06/10/09

Sophisticated Decor for a Fun Aproacable Wine Bar

by winegeek12

First off let me say that this is some of the coolest decor in Belltown being both sophisticated and relaxing at the same time. Everything about this place makes wine extremely approachable for wine novices and those looking to learn more. Their wine list is sectioned by flavors from the wine which is nice if you want to learn but a major pain if you've already developed your palate. While the staff is very nice it is also VERY noticible who there actually knows about wine and whose been coached to bluff their way through questions - when what they should really say is "I don't know about that one - let me get "blank"." The truffle popcorn is amazing but the rest of the food isn't quite there yet. But all in all if I wanted to explore some new wines - I'd go to Local Vine over Purple's overrated wine list any day.

• Pros: Best "by the glass" wine list in town
• Cons: Hit-or-Miss Food and Wine Knowledge

02/24/09

Great place for wine and appetizers

by anamama

This is a wonderful, warm wine bar. Great wine selection by the glass. Interesting and well executed appetizers. The staff is welcoming and very helpful. Comfortable chairs and great fireplace. We went hoping to get a late lunch. There menu was more appetizers than substantial fare, but it filled the bill. Try the truffle popcorn. Delicious!

• Pros: Warm, interesting menu, friendly, good wine selection and appetizers
• Cons: Light fare only, not a dinner or lunch place, per se.

09/27/08

FAB!!!

by c3b

This place is so GREAT!!!! . We have been trying a bunch of wine bars in Seattle andI believe Local Vine is one ofthe best. Great selection of wne, Fabulous chese plate and the olives are my fav!!!

09/26/08

Top notch wine bar.

by ilovetokayak

I read about The Local Vine in the Bon Appetit - they were listed as one of the top 10 wine bars in the country. Citysearch says that they are #1 in Seattle. Obviously, I had to check it out - and am feeling really dumb that I haven't been there yet. So.....the wine list really is great. The range of options that you can try by the glass is truly outstanding. I ordered the truffled popcorn as an appetizer and the short ribs, which were outstanding and paired perfectly with the waiter's wine recommendations. My wife raved about the beet plate and prawns. All in all, a good experience and we'll be back

• Pros: wine selection, staff gives great recommendations
• Cons: parking in Belltown

07/22/08

If you are going to go to one wine bar in Seattle - go to this one!!

by johninseattle

If you could only go to one wine bar in Seattle - go to this one. It has the best wine selection - both breadth and depth. With over 100 wines just by the glass - and another several hundred (300? 400?) by the bottle, there is tons to choose from. There is a focus on Pacific NW wines. So, if you are visiting, it's really a great opportunity to taste some of the local stuff. As a bonus - the outdoor seating is just wonderful for those summer days (and nights) in Seattle.

• Pros: wine selection, outdoor seating
• Cons: dont know

07/07/08

Good food but bad wines and service

by Malanna

When we visited, the food was absolutely fantastic. However, the wine list was lacking (which is disappointing for a place called the Local Vine) and the waiter was rude and lacked any personality whatsoever. His lack of interest in our needs and his inability to answer any of our questions about wines made him basically worthless throughout the evening. I have little intention of going back, except to get the Potato Gnocchi to go.

• Pros: Great Food, Good Location, Fun Atmoshpere
• Cons: Horrible Service, Small Servings, Bad Wine List

04/23/08

Great Vibe. Nice place to enjoy wine

by wineloverinseattle

I have been a regular customer since The Local Vine opened. I've always had a great experience with service - very friendly and very knowledgeable about wine. In fact, I've learned a lot since I started going there. The food is great - pairs great with wine. The wine selection is unbeatable in Seattle. They have hard to find wines here that are usually seen only in the most expensive restaurants. Very strong selection of local, NW wines. But also superb grouping of California and international wines. To top it off, customers can even drink these elite wines by the glass here - without even having to buy the whole bottle. I recommend this place wholeheartedly

• Pros: Wine selection and very knowledgebale staff

04/22/08

Good Food, Terrible Service

by mgmwaliw

I had previously posted this review as 1 star and titled "Good Food, Terrible Service and Unresponsive Management". Well the first two parts still hold true but the Unresponsive Management turns out to be entirely wrong. My original complaint to the management got held up in my e-mail server for six weeks. While I thought they were ignoring me, they were just unaware of our complaint. As soon as they did receive the complaint the owner was quick to respond with an apology, as well as the assurance that the service issue had been addressed. She also requested that we give them a second chance We are going to do just that. I'm hoping, that once we go back, I'll be able to post a completely positive review on this sight.

• Pros: Food, location
• Cons: Service, Management, Wine out of Stock

03/19/08

Coolest wine bar/chill scene in Seattle

by BaroloP

I'm happy to see mostly positive reviews for what is definitely my absolute favorite wine bar in Seattle. It seems like some of the people giving negatives have unrealistic expectations, although I sympathize with the one poster who experienced bad service. The chairs are hip, like most of the design elements in this place. That means if you are a slouch, then yes you are likely to be uncomfortable without a cushioned back support.

The wine list here is ever-changing, fairly priced, and extremely fun to peruse. I'm one of those people that cellar my best wines and it's very nice to find some of them on the list at TLV so that I can try them and see how they're fairing. Frequently hosted tastings are another great way to increase one's wine knowledge. The list is easily a better assortment than Purple and wins hands down over Twisted Cork. The poster who

says Canlis' wine list is better kind of missed the point: it's not a 5 star black tie place. For a wine bar, the selection is deep (40-50?) and diverse (bubbly to super big reds). They even have 4 beer taps as a nice nod to that one friend we all have that is too retro-cool to drink wine (sorry people, no Bud Light or Coors on tap here, maybe in bottle).

The food is great, and kept fresh in tune with seasonal availability. Start with truffled popcorn and make your way over to something more solid like the Beef Burgundy or the Tomato Pasta. Do not pass up the charcuterie board.

Atmosphere is very nicely done with well-conceived music blending into the background, intimate lighting, and an open floor plan that encourages some level of community interaction.

It's fair to say that there were a few rough spots when they first opened. They sold so much wine that they were frequently out of stock on several choices, and initially a bit understaffed and undertrained. That all seems to be better now.

Finally Seattle gets something that's big-town cool instead of small-town cozy.

• Pros: Hip atmosphere, great wines, tasty food, good music
• Cons: Parking in Belltown :-(

03/13/08

Will not return to Local Vine

by topherj08

We were excited to try the Local Vine but by the end we made the choice not to return. The food was great but sadly the service was far from great. We ordered a flight of red wine which includes 3 glasses of wine. Our waitress several mintues after taking our drink order returned to mumble to us that one of the wines on the flight was out. She reluctantly offered another option and informed us another wine we had selected was out! When the food arrvied only 2 of us from our party of 4 received our meal. Several minutes, in fact almost 10 minutes later the other 2 received their meal with not a peep of appology for the delay from our waitress. During the rest of our stay she didn't once check back with us to offer another drink. It was a Wednesday and wasn't that busy. In the end we informed our waitress (if you can call her that) that the service was disapointing which was the cause of our small tip and her response was "it's ok - I was really busy!" No appology, nothing. We won't return to Local Vine because we can go many other places that offers a good wine selection AND good service.