Church Bar

My favorite neighborhood spot! Ed, the bartender, is a really cool and attentive guy. Stop by for a drink or two just to say hi. It’s worth it and he makes a very good drink.
Don’t expect big crowds every night. Occasionally, it gets super crowded but otherwise very chill and low key.

I get the idea that Church Bar underwent a change recently. After reading all of the great reviews, I decided to check it out with some friends. They had hibiscus drinks on the menu which was interesting, but other than that, this place didn’t have much. Very small selection of liquor, no food options (although we were allowed to have food delivered), and in desperate need of a renovation. It felt like more of a restaurant than a bar; it didn’t seem like a place to get drunk. It was also super dead… and it made it a little awkward when the bartender came over and told my friend he couldn’t rest his head on the table.

I can’t say enough good things about this wonderful place. Great food, great drinks, great service. They have fantastic live music, and they also have a great playlist when there isn’t a band there. Please go try it out. Such a great hidden gem in the neighborhood. There isn’t a huge sign on the outside of the place, so it makes you feel like you’re one of the special few who know about a local speakeasy. :)

This is a nice place and something the neighborhood needed for a long time I just wish they would put up a nice sign or something. The exterior leaves alot to be desired, it looks like it’s out of business with some cheap painted lettering at the bottom lol.

I’ve just recently started visiting this place and the drinks are made very well and the food is actually very delicious. I’ve had the sliders twice and they are perfect with a nice kick. I would recomend this place in a heartbeat. The staff is very friendly and attentive. My new hangout.

Church Avenue wine bar needs to step up its game.
I really wanted to like this place, but it is yet another example of a local restaurant that chokes my desire to dine in the neighborhood.
Go for drinks and appetizers, but do yourself a favor and skip the entrées. They host a happy hour Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 and offer some interesting cocktails. Sadly, the entrées are a huge disappointment.
We walked in at 6:30 PM and it was empty, on a Saturday night, except for two customers at the bar. It was still empty when we left an hour later.
Note that the menu is very limited. If you are going to offer a limited menu, it is wise to do everything on the menu brilliantly. The bites that we sampled were ordinary.
We started with a trio of crostini that were served cold, and considering the ingredients, probably should have been grilled or at least warmed to bring out the flavors. This was not our worst bite of the evening.
We ordered steak skewers, that appeared to have been frozen, since you could not request them without mushroom. Telltale sign of a preprepared frozen item. The cut of meat was so tough that no amount of chewing dissolved it. Your meal should not make your jaw hurt. Ow.
While the sauce was flavorful, offering a side of mashed potatoes with a Spanish inspired meal is confusing, and a bad idea.
Mashed potatoes, to me, are a lazy offering in a restaurant. Why not offer grilled brussels sprouts, or mushroom caps, or plantain chips or Mexican corn?
My mistake was ordering paella in a restaurant that was not owned by Spaniards.
While it was served in a cast iron pan, it was obviously not prepared in that pan. No Soccarat. Part of the beauty of this rice dish is the charred, crispy rice skin that forms on the bottom of the pan. Seeing that this was missing made my heart sink. It appeared they used frozen vegetables, Krasdale peas and carrots perhaps? Way too much rubberband-​like calamari, surrounding two flavorless shrimp, on a bed of bland rice that tasted of uncle Ben’s. Throw a pat of butter in there! Flavor it with pork belly or bacon fat! If you are going to charge $ 22 for rice, it should have more flavor than the lemon that I squeezed on it.
If a couple walks in and orders an appetizer, cocktails, and two entrées… Expect an $ 80 bill… Yikes! For that price, you really want to love the food, and sadly… We did not.
The one thing I must say is that our server was remarkable. Friendly, informed, attentive, fast with taking our orders and bringing us our drinks and meals. She is the reason why this restaurant earned it stars.
The food was meh, dipped in meh, covered in meh sauce.

Exactly what I wanted it to be. Quiet spot to come enjoy a fresh cocktail and look at fine art. Clean. Great service. Small menu but all amazing choices. Playing elephant revival at the bar, awesome.

omg. we came here last night for a quick, impromptu, date night. I was pleased with all. What a hidden gem. it’s cute and quaint. aside from the two of us, there was an older husband and wife at one table and a mother and daughter at another. there was a guitarist doing some songs that they sang along too. it made the ambiance even better.
our waiter was AWESOME. the food was great.
it was just an all around, fantastic experience.

Was looking forward to the french toast for brunch. Of course we arrive and are told they are out of it (the waitress said they have something similar to french toast… tiramisu. Umm when did french toast and tiramisu become similar?) I ordered a simple omelette with bacon and toast. It was average. However my bf ordered a burger and his chips were great. His burger was also good. The service was ok but it did take the waitress a while to check on us towards the end.

Love this little place! The food, atmosphere and service was awesome! I ordered vegetable frittata that comes with some green salad witch was amazing!
Will definitely come back to grab some cocktails!

I am new to the neighborhood and was excited to learn that I live right around the corner from this place! I’ve been here for brunch, dinner and just drinks. Every time, the food and drinks are excellent! The staff is very friendly and their menu is influenced by a wide variety of cultures. The prices are great and the ingredients always taste very fresh. It’s definitely one of my go to spots in Kensington.

This is a hidden gem that the neighborhood
conceals only too well …
Who would have thought that sentiments from the Mexican flic «Like Water for
Chocolate,» becomes realized in the unique
and savory dishes that one experiences
in this cozy, upbeat atmosphere .
The love for great dishes, it’s taste, and
Delicacy, transfers beautifully from the
Kitchen to our palates .
The service is sincerely offered, without
offending, the music is ‘balanced,‘
and well chosen. It’s not fair to categorize
this as a «Mexican restaurant ‚» because
the dishes more than likely represent
subtle Mexican flavors, taken to the next
level .
My favorite personal dish is the stuffed
mushroom dish, with spinach, and
a delicate creamy red sauce, very similar to
a red vodka sauce .
No outside pastry chef needed here, but
all the pastries are scrumptious, elegantly
served, always going well with a fresh ground cappuccino.

Great atmosphere… server went above & beyond… food was extremely fresh… would defiantly go back even though I’m not from the neighborhood…

An intimate, romantic place where food is prepared to order. It has a European vibe and the hospitality is top notch. I ordered the vegetable quiche without the onions and it was loaded with mushrooms and other fantastic veggies. Even on Saturday afternoon they have happy hour with delicious drinks and yummy wines. Their Italian red is high quality and at $ 4 at happy hour

We had great food, service, and wine. I’m so glad to have this much needed addition to the neighborhood! It lacks just a little in atmosphere but makes up for it in every other way. Support this business so it stays!

Back for dinner with friends. Service, atmosphere, food remain excellent in all respects. Tried the salmon special served with mussels and shrimp – delicious.

+++
— 5 stars for what its worth. Initially, it seems unassuming and generic, until you get walloped by the food and the service… great date spot
— Of the flavored sangrias, we both thought raspberry was the best
— Shrimp ceviche was all star, they give you sooooo much (We even used the juice leftover to marinate some chicken which ended up being awesometude)
++
— Peach sangria tasted more alcoholic than the two other reds we had
— Ricotta crostini was my favorite
— Impossible dessert must be great, because they’re always out
— Tres leches tiramisu was a star worthy performance
+
— Strawberry sangria was delightful, but tasted like juice, which can be good or bad depending who you ask
— Quesadillas were basic, but good. There was something spicy in there, that I couldn’t exactly pinpoint
— Guacamole was good, but I don’t remember it being a grand experience
— Mushroom crostini; alright
— Garganzola crostini; cool
-

Just got home from going to Church Café Wine Bar, and I am happy to report that it was truly a great experience.
My husband and I visited during the transitional lunch to dinner time and not many people were in the restaurant. The owner, Irma, was attentive, nice, and very down to earth engaging in conversations about the food and the history of the opening of the restaurant. The restaurant was clean with a very relaxed environment, including the music.
I had the chicken panini with home made potato chips and my husband had the breakfast panini and they were both prepared within a decent time and came warm. The food was delicious! Then, we had to try their «Impossible» dessert that was a flan on top of a cocoa chocolate cake. The dessert was not too sweet and absolutely amazing.
Overall, our experience was very good and we definitely cannot wait to come back for a different meal.

Came here with my boyfriend last night for dinner. Have strolled by numerous occasions but never stopped in until now. The place is very small and cozy. There were only 2 other patrons in there on a Friday night, so I am worried about the longevity of this place.
We ordered two speciality appetizers to start: the grilled octopus and the pumpkin stuffed with shrimp. Both were incredibly flavorful and fresh. I ordered the crostinis as my main since I wasn’t terribly hungry; he ordered the fish of the day special (salmon) which was amazing in their special house sauce.
The portions are very generous; we were so full we had to pack the food to take with us. For dessert, we shared the tres leches tiramisu cake, which was to die for!
I will seriously come here every week just to have that cake, and you should too. Please give this place a chance and show your support. This really is a true neighborhood gem.

A really nice cosy neighbourhood café with a good wine selection and a fairly eclectic (ever expanding) menu. The owners are very nice. The espresso is strong and flavourful. Food is fresh and portions are just right. Very interesting dessert made on site. Vegetarian dishes are available as well (I had a stuffed mushroom with spinach and cheese, which was juicy and had a delectable smokey flavour). Apparently they serve brunch as well, which should be a welcome addition on this stretch of Church Ave.
Overall, definitely a place to come back to.