The Swinery

West Seattle’s butcher shop/restaurant

You know how you read and hear about a place and just never manage to get there? The Swinery is one of those places for me. They’ve had a lot of coverage and it sounded like something great to check out, but, well, you know. Time goes by.

Recently I was trying to recreate a recipe for a dish I’d had out one night that used guanciale (Italian cured meat made from pork cheek). I knew from a long-ago experience that I wasn’t going to find it at a grocery store, or at least didn’t back then. I thought of The Swinery and emailed them to see if they had any. I got an immediate response: “Yes, we do.”

Photo: The Carolina Sandwich

I also knew they make an award-winning burger and had a menu filled with a number of delicious-sounding things, so I arranged to meet a couple of friends there for a late lunch. They also offer a cold case with take-home meals and make their own sausages and charcuterie. Meat is sourced from high-quality farms, and they use no nitrates or preservatives. Steaks, ribs, sausages, and cured meats, including the guanciale, looked great.

The shop is small with two cold cases, a counter along one wall with stools, and a refrigerated case with drinks. Order and pay at the counter and they bring the food to you. There are a couple of tables on the sidewalk as well as at the back along the side of the building. A lot of the grill business is take out.

Two of us ordered the burger since we hadn’t been there before, and it has won awards. I added bacon and chose blue cheese. It was stupidly delicious, but I did go the fork route as the blue cheese sogged up the bottom portion of the bun. The other burger order had double cheese, Cheddar I think, and no problem with getting soggy. They are big and you will make a mess. And you will be happy. The third order was the Carolina, a pulled pork sandwich with Carolina sauce (mustard-based) and slaw. We were told that not a lot of places offer the Carolina sauce, so it’s one more reason to head to The Swinery. The Rib & Fry was tempting: smoked and grilled pork ribs over Swine Fries (fried three times in rendered pork fat to get that crispy outside), and a choice of Caroliina or BBQ sauce.

Photo Above: Swinery Burger

Another item that has the potential to damage your body but sounds oh so good is the Danger Fries: smothered in house-made bacon and bleu cheese béchamel sauce. The poutine comes with smoked pork gravy and cheese curds. You can add pulled pork. You’re there, why not! Their bacon is belly cured in sugar and salt and smoked over applewood. They sell eight sauces they make in house, all of which I can think of numerous ways to use.

In short, if you’ve been, go back. If you haven’t, don’t be me and wait years. There’s a lot of porky (and beefy) goodness to experience at The Swinery.

Photo: Danger Fries

Connie Adams/February 2024

The Swinery
3207 California Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116
206-932-4211
westseattleswinery.com