Swifts Attic: Downtown eatery focuses on the unusualPhoto by Gene Davis

Swifts Attic co-owner C.K. Chin said his goal is for all diners at the restaurant to feel welcome.

Downtown eatery focuses on the unusual

At Swift's Attic, co-owner C.K. Chin says he is trying to provide adventurous eating in an unpretentious way.

Chin said he was growing weary of the elitism of restaurants in other cities that serve adventurous, unusual dishes and wanted Swift's Attic to join other likeminded Austin restaurants in bucking that trend.

"The goal from day one was to provide great food, great atmosphere to anyone who wants to take it," he said. "We didn't want to alienate anybody. That's the line you tread: How can you be avant-grade and on the cutting edge without ostracizing people?"

Swift's Attic, which opened last April, has a chef-driven menu that embraces the whimsical and unusual, Chin said. Charred edamame is served with pop rocks; pork cheek is paired with fig, mustard and sourdough toast; and grilled baby octopi comes with pickle salad.

The kitchen is led by chef Mat Clouser, whose resume includes Austin restaurants Uchi, Kenichi and Vespaio.

"My partner [Stuart Thomajan] and I believe you find someone who is great about what they do, passionate about what they do, and get out of their way," Chin said. "[Clouser] is one of those people you gravitate towards."

Despite the preference for the unusual, Chin said the restaurant purposefully caters to a wide variety of tastes. The menu has steak frites, for instance, but the steak is antelope.

Chin said the restaurant's atmosphere and decor, which recalls a room in a house, helps his mission of putting people at ease.

"If you can feel like you belong, you feel like you're in my home, then we hit it," he said.

Popular dishes

Servers at Swift's Attic recommend diners order two dishes per person, since the plates are small and made for sharing. Among the popular menu items are:

  • Lockhart quail that is served with bleu cheese grits and candied almonds ($18)
  • Broken Arrow Ranch antelope steak frites ($23)
  • Grilled oysters served with smoked tomatoes and compressed cucumber ($10)

Drinks at Swift's Attic

Swift's Attic serves 14 draft beers, 24 types of wine by the glass and house-made craft cocktails.

The craft cocktails, all of which cost $12 and were created by Jeff Hammett, include:

  • The 1984 made with Death's Door gin, triple sec, squozen lemon and lime, Angostura bitters
  • The Razercrac made with vodka, absinthe, sweet vermouth and bitters
  • The Eff Cuc made with cucumber vodka, house-made cucumber syrup and fresh lime

Recommended restaurants

Instead of being competitors, the owners behind many of the newest and most notable Austin restaurants are friends with each other, Swift's Attic co-owner C.K. Chin said.

"We have a community of chefs, owners and operators that are all so happy that we are doing well that we spread the love," he said.

Chin said some of his favorite restaurants in Austin are:

315 Congress Ave., Ste. 200, www.swiftsattic.com, 512-482-8200

  • Lunch: Mon.–Fri. 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
  • Dinner: Mon.–Wed. 5–11 p.m.,
  • Thu.–Sat. 5 p.m.–12 a.m.