There’s no doubt that L.A.’s cocktail scene is strong, but if you’re at the point where all this city’s handcrafted drinks and trendy bars are starting to blur together, then it’s time to put the best wine bars on (or back on) your radar. Perfect places for date nights or to catch up with a friend where you can actually hear each other speak, wine bars can offer a more intimate space where you can not only relax and stay awhile, but learn something new along the way. To help you ignite your inner oenophile, we’ve narrowed down L.A.’s many laudable wine bars to five of our favorites, chosen for their mix of expertly curated wine lists, friendly staff on hand to help guide you, worth-the-trip atmosphere and delicious food offerings to top it all off.
Covell
Los Feliz
Covell has long been one of L.A.’s best wine bars, especially for those living on or willing to trek to the city’s east side. Open seven days a week until midnight, the fairly small, welcoming and entirely unpretentious bar is an ideal spot to catch up with friends and find a new favorite wine. And when it comes to choosing what to drink, you’ll have plenty of options thanks to their incredibly diverse wine list, which boasts 150 different wines available by the glass. Don’t feel the need to make sense of them by yourself — Covell’s staff are experts at helping you find something you’ll love, and they don’t shy away from letting you sip and sample until you do.
Pro Tip: Visit Covell for a glass or two of wine before or after dinner at Sogo Roll Bar next door or Kismet a few doors down.
Justine’s Wine Bar
Frogtown
Founded by Justine Hernandez in the vacant space behind her popular vegan bakery, Just What I Kneaded, Justine’s isn’t your average wine bar. Style-wise, it’s been described as “psychedelic,” in part due to the large colorful mural wall depicting a jungle in which naked blue women lounge and leopards hang in the trees. Wine-wise, the offerings highlight a refreshing mix organic and natural wines from independent producers — so you’re bound to find something you’ve never had before. They also have a small but tasty food menu. So after landing on a unique wine to sip on (or a wine cocktail, since they have those too), consider snacking on the fried mushrooms, French fries tossed in Old Bay seasoning or a bubbly personal pizza.
Pro Tip: If you’d like to soak up the wine you’ve consumed with a vegan baked good, coordinate your visit with the hours of Just What I Kneaded (which closes at 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday). Don’t sleep on the cinnamon roll or chocolate chunk cookie.
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Beverly Grove
Although it’s located smack in the middle of L.A. along busy West 3rd Street, cozy Melanie Wine Bar feels much more akin to an in-the-know neighborhood spot tucked away somewhere in Paris. Created by the team behind Mirabelle, another top-notch L.A. wine bar, as well as Sushi Note, an omakase spot lauded for its wine list, Melanie boasts wines hailing mostly from Europe and a knowledgable and friendly staff ready to help you find the right glass for you. Should you wish to snack, order a charcuterie board or the tater tots. We would, however, heartily recommend you linger longer and dine on something more substantial, like mussels in vadouvan curry or steak frites.
Pro Tip: Ask about their wine club, which will get you four bottles per month selected by Melanie’s beverage director, Stephen Sherry. You’ll need to pick up the bottles yourself on the first Sunday of each month, but if you stick around for dinner, Stephen will be on hand to serve and educate you on your newly acquired bottles right then and there.
La Pharmacie du Vin
Silver Lake
If you want to pretend you’re in Europe for an hour or two, plan a trip to La Pharmacie du Vin, whose Spanish-style building and flower-lined courtyard patio will make you feel like you just stepped off a plane — minus the jet lag. Once arrived, preferably on a sunny afternoon since there’s exclusively outdoor seating and they close early most days (minus Fridays and Saturdays when they close at 10 p.m.), snag a cafe table and browse the curated wine list which always has something sparkling, white, orange, rose and red. Once the wine is sorted, make your selection from their simple, high-quality menu of French-leaning fare, with items like a niçoise salad and sandwiches on fresh baguettes. And if you like what you’ve imbibed, you’re in luck, as La Pharmacie du Vin is also one of the city’s best, and certainly most stately, wine shops (it feels more like a posh suiting store with its dark, wood-paneled walls and cabinetry).
Pro Tip: Check La Pharmacie du Vin’s events page from time to time as they occasionally hold reasonably priced wine-tasting classes. Not a bad date idea if you ask us.
Esters Wine Shop & Bar
Santa Monica
While all other wine bars on this list have skewed toward the city’s east side, we can’t leave the West-siders hanging. For you, and anyone heading toward the Pacific, there’s Esters. This airy and bright spot with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating feels refreshingly counter to the small and cozy vibes of most wine bars. As both a wine shop and bar, you’ll find over 250 wines for sale by the bottle, and a smaller, curated list available by the glass. Such a selection means Esters is a one-stop shop for everything from household name wineries to much smaller producers unafraid to buck convention. Once you’ve selected a glass with the assistance of one of the helpful staff members, check out their food menu which includes items like oysters and a confit chicken leg. And since Esters is likely to leave you inspired to learn more about wine, be sure to check out their robust calendar of educational events.
Pro Tip: Swing by on Sundays when head sommelier Randall Middleton leads guests through an educational wine tasting which includes a flight of four wines and a mini cheese pairing for $25.
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