The Local Vine

07/22/2008 Posted 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

07/07/2008 Posted 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

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful

04/23/2008 Posted 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

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

04/22/2008 Posted 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

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful

03/19/2008 Posted 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 :-(

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

03/13/2008 Posted 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.

03/10/2008 Posted by melissacdg

This place fills a void in Belltown and is almost perfect. Unfortunately, I can't recommend going there for more than a quick drink as the seating is extremely uncomfortable. I hope the owners read this site and do something about it because honestly, the plastic chairs in a fast food restaurant are more comfortable than the seating at this place. The staff was friendly, but it took a LONG time for them to come and ask for our order. Still, the wine selection can't be beat and I will definitely go back for quick drinks and maybe stay longer if they get better chairs.

02/27/2008 Posted by BillsMom

I am a 40-ish single mom who is newly on the dating scene. Most bars are awful, and full of 20 somethings. I dont want to commit to an entire dinner in restaurant on a first date. So...The Local Vine is perfect!! It has a mix of ages, is romantic (fireplace, etc.), and is cool/ trendy. Plus, it has great wine and small plates of food just in case I actually like the guy and want to hang out for a bit.. ;)

Pros: fireplace, romantic, great spot for a date, love the small plates concept (can share, etc)

Cons: dont know?

01/02/2008 Posted by 2008celeb

I attended The Local Vine's on New Year's Even. In addition to the 100-ish wines by the glass, they also have a bottle list of an additional 400ish wines PLUS the longest list I've ever seen of champagnes and sparkling wines. I'm not sure if that was just for this bash. Nevertheless, it was impressive. The scene is made up of gorgeous people who enjoy good wine and fun. It's not the typical fleece wearing Seattle crowd. Lots and lots of beautiful women hang here (which makes eye candy for the typical Seattle guy crowd). Considering having an event here myself - these people really know how to throw a good, tasteful, fun party.

Pros: wine list, attracts attractive and fun crowd, great place for an event or party

Cons: dunno

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

12/19/2007 Posted by belltowndude

I admit it - I'm a wine fanatic. I typically bring my own wine when eating out since I am often disappointed by wine lists at Seattle restaurants and bars (even those claiming to have great wine lists or a wine focus). So, I was pleasantly surprised to discover The Local Vine. For once, I dont have to be prepared with my own bottle. The wine list is thoughtful, and the food pairing just right. Riedel glasses with a choice of stemmed or stemless (great idea). As an added bonus, prices are extremely reasonable - and less than you'd find at other places with exceptional wine like this.

Pros: exceptional wine list, prices are extremely reasonable

Cons: there is not one closer to my house!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful