Swensen's started out as an ice cream shop in San Francisco USA back in 1948. Their ice cream became popular across America. Over the years, Swensen's developed into a chain of family-friendly casual dining restaurants with a wide variety of hearty food, desserts, and beverages.
First Impressions
Swensen's frontage is a homage to their roots that is why they have an ice cream bar where customers can come and buy a scoop or two of their favorite frozen desserts.
Their interiors have a contemporary design with beautiful Tiffany-style lamps at the overhead of each communal table. It gives a warm and pleasant atmosphere.
The Staff
Swensen's dining area was full when we arrived and we have to queue in the waiting area. Then the server approached us to confirm if we are a party of five and handed a menu for us to look at while waiting.
It was a long 15-minute wait before we were accommodated and the same server ushered us to our seats. And since we already decided on what food we wanted, we ordered right there and then.
What we like about our server is that she apologized for our long wait and she still recommends better offers for us to consider despite having our orders ready.
The Service
We were very satisfied with the service rendered to us. Despite the long wait because of too many customers in queue, the management and crew were able to manage the crowd in an orderly fashion.
The food was served reasonably fast, this means, even their kitchen crew are on their toes to keep up with the high customer demand.
The Food
For starters, we ordered the Creamy Mushroom which is a soup made with fresh Shiitake and button mushrooms. What makes it unique is that it was served in a sourdough bread bowl.
The creamy soup was served warm and you can savor the richness of the mushroom flavor. Even the sourdough bread which we cut with our fingers bit by bit tasted awesome when dipped into this flavorsome soup.
Creamy Mushroom
For our next appetizer, we had the Buckaroo Wings. These chicken wings were so crispy and were bursting with juices with every bite. It was very tasty and when dipped with their special pineapple BBQ dip the fusion of flavors and spices were finger-licking.
Buckaroo Wings
Now comes our mains. Swensen's Beef Lasagna is a bit different compared to other lasagnas we tried before. Why? Because in between the layers of pasta there were generous amounts of spinach. So it was like lasagna with vegetables.
There were thick spreads of minced beef between the layers which were very juicy. The rich and tangy tomato sauce at its base complements the overall succulent taste of this dish. Slice a portion and drizzle with tomato sauce for that truly delectable taste.
Beef Lasagna
My son loves cheeseburgers and Swensen's Double Cheese Beef Burger truly satisfied his cravings for one.
The double-decker beef patties were very moist and juicy and oozing with melted cheddar cheese. When sliced you see the beef juices coming out. Dressed with special sauce and fresh tomatoes with crisp lettuce. Served with French fries and coleslaw.
Double Cheese Beef Burger
Those who cannot have dinner without rice will love their Chicken Baked Rice. The savory white rice was topped with tender breaded chicken and baked together with lots of cheese and special white sauce. You can smell the cheesy goodness and the aroma or the white sauce that lingers in every mouthful of this delicious baked rice.
Chicken Baked Rice
The desserts were just amazing especially the presentation and they were heavenly treats.
I personally liked The Rock, which was inspired by Alcatraz Island at San Francisco Bay in the USA. It was served with dry ice at the base plate to create a sea fog similar to that of the Alcatraz.
It comes with three scoops of delightful Swensen's ice cream flavors - Hazelnut, Cookies 'N' Cream, and Rocky Road. Garnished with oozing hot caramel, cocoa pops, marshmallow sauce, whipped cream, and crispy wafers.
The Rock
Swensen's Banana Split also has three scoops of creamy ice cream flavors like Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry sandwiched between fresh halves of banana and drizzled with rich and sweet chocolate fudge, strawberry fudge, and pineapple puree. And finally topped with whipped cream, sliced almonds, chocolate sprinkles, red cherry, and a wedge of sugar wafer.
Swensen's Banana Split
Our Take
Swensen's is a great place to treat your family to a wide spread of western cuisine and of course, ice cream.
Operations
They are open daily from 11:30 AM until 10:30 PM. They accept all major credit cards, NET, and cash payments.
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