Supper Friends

Do not use this place for a planned event. Unprofessional, unreliable, and incredibly rude. I had an event planned for months, sent out invitations, with people coming from out of state. They cancelled the facility on me 3 weeks prior without explanation and left me in a nightmare situation. Booked through Giggster and saw they reopened their schedule for the date of my event at 2.5 times the rate they had charged me. Absolutely ridiculous

My wife and I went to a party at SWOOP last weekend. The food was amazing! Sliders, stuffed goat cheese with crostini, crab cakes, bite-sized raspberry tarts, chocolate truffles, peppers stuffed with meat and cheese, etc. Everything was fantastic. The venue itself is beautiful as well. Great outdoor seating. Large well-maintained lawn to stroll around on while you enjoy appetizers and drinks with friends. It's not cheap, but for a memorable good night out, this is a great choice.

One of the best things about this experience is the meal is served in courses and lasts 3+ hours, with the starters served out on the patio and then the meal served at community style tables. There is only space for 35 people, which lends itself to intimacy and fosters mingling with new people and "reviving the lost art of conversation" (as noted in their welcome cell phone policy). Another great feature is the dinners are held in a lovely restored 1930's bungalow, dubbed the Swoop House. The interior is filled with charming details; a red crystal and beaded statement chandelier hangs above a large rectangular table adorned with white linens. An eclectic mix of white painted chairs surround the table and LED candle light flickers everywhere in the room. The tables display matching while china, proper silverware place settings and table cards with each guest's name. The grounds are lovely and relaxing. As you meander through the garden you can see they grow many of their own herbs, veggies and even edible flowers. The "wall of succulents" is a very appealing landscape feature and one I would love to copy! The menu for the evening was vegetarian (which I understand is offered only a few times a year). My favorite starter hands-down was the tasty Moroccan tomato shooter. Other starters included delicate palate-cleansing melon ball skewers and avocado toasts. Several rounds of the starters were offered. The beet and ricotta salad was a refreshing start of the sit-down portion of the meal. The sautéed spicy baby carrots were delicious, but I wasn't fond of the thick chickpea-sauerkraut puree underneath. The lemon risotto with asparagus and forest mushrooms was tasty. My favorite course of the night was the outstanding Bergamot poached pear with a creamy hazelnut ricotta and Frangelico syrup drizzled on top. They offered wine pairings for each course ($25-$30) or you could purchase a bottle of wine, or bring your own bottle which they keep in chilled ice buckets ($15 corking fee).

Charming house and grounds, but hands down one of the biggest rip-offs in Austin. I went to a lovely event, the price of which was listed on the PaperlessPost invite as $55 per person. Then in the small print on the next page, we saw that the price was actually $71 including tax and gratuity. We decided to go anyway. Once there, we were given complimentary watered-down spritzers with a bit of vodka, and my date was refused a second drink by the bartender. Then we learned we would have to pay $35 each for a flight of wines to accompany the five-course meal. Overall the food was good, but much too rich for my taste. SWOOP House: Just put the total $106 per person up front on the invite!