe in Austin, TX in the check-in episode "Triple D Nation: Beef It Up", which aired October 16, 2026, with Guy Fieri returning for its garden enchiladas and shredded beef queso, according to Food Network's recipe pages for both dishes.

The episodes Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Episode 3
Aired
Title: Not What You'd Expect · What was featured: Tex-Mex and breakfast dishes at a South Congress Austin cafe
Season 43, Episode 16
Aired
Title: Triple D Nation: Beef It Up · What was featured: Its garden enchiladas and shredded beef queso · Role: Return visit

Synopsis (foodnetwork.com) : Guy returns to an Austin institution known for garden enchiladas, a family-run Reno barbecue joint with meatloaf and pork spare-rib sandwiches, and a New Orleans landmark serving stuffed eggplant and catfish.

How Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

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Season 5: 26 of 39 still open · 1 renamed, moved or under new owners

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Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources we checked 4 references

  1. magnoliacafeaustin.com https://www.magnoliacafeaustin.com/
  2. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_Cafe
  3. foodnetwork.com https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/garden-enchiladas-23006321
  4. foodnetwork.com https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/shredded-beef-queso-23006320
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Record ddd-0171 · checked by Cal Marchetti.