Just...Wow: The Robinsons Magnolia Mall in Quezon City

Although it opened to the public sometime in mid-2012, I was only able to check out the new Robinsons Magnolia mall (located at the corner of Aurora Boulevard and Hemady Street near New Manila in Quezon City) just earlier today. Since it opened, I've been wanting to check the place out as it is much talked-about online (through blog posts I've read) as well as on posts by my contacts on my social networking accounts. These positive reviews really got me curious, and my curiosity was finally satisfied earlier today. 

We had just entered the parking lot and I couldn't help but be impressed already. The basement parking area is spacious and well-lit, and finding a vacant parking space wasn't really much of a problem. It was very orderly and it was pretty easy to navigate. The ramp leading to the parking area was quite wide, too.

We entered the mall via the Food Court entrance and my first reaction: wow. The whole place looked clean, airy, and spacious, and that goes for the whole mall, too. It didn't really look like your typical mall food court--the Robinsons Magnolia food court was very orderly and didn't look cluttered at all. I think the white paint as well as the shiny, white floor tiles helped in giving the place a sense of spaciousness. 

The food court

As we made our way up the escalator to the ground floor, we were once again impressed by what we saw. At that point, I came to the conclusion that Robinsons Magnolia was not your typical Robinsons Mall. Robinsons Malls usually cater to the middle-to-low end market, since they compete with SM whose malls also cater to the same market. I noticed, however, that Robinsons Magnolia attracted the same type of crowd you'd usually see in upscale malls like Shangri-la Plaza in Mandaluyong or Power Plant Mall in Makati. 

All. That. Space. 

The mall wasn't really very crowded, even on a Saturday

The mall has a pretty good mix of stores, from local brands like Oxygen, Bench, and Penshoppe, to foreign brands like Cotton On, Muji, Gap, Fred Perry, and Mango, among others. There are also other vacant spaces and other stores that are still about to open. It's pretty clear that Robinsons Malls really aims to attract the upper market, judging by the brands they carry. 

Ford Mustang cars on display at the mall's atrium

A closer look at the car

There also a number of pretty good restaurants here, from casual fastfood places to the more upscale ones. There are just so many to choose from! Aside from the ones right inside the mall, you might also want to check out the Al Fresco area (facing the garden) for more restaurants that might interest you. Some of the dining places I saw at the mall (both inside and at the Al Fresco area) include Jamba Juice, Krispy Kreme, UCC Park Cafe, Claw Daddy's, Pepper Lunch, Yabu, and SumoSam. I was also happy to see that my favorite Filipino restaurant, Mesa, will also be opening a branch here soon. For a snack, you might want to visit the Magnolia Flavor House at the garden, which I'll be blogging about next.

For those who don't know, the mall is called Robinsons Magnolia because it is located at the site of the old Magnolia Ice Cream Factory. The factory was a frequent host to students on an educational field trip, as well as a place for friends and dating couples to hang out, because of the Magnolia Ice Cream Parlor at the site. The factory closed down and was transferred somewhere else about a decade ago (I think), and the land was purchased by Robinsons, which they transformed into a mall and condominium (the Magnolia Residences, which is still under construction). 

Another view of the atrium area. I really like the floor design, as well as the chandeliers.  Very classy.

The al fresco dining area

The garden, with a view of the Magnolia Residences which is still under construction

The cinema area

How soon is "soon"?

The mall is well lit and airy, which helps in giving it an overall sense of spaciousness

I was definitely very impressed with this mall. If you're the type of person who would prefer malls that are less crowded, then this mall is a good alternative to other not-so-crowded upscale malls like Shangri-la Plaza. There is a good selection of stores and restaurants that would appeal to anyone, and I would say that this place is really very promising. As of the moment, however, there are still some vacant retail spaces, and there are still some stores and restaurants that haven't opened yet. But still--kudos to Robinsons Malls! I will definitely be back.

(Robinsons Magnolia is located at Aurora Boulevard corner Dona Hemady Street in Quezon City. The mall is open from 10am-9pm from Sundays to Thursdays, and at 10am-10pm every Friday and Saturday. For more information, please visit http://www.robinsonsmalls.com/malls_magnolia.php)