"Swim Club is the restaurant and bar attached to the pool at the Downright, a hotel that looks like Wes Anderson took a stab at renovating the former Sheraton near I-35 and 10th Street. There’s an overwhelming amount of pink: the tables, the chairs, the ceilings, the painted concrete around the outdoor pool, even the rubber duckies topping certain cocktails. A portion of the dining room is sunken, having once been an indoor pool. The whole place feels plucked from some ‘80s Miami Vice fever dream. It’s very cute, and you should probably check it out for the design alone—but not much else. photo credit: Richard Casteel photo credit: Richard Casteel photo credit: Richard Casteel photo credit: Richard Casteel photo credit: Richard Casteel The drinks are light and refreshing but pretty forgettable outside of some appropriately playful garnishes, and the food is a microscopic step up from what you’d find in the freezer aisle at H-E-B. The wings are dry and crumbly, the burger patties seem like they were ice-cold pucks just moments before, and the ceviche pairs a few chunks of floppy fish with a broth that tastes like bland tomato water. Swim Club is clearly styled for bachelorette parties and social media photo ops, somewhere to drink spiked seltzers by the pool on a Saturday afternoon. Order fries for sustenance (they’re satisfyingly crispy), but get a full meal elsewhere. Food Rundown photo credit: Richard Casteel Watermelon Salad This is the dish to get if you find yourself at Swim Club. It’s light and refreshing, and a touch of white balsamic adds just the right amount of acidity to the sweet watermelon. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary Pizza If you need something more substantial than watermelon to soak up the drinks you’re having by the pool, get the pizza. It’s the best thing on the hot menu—we like the Questionable Morels, which comes topped with mushrooms (but not morels) and a little too much truffle oil. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary Ceviche The ceviche is served at room temperature, the fish is soggy, the avocados are brown, and it’s all swimming in a shallow pool of bland tomato water. Avoid this at all costs. photo credit: Richard Casteel Wings These have the consistency of wings that have been baked a little too long, leaving them dry and crumbly. The buffalo ranch they’re served with is nice and tangy, but we can’t really make a meal out of ranch dressing. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary Burger The buns are soggy and the patty is dense and underseasoned—it tastes like a generic, pre-formed frozen burger patty. The fries it comes served with are nice and crispy though." - Nicolai McCrary
