This was our first time to this restaurant. Cozy small place with great atmosphere. The food was superb. The service was so, so. Server did not know the menu after asking about certain dishes. Also, was not up to date on the wines. Overall, a great experience.
Theairman15122
We invite friends who have not experienced Porch and Swing on a regular basis. It is a fun place with great drink and dining options. We also have a good time and so do our friends.
FoodieOC
Fantastic food, drinks & service. Love the vibe and decor. The tomato confit toast and spinach salad were amazing. Planning to go back for the fried chicken and biscuits, and then the burger at the bar with a whiskey flight. Was the perfect Saturday night spot.
blue blah
As a dedicated father of four and head of household, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of fair treatment and timely payment for HARD work. Unfortunately, at porch & swing , these fundamental principles were completely disregarded by the owner, leaving me and my fellow employees in dire straits.Despite only being three chefs working all day pouring our hearts and souls into ensuring the highest quality menu for our patrons, the owner failed to fulfill his basic responsibility of compensating us for our labor. paychecks were delayed or, worse, not issued at all, leaving us scrambling to make ends meet and support our families.What’s truly disheartening is the lack of empathy and communication displayed by the owner throughout this ordeal. Never once did he offer a heads up or show any concern for the financial well-being of his staff. It became increasingly clear that our dedication and hard work was being stepped on, with little regard for the personal hardships we were enduring.The only reason I continued to work at porch & swing was out of loyalty to my team and our collective reputation in the culinary industry. However, I can no longer turn a blind eye to the mistreatment and negligence we have experienced.By dining at porch & swing you’re inadvertently supporting an establishment that prioritizes themselves over the well-being of its employees. I urge potential diners to consider the ethical implications of where they choose to spend their money and to seek out establishments that value and respect their staff.In conclusion, until significant changes are made to address the appalling treatment of employees, I cannot in good conscience recommend porch & swing to anyone. Choose wisely, not only for the sake of your dining experience but also for the livelihoods of those behind the scenes.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 1
DougV
A little struggle with staffing shortages for a busy night which turned our dinner into a 2.5 hr event. The food was very good, but would like to try again in the future when staffed properly.
ElizabethDM
Exceptional food! The Wagyu steak is hands down the best steak I have ever had. If you are a fan of grits, these cannot be beaten! As a southerner, I approve of these grits. Now they just need sweet tea and we will be all set!
Amber G.
We made reservations to dine here to celebrate two birthdays. It is located in a corporate area, and parking is in a structure. Upon arriving, we noticed how empty it seemed for a Friday night. Still, it took longer than we thought to get seated. I will say, the service was very slow. It took over 20 minutes to get our drinks, including one that was just a lemonade. We did order a ton of food because we were starving Food items ordered: -carpaccio- this was delicious, but not traditional carpaccio, more like a charcuterie meat -crab rice- this was just ok. My husband is pescatarian and he said the roe on top was just too much. -black pepper biscuits- heavenly! This is a must order -cornbread- I would order this again and again. The flavor was phenomenal -Burrata- the pesto was mg favorite part of this, this was splendid -Pickled egg- these were interesting, very tangy, not a must but we enjoyed them Now for Entrees: -Seared Duck Breast- wow! One of the best Ducks I have had. My complaint, the size of the Duck for $45 was very small. The foie gras was almost non existent. The blue corn grits were absolutely amazing! -Braised Short Ribs- we really enjoyed this. Tender, juicy. It was heavy on the wine flavor but I liked it -Salmon Truffle Pasta- Salmon cooked perfectly. Truffle flavor nearly nonexistent. Pasta sauce was okay, nothing too exciting there. -Spicy Rabbit Pasta- Rabbit was good, pasta was again just okay. The Sauce was very basic, nothing wow about this -Pommes Puree- this was NOT pommes puree... this was not a Lucious silky potato purée, but rather an extremely lumpy serving of mashed potatoes. This should have been called mashed potatoes. We were so disappointed with this one -Potatoes Dauphinoise- The thyme flavor in this was delicious. -Braised Mushrooms- excellent flavor and texture Now for Dessert: -Cheesecake- came with sliced grapes instead of the macerated strawberries as the menu said. Definitely not worth $17, underwhelming -chocolate Yuzu Sorbet- just an odd combination. We did not enjoy -hazelnut ice cream- tasted like freezer burn more than anything else -passion fruit sorbet- very tangy, I enjoyed this one We did order coffee but it was forgotten so we never got it. They did take off two sorbets off the check for that. Most of the food we enjoyed, but I would not say it's worth a $400 check. They validate parking but only for 2 hours and service was extremely slow so we were here for over 3 hours and had to pay.
Monica L.
We were here for the jazz music and the food was awesome! Each dish is designed with great ideas and the taste is wonderful, and just right to the taste buds. The service was excellent and made you want to revisit for sure!
jackie koh
I don't understand how this place has good reviews.The food was horrible.The only thing that i enjoyed was the blue cornbread and the marinated olives.The confit tomato toast tasted like the Mexican lucas candy.The braised short rib was dry AF and didn't taste goodFried chicken was dry AF and it was all batterOn top of that we were a party of 7 that turned into a party of 5 and got charged $30 for the other two that couldn't make it. Since they were "no shows" we got charged on open table $15 per person.Like why?? This is Irvine and not a Michelin Star restaurantAlso validation for parking is only for 3 hours. So to our pleasant surprise since we had been there longer than 3 hours we ended up paying $5 for parking.NEVER coming to Porch & Swing again. Will never recommend to any of my friends and family
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Jackie K.
I don't understand how this place has good reviews. The food was horrible. The only thing that i enjoyed was the blue cornbread and the marinated olives. The confit tomato toast tasted like the Mexican lucas candy. The braised short rib was dry AF and didn't taste good Fried chicken was dry AF and it was all batter On top of that we were a party of 7 that turned into a party of 5 and got charged $30 for the other two that couldn't make it. Since they were "no shows" we got charged on open table $15 per person. Like why?? This is Irvine and not a Michelin Star restaurant Also validation for parking is only for 3 hours. So to our pleasant surprise since we had been there longer than 3 hours we ended up paying $5 for parking. NEVER coming to Porch & Swing again. Will never recommend to any of my friends and family
We were sorely disappointed in this establishment. It's hard to get everyone together these days and we wanted to dine here for our annual Christmas girls' dinner. This place requires you to put a deposit down of $25/pp via Opentable. You are charged before dining. It's supposed to be returned to you upon dining. We had a 6pm reservation and the place was pretty empty except two or three parties and two people at the bar. Two members of our party of 7 got covid so it there were only 5 of us at the time we checked in. Immediately the hostess indicated there was problem because they already set up the table (I.e. pushed two tables together and put out place settings). We waited for her to check with the server to make sure it was okay. Since we were still waiting on the rest of our party, we sat at the bar which was 10 feet away and wanted to take advantage of their happy hour menu. Upon seating, the server seemed irritated and asked if we were leaving our table. We informed him that we were just going to wait for the rest of our party and get drinks. Got drinks. Paid the tab and we hung out for a bit. The rest of our party finally arrived and we sat back at our table. The drink menu is via QR code. We ordered drinks and upon discovery of seeing the drinks double in price, two members of our party wanted to take advantage of the happy hour prices at the bar. The bartender was instructed by our server not to serve us! It's a ridiculous policy to serve happy hour prices at the bar that is literally steps away from our table, with the same drinks made and served by the same bartender. Additionally, food already started coming out and our party didn't have the drinks they ordered yet. The food was just okay. Nothing splendid. In fact, the short rib that was priced at $25 was about the size of my palm and VERY dry. There was barely any sauce to help with the texture. Spent a good amount of time flossing out pieces of meat out of my teeth when I got home. The only thing we enjoyed were the olives and cornbread. We actually boycotted and refused to order any more drinks or get dessert since the meal and service were disappointing. When we were given the bill a 20% large party gratuity was already included. We were only a party of 5... the server then dumped the news that he is charging the $25 pp no show fee for the two members of our party who didn't show up. Upon reviewing the restaurant policy, it is stated that no shows are subject to a forfeited deposit. However, most of our party showed up and dined. We should have been categorized as a party that fulfilled the reservation. Additionally, our "no-shows" had covid... totally unexpected and an unfortunate situation. We told this to the server and he told us to charge our friends who didn't show up. There was no "let me see what we can do" or any sense of apology. When we checked the reservation after leaving the restaurant they still charged the no show fee for two people. All in all, this place has expensive, mediocre food, and awful restaurant service and policies that are strictly adhered to even though the place was half empty the entire 2.5 hours we dined there. God forbid you make a reservation and get sick or have an emergency because they will charge you without any remorse.
Anna Bedley
Expensive drinks! Uncomfortable chairs. Unique vibe. Nice staff. 2hr time limit for parking validation.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Debi R.
Spur of the moment dinner plans brought us here. I'm always pleasantly surprised by restaurants that are nestled between business high rises. I'm always afraid that there will be no ambiance, that's not the case here. The menu is seasonal, which is a huge hurdle for me, because when I like something, I tend to be a creature of habit. We like to eat early when we go out because we like to have intimate dinners, where we don't have to compete with the noise level of a full restaurant. And, we got that here. I started off with a mojito because they can be prepared seasonally, and the hubby was all about the whiskey. Other than Four Roses, I don't recall what the others were. The pours were $50 for 2oz. Since my hubby was such a big fan of the whiskey's that were recommended, Andrew (Owner) gave us a tour of his inventory, and the Chef's table where we will have our next gathering. Thank you for your hospitality, and we are so excited for our next experience!
Eric C.
Celebrated a birthday here with a large group of friends. Place is in middle of office buildings. Inside is charming although the flow of Layout is odd. Atmosphere had potential Service was interesting. I don't think they lacked staff but it's as if they don't know how to manage large party like ours. Staff seems to lack flexibility even though our friends husband spent a boat load for dinner and open bar for 3 hours. Food was ok. I don't know how much they charge because it was a set menu. Taste and quality of food seemed inconsistent. Entree was yummy but dessert was terrible. I've actually had better dessert on Main St Disneyland than this place. Apps were good but also lacked consistency within the served place. Very puzzling Best thing about this place was the bar. High quality drinks! So I gave them extra star even though I was not impressed with the food. I would try it again just in case it was the size of the party. Who knows they might be better for a small party.
Melanie W.
Such a great time here. We were seated promptly and our server catered to our every need. It truly felt like royalty dinning here. Lights are dimmed low, but just enough to give you a calming feeling and not like you're left in the dark. The dishes were exquisite and I truly have not had better. I would recommend Porch and Swing to anyone and everyone. It's a disservice to not come here.
This was our first time to this restaurant. Cozy small place with great atmosphere. The food was superb. The service was so, so. Server did not know the menu after asking about certain dishes. Also, was not up to date on the wines. Overall, a great experience.
We invite friends who have not experienced Porch and Swing on a regular basis. It is a fun place with great drink and dining options. We also have a good time and so do our friends.
Fantastic food, drinks & service. Love the vibe and decor. The tomato confit toast and spinach salad were amazing. Planning to go back for the fried chicken and biscuits, and then the burger at the bar with a whiskey flight. Was the perfect Saturday night spot.
As a dedicated father of four and head of household, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of fair treatment and timely payment for HARD work. Unfortunately, at porch & swing , these fundamental principles were completely disregarded by the owner, leaving me and my fellow employees in dire straits.Despite only being three chefs working all day pouring our hearts and souls into ensuring the highest quality menu for our patrons, the owner failed to fulfill his basic responsibility of compensating us for our labor. paychecks were delayed or, worse, not issued at all, leaving us scrambling to make ends meet and support our families.What’s truly disheartening is the lack of empathy and communication displayed by the owner throughout this ordeal. Never once did he offer a heads up or show any concern for the financial well-being of his staff. It became increasingly clear that our dedication and hard work was being stepped on, with little regard for the personal hardships we were enduring.The only reason I continued to work at porch & swing was out of loyalty to my team and our collective reputation in the culinary industry. However, I can no longer turn a blind eye to the mistreatment and negligence we have experienced.By dining at porch & swing you’re inadvertently supporting an establishment that prioritizes themselves over the well-being of its employees. I urge potential diners to consider the ethical implications of where they choose to spend their money and to seek out establishments that value and respect their staff.In conclusion, until significant changes are made to address the appalling treatment of employees, I cannot in good conscience recommend porch & swing to anyone. Choose wisely, not only for the sake of your dining experience but also for the livelihoods of those behind the scenes.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 1
A little struggle with staffing shortages for a busy night which turned our dinner into a 2.5 hr event. The food was very good, but would like to try again in the future when staffed properly.
Exceptional food! The Wagyu steak is hands down the best steak I have ever had. If you are a fan of grits, these cannot be beaten! As a southerner, I approve of these grits. Now they just need sweet tea and we will be all set!
We made reservations to dine here to celebrate two birthdays. It is located in a corporate area, and parking is in a structure. Upon arriving, we noticed how empty it seemed for a Friday night. Still, it took longer than we thought to get seated. I will say, the service was very slow. It took over 20 minutes to get our drinks, including one that was just a lemonade. We did order a ton of food because we were starving Food items ordered: -carpaccio- this was delicious, but not traditional carpaccio, more like a charcuterie meat -crab rice- this was just ok. My husband is pescatarian and he said the roe on top was just too much. -black pepper biscuits- heavenly! This is a must order -cornbread- I would order this again and again. The flavor was phenomenal -Burrata- the pesto was mg favorite part of this, this was splendid -Pickled egg- these were interesting, very tangy, not a must but we enjoyed them Now for Entrees: -Seared Duck Breast- wow! One of the best Ducks I have had. My complaint, the size of the Duck for $45 was very small. The foie gras was almost non existent. The blue corn grits were absolutely amazing! -Braised Short Ribs- we really enjoyed this. Tender, juicy. It was heavy on the wine flavor but I liked it -Salmon Truffle Pasta- Salmon cooked perfectly. Truffle flavor nearly nonexistent. Pasta sauce was okay, nothing too exciting there. -Spicy Rabbit Pasta- Rabbit was good, pasta was again just okay. The Sauce was very basic, nothing wow about this -Pommes Puree- this was NOT pommes puree... this was not a Lucious silky potato purée, but rather an extremely lumpy serving of mashed potatoes. This should have been called mashed potatoes. We were so disappointed with this one -Potatoes Dauphinoise- The thyme flavor in this was delicious. -Braised Mushrooms- excellent flavor and texture Now for Dessert: -Cheesecake- came with sliced grapes instead of the macerated strawberries as the menu said. Definitely not worth $17, underwhelming -chocolate Yuzu Sorbet- just an odd combination. We did not enjoy -hazelnut ice cream- tasted like freezer burn more than anything else -passion fruit sorbet- very tangy, I enjoyed this one We did order coffee but it was forgotten so we never got it. They did take off two sorbets off the check for that. Most of the food we enjoyed, but I would not say it's worth a $400 check. They validate parking but only for 2 hours and service was extremely slow so we were here for over 3 hours and had to pay.
We were here for the jazz music and the food was awesome! Each dish is designed with great ideas and the taste is wonderful, and just right to the taste buds. The service was excellent and made you want to revisit for sure!
I don't understand how this place has good reviews.The food was horrible.The only thing that i enjoyed was the blue cornbread and the marinated olives.The confit tomato toast tasted like the Mexican lucas candy.The braised short rib was dry AF and didn't taste goodFried chicken was dry AF and it was all batterOn top of that we were a party of 7 that turned into a party of 5 and got charged $30 for the other two that couldn't make it. Since they were "no shows" we got charged on open table $15 per person.Like why?? This is Irvine and not a Michelin Star restaurantAlso validation for parking is only for 3 hours. So to our pleasant surprise since we had been there longer than 3 hours we ended up paying $5 for parking.NEVER coming to Porch & Swing again. Will never recommend to any of my friends and family
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
I don't understand how this place has good reviews. The food was horrible. The only thing that i enjoyed was the blue cornbread and the marinated olives. The confit tomato toast tasted like the Mexican lucas candy. The braised short rib was dry AF and didn't taste good Fried chicken was dry AF and it was all batter On top of that we were a party of 7 that turned into a party of 5 and got charged $30 for the other two that couldn't make it. Since they were "no shows" we got charged on open table $15 per person. Like why?? This is Irvine and not a Michelin Star restaurant Also validation for parking is only for 3 hours. So to our pleasant surprise since we had been there longer than 3 hours we ended up paying $5 for parking. NEVER coming to Porch & Swing again. Will never recommend to any of my friends and family
Restaurantji Recommends
We were sorely disappointed in this establishment. It's hard to get everyone together these days and we wanted to dine here for our annual Christmas girls' dinner. This place requires you to put a deposit down of $25/pp via Opentable. You are charged before dining. It's supposed to be returned to you upon dining. We had a 6pm reservation and the place was pretty empty except two or three parties and two people at the bar. Two members of our party of 7 got covid so it there were only 5 of us at the time we checked in. Immediately the hostess indicated there was problem because they already set up the table (I.e. pushed two tables together and put out place settings). We waited for her to check with the server to make sure it was okay. Since we were still waiting on the rest of our party, we sat at the bar which was 10 feet away and wanted to take advantage of their happy hour menu. Upon seating, the server seemed irritated and asked if we were leaving our table. We informed him that we were just going to wait for the rest of our party and get drinks. Got drinks. Paid the tab and we hung out for a bit. The rest of our party finally arrived and we sat back at our table. The drink menu is via QR code. We ordered drinks and upon discovery of seeing the drinks double in price, two members of our party wanted to take advantage of the happy hour prices at the bar. The bartender was instructed by our server not to serve us! It's a ridiculous policy to serve happy hour prices at the bar that is literally steps away from our table, with the same drinks made and served by the same bartender. Additionally, food already started coming out and our party didn't have the drinks they ordered yet. The food was just okay. Nothing splendid. In fact, the short rib that was priced at $25 was about the size of my palm and VERY dry. There was barely any sauce to help with the texture. Spent a good amount of time flossing out pieces of meat out of my teeth when I got home. The only thing we enjoyed were the olives and cornbread. We actually boycotted and refused to order any more drinks or get dessert since the meal and service were disappointing. When we were given the bill a 20% large party gratuity was already included. We were only a party of 5... the server then dumped the news that he is charging the $25 pp no show fee for the two members of our party who didn't show up. Upon reviewing the restaurant policy, it is stated that no shows are subject to a forfeited deposit. However, most of our party showed up and dined. We should have been categorized as a party that fulfilled the reservation. Additionally, our "no-shows" had covid... totally unexpected and an unfortunate situation. We told this to the server and he told us to charge our friends who didn't show up. There was no "let me see what we can do" or any sense of apology. When we checked the reservation after leaving the restaurant they still charged the no show fee for two people. All in all, this place has expensive, mediocre food, and awful restaurant service and policies that are strictly adhered to even though the place was half empty the entire 2.5 hours we dined there. God forbid you make a reservation and get sick or have an emergency because they will charge you without any remorse.
Expensive drinks! Uncomfortable chairs. Unique vibe. Nice staff. 2hr time limit for parking validation.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Spur of the moment dinner plans brought us here. I'm always pleasantly surprised by restaurants that are nestled between business high rises. I'm always afraid that there will be no ambiance, that's not the case here. The menu is seasonal, which is a huge hurdle for me, because when I like something, I tend to be a creature of habit. We like to eat early when we go out because we like to have intimate dinners, where we don't have to compete with the noise level of a full restaurant. And, we got that here. I started off with a mojito because they can be prepared seasonally, and the hubby was all about the whiskey. Other than Four Roses, I don't recall what the others were. The pours were $50 for 2oz. Since my hubby was such a big fan of the whiskey's that were recommended, Andrew (Owner) gave us a tour of his inventory, and the Chef's table where we will have our next gathering. Thank you for your hospitality, and we are so excited for our next experience!
Celebrated a birthday here with a large group of friends. Place is in middle of office buildings. Inside is charming although the flow of Layout is odd. Atmosphere had potential Service was interesting. I don't think they lacked staff but it's as if they don't know how to manage large party like ours. Staff seems to lack flexibility even though our friends husband spent a boat load for dinner and open bar for 3 hours. Food was ok. I don't know how much they charge because it was a set menu. Taste and quality of food seemed inconsistent. Entree was yummy but dessert was terrible. I've actually had better dessert on Main St Disneyland than this place. Apps were good but also lacked consistency within the served place. Very puzzling Best thing about this place was the bar. High quality drinks! So I gave them extra star even though I was not impressed with the food. I would try it again just in case it was the size of the party. Who knows they might be better for a small party.
Such a great time here. We were seated promptly and our server catered to our every need. It truly felt like royalty dinning here. Lights are dimmed low, but just enough to give you a calming feeling and not like you're left in the dark. The dishes were exquisite and I truly have not had better. I would recommend Porch and Swing to anyone and everyone. It's a disservice to not come here.