Went for lunch just before Christmas, to begin with we were seated outside (our choice) but after being left with the menu for half and hour we were deciding to leave, however we asked to be seated inside which we were with no problem and eventually we ordered. The food was fine but clearly the front of house staff had no clue about what they were doing, very sad when this is such an awesome location.
Would go back if not in any hurry.

I feel we need to let you know of the events of our dreadful experience we endured at Swell
We dined in your establishment on Friday the 30-12-2011
Table of 3 : First person arrives just before 7 pm the rest arrived at 7.15pm.
The waitress, coming over to our table to take our drinks order (We all thought this was a good start to a good night , but this was where it ended ) The young lady came back to see if we were ready to order, we asked if they had specials ,she then advised us of them, quickly flowed by the same young lady informing us “THE CHEF WANTS TO KNOW IF YOU ARE READY TO ORDER AS YOU ARE THE LAST TABLE “ this is when we should have got up and left but, but we stuck it out ( Bad choice on our behalf )We then placed our order with the young lady , during this time some other potential dinner guests tried to come in for dining only to be told you can only have desert or something from the cabinet, this is at 7.45/8.00pm. When the waitress came back to give us the cutlery she made some comment about the STUPID napkins “her word’s not ours” and that unfortunately they have to be used up. She may have been trying to make light of the banging and crashing coming from the kitchen, we then asked is all that banging and crashing due to the fact we are holding your chef up!. She replied NO that just what he does. Shortly after this one of the kitchen workers stamped his way through the restaurant complaining vocally to the waitresses about the sign at the gate and whether it had been taken in or not – he then stamped down the path to check this making it clear to anyone in the restaurant by his maner that they were inconveniencing everyone by being there.
During this time we had all finished our drinks and wear not offered another, when our meals arrived and were dumped in front of us we were still not asked if we would like anything to drink.
Two of us had the Steak Special & the 3rd person had the chicken burger. The food was fine , The Steak was very over priced for what you got and even your waitress said $31.00 didn’t sound like a Special and the Chef forgot the Chives for the mash (just a small thing).
Once the waitress cleared our plates she then asked if any of us would like any Coffees as we are closing the coffee machine now.
We were not even asked if we would like to see a dessert menu so we guessed that it must be swells way of asking you to LEAVE.
We then paid the bill and went to McDonalds for dessert 100% better Service
We all work in the Tourism/ hospitality industry and we found the Service we received from your staff appalling , St Clair is a Lovely place for a meal but we will not be back any time soon to swell

Great location beautiful views, although service and food is below average.

The coffee was the highlight of our experience, although still not near the standards it should be.

Food was a real let down, menu limited and elements of our meals uneatable.

Service was rushed and it was obvious that the staff needed some direction. Some simple instructions on the basics of service would be a start….

It seemed the duty manager was on the coffee machine… Our advice would be to hire a barista who can handle busy service, and let the manager then run the restaurant correctly.

We will not return.

I feel that this place could be worth more of a star rating but had to mark it down for the service received on the day. Ordered eggs benedict, bacon and poached eggs, hot chocolate and cappucino. The food was pretty good (if the bacon a little too salty and overdone), but other cafes with similar portions and quality price them cheaper. Also not a lot a variety for breakfast menu. The worst thing was that it took almost as long to get our drinks as it did to get our food, which is bad in my opinion. They weren’t that busy, but I suppose the breakfast rush necessitates more hot drinks. Even so, should get another barrista if expecting rush perhaps….

Have been here several times before and always loved it. Went this morning for brunch and was disappointed to find the menu had changed and my favourite pancakes were no longer available! The service was slow, although the food was delicious when it finally arrived. While the view remains unbeatable, I would think twice before heading back to Swell.

staff were freindly. food was good but a bit pricey for what you got

Stopped here for coffee and a snack during the St Clair surfing competition on Sunday. Great location and view. Real friendly wait staff and best coffee we’ve had on our South Island trip. You guys rock!

Omg well what can I say… By far the worst resturant I’ve ever been to. The pastie my friend ordered was ridiculously hard….needed some serious biceps to cut through to the filling. And I think beetroot relish implies something more than shredded beetroot. But as a saving grace the service was fantastic even with complaints of the meal. Kudos to the waitress she saved my very small opinion of this restaurant.

A great semi-formal cafe/restaurant. Nice meals, huge bowl of french fries for starter! Lovely deserts (the choc brownie is very recommended!). Staff were quite friendly and helpful. Overall a pleasant eating experience, with views that would be hard to beat anywhere in the World!

My friend and I go to Swell every week either for a meal or just a nibble with our coffee and every week we have the best of service and the best food. Staff are always friendly and helpful and we never have to wait for service. Sure, some staff are not so professional but give them a break, they might be learning the job like you did one day! This is a great place with an awesome view and awesome food and coffee! Keep it up Swell!

Wow! the food has gone down hill at this place. $17.00 for two over poached eggs, dry muffin and some scraps of bacon!. Had to ask for condiments twice, by the time they arrived breakfast was cold…..

Disappointed – I live very close to the Esplanade and we dine at one of the restaurants weekly. 3 times now we have been to swell and just get worse service each time. This time we walked out after waiting for 55 mins for a bowl of fries and still no drink. Our order was taken as we were seated but then forgoten about. I recommend the staff take the time to visit star fish, salt and the Esplanade to see what great service is. It seems to me the management are happy to rely on the café’s location alone for business.

Went for Brunch – disappointed!! Long wait – food was cold and when we told the waiter, he advised he would go and talk to the kitchen staff and he never came back. Been twice now and disappointed both times

Had lunch with a friend on 2 October and we were less than impressed. The wait staff were inattentive and forgetful, the place looked like it needed a good clean and the food was average at best. I had the lamb salad and pondered whether the meat was actually schnitzel as it was overcooked, fatty and chewy. My friend had the burger and wasn’t singing its praises either. The highlight of our meal was the wine. We won’t be going back. Very disappointing given the fantastic view.

Heather

I am as laid back as you come, but I am irritated enough to review this cafe. Something I have NEVER done before. Twice I have dined at Swell, and twice I have been disappointed. My first meal at Swell brought me vegetable soup that tasted like my grandmothers bland, overcooked veggies. Nothing but water and veg…no herbs or flavour. It was Valentines Day, so chaos was inevitable, but the service was very poor all the same.

Last night was my second visit to Swell. We were a party of 7, out for a friends birthday. We arrived a few minutes late, but we sat for nearly 30 before a waitress came to take our orders. Drink orders were taken right when we arrived, but noone checked to see if we needed top ups the entire time we were there, which was nearly 3 hours. We had to either make eye contact with the waitress, who seemed to be roaming aimlessly a lot, or get them ourselves. Starters came swiftly and all was cleared well enough, but the cutlery and napkins that were taken away were never replaced, which made it a bit tricky for those who had steaks to eat without a knife.We were not checked on or asked if we needed anything the entire time we were there.

Dessert was painful. Half hour wait to receive menus after mains were cleared and another twenty to thirty before our orders were taken. We could have gone home and baked a bloomin’ cake in that time.

I will not be going back to Swell if I can help it. The fact that we were there for 3 hours was a bit of a joke. The waitress we had was very sweet, but obviously unskilled. The food was nice, buy overpriced for what you receive. Nobody asked how the meal was. Are they afraid of the answer? As a local to this area I think I will be sticking to Starfish Cafe or The Esplanade. I can have prompt service and get a takeaway coffee to go and see the view that Swell provides. Of course, that is only if you are lucky enough to sit at the front of the restaurant! Sorry Swell Cafe, but think you need to get good old Gordon Ramsay in there! He will set you straight.

was out there for t 2 weeks ago, i had the chowder followed by the salmon, the mussels in the chowder still had hairs on them, and the fish had bones, as for the salmon it was poorly fillited and still had bones all through it and it was under cooked in middle, i would not return there, as for the wait staff they were polite but spent most of the night just standing around talking, this was over all poor food, and i would expect better from some where surrounded by such great competitiors

When they opened under first owner, service and food were OK, and I loved them. But, recently my friends and I were so disappointed by poor service, a waitress was talking talking … to other guest, then she totally forgot our order. Chocolate mud cake had a hard shell, we didn’t know how did eat it. with fork? no way, with knife? NO NO. we nearly crushed plate to eat it. She brought a cappuccino to me even I ordered Mocha. And she said to me “you said cappuccino” satirically. Ha-ha! NO excuse please. We ordered 3 different drink and cake, so she did not remember them. Use docket. Horrible service, unprofessional food. Oh just one thing, view was great!!

The worst dining experience we have ever had. My ravioli was dry to the point of being hard and crunchy and I actually injured my mouth attempting to eat it. The tiny amount of vile sauce added insult to injury. The pie crust on my partner’s dish was hard and dry as well. He didn’t escape injury either. The inside of said pie was full of some watery substance that shall forever remain nameless. There was no flavour to any of the food whatsoever – not even salt. The vegetables were overcooked and mushy except the peas, which were still frozen and crunchy. My partner and I have agreed never to recall this experience again. I guess this review is a form of catharsis for me.

Ok, I’m a local so I like to support local business and because Swell is relatively new I’ve given them the benefit of the doubt but I’ve now given Swell three chances and on each of the three occasions I have had a terrible time.

You would think a place would improve with time but I have found the exact opposite to be true. The interior decor is bland and impersonal and almost seems unfinished. The view is hardly visible from anywhere except the few front tables. We’ve waited ages to be seated and served, busy or slow, and the food is absolutely terrible. The worst by a country mile has to be the french toast. How hard is it to cook french toast through?

Complaints about the food have got us nowhere. The staff member we asked about the french toast stared at us blankly before simply walking away. I was so gob-smacked I didn’t know what to do.

I can tell you with absolute conviction I will never be back and will warn everyone I meet away from the place.

Went to Swell cafe last Sunday for lunch. Ordered the Swell burger. It was very tasty and full of flavour. The staff were friendly and helpful and happily changed the ingredients in my order to suit my needs. Awesome veiws of the ocean, nice and relaxing atmosphere. Would definetely reccommend to go there.

Went to Swell one busy Sunday lunch.The service was great,the meals excellent. We will definately be going back, Keep it up Swell.

Arrived at the Restaurant as a group of 6 at around 1300. The restaurant certainly wasn’t busy when we arrived for our lunch. We were greeted by a Polish waitress, whom was the Manager as we found out.
We asked to sit outside and were duly lead to our table overlooking the beach. I must admit that it was beautiful.

Like reviews before we waited & waited & waited until we were given the menus (10min), the waitress was quite pleasant, food & drinks were ordered. Drinks were bought out quickly which was fantastic.

Our food started arriving, but due to the total incompetence of the wait staff, 2 of us never received our meals due to the food going to the wrong table. The silly thing was the waitress who took our orders was the same person who delivered the food. After several minutes I got up to find out where the remaining 2 meals were, all I got was a confused blank look, and got a reply of what meals! After giving a straight short sharp answer the food magically appeared on the pass, then told my risotto was there, funny thing was I never ordered this. Again I got confused looks. I asked for the bill, which was wrong, 2 beers had been added to the account which were never ordered. Our party then started to get harassed by the Manager who didn’t have a clue what was going on. She was told to go away until we had checked the bill.

The Manager was summoned & told what happened, no apology from her as she was totally incompetent & clueless. The whole experience was disgusting, & as we were leaving the Manager chased us down the path still making excuses & trying to offer us a voucher. She was duly told where to put the voucher as there was no way in this life I would eat there!

I would not recommend anyone to eat here for obvious reasons. If this was my restaurant the Manager would be getting the bums rush!I do not tolerate crap service or incompetence especially when it’s not busy!!!!

i think the swells barista nicole produces the best quality coffee ive had in a long time, always cheerful with a big grin and awsome quality coffee, however the manage from a different country was quite rude and did not smile, i think the food is average and as they say it’s better to get more for less.
great veiws awsome layout but staff could improve on customer service and their smiles

well done guys

We recently had a family meal together at Swell and the lovely beach-side location really made the experience thoroughly enjoyable. We were served almost immediately by a lovely Polish waitress and was constantly waited on for the rest of our meal. They had recently changed menus, and as I had been before I was delighted to try the lamb cutlets, which were succulent but I do recommend buying a side of vegetables with your main.

Had a great night at swell last night sharing a few beers with a mate and listening to cool live jazz music. We went down for the location but found the atmosphere and service were great.

Spot on guys we will be back

I found this place was very lovely, the food was great and they had a good variety. However, I found the service to be lacking. I felt like an inconvenience to the wait staff, the person who my fiance and I were served by was rude and abrupt and did not even smile. The food was slow to come out, with a table who ordered after we did to be served before we were. Friends of mine who have also been here felt the same, that the food was lovely but they would not return due to the unfriendliness of the staff.

There for sisters birthday lunch on glorious Dunedin day, lovely sheltered seat in the sun, beautiful salmon, reasonable price, excellent service. Have been back many times since.

Great food. Great service. Give it a go:-)

The service was the worst I have seen. It took 20 mins to get a menu then a further 25mins to get our drinks. The main was under cooked and when drinks arrived they were the wrong ones. The manager didn’t say sorry and didn’t seemed interested. Not worth trouble in going to eat there, I won’t be back.

I decided to give swell another try after last time when i had the pie (?). I have to say i was a little disappointed. I had the fish and chips – two small pieces of battered fish with cheap supermarket chips. The apricot slice was inedible. Most of it was icing sugar for a start. Will not be back!

What waste,awful service, food lacks flavour and style, coffee over extracted and scorched milk,the only positive is the view…however if they had anything to do with that, it would be ruined to.Sorry its just not worth a visit.

So awful was my experience at Swell, that I feel compelled to write a review – something which I would not usually take the time to do. Once seated, we waited almost thirty minutes for staff to attend to our table, before giving up and going in search of our own menus. The waitress seemed more content to roam up and down the room, seemingly oblivious to our constant attempts to gain her attention. I had to go out of my way to ask said waitress if she would take a coffee order (which she subsequently screwed up in her pocket and claimed she had lost some twenty minutes later when asked to check on the drinks – which had still not arrived). She made no apology for the latter. We cleared our own table, taking empty plates to the servery, so as to make room for the remainder of our meal. Having witnessed this, the same waitress seemed unperturbed and did not make any attempt to clear the rest of the plates at our table. This was without doubt, the worst service I have ever encountered. Unfortuantely, the food did not make up for the latter. When it came time to pay, no enquiry was made as to whether we enjoyed our meals, nor were we thanked for dining at Swell. Suffice to say, we will not be dining there again.

Actually, this cafe doesn’t accept bookings unless you are a group of eight or more. Poor, when it is for a special occasion and you can’t take chances.

I went to Swell having heard nothing really about it but loving the look of the place and location. I took my wife and stepdaughter along for brunch.
The service was great, the meals excellent ( the french toast is a must have!!), the atmosphere inviting and the view to die for. The price was very reasonable indeed for the quality of the food. We will definately be going back for more!! FANTASTIC!! Keep it up Swell.

went out for lunch the service was excellent wait staff came up twice and asked if everything was ok the food was wonderful will be going back maybe for an evening meal
keep it up have told friends about the place at work

went to swell for a quick lunch ordered fries cheese roll and two drinks the drinks and fries arrived quickly but no sign of the cheese roll the waiter acknowledged that we didnt get the cheese roll because he forgot to put it on the docket that was ok as these things can happen we waited and waited for ages the drinks and fries were finished still no cheese roll finally we had to leave to return to work was asked by the waitress if we enjoyed our lunch we told her we were disappointed how much rocket science does it take to make a cheese roll especially when the restaurant seemed over staffed i counted 8 staff three of which were chefs in the kitchen we were offered a cheese roll to take away we refused cos we werent sure how long it would take to make it i spoke to the manager she said she had not long been in the position and the restaurant was doing staff training tomorrow maybe the restaurant owner could sort his staff out if three chefs cant produce a cheese roll in an hour maybe its time to replace them on a positive note the location is wonderful and the staff were friendly the fries were warm and well presented not sure if i will go back again

Greetings , we went to swell cafe one busy Saturday morning and were quite pleased indeed. Served by a young English girl insuring our dining experience was perfect. The sirloin with classic cafe d Paris butter was amazing and the Swell fish pie .. to die for.
Highly recommend

My parents were visiting, we went there for a meal it was great, we went back three times. simple menu good price good service and great food all by the sea what more do you need!!

Visited Swell today for coffees and snacks with friends. Coffees were good and the food OK; the scenery combined with the great weather was magnificent. HOWEVER the service was average. Despite having loads of staff on, many appeared inexperienced, there seemed to be unnecessary delays and only a few of the staff seemed focused on their jobs. The rest spent a lot of time walking around not getting much done or hanging around in clumps chatting. The result – the staffers who were doing most of the work looked pretty irritated. Whoever is acting as manager there needs to start parying attention, organise systems, and start giving the staff some direction.

A great place to dine. Great views, affordable meals and buzzing atmosphere.
It was great to have the choice from a menu clearly thought up by a talented chef at very reasonable prices in such a great location.
As this cafe bar is just new, it can only get better. I look forward to my next visit.

2 of us went for dinner on a Saturday night, we were greeted and sat at a table with great views of the sea. The meals are not big but neither is the $$, very tasty and enjoyed the dessert as well. Service was ok but was not asked if we wanted another drink after 1 wine, they could make more money if they had kept up the service. We told them we loved the food and also about the lack of drinks service, they were happy we had told them and will try to improve. We will go back for sure.

Sunday coffee experiance at Swell left me with disgust at the professionalism of some of their staff. I was horrified at the level of service I received from the short dark haired maitre’d, she was rude and scruffy,her uniform was dirty even to the point of seeing her underware not to be desired.
I ordered a cheese roll and a coffee another staff member after taking my order didnt put cutlery on my table, instead of this she was more interested in playing with her ponytail..not sure if this is customer service as it seems that they dont care about anything but themselves. I noticed that she was excited and running around for no reason and forgetting that her customers needed service.
Cheese roll undercooked but what could I expect here thank god the view makes up for all this I have to go through.
Will not be back until staff changes and they learn about customer service.

What a huge disappointment. I went one evening and ordered the steak. I got a small steak and McDonald style chips. The salad was just plain awful. Mesulin mix with one tiny slice of red onion and very little dressing.
Not a place to go back to. Would rather get a take away coffee from elsewhere and sit at the esplanade bench seats to watch the waves.
A true disappointment for the area.
The staff were VERY good.

it is a rare thing to find such a simple breakfast done so well. a credit to the industry. thank you to the chef and the whole team.

Wonderful views, excellent value, great food. We were blown away by this fantastic new experience in the best site in Dunedin! The fish was fresh and delicious, the berries dessert magnificent. Where else can you gaze over the South Pacific rollers, watch the surfers, and have a truly memorable meal for such a modest price?

Went for an evening meal on a Monday night when it was still quite busy.

Their menu was fairly limited for an evening meal, with only sirloin steak and fish n chips the only non-breakfasty options.

Entrees arrived in about 5 minutes but the mains took another 30 minutes after that to arrive.

The food, once it arrived, was quite good – a couple of us went the breakfast options and they were extremely good. The steak also had good reports from my company.

There is a great view but we were in a group of 6 so didn’t get a table with a view (as one group seemed to hog that one large table for about 2 hours).

Most staff seemed really friendly with very good service. I think all mains were $20 or less. Solid value for money in my opinion.

Six of us went out for pre-xmas catch up. We ordered entrees/appetizers. Chips and wedges were ok. Cheese board … laughable. Two blobs of cheese accompanied a dobble of red onion relish accompanied by 10 budget crackers … for $15.50!! What a disappointment.
The evening menu can only be described as odd – ranges from a full cooked breakfast to a sirloin steak. Only ‘real’mains are the fish n chips and the steak.
Only positive – beer is priced well and the views are awesome.
Staff range from over zealous to forgetful.

Wonderful retaurant in a fabulous position.Food excellent but not good value for money.Small exquisite helpings.Service was patchy, staff very friendly but lacking in skills. We know it was a busy night and early days but gave up on waiting for our coffee and never did get offered more wine or beer all of which our group of five wanted.

I dined at Swell with a couple of friends, we had not made a reservation but this proved to be no problem for the friendly and efficient staff.
We has three courses and they were fabulous! The sirloin melted in the mouth, and was exceptional value at only $19.90!
Dessert was a real treat – the strawberries with mascarpone are amazing! The setting is fantastic, the food lovely and the service friendly and warm.
All in all Swell provided a wonderful girls night out at an extremely affordable price.

How sad that this restaurant commands the best views of the ocean and yet the food is so disappointing. The idea is to keep all the mains under $20 but with a view like that we would be happy to pay so much more for a more interesting menu.
I ordered the Fish and chips- the batter was overcooked and the chips undercooked, My husband ordered the fish pie . It was quite small and consisted of two large mussels in sauce and very little else.
This is not a restaurant you go to for the food. Coffee maybe.
To be fair we did try the restaurant during the opening week. Having said that it should have knocked our sox off! It will survive because of its location but as a local I am bitterly disappointed and wont be back unless I see some changes.