Your New Favorite Los Angeles Wine Bar Is In This List

It’s no secret I love a nice glass of wine. I’ve searched high and low to find the perfect Los Angeles wine bars – relaxed atmosphere, moody lighting, knowledgable vino experts, excellent pours, and at a wide range of prices. What I discovered is that Los Angeles has not just a handful of outstanding wine bars, but an abundance of bars and restaurants where an exceptional glass of wine is the top priority. Below you’ll find your new favorite wine bar.

1642 Beer & Wine, Filipinotown – This little beer and wine spot on the fringes of Echo Park is a cozy and dimly lit mom and pop shop with a short but sweet wine list that is surprisingly affordable. That there’s often nightly live jazz music is a big plus. The space boasts a long wooden bar, illuminated by candles and a row of benches and tables toward the back, so seating can be sparse. There’s usually six bottles to choose from, three white and three red. The HiFi Honeydrops usually perform on Wednesday’s and make for an excellent romantic evening.

A.O.C., Third Street – Whether you go for dinner or a glass of wine, A.O.C. is one of LA’s major wine and culinary destinations. The gorgeous courtyard is the perfect place for a night out with friends. After more than a decade in business, A.O.C has honed the craft of the ideally curated wine list. They also offer a remarkable happy hour: $6 wines and $4 beers with small bites for $10. This season go for the alicante bouschet a2b. At $10 a glass, have two.

Augustine, Sherman Oaks – Maybe my favorite wine bar in Los Angeles, Augustine offers rare and vintage wines in a beautifully designed vintage space. It may be as good as it gets for wine lovers. The bartenders are friendly and knowledgable. Ask them anything about a bottle of wine and they’ll have a detailed answer. You’ll feel at home once they make a suggestion for a food and wine pairing based on your taste preferences. It doesn’t hurt that their Tater Tot Poutine (tots with bacon, maple gravy, and mozzarella) is a delicious and decadent appetizer.

Bacaro LA, Downtown – This stylish wine bar in downtown is a favorite spot for Sunday brunch or after work drinks and bites. On Mondays they offer buy one get one free glasses of wine, so how could one not try this place at least once? Even better, on “Wine Down Wednesdays” every glass is $1 cheaper than your previous glass and you’re encouraged to “wine down” to a free glass! Also, patrons imbibe underneath a literal ceiling of wine.

Bar Bandini, Echo Park – Natural wines, sour beers, and saisons  are available on tap at this trendy spot on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park. If you’re at all adventurous this is the bar to be. This very dimly lit bar offers unique wines at 9-$13 a glass. It’s the first place in Los Angeles I’ve seen orange wine. 

Covell, Los Feliz – Like its sister wine bar, Augustine, Bar Covell is a neighborhood hangout that is casual and quick during happy hour and packed nightly and during Sunday brunch. You may have to wait for a table, but in the end it will be definitely worth it. Owner Dustin Lancaster has said of his bar, “wine doesn’t have to be pretentious, intimidating or complicated, and that is exactly what is reflected in his purpose and execution of Covell.” They also have a beautiful wining and dining space, Sidebar, available for private parties, which you enter through a secret bookcase.

D’Vine Wine Cellar, Downtown – D’Vine Wine Cellar really feels like a wine cellar. The cavernous and hidden hideaway is located below the O Hotel in downtown LA making it a great spot for a rendezvous before or after a Lakers game or a show at LA Live. D’Vine has an extensive range of wine, spirits, and small plates. Try the Planeta La Segreta, Nero D’Avola Blend, Sicily, Italy 2013 is $10 a glass and $38 for a bottle. 

Esters Wine Shop & Bar, Santa Monica -Tucked inside a beautifully refurbished 1937 Art Deco building, Esters is a beautiful wine shop in the heart of Santa Monica. Esters is the newest member of the Rustic Canyon Family of restaurants – a partnership between Josh Loeb & Zoe Nathan and Rustic Canyon restaurant’s wine director, Kathryn Coker, and her husband, Tug. It’s a cozy, yet stylish, Santa Monica wine shop and bar where you can come for a glass of champagne and a bite to eat, buy a special bottle for a friend, stock your wine cellar or all of the above.

Hermosillo, Highland Park – Hermosillo in Highland Park is York Boulevard’s epicenter of cool. Serving house-made beer and a tight, curated selection of affordable wine, Hermosillo is a neighborhood mainstay. With a rotating list of wines, all by the glass. A mix of classics alongside esoteric, natural wines from around the world. Plus they’ve added a short bar menu of delicious, mostly fried food. Get the excellent charcuterie board.

Marvin, Mid-City – Marvin is a sleek bar and brasserie serving classic French fare with an extensive wine list amid a modernist setting on Beverly Boulevard. Over twenty different varieties of bubbles, red, and white, Marvin is sure to have something for every palette. I’m partial to the Domaine du Meix Foulot from Bourgogne, France. Get a half dozen oysters for $22.

Mignon, Downtown – You’ll love Mignon’s setting, wine list, and awesome happy hour. This quiet, cozy wine bar pairs unique pours with small plates of French bistro fare. Mignon specializes in small production, natural wines from around the globe with an emphasis on the Old World. Happy Hour prices are $6 glasses of wine and select food and $1 off beers. Mignon also does “Hump Day Wine Tastings” every Wednesday which includes 3 wines and cheese and charcuterie pairing also available.

Poor Haus Wine Bar, Downtown -Poor Haus is a chill hangout with wine, craft beer, & a rotating menu of elevated snack foods, plus board games in the happening Arts District area of downtown. Their great happy hour boasts $5 snacks including oxtail tacos and papitas bravas and $5 glasses of fine wines. Poor Haus’s house red is a bubbly one that is on the drier side yet still slightly sweet.

South End, Venice – If you like pizza with your wine, South End in Venice is the place to go. Don’t let the mini-mall location on Abbot Kinney fool you, South End is high end. Most bottles are under $50 and are from countries all over the world. I recommend the Sangiovese Grillesino from Tuscany, Italy.

V Wine Room, West Hollywood – V is a unique addition to the West Hollywood urban landscape. They are a tasting room where people can come and do a wine or beer tasting and then taste and purchase these exclusive wines unavailable at any other local outlet. All of their wines are California based save for a few French champagnes. 

Vertical Wine Bistro, Pasadena – If you find yourself in Pasadena be sure to drop in on this sleek, classic, and tucked away wine bar and restaurant on Raymond Avenue. The patio entrance is lovely and the swanky lighting creates an intimate setting for dates. The bistro’s wine list is huge, with both new and old world vintages. Owner David Ziegenfuss’ mission is “to create a comfortable atmosphere while delivering fresh and delicious fare.” Vertical Wine Bistro offers dining in the Library Room and Lounge as well as private dining and special events in the Cellar Room.

Vintage Enoteca, Hollywood – This rustic-chic spot focuses on wine from boutique vineyards. Go on a Saturday or Sunday for brunch to experience their bottomless blackberry sangria for $12. It’s a casual  neighborhood wine bar away from all the hustle and bustle. Get the Blue Crab Bruschetta and ask your server about the wine. Their servers are seem to be routinely expert on the rotating list of bottles. The white pie flatbread and the Fish Croquette are worthy of weekly visits.

Wally’s, Beverly Hills – You may have read about Wally’s and their $26 burger. You may be dining at a table and see a celebrity or two in line at check out. Wally’s is a gourmet wine and cheese bar, plus shop and offers quite the Beverly Hills experience. Wally’s has now built an international reputation for obtaining and offering the finest wines and spirits of the world and highlighted by an inventory of the largest collection of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Italian, California and Spanish wines in the United States.  Select from the impressive list of 100 wines by-the-glass. From Colgin, Opus One and Dom Pérignon, to yet-to-be-discovered little gems, you’re bound to taste what you’ve been looking for.

Enjoy!

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