Came here because they are in a magnificent Bristol Farms at the Spectrum Center Mall. But this vendor's food is decidedly sub par. They appear to be a food court contractor and not actually Bristol Farms.The good... their waffle fries are excellent. They are crispy and very tasty.The bad... their crab cakes are gooey, undercooked limp and kind of gross. If there was crab in there, i could not find it. Their New England clam chowder is watery and tasteless, but it is served in a delicious bread bowl. Not many clams in there but there was a ton of potatoes. Finally, the fish sandwich is a heavy, greasy, mayo fest. Its still repeating on me hours later. Overall, highly disappointing fare that is well beneath the quality I expected from a vendor in a Bristol Farms.
S. m. C. (Sel)
Their food was great, I ordered their Fish Sandwich. But compared to Popeye’s Flounder Sandwich, I would prefer Popeye’s. If I wanted a healthier sandwich, I’d choose Swell Seafood Shack. Their service was slow cause I had to wait a while just to tell them my order & once they got it, they got mine mixed up with someone else’s. I just hope they didn’t throw away my mixed up order since I grabbed it, but didn’t open & eat it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Daryl Merza
Disgusting Connecticut lobster roll for $30 each. 7/9/23. The lobster tasted like it was weeks old and there was hardly any lobster in the sandwich.... for $30 a pop.Stop ripping your customers off with old product and you'll do better.Never again.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Daryl M.
Disgusting Connecticut lobster roll for $30 each. 7/9/23. The lobster tasted like it was weeks old and there was hardly any lobster in the sandwich.... for $30 a pop. Stop ripping your customers off with old product and you'll do better. Never again.
Lauren M.
Good crab cake. Their menu changed, they don't have fried oysters anymore. The hours listed on Yelp and the website are wrong. They close at 7pm, not 10pm. It def inconvenienced me and I've heard others too, that they won't change the hours listed despite being informed about it.
Nuria T.
I have a shrimp allergy but if I have a Benadryl I'm usually fine. I had the shrimp tacos and they were delicious. Definitely worth the allergy even if I didn't have the allergy. Brianna provided me fast service and even tried to convince me to not have the shrimp. Tacos were great size too.
Norma M.
We stopped by Bristol Farms Newfound Market for early lunch last rainy Saturday morning. My husband and I decided to split our orders with 2 establishments. I went with Swell Seafood and ordered a shrimp taco and clam chowder. The good? Clam chowder was decent for the price. The bad? The shrimp taco was just meh. Pretty bland. Now we know better, lol. Next time, we will skip Swell and stick with the amazing scallops and shrimp cake and wild-caught salmon from Bristol Farm's seafood section to cook at home.
Doris L.
Wanted to try one of the food place inside Bristol Market at Irvine Spectrum. Ordered a fish sandwich for $9.99 and a fish taco and shrimp taco for $5.99 each. The food quality is good considering the price you paid for. A good dinner choice for 2 if you want to try fish and shrimp and a healthy dinner. Both tacos and sandwich packed with Cole slaw and sauces were good. With a total of $24 for 2, it's good value for dinner. Will definitely come again to try other menu items.
We were super excited to try the seafood here, unfortunately several of the menu items weren't ready yet. We went with the fish and chips meals, the quality was not great. The fish with soggy, mostly breading. Service was friendly and fast, but we were expecting more in terms of flavor in quality, given the location.
Darrell P.
Note: The chips in their "Fish & Chips", are NOT FRIES but actual potato chips. It is noted on the menu board which I quickly glanced over before placing my order. Menu board: Why would anyone ruin the perfect pairing and IMO, downgrade the traditional dish? (My guess, to save a few $$.) Fish & Chips: Fish & Chips ($12) Served with tartar and cocktail sauce The fish & chips were cooked perfectly, a nice golden brown with just the right amount of flake. The cod was moist, nice and tender. However, there are couple of other things: 1. The fish in their "Fish & Chips" is dusted with a very light coat of cinnamon sugar; which threw the entire flavor profile off from what I was expecting. There is nothing in the menu description stating this @ all. 2. The fish is heavily coated in batter; more coating than actual fish. (It reminds me of the chicken from KFC. The thick, fried batter outweighs the actual meat. M'eh.) Fish to batter ratio: Crispy Calamari ($11) - The squid was cooked nicely but the addition of the kalamata olives and pepperoncini made the dish excessively salty. Again, reminded me of KFC, which I no longer order from. We ate a third of it and ended up tossing the remainder. (Served with caper remoulade & spicy marinara.) Photo: Total: $25 w/tax (Not including tip) Since first stepping foot into BFNM, I now make regular visits for the poke bar. My o'hana hails from Haleiwa; North Shore of O'ahu; plantation life. When you grow up from hanabata days eating poke, poi, and pipikaula; you know what tastes like home... 'And Bristol Farms brings me back to the aina. the lomi-lomi salon poke; ono'licious. ($20/lb) Today was no different; came in for my usual Friday visit to enjoy some ono(delicious), poke but before leaving placed a to-go order @ Swell. I've been curious about the various second party eateries inside Bristol Farm's Newfound Market and thought I'd give the seafood shack a try. When people walk into Bristol Farms, they know that the $$ may be higher but the quality & service is second to none. So, when patrons eat at an independent business inside the new concept market, BFNM; they expect the same. This was not my experience. Overall, Swell was so-so... 'Different is another word I'd use to describe the seafood shack; located inside relatively new concept market. However, different doesn't necessarily equate better or good. (Shrugs) My overall rating was wavering between 2 and 3 Stars but the friendly service I received helped bump it up to the higher rating. I really hope the eatery does well @ this great location and possibly reevaluate the menu. In looking over the feedback from fellow yelp*ers, there seems to be an overall consensus in regard to the shop and its menu items. The owner(s) may do well by heeding some of the very valuable feedback; best wishes! Big Aloha, Bruddah DJ Food: 2 Ambiance: 4 (After all, it's in Bristol Farms Newfound Market!) Service: 3 Value: 3
Nan L.
we thought the clam chowder was actually pretty good; just a bit small. we also ordered the fish n chips and they do come with potato chips and not fries, which is a bit of a bummer + seems cheap the fish batter is uniquely .. thick? but light, however not in the best way. it felt much more like we were eating batter with some fish inside and not the other way around that doesn't mean there isn't potential here though, and so we're looking forward to our next visit to try some other things off the menu. so until next time!
Chau N.
My partner and I ordered a total of 3 items from the menu to try. The Fish & Chips, Fried Oysters, and the Peruvian Ceviche. The fish was crispy on the outside with the perfect tenderness filet on the inside. The menu, however, did not mention that it came with potato chips not french fries so I was disappointed with that. The Fried Oysters wasn't too bad but there was way too much sauce on it that I could not tell if I am really eating oysters because the sauce overpower the taste of the oysters. Finally, the shrimp in the Peruvian Ceviche was stale and again the spices was too much. I'm not sure if this is how Peruvian Ceviche actually tastes like but the dish was hard to enjoy for both me and my partner. We sadly end up throwing the Ceviche away. Overall we were disappointed with the foods but also at ourselves for deciding to ordered at this place even though there were so many other better options available nearby! It's safe to said that we won't be coming back.
CoRy C.
The service here was great. The food was pretty good. We had for a family of four the Lobster Roll (pretty pricey market value that day was $25 for what looked like 1/2 a sandwich with a bag of sour cream chips only to select from), one crab cake for $10, a fish taco $7 , and two bowl of clam chowder with bacon on top $5. Tip: go to the deli selection for the clam chowder for a pint it's $6 way cheaper and twice as much soup. But, our 2nd visit they didn't have the clam chowder and told us we can get it from Swell. So I think other people were doing the same thing as us and stop carrying it because it's the same soup.
Closing 1/31/24
Good spot in Bristol Farms at Irvine Spectrum for
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Came here because they are in a magnificent Bristol Farms at the Spectrum Center Mall. But this vendor's food is decidedly sub par. They appear to be a food court contractor and not actually Bristol Farms.The good... their waffle fries are excellent. They are crispy and very tasty.The bad... their crab cakes are gooey, undercooked limp and kind of gross. If there was crab in there, i could not find it. Their New England clam chowder is watery and tasteless, but it is served in a delicious bread bowl. Not many clams in there but there was a ton of potatoes. Finally, the fish sandwich is a heavy, greasy, mayo fest. Its still repeating on me hours later. Overall, highly disappointing fare that is well beneath the quality I expected from a vendor in a Bristol Farms.
Their food was great, I ordered their Fish Sandwich. But compared to Popeye’s Flounder Sandwich, I would prefer Popeye’s. If I wanted a healthier sandwich, I’d choose Swell Seafood Shack. Their service was slow cause I had to wait a while just to tell them my order & once they got it, they got mine mixed up with someone else’s. I just hope they didn’t throw away my mixed up order since I grabbed it, but didn’t open & eat it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Disgusting Connecticut lobster roll for $30 each. 7/9/23. The lobster tasted like it was weeks old and there was hardly any lobster in the sandwich.... for $30 a pop.Stop ripping your customers off with old product and you'll do better.Never again.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Disgusting Connecticut lobster roll for $30 each. 7/9/23. The lobster tasted like it was weeks old and there was hardly any lobster in the sandwich.... for $30 a pop. Stop ripping your customers off with old product and you'll do better. Never again.
Good crab cake. Their menu changed, they don't have fried oysters anymore. The hours listed on Yelp and the website are wrong. They close at 7pm, not 10pm. It def inconvenienced me and I've heard others too, that they won't change the hours listed despite being informed about it.
I have a shrimp allergy but if I have a Benadryl I'm usually fine. I had the shrimp tacos and they were delicious. Definitely worth the allergy even if I didn't have the allergy. Brianna provided me fast service and even tried to convince me to not have the shrimp. Tacos were great size too.
We stopped by Bristol Farms Newfound Market for early lunch last rainy Saturday morning. My husband and I decided to split our orders with 2 establishments. I went with Swell Seafood and ordered a shrimp taco and clam chowder. The good? Clam chowder was decent for the price. The bad? The shrimp taco was just meh. Pretty bland. Now we know better, lol. Next time, we will skip Swell and stick with the amazing scallops and shrimp cake and wild-caught salmon from Bristol Farm's seafood section to cook at home.
Wanted to try one of the food place inside Bristol Market at Irvine Spectrum. Ordered a fish sandwich for $9.99 and a fish taco and shrimp taco for $5.99 each. The food quality is good considering the price you paid for. A good dinner choice for 2 if you want to try fish and shrimp and a healthy dinner. Both tacos and sandwich packed with Cole slaw and sauces were good. With a total of $24 for 2, it's good value for dinner. Will definitely come again to try other menu items.
Restaurantji Recommends
We were super excited to try the seafood here, unfortunately several of the menu items weren't ready yet. We went with the fish and chips meals, the quality was not great. The fish with soggy, mostly breading. Service was friendly and fast, but we were expecting more in terms of flavor in quality, given the location.
Note: The chips in their "Fish & Chips", are NOT FRIES but actual potato chips. It is noted on the menu board which I quickly glanced over before placing my order. Menu board: Why would anyone ruin the perfect pairing and IMO, downgrade the traditional dish? (My guess, to save a few $$.) Fish & Chips: Fish & Chips ($12) Served with tartar and cocktail sauce The fish & chips were cooked perfectly, a nice golden brown with just the right amount of flake. The cod was moist, nice and tender. However, there are couple of other things: 1. The fish in their "Fish & Chips" is dusted with a very light coat of cinnamon sugar; which threw the entire flavor profile off from what I was expecting. There is nothing in the menu description stating this @ all. 2. The fish is heavily coated in batter; more coating than actual fish. (It reminds me of the chicken from KFC. The thick, fried batter outweighs the actual meat. M'eh.) Fish to batter ratio: Crispy Calamari ($11) - The squid was cooked nicely but the addition of the kalamata olives and pepperoncini made the dish excessively salty. Again, reminded me of KFC, which I no longer order from. We ate a third of it and ended up tossing the remainder. (Served with caper remoulade & spicy marinara.) Photo: Total: $25 w/tax (Not including tip) Since first stepping foot into BFNM, I now make regular visits for the poke bar. My o'hana hails from Haleiwa; North Shore of O'ahu; plantation life. When you grow up from hanabata days eating poke, poi, and pipikaula; you know what tastes like home... 'And Bristol Farms brings me back to the aina. the lomi-lomi salon poke; ono'licious. ($20/lb) Today was no different; came in for my usual Friday visit to enjoy some ono(delicious), poke but before leaving placed a to-go order @ Swell. I've been curious about the various second party eateries inside Bristol Farm's Newfound Market and thought I'd give the seafood shack a try. When people walk into Bristol Farms, they know that the $$ may be higher but the quality & service is second to none. So, when patrons eat at an independent business inside the new concept market, BFNM; they expect the same. This was not my experience. Overall, Swell was so-so... 'Different is another word I'd use to describe the seafood shack; located inside relatively new concept market. However, different doesn't necessarily equate better or good. (Shrugs) My overall rating was wavering between 2 and 3 Stars but the friendly service I received helped bump it up to the higher rating. I really hope the eatery does well @ this great location and possibly reevaluate the menu. In looking over the feedback from fellow yelp*ers, there seems to be an overall consensus in regard to the shop and its menu items. The owner(s) may do well by heeding some of the very valuable feedback; best wishes! Big Aloha, Bruddah DJ Food: 2 Ambiance: 4 (After all, it's in Bristol Farms Newfound Market!) Service: 3 Value: 3
we thought the clam chowder was actually pretty good; just a bit small. we also ordered the fish n chips and they do come with potato chips and not fries, which is a bit of a bummer + seems cheap the fish batter is uniquely .. thick? but light, however not in the best way. it felt much more like we were eating batter with some fish inside and not the other way around that doesn't mean there isn't potential here though, and so we're looking forward to our next visit to try some other things off the menu. so until next time!
My partner and I ordered a total of 3 items from the menu to try. The Fish & Chips, Fried Oysters, and the Peruvian Ceviche. The fish was crispy on the outside with the perfect tenderness filet on the inside. The menu, however, did not mention that it came with potato chips not french fries so I was disappointed with that. The Fried Oysters wasn't too bad but there was way too much sauce on it that I could not tell if I am really eating oysters because the sauce overpower the taste of the oysters. Finally, the shrimp in the Peruvian Ceviche was stale and again the spices was too much. I'm not sure if this is how Peruvian Ceviche actually tastes like but the dish was hard to enjoy for both me and my partner. We sadly end up throwing the Ceviche away. Overall we were disappointed with the foods but also at ourselves for deciding to ordered at this place even though there were so many other better options available nearby! It's safe to said that we won't be coming back.
The service here was great. The food was pretty good. We had for a family of four the Lobster Roll (pretty pricey market value that day was $25 for what looked like 1/2 a sandwich with a bag of sour cream chips only to select from), one crab cake for $10, a fish taco $7 , and two bowl of clam chowder with bacon on top $5. Tip: go to the deli selection for the clam chowder for a pint it's $6 way cheaper and twice as much soup. But, our 2nd visit they didn't have the clam chowder and told us we can get it from Swell. So I think other people were doing the same thing as us and stop carrying it because it's the same soup.