The Swamp Restaurant

We were so excited to eat here with its cute charm and potential! Appetizers were great, we had hummus and artichokes. However, that is when our service declined. Our waitress did not come back until 45 minutes later to ask if we wanted refills, which of course, and said our food would be right out. We gave them grace because it is graduation, however after watching the 6 tables after us receive their food, our waitress was still nowhere to be found. After 2 hours, she finally came back and said oh just another minute and let us know the sides we ordered were actually not available. 20 minutes after that we finally received our food. The wrap had barely any chicken in it, the burgers were burnt, and the rice bowl was cold. Burgers would have been decent if I could have had some sauce, but the waitress never came back. After watching her check on every table and ignore us, we decided to just not eat the rest. Finally we received our check, after the waitress was all over another customer. We asked her to stay because it had been hours. Definitely one of the worst dining experiences we have ever had and disappointed because of the potential this place had.

I had SUPER high expectations for the swamp. Unfortunately they were not exceeded. I had a party of 3, the host sat us down at a table and was not greeted for almost 10 minutes. Server stated she did not know she got sat. Ordered a drink, I had to remind the server and she told me the bar printer was not working. (I’m a server so I have heard this excuse many times). It took about 20 minutes for a cocktail. Food came out cold and burnt attached pictures below. There was also a weird smell when entering the restaurant. The pile of dirty rags just chilling on the floor probably contributed to that. I still tipped over 20% but I won’t be coming back.

They done a beautiful job as far as replicating the old swamp restaurant, spacious, Florida feel. I was so excited to finally eat there because it was my tradition on game days to have some swamp juice and Gator nuggets. I went the day after game day and it was busy but not excessively as there were Empty Tables available however we had a 30 minute wait. Went to the bar to get a drink and it took the entire 30 minutes to get the attention of the two bartenders. Two young girls that appear to be fairly Clueless much unlike the bartenders working there in the past that were so fast and efficient. They would not make eye contact because they knew we were waiting which was aggravating. They should have at least acknowledged so that we knew they would get to us. Ordered my usual swamp juice and it was not at all like it always had been. She missed entire ingredients. It tasted like banana syrup. We took a table outside and they’re beautiful Courtyard which houses a large TV with football on. It took some time before a waitress came out and took our order. We ordered chips and queso to come out first it took about an hour for it to arrive along with our ice water. We were nursing the one drink we had ordered knowing we would not get another one anytime soon. I was able to get the waitress to bring us a glass of ice and I walked out to my car and grabbed a couple of white claws out of my own cooler so we would have another beverage while we waited. The food arrived and was very good. My friend ordered the Smashburger and I ordered the chicken quesadillas. They had a limited Game Day weekend menu so not very many items to choose from and no Gator nuggets on the menu which was disappointing. I was told after the fact did they had gator and I could have ordered but there’s no indication on the menu and not much communication. The queso for the chips is a touch on the spicy side just an FYI. I didn’t expect it but it was still pretty good. We were there for approximately 3 hours just order one drink and simple food. Multiple tables around us were full of dirty dishes from guests that had left no one came to clear one table the entire time we were out there. Another table full of guests that were having drinks got up and walked out and their food arrived 2 minutes later. They had gotten tired of waiting. They are severely understaffed unfortunately. I feel like if they were able to find enough help that things would go better. And I definitely need to get some bartenders that know how to make drinks and can work quickly. I ordered two of their signature drinks and it took more than 5 minutes for her to make them. That is pure insanity. I will return and hopefully they will have ironed out their issues

I went to the swamp restaurant with my friends for Sunday night football and to have some dinner. The food was incredible. I would recommend you try the appetizer buffalo chicken dip! It had a nice spicy kick to it and was also very creamy and rich in flavor. The restaurant itself also has a great vibe to it! The outdoor patio with the giant tv screen is my favorite spot.

I went to the grand opening, and the following two days because I really liked the atmosphere that was provided from the old place. I really enjoyed my first two nights and probably spent closer to $200 having fun with the bar staff. Couldn’t recommend that part of the bar more. Now I understand it’s still a new location and there’s always growing pains, but my experience on the third night wasn’t the best.

I had been recommending this place to everyone I know because i loved it and so a couple friends really wanted to check it out with me. The night started by walking in around 8:45 and heading to the bar to grab a drink, I knew I would want food so at around 8:50 I asked if I could place a reservation on a table if that was even a possibility and there happened to be one available to our luck. We sat down at the table and were handed menus which I was really excited to try the Freshman 15. We waited for about 25-30 minutes without anyone saying hello and next thing we know, the hostess who originally seated us came back to tell us the kitchen was closed (can’t blame the messenger). She took our menus away at which point we decided it was probably time to leave.

I gotta say, I really wasn’t super happy with that first impression to the people I was talking so highly about this place to. I personally will be returning, but I can’t say the same for them. I’ve heard a couple of people that also went have had somewhat similar experiences.

All I have to say is that I hope they resolve this issue relatively quickly as I’d love to see this restaurant last as long as the old one did and become a new popular spot.