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Categories: Wine Bars, Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: DowntownEvery Tuesday: Market inspired dishes for only $2! From 5:30p 'til gone, 1/person. Every Sunday: Live jazz & dinner/wine specials! From 6p.
Mon-Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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I've been back twice this week and all I can say is I can't wait for my next week fix.
Service: 4 brilliant stars. They are nice, a bit off upon arrival and not always on top of their game but they try, at some point throughout your visit and always genuinely nice!
Food: good but not consistent...love the mac and cheese... most of the time, carrot soup, white bean crostinis, veggie sandwich, $2 flight specials...4.5 stars...
Happy hour wine/beer 5 stars
I like to arrive right at abt five pm, this is one of the luxuries of not being employed... parking is plentiful on Grand and some on 12th. It gets pretty busy at abt 7pm.
Stopped by for a quiet evening on Friday. If you come after 10pm you can find street parking but… Read more »
Discovered this place during Dine LA week. Wow! For a really small kitchen they turn out amazing little wonders.
PORK BELLY SLIDERS!!!!!
MAC and CHEESE!
That's why I come here!
Love the atmosphere, they have great live music on Sundays. The food eh! not so much it was a ok.
We had the pork sliders, i def. recommend, a salami panini, Scallop Risotto, and pork tenderloin. The tenderloin came out cold everything else was sort of bland.
i mean its too expensive for just decent food.
ill come back to drink some wine but rather save my calories for something more delicious!
Corkbar- I love you! Had the best time last night with my friend Bridget. Luckily, we arrived before the happy hour was over and got to try some amazing dishes. Everything at this restaurant is on point! From the service to the food. Our server Natalie was awesome, made the entire dining experience super exciting and fun. The chef Albert came by our table to see how everything was. Just an all around positive atmosphere.
Highlights:
Butternut squash risotto w/ yummy balsamic and Parmesan.
White bean crostini with truffle oil, had 2 orders.
Pork bruschetta.
Next time I want to try the mac and cheese!
They also sell bottles to go for 1/2 the price on the menu. We took home a bottle of Cab franc which hit the spot.
Decor, great, music, great, prices decent.
I liked Corkbar, but NYE won me over and it's safe to say I'm in serious lust with Corkbar!
I love California wines, and they do the job right here. And, they just started to carry The Prisoner, which is my favorite red on the planet, hands down.
Service was again amazing. Even on New Year's Eve, and it was busy, we got friendly and attentive service. Yey!
I also learned that the staff is heavy on the vegetarians, so there is always something veg and yummy on the menu. Now I'm just wishin' I worked downtown so I had more of a reason to go here, and often.
I've been wanting to try Corkbar since before it opened...I've been getting their emails weekly and… Read more »
Great drink, great food and great people. Corkbar rocks.
Corkbar turned out to be wayyyyy better than I thought. At first, someone invited me to a birthday downtown, and I was hoping we hit up some spot like 7 Grand or the Edison, but instead they said Corkbar. Corkbar? Huh? A wine bar?
But as we see in any Disney movie, heroes and heroines come in all shapes and sizes. The charm and easy going personality won me over here. It's a nice, intimate place on the corner in a quiet part of town, and you're just free to chill and talk with friends. The wines here drink smoothly; people ordered shiraz, merlots, cabarnets, and sauvignon and we didn't have a problem with any one of them. The house had great selections all across the board!
Our waittress proved quite attentive, for a group of 12, she managed to take care of all of us quite well. And she had a good humor too cause I remember in one drunken moment, I told her, "Wines are wines! Give me anything!" and this being a wine bar, luckily she didn't give me a punch. She just laughed and played along.
So yeah, I enjoyed my time here.... this place might be a little unsung in downtown LA, so drop by and help sing it a little more.
Parking was surprisingly difficult in this part of downtown. Well, finding free parking that is.
The decor and the service was great. Wines however seemed a little bit more expensive than I expected. All in all, a great wine bar to lounge at.
Atmosphere: Clean, modern, and spacious with cool wood tables.
Service: Great.
Food: Good barfood/gastropub fare. Most of the small plates were good.
Price: The usual for a trendy Downtown LA bar.
Would I go back? Yes.
Let me preface this by saying that I am pretty sure I came here at the wrong time, with the wrong number of people, and for the wrong reason (given our time constraint).
It was my birthday and my coworkers wanted to take me out to lunch. They told me to choose a place. Coincidentally, it was Dine LA so I looked throught the list of participating restuarants in Downtown and noticed that Corkbar is participating for lunch and dinner. The price was only $16 per person for 3 courses so I thought that it would be the perfect place to go.
One day prior, we called and asked to put down a reservation for 8 people. They said that no reservation is needed and that they will be ready to accomodate us.
Fast forward to the next day, we arrived wide-eyed and excited to see this beautifully decorated wine bar with high ceilings and open windows. We got seated right away. The waiter came by and gave us both the Dine LA menu and regular menu. We told him that we are all on our lunch breaks so have about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes to eat. He said that the Dine LA menu will take a total of 45 minutes to complete. We decided that 45 minutes is not too bad ... it will still give us a couple of minutes to spare and walk back to the office.
We placed our orders within the next 5 minutes and waited, and waited, and waited .... and WAITED!! About 20 minutes went by and we got slightly impatient and asked our waiter what happened with the food (at least the first course!!!). Then 10 minutes later, our first course finally came. We ate that up quickly and then waited ... waited ... waited ...
Another 10 or 15 minutes went by and no second course to be seen. We told the waiter that this is becoming ridiculous and we need to start heading back to work soon and to please pack up our food to go. He got defensive and told us that he warned us in the beginning it would take 45 minutes. Well, 45 minutes to eat the entire meal ... NOT 45 MINUTES TO EAT ONE COURSE!!
Needless to say, we waited another 30 minutes for our bill to be paid and for the food to be packed. Then when the food came out, they realized that some of the dessert is missing so they said they would deliver the missing items to our office. Ok, that is pretty accomodating, but that was the least they could have done at this point.
When I finally got to sit down at my desk and eat my grilled veggie sandwich, it was completely soggy and the whole thing just fell apart. the chocolate tart tasted kind of burnt, but was ok because it was still chocolate. After almost 2 hours of birthday lunch hell ... I was agitated and irritated by the entire experience. The upside is that they did give us a 20% discount and delivered our food, but it barely made up for the lack of communication and prompt service as well as the attitude.
I want to come back for dinner sometime and give this place another try with a smaller group because I do think it has great potential to be nice lounge with good food and wine. Until next time ...
In my opinion, most wine bars get one thing very wrong: The wine. I'm often disappointed, left to nurse a glass of $14 swill from a $14 bottle. Not so at Corkbar. Corkbar wines are extraordinarily well chosen. A few standouts: JC Cellars Syrah ($15), their meritage, the "Imposter" ($17) and the Foxen Chenin Blanc ($12), which is best described as yummy.
These are very good wines but they 'aint exactly cheap.
Corkbar has a wine retail license as well so you can go home with a bottle of something you like. The retail price is 1/2 the restaurant price. That means you can cuddle up with the Impostor at home for $31.
The menu is a bit ambitious. Although there are simple comforts like grilled cheese, burgers and mac & cheese, there is also a seasonal menu with more involved dishes such as apple juice brined pork tenderloin and shredded duck and brussels sprout salad. I'd prefer they focused on making a few simple things great rather than trying to be all things to all people. However, the prices are reasonable and there is a lot to choose from.
I've never had any difficulty finding parking within a half of a block. The room is inviting and comfortable. The volume level is low so it's easy to have a conversation. The staff is friendly and helpful.
If you need quick service, do not eat here.
If you want to relax and have a glass of wine, this might be the place.
Unfortunately, we were here to eat during lunch.
The place was empty and we were the only group.
One server with one table should equal decent service. NO WAY.
I was sorely disappointed. The food was mediocre.
The service was non existent.
previously i went for a happy hour wasn't really impressed until i checked out on the weekend. now i absolutely LOVE this place. around 6ish, the live music performs, and the night we were there, acoustic guitar spanish musicians performed. between the rain, wine, and music, felt like you were in a different city. the crowd was mix and eclectic, i now appreciate corkbar and what it does for downtown.
p.s. try their burger, it's pretty juicy.
first, i would come back. because it's so close by from my work. the decor is interesting and modern… Read more »
My first time at this place was New Years 2010. They had a four course menu with flights of wine that complimented the food. I had baked scallops with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach, to die for! Although I learned the dishes served that night are not regularly on the menu, I will definitely be back! The food was so amazing; I had the head chef autograph my menu. If you want an eclectic, chill environment with some DAMN good wine, this is the place to be!
What is $2 Tuesdays?
Well, the chef goes to the farmer's market, buys whatever produce looks good, and then turns it into delicious, affordable appetizers!
I went the other Tuesday, and they offered the tortilla española and chorizo croquette for the $2 special. I asked the sommelier for pairing suggestions, 1 white and 1 red. She recommended the albariño, which is like a riesling except with a little bit lower acidity, and a pinot noir which I can't remember the name of.
The pairings were spot-on, so big props to the sommelier. The albariño was perfect with the tortilla española, and the chorizo croquette paired with the pinot noir? MINDBLOWING. It was sooo good. The cheese inside the croquette and the aioli outside of it were great together, and the smokiness from the chorizo was EXCELLENT with that specific pinot noir.
I also shared a ribeye sandwich, which was WAY better than I expected. It was revelatory! Every part of it was stellar; the bread, the way the ribeye was cooked, I'm going to have to go back and have that again for sure.
Finally, I had a few bites of the crema catalana. It was *just* good, but not on the same exceptional level as the ribeye sandwich and the chorizo croquette.
A great cozy wine bar that I will have to return to at some point. And also, sorry for my gratuitous, douchey usage of ñ above.
I came here for the second time a few weeks ago. I was soooo excited because my first experience was fun and flavorful.
But my second experience really changed my opinion of the place. :(
I ordered a glass of wine (naturally), the white bean puree and the gnocchi. The wine was great, as usual, but that is where it stopped. The white bean puree was tasteless and reeked of truffle oil. Yes, I know truffle oil is potent, but it added nothing to the dish. It was bland. The bread it was on wasn't even good. Okay, I said to myself, this was just a slight mishap.
Then my gnocchi came. Presentation was that of my childhood cooking Circa 1993. Flavor was worse than said cooking. This is the part of my meal where I became slightly depressed. My server was really nice and offered to change it for something else, so I finally gave into the olive tapenades. There was ONE that I liked, and even though I liked it it was a bit too salty. The rest were okay...
So all in all, I would come back here to grab a glass of wine. The ONLY dish I would ever order again is the grilled cheese. It's a pity that all those other dishes are on the same menu as this grilled cheese because it really is amazing.
Corkbar let me down, but I do enjoy the pretty interior and the atmosphere, and might come back to enjoy some grilled cheese and Gypsy.
I came here on Saturday night before heading over to a concert at WDCH. My friend had found out… Read more »
EDIT: Had to upgrade this from 3.5 to 4 stars because I am craving their grilled cheese sandwich, and it's only been 4 days since I last had it!
The place is very nice. There's a high ceiling and the wall behind the bar that goes up to the ceiling is filled with empty wine bottles. Came here for a friend's birthday. By the way, they have a special fall/winter seasonal menu that is not featured on their website in addition to their regular menu. The waitress took our order on something that looked like an iPod and possibly was. It was really neat! The lighting was dim.
Ordered the grilled cheese sandwich and it came w/ a salad w/ lemon and olive oil dressing. Our food took a really long time. I swear we waited like an hour. However, the grilled cheese sandwich was excellent. A bit greasy, but the best non-meat sandwich I ever had. The salad was pretty good. I liked the dressing. My friend had the veggie sandwich, which she said was the best sandwich she ever had. My other friend got the burger, which I got to taste a little of, and I liked it. It came w/ a side of cheesy potatoes. I don't know how everyone else's food tasted, but from what I tasted, I liked it. Wine was good. A bit pricey...$9-25 for a glass. Abundant street parking. If not, there's parking for $5 in the lots.
Oh, and if it's your birthday, I think they give you a bread pudding type of dessert. It was huge. It had a bit of a pepper aftertaste. It was alright...but I don't think I'd want to eat more than a bite of it.
I'd like to come back for the Tuesday $2 special.
OK, I rarely give places five stars, but we kind of went to a few wine tasting places in the past couple of weeks and I have to say that this place is my favorite so far. It's located near the LA Live area but not so close that it's in the busy part of town. It's not like the wine tasting places where they give you cards and you have dispensers that dispense wine. This place is like the old school wine tasting places, but modern and cool. It's a bit larger than the typical wine tasting places, but I love the space and the decor. I went with a couple girl friends and we all ordered the riesling flight, which came with five tastings (maybe about 2-3 ounces each?) for $15 - not bad for a flight of five! We also ordered the banana bread pudding, which was fabulous...fabulously delicious!!! =P Our waitress was really nice and we met the manager/owner Garry, from Scotland, who was really nice too! Time flew and we ended staying here for about four hours! We will definitely be back! =)
great wine bar with lots of selection to choose from. the wines are also reasonably priced, starting with $9.00 for the cheapest glass. Tried the frog's leap sauvignon blanc ($12) which was pretty tasty.
the place itself is on the corner of grand and 12th and is small and intimate. came on a sat night and the place wasn't packed but it wasn't empty either. the restaurant is dim and theres mostly bench seating but my group and i opted for seats by the walls for the cushions.
the staff is friendly and our waitress gave us good recommendations and plenty of tasting. im not a fan of cheese but the cheese platter was pretty good. i only liked it with the honey. that was yummy!
I like this place a lot. Very tastefull design and decor. The prices are fair and food is great. Try the chicken breast lunch special! I visited the place with my co-workers this Friday during lunch and can not wait to go back with my friends.
I'm not a wine connoisseur but I definitely enjoy free samples of wine, especially unlimited free samples of wine. Our waitress was lovely - very attentive and did not make us feel stupid when we didn't know what we wanted to order, thus the free samples of wine. We ordered 5 different kinds of cheeses, and didn't know what to get either, so her selection was perfect.
This place had a contemporary decor, yet had a dim lighting. Not too loud, not too crowded, just perfect for a Saturday night for a group of 7!
Can't really comment on their food, but service was one of the best I had. I'd definitely come back here again. Good for groups of less than 8, but also perfect for a romantic date. Street parking is also very easy to find.
Sure, the wine list is pricey, but I'll be going back for the fourth time today for Corkbar's easy street parking, gorgeous interior, friendly service and thoughtful menu. Avoid the usual happy hour grub and go for the Top Cheffy kind of plates: seared scallops on beluga lentils and celeriac slaw, the farmers' market sandwich (think hefty tea time sandwich) and the butternut risotto drizzled with a balsamic reduction.
Check out the other $ tier menus for the DineLA promotion - only Tiara Cafe offers comparable value.
South Park is starving for moderately priced places for lunch and happy hour. Corkbar is so much more satisfying than the pretentious J Lounge.
I've been living in Downtown for over a year now and anyone that lives in Downtown knows that we don't exactly have a plethora of places to choose from to have a nice evening out.
Prices are on the medium to high scale but for the ambiance, good wine, great food, and fantastic service it's absolutely well worth it.
I've been there a number of times and have yet to have a bad night. The only "con" is that it gets filled up fast - but for good reason.
I would say it's ideal for a first date - nice, non pretentious, casual, and very warm and inviting.
Let me put it this way, if I've had a long day I know just being within the walls of this place I'm going to start feeling better because it's interior design/architecture is that charming.
P.S. Parking on the street and lots all around. It's not an excuse to not come.
I went here last night with my boyfriend and had a great time. I've been here about 3 times and the waiters/waitresses are always super knowledgeable about their wines and the food is great.
Seating is never an issue and it's a great little hideaway from sports fans as it's 2 blocks east of the Staples center. I have to say, if you go any time, go now because their seasonal menu; I got the special- root beer short ribs with a creamy polenta stew (tasted like pot roast and cheesy potatoes that mom used to make). Also, get the flight of pinot noirs - SO AWESOME as they over pour and you get more for your $$$.
GO NOW!!!
Sunday afternoon in South Park (or is it Southpark or is it just DTLA? I can't keep up with the marketing) is deader than a doornail which is kind of novel and should encourage drinking.
Unfortunately, the food here was not that great and neither was the service. I know your shift is ending but can't you work out your tips with the relieving waitress/waiter instead of interrupting our meal to ask if you can close us out? I would suggest that might make it nicer for the patrons - who are after all pretty scarce on this Sunday afternoon.
Also, nothing bothers me more than a waitress that refuses to make eye contact with the women in the party because they assume (perhaps rightly) that the men will be doing the paying. It's rude and it's short sighted because the women can veto a generous tip and the men will listen. So, eye contact regardless of gender. Give it a try.
Finally, even if you have 60 wines, unless the food is good, there's nothing to sop up the liquor. The mac and cheese was good but everything else was kind of old and tasteless like the cobb salad, the melon salad, the hanger steak and the tapenade. I was expecting a Bacaro LA experience but this was nowhere near as good.
The good reviews on yelp by people I trust makes me think we came on an off afternoon. I'll be back in the evening hours but not until trying Bottle Rock first.
My coworker decided to take me here for lunch before I leave for grad school and she said this place serves some mean-ass food. When I sat down, I was pleased with the decor but they REALLY need to change the music there because it was a lil TOO old for my taste. The items on the menu were a lil bit on the pricey side for a typical lunch but it's worth it in my opinion to get away from the lunch crowd at your typical Subway or Trimana.
The lunch started out with the white bean puree on toast drizzled with TRUFFLE OIL?! At least that's what the server said... and it was heavenly for $4. Wasn't a big fan of the Hanger Steak, however the Rib Eye Sandwich w/ Horseradish Sauce and Roasted Red Peppers did it for me. The portions are just right so you won't expect an afternoon coma from a 3 course meal. Finish off the lunch with the Bread Pudding which has the kick of spiciness in the end, I like it since it's a bit of a twist from your normal bread pudding.
Overall, my coworker definitely splurged on me for lunch today and I'm not sure how I would return the favor. Ah ha, I'll take her to Bagatelle which is just as good and half the price for a grad student on a budget. =)
Meh would be the right word for this place.
Although I gave them two stars, one for the appetizers (I don't remember what we had, but it was delicious) and one more for the wine list (which admittedly is pretty good) - this place just rubbed me the wrong way.
The ambiance was too manufactured - it was almost like an over gentrified wine bar, if you can imagine that -- it was trying too hard to be cool.
The patrons were absolutely horrendous, they were quite possibly the most pretentious crowd I think I've been around since I've been in LA...and I would've maybe understood if there was a reason for it outside of having a platinum mastercard from chase bank - but there wasn't - these people were douchebags plain and simple - it was almost as if they had picked up on the desperate persona of thier surroundings to be cool. Maybe I came here on the wrong night (douche night?), but this crowd totally turned me off.
The bartender was a nice guy, but I suspect his suggestions came more from what wine they were trying to get rid of, rather then what I asked for - not one of them hit the mark.
I've met the owner and he is a really nice guy who has opened a really nice bar - but it's really trying too hard...
Definitely a fan of Corkbar. A beautiful list of wines by the glass at many price ranges. The interior cannot be beat, this is definitely downtown sophistication. Why not 5 or even 4 stars? I would like to see their food menu expanded. The first time I ate there I had a beautiful duck salad, the second time I ate there it was not on the menu. The menu is fairly small, without many healthy choices. I do love their white bean puree on toast rounds. I fully intend to go again and again and again. It is close to my house, elegant but down to earth and the service is great. Please just expand the menu a little bit so there is always something for me to eat. kthxbai.
Wine is definitely the primary focus here with food taking second place. The wine list is a nice size but not enormous and the food list is miniature.
The majority of the wines are priced around $15, with a few around $9. I really wanted to have a nice dessert with a glass of wine. However, their dessert list only consisted of 2 things, neither of which interested me. So my friend and I shared a 5-cheese board and I actually enjoyed it.
I would like to go back and try TKT.
Definitely, a good place to hang out with some friends or have a romantic date. It's a good starter place before an evening out.
I went here for a food and wine tasting. The look of this place is great, so I was excited to be there. Ya know... ambience does a lot!
Well, I got a lot of ambience but not a lot of wine. :( The food was nice and was paired well, but I was quite disappointed with the size of the pours. I wished I just bought a glass of wine and a entree or a sandwich.
Their wines by the glass start out at around $9. Their sandwiches range from $9 - $14. They only offer 4 main entrees and they are $13 - $19, which seems pretty good.
A "must-try" is the banana bread pudding ($7). This is one seriously awesome dessert.
Great food and service and conveniently located one block from my home. We come here weekly now.
Located in yet another made-up L.A. neighborhood, "Southpark," Corkbar is a great spot to relax and catch-up with friends. I love the outdoor seating, but the ambiance inside never disappoints. They have a great wine selection, knowledgeable and friendly staff and a "Tuesday Tasting Night" which I must admit, I was not very impressed with last Tuesday when I ended up with some very dry paella. But hey, it was only $2.50 so I guess I can't complain that much. That said, I can only recommend their regular food menu and drinks. Best of all, its off the busy Spring and Main street bustle where parking can be a nightmare.
I wanted to like this place but it's just "ok."
Beer and wine only. I opted for beer. Great Jamaican Amber Ale. Nice and cold.
The crab cakes were great. It wasn't loaded with filler breadcrumbs, al lump crab meat.
Our waitress sold us on the fig appetizer but it was probably the worst fig dish I ever had. I LOVE figs. What I gpt were four small black fig halves sprinkled with Manchego on top of a balsamic reduction which did nothing for the dish. So disappointing.
I ordered the Duck Confit Cobb Salad. It tasted good but wasn't that inviting. Romaine? Really? And the shredded duck was bland looking. It looked like a salad I made at home.
My friend got the Hangar Steak. I was surprised to see so much green on his plate. Lots of spinach, broccoli and tomatoes. So random.
I'd come back during happy hour, otherwise I just don't think it's worth the bill, Go to Bottega Louie instead.
After clipping an article in the Downtown News about the new wine bars downtown - Corkbar, BottleRock, The Must, Tapas & Wine Bar C - I suggested to a friend visiting from the Bay Area that we check this place out on a Wednesday around 9:30 p.m. Because it was mid-week, there weren't that many people. As others have noted, the decor and ambiance is beautiful and modern, and there is outdoor seating with heat lamps.
I ordered the figs with mascarpone cheese and a balsamic reduction. The waitress said there were four figs, but in reality, there were four halves. I'm not a mathematician, but four halves actually make two whole figs. Although the sauce was good, the cheese was melted to a crisp, so it tasted more like Parmesan, which I thought was a strange choice. A soft goat's cheese would have been a better match, in my opinion.
I asked the waitress for a red wine suggestion, and she suggested one that was $20 a glass. Perhaps recognizing that not everyone is loaded, she seemed to also want to suggest a cheaper wine, so suggested a $15 glass instead. Still! I'm an under-employed teacher, and the lack of more economically-priced wines by the glass was a real turn-off. I ended up taking the glass my friend ordered mistakenly (he wanted a white, and ordered a red - not a wine expert, I guess).
Later, he ordered the small chocolate plate, which had five pieces on a charcuterie/cheese board. Again, I was disappointed - some tasted no better than Hershey's with almonds, and some tasted like that cheap chocolate that's behind the cardboard doors on the advent calendars my mom sends me every December.
And there were little things that I felt were unattended to - no TP in the ladies' restroom, cheap-looking soap dispensers for such an elegant place, etc.
In the end, we split the bill, which came to $60 (with tax & tip) for two glasses of wine, two figs, and five small pieces of chocolate. These prices just seemed outrageous, and not worth it.
I'll definitely try the other new wine bars downtown before I go back to Corkbar.
I now come here weekly for their veggie sandwich. It is so addicting and I usually don't care for veggie sandwiches...even my SO loves it. It is a warm sandwich with roasted eggplant, red bell pepper, goat cheese, cucumbers and spinach with balsamic vinegar..don't quote me on that but that is what I believe it is...all I know it is crazy good.
I was strolling around my new neighborhood and found this place. I came in to take a look at the… Read more »
I wish it was possible on Yelp to review with 3.5, but I'll have to settle with 3 stars only.
Although the food was good at Corkbar my experience was dampened by the subpar service. We ordered appetizers first- mac n cheese, cheddar cheese gougeres, spicy crab cakes. All pallet-able but not worth the over half an hour wait!
Corkbar - Love It! I am only sad that I live in Colorado. I first heard of Corkbar through the Urbandaddy website for LA. I joined Corkbar's e-mail blast list to keep "in-the-know" for my summer trip to the city.
Visited on a Sunday, late. The bar was quiet, which we had no problems with. Great, friendly bartenders. Decor is appealing. My only disappointment was personal. I was in the mood for beer that night, not wine. Their beers on tap did not disappoint! Had some friendly conversation with another couple at the bar.
Went back on Tuesday hoping to catch the $2 Tuesday but they were sold out. No worries. Ordered from the seasonal menu which was awesome, to say the least. Cool bartenders, busy but still attentive. The place was alive with people! Met the chef and had a chat with one of the owners. Cool vibes, friendly place. Great for drinks, drinks and apps, or drinks and dinner. It is a hidden gem in downtown LA. Easy walk from hotels or your loft. On-street metered parking also.
Corkbar is a relax chill-out kinda, special place. If you are expecting cheap wine and typical food, it is not for you. Nice, chef planned menu. Don't go here if your typical place has a menu in a plastic holder and 6 pages of fried foods and Yellow Tail wine.
Love this place! Great service, fun servers, wonderful wines and food!
Plus - their corkbar burger is TO DIE FOR. I'm dreaming about it. Right now. Go during their happy hour (4-7pm) and get the burger for $8, plus other reasonable priced bottles and glasses.
This is a great place to go after work, although they're also open until 2am, so feel free to stay late.
So I guess my review is for the non-wine drinking people out there just like me. When I got invited to Corkbar for a business meeting (and when I say business, I mean monkey business) my motto was if you're gonna do it, do it right.
I drink a lot. Well I used to drink a lot.
But I don't drink wine.
So I decided to give the whole wine drinking experience a shot. Let's try white, let's try red, let's order 5 different cheeses with the fruit accompaniment. Who knew cheese and wine could be treated as a meal replacement.
I know I like to drink, I know which drinks I normally drink but I'm just not sure if I like wine or if I did which color wine I like. Red or white? Which cheese goes best with which wine.
I guess for me coming to Corkbar was like trying new sexual positions for the first time. You know you like having sex, you know you like certain positions but you're not sure which position you like the best but you love trying new shit.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is you know you like going to bars. You know you like to drink. You know you like trying new things.
So come to Corkbar.
They make you feel comfortable and help you learn new things. They might even consider you as a challenge and have you sample some things before deciding which one to actually order. Just don't ask to try things multiple times ... they'll know you're a pervert, I mean they'll know you're just trying to get free drinks.
I can't really comment on the pricing because I have nothing to compare to, but I guess it's worth it as long as you learn new things and having good company helps too.
Yeah it's a nice new place ... and I like new shit.
Last night my wife and I stopped by Corkbar for a glass of wine after a long afternoon on our feet at Dwell on Design in the Convention Center. We liked the place so much that we ended up staying for hours.
The wine: I was impressed that they had Foxen Chenin Blanc and Qupe Cuvee by the glass. There are a lot of Central Coast wines represented on this list, and a fair selection of beers too.
The food: surprisingly good. Standouts are the grilled cheese, mac and cheese, and gougères. Yes, I have a serious cheese problem.
The pours are very generous and the woman working behind the bar is knowledgeable and friendly. The space is impressive and would work well for larger groups.
Burrito and Drink for $5 !
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