Swift — Restaurant in Bethlehem

My husband planned a surprise weekend outing for my birthday and our dinner at Swift started it off with a bang. From the warm welcome we received from Sundiata, the food and beverage manager, and his staff to the setting and delicious food, it added up to a perfect evening. The restaurant is in an elaborate old mansion (now run as an inn) filled with hand-carved woodwork on the south bank of the Lehigh River in Bethlehem. It has been enlarged over time so there are a variety of spots where you can eat, either in one of the original rooms, a more modern space facing the river, or outside on the terrace. I suspect no-one ended up in the attractive old library, which is right off the kitchen and not buffered from the noise of preparing meals. (Note to owners…) We were invited to choose our table – how refreshing. This is a restaurant where customers’ experiences are more important than its own systems and server zones. Since this was our first visit, we chose an old room that was lined with panelling and built-in servers and decided to wait until a particular table was free. Sundiata kindly offered us a bit of Prosecco so we went into the bar, which gave us a chance to admire the large Tiffany window and learn some history about the building from the bartender. It was interesting to see the mix of people dining that night – it’s not just a special-event place, so there were couples like us, families, and groups of friends (many enjoying the beautiful weather). And a big wedding, which made for a happy backdrop. Once seated, we chose a bottle of wine and our entrees from the rather straightforward menu. When the food arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to find it even better than we’d read about and expected. Both my crab cake and my husband’s pork were perfectly cooked and complemented by the accompaniments on the plate – not mere throw-away garnishes but well-chosen sides that made the main features taste even better. We like vegetables and were pleased to see they were included with both entrees but decided to order a couple more on the side instead of starters. The spinach and grilled asparagus were terrific, as were the desserts we finished with (especially the s’mores cake.) After hearing Sundiata suggest wines by the glass to a couple nearby, we began to regret that we’d picked our own bottle! He is a master at matching wine to food and it will be nice another time to try out more of the offerings on his wine list. I know some people think servers, like children, should but seen but not heard, but to us, conversations with restaurant staff have been part of our most enjoyable dinners out. That was certainly the case here – I left after hugging Sundiata and the bartender (whose name I didn’t catch) in thanks. Highly...

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We had a wonderful dinner at Swift at the Wilbur Mansion. The food was excellent—thoughtfully prepared, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The drinks were average, but what really stood out was the service. From the moment we walked in, we were warmly greeted and genuinely cared for by Sudiata. His attentiveness, professionalism, and welcoming demeanor set the tone for the evening.

A special shout-out to Samara as well, whose lighthearted humor and positive attitude elevated our experience even further. Dining out is always about more than just the food, and the team at Swift made the night truly memorable.

Only request: please add Palomas to the menu! We’ll definitely be back and highly recommend Swift to anyone looking for great food, great atmosphere, and...

I would NEVER recommend this place. I don't know what happened over the past few months but this restaurant (once known as The Wilbur) has gone down hill. When I visited The Wilbur for brunch back in May the experience was beyond wonderful. However, Swift was the complete opposite. We had to wait 45min for a reservation that was made prior, just to have to wait another 1.5hrs to be served cold food. The waitstaff have a lot to learn; even the salt/pepper were in the wrong shakers. I will not be recommending this place to...