Dallas’ Hotel Swexan restaurants named after influential women to open soon

The long-awaited Hotel Swexan in Dallas’ Harwood District will feature three famous names — two women and one pet ocelot — when it opens June 15, 2023.

Each of the hotel’s restaurants and bars tells a story, says Warren Richards, vice president of hospitality for Harwood Hospitality Group. The hotel’s name is a blend of the words Swiss and Texan, and European and Lone Star influences can be seen throughout its rooms and restaurants.

Richards describes the hotel as “a procession of unique spaces that reveal themselves to you, one after the other.” When the restaurants open, they will be among the 16 food-and-beverage concepts in the Harwood District, a 19-block area in Uptown Dallas that’s in walking distance of American Airlines Center.

Restaurants and bars opening at Hotel Swexan in summer 2023

The hotel’s anchor restaurant is Stillwell’s, a Texas-themed steakhouse named for rancher Hallie Stillwell. She lived two weeks shy of 100 years, from 1897 to 1997. Texas Monthly called her “arguably the most famous rancher in West Texas” and she operated her family’s 22,000-acre ranch for much of her life.

Stillwell’s is on the seventh floor of the hotel. The core of the menu is beef raised in Texas and Oklahoma for the Harwood Premium Beef program, a whole-animal initiative that supplies Harwood’s restaurants.

Despite its feminine namesake, don’t expect portion sizes or prices to be especially dainty. Menu items include a giant smoked beef rib; a shareable, 32-ounce tomahawk steak; and “jumbo” onion rings.

Stillwell’s will not serve sushi, as so many Dallas steakhouses do right now, Richards says. The restaurant might have some playful elements that give off fancy State Fair of Texas vibes. The lobster corn dogs with mustard crème fraîche, an appetizer, are one example.

Isabelle’s is the cafe in the lobby that serves breakfast and lunch, then offers afternoon tea on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and turns into a martini bar each evening. If Stillwell’s is all about Texas, Isabelle’s leans heavily on Europe. Breakfast and lunch are light, Richards says: a slice of quiche or smoked salmon with a bagel; avocado toast or a turkey club.

All corners of the Swexan were inspired by its creators’ travels to hotels across the world. Afternoon tea at Isabelle’s, then, might resemble the tea service from Claridge’s in London. The martini bar is inspired by the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz in Paris. The sidewalk cafe outside Isabelle’s should feel a little bit like the Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris, Richards says.

The restaurant, afternoon tea spot and martini bar was named for Isabelle Eberhardt, a Swiss-born author who explored North Africa and died in 1904.

Isabelle’s and Stillwell’s are slated to open June 15, 2023, the date the hotel opens.

Down one level, in the basement, Babou’s is a cocktail lounge and club that’s expected to open later in the summer. It’s named for artist Salvador Dalí's pet ocelot, Babou. (An ocelot is a wildcat that looks like a leopard. It’s not a great house pet, many animal experts say.) Richards says his team took inspiration from the “playful stories” about Dalí's wacky pet, and Babou’s is designed to be a sleek, hidden restaurant that guests will be able to find from the leopard carpet leading from the basement-level elevators.

Bottle service is an option, but Richards calls Babou’s a “mature” lounge.

“It’s not a showy, over-the-top nightlife experience,” he says.

Behind a large door is the Library at Babou’s, a quieter and more exclusive bar that’s attached to Babou’s.

1 more leading lady

There’s yet another woman involved in the Hotel Swexan, and she’s, notably, the only one still alive. Barbara Werley was hired in January 2023 as the director of wine for the Harwood District. She’s one of Texas’ first female master somms.

“Barbara is a pro. She’s an encyclopedia,” Richards says.

Werley left Pappas Bros. Steakhouse in Dallas after about 15 years, and Richards hired her to re-imagine the wine program at the restaurants and bars in the Harwood District. Werley’s job starts with the 22-story Hotel Swexan, and specifically with its anchor restaurant, Stillwell’s.

More to ‘surprise and delight’

The final two restaurant/bars at Hotel Swexan will be for hotel guests only, not Dallasites bopping around town looking for dinner or a drink. Those are Leonie and Pomelo, on the rooftop of the hotel, and no more is known about them right now.

Richards says the hotel was designed to have concepts that will “surprise and delight.” Even the 26 restrooms throughout the hotel are each designed differently.

“We intend to have some surprises, some things for our guests to discover,” Richards says. For example: “We want people to come to Stillwell’s and find things they haven’t seen,” he says.

Hotel Swexan and its restaurants are at 2575 McKinnon St., Dallas. Two of its restaurant/bars, Stillwell’s and Isabelle’s, open June 15, 2023. Reservations can be made now for Stillwell’s. Basement bar Babou’s is expected to open later in 2023.

For more food news, follow Sarah Blaskovich on Twitter at @sblaskovich.