Lupa

Stopped in last night for a quick taste and quickly felt at home in the space. Let them pick a bottle of wine for you and you will not be disappointed.
Cons: wish the space were just a bit bigger to get to the back of the store.

I loved it. Old building, cozy, nice of atmosphere with low lighting, lots of wood, and tons of wine on the wall. I had two different glasses of wine and both were exellent.
So sad this closed down. .. .

Got a date? Lupa is the perfect cute little intimate spot for lovebirds who appreciate their wine.
I came here on Friday night with some 6 other friends, so sorry for the couples who were here actually trying to have a romantic date. Hopefully we weren’t too loud. ;) The woman serving us was incredibly nice too.

Lupa is a cozy little fort-​sized wine bar on Mississippi.
It’s this sexy little place where you can meet a date, a friend, or just clickety-​clack on your laptop for awhile. There are 2 spots to sit if you have a brontesaurus laptop – at the bar, with the cord reaching over and under, or by the front window.
Yummy wine, intimate atmosphere and wi-​fi.
It’s neat.

I LOVE Lupa. good wine selection by the bottle at GREAT prices. good glass selection, and great food selection. not huge, but just what I would order at a little hole in the wall in france or spain…
Everything is prepared to order, and done simply and well.
Oh. and how could I forget Amanda? That tall luscious woman that makes me tingle down there… tall, beautiful, AND knows her wine? My wife and I fight over who gets to fantasize about her every time we go.

Very disappointed, by the owner’s attitude and wine. Wine choices are pretty pedestrian, won’t return.

I recently visited this little wine bar and I loved it! cozy, great wine selection, great friendly service!

On any given Tuesday evening, you will, most likely, find me enjoying the treats at Lupa. This is a small space that reminds me of the secret hidden stacks in a library — it is small, intimate, and has astoundingly great finds! The first of these swell finds, it must be stated, would be the fine conversation from Mr. Matt Brown — he holds forth in a way that is so pleasant, convivial, and all ’round entertaining, it is difficult to leave & get back to reality — a true bartender.
The wine selection, menu, and vermouth selections are terrific. Have a lovely glass of a rose sparkling wine, some pâté, and some olive oil & bread — you’ll be glad you did! I LOVE this spot.

I loves me a wine bar. I loves me some wine. I loves me a super cute wine bar space in a fabulous neighbourhood — I mean, really, what more can a woman ask for?
Pretty sure I’ll be back to buy a couple bottles of wine and chat a bit more w/​Amanda, the friendly, hip, cool, laid back owner.

i love wine. i love this wine bar. i did not know what to expect when i found this wine bar on Unilocal,but when i walked inside, i walked into another country. i had a most amazing wine, and a most amazing viewing of the most unique and delectible wines ever! i will be back and back and back! and the sheep cheese, olives and bread are amazing as well. perfect for this girl!

Lupa Wine Bar is a little gem. Very quite and intimate with beautiful lighting. The owner is wonderful, she cooks the meals in front of you, educates and pours your wine, and chats with you all at the same time. The wine selection is extensive all with a very modest corkage fee. If you are looking to whole up and hid away, it’s the perfect place.

We love you, Amanda. (Said drunkenly, with sloppy, happy affection.)
We wandered into your wine bar because we were having a delightful evening, and didn’t want to leave the bright and interesting neighborhood, despite the tapering-​off of the festivities. Lupa was warmly lit, with a tobacco-​leaf golden ambience, leather chairs in a romantic corner that pulled us in with waiting arms, with a beautiful view of your remarkable wine library: dark glass and shadowed labels, gleaming dimly, full of silent, secret promise. Neighborhood friends at the bar, finishing off an evening with a comfortable tradition, kept up a lively (but not overexuberant) banter, laughter.
Your simple, elegant, brilliant descriptions of your wines were words delicious enough to eat.
We dawdled. It was good. The wine went down like buttered sunlight on a cold November evening. We wished it never had to end.

I walked through Lupa’s door and almost searched my purse for a passport. What a treat to know the look and feel of a European wine bar can be found so easily on Mississippi street, without having to endure a transatlantic flight.
By definition, every wine bar owner is passionate about their wines. Lupa stands in a class of it’s own because Amanda is as passionate about the atmosphere as much as her food and wines.
The narrowness of the place works in it’s favor because you feel like your table is nestled in between the walls of a quaint Italian city block. It’s perfect for a cozy date, or an intimate conversation. If your party is 4 or more people you will be disappointed because there are only two tables that can accommodate you.
The soundtrack for this Sunday nights chat was lively. My friend and I kept interrupting our conversation with the phrases, «I love this song», «Oh oh oh… listen, this song is great.»
Personally, I loved the option in prices. If you feel like trying something new and expensive the list is extensive. If you order the table wine, you will receive the same sincere smile and service. I got the feeling I could make mistakes and mispronounce wines without embarrassing myself.
Lupa’s will charm the pants of you… or maybe it’s the 2 to 3 glasses of wine you will drink. Because once you enter this delightful bar, you won’t go home early.

possibly my favorite wine bar ever. and i live in san francisco. but even in SF, so many of them get it all wrong. wine bars should be about intimacy. they should be a place you can romance a date or read a book all afternoon. you shouldn’t have to yell in a wine bar. beer is for yelling. wine is quieter, more in the moment. which means it requires a little class. but then some wine bars take that too far and end up just being ridiculously pretentious, which is no good either cause wine is of the people. it’s just as good with lunch as it is with dinner. it’s kind of like the good Lord, i think. you don’t need to be wearing your best clothes to take part. wine loves you in your jeans.
lupa combines all of these things. it’s approachable, friendly, cozy and warm. and i think this low-​lit, narrow lil bar gets it right. with warm wood floors and exposed brick and a wine list with wines from all over it feels like it could be tucked back in a spanish alley or italian piazza. the staff is friendly and casual, and treat you like you already know each other. the customers are enjoying themselves, laughing and talking and comfy, but never too loud, or too annoying. and the music selection is spot on too. this is exactly the kind of place i want to drink my wine.
now…if i only i lived in portland.

Lovely wine bar. I described what I like in a wine and was given the perfect glass, exactly what I like. This was our second drinking spot, so I appreciated the half glass serving because I had to drive. I got to enjoy the wine without consuming enough to make me uncomfortable about driving. The music is good, although we did hear the same songs a few times. Who doesn’t love «Darling Nikki» by Prince? Music was a little loud for the small space.
The bathroom has coat hooks, a much needed feature in Portland bathrooms, for those keeping track of the coat hook reviews.
The only draw back is the seating. The seats are bar stools or benches built at bar stool height. It leads to perching and leaning on the table. It is not comfortable at all.
Overall, it is a great place for a nice glass of wine.

This is exactly what I want in a wine bar! The waitstaff is wonderful… friendly and approachable and have the Euro-​attitude about wine… it’s to be drank and enjoyed, not some pretentious alternative to beer. It’s a very small place and tends to be a bit crowded quickly, but it’s worth doing what it takes to get in. The owner (I forget her name, apologies!) is great. She’s running this business for a love of food and wine, not to make a ton of cash. She’s got an easy-​going attitude that makes one never want to leave, though she’s always ready to get the next pour going as soon as you’re ready. The food is ‘snack food’ (mediterranean nibbles) so don’t go for a meal, but DO get something to go with the wines as the flavors are unbeatable =)

Lupa makes my ‘Best of’ list for wine bars in Portland. Amanda, the owner, has traveled the world and the broad and unique selection of wine reflects that. The prices are reasonable and the small plates are delish! I especially like their homemade cookies.
From the variety of Riojas to the Languedocs, you can find some tasty sips from the far reaches of Australia to Spain as well as the usual areas like Italy, France, Oregon, Washington, etc. The atmosphere is quaint and has a very European feel with the dim lights, the dark wood… I feel like I am back in Italy.

Love this place! The narrow, dark, cozy space reminds me of Europe (or at least nice old bars in San Francisco). The limited food offerings were right up my alley, olives, fresh bread, roased red peppers, boquerones, olive oil.
A friend turned me onto this place and we shared two bottles of wine here, one Spanish and the other Italian, both were fantastic for the price. I noticed that the prices in general were very good.
The service was also fun and unpretentious. I will be returning!

Tiny, dark, cozy, warm – did I mention dark? I love dark bars with wood floors and brick walls, they just have character built right in. This tiny bar is so narrow you’ll practically knock all the bottles off the wall as you walk by, with a brush of a careless coat or handbag. Free WiFi (which I partook of, thank you), and nice wine selection from around the world, and friendly (and irreverent) wait staff. Whatever you do, don’t ask for a flight – this sort of pretentious lingo might get you booted right out the bar – but they have a great sense of humor, and fine taste in pours. Nice snackies like toasty almonds and cheese plate, bread with olive oil, salami selection, etc. Just ask for whatever is good and they shall not lead you astray. Bottles available for purchase, so I might go back and try them out as a wine shop. I like this tiny little gem of a wine bar, it has a great vibe, and I’ll be back.

A narrow little wine bar on N Mississippi, Lupa is my favorite place to go have an after work drink to wind down or to buy that bottle of wine you forgot to grab at the store for your dinner party. The owner is unpretentious, informative, and sweet.
The interior is what makes me swoon. High ceilings, dark woods and amber lights, exposed brick and deep colors — Lupa makes you feel transported far from your own life — to a place where you are more chic, academic, and exotic than normal.
The prices are reasonable, the food a fantastic compliment to the wines, the selection (floor to ceiling wine rack!) is impeccable. I really can’t say enough great things about this hidden gem of a bar.