Came in for 1/2 price Burger night (Sunday) and to use the Yelp deal we got.
~The burger was wonderful (I almost ate the whole thing myself w/o letting my husband try it) - very good. It was cooked exactly how we ordered it (medium well) and that was such a relief as too many places don't or can't cook to order.
~There was no mac and cheese on the menu so that was a bummer but we did try the chili; it was HOT (temp and spicy factor) and was good but while loaded with meat, had no beans. I would have preferred the addition of at least some beans to my chili.
~beer special was a holiday beer as well as a 20 oz Natty Boh in a Swallow koozie! score! Â
Service is still a tad slow, but it was better than before and I love how while there is music or tvs on, neither is too loud so one can talk and enjoy both dinner and their company.
We'll be back soon to this local joint.
Don't come here looking for a 5-star meal. This is a cozy local north Baltimore joint where you can get some comforting pub food, a beer, and a laid back neighborhood atmosphere.
The food includes typical wings, fries, onion rings, burgers, and sandwiches. The crab balls are like bite sized crab cakes and are light on the breading. The burgers and sandwiches are good. I've never had anything on the menu that wasn't good.
My favorite thing about Swallow at the Hallow is the extremely friendly service. The waitstaff and bartenders will make you feel like you're at home, kind of like a "Cheers" atmosphere, "where everybody knows your name." I wouldn't recommend this place to foodies or someone taking a date out on the town, but if you want a low-key place to get a decent meal and a beer, and watch the Ravens or O's game, Swallow At The Hollow has you covered.
I def won't be back here. I came in here with the yelp deal, looking to try a new place out for lunch.
I started my meal out with a glass of their topshelf coke, which probably came from one of those handheld fountain soda squirter things, it tasted terrible but I guess that expected when you order a soda at a bar. I next had an order of their sliders for appetizer. Now I know why they're called sliders...because they were sliding around in a generously thick pool of grease that dripped out. I literally held the first slider for 20 seconds and watched the Niagr-oil Falls of grease cascade out. I managed to finish the first 2, and just left the third one sliding around in the plate. I then had the cheesesteak sub, which came with grease soaked fries and the generous helping of grease again. By the time finished the sub, my whole mouth was gross and covered in a layer of grease. I didn't even touch the fries which were now bathing in the grease that dripped from the sub. In order to round my bill up to the $20 that was required for the yelp deal, I ordered a Yuengling, which was the best part of my lunch! Yummm. So I proceeded to wipe my greasy hands on the waitresses shirt because I was out of napkins, paid the bill, left a tip, then scheduled a double bypass surgery with my doctor on my way to the car.
Just Drinks.
So, after leaving the hip area around the corner, a friend of mine suggested that we try a place that is even older than the bar we had just left. While it looks like a dive from the outside, and certainly had that reputation when I was still an immediate local, this bar has truly evolved. The inside is clean, decently lit, and gives you exactly what a dive bar is supposed to give you: Cheap beer and classic conversation, here aided by tvs (bad in pubs, ok in bars).
The beer selection here is extensive, carrying everything from basic American (lots of frat boys) to Lowenbrau and other imports, all in either bottles or draft form. The prices are what makes it though. A Lowenbrau for $3? Yes indeed, the best price you will find in this town.
The population here is an eclectic mix of the local working people, which certainly adds to the charm of the place.
Overall a very nice spot for a late night drink in South Towson.
If you're looking for good food and a competent cool staff on a weekend for lunch and some good, well prepared bar food... This is it. I always enjoy the English cheddar and I get a baked potato to make myself feel better, but the fries are good too. Last time we ate here I commented that, "any bar where you are comfortable and happy to eat cole slaw from a plastic cup can't be bad."
Recently renovated and consistently good food. Always a variety of sports on the televisions.
Natty Boh on tap... And I believe package goods are available.
Stopped by today and I'm glad we did. Â Don't let the exterior fool you, the interior, though small, has been nicely re-modeled. Â It's really casual and cute - perfect place to chill with some friends and catch up. It was pretty quiet over lunch, so I can't speak to any of the complaints about college kids. Â But it is near Towson University so I could see that happening.
Food was good and reasonably priced, as were the drinks. The other people there were regulars who really liked the place. Â Wait staff was friendly and attentive. I can definitely see us going back again.
This is a neighborhood bar that has been renovated as late..which is a good thing. Â Now if the one and only waiter would act like she cares about whether you're there or not, that would be nice. Â The food is your typical bar food,and the burger is good. Â I can't really speak to anything else as far as the food goes, because we like the burger too well to try anything else...either that or we're scared to order anything else.
Review Source:For years The Swallow was a classic dive bar straddling the line between the City and the County. Â The bar's interior could once be described in much the same way as its clientele: welcoming, albeit in an abject, threadbare kind of way. Â
This has changed in the past year however, as there is a new owner in town and he knows more than a little something about running a proper bar and grill.
There has been a lot of investment put into the interior, with the removal of partitions, new tables and chairs going a long way toward improving the lighting. Â New paint and decor are just the start, and it really appears that the new owner is committed to ongoing improvements. Â He doesn't appear to be shooting for the blank sterility of a chain eatery, and is certainly not going for the pretentious asshattery of nearby Grand Cru.
The food has always been good here (they received the Best Burger award, after all), but they have definitely stepped their game up a notch, broadening the offering beyond the fryer. Â For example, the cottage pie is nothing short of awesome (and I'm a cottage pie snob).
In short, while the Swallow at the Hollow isn't likely to become the ideal spot for a first date, it will remain a place where people of diverse socio-economic backgrounds can share a friendly pint- and that's a great thing.
A great neighborhood bar. The staff is quick and friendly and the food is tasty and filling.
Occasionally the Swallow will be overrun by Towson kids who mistake the old-fashioned neighborhood bar for an out-and-out dive. They think they being "adverturous" and "slumming it," but just ignore them and they'll retreat across the street to Zen West. Their presence is rare and usually brief.
It's a great place to grab a drink after a movie at the newly reopened Senator Theater, too.
Creak, creak, creak, up from the dungeon kitchen depths arises your greasy food from the decades old dumb waiter into the thankfully dark dining area.
"Half price burgers tonight hon, you want that medium with the kitchen sink ?" is the friendly refrain from table to table of the weathered waitress fixture. Cheap pitchers of domestic swill will cut the lard of  the accompanying excellent fries and less so saturated rings.
Who can blame a dive which succumbs to the temptation to collect the dinero of  local college neophytes on weekend nights? To those who complain about  out of state college kids supporting a local business on a weekend, please strive for a higher social stratosphere.
Step out of the grimy light of York Road and dilate your eyes into the very small bar of mustachioed white men which sort of welcomes you to the stubborn time warp that is The Swallow.
As others have said, this place ain't the Charleston. Don't be put off by your impressions of the outside, or your initial impressions once you walk in the door. It's simply great food at a great price. The burgers are monstrous with enough greasy goodness that you'll be licking your fingers by the end of it. Of special note is the French Onion soup, which is probably the best you'll ever have. Sure, you can try to convince yourself that so-and-so's Irish place probably makes it better, but you'd be wrong. Drinks are very affordable, and the staff is great. Quite often, we've had the waitress pull up a chair on a slow night and we've talked for hours. This is really one of my favorite places to eat, and I hope it never changes.
Review Source:Service was quick, even on a busy night. The food is awesome and the servings plentiful. Unfortunately, its the clientele that has changed dramatically.
I went in a few weeks ago to meet some friends at the ol' Hollow. I had not been in a while and I had heard that someone had bought the place not too long ago. Wow. I'm certain at least 5 of the girls I squeezed by to get in there were under 21 (possibly under 18). This place has become a frat boy/sorority girl haven. One little skank did not move out of my wife's way when she politely said excuse me. She just looked over her shoulder and looked back. My wife literally pushed the 90 pound waif to the side. Sad.
Yeah, this place still has good prices and great food but I'll never be back, not until the college crowd goes back to the Crease or Bill Batemans where they belong. Yeah I get it, the business owner deserves the money but damn, they have bars for the teenyboppers to go to. Why did they have to crash this one?
A true Baltimore dive bar. Â This place is near the city line, in Towson/Govans. Â When you walk in though, it feels more like you're in Southeast Baltimore by the docks. Â The regulars there are hard working older men and women, almost always in their 50s and above. Â The normal bartenders aren't much different. Â Usually there is one waitress, who is as nice as can be. Â A true Baltimore stereotype, you cant order without her calling you "Hon" a few times (which I would consider to be a good thing)
The Citypaper once gave them an award for the best burger in the city.  It really is quite good.  They have a few different styles as well, including a tasty jalapeño burger.  Utz potato chips come with the entrees of course, and you can't go wrong there.  Beer is cheap and plentiful.  The place is so old that it feels a little dirty, and it probably is, but c'mon - if you're going here you should know what you're getting into, this isn't exactly Morton's.
Be wary of going on a Friday or Saturday night however. Â This is right by the Loyola campus, and those kids PACK this place. Â Wall to wall frat boys and sorority girls. Â If you're into that thing, then great. Â If not, come during the day and buy a regular a drink, they'll chat you up with some great stories.
Friendly service, delicious food, and not a bad beer selection. This is one of the only places I've found in Baltimore that will cook a burger more rare than medium-- and they're very good at it. I had the triple-cheese burger and the shrimp platter and I was stuffed. The prices are also appetizing-- two burgers, an appetizer platter large enough to be a main course, and three beers ran to just over $30 before tip.
I've heard that during the school year this place is full of frat kids, but when I was there on a Friday night in the late spring it was pretty quiet. The older "regulars" are hilarious and talkative-- don't be alarmed.
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