Swallow Kitchen & Cocktails opens in Greenlawn

For a restaurant, Swallow Kitchen & Cocktails is extremely … migratory. After stints in Huntington (2010-2019) and Montauk (2012-2020), chef-owner James Tchinnis has settled his small-plates eatery into the heart of Greenlawn.

Tchinnis and his wife, Julie, renovated the space to remove all traces of the series of pizzerias it had been “since forever.” It’s now a stylish, contemporary blend of dark wood, neon lights, pastel florals and a semiabstract “drip” mural on one of the dining room walls.

The menu, which will change seasonally, comprises about 18 small plates, ranging in price from $8 to $19. Some — butternut squash “cappuccino” with truffle froth; shrimp and grits with andouille sausage; macaroni-and-cheese with orzo, peas and bacon — have been Swallow standards for more than a decade. New to Greenlawn are charred cauliflower with cauliflower puree; sea scallop crudo with orange zest and red grapes; and mussels with fennel.

The plates are designed to be shared, but Tchinnis made some menu additions to satisfy diners who want their own plates of meat: Cheeseburgers ($18 for a single, $26 for a double) and a grilled 32-ounce rib-eye with miso-mustard sauce, fingerling potatoes and green beans ($110, serves two).

There’s a full bar, craft beer and wines in glasses in bottles.

When Tchinnis closed his Huntington location, he handed the property back to its owner, The Paramount, and it subsequently became Ella's Italian Bistro and Pizza Napoletana. When he exited Montauk (Swallow East is now Le Fin), he considered returning to Huntington but was turned off by “the oversaturation of restaurants and the parking situation.” Greenlawn, he said, “is a real neighborhood and we wanted to be a neighborhood joint.”

Swallow Kitchen & Cocktails is at 91 Broadway, Greenlawn, 631-239-6643, swallowkitchenandcocktails.com.