Four Swallows

I regret to note that the Four Swallows apparently closed suddenly on October 22, 2014. A story in the Kitsap Sun newspaper quotes the owner as stating that a lease renewal problem prompted the closure.
The owners and staff will be missed.

This restaurant has gone downhill lately. Sadly, I decided to take my partner there for her special birthday celebration. Called the restaurant to make the reservation and asked about what they do for birthdays. The answer was «you order a dessert from the menu and we supply a candle on top of it.» That is all! Made the reservation anyway, hoping that the food and ambiance would make up for the restaurant’s stinginess about special celebrations. Unfortunately, the menu was sparse and outdated (one item was manually crossed out, and the dessert my partner wanted for her birthday was out of print!). Still, we ordered two appetizers (The Oysters and Eggplant) and two entrees (The Duck and the Salmon). The appetizers were grossly overpriced and the entrees had meager accompaniments (just a few hidden spaetzle under the duck — a couple of beet slices next to the Salmon,). Being Seattle locals, this restaurant falls short of the Five-​Star restaurants we know in Seattle, especially those that offer exemplary treatments for special celebrations.

My wife and I could not have eaten here on a more perfect evening. We decided to take a long weekend trip to Seattle for our anniversary. One night we went over to Bainbridge just to have dinner here. Being from Texas we expect 100 degree temps. Not here. It was a perfect night with temps around 60 and blue skies. We sat out on the deck and enjoyed our dinner and wine. For appetizers we had grilled prawns and a tomato bread soup. Oh my. For dinner I had the steak and my wife had the salmon which we both loved. Desert was a ice cream espresso to pep us up for the short walk back to the ferry. We hope to be back some day soon.

Food was good, service was friendly and the ambiance was very nice. I can say that i probably won’t come back, but only because i feel that it’s over priced for my personal budget. I’de stick to a couple, not the family. Kids won’t even understand the food…

Legit and solid in a quaint house turned restaurant. Total romance vibes and place to splurge for that night out. Great seafood and great wine menu and knowledge. Appetizers are great. Never had a bad dinner here and definitely has unique going for it!
Killer bar side of house and I actually prefer to sit here than more formal dinner tables. Reminds me of an Irish classy bar, with black wood trim and high back (above your head) booths. Great place to hit for drinks or desserts and reconnect with your lover. Cool looking bar and vibe.
Service has always been impeccable.

Many people have given this resturant 5 stars, all I can say is your outa your mind and have never eaten at a 5 star italian resturant if you think this place is a five star.
Where do I begin? First we live on Bainbridge so we had high hopes. We go into this converted old house, not a problem even a matching gravel lot. We go to the hostess counter when we walk in @6pm the dinner hour for most. Ask for seats and the question is returned do you have reservations, again not a problem we did not even think about it as I looked around and guesstimated about 15 – 20 table with only 3 occupied. We were told we could sit at the bar and order and if a table opened we could move, cool no problem. When we got to the bar there was metal stools with out backs not cool !!! We got a menu and began to look it over. Grant it this is NOT our first itailan resturant, so we have seen all kinds. When we got the single page paper menu (not cool) and saw our choice we knew this was not a place we wanted to be. Nothing even appeared to be appetizing. Did not eat anything got up and left. This is a wantabe fancy resturant but it simply does not make the cut

I love this place. It has everything… charm, elegance, simplicity, ambiance, open air dining, romantic tables, a dark and cozy bar…
Had a fantastic meal recently seated on the deck on a clear and slightly breezy evening… so pleasant I would have to say it was perfect…
The food here is consistently great, both in presentation and in preparation. The team that makes the dining experience memorable work perfectly together… attending our needs but not being intrusive…
I like the wine list quite a bit… the prices are fair and the selection diverse…
And of course, you come here for the food… which is fabulous… with a menu that really does have something for everyone…
A true Gem of a restaurant!

Nice atmosphere in a historic house and good food. Started with caprece which included beautiful heirloom tomatoes but could have used more basil. Black raspberry salad was unusual and flavorful but was mostly mixed greens. I love wild mushrooms so got the gnocchi with chantrelles in a cream sauce. Good but not memorable. We also got the steak that they had spiked the price on ($ 6 more than the on-​line menu, did the price really go up that much in a week?). Perfectly cooked and flavorful, but not worth the premium. Overall a very good, but not great, meal.

The moment the chanterelles began to melt on my tongue I knew that I had finally found the best restaurant on Bainbridge. We’ve lived here for almost a year and most of the restaurants on the island range from fair to good. I had almost given up on finding a truly wonderful dining experience on the Island. Every bite was so sumptuous that we felt compelled to sop up the sauces with bread. We split the salmon and meal ended with an exquisite Budino. The service was flawless. The atmosphere was charming and relaxed, and we sat and talked long after the meal ended. This is my first 5 star rating since we moved here and well deserved.

While some reviewers had concerns, most were full of praise. And the majority rules so far as we’re concerned. Each of us had different appetizers and entrees and each was excellent. My salmon was crusty on the outside and rare inside and the smoky flavor was sublime. Be prepared for a wonderful experience and hope for many repeat visits. You will not be disappointed.

We had a birthday dinner there last night… holy cow — it was remarkable.
The drinks were delicious — a great mix of local beers, a wide selection of WA wines and some really unique cocktails.
I had an arugula salad — it was perfect, crisp and lemony without it being overwhelming. It was garnished with chive blossoms! Great touch!
For entrees we had the halibut and the gnocchi. Both were expertly prepared and beautifully presented. Again, they garnished the gnocchi with another blossom — this time sage. Small details matter!
Desserts were simply amazing. We had the pistachio semifreddo and the butterscotch budino. Per previous reviews, the butterscotch dessert is a must have.
Price-​wise — I had heard the restaurant was pricey prior to arriving, but I found the prices in the restaurant to be very reasonable given the preparation and presentation and service. Our meal for 2 — drinks, appetizers, entrees and desserts was $ 125 — not including tip. It’s not inexpensive, but I was expecting worse given the word-​of-​mouth I had heard.
Looking forward to returning!

Just beginning our fourth year here on Bainbridge. We have eaten at every restaurant, multiple times. Four Swallows is hands down the best place on the island, both in terms of service and food quality. Service has always been wonderful.
We enjoy the cozy bar, and having the cocktail of the day. Of course the ambiance in this historic home is great as well.
But the food is the star for sure. Just excellent! So glad this restaurant is here.

Keywords: Bistro, Northwest Cuisine, Ferry Ride, Amazingly fresh, Tuesday.
UPDATE ¹⁰⁄₂₇: Call before you go, because as of 10÷22÷14 they were closed due to a lease issue, and thus may have moved or still be closed.
Details: First, I went on a fantastic weather day in Seattle and the 35 minute ferry ride to Bainbridge Island ($ 8) was filled with amazing vistas of both Seattle and the Olympic Mountains. Still take a light jacket. Then a short 15 minute walk to the restaurant. In a converted house the friendly staff quickly seated me at the bar (where they have imported Ginger Beer-​a personal fave) and presented me with an ever-​changing menu. So I went with what was fresh — a side salad of local grown greens in a subtle dressing and fresh cheese. Now if they ask if you want bread, the answer is YES! Their Foccaia bread is made on site with garlic and herbs and was delicious. For the main entrée I went with the Potato Gnocchi — where the surprises and delights continued. They take their pillow like Gnocchi and grill it on one side to give it a wonderful texture. Then it was served with fresh peas and pea-​vines and, to send it over the edge, bits of Morel mushrooms prepared to perfection.
Now I did pass on dessert only because I had heard of another location on the island (Mora’s) for ice cream and I will leave my review of that there. All in all, I would recommend this place if you want a really good meal or for special occasions. Make your reservations as by 7pm they were getting pretty full.

Valentines dinner 2014 was fantastic. Four Swallows pulled out all the stops. Our first visit there and they did not disappoint. Thank you for an amazing evening.

We recently stayed on Bainbridge Island for a month and were told by several people that this restaurant was the best on the island. Perhaps it was just a very off night but our experience was quite negative: Each of three times that I ordered something, the waiter would return to our table to tell us that that that item was no longer available; the list of wines by the glass is very small; my husband’s entrée (Prawn Pasta) was bland and the prawns were extremely tough; my pizza (3^rd choice) was dull AND I found 2 hairs in it… so I quit eating it early on. The staff was welcoming and friendly.
I would not recommend this restaurant.
Try Marche on Winslow.

If you ever get the opportunity to dine at Four Swallows, you MUST order their mussels!
Hands down, this is my favorite dish to eat here. It seriously is divine: perfectly cooked mussels nicely coated in a smoked paprika crème sauce. My date and I almost ate every spoonful of this sauce. I loved this so much that the next day, I searched google to find a recipe that closely resembled these mussels.
Aside from the mussels, I had a solid dining experience here. I also tried two other dishes: a lamb with kale dish and gnocchi in truffle oil dishes (both were delicious). The gnocchi had a nice crisp outside and soft and fluffy interior.
I really enjoyed my experience at Four Swallows. If you happen to be visiting Bainbridge Island, this is a place you should definitely consider trying.

My fiancé and I went to Four Swallows last night for our anniversary. The experience was hands down one of the better food experiences I’ve had. The restaurant is set in an older home, and we were seated on the sun porch, directly under a welcome heater vent.
For the dollar signs of this place, the service was fantastic. Not once did I get a pretentious vibe from anyone there. They were polite, friendly and incredibly helpful. They did not make me feel like a goof for clarifying what escarole was (a leafy green, not a raw fish of some kind).
I had the gnocchi, fiancé had the prawns and spaghetti dish. The gnocchi was out of this world mouth wateringly delicious. I’d never had it prepared in that way and I dreamed about it last night. Fiances dish was equally as delicious. The wine pairings were perfect, and had we looked his up before, we would’ve paid the $ 20 corkage fee (incredibly reasonable price) to bring our own. I highly recommend for a shiny penny date night.

Excellent restaurant with a fine ambiance. I came with my parents and it was just right for them. Our pasta bolognese, steamed mussels and miso black cod were all outstanding and fresh. The affogato dessert was the perfect end to the meal. I’d definitely go back, and think this is probably the best restaurant on the island. ;)

I believe I came here once a long time ago when I was young, but happened to eat here again with some of my family who lives on the island. It is fantastic.
We ended up here because Hitchcock down the road botched our reservations and said it would be over an hour wait for a table. We said F that and my Aunt took us to this place. Though they were quite packed, they were nice enough to set us up with a cozy table and they were very accommodating. We were happy it worked out this way.
The food is top notch. My appetizer was perfectly sized, just the right taste to get myself excited about my main course. I had trouble deciding, so I told our server that I would leave it up to chef to decide which I wanted and I would be happy with whichever they decided to bring me. They ended up bringing the pasta (the less expensive of the two) over the beef and I was extremely happy with this choice. It is one of the rare times where my plate is completely clean of any crumbs or sauce or anything else, as if it had been licked clean. Just the right size. My Mother, Aunt, and myself were all very impressed with our meals (and they are picky eaters, shh)
Though in no way required, it’s the type of place that you should at least half dress up for so you’re not the t-​shirt and flip-​flop tourist group that comes waltzing in thinking it’s Applebee’s. Though of the patrons I saw there, I think most everyone was aware of the subdued ambiance and dressed appropriately.

This place was AWESOME!
We took a lovely little ferry trek out to Bainbridge Island to experience the mussels at Four Swallows. I am so very glad we did!
The item on the Seattle Foodie 100 list is on the appetizer menu — the hamma hamma mussels, spanish sherry, smoked paprika, leeks, tomato, cream, bruschetta. That was an absolutely delectable dish. They came with just the right amount of bruschetta, and the sauce coated the mussels enough where you weren’t just tasting mussels. That’s always been one of my biggest complaints about mussels dishes — I like tasting the sauce with the mussels, and sometimes it’s kind of difficult to get a sauce that doesn’t overpower the mussels without having it completely run off.
I also had a pasta dish with mushrooms, but I can’t remember the name of it. It was tasty, but very filling. I had to skip the dessert because it was so filling. The mushroom flavor did tend to overpower the dish the further along the meal went.
Service was incredibly friendly and attentive. You could tell the owners had a lot of pride and joy in their business.
Tip: make your reservations for early in the evening or order your plate in advance. Sometimes they run out of certain dishes, so you wouldn’t want to be disappointed to make that long trek and not get your favorite dish. You also want to make sure you will be able to make it back on the last ferry to Seattle.