The unique Sawa Restaurant & Lounge is located in the beautiful Shops at Merrick Park. The eatery offers a contemporary Mediterranean and Japanese dual-concept menu, along with seating inside and outside.

What I find fascinating about Sawa is that it is NOT a fusion restaurant. I love fusion restaurants, but it is refreshing to see a restaurant excel at different concepts independently.

I struggled with where to eat for my birthday. Although February 29th is nonexistent this year, I still had March 1st! I could not complain this year; I got the whole weekend to celebrate my 23rd. My Mom found Sawa, a highly reviewed and rated restaurant, and made a reservation at 9PM for my birthday. I was excited to see and experience what all the hype was about.

I constantly rave about how February/March weather is amazing in Florida. This March 1st was no different. We opted to sit outside where there was a nice breeze and I do not regret it!

Some reviewers on Yelp stated that the inside was not appealing. I beg to differ. I went inside to go to the restroom and found the inside adorable and very Mediterranean (I love the lights!). It was obviously a more popular choice to sit outside, because the inside was empty.

To drink, I had the Sawa Kiss Martini. I found it rather strong but still somehow very sweet. The strong part I do not mind as much as the sweetness. I believe the rim of the glass was lined with sugar. Next time, I will stick to a Moscow Mule!

To start off, we were brought complimentary pita chips with a tomato pesto spread. I loved it! They were quite addicting…I am totally behind this concept (you know, rather than the classic bread and butter).

For our starter, we ordered the Mediterranean Sampler and it was a hit. We devoured every last bit of it. When I went to Greece, I fell in love with the food. Eating at Sawa reminded me of how I should incorporate more Mediterranean food in my diet (it is healthy and delicious). ***Not pictured: warm & fresh pita bread.

For dinner we shared multiples dishes, as that is my favorite thing to do! I love tasting different things, rather than eating one large dish. Since we are sushi fanatics, we decided to try two of their famous roles (Volcano & Kamikaze Tempura). In addition, we also had the Short Rib Patata Brava (also a popular dish on Yelp).

After dinner, we saw a lovely belly dancing show. The woman was really talented. Check out it out in my Birthday Vlog on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO6g9Ea5N9Q&t=521s.

For my birthday dessert, I was brought the Sweet & Sinful Chocolate Soufflé with Pistachio ice cream. I saw a picture of this dessert on Yelp and I knew that it was the one I wanted. The Soufflé was not as molten as I like it, but it was still good. I liked the touch of pistachio ice cream, rather than just plain vanilla.

More content coming soon! I hope you enjoyed this review.

Happy Pisces Season!

XO,

Caylin