Cavas Wine Tasting Room

Friday Night… Girls Night Out… My good friend (queen of Unilocaling) in my eyes chose this place… I’m new at the whole drinking thing so I have to admit this place was right for me… I had the Two Hands wine «amazing». Many wine choices to pick from although I stuck to the Two Hands. I have to admit it was somewhat pricey for 3 glasses of wine ($ 36.00… Well it came out to $ 18.00 after 50% off thanks to my friend who remembered that the hostess stated ladies night every night… NOT. Only on Thursdays)…I could’ve bought a bottle of Two Hands for $ 40.00.
We ordered tapas chorizo, tortilla espanola and a variety of cheeses. Everything was delicious, no complaints.
Service, we had an attentive waiter and Food was delivered quite quickly.
As for the music WoW wayyy… To LOUD. My friends and I had difficulty hearing each other sitting literally side by side.
This is a place I would return however, hopefully without the loud man singing.

$ 50 for two, yes TWO (2) glasses of wine… that is a RIP OFF!!! Seriously??? No wonder this place is always empty!!! The price of the bottle in a liquor store is under $ 15 and this place sells the GLASS, yes, the GLASS for 25…

Great place to try a variety of wines and champagnes!
To our surprise, we were able to order a couple of tapas which were great also.
Can’t wait to go back!

The wine tasting is way too expensive for the quality.
Service isn’t great.
Food is not great either.
We ordered garlic shrimp tapas, shrimp wasn’t fresh and the sauce didn’t have much flavor. Sausage in wine ended up being hotdogs. Duck wings were blah…

It’s ok to go and grab a drink at, yet we did go we were the only two people there right at the bar and still had to wait to be given any attention. soo…- I still have to check out the food though. to be continued …

As a non-​connoisseur of wine, I was looking forward to trying out another wine bar. I have been to a handful of tasting rooms, and I probably will be to many others… but this won’t likely get a revisit. I wanted to like this location. I’ve been to many of the other bars in the Mary Brickell complex and this was one of the stragglers that I have not tried. Deep down, I regret it now; but, how would I have known otherwise?
I walked in the front door on a Friday night. The tables outside were busy as were the tables inside. Never having been here, I didn’t know if I needed to seat myself or wait to be seated. So I waited… and waited… and waited… and… about five minutes passed before I even saw an employee at the register. I was almost wondering if there was anyone working. Another party joined in the wait about half way through my wait. Tick… tock… tick… tock… Oh, then finally someone showed up! Staffing failure! [ –2 stars ]
I had someone explain to me that you insert a card and then you get charged for it. simple enough. There were three pour amounts; «a taste» ($ 3.50), «half glass» ($ 5.50), and «full glass» ($ 10+). The full bottle option is available if you are so inclined. The (on passing) mentioned food was available, tapas, but I never was offered a menu nor have any idea what type of tapas were being offered. Those prices are rough averages. Frankly, it’s a little steep for my taste (pun intended). A taste is roughly 2 oz. Does getting a larger portion save you? Sure, but then is it good wine? No way to know. I was looking through the labels, brands, vintages… the labels on the wines were very thorough, yet I couldn’t really determine what was a good or bad wine other than tasting them. Hmmph. [ +1 star variety /​–1 stars for the «taste» ]
Fortunately there was a table I was able to find in the corner inside, but there were smokers outside that I didn’t care for. I kind of wanted something to munch on… but I couldn’t find anyone to get me a menu. heck, I wasn’t even «checked in on». When it came time to pay, I had left my credit card on tab; they then had to proceed through the pile of credit cards which seemed rather disorganized, to find mine. I left a tip because someone did explain to me how to use the machines, but I would not in the future if the «service» was at the same level.
Bottom Line: Let me know if Cavas fixes staffing issues and actually provides service and I MAY consider returning.
Bottom Line:

The Cavas at Mary Brickell has been around for quite a few months now — it is one of the newer additions to this complex. I’ve been meaning to get my arse over there one night after work, but lately I keep finding my way into Fado, Balans or Blue Martini which are all close to the street and are more ideal places to people watch (and be seen). One night last week, me and a few of my girls from work decided to enjoy a more subdued evening of wine, cheese platters and chit chat and thought Cavas would be a good place to try. At 6:00 p.m., it was dead as a door nail and I had to peak my head in and ask if they were open. They quickly greeted my crew and sat us right on the nice cushy leather sofa by the door. The wait staff promptly provided us with our Cavas cards and we wasted zero time before we were running around the room tasting all different types of wine at warp speed. Now, I know you are supposed to follow a method here, dry red, dry white and gradually move to the sweet stuff. But, I couldn’t help myself. I ran straight for the sweet shiraz and moscato and ended with the dry reds. Now be careful here people, you can run up quite a bill very fast — small tastes can run you $ 3-​$ 5 bucks and up! They do offer $ 5 specials on glasses of certain wine — but I wasn’t overly impressed with the special wines they offered at this discount. The tapas we ordered were pretty damn amazing. We ordered Tequenos which are croissant-​like rolls with queso blanco baked inside — delish! These were paired with a garlic/​pesto mayo. Another honorable mention is the chorizo bites with French bread — totally greasy, but very good. Every bite of food we had was pretty darn great. I’m only giving Cavas a 3 star rating however because I really didn’t feel like I got a lot of bang for my buck. In addition, they were out of almost every wine I wanted to try. I would look down, read the label, get excited, and BOOM… no dice. I would definitely go back to Cavas again the next time I’m feeling a craving for some darn good tapas and a more quiet, relaxed happy hour atmosphere.

Thought the night was going to be bad since it was raining all day for the past six days.
My girlfriend and I went there on Halloween night 2011, to make up for my forgetting to make reservations to the food and wine festival in Orlando. I live within walking distance from this place. You would never know it was there unless you’ve entered Mary Brickell Village from the garage or have gone to Burgers & Beer joint. The place is a hidden gem.
We sat outside in the comfortable padded patio furniture just over looking the courtyard. The sound of the rain falling and the running fountains will put you in pleasant and relaxing mood. It was a relatively breezy night to be outside. Not hot at all, by Miami standards.
The server and her trainee were both very attentive and offered all sorts of recommendations. If you have never been here before, it is a self serve wine bar. They have dispensers which will dish out a taste test sample, half a glass or a full glass of wine (at three different prices). So make sure you like the one your are pouring if you get a full glass. The machine used to pour out the wine can be a bit tricky if you’ve had a few to many, in which case you should stop right their or get some of their delicious food. The cheese puffs are awesome little devils (not to be confused with the cheese puffs made by Cheetos). Be on the look out for the wine specials as you are up there. Most, in my opinion, where better than some at regular price. There is something for every taste. They carry an array of reds, (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux) whites, and desert wines.
We spent around three hours talking, laughing, drinking and eating (the fundamental things of life). At eleven o’clock the rain had cleared and a flash mob had started to gather. Being Halloween they were dressed in costumes. A DJ had set up by one of the fountains and the mob did a complete rendition of Michael Jackson’s: The Thriller. The original will always be better, but they gave it the old college try and it was still great to watch.
What a great place to just be and relax.

IF IT WERE ONLY THE TAPAS, this place would get 5 stars. They have a really great little tapas menu with about 10 options. Items are $ 5 each and they give you a price break if you order 3. It seemed perfect – we’d get a bottle of cava and 3 little plates to share.
Only problem? Cavas Tasting Room was all out of their signature cava. Seriously?! They offered a same-​price substitution.
As we were placing our order it began to rain, so our waiter helped us move to a covered patio area. He brought us the wine, one clean glass and one notso clean glass.
A few minutes later someone else came outside with the food. We were the only people sitting outdoors. The food runner came to our table and demanded to know, «Did you move?» By this time it was pouring rain outside and our former spot was completely drenched. «Um, yes. We did move. Are those our tapas?» So he puts down the plates with a bit of a huff and grumps, «Didn’t he even bring you any napkins?»
Maybe this got under my skin because it was Friday afternoon and I was WAY eager to get away from the world of work stress and blame games and teamwork that isn’t, but I really resented the lack of professionalism on display at this point.
My mood improved immensely upon trying the tapas. We had asiago cheese puffs, tortilla Espanola, and bruchetta capresse. Each dish was ideal for sharing. They were prettily plated, perfectly seasoned yummy little bites. Fantastic!
Cavas Tasting Room has a really wonderful location with indoor and outdoor seating at the über-​convenient Mary Brickell Village. If they can get the service game together a little bit, I could definitely see this becoming a really good lunch/​happy hour option.

I was sad to hear that the sunset place location was closed so I decided to check out the new location in Brickell. Loved it!!! My friend and I sat outside and were able to enjoy great wine with the recommendations of the staff there. They had table service not only for food but actually the wine, which I loved. Very nice location and very nice staff.

OK, this place is growing on me because they have introduced a great happy hour — 5−8pm, half off all wines. That is fabulous and EXACTLY what they needed! It’s still a little dead in there every time I’ve been but I think it’s improving…

What a great surprise! The place has great ambiance and the staff is extremely helpful!
Their wine selection appeared to be very well rounded… their wine tasting system rocks… just be careful may end up on the floor!
Must admit that what really caught my attention was their Tapas menu… they food was just to die for…
The Assiago Puffs were sent from Heaven and the Prosciutto with Honey is just amazing… All of their selections are carefully crafted and well balanced!
I recommend to get a bottle instead of buying by the glass… the prices per glass can be a bit too high, instead the Bottles are well priced.
During my visit to Cavas the owner visited our table and made a few recommendations as our night was winding down… He recommended a beer called Orange Blossom which we paired with the Assiago Puffs… was a fantastic suggestion! I want to go back just for that!
Live music is available on the weekends, the staff is extremely helpful and with great attitude!
Definitely going back with friends, the place is great for large groups!

We ended up here b/​c the very convenient South Miami location closed down — damn! I had visited that location a couple of times in the past and loved it. The seating area, the location… oh, sweet sad memories. RIP Cavas SoMi.
So to Brickell we go — same concept. Expensive tastes of multiple kinds of wine. It’s definitely a fun time if you want to explore your palate’s preference — I stuck with what I knew, Frog’s Leap & Silver Oak. My friend had the Two Hands which I tried and really enjoyed. We ordered a bunch of tapas which were all very good — tortilla Espanola, sausages in onions, cheese platter, prosciutto, etc. Good stuff.
The service was good — we walked in and were greeted by a very enthusiastic hostess who announced they had Ladies’ Night every night so our wine was 50% off. YAY! We then go to pay, my sister reminds the dude about the 50% off and he said NO, it’s only on Thursdays… but he honored the poor hostess’ mistake and hooked us up. Score!
The only complaint I have is the extremely, insultingly LOUD guitar playing señor — dude, too loud. Way too freaking loud.
They have a nice loungy area outside which we couldn’t enjoy (and escape the screaming Gypsy King) b/​c it was storming.

Not worth the money. If you are truly a wine drinker, do yourself a favor and go somewhere else.
You give the guy your credit card and he will give you a Cavas card to swipe. You can choose tasters, half glasses or a «whole» glass. A half glass will cost you about $ 10 depending on the bottle; a «whole» glass runs around $ 20.00 and whole is in quotes for a reason. Not a generous pour by any means.
We ordered a 3 cheese platter, and trust me the cheeses are not anything out of the ordinary. It came with parmesan, Brie and I can’t remember the last one because it wasnt anything special. The bread is really nice and gooey though!
Before I knew it, I had run a $ 40 tab for myself. This would be fine if I had had more than the equivalent of about two glasses of wine.

This place is great. Went there as a first stop on a bar hopping night at the MaryBay Brickell Village area. We got the card and tried about 4 wines each and the tab did not come to anything out of the ordinary for Miami. The ambience was very mysterious and seductive. Great for a date or an after dinner drink. The staff is nice but busy, so don’t expect suggestions. Take this as an adventure, there is something for everyone’s palate.

Cavas finally sold me on the concept of a wine bar where you can taste wine by the glass using one of those fancy machines with a spout and a card reader. I’ve tried Enos on South Beach and the former Cefalo’s in the Grove and always left unsatisfied with the wine selection and the funky flavor added by the machines.
I’m primarily a red wine drinker and kind of snobby about varietals. I was pleasantly surprised by the red wine selection here. By exchanging my credit card for a wine card, I was able to sample various glasses of priorat, zinfandel, and barolo. I’m pretty familiar with what I like in wine and so I chose well. Each wine was delicious! No funky machine taste at all!
Come on Thursday night, and ladies get 50% (up to $ 50), which made that barolo sample affordable! During the week you can come here for happy hour from 5 to 7 and obtain the same deal on wine cards.
The white wine selection is small for those of you who haven’t seen the light. But this is the perfect place to meet friends for tapas and wine. No more idle discussion over a bottle that you can all agree on because you can all get your own glass.
If you want to take a bottle home with you, bottles to go are 30% off!
While the interior has swanky furnishings and dark mood lighting, you can really come as you are. Not a fan of spanish style tapas, I ordered the margherita flat bread and cheese platter. We picked six cheeses for $ 27 and it was enough for me and my friend. There was plenty of nuts, breads and crackers to accompany the cheeses and the server offered us more when they ran out. I’m sticking with the cheese when i come here because the other entrees just had «exotic» ingredients that do not suit this picky eater (e.g. anchovies, olive tapenade).
If you enjoy sampling wine, this is the perfect place for a work place happy hour, a date or hanging out with friends. For me, it just me be the perfect place to day drink on the weekends!

I had previously been to the South Miami Cavas location and loved it. This one is much bigger and just as nice. There is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. The wine selection here was just okay, however. I felt like they could have a bit more variety, especially with their white wines. Their menu was pretty solid. They had a few cheeses to choose from and then your choice of meats (prosciutto, chorizo, salmon) to accompany them. They also had a few selections of flatbreads, delicious tortilla española, pinxtos, and gourmet sandwiches.
We went with their 6 for $ 27 offer, where you can choose 6 cheeses or meats and it was way too much for 2 people. We got 4 different cheeses and 2 meats, but they brought out a large platter with nuts, jam, bread, olives, and crackers. My favorite of the cheeses was their drunken goat and my favorite meat was the prosciutto. The only thing I kept wondering the entire time I was there was why the place was dead. It was a Wednesday night, but Balans across the street was slammed, as were the other surrounding restaurants.
Even though this location is right smack in the middle of Mary Brickell Village, you can’t see it from the street which I think is why people may not even know it’s there. Either way, I didn’t mind the lack of crowd– it was quiet enough to have a conversation and not have to wait in line for wine or worry about leaving your purse unattended. I can’t wait to come back.

This place is just what Mary Brickell needs. We went late and while it wasnt crowded (on a Monday at 1030pm…) we had a great time. Fun experience if you have never done the self service thing, but good selection, service was great, cheese platter was perfect compliment. Prices not bad either — they get you though because instead of pre-​paying an amount, you get a blank card to just spend away… and we all know the more you drink the more $$ you spend, so be careful ;)
Will definitely go back!

On a night out with my girls, we stumbled upon the newest location for Cavas Wine Bar. Unbeknownst to me, their opening was earlier this week on the first floor of Mary Bay Brickell Village. Cavas (South Miami) has always been a spot that I have frequented and loved for many reasons. It’s great for girl’s night out or a romantic date. The tapas never disappoint, the selection of wine is abundant and the staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. Needless to say, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw one of my absolute favorite places open up closer to my current neighborhood. Cavas Brickell definitely did not disappoint.
Now if you’ve never experienced Cavas before, here’s how it works: you give the host a credit card and he gives you a pre paid card and a wine glass back. You then move around their location, choose the wine you would like to taste, insert your card, select the size of your choice (ounce, half-​glass or glass) and there you go… instant happiness.
Cavas Brickell has a warm and inviting yet swanky atmosphere with their oversized plush leather chairs, dark hard wood floors and dim lighting. Just as I have found in their South Miami location, Cavas Brickell has a knowledgeable and friendly staff. Although my posse of 7 girls rolled in with an appetite for Burger and Beer Joint (review to follow) and we were just basically looking to kill time, the staff made us true believers in Cavas Brickell. Not only were they on point about their wine and tapas suggestions but they were friendly, attentive, and extremely welcoming.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Jar Jam (sweet Shiraz)
Cheese platter
Hummus platter
Goat cheese bruschetta
Margherita pizza with truffle oil
WARNING:
If you’re a wine lover and/​or drinker, your final bill may be a bit scary and surprising. The whole ounce/​half-​glass/​glass pricing can creep up on you VERY easily so be careful.

Living across the bay, it is a convenient place to go and hang out. They feature 80 self serve wines. You purchase a card for $ 2.50 and put however much money on it and you can reload it at anytime. You walk around and put your card in the machine and get a 1, 3 or 5 oz. pour.
For someone who enjoys trying new wines, this is perfect. They pours range anywhere from $ 1.00 up to $ 10 and higher for higher priced wines.
We have ordered the cheese platter and meats. Very nice display of good cheese and meats, the cut up baquettes are to die for.
The service is good, they are friendly and accomodating.
There are couches everywhere and chairs. I enjoy that it is dark, which makes a very nice quiet evening. Certain nights they have live music.
The staff is knowledgable about basics of wine, most of them coming from culinary schools.
If you are a more advanced wine drinker, I suggest help yourself to try wines that you know or would like to try.
BEWARE– If you are a wine drinker like me, you will be refilling your card alot. Very easy to blow through $ 50.00 per person.
All in all, great atmosphere, fun crowd, and worth going to. Great place to take a date!!!