By Gairdt Edwards

he Swallowtail is a restaurant that is hidden away in the heart of Abingdon. It shares a building with several other businesses, mostly centered around medical care. The restaurant, located off of Russell Road, is a culinary treat.

Owner Madeline Dean is proud of her restaurant and its participation in the community. The Swallowtail hosts everything from wedding receptions to private business dining occasions. Also, Dean said that once a month, the restaurant offers a unique experience for special education students, with regional cuisine.

“They go to the library and learn about a country or city, and then they come here and we try to re-create that place. One time we had huge fans [in the private room] to re-create the windy city,” Dean said.

The Swallowtail offers a wonderful lunch menu, including many delectable sandwiches and salads. As an added plus, the prices are very reasonable, with there smoked salmon club and crab cake sandwich being as little as $7.95 each.

Currently, the restaurant is on a winter schedule and is only open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. And although it’s difficult to get a seat on Saturday nights, Dean says it’s worth the wait.
Some dinner items include smoked baby back ribs and pulled pork barbecue plates. Dean went on to explain that smoking any meat is a work of art. “It’s not easy. You have to boil the meat first and then some people like to just put it on the smoker. I wrap mine. Then it’s smoked for seven hours,” Dean said.

The weekend dinners are served with two side items and a salad, making for a hardy meal with a multitude of options.

Another special item, that was an especially hot seller during the Christmas season, were her cookies. “We sold six hundred cookies in one day during the holiday season. I had to get here at 3 o’clock in the morning just to finish them by 9 a.m.,” Dean said.

As soon as March arrives, the Swallowtail will be open on Sundays for their well-known lunch buffet.

Dean appears to love her job and her fellow business tenants as they are very flexible with expanding the seating capacity of the restaurant at any given time.
And although Dean remains busy, she says that she likes to keep things simple. “We’re just a simple little restaurant. We try to treat people like we like to be treated when we go out to eat.”

ABOUT SWALLOWTAIL RESTAURANT
Located at 309 Falls Dr. Abingdon, VA
Hours of Operation: Mon - Thurs 11- 3
Fri and Sat 11 - 8:30 pm Closed Sundays
Phone: (276) 628-5541 Reservations accepted