Tapping The Vine

Quite frankly shocked but could have just been a bad day… I was sitting on their patio around 10:45 am with a business partner and the restaurant was obviously closed (Until 4pm). We took the liberty of sitting at the outside table as we were awaiting the opening of the Smoothie place next door to conduct our meeting. Didn’t see any harm in it. A women walked by and proceeded to stare us down and tell us that she was confused as to why we were on her patio when she was closed. She didn’t give us the opportunity to elaborate after we stated that we were simply waiting for her neighbors to open. She stormed off and uttered some choice words. I tried to knock on the door to tell her we would move, but she did not answer. My business partner was shocked by her attitude in our great small town. This said, I have eaten here before and have met Howard who is great, as was the food. The rotten attitude was certainly a downer though. Cheers to a better day M’am and sorry for sitting on your patio chair for 10 minutes.

Ditto everything on Erica M’s review — had a very similar experience and came to the same conclusions.
The owners really are fantastic and everything is so well-​thought out, it’s nice to enjoy an establishment with such warm hospitality. My wife and I were seated in the back room… which we had all to ourselves… it was a little bit awkward.
If we go back, it will definitely be in a bigger group where we can all share plates together.

My mother and I had been in the area to see a show just up the road at Ruth Eckerd Hall when we had some time to kill. Not being from around here we just googled food in the area coming across this gem. We both agreed on wanting to grab a bite at a cute place with atmosphere that was not a chain restaurant when we stumbled upon this place, and I’m glad we did.
Howard waited on us and was pleasant from start to finish. We ordered many apps and he steered us towards the perfect bottle of wine to match our taste buds.
We had the Bruschetta Trio– The Artichoke Heart, Date and Manchego was surprisingly my favorite coming from a huge tomato and mozzarella lover.
We also ordered the Charcuterie Plate where Howard kindly described each cheese and meat on the platter. Fried Goat Cheese was next– I mean its fried. how could it not be anything but amazing… The outside was crisp and warm as the inside was creamy and cheesy. YUM
Oh, and if you’re a sangria lover. the Dornfelder Heinz Eifel Shine is a MUST.

Excellent! The food and wine were fantastic and the service can’t be beat! My waiter was so nice, so friendly, and so welcoming. The outdoor seating was comfortable and great for people watching. The chill atmosphere was very relaxing after a hard day of work. I would highly recommend this place if you’re looking for a laid back, delicious meal.

It pains me to give this place any less than 4 or even 5 stars because the staff/​owners were so friendly, but I must be honest! Hubs and I were looking for a wine bar to enjoy closer to home than St. Pete or South Tampa. We found Tapping the Vine on Unilocal and decided to check it out. We were greeted warmly by a gentleman upon our arrival and seated at a table in the back room. The couches looked comfy/​cozy, but they were all taken. We started out with two wine flights so we could try a variety. The wines were good! We didn’t love all of them, but overall thought they were tasty. The wine list is extensive, which is great.
For food, we ordered the cheese/​meat plate, bakin’ bacon, and spiced honey shrimp and pasta. The cheese and meat plate was tasty… only complaint was that it was served with the same crackers I buy at Costco! Some good, fresh baguette would have been much preferred. Up next was the bakin’ bacon… apparently we misunderstood the menu description or we would not have ordered it. It was more than my half-​yearly share of bacon in one plate. My arteries are clogging just thinking about it! Tasty, but just so much bacon… I would only order if you are with a larger group and can split it among at least 4 or 6 people. Finally, the pasta dish. While the dish was tasty, it was one of the heaviest, richest dishes I have ever eaten. The shrimp were overcooked and I didn’t taste any heat in the dish. Again, it wasn’t a bad dish by any means (aside from the overcooked shrimp), just not at all what I was expecting from the menu description.
I would love to go back to Tapping the Vine for a glass of wine and maybe a cheese/​meat plate — the outdoor space looks great and the indoor couches looked lovely, too. Just don’t think I’d return for a full dinner.

Wonderful, small restaurant. Very friendly service. We ordered the bruchetta trio, which was perfect. Main meals were excellent. Only issue was one of the main meals was delayed by 10 minutes after my wife’s was already served.

This place is amazing. It’s a small, intimate restaurant perfect for dates. I’ve been here three times each time has been great, but the most recent was last week. We weren’t sure which wine to get so the owner sat down with us and asked for our preferences. After thinking it over she browsed their wine selection and narrowed our selection down to three bottles. I can’t remember the name of the wine we chose, but it was delicious.
As far as food, I always get small plates and am never disappointed. The steak skewers are amazing. I also got the bakin’ Bacon and the scallops. Both plates were great! I definitely recommend this place.

This place was perfect for my date night with my wife. The wine list was great and the Valpiocella wine was great. The server was very attentive but respected our time and space. And the food was great. We had the bruschetta trio, meat and cheese platter, and beef skewers. All were very good and original. This is a place you must check out.

First time tonight. Had five small plates. Outstanding, every one. Large wine list. People at next table talked to us and we became friends. If you love tapas, good wines, great service and a good atmosphere, this is the place. Not cheap, but the overall excellence says it is worth every penny.
Looking forward to our second visit.
Second visit
Just as good. House red blend a real bargain. Again 4 tapas… great. We love this place.
Did I mention our server Jasmine or the owners? Perfect service and interest in our having a perfect dining experience.

You can spend time your time sharing tapas on sofas, dining at tables, or enjoying your wine flight in the bar area. There is also a pet friendly patio.
Tapping the Vine… a true casual wine bar and bistro where you’ll hear conversations not televisions and the ambiance is easy going. The owners Howard and Laura are awesome people and are very knowledgeable when it comes to wines. Whether novice or expert, we can help find a wine to suit your mood. The staff is friendly, courteous, warm, and genuine.
If you are ever in the area check out some of the incredible wines, top quality beer, and very tasty food… like the Gluten Free Crab Cakes (with real crab and zero breadcrumbs)

I’ve been here a few times making sure it was as great as I remembered. It’s official. I love this place! Going through renovations at the moment, the variety of palatable delights never lets me down. My man thing loves the nut brown ale cheese and I adore the orange cumin with cherries but whatever your taste, try it outdoors! The ambiance is great, the restrooms nicely removed, and the cheese reaches a maliable, palate coating texture in minutes. Thank you Howard for remembering our favorites! You can save a few bucks buying a bottle for the road, but I never would. Service is attentive. Great date place, but better with friends. I’ll return for the newest seasonal beers and plates.

I am sure I would have had a far better experience on a different night. Came on First or Third Friday (what ever they have in downtown Safety Harbor) and the women at the table next to us were very very drunk. Like, this loud mouth had to plug her ears because they were ringing from their shrill laughter.
The dining area was not one to contain noise. We had a bruschetta type sampler (ok), the schnitzel and spatial (pretty darn good), a glass of wine and one other thing I cannot quite remember. Service was painstakingly slow. I will definitely give it another chance, but not terribly impressed.

Best little wine bar in the area.
Top 10 reasons for 5 stars.
10. Location –perfectly nestled in quaint Safety Harbor close to work and home.
9. It’s a wine bar
8. Super cute and comfy décor, this place feels like home with more wine.
7. Bathrooms clean and always smell like flowers.
6. Events tons of events everything from wine tasting to poetry reading. Check the Website
5. Eat the cauliflower. Don’t question it just do it.
4. Awesome outdoor seating
3. Shrimp with Wine and Brie again don’t question just eat it. Ask for extra sauce and toast points.
2. Chef Christine makes me giggle she cooks like chopped champion.
1. The owners Howard and Laura are awesome people. I can’t say enough good things about them.

This was my first time here and I loved it!!! Place was so nice and the owners were so kind. Ask for named and gave us a ton of info. I will be coming again with more people and exploring even more of there options. Maybe next time I will get here earlier and try some of the food.

Quaint, romantic with a fantastic wine menu. The no cell phone policy is plus. We enjoyed the butternut squash risotto with salmon. words can’t describe how good this dish was. The bacon bacon dish is worth a try. The menu offers a nice pairing of wine selections. The location is convenient and the atmosphere was wonderful. This place is on my top favorites!

How had I never been to Tapping The Vine?!
Real talk — I’m a total wino. When my friends asked if I wanted to go grab some wine and cheese at Tapping The Vine after a dinner out in Safety Harbor, I was stoked! It really lived up to my expectations.
They have a huge wine list. I went for an inexpensive Rose’, which was delightful. Even though I was full from dinner, we got the cheese plate. It was absolutely sinful and had a great array of cheeses.
I kind of felt like I was hanging out in a living room here and could see myself spending many hours enjoying the company of friends at Tapping The Vine. Highly recommended for any winos in the Safety Harbor area!

Went back recently for a relaxing dinner and some wine. To start, we ordered a cheese plate, which was equally as good as the cheese plate from our initial visit. Different cheeses, of course. For dinner I ordered up some Chard-​infused chicken dish that was very good. The dish was on the small side, but hey I’m on the fat side of the scale, so maybe they were sending me a message! And lastly, we ordered a great bottle of «something» white. I think it was a Chardonnay, but I cannot remember the make and model. I’m a wine novice anyway, so it wouldn’t do me any good to remember. All I know is that it was good, and didn’t cost a fortune. We always try to get a bottle that is less than $ 35 or so.
Service was grand, atmosphere was what we were looking for and we will most definitely return for round three!

This was my first visit to Tapping the Vine. Very cute venue with a great outdoor seating area, with a fountain and view of Main Street. We were with a group and sat indoors, just as quaint and pleasant inside.
We had decent service for such a large group. The menu was selective, but delicious. I had the tenderloin skewers, which were tasty. They were marinated in soy and balsamic. I would have enjoy less soy flavor, this salt, but overall were pretty good.
Wednesday night is buy one, get one sangria night. Everyone in our party confirmed this with the server (it kind of became a joke — girls night out!) and he suggested ordering pitchers of sangria. So that we did! When we got the bill we saw that the 2 pitchers were split between everyone evenly — no buy one get one. After questioning the server, he stated the buy one get one was for the glasses only. A strategic move on his part for suggesting the pitchers, ya think??? Our group spent over $ 50 in sangria, for what otherwise would have costed us $ 25. Very disappointing to end the night like that.

My continuing wander through downtown Safety Harbor brought me to Tapping the Vine after lunch at Whistle Stop Grill and a dessert from Joey Biscotti. Tapping the Vine is about a block away from Joey Biscotti, so it’s an easy stroll down the block.
From the outside, this two-​story wine bar looks like a home straight out of the French Quarter of New Orleans with it’s filigree black wrought iron railings around the balcony and patio. They do have outdoor patio seating, but you need to book those tables way ahead of time. Instead I wandered inside this wine bar and found a seat at a high-​top table.
The wine menu has a large selection of vintages by the glass and the bottle. They’re segmented into Reds, Whites. and Sparklings; and then further subdivided by domestics and importeds. The servers are extremely knowledgeable, and they helped me settle on a glass of Rose of Malbec from Argentina. This delicious white wine had hints of strawberries and cherries, and that made for a nice light wine with a bunch of flavor.
If you prefer some suds inside of fermented grape juice, Tapping the Vine has a specialty beer list with ales, heffeweisen, lagers, ciders, IPAs, porters, stouts, and so on. Maybe 40 or so brews available for the Neanderthals in your group.
Tapping the Vine also has a bistro menu with Cheese and Charcuterie plates, as well as a variety of tapas offerings and full-​sized entrées including fish and seafood, chardonnay chicken, pork schnitzel, and beef tenderloin to name a few. This would obviously be a place to enjoy some wine and a nice evening meal.
Give them a try and see what you think. Tapping the Vine is located in the 700 block of Main Street, directly opposite City Hall in Safety Harbor.

Having already eaten dinner, we came here for some drinks and desert.
Let’s start with the atmosphere, because it’s awesome. You can sit at a table, or you can go ahead and sit in a love seat, which is what we chose to do. This place is very laid back, very chill. It’s like sitting in your living room, only having someone serve you.
Our waiter was very knowledgeable and attentive. We tried one of their Pinot Grigios. It was very, very tasty. We also tried two of their deserts: The Sinfully Delicious Chocolate Terrine and the Bourbon Street Custard. Both deserts were good, but not life changing. We did not try any of their food, we may in the future, but this place seems more like somewhere you come to relax and have a few drinks after dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Price: 3.5
Food: 3.5 (based solely on the deserts)
Overall: 4.25