Suwanna — Restaurant in Saint John

I used to go to Suwanna a lot on West side. Food was nice and I liked the old house even if it wasn't exactly restaurant feeling. Loved the food and the staff.

I visited the new location and other than our one server, can't say I'm impressed. The restaurant is crowded, might as well just have all the tables together if you're going to cram them in. It made it very loud and hard to hear people at my own table and made me feel like I had to yell.

The food was mediocre and some small portions. If Splash wasn't so terrible I'd say drop the pad Thai and compete with something else. The girlfriends dish was legitimately just a few peppers and some undercooked tofu. But here is where our night really took a turn. The tofu was ordered to be well done, i.e. crisped or browned sides, nothing too crazy to request. The Tofu came underdone, and when we asked for it to be cooked more, I even said the same tofu can be cooked, we're not picky. 15 minutes went by and as everyone else was finishing their food I requested for my girlfriend's dish to be reheated, all part of whats meant to be eaten with the tofu. The alternate server who brought our food back out deemed it necessary to tell us "the chef was very upset" and then presented us with even less cooked, different tofu. Went on about how it's not the usual firm but that's not what we asked for....just cooked longer, but instead the chef decided to let the customer know he doesn't care and cook it even less.

Our actual server, as anyone would be, was ashamed at her counterparts and handled everything well. I wish I got her name for this, but everyone else needs some serious training. Basic customer service needs help, like waters when people sit down and checking on customers after being served their meal.

Can't say id bother going back here anymore at least any time soon.There are lots of restaurants around town and certainly better pad Thai to be had, or dishes that even qualify to be priced in that range. A half a pepper and undercooked rude tofu certainly doesn't. If you wanna be a 5 star restaurant, hire a better chef who will make real dishes and not go out of their way to ruin your...

One Star – I Was the Girl in the Pink Hat

I’ve never felt so small in a restaurant before.

My friends and I had a reservation at Suwanna. We were seated, ordered a drink and appetizers. We were genuinely excited to try the food. About 45 minutes in; after settling into conversation and starting what we thought would be a great night. I was blindsided. Our waitress awkwardly approached our table and told me I needed to take off my fuzzy pink hat or they wouldn’t serve us.

Let me be clear: There was NO dress code posted. No one said a word when we booked. No one mentioned anything when we walked in, were greeted, seated, or placed our order. Only after we had a drink in hand and food on the way.

Apparently, the owner had been watching us on camera and decided from wherever they were that my outfit didn’t meet some unspoken standard. There was no sign. No heads-up. Just a sudden public correction that left me feeling exposed and embarrassed in front of everyone in the room.

I wasn’t wearing anything offensive. Just a soft, fuzzy hat that made me feel cute and in that moment they made me feel like a problem.

What hurt most wasn’t the food we didn’t get it was the way the staff was clearly uncomfortable enforcing something they didn’t even seem to believe in. We ended up leaving, but not before tipping our server, who had to carry out the message like a pawn in someone else’s game. She didn’t deserve that. Neither did we.

We go out every Friday and support restaurants across Saint John. We also work in the service industry, so we know what respect and hospitality look like. Suwanna failed at both. If your standards are so rigid; post them clearly. Don’t ambush guests. Don’t micromanage from a screen. And don’t ask people to pay for an experience that left them feeling small.

If there’s a dress code, say so. Don’t wait for a camera check-in to decide someone isn’t the “right look” for your dining room.

I left that night hungry, humiliated, and heartbroken. I won’t be back and surely won’t be quiet about it.

This wasn’t about a policy. This was...

Not recommended. First take out order under the new ownership - Food sorely underwhelming, didn't match order or website descriptions both on final bill and listed food pricing. Called for simple remedy - was put on two very long holds which in the end did not result in the owner's promise of a refund being honoured. Disturbing conversation devolved to having to record the outrageous and bizarrely toxic exchange with owner who showed a complete lack of integrity. Was a horrible experience in the end- charged $65 - for a pad Thai (no meat/veg), a chicken curry (no veg) and one roll?? The new owners' lack of integrity coupled with the lack of refund that was promised but not followed through on, is the absolute worst restaurant experience we've ever had - beginning with the sorely misleading prices, stock description & photos of meals that didn't match food provided, the numerous hours of time wasted on food order, pick up and phone convo with both owners who couldn't explain why they kept lying when directly contradicting each other. Wife owner claimed no knowledge of their website, the location of it online and then after directed to it by us - claimed the website wasn't theirs and we were mistaken; after putting us on hold for almost a 30 minutes, the owner came back on the line and then counter-claimed they used a company who used internet stock photos and then couldn't account for why pricing for take out differed from restaurant pricing even though it was a direct order not through a subsidiary/ delivery service akin to skip/uber eats... This bizarre experience was trumped only by another long phone hold with husband owner's unapologetic combativeness and complete lack of etiquette! The entire experience stained our family's endeared tradition of date night. A very unfortunate experience of long time patrons being so poorly treated. Suwanna's excellent reputation and standards that it once held, are not synonymous with the...