The Swan Terrace — Restaurant in Virginia Beach

I was not at all impressed with the Christmas Eve dinner buffet here. It was disappointing because I've looked forward to trying it out for years.

I spent over $200 for 4 people here and was not impressed with the selection, service, and food quality.

First, the salad bar was sad sad sad. Only 4 or so toppings to choose from, four salad dressings, and one type of not so fresh greens mix. There was a nearby "cheese bar" but I wouldn't call it that.... bunches of cheese on a tray that looked like from a Walmart platter with no plates or crackers or toppings is not that great.

The raw bar was probably the nicest element - a large bar with shrimp, salmon, and fresh raw oysters on ice. The shrimp and salmon were very good and my dad and boyfriend enjoyed the oysters, I don't eat them raw.

The hot food sections were equally disappointing. No steak, chicken, or prime rib. They did have some absolutely delicious and moist turkey at a carving station with gravy. That was very good. They had fatty beef and fatty brisket smothered in BBQ sauce. The sides were very dry roasted potatoes, bland corn with bacon pieces, Brussel sprouts and roasted bacon squash topped with a small piece of cheese and a cranberry. The squash was the standout. Nearby they had some rolls under a heat lamp - white and sweet potatoes. Often out of plates, no butter for a long period of time and when it did come out, it was frozen solid. A HUGE pet peeve of mine at a "fancy" place. Butter should never be frozen to be spread on bread. Ever. The rolls were hard and tasted like they were made a week ago, also, not warm. My boyfriend's 11-year old daughter commented they were like dog biscuits. I couldn't agree more.

The dessert bar was disappointing as well. I hoped for this to be the highlight. It wasn't. Several selections like cheesecake, bread pudding, chocolate cake, a peppermint swirl cake and Christmas cookies were "laid out" on a table outside the main buffet hall. Again, no plates, no refills of the items at the end of the night, they just ran out and it never got refilled.... the cakes were not moist and they were bland and tasteless with cheap whipped icing. Also, with no management the table was covered in crumbs and children and teens were sawing at cakes that were not pre-portioned or sliced to try to pick them up with tiny utensils. I even struggled... it was not well managed and was poor display and delivery of this.

The coffee and tea were good.

Service was OK. They were polite but continuously told us they were working Christmas Eve and were tired. We were also chastised for placing our own plates on the nearby tray to bus our tables despite the fact they weren't around to collect them and we needed to clear room.

Overall, not worth $200. I...

The ambience was lovely. The outside scenery was exceptional and what one would expect to see during the Christmas holiday season. They had one of the most captivating Christmas trees I had seen. It was also the major background for many pictures. The staff was good overall. The dinner experience was not reflective of all just stated. We had a party of approx 20 people and ONE service person (waitress). She tried her best at first but became increasingly upset when asked for things. One notable thing particularly was her not wearing a mask. When asked why she wasn't wearing one, she stated she had allergies and had problems breathing when the mask was on but could be heard constantly sniffling as if having a runny nose. When asked to put one on due to handling food and drinks, she walked off with an angry look on her face and returned without one. When it came to ordering drinks, she stated they had a "limited" bar so certain drinks couldn't be served. Smh Similarly, when it came to the food (or worse). My wife asked for extra "herb butter" with her Salmon. It didn't come out with her meal and when asked for it minutes later, the server brought it out COLD. It wouldn't have melted on the food because it was lukewarm by then. Some people got their food far too late (or not at all) and decided to take in a "to go" container or opted not to pay or take the dinner altogether. The server tried her best and stated she kept asking for help from management but they sent no one. I grew irritated and walked away. On the way out I spoke to a lady (manager) and told her she needed to put her attention to the area where we were being served because of all the issues we were having and that we were paying too much money for this event to have all the issues. They adjusted and deleted charges for the people who had the most issues. I paid for my food and we all left after everyone settled their bill and took pictures near that beautiful tree. Overall, I gave a 3-star review (which probably could've/should've been lower). I think inspite of the issues, the server tried/did her best. Its hard enough on a server to wait on a party of 2-4 people and try to provide top-notch service. So to multiply that by 5 is truly overwhelming. Management in this...

I reserved seating for 26 people for a birthday dinner on July 21st. I made my reservation with Breann who was extremely helpful and pleasant. I immediately received the email for pre fixed meal choices for a group of my size and a children's menu. I gathered everyone's food choice and sent it back earlier in the week. Upon arriving on the 21st we were greeted by the manager Michael and he took us to our section. Our wonderful servers, Kay (💓) and Madeline promptly attended to us. The serving of the meal went so smoothly because they had everyone's days ahead of the event. I am so thankful for that pre fixed dinner menu. The food was absolutely hot and delicious. Everyone was so pleased with there food choice. Kay, one of our servers, was such a sweetheart! Kay was authentically sweet personable, kind, and on top of everything and every need before the need was needed. Kay gave excellent service with her beautiful spirit and smile.There was never a need for anything because Kay was right there but she was never in the way because we were still able to enjoy each other. Once, everything was over people trickled out a few at a time, while half of us still ended up in the parking lot talking. Michael, the manager (with the pretty blue eyes) came twice, with a few things we left behind because of the way we staggered (not drunk) out a few at a time to walk our elders out and forgot to grab things thinking we were coming back in. Michael, thank you for going out of your way to do that. My family's experience was but exceptional! Most of my family had never been here before..but I have come to The Mother's Day Brunch several times. I have received several emails and text of how everyone enjoyed their delicious food and the atmosphere. I was even told I did a wonderful job. I can't take that credit. All thanks goes to Breann, the chefs, Michael, Madeline, and mist importantly Kay! Kay, please continue to give the exceptional, genuine, and personalized customer service that is so authentically you.! It was a pleasure being served and fed here at The Swan Terrace. Thank you so much for your...