Magnolia Bakery & Starbucks Reserve opens in Sec 42 Gurugram
Straight from New York. It became famous due to its global brand recognition, iconic New York-style desserts (especially the banana pudding and cupcakes), its launch creating massive social media hype with viral queues . Its arrival marked a significant entry into North India, drawing huge crowds eager to try classic American baked goods.
Magnolia Bakery has multiple owners/leaders, with Bobbie Lloyd as the long-standing CEO & Chief Baking Officer for the global brand, while Zonu Reddy and Nischay Jayeshankar brought the franchise to India, operating under a partnership. The brand was originally founded by Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey, gaining fame in the early 2000s. The brand, famous from New York’s Bleecker Street and pop culture, arrived in Delhi-NCR, creating instant excitement.
We visited there and tried their famous Tres Leche and the Classic Banana pudding. The desserts are on the expensive side while the taste is average. I found it to be overhyped. It’s self service and the time we reached around 10.30 pm there was a huge queue waiting. It took us about 15 minutes of wait to be seated
Opening hours - 12 noon to 11 pm daily
Starbucks first reserve store in North India has opened in Gurgaon. Marking Starbucks India’s 500th store. Step in and the vibe hits instantly. Warm woods a stunning slow bar and brewing techniques that feel like pure coffee artistry.
Starbucks Reserve is special for offering the world’s rarest, most exceptional coffees, roasted in small batches at immersive Roasteries, hence the name ‘Reserve’ creating an artisanal coffee experience with unique brews, cocktails, and food, pushing the boundaries of coffee craft beyond standard Starbucks offerings. On the other hand it is quite expensive as compared to the regular Starbucks.
It’s a lovely outlet quite spacious. We tried their hot coffee Bianca Fiat white and cold brew with vanilla flavour. The coffees weren’t good. Very different taste and quite expensive. The food is also average. The cheese and onion spiral was ok and not filling at all. Paneer bun was average.
Staff is friendly and open to feedback. On sharing our feedback with the manager, he got fresh coffees for us plus a sandwich. This time the coffees & food were better. He ensured a happy customer leaving his store.
Opening hours - 8 AM till 11 pm daily
Wheelchair accessibility- Yes
Paid parking available
This is also my entry to the #goodmorningtable challenge hosted by myself @shalz
