S W Seafood & B B Q Restaurant

Mayonnaise shrimp .the batter is so salty.
Ordered steamed tilapia. They said its live but it’s very bad. Tastes not fresh, over cooked and the soy sauce is watered down (I think they mixed soy sauce w water).
Really bad today. I usually like this place.

Not sure if this location is anyway related to the one on Culver or the chain but the dim sum and bbq look identical. This review is for dim sum. Lunch specials deserve a 2.5.
There are two options when dining at SW Seafood & BBQ.
1. Sit down restaurant
2. Quick order for bbq items
Very dissatisfied with the food at SW seafood & BBQ Restaurant. There is simply no love given to the protein used in their dishes.
Dim sum and bbq are mostly mediocre. For the sloppy craftsmanship and lack of care, they should consider changing their name if this is how they treat their ingredients.
What was ordered:
— Trio of bbq meat: Char siu had a hint of artificial aftertaste, duck was okay and the crispy pork had skin that was chewy
— Siu mai — Mostly pork. Okay.
— Shrimp crêpe — Large serving but sadly inedible. Too thick and doughy. Saving grace is the shrimp size, still lacking flavor. The rice crêpe is not silky and tastes like a thick layer of powdery dough
— Mayo shrimp fried pocket — Coleslaw in a fried wrap. Bland. No point ordering this
— Lotus leaf sticky rice: Took this home. It was good.
Positives:
— Location. In the heart of Irvine
— Inexpensive lunch specials
— Shrimp used in their dishes are ample and deveined
— Staff is cordial and service is fast. All the stars are for them
Looking for a fast and inexpensive lunch? Give them a try and let me know what you think.
If you’re looking for solid dim sum, look elsewhere. You will not leave satiated. In fact, you may leave angry for the calories consumed.
What you need to know:
– Soup and rice is included with your meal
– Parking located in a busy plaza
– Credit card is accepted
– Dim sum offered all day via menu. No carts
– Easy for large groups looking for a quick lunch
– Not a date place
– Easy on the pocket $
How to improve:
– Changes in the prepping technique will easily change mediocre to delicious.

the best tasting cantonese south of Jeffery rd. there was a time we were going twice a month and you could see based on our check ins in less than a year. it’s great tasting food and it’s just shake your head goodness. we still can’t believe our sam woo in SD is so different (taste) and it’s all because of the people in the kitchen. we’ve tried many things but their mixed seafood tofu hotpot is a must along with their beef pan fried noodles with the sauce on the side, both are just psycho killer.

We’ve been coming to the SW for their dim sum for years. It’s a Chinese restaurant in the same center as the 99 Ranch market on Jeffrey.
They don’t have the carts filled with dim sum that are wheeled around, rather they make your food to order so that everything that you receive is piping hot.
The gave us each a bowl of complimentary soup.
Today the kid and I ordered:
Juicy pork dumplings, these aren’t as good as other places but they are tasty and a bargain at $ 3.20 for 4
Siu Mai, very traditional pork filled dumplings. Good
Shrimp wrapped in rice noodles, also very good
Rice balls, I didn’t enjoy these
Fried shrimp balls, my favorite
Steam spare ribs, just ok
The waiters are nice and brought out everything that we asked for the moment that we asked for it, such as soy sauce, pepper, mustard, water, vinegar, etc. this place is super busy and we never felt neglected.
We ordered 9 items and bill was only $ 25. I think their prices have stayed the same for awhile. My favorite dim sum place in OC is in Westminster but when you’re too lazy to drive there this place will do.
Ambiance 3.5÷5
Service ⁵⁄₅
Food ⁴⁄₅
Value ⁵⁄₅
Restrooms ³⁄₅

Wow! I think this is my first 1 star review ever. This place makes Panda Express seem like at least a 4 star eatery. The food we ordered was Incredibly bad. I ordered the Seafood chow mein and my wife the Mushroom Tri seafood. WHat the Heck is going on here?!
Not only is the food bad but the service is not much better. The waiter said the lemonade was fresh but that was a bunch of BS! Maybe he meant freshly made Minute Maid or something like that. We never received our waters either. It wasn’t like it was real busy either. I don’t understand how some businesses stay in business. The food was super bland with no flavor whatsoever. The seafood looked and tasted like it came straight out of the freezer and right into the searing hot wok with toilet water as seasoning. Seriously! That bad. I don’t even think they used MSG. At least that would’ve probably added a little flavor.
You would think that by the number of Chinese people eating here that the food would be somewhat legit. I know that’s the worst way to judge a Chinese restaurant and it’s like judging a burger joint by the number of gringos eating there. But it’s hard to believe Chinese people speaking Chinese would eat at a place this bad. Or maybe it’s just that they know what to order. They had probably a hundred plus items on the menu.
I am not much of a cook, but the Kung pau chicken I make from Trader Joes is way better. Well maybe, just maybe my dog will eat the leftovers.

HORRIBLE!!!
my first and last time eating here. I was craving dim sum and was not satisfied one bit. The food here is dry and has a funky smell to it. On top of that, it gave me a stomachache afterwards! And this place smells funny too, like they tried to cover up a stinky smell with soap and I can smell both. Lost my appetite. I barely touched anything I ordered and took the rest home, it’ll go in the trash.
Never again!!!

1^st time tested out in this joint. Don’t be confuse this restaurant with Sam Woo. This is much better. At first glance, there were many choices. But after careful study of the menu, this restaurant gave us what we wanted to eat — seafood hot pot with tofu, deep fried taifoon crabs (spicy), shredded duck meat with string bean, fuzhou fried rice, suckulance orange beef.
The waiter is very at tentative, very rare for a Chinese restaurant. He kept refilling water, tea, steam rice, and swapping used plates with new ones. Even busperson was very helpful.
Tasteful, helpful, and stomach-​full if you come to this place.

This has become my go-​to place for take out. They easily accommodate when I order for my immediate family to large gatherings. Food can take a while to prepare, but at least you know they’re cooking vs. reheating or nuking it. We have our favorites we normally stick to, but most everything on their menu is legit, and more importantly, consistently good.
The only downside (and NOT reflected in the rating), is that parking is a bitch and then some in this plaza during prime times. A parking lot full of Asian drivers all ignoring stop signs and common courtesy is a special kind of hell.

It’s good for what it is. I don’t come here expecting great traditional Chinese dishes, but when I’m feeling like greasy Americanized Cantonese food, SW has some good dishes at reasonable prices.
Just stopped by for early bird dinner as the in laws wanted to head out before traffic so we were in around 4:30 and they still had lunch pricing (until 5pm). I believe the portions are slightly smaller but by no means are these small portions. Also I like that I can have more variety of dishes this way.
We ordered the Singapore noodles. These are vermicelli stir fried noodles with a yellow curry flavor. It has lots of onions and bean sprouts along with bbq pork and shrimp. They weren’t too skimpy on the shrimp however they also were not deveined so it was off putting to eat.
Black pepper fish and eggplant in hot pot was a table favorite. It goes great spooned over rice.
Fried calamari was really good. Batter was not heavy and the calamari was tender not chewy. Only wish they cut the pieces smaller into more manageable sizes.
The sweet and sour pork chops were good as well. All portions were still good size for being «lunch» and lower priced too! Another plus is that even though this is a Chinese restaurant (notorious for bad service) the waiter that was working when we were there was very accommodating and helpful to another table that was having issues with their order. Would come back again esp for lunch specials.

4 words for you — ALL DAY DIM SUM
**Mic drop**
Jk, but seriously, how can you not love this about them?
The days of having to wake up early on the weekends just to congregate outside a restaurant amongst the many other Chinese families until your number is shouted can now be a thing of the past.
No more stress of trying to make that breakfast/​brunch cut off! Now you have the luxury of stopping by on your way home from work or whenever you’d like and having dim sum for dinner if you so please!
The prices here can’t be beat either. The most important selling point for any true Chinese is always going to be value. Good dim sum at cheap value? Check.
Yeah yeah, service can take a bit getting used to, but it is no different from any other truly authentic Asian business. It’s a «Take it or leave it, we’re here to make money, not make friends» kinda place, and I’m A-​OK with that. If that’s not for you, try picking up to go. Best of both worlds there!

Have been to this restaurants many times, often by friend’s requests. Never understood why they are always busy. We thought the food was oily, full with MSG, and always tastes too sweet. The dim sum are mediocre. But some of our friends seem to like the restaurant a lot. Both their English name S.W. or their Chinese name (same pronunciation but different characters) tries to copy Sam Woo. The real Sam Woo is better than this fake S.W. in my opinion.

I had a huge craving for Chinese food and decided to take my bf and parents along with me. My parents knew of this restaurant as they frequently shop in this area for groceries.
The food was delicious.
Peking duck: on point
Lamb rack: bomb
Shrimp in lobster sauce: a little bland
Scallops in bean curd sauce: YUM
Combination chow mein: okay
Service is a little off and their English is limited, but for the food is amazing. Maybe I’ll come back for dim sum.

I have been coming to this restaurant for many years, and it’s kind of a meeting spot for me and my friends. I have found that the meals are all well prepared, with great taste, and the service is quick and efficient, and everyone here is moving fast, as it is one of the busier places in town. Don’t expect the warm and fuzzies, but over time the servers recognize you and a head nod here is like a big warm hug.
I typically order a lemon chicken and I realize that it’s fried, but hey, I didn’t come here to count calories, I come here to EAT! It it tastes oh so good! I find the balance of flavor and texture to be outstanding. In fact, all of their dishes are generous and tasteful. I also balance the fried chicken with bok choy so I get my greens, and I can say that I am never disappointed in any of the items that I order.
I will continue to visit my favorite Chinese restaurant in the area. By the way, it gets really busy and sometimes you have to wait, but I never mind.

We came here for my grandma’s birthday, and my family comes often since it is so close to our house.
+ SIZZLING RICE SOUP: This was the favorite of the night. They add the rice into the soup as it is placed on the table, so you really hear and see the sizzling effect. The soup is mild, crunchy, soft, and filled with vegetables!
~ WHOLE PEKING DUCK: The duck comes served in two separate plates — one plate of skin and brown meat, while the other plate is just the bones with some meat on them. The meat is served on hot bao buns and you are able to build your own bao’s after. The buns are really good when you put the green onion and brown sauce with the duck meat! The duck is not as tender as I have had at other places.
+ LETTUCE WRAPS: These were very refreshing, but messy!
+ FRIED FISH: This dish was overly salty and sickening. The breading was too thick and you could not taste the fish.
Overall, it is a decent place for Chinese food, but nothing blew me away.

3.5 — This review is only for dinner (dim sum avail for brunch). Prices are average for Chinese food (at a sit-​down restaurant), homey tastes, and large portions (definitely will have leftovers!). Ordered the crispy pork chops ($ 9.95, recommend), stir fry egg with shrimp ($ 14.95, pretty good size, not the wimpy ones, just ok — meh), and sole fillet fish ($ 17.95, just ok — meh). Overall, okay place … Will return on days I’m too lazy to cook dinner: P
Tip: Option to request for your dishes without MSG seasoning!

The following review is for dim sum service only
TL;DR: Short wait, short menu, hot food, typical service. Try the turnip cake in XO sauce.
Long Version:
The tables turn pretty fast here, so the wait is short. Party of 6 at Sunday brunch was a 15 minute wait.
They bring soup to the table when you sit down, so you can take the edge off your hangry-​ness while your party reviews the menu.
Dim sum is ordered off menu. The menu seemed limited, missing a few items that I typically order such as tofu skin wrapped shrimp paste, or braised tripe in soy. Food does come out hot from the kitchen, but if your goal is to get food onto the table ASAP, a dim sum restaurant where you can order from the cart would be better.
Service was typical for a Chinese restaurant: be prepared to flag down a server if you want a refills or to place an additional order, they won’t come back on their own.
The turnip cake in XO sauce was my favorite. You can tell the turnip cake was fried crispy before being tossed in sauce and green onions. I’d come back for this.

I came here with a party of 6 for dim sum on Sunday around 11:30. The wait was only 15 minutes, which I’m very pleased about. Also, as soon as you sit down, they bring you a big bowl of soup for your table to share.
The service is typical of most Chinese restaurants. I wish the ice water (emphasis on the ice) was more frequent. They don’t automatically fill your water; you have to request the refills on ice and water. Their tea was very diluted. But other than the drink service, they were quick.
The dim sum was good. I’m no dim sum expert but I enjoyed the dishes. My favorites were the fried turnip cake in XO sauce (way better than the regular pan fried turnip cake) and the shu mai. The dim sum menu sits underneath the glass on the table, but you can also order from their regular menu. As I was leaving, I saw another table with fried sesame balls which I didn’t see on the dim sum menu. Too bad!
Our entire meal was only $ 43 after tax (before tip) for 6 people! Wow, I’m so impressed by how inexpensive our meal was. Most of the dim sum items are $ 2.20 or $ 3.20.
On a separate occasion, I ordered roasted pork to go and the skin was not edible. Don’t order this here!
Does anyone know if SW stands for Sam Woo?

I went to the fancier Sam Woo side which is the one labeled Seafood & BBQ. I called in a few orders for pickup, enough to feed a family, but it was still ready within 20 minutes!
We had some fried rice, seafood casserole, green beans, shredded pork with veggies. All dishes were unique and very tasty. I thought the green beans were done very well and all the other items were good as well. They have a good variety to choose from and it was exactly what I was in the mood for.
I haven’t dined in on this side so I’d like to update the review when I get the full experience, but for the first time ordering pickup, I was very impressed with the quality of food, taste, and quick service.
Happy to revisit Sam Woo’s again.

Psssst… This isn’t a Sam Woo. It’s «S.W.»!
And it’s not as good.
The food here, in general, is obscenely salty — indicative of a more Americanized restaurant. It’s a shame because, otherwise, the food here is pretty good. The few dishes I’ve had that weren’t trying to shut down my kidneys were delicious.
They also offer all-​day dim sum and it’s not bad. The har gow and dried shrimp wrapped in rice noodles with X.O. sauce are my favorites.
If you do eat here, may the odds be ever in your favor. It’s been 4 hours since I’ve eaten here and I’m still chugging water!

I actually haven’t had dim sum since moving to SoCal so a recent craving had me scouring Unilocal for affordable locations nearby. This lead me to SW, a dim sum joint next to one of the Ranch 99s in Irvine.
Their dim sum menu is decently sized and they carry all of the basics. We ordered some of the usual a just to see how SW stacks up to my favorites back home.
–steamed BBQ pork bun: fluffy outside. Didn’t skimp on the filling inside. Not too fatty. Not even close to the best but I enjoyed it!
–shrimp egg roll: don’t even bother with this. It was just shrimp and the wrapper.
–pork spare ribs: solid flavor without being too salty.
–Har gow: shrimp dumpling. Pretty solid. Skin wasn’t too think. They certainly looked pretty neat on the outside. Wish it was a bit juicier on the inside.
–shui mai: pork and shrimp dumpling. SW offers large portions but mediocre quality. What a shame. This is typically one of my favorite dim sum dishes…
The meal also came with some complimentary soup. It was some sort of bean soup I believe. Not bad.
We ordered from a menu. Im not sure if they just do that for the weekday and use carts on the weekends.
Service was meh. The guy was busy and forgot one of our orders.
Price was actually rather affordable! And the food was actually pretty good considering the price. I’ll just be sure to avoid the shui mai next time.