Swanky Bubbles

The busboy raped my bottoms and made me tip a swankey 25%…I expect a rapie episode to only deserve a 15−20% tip… I don’t care how swanky the bubbles are!

this place sucks. we went there for restaurant week and the menu wasnt worth it. the sushi rolls had way too much rice and not enough fish… the beers were like $ 8.00 each. dont go!

We had a Travelzoo voucher so we made our way to Olde City for some sushi and champagne cocktails. It was not good.
We got there early (5 pm) so we could be home for a big football game later that night so we were some of the first people in the restaurant. First impression? The whole place smelled like an ashtray. I don’t know if they allow smoking late at night (illegally) or if they haven’t replaced the carpet since the smoking ban but it was instantly awful and unappetizing. My second impression was that a place called «Swanky» should be in much better shape. The carpet was shabby, the chairs was worn and torn and the tables had wrinkly, glittery contact paper. Ew.
With that being said, the sushi was actually pretty decent (albeit teeny tiny) but enormously overpriced. A Philadelphia roll (which we didn’t order but I just happened to remember the price) was $ 10! For a small, six-​piece roll. We also enjoyed our champagne cocktails as well but it was all tainted by the faint taste of cigarette smoke in the back of your throat. If we didn’t have a voucher, dinner (five rolls and two champagne cocktails) would have been $ 80 without tip. No way that place was worth that. The lobster roll (which I think goes for about $ 14 normally) had tons of rice and very little lobster. We walked out having spent about $ 30 and I felt like that was way more spot-​on. But the fish was fresh and the service was good. There are FAR better places for sushi, not just in the city but the ‘burbs too. For crying out loud, Wegmans has better.

The sushi is just «okay» (ours was free with a groupon and I still can’t rave about it). The champange cocktails were lots of fun — evidenced by the massive headache I woke up with this morning — but not something I am rushing back for.
Really the service is what earned this place most of it’s stars. Mack (the bartender) was attentive and chatted up me and my friends as he caught snippets of our completely ridiculous conversation. We were never wanting for a drink and he promptly brought out our sushi and offered anything else we needed — extra wasabi? Yes please!

Swanky’s is a great place to go for a cocktail. The variety of champagne cocktails and mixed drinks is pretty impressive. I haven’t had the food, but the place had a steady stream of people coming in for takeout orders, which is always a good sign. The service at the bar was excellent, fast and friendly.
It’s a bit on the expensive side and it seems geared more towards Sex & the City fans. That’s a big negative if you’re looking for a beer & hot wings happy hour. If you’re looking for a date spot in Old City, Swanky’s is a good choice.

I’ve been to this one, and the one in Cherry Hill. the one in Cherry Hill was okay (it’s closed now, I’m assuming), and I liked it better than this one. But in the end, I did feel they have the same problems (save the ambiance).
The dishes are gigantic and they do taste good. but it’s really rich and one dimensional, that I just get sick of it really quickly. We generally have to order a plate per person and share. Huge portions means we usually have lots of left overs as well. Lobster mac and cheese, pad Thai, the ribs. they’re all pretty good, but definitely over priced. I was really reluctant to pay the check at the end.
The idea of family style isn’t bad, it’s just that the menu items don’t really complement each other, they’re too one dimensional and rich to be on their own, and the portions are way too big. And not everything they offer is family style. so the menu seems to have very little focus. Definitely takes me a while to choose something. I think one of their biggest problems.
Also the inside was so dark that it kind of reminded me of a bowling alley without the black lights, or a pool hall. the tables were a little sticky and worn down. and I just felt a little overdressed since I dressed up a little to eat there (it was a friend’s birthday and in the old Swanky Bubbles in Cherry Hill, dress attire was a little nicer than casual).
By the end, I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not.
So in short: more stanky than swanky ambiance, a little pricey, huge portions, good food.

This place is expensive! Luckily we purchased a $ 30 coupon from Travelzoo which gave us two glasses of champagne cocktails (normally $ 9 each) and 4 basic sushi rolls. The rolls were a bit small but they were very tasty nonetheless. The mean normally would have come to $ 75 which is way too high.
We ordered:
Dragon roll (only 4 pieces but it was good)
Rainbow roll
Baltimore roll — excellent crab roll
Alaskan roll
Afterward, we ordered the chocolate cake which was decadent.
The place wasn’t packed but the service wasn’t very fast… I found myself getting pretty hungry by the time our dinner came out. The waiter was nice and even replaced a glass after one of us spilled it. Without a word, there was another champagne on our table within 2 minutes and no extra charge on the bill, so that gets you +1 star.

omg! it was so bad we are never coming here again!
the food was so overpriced and the place smells like cigarette smoke, the table was sticky… on top of really low AC in the summer time…
it felt like my food was melting the whole time. sushi was a little too warm for my taste. my iced water turned to water real fast. n im pretty sure the cheesecake just straight up melted in front of us. idk… i lost my appetite even before the food arrived and wanted to leave as soon as i experienced the food… sry.
on the plus side, the service was good. but i hate to say it, you wont see me here again though

I mean, the drinks are delicious, awesome in fact but ridiculously overpriced. The atmosphere was a bit stale, and the service disappointingly slow. It took a 15 minute wait each time at the bar just to get a refill on a round of 2 drinks. The lechee martini made me a happier patron. but overall, the experience was mediocre at best.

Slight upgrade for tonight’s dinner here — my 6 year old LOVES it here — and I am a sucker so, of course, we went.
She knew immediately what she wanted to get.
Lobster & Crab mac ‘n cheese. $ 24 smackaroos. Ouch. Thank god it tasted really good tonight. Sometimes, I swear, it tastes fishy.
I got a $ 9 plain-​olé hamachi maki. 6 tiny pieces. Ugh. For that price Doma or even Morimoto are a better deal for freshness as well as price.
Dessert, of course, was the small $ 13 chocolate fondue. This time we were smart enough to ask for «no melon» (who dips melon in chocolate?). The fondue itself is delectable and the small is big enough for 3 people easily. This time, also, the pound cake was not stale. Thank G-​d!
Service was just OK. The owner/​server (maybe she’s not the owner but she was acting owner-​ish) kindof ignored us and seemed annoyed when my little one dropped a piece of penne on the floor (though I can’t say I blame her –but you could at least FAKE that you were happy to see an actual customer on a DEAD Monday at 5 PM.)
My little one and I listened to the friendly bartender count bottles of flavored vodkas in preparation for restaurant week.
Finally more customers came — a couple in their 40/50’s were MAKING OUT at the bar at 6 PM. We left soon after.
Oy vey.
Verdict remians: prices too high, for food that is just OK and COULD be stellar but seems as faded as the décor.

Even if the incredibly gimmicky concept holds some appeal to you: be warned that the food is just not good. Philly has places that make vastly superior sushi for half the price, and, I assume, there are tackily decorated bars with a large selection of girly martinis elsewhere in the old city.
Bottom line: if somebody gives you a free Groupon to this place, don’t let your cheapness get the better of you like I did.

I love Sushi. When you have a craving for Sushi, nothing else will do. Swanky Bubbles has been around for awhile and I went there with a few friends on a much needed drink binge night. Swanky Bubbles was our fourth stop and we wanted to just pop in and suck up a few bottles of Sake, but I had other plans.
My friends ordered the Sake, I ordered the Sushi. I ordered Spicy Tuna Roll, Eel & Avocado, Pulpo Roll, California Roll, Salmonw/​Cream cheese and a couple of Veggie Rolls. When the food arrived (about 2 Sake’s and a Martini later) I asked my friends what they were going to eat.
Of course I shared with them, after I had my pick and the Sushi and accompanying Miso Soup seemed to take our drunkenness down a notch and we got ready to move on to our next spot. The Sushi was very fresh and I like how they include a lot of fresh veggies with the meal. The service was so-​so, but the drinks were off the chain!

I came here a few years back with my girlfriend for dinner. Getting seated was easy enough, and it’s right down by the Delaware River — so easy to take a nice romantic stroll afterwards. That being said, the food here was terribly disappointing. The menu is a very broad selection of Asian Fusion dishes, so maybe I just picked the wrong thing to eat here. I ended up getting the filet mignon with wasabi mashed potatoes — a good fusion choice it would seem on the surface. But the filet mignon was covered in very thick steak sauce that drowned out the flavor of the meat and was too salty. As for the wasabi mashed potatoes — the wasabi should be meant to enhance the dish with a hint of flavor, not overpower the buttery goodness of the potatoes.
To sum up the food here — they use way too much sauce and spices in their dishes. Perhaps it’s to cover up the mediocrity of their food otherwise, but it was quite a disappointment and nowhere worth the $ 30 or so the entrée cost.

I went here for New Years! It was nice. There was a DJ and it had a nice ambiance. Our motive was food vs. party scene. The atmosphere had a nightlife vibe but it wasn’t cramped. I believe there is a lounge here but I didn’t have a chance to look at it.
The food was nice. I purchased the chicken fried rice (gigantic portion size) and my friend ordered the salmon. Everything taste fine, a little pricey but I think it was worth the visit.
I like the DJ, he seemed very calm and collective, you can tell he was focused on the mix. The waiter was nice. I just wished they offered a brownie dessert… I wasn’t a huge fan of the dessert selection.
— it’s 3am so hopefully there are no typing erros in my review. lol
— a plus– Penns landing is right out side so I also got to enjoy nice fireworks. It was a great time without the crazy prices in a nice area!

The first and last time I ate here I was about a month pregnant and craving all things Sushi. Sad to say, I have experienced better takeout in Bethlehem when I was working at a car dealership and they would order takeout.
The layout is supposed to look funky and chic… instead it looked like they were trying way too hard for that Uptown-​Manhattan vibe. The lighting sucked and the servers were not all that helpful.
My ex took me and at the time was not much of a Sushi eater, but seemed to be just fine with what I though was a bland pre-​assembled California Roll. It was cold and stiff and the ginger was not fresh either.
I ordered a Spicy Tuna Roll, California Roll and a side of Steamed Sticky Rice. Not very pleased. The Tuna did not seem very fresh, and the rice was beyond sticky… almost overcooked.
Although I have experienced good Sushi living back East, since moving to California I say, unless you are going to come to Cali to see how its made, just leave Sushi to the West Coast…
The tab came after I begged him to just let us leave and grab some cheese fries. Over 60 dollars for everything. Overall, too expensive for the kind of Sushi that I can get for 80% less price and WAY better quality. Save your money.

When I first heard the name Swanky Bubbles, I’ll be honest, I thought this birthday dinner party I would be attending was at a strip club. I mean, what kind of restaurant names itself Swanky Bubbles? Just sayin’
Anyways, the food and drinks here are ridiculously overpriced. I ordered the chicken fried rice, which they give you a large portion of, but for $ 15, I don’t think it was worth it at all. You can go to Chinatown and get fried rice for about $ 10 less. The only reason I ordered this was based on the reviews I read about the portion being large for the fried rice and I didn’t want to take a risk on ordering anything else that would leave me hungry. It was a good call since it seemed like all the food my friends ordered were very small portions.
The service was really slow. The food took forever to come out and they even forgot some orders it seemed. We had to ask several times before the waiters finally came around to refill our water. I did like the presentation of the food, but the service really made me dislike this place. The only good thing about my visit here was having dinner and spending time with friends.

For a name like Swanky Bubbles, you would be expecting something with a bit class, yet has a definitive funky kick to it. Instead, you’ll get an old 60s jazz club type of feel with furniture that did not feel cohesive. Maybe it works, but for me, it didn’t and the menu design felt uninspiring for the setting. It had condensed type tracked so closely together, it was so hard to read. Ok, thats my designer geek coming out, but let’s get down to business with food.
The two of us ordered the Surf and Turf Roll, Molten Lava Roll, and the popular Chicken Fried Rice. SB is known for their Asian Fusion dishes, and these were some of their specialties. Sadly, they weren’t what I was expecting. Let me explain…
Surf and Turf Roll consisted of caramelized beef, lobster, scallion, cream cheese, and spicy sauce. Sounds different, right? Correct, but does it taste as good as it sounds? Not so much. The «beef» tasted like coarsely grounded beef in a salty glaze. I was expecting a nice slice of steak of some sorts. Lobster was so finely chopped that they could have placed shrimp in there, and it would have fooled me. No individual flavors at all.
The Molten Lava Roll left a better taste in my mouth. It was basically an eel roll that was tempura fried with some siracha and cream cheese. It was tasty, nice flavors, but I wonder how it was taste if it was panko breaded and then fried.
One of their most popular dishes was their Chicken Fried Rice. Presentation was clever, as it came out overflowing of the take-​out box that housed it. We did not enjoy that dish too much. To me, it was very saucy and moist, resembling the taste of Pad Thai? The chicken was well overcooked, and left nothing more to desire. My girlfriend said it was over seasoned. If you are one of those people who like their rice drenched in sauce and super seasoned, then you’ve found your dream. But to me, it’s not the best, so don’t believe the hype.
By now, I probably seem like a hater, but don’t get me wrong. We ate most of everything and it still delivered a full stomach, but for the price, I was expecting a little bit more technique. I won’t be returning.

If you are looking for sushi, look elsewhere! if you are looking for good food look elsewhere!
I don’t know where to start. I went to this place expecting sushi. I ordered a double dragon roll which comes in six pieces for $ 12, with extra unagi. lets talk about the quantity, imagine 2 iphones stacked on top of each other then dividing it into 6 pieces, pretty small for $ 12. now lets talk about quality, if i were to compare a piece of candy to their dragon roll, i would compare it to candy corn, it just sucks. it’s like that time when you first got candy corn and you try it and you spit it out, and ask yourself, «wtf is this shit?» that is how i felt about their dragon roll. (i have had over 15 dragon rolls from different restaurants but this is by far the worst)
now, i tried their spider roll. same, quantity 4 pieces, tightly packed with green vegies and lack of soft shell crab, oh did i mention i payed $ 14 for 4 pieces. My costco microwavable crab cakes taste better than this.
Let me move on to the biggest highlight, the fried rice. the presentation looked nice. however, upon further examination the rice is too moist making it taste like a plop of mashed potatoes. Oh yeah, the fried rice had chunks of white rice in it, the only time when you get chunks of white rice clumped together is when you are using OLD rice. I know this because I use to work in a Chinese restaurant fresh rice doesn’t come in chunks. In fried rice, there shouldnt be any white rice, but here you got clumps of old white rice. The rice dish was $ 15. It had 5 – 6 pieces of shrimp, small sized no bigger than the quarter in size.
I spent $ 63 dollars that night. I would have been happier going through a mcdonald’s drive thru. Is there any way i can remove the star rating? this place doesn’t even deserve a star. it’s just an insult to go and spend any money here.

I have to say, with a name like Swanky Bubbles, I was expecting something more… bubbly? It was much more subdued than I had thought it would be.
I came with a bachelorette party of 16 girls, so everyone was pretty lubricated by the time we sat down. I shared some veggie tempura (a little heavily battered, but yummy) and had an unagi role and the Big Sexy Role (how could I not, with a name like that?). The unagi roll was not the best I’ve had, but pretty good, and the Big Sexy was a little heavy on the rice, but if you took a little off it was PERFECT — crunchy spicy umami goodness. A glass of the cheapest champagne on the menu (7 $) was fabulous.
It was a little more expensive than I would have liked, but not prohibitively so, and the entrees were pretty reasonable. With so much incredible, cheap sushi in the city I don’t know when I’d be back except with another bachelorette calling for bubbly, but I won’t complain when the time comes.

I had my birthday dinner this year at Swanky Bubbles, and chose the place because of the name (like others) and because it was Restaurant Week, so I was up for choosing one of the higher-​end options that I wouldn’t normally pick.
And let me tell you something: I chose wisely. Almost everyone ordered something off of the RW menu (though one friend got sushi and loved it), and everything was delicious. And the mashed potatoes had wasabi in them!!!
I hung out at the bar while waiting for everyone to arrive and be seated, and the bartender was very friendly, the décor extremely interesting, and my champagne mixed drink: swanky AND bubbly! (read: delicious.)
Even though the place was packed, our server gave us plenty of attention and made great recommendations.
And the mashed potatoes has wasabi in them!!!