Banana pudding
The classic banana pudding is the standout order, with reviewers also mentioning gluten-free and seasonal flavour options.
Magnolia Bakery
Dubai Festival City
Magnolia Bakery is a cheerful American bakeshop in Dubai Festival City, with counter service, comfortable seating and a warm café-like setting. The banana pudding is the main draw, while cupcakes and cakes make it useful for casual treats or celebrations.
Reputation Score
4.6
★★★★★
1,468 ratings
Source: Google Maps
The Good Stuff
Cupcakes
Mini cupcakes were described as fresh, attractive and reasonably priced, with a cake board provided for a family celebration.
Cozy setting
The branch has comfortable seating and a home-like atmosphere that suits a relaxed dessert or coffee stop.
Cake selection
Carrot cake and German chocolate cake receive especially strong praise, alongside the bakery’s broader cake range.
Helpful recovery
After a cake-order failure, management arranged delivery within four hours and followed up with an apology.
Breakfast menu
Reviews mention fluffy red velvet pancakes, eggs Benedict and well-seasoned potato cubes as worthwhile non-dessert choices.
What to Eat at Magnolia Bakery How we choose these items We use AI to find praise and criticism of specific foods and drinks in a selection of Google reviews. For Magnolia Bakery, this list is based on 50 reviews, not every review of the restaurant. The score is positive reviews minus negative reviews. For example, two positive reviews and one negative review give +1. Each review counts once per item; neutral comments do not change the score. A zero score is not a positive recommendation. “Only neutral feedback” means there are no positive or negative votes. “Mixed feedback” means equal numbers of positive and negative votes. The quotes are examples of what people said, not every comment we counted. We use different reviews where we can. We normally show up to 10 foods and 5 drinks with non-negative scores. Items with the same score stay together. If a tied group would go past the limit, that group and the lower non-negative scores go into Honorable mentions. If an overflowing positive top tie would leave the list empty, we show up to 10 items from that tie and keep the rest in Honorable mentions. Foods and drinks with a negative score are under What to Avoid. Use this as a guide to what reviewers liked, not a guarantee that you will like it too.
Foods and drinks mentioned in reviews of Magnolia Bakery, ranked by positive reviews minus negative reviews. Zero-score items have no net positive feedback; their labels distinguish neutral-only from mixed feedback.
Food 3
-
Banana pudding Net +12
“At the time, there was an offer on their banana pudding, but honestly, even without a promotion, I would highly recommend it.”
Positive 18Negative 6
Review excerpts
“At the time, there was an offer on their banana pudding, but honestly, even without a promotion, I would highly recommend it.”January 2026
“Pratap was very nice and a genuine person. He was willing to help me pack the banana pudding to bring back to my country. The food was good was aswell. Highly recommended. Magnolia Bakery was lucky to have Pratap.”January 2026
-
Carrot cake Net +5
“Carrot Cake is good too”
Positive 5Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Carrot Cake is good too”October 2025
“I would highly recommend the carrot cake.”July 2025
-
Milk cake Net +3
“Yummy, super popular in new york. Great to have it here in dubai. Milk cake is superb”
Positive 3Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Yummy, super popular in new york. Great to have it here in dubai. Milk cake is superb”February 2026
“We ordered milk cake and banana pudding and hot drinks. They taste great and delicious. Overall experience is awesome!”October 2025
Honorable mentions (10)
-
Cheese sticks Net +1
“The cheese sticks and marinara sauce was good.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The cheese sticks and marinara sauce was good.”May 2023
-
Chocolate cupcake Net +1
“Kids loved the banana pudding, chocolate cupcake and raspberry lemon cheesecake.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Kids loved the banana pudding, chocolate cupcake and raspberry lemon cheesecake.”September 2020
-
Double-layered brownie Net +1
“ordered the double-layered brownie for AED 15. Super tasty. We asked for it hot, but it first came out just warm. The Filipino lady helping us was polite and checked with us, and when we said it wasn’t hot enough, she didn’t just reheat the same piece (which we’d already poked). Instead, she gave us a completely new brownie and warmed it until the chocolate was perfectly melted.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“ordered the double-layered brownie for AED 15. Super tasty. We asked for it hot, but it first came out just warm. The Filipino lady helping us was polite and checked with us, and when we said it wasn’t hot enough, she didn’t just reheat the same piece (which we’d already poked). Instead, she gave us a completely new brownie and warmed it until the chocolate was perfectly melted.”November 2025
-
Eggs benedict Net +1
“The eggs Benedict was excellent, the potato cubes it came with was well seasoned.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The eggs Benedict was excellent, the potato cubes it came with was well seasoned.”May 2023
-
Mini cupcakes Net +1
“I was on a mission for mini cupcakes (fresh + cute + not overpriced) and Magnolia came through.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I was on a mission for mini cupcakes (fresh + cute + not overpriced) and Magnolia came through.”January 2026
-
Pecan bar Net +1
“Delicious carrot cake and pecan bar - not overly sweet. I recommend!”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Delicious carrot cake and pecan bar - not overly sweet. I recommend!”November 2025
-
Raspberry lemon cheesecake Net +1
“Kids loved the banana pudding, chocolate cupcake and raspberry lemon cheesecake.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“Kids loved the banana pudding, chocolate cupcake and raspberry lemon cheesecake.”September 2020
-
Red velvet banana pudding Net +1
“We tried the new red velvet banana pudding, and it tasted so goos! Highly recommend this! Great service from Sam! Delicious banana pudding as always.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“We tried the new red velvet banana pudding, and it tasted so goos! Highly recommend this! Great service from Sam! Delicious banana pudding as always.”January 2025
-
Red velvet cake Net +1
“I ordered a cappuccino with red velvet cake and lotus cheesecake. Though it got too sweet to handle but both the cakes were amazing and tasted so nice. Red velvet cake had oreo crust and whipped cream topping that made it a little rich but that's fine for people with sweet tooth.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I ordered a cappuccino with red velvet cake and lotus cheesecake. Though it got too sweet to handle but both the cakes were amazing and tasted so nice. Red velvet cake had oreo crust and whipped cream topping that made it a little rich but that's fine for people with sweet tooth.”June 2019
-
Red velvet cupcakes with the cream cheese Net +1
“My favorite place for a cup of coffee and some sweets 😍 red velvet cupcakes with the cream cheese, chocolate cakes and parfait pudding are to die for...”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“My favorite place for a cup of coffee and some sweets 😍 red velvet cupcakes with the cream cheese, chocolate cakes and parfait pudding are to die for...”February 2023
Drinks 4
-
Matcha Net +1
“The matcha was decent (7/10), but the service was quite slow and a few items were forgotten.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“The matcha was decent (7/10), but the service was quite slow and a few items were forgotten.”July 2025
-
Spanish iced latte Net +1
“I ordered my ussual spanish iced latte it was the best.”
Positive 1Negative 0
Review excerpts
“I ordered my ussual spanish iced latte it was the best.”August 2025
-
Cappuccino Net 0
Mixed feedback
“To top it all off, their cappuccino is perfectly balanced and complements their delicious desserts.”
Positive 1Negative 1
Review excerpts
“To top it all off, their cappuccino is perfectly balanced and complements their delicious desserts.”July 2025
-
Americano Net 0
Only neutral feedback
“The Americano is average, not exceptional, but suitable for those who prefer a lighter coffee.”
Positive 0Negative 0Neutral 1
Tips for a Better Visit
Check freshness. If ordering banana pudding, check that it tastes fresh and that the wafers or cake layer is not dry or hard.
Ask about offers. Check for promotions before ordering: one reviewer found an offer on the banana pudding, including a reported AED 5 deal.
Verify bookings. For celebration cakes or delivery cupcakes, confirm the branch has the order before relying on the booking.
Allow time. Build in extra time during busy visits, since one review mentions slow service and forgotten items.
Choose lighter sweets. If you prefer less sweetness, ask about options carefully; some reviewers found the classic pudding and cakes quite sugary.
Plan the visit
Practical details
Dubai Festival City, Ground Floor, Festival Square
Al Kheeran - Dubai Festival City, Dubai
| Mon | 8:00 AM – 11:00 PM |
| Tue | 8:00 AM – 11:00 PM |
| Wed | 8:00 AM – 11:00 PM |
| Thu | 8:00 AM – 11:00 PM |
| Fri | 8:00 AM – 12:00 AM |
| Sat | 8:00 AM – 12:00 AM |
| Sun | 8:00 AM – 12:00 AM |
Common Concerns
Sweet desserts
The banana pudding and some cakes can be intensely sweet, so it may not suit lighter dessert preferences.
Quality inconsistency
One visit produced sour-tasting banana pudding, while others reported dry or poorly chilled pudding.
Order problems
Reviews describe a prepaid cupcake delivery that never arrived and a cake booking that was not ready at pickup time.
Slow service
A reviewer reported a long wait, forgotten items and delayed drinks during a dessert visit.
Average coffee
Coffee feedback is mixed: the Americano was called average, and another review described old, cold lattes.
Customer-reported prices
These are customer-reported mentions, not a current price list. Prices may have changed.
AED 15
double-layered brownie
“ordered the double-layered brownie for AED 15”Google review · November 2025
DXB
LOCAL
LOCAL
The Bottom Line
Magnolia Bakery in Dubai Festival City is a counter-service American bakeshop with comfortable seating and a warm, home-like café atmosphere. Most visitors come for the banana pudding, but the display also gives you plenty of reason to browse: mini cupcakes, carrot cake and German chocolate cake are all mentioned favourably. Breakfast is another option, with reviews calling out fluffy red velvet pancakes and eggs Benedict.
The classic banana pudding is the signature order, and some reviewers mention gluten-free and other flavour variations. It is also a dessert that divides opinion. Several people love it, while others find it extremely sweet; one review described sour, seemingly unfresh pudding, and another complained about a dry, hard layer.
Checking freshness is sensible, particularly if you are buying takeaway. The setting works well for a family birthday or a relaxed coffee-and-cake stop. Staff are often described as welcoming, and one cake-order problem was eventually resolved with delivery within four hours.
Still, service and fulfilment have not been flawless: reviews mention forgotten items, delayed drinks, a missed prepaid cupcake delivery and a cake not being ready at pickup. Coffee is generally acceptable rather than the main attraction, and prices are viewed as reasonable by some but high by others.