The Vine Wine & Tapas

The Vine Wine & Tapas is our go to Friday quick date night when we are tired and need to stay close to home but want some wine and maybe a bite of tapas. We sat at the bar and relaxed with a nice very large glass of Zin and Sauvignon Blanc. My wine was good and my wife’s Sauvignon was light and bright not overly acidic and only $ 7 per drink.
The service was fine and the place was not loud or overly crowded this past Friday. We stayed until our wine glasses were slowly emptied and enjoyed the ambiance. They have outdoor seating which is really nice in the summer when we want a light dinner before sunset. The Tapas is not bad. We will be back again.

This is a hidden gem. The customer service is excellent and the phone and ambiance are great. There was a little inconsistency in the beginning with new chefs coming and going but I think this place has hit it’s stride. I would recommend almost everything on the menu. Excellent date spot and excellent spot for good wine and conversation with friends.

Been here twice, once with the old owners and once with the new. Enjoyed it each time.
The vibe is perfect for a wine and tapas place, it’s chill and quaint. The charcoutterie plate is enough to get you full, but I also recommend the scallops and ribs. Your drinks are always filled! I’m a malbec, merlot, Shiraz type of girl and they’ve got a great selection. Also, delicious sangrias! This spot is on our list of solid go-​tos.

Hmmmmmm… I LOVE WINE & CHEESE!!! I LOVE TRYING NEW SPOTS… I LOVE SAN LEANDRO… I LOVE MY SISTER… DID I SAY I LOVE WINE…
Soooooo my sister invited me on a date here, shes been before & liked it…
Friday Night, feel in love with the ambiance, very cute, wine type of deal… OK I’m liking it.
Small tapas… Menu very small, with HH choices & HH drinks. Not impressed…
We decide to order the:
Pitcher of Mango Sangria (DIDNT I SAY I LIKE WINE), BBQ Ribs and Spicy Shrimp & Chorizo on Baguettes.
Sangria was OK (DIDNT I SAY I LIKE WINE), nothing spectacular, if you don’t drink it fast it turns into water w/​fruit in it. My sister clearly liked it she was a little tipsy. (Side-​Eye)
LET ME RUN THIS DOWN TO YOU…
Her ribs where good, tatse like a homemade sauce, very meaty, good flavor — Satisfied
My Spicy Shrimp & Chorizo: Hmmmmm so it taste like shrimp, links on bread with Siracha sauce all over it… Nothing fancy… The hotness I didn’t mind, I like spicy… My sister was so happy… The shrimp where over cooked, and I’ve eaten enough chorizo in my life to know the difference., I really think those where Keilbasa sausage. True Story! Smh… Unsatisfied and was tricked.
(DIDN’T I SAY I LIKE WINE)
Soooo as you can see I was NOT very happy, not Impressed & annoyed as hell that the bill was $ 56 for 3 items… Im No no cheap gal, but I’m no fool either!
I gave them a 3 because of the cute young lady that assist us she was pleasant, knowledgeable, and well put together… She very well may be the reason I attempt a 2^nd visit… Idk maybe in like 6 months… Even then I’ll plan to only order some wine & cheese plate’s…
BECAUSE AS YOU ALL KNOW … I LOVE WINE!!!

Had an order of the Cheese/​Olive Plate (~$ 16): Humboldt fog goat cheese, brie, manchego cheese, Spanish chorizo, Surryano ham, Spanish olives, seasonal fruit, fresh honey comb, served with warm baguette bread (with enough separation to allow a vegetarian to avoid the meat). Also had an order of the Basil & Mozzarella Flatbread (~$ 9): roasted garlic olive oil, fresh heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, & mozzarella cheese. Food was delicious, staff was on a first-​name basis (having previously met my omnivorous dining partner), and the ambiance was relaxing.

How bizarre, I went in because it said it was tapas, small plates, but when I went in, it was just a regular Italian restaurant. The menu in the pictures on Unilocal were NOT the menu i was given.
Anyway, I tried to make it a small plate by just ordering apps — Salad, Bruschetta, and meatballs.
The Salad was fine, nothing special, nothing bad. The Bruschetta was ok, but the tomatoes were too juicy and crostini not toasted enough, leading to the last two pieces being completely soggy and inedible. The meatballs were good, but tasted oddly of chili

I’ve always liked this place since I first came here. They have a slew of tapas plates that are always good. Their flatbreads are always really good as well. I only give them 4 stars cause their wine is so expensive. The cheapest wine they had on the menu was $ 10. That really add up ESP if you’re out having a nice time with a group of friends.
They have been through new ownership since the last time I’ve been here so the menu wasn’t the same but from what I had it was all good. We got the cheese plate, the special smoked salmon on crudo they had that night and the ribs. All very satisfying and I will definitely be going back!

The food was good but the service was too slow. We literally were there for over two hours !!! You would think for tapas small plates the wait would not be so long.
We had the pork ribs, hummus plate with naan, filet and sundried tomato Mac and cheese. All of the food was good, except the spinach with the fillet was exceedingly salty. I also didn’t like the fact that they charged extra for naan given they only gave us one naan for the hummus. That’s usually complimentary.
However, the chef was nice and gave us complementary mini cupcakes for us waiting so long.

This wine and tapas bar is a pleasant surprise. Definitely under-​rated! I went without much expectations partly because of its location not being in a very hip area but this restaurant has a rather hip concept. It didn’t disappoint! The wine menu has very interesting names: «The Rule» being a fruit forward Cab and «The Volunteer» being the dry Cab. The Rule didn’t disappoint. The Argentinian wine was not as good as it is a bit «salty,» if I must describe a wine like that.
The BEST TAPA of the five I ordered was the GARLIC SHRIMP. The aromatic garlic parsley flavor was mouth watering and I practically rubbed all the sauce off the plate with the bread that comes with the dish. The shrimps were done perfectly so they were very juicy and crunchy and not rubbery at all as they were cooked just right. The waiter told us it was a special because they only have them on Saturdays and Wednesdays b/​c the Farmer’s Market are those two days. Glad they cared about quality so much but they should really make it a regular item on the menu.
The other very good tapas were the PAN SEARED SEA SCALLOPS and the CRAB CROQUETTES. The scallops were fresh and pan fried just crispy outside and seared on the inside. The sweet citric sauce was to die for. It added another dimension to the taste buds! The Crab Croquettes were smoky and savory. It’s like eating a smoky and fluffy version of a well seasoned crab cake.
The crab artichoke dip was good too but it was a bit rich for me. If you like ultra cheesy dip, go for it. The mozzarella and tomatoe salad was kind of disappointing mainly because I thought the mozzarella was a bit old and doesn’t have the soft milky flavor of a fresh mozzarella. The heirloom tomato was good though.
The ambience was very nice and warm. Loved how the bar was set up. This place was good for a date night, get-​together with good friends and a family night out with non-​rowdy kids. I would definitely come back again.

My first set of five stars!
Amazing! Delicious food and excellent service! Sat outside on a beautiful day. Both the rose and white sangria were fantastic! Both were sparkling. Had the ceviche, crab artichoke dip (special) and rib special… EVERYTHING was glorious
2 words: get there!

Warning: While I was sitting at the bar enjoying a wine flight and cheese plate, I had a view inside the kitchen and saw the chef do something very unsanitary. He was cooking and stuck his finger in the pan and then into his mouth to taste the sauce not once but twice! Violating all types of health codes in the kitchen! Luckily, I did not order any hot dishes but that didn’t make me feel much better about the cheese plate if it was handled in any similar manner.
In any event, while they were practicing some poor kitchen habits in the back, the bar staff seemed much better (maybe because we can see them). I did appreciate the bartenders wearing gloves each time they squeezed lime wedges and put pieces of fruit into the wine glasses while making sangria. Maybe it’s best to go for wine only at The Vine so you don’t have to worry about contaminated food. Bartender was nice enough but didn’t really offer any recommendations or suggestions about the wines.
I hadn’t been back to The Vine in years and I also noticed along with other Unilocal reviewers that there is a new menu. I missed the smoked salmon plate they had before. Friend and I kept is simple with flights (choose any 3 off of the menu) $ 15 and a cheese/​meat plate $ 18. Wine selections were decent but nothing mind-​blowing. There were supposed to be 3 types of cheese: manchego, goat cheese and brie. We realized that there were only 2 cheese and asked the waitress. She had to check in the kitchen and turned out that they ran out of the brie. Would have been nice if they asked us if we would like to sub a different item instead of giving double goat cheese. Friend didn’t like goat cheese that much. I wasn’t too keen on the choices of the 3 meats. For one, I don’t eat chorizo, so that left me with the only other two. The prosciutto was average while the surryano ham had way too much peppercorn on it. The main highlight of this plate was actually the honeycomb. Friend ordered an additional single glass of wine ($ 13). Total tab was $ 75. Pretty pricey for what it was. Might return for wine only if there are no other options in this area, but definitely will not be ordering any food due to poor kitchen habits of the chef.

I think the Vine is the best thing going in San Leandro. I must say right away that the service is average. But I still love it. The wine selection is awesome. There are some quality wines for every palate. The bites are soooo delicious. My favorite is the Potatas Bravas. Garlic and Truffle oil OMG!
It’s a small wine bar in downtown San Leandro. Downtown is used loosely in this case. The ambience is very warm. The crowd is comprised of the swanky folks from San Leandro (yes there is such a thing). Don’t come here super starving. It’s perfect for a date.
I have come here alone, with friends and even with my kid. Occasionally you will see a kid in here, but it’s rare. So for the most part it’s a relaxing adult vibe.
I recommend that you give The Vine a try if you are in the area.

One star it is. Could this place deserve more stars? I’ll never know. Yesterday was the second time I’ve gone in, and could not get served. Mind you, I’m a nicely dressed middle aged woman with good manners. Yesterday I sat at the bar and was handed a menu by a dark haired woman about my age. There were no other customers in the restaurant other than 4 gentlemen sitting at the bar. Although there were 3 employees in the front (including another woman who carefully and lovingly refilled what looked to be a sangria container) I could not get anyone’s attention!
The first time I went in, a frizzy blonde scowled at me when I asked to see the menu. There’s really no excuse for such bad service.

Location: Right next to The Englander pub and yes there is a parking lot which they share but also there is street parking all over the place due to the surrounding areas which consist of two banks one being Chase and I totally forgot the other bank directly across from it and yet another bank on the other corner which is Bank of the West. It’s surrounded by banks basically. Lol
Customer Service: We came when it was about to close near 45minutes prior to closing there were a couple of people at the wine bar and we were the only ones that opted out and sat at the table. We were seated right away of course and were offered the menu. It wasn’t necessarily a warm welcoming but maybe it’s because we came late?
Décor: I actually liked it, for it being located in SL it has a cute charm to it.
Presentation of Food: Tapas, small plates! So of course don’t expect large portions that’s the point of tapas people! Small bites as you sip on some vino!
How did the food taste?: We got.
1. The mac and cheese which was actually really good I would recommend it!
2. The mushroom garlic and cheese flatbread was pretty good also
3. I wasn’t a fan of the spicy shrimp though it was way too salty.
4. The crab croquettes is a must though!
Overall Experience: It was good catching up with girlfriends over wine and tapas, this was convenient because we all lived so close.
Would I Come Back?: Maybe, the prices are pretty high for a small plates but what can you say that’s tapas right?

Usually are able to bring in food for the outdoor seating — as long as you’re purchasing something from the restaurant. We purchased a few bottles of wine and 3 – 4 orders of food.
I guess the rules have changed — they won’t let you bring in food from the farmers market. PUT UP A SIGN!

There’s a new chef and the food isn’t as good (quality, preparation, etc…). Burnt bread, charred & overcooked meat, the pasta wasn’t right either. Also not a fan of the new items on the menu.
The only thing that remains in tact is the wine.
A shame because I really used to like this place :(

Used to love this place. Came here about 3 weeks ago and was looking forward to all my favorite things… the Filet with ancho butter, patatas bravas, hummus trio… and instead got a new menu and told there was a new chef. BOOOOO!
Not wanting to be a snot, i looked at the new menu in hopes of finding some of my old favorites. Not a one. The only decent thing i had was the steak medallions. I understand getting a new chef… but an entire new menu? Not a fan. My friend Rob and i used to come here fairly regularly… and now we have to find a new spot.
I’d still come here for a glass of wine or some sangria, but i would not eat here again. I used to give this place 5 stars… but i’d give it 2 now. BRING BACK THE OLD MENU!

Came here with my business partner from Kauai. Last year I brought his parents here and they had a great experience. So while he was in town, he wanted to try it. His mother told him what to order, specially the Kale Salad and spicy shrimp.
When we arrived, I saw the menu has changed entirely. That was a disappointment since I have not been here in about 3 months and knew exactly what to order. When I seen it was a new chef, it was even more of a disappointment. Kevin, the old chef was very special for this place. His creation or recipes with his own twist, where one to reckon with. Now that he is gone, the food we ordered was a complete failure.
We ordered, drunken chorizo, major fail. The lamb chops were very rare and just salted. Had sauce over the cauliflower that seamed to not have any flavor. The lamb meatballs were decent but on the salty side. The patatas with ground beef inside were good. Great texture. The shrimp, greasy and salty. Nothing beats Kevin’s spicy shrimp! The ribs, that these couples next to us kept raving about, were a major fail. They were just boiled and with some kind of bland sauce which was suppose to be an adobo sauce. Just a disappointment specially after the older couple next to us raved about them. It turned out they are family of the owners. No wonder why they kept looking at us and telling us how great the food is. Not knowing I’ve been going there since this place opened and before new ownership. The dessert were descent.
However, New chef came out, introduced himself, which was very nice. He asked us to critique his food. All three of us were honest that it lacked flavor or it was all too salty. I am excited for the new chef to succeed since this is one of my favorite spot in San Leandro. But the current menu, just can’t compete what so ever with the old menu. I will not bring any of my guest here again until I have tried the menu myself.
All my business partner kept saying for the remainder of the night, is that «the food was awful!» However, our server Bri was very kind and provided us with great service. She was a big plus of why we even stayed and continued to order another bottle of wine.
The wine prices has gone up at least an average of 15 – 20 dollars. Now, prices is not an issue if the experience is great. At this point, wine is suppose to go well with food. So this past experience last Saturday, I’m hesitant, since the comfort of knowing good food and decent wine has changed drastically.
This use to be one of my favorite spot in San Leandro but that changed when new ownership took over. I knew major changes were coming. From having dining experience, this is not for the better. Wine and food goes hand in hand. I know some people there will not take my review lightly but then again, this is what happens when a loyal customer experiences the changes. I do not want this place to fail at all. I truly want the chef to succeed since he asked for constructive criticism. Looking forward to trying his new creations after this menu.
Cheers to the SOLit moments I remember and the great experience Chef Kevin provided for San Leandro. Creativity is what he brought such as the «pork wings!»

Keep in mind this place is run by the same people who own The Englander so expect the same type of service.
I truly wanted to enjoy this place and for the most part I did but its one of those places that can’t stand toe to toe with other wine bars.
I originally went here as a detour from The Englander. Seeing a wine bar in San Leandro is the equivalent of spotting a unicorn so i simply had to give it a shot.
Good
–They have a solid selection of wine which surprised me for a place like this. They host a variety of local wines and the people working there know a fair amount about what they are pouring you. They also don’t skimp on the pours for whatever that means to you personally
–The Filet Mignon is something amazing to say the least. I truly can’t recall a time where i had a steak this good. (If you can tell me where i will gladly go). I recommend it to anyone who enjoys some steak with your wine.
Bad
–Service is always a huge thing for me as I have stated before so this pace dropped the ball. I think its the first time I have ever noticed how a place runs when it has no acting manager. Its not that the staff was unskilled but they didn’t seem to have much of a care or any direction to the flow of there work. Adding to the fact it seemed understaffed you would think the people working the floor wouldn’t just hang out with the people that they enjoyed talking to the most. One Waitress serviced one table almost exclusively while the other one went through spurt of activity but mostly hung out behind the bar.
It also shows a lot when I get all the way with finishing my desert and my table still has all the food plates and empty wine glasses i finished an hour ago on it. Also a manager would notice that the back of the bar is a mess with all the wines just splayed out for easy pouring. I understand it makes it easier for you but it looks like crap and it speaks to me that you mostly don’t care.
–The Décor is just awful and it needs to have some life pumped into it. Your wine selection showcase behind the bar is barren and doesn’t even have items to fill out spaces. Also you have all your glasses on display but due to the fact that you don’t bus tables all that space was taken up by two measly glasses. It looks half-​assed and poorly put together. You have a neat back area and a good start with your local art… why not add to that idea and fill it out a bit.
–The food while bright and vibrant had just about no taste aside from the heaven sent masterpiece known as their Filet Mignon. Key amongst my issues with the food was the Tuna Tower, which while very pretty was covered in pepper and that’s about it. The seasoning on the rest of the food was off and seemed like they went with the «more is better» idea.
I will be coming back here but I will give it a few months. They clearly have a few things to work out that are glaring to me. I am not sure if its because they were just bought by The Englander or that they just hired new staff but if they pull it together it can be a huge hit. I might be coming off a bit harsh for this place but living in San Leandro has opened my eyes to a lot of places that can be grea tbut just donn’t try due to location. Its one of those places that will get business because San Leandro doesn’t have any Wine Bars, but when places against any Wine Bar in another city this place will end up eating dirt.

What can I say… such a pleasant surprise! I’m glad we found this gem in our neighbourhood. We did walk past it a few times and spotted the crowd on Wednesdays during Farmer’s Market, but never really took the time to go and visit. Wish we did before.
Food was amazing! We ordered Hummus, Flat Bread, Patatas Bravas and Chocolate Lava Cake. All of them were delicious. Wine, recommended and picked by the staff, went great with food. And talking about staff… special thanks to Tiara, who took great care of us and made sure we were satisfied and happy during our visit. She did great and not to mention, it was her first day there!
I saw people complaining about the waiting and yes, the kitchen obviously gets a bit overwhelmed at times, but since the staff is really nice and there is live music as well, you shouldn’t have a problem with a bit of waiting.
I highly recommend this place!