The Complete Guide To Magnolia Market + The Best Breakfast In Waco

In this post, I cover our itinerary for seeing Magnolia Silos efficiently, the best breakfast place to eat, and other notable restaurants to dine at, as well as how to see the city for all its worth!

A trip to Waco, Texas to visit Magnolia is the ultimate girl’s trip! We flew into Austin and drove the short 1.5 hours North to the heart of Chip and Joanna Gaines territory. We were able to take a tour of Waco and learn all about its history as well as see 7 different fixer-uppers from the HGTV show. We got the full experience. See below for all the details and our itinerary! 

Thankfully the winter storm Landon didn’t slow our plans!

Austin 

Before we drove to Waco we wanted to check out Austin, so we drove around to see the University of Texas, downtown, and ate at a really good taco place called Pueblo Viejo. Austin is known for its live music and great food choices so if you have time to check out the best restaurants in Austin:

1.  Franklin Barbecue
2. Joe’s Bakery and Coffee Shop
3. Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ
4.  Julie’s Noodles Food Truck

Popular Restaurants In Waco

Once we had seen enough of Austin we drove North to Waco to check into our hotel and get ready for a fun day at the Silos. When we arrived in Waco we ate dinner at an Italian restaurant called Portofino’s Authentic Italian. 

*Fun Fact+ Side Note: 

The little theater across the street from Portofino’s with the vintage red awning was the movie theatre Elvis Presley would go to when he was stationed near Waco. 

About 2 blocks over in downtown Waco was the old jail where they detained the famous “Clyde” (From Bonnie and Clyde) on two different occasions. 

Other great restaurants in the Waco area that were highly rated with no association with Magnolia:

1. Cupp’s Drive Inn
2. Milo All Day
3. Torchy’s Tacos
4. The Blasian Asian
5. Traditional Vietnamese Clay Pots
6. Union Hall

All About The Silos &  Magnolia

First thing in the morning we went to Magnolia Table which is a few miles away from the Silos themselves (where all the shopping is located). We made sure to get up bright and early and arrived at 7:30 am to get a table.

This is a breakfast and brunch restaurant only. It has delicious food and is worth getting up early for!

The Best Breakfast In Waco

Magnolia Table wins it all. They have the best food in my personal opinion. They also have such a family-friendly ambiance which made me feel comfortable dining there!

PRO TIP: You can make reservations ahead of time (highly recommend) but if they happen to be sold out (which is likely) you can walk up. Make sure to get there early if you don’t have a reservation. They are open from 6:00 am-3:00 pm Monday-Saturday. Everything Magnolia is CLOSED on Sunday.

The breakfast was to die for.

We ordered the Eggs Benedict which comes served over Jo’s famous biscuits, the French toast with Strawberry butter, bacon, and eggs, the breadbasket full of zucchini bread, muffins, and croissants. Also, a few other things that were so tasty. Everything tasted as it came from farm-fresh ingredients.

Highlights Of The Menu:

• Jo’s Biscuits
• Bread Basket
• Farm Eggs Benedict
• Breakfast Tacos
• Breakfast Sandwich
• French Toast Crunch

At The Silos

Once we were finished with breakfast, we headed over to the Silos which open at 9:00 am sharp. We wanted to snag a coffee at the Magnolia Press before getting on our tour bus to learn all about Waco. Inside of the Silos, you will find: 

• · Magnolia Press Coffee Shop
• · Magnolia Home
• · Magnolia Shops (6) 
• · Magnolia Marketplace
• · The Silos Bakery
• · The Old Church
• · The Ball Field
• · Magnolia Seed + Supply
• · Food trucks with many options for dining

Fun Fact: The Old Church had to be 80% deconstructed and re-put back together to get it on the property. It has since been completed and is used for rest, and rejuvenation on the silo grounds.

About Waco Tours: A must for the full experience at Magnolia

After coffee and a tiny bit of peeking around Magnolia Home (which is connected to the coffee shop), we headed over about a block to the Waco Tours center. They have tours at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. 

PRO TIP: This is highly worth the time. It makes your Magnolia experience 100% richer. You understand the city and its history better before diving into Magnolia. I would HIGHLY recommend you take the tour before heading back to the Silos for the day to shop and eat. 

What You Do On The Tour

• See 7 Fixer Upper Homes From Chip + Joanna’s time on HGTV
• See The Original Magnolia location (and get to the shop) at the little shop on Bosque
• Have a scoop of Ice cream from Heritage Creamery or an expresso from Common Grounds (both famous in Waco).
• Visit Harp Design Company where Clint Harp first did all the woodwork and carpentry for Fixer Upper + get to shop at his store.
• Travel around Waco to learn about its history: The tornado that destroyed the town, pivotal statues + structures around the city, the zoo, park, and popular neighborhoods featured on the show.
• Saw the lake and learned about the history of murals in a neighborhood (Doris Miller).
• Drove by the Dr. Pepper factory (where it all started). 
• Took a scenic drive next to the Brazos river to see the Cameron Park zoo
• + so much more

We also learned about great restaurants and boutiques to go to while in Waco. 

Notable mentions for other great shopping

1. Spice Village
2. Harp Design Co.
3. Roots Boutique
4. The Findery

Check out Waco Tours to book with them!

Once the tour was over, we went back to the Silos with about 5 hours to enjoy the full Magnolia experience on the grounds at the Silos before their close time at 6:00 pm. We shopped at the marketplace, seed and supply, little retail shops, and had a wonderful lunch at the Cheddar Box. 

The Boss grilled cheese sandwich full of bacon and gouda was awesome paired with tomato basil soup! 

Of course, no trip to Magnolia is complete without taking some extra time to get a cupcake at the famous Silos Baking Co. We got the shiplap (classic vanilla), lavender lemon, and red velvet cupcake. We also tried out the famous cinnamon rolls! 

Most definitely worth the long line (30-minutes).

Our Day Itinerary

7:30 am: Eat Breakfast at Magnolia Table

9:00 am: Get a coffee At Magnolia Press + Peek around Magnolia Home 

9:45 am: Check-in with our Tour at Waco Tours

10:00am- 12:45pm: The Tour + Shopping

1:00 pm-5:00pm: Head over to the Silos for the Magnolia Experience

5:00 pm: Go about a block over to Spice Village where there are over 70 different vendors (under one roof) for more boutique shopping! 

6:00 pm: Grabbed Dinner next door to Spice Village at Cricket’s Grill and RELAXED!

The next day we drove back to Austin, and we stopped at IKEA on the way to the airport. It is exactly 1 hour south of Waco. It is 30 minutes from the airport right on your way off the freeway.

 We do not have an IKEA where we live so we had to do a loop. Check out my sustainable IKEA haul for some shopping inspiration!

The weekend was packed full of fun, and I would highly recommend a visit! You can do a lot in just one day if you time it right. Please note we left our kiddos at home. This trip/itinerary would have been long for a little one! 

Hope you get to enjoy Magnolia as much as we did!