Magnolia South Now Open in Former Mambu Space in Midtown

The former home of Mambu, the popular Midtown restaurant that shuttered nearly two years ago, has a new tenant as Magnolia South, a self-described fine dining restaurant specializing in 'southern cuisine with a twist of French influence,' opened for service earlier today.

Located at 1808 Hayes Street behind The Hutton Hotel, Magnolia South offers up a concise and somewhat familiar menu of salads, appetizers, entrees and desserts. And its interior has been given a bit of a makeover, but will that be enough for it to succeed in a market now seemingly saturated with 'southern' offerings and in a location that has a less-than-stellar recent history? Mambu, which opened in 2001, closed its doors at the end of 2012 and became Rosebud Bistro, which itself closed only five months later.

The restaurant is open seven days a week, serving lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., dinner Monday through Saturday and brunch Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. And if you plan on heading there soon to try it out, do send any first impressions this way.