Back in the Swing: Wine bar’s popular patio is now ready for any kind of weather

Swing Wine Bar, which always has been a hot spot on a warm evening, reopened Wednesday with a redesigned outdoor space that will allow three-season outdoor dining with a view.

The restaurant and bar, which closed in September, will seat diners indoors, too, but the focus is on the spacious backyard, which now includes a covered and heated patio, a deck and some uncovered tables suited for sunny weather.

“There are only five tables inside,” said Swing owner Nicole Butigan. “We’re not seating our downstairs area yet.”

Fans already are flocking there. On Wednesday, the restaurant’s reopening night, the place was packed. In fact, there were so many reservations that Butigan blocked some tables so that her staff could adjust to the new space and to serving customers once again.

Customers lingered that evening, appreciating the weather and the music of guitarist Vince Brown, who was once an every-Wednesday fixture at Swing and might soon be one again. (Pre-pandemic, Brown was playing multiple nights a week. Wednesday was his first gig in more than a year.)

Changes from last summer include the covered patio, with plastic-windowed walls that can be removed when there’s no need to block the wind, a mural by Jill Carter, and lots of new plantings.

The outdoor space has 21 tables, one more than it did last summer. But they’re bigger and spaced further apart, and among them is a large fire table that seats up to six.

“ I don’t know about December and January,” Butigan said, “but it is a mostly all-year patio now.”

What hasn’t changed is the view of Capitol Lake, Budd Inlet and the Olympics.

There’s a new menu, with some familiar items, including brisket and chile relleno, and some different ones, including duck breast with cherries. The dishes are petite, so you might want more than one — or better yet, start with the bacon-wrapped dates with brown sugar-sherry glaze to take the edge off your appetite. Like last summer’s menu, it’s a bit more streamlined than what the restaurant offered before COVID-19.

“Things are still unstable pricewise, and it’s hard to get some items,” Butigan said. “The supply chains are still affected.

“We’re going to have a different summer menu,” she added. “And we can always add specials. This is just a starting point.”

And then, of course, there’s the wine list, including fun tasting flights with samples of three wines each, plus cocktails and mocktails.

Butigan’s staff has all returned, she said, except one person who’s out of state and plans to return to work later. Also back is Stephen Pavletich, who had left to take a job at the new Talking Cedar in Grand Mound. He’s “back where he belongs” as general manager, he said.

The customers looking for outdoor dining on a nice evening are, too.

Swing Wine Bar

• Where: 825 Columbia St. SW, Olympia.
• Hours: 3-8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 3-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday
• Reservations: https://swingwinebar.com/, 360-357-9464

This story was originally published April 16, 2021 at 5:45 AM with the headline "Back in the Swing: Wine bar’s popular patio is now ready for any kind of weather."