Bahama Breeze

On a beautiful Father’s Day, my boyfriend’s father chose for us to eat at Bahama Breeze because he could not stop raving about the snapper dish he had eaten a month prior. Personally, I was excited, because I had been to Bahama Breeze multiple times a few years back and it was always a great experience, food and service-​wise. When we walked in (around 3 PM) we were seated immediately, which was wonderful. Here is where everything began to go downhill.
Our waiter did not introduce himself (I later checked his name tag and saw it was Leonardo) or say Happy Father’s Day, did not smile, and just went straight for «Have you guys been here before?» After learning that my boyfriend had not, there was no «Welcome! Let me show you our specials». Instead, he proceeded to flip through my open menu FOR me (someone who HAD been there before) and explain things without checking to see if my boyfriend even had questions. After giving him our drink orders, he left and brought them back, took our food orders without asking if there were any questions or anyone wanted soup or appetizers, and basically made us feel like we weren’t really worth spending time on. When he came back with my boyfriend’s father’s soup (which had to be ordered at the last second since the waiter never asked if we wanted soup), he just put it on the table with a «The plate is hot» and left again, forgetting the additional water he had been asked for.
When our food arrived, we realized our waiter had never brought us utensils or looked to see if we had any to begin with. We had to flag down a nearby waitress because our waiter did not come to check on us and our food for a while. This entire time, I hear other tables’ waiters and waitresses offering additional menu information, smiling and asking what else the table might need, and other typical things your waiter/​waitress should say.
The food we got was the Yellowtail Snapper, Curry Goat Bowl, and Jamaican Spiced Pork Tenderloins. All three dishes were overcooked, with the meat being very dry. Of course, our waiter had disappointed us so much by the time we were able to take a bite of our food that we just wanted out of there and did not tell him anything about the food. My boyfriend said it was the worst curry he had ever had, and his father said the snapper did not even come close to the snapper he had a month prior, wondering if the chefs had changed.
When we were preparing to leave, my boyfriend’s father even said this was supposed to be a great experience, and turned out to be a pretty miserable one… keep in mind this is supposed to be Father’s Day! It was so disappointing we didn’t even bother to order dessert.
I’m not sure if the service was due to a language barrier, racial profiling (I am Asian and my boyfriend and his father are West Indian), or poor training, but I was very disappointed by both the service and the food. However, I know my boyfriend and his father didn’t want to make a scene in the restaurant, and I did not want to make a scene on Father’s Day, so I did not ask for a manager there and then.
Not sure that I would come back to give the food another shot and risk sitting in the same or another bad waiter/waitress’s section. I know other restaurants in the complex that have much better food so I’d rather go there if I know I’m going to get mediocre service.
TL;DR: Service with our waiter was horrible, food was overcooked and dry. Consider eating there if you’d like, but I can vouch for the food in the other restaurants in the complex over this place, especially if it’s supposed to be a special occasion like Father’s Day.

I have been to this place 3 times and every time they have had bad service. If you go there and be seated, expect that for 30 min nobody is gonna come to you and ask you what would you like until you go and say: hey I’m here, somebody give me some food.

Everything was amazing! The service was fast and the food came out right away. Such a great change from typical bar food. The shrimp and grits were fantastic, and that’s coming from someone who grew up down south! We will be coming back for sure.

Went for a Saturday family lunch. Drinks were good, quite and extensive selection. Will have to come back one evening when its in the 90’s.
Service was attentive and overall i was impressed for a chain. Food was quite good. Kids menu is pretty standard stuff and well made. Fruit and veggies included so that was nice from a parental perspective. We had firecracker shrimp and tuna apps, both very good enjoyed by adults and kids alike. Have the Mahi and Shrimp rice bowl. This was excellent. The picture is deceiving, it was very large and quite filling. Smaller portion for lunch would have been more than enough.
Will be back! Only reason to give it a 4 is, side salad was not that good and kids food could have been better for sure by my view.

Been here twice food is always good, wait staff and hostess staff and young and not very well trained. Need to be more «professional». Had the salmon on a tortilla — so delicious, felt very light and totally satisfying at the same time.

Great place to be to enjoy a good meal. Fantastic atmosphere. Absolutely friendly and efficient staff.

Free small plates for checking in! They were absolutely delicious! Try the pulled pork and plantains.
I don’t know why this place is rated only 3 stars. It’s definitely a 5 star restaurant. Server was very nice and the food came out pretty quickly. I ordered the Jamaican pork tenderloin medallion and it turned out fabulous!

Fun cinco de mayo here! Place is lively snd hopping. Will finish review later! Need to enjoy!

Out for a dinner with an old friend. He picked this place. I’m not a huge chain fan, but I was pleasantly surprised by my experience.
The hostess and waitress could not have been nicer and attentive. The place was packed with an enthusiastic crowd and there was a twenty minute wait, if you didn’t have a reservation.
I had the fish tacos. The fish seemed fresh and was nor overcooked which is quite common in the chains. The black bean soup was well spiced.
Overall, it was a good time and I will go back.

Of all the fast casual options on Rt 1 in «Princeton» (i.e. anywhere between NB & Trenton), this is one of the poorer choices. And, considering the décor is nice and the service is friendly and fairly efficient, I don’t fault local mgmt either. The food here tastes like it was designed by a marketing team (not a chef) deep in the bowels of Darden, Inc. There are way, way, way too many fried/​breaded menu selections, and far too few healthy/​tasty choices. This reminds me of the TGIFriday’s menu of the 1980’s. The paella is okay, but other than that the food I have had here is generally mediocre at best, and they often try to hide the quality of the food behind heavy sauces and seasonings. The drinks are truly one-​star potions. There’s little to no mixology here — just incredibly over-​sweetened, syrupy, high margin, low-​quality beverages. It’s as if Darden marketing team went to a Britney Spears concert, and polled the 12 year old girls leaving the event. «Hey, when you all turn 21, what would you like your cocktails to taste like??» Be prepared for a corn syrup coma, if you select one of them.
I cannot imagine the demographic that Darden is going for here, but with so many great and good restaurants near Princeton, I can’t think of any reason to come here, except if your friends happen to be here already. Too bad the employees here try hard to please, but are defeated by the quality of the food & drinks. If not for them, this would be a solid one-​star review with an anchor.

Shrimp appetizer was alright, tacos and salad tasted off. Everything was very sweet, food tastes like it was microwaved from frozen.
Grilled chicken sandwich was glazed in an artificially sweet sauce, and the spongy texture suggests it was microwaved.
Service on a Saturday was slow and inattentive.
Even for a restaurant attached to a mall, you can do better.

I have been to Bahama Breeze many times. But for happy hour only. And happy hour is a literal term. It’s one hour. And for that I give it only three stars. Happy hour should not end at six.

I have always loved this Chain Of Restaurants. Its close enough to give me that Comfort Meal feeling at the same time I eat some thats not Indian. Always love the décor of these restaurants with the Palm trees and island feel.
Must haves —
Pineapple Daiquiri and the tropical cocktails I always go for the sampler Tray 3 cocktails for $ 17 you cant go wrong.
Fish Taco is a must along with the rice Bowls Chipotle Beef and Spicy Pork man I am hungry just writing about them
And don’t you dare walk out of there without having the «Pineapple Upside-​Down Chocolate Lava Cake» its to die for. It might not always be on the menu but you can still order they make it fresh.

2 strikes & you’re out, bahama breeze. i typically don’t visit a chain resto multiple times to determine i don’t like it, but it wasnt all my idea, i swear!
the first visit was to celebrate a birthday not long after this location in Princeton Marketfair opened. the drinks were mediocre, the food was mehhhh overall. the coconut shrimp tacos sounded like a good idea but were actually gross, bland, soggy… you get the idea. the service was a joke. it was mid-​week, dinner time and the resto was not very busy… why did our waiter keep disappearing? where were our drink refills? where were our plates? i partially wrote the issues off as newbie mistakes, but had absolutely no desire to return.
but then we were gifted a gift card, and were invited to join some friends there for dinner. UGH. the place has been open 6+ months and they still can’t seem to get stuff right. no improvements to the food– not a single diner in our group was thrilled with their dish. the service was still horrendous. why is our waitress yelling at us? why doesn’t she know if a dish has tomatoes or not? why can’t the kitchen make a dish without the tomatoes? (answer: it’s all premade and just reheated.) why do we have apps, and main dishes, but no silverware? and whyyyy is she so insistent that we order tequila drinks? sheesh. i couldn’t wait to get out of there.
do yourself a favor and take your dollars elsewhere. sure, this chunk of the rt. 1 corridor doesn’t have many non-​chain dining options, but you’d be much better off upgrading to seasons 52 next door, or even chipotle across the street. or put some effort into it and drive the 10 minutes into princeton for some really great options.
no, bahama breeze, i won’t be back for strike 3.

Yes — it’s a chain. So why give it 5 stars? I went there with the family expecting the «same ol» type of fast casual. We all had a great time, had a great server and the food was brought out exactly as we’d wanted.
They use OpenTable which save me a great deal of time since there was a pretty long wait for a table. Our reservation was for 6:30 and we were seated a few minutes earlier. We took the high top table near the bar which we like anyway. The hostess gave us a nice explanation why we would like this table more than in their dining area. We didn’t need much convincing. We were hungry, thirsty and ready for some good grub.
Sam was our waiter and he was awesome. Gave great advice, attentive and funny. My daughter and I started out with the Flying Fish Pale Ale. My son had a Blue Moon. My wife was daring and had the Bahama cocktail sampler. A nice trio of 5 oz concoctions that resembled the full size versions. Rum Rum Rum.
For the appetizer, we shared the Island Hopper which is a sampler dish of coconut shrimp, fried conch, onion ring tower, and full island wings (all 3 sections). My wife, being vegetarian, only could have the onion rings, but Sam brought out some chips and salsa feeling sorry for her. Good move, Sam! Tip is going up.
For main course, my wife had the quesadillas as a main course, but vegetable style and not chicken. The kids had the Mahi Shrimp Bowl, Coconut shrimp platter and chicken curry bowl.
I had the Tilapia grilled with chimichurri seasoning and added lump crabmeat. Delicious! Also came with 2 sides which were very fresh— asparagus and broccoli — .
They do put down the caloric content of all dishes on the menu. Not good if you’re on a diet since I would guess the average was around 800‑1000 calories. Who cares, right? It was tasty, hot, fresh, filling and timely.
Found out they’re open Christmas Eve which is my wife’s birthday. Typically we have difficulty finding places to eat on Christmas Eve. BB is open until 11 pm. Already booked it. Very much of a varied menu. I like it.

The drink menu is an overwhelming binder of hundreds of drinks. Good happy hour deals. Good service. Not clean… Tons of fruit flies and ants at the bar. Enjoyed our lobster shrimp quesadilla. Too bad it was covered in grease! Great atmosphere though… Will prob go again for happy hour

I didn’t expect to like Bahama Breeze at all. I don’t like chain restaurants in general, and had a really bad experience a few years ago at a BB on U.S. 95 in Delaware. But, I was trying to find a central location to meet my friend, who was was driving up from NE Philly for our twice-​yearly dinner get-​together, and Bahama Breeze was a new option.
I like the décor, although I don’t understand why so many chains have to keep the temperature colder than Trondheim, Norway in January. Though I dressed in anticipation, I froze for a good part of the time.
Service was terrific, friendly and prompt. We started with Zombies, delivered as I asked, with minimal ice. And contrary to another Unilocaler’s review, I had no problem getting my food the way I wanted. It may not be Burger King (for which I’m eternally grateful), but I find that their willingness to accommodate substitutions goes beyond many other chains.
The burger with onions, goat cheese, and guacamole sounded good. But I haven’t been eating much beef these days, and wanted to order the turkey burger, which was almost identical, but without the goat cheese. No problem having it my way, turkey with the goat cheese. I was also happy to find out that, unlike too many other places, the tortilla soup here is NOT made with cream. I was going to order it for a starter, but then the waitress suggested I could have it as my side with the burger. Yay! I could have also chosen the usual fries, or sweet potato fries, or a choice of two different steamed veggies, or a couple of other items. We decided to share a side salad, and our bill showed only a 2.49 upcharge.
The tortilla soup was delicious and chock full of goodies but, unfortunately, had absolutely no spice. Still, I loved it and it helped warm me up. My burger was equally tasty, and I really enjoyed it.
My friend had black bean soup and that did have a good kick; she was perfectly happy with it. She didn’t have an entrée, but instead got the crab stack with shrimp that’s listed under appetizers. With the soup and half the salad, she was more than satisfied.
I’m happy to have found a new choice to replace the others that we’ve grown very tired of, but I’m sure I’ll be back with other friends or family. And… Happy Hour beckons!

To be honest, I’m surprised by the low ratings for Bahama Breeze because I had a fabulous dinner there. From the drinks to the appetizer to my entrée, everything was super delicious.
My bahamarita drink was A+. The drink is so fruity, it’s the perfect drink to have at Bahama Breeze and pretend you’re on a tropical island. Overall I would say the variety of the drink menu is great. If you love fruity cocktails, this is definitely the place for you. Especially I would recommend coming for the happy hour where the signature cocktails are $ 4 and appetizers are half off.
The lobster and shrimp quesadilla appetizer was very generous. There’s nine sizeable pieces and we had lots of chunky pieces of lobster and shrimp in each slice. Definitely a great appetizer for the table.
For my entrée, I had two fish tacos. I believe it was Mahi Mahi. Again, super delicious. It also came with a side of black beans and yellow rice.
Truly, everything was so tasty and beautifully served. Also, we had the best waitress. She was so kind, attentive, and genuinely friendly. A really great dining experience.

I can’t believe the low reviews. My husband and I have been here several times (5? 6?) since their opening and have enjoyed ourselves each time. All of our waiters have been great, timely, friendly, and attentive and the manager has been wonderful, too.
We always want to sit outside in the enclosed deck. The first time we arrived, we sat at one of the tall tables in the back near the waitstaff entrance. Later into our meal when my husband casually mentioned to the waiter a fan overhead would have been great (as they are down the middle of the restaurant over the other tall tables), the waiter apparently told the manager (we didn’t ask for a manager — it was just a friendly suggestion), she came right out and explained that they table was really intended for the middle aisle with the rest of the tables, but to afford more room, they had moved it into that space. She then proceeded to give us 4 $ 5 coupons for future visits!!!
We had been to the Breeze in Cherry Hill several times and waited nearly two years for this one to open as we enjoyed our visits there and this location is much closer. We get there early and always manage to get a table outside, which has live music and a bar. Its nice sitting there, especially at the high booths in the back. While they have a HUGE TV screen, my husband doesn’t bother to face it (as he usually does when a TV is on in a restaurant or bar). We actually talk to each other!!! We order 2 – 3 apps from the happy hour menu ($ 4-​$ 6), get our Cubana drinks on ($ 4!!!), and chow down on some delicious food that is very attractively plated.
I remember the last time I was there, I was thinking, «Gee I’m really enjoying myself». We like to eat out often and this has become our new go to place.
Go during happy hour… the prices can’t be beat and the Cubanas are made with real sugar cane in your glasses. Don’t be fooled. They do pack a punch.

I’ve been here multiple times and I have to say it’s a great addition to the market fair mall… And area as a whole. First off, the theme is nice and tropical, and for a place that is very affordable, is genuinely good.
The drink menu is quite extensive and very original, especially for the prices. Everything tastes extremely refreshing while not cheating out on the alcohol content.
The food menu is great, a lot of originality for a chain restaurant. I have tried the jerk chicken and the steak. Both dishes were right portioned and extremely tasty.
I really like the place. Every dish is great, and the service is friendly and helpful. The only issue is the wait line is consistently long for food. With that said, the servers are very attentive in the mean time… Just don’t go starving and expect quick food service.