Tiki Time
Dallas tiki bar Swizzle to close on Greenville Ave after 5 years
Swizzle cocktails
Dallas' temple of tiki is closing: Swizzle, the fun and trendy tiki bar at 1802 Greenville Ave. will close its doors after five years.
According to a post from owners Marty Reyes and Jen Ann Tonic, their last day will be July 19. However, they plan to keep the tiki party going via pop-ups and catering events.
"The brick and mortar may be closing but Swizzle isn’t going anywhere," the couple says. "We have been operating as Swizzle for 10 years and we don’t plan on stopping now. It started out as a pop-up and will continue as a pop-up and catering company. We will be moving forward with food and cocktail catering for parties, business events, lunches, weddings, holiday parties and everything in between."
"If your heart is breaking, try to imagine how we feel," they say.
As to why they are closing now, they said, "think of a reason, or ten, they are probably all correct," but attributed it mostly to the struggles that small businesses are facing right now.
"We have worked tirelessly to change this course against the waves of circumstance beating down on us and our incredible staff. We have all gone through more than y’all will ever hear about, because our struggles are not what escapism is about," they said. "Our goal was to bring you the best tiki experience we could dream of and I think we did just that."
"Take a good look around at your favorite small businesses and support them as much as possible, nothing is getting easier for them. They need you now more than ever," their post said.
The couple opened the bar in 2020, after already having built a tiki buzz via a series of Polynesian-style pop-ups called Swizzle Luau Lounge, which they debuted in 2016, serving mai tais and other tropical treasures.
Tiki was on an upward trend when they opened but it was also right at the beginning of the pandemic — a bad time for any business to launch.
Nonetheless, they've helped build a DFW tiki community over the last 10 years and thanked their followers for their support.
"We got to see this dream come true, not everyone can say that they did that, and you have been there beside us the whole time. Thank you for everything!" they said.
They'll be hosting and attending events, including the Tales of the Cocktail competition in New Orleans on July 22, as well as hosting their annual Dallas Tiki Week they've been bringing to DFW since 2017.
Meanwhile they will be hosting a "Tiki Takedown Sale" on June 15 at 11 am.
"If there is a piece of art, a tiki, a Witco or a particular barrel that you have had your eye on and if you would love to take a piece of Dallas history home with you, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!," their post says "We will be selling everything until the last day we are open. This is just your first opportunity. We have a lot of events planned from now until the last day. So come out, show some love, tell us your favorite stories and get to Swizzlin!"
