Next Door Craft Beer & Wine Bar

This was our first time here just planning on meeting some friends and I thought hey this is in the neighborhood and seems like a good place to catch up since we love wine and I saw that you can byoFood :) neat idea!
Turns out we walked in right on time for the winesdays potluck and special blind tasting event. So we shared our food and it earned us $ 20/​person instead of $ 30/​person (without food) entry into the event for the night. Looks like there’s a different event every couple days here, how awesome is that?!
The ambiance was great vibes for your friendly neighborhood bar. I feel like this will be a regular spot for us now that we know what we’ve been missing out on. They have a variety of diff kind of seating which you get to choose from. So if you fancy sitting at the couch and lounging, to tall bar tables with stools, and of course the tradition bar seating up at the front. Don’t come here looking to have a dinner unless you are going to bring it yourself. This is to address some of the bad reviews for this place about their food. This is a very eclectic wine bar and just accept the fact that you’re coming more to enjoy the wine and mingling amongst regulars. If you are an introvert this is not your place. You have to be open to joining in on the activities and the owners and regulars make you feel quite welcome.
Each event has different pricing so please inquire if you’re interested. If you just want to come do your own thing and hermit crab it with your friends you can do that too, they have a good variety of all types of wine to fit your mood and satisfy your wine cravings at very reasonable prices.
I can’t wait for the next winesday! :)

This wine bar is nice, almost like a wine tasting room. It is fancier and nicer than many nearby drinking spots. It is a place to chill and not to party. As a result, it is quieter and you can have conversations at normal volume.

LOVE this place! Great beer and wine selection, wonderful ambiance, sweet owners, and dog friendly! Bring your own food, and just hang out. WONDERFUL décor, fun table games, next door to delicious bbq place!

Nice little spot to grab a glass of wine or a craft beer, which allows my husband and I to both be happy. They’re very knowledgeable about wine, so it’s great to learn from them or their wine guy. Speaking of their wine guy, on Wednesday nights they do a wine tasting and potIuck (called winesdays) which offers a ton of wine to taste. It’s an awesome deal. Their craft beer selection rotates regularly so you try new stuff (major bonus for my husband).
If you’re hungry, they only have small snacks because they don’t have a kitchen, but you can bring food or order from the BBQ place next door (which is stellar). This is a lovely place to chilI and have d drink.

A very chill place to grab a beer or glass of wine. Beer selection is fantastic the couple times I’ve been here. I mean they have beers that I’ve never seen on tap anywhere. Everything 6 $ no real deals but sometimes you need certain beers that you want to try. No TVs but you just have to know that when you go. Very quiet most of the time here.

Perfect atmosphere for a nice night out. Always great wine and friendly service. A local favorite.

I’ve never felt so unwelcome anywhere, ever. They were playing a trivia game and had no use for outsiders or their bucks. Tried to be friendly. All I got was snide remarks about holes in my leggings (no holes — a print of avocados). And I had the answers to both trivia questions. Horrible, cold, excuse for a neighborhood tavern. I’m here with 200 people on a TV shoot and told them… DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY HERE.

Really cute place! I found this place through Unilocal as I was looking for a chill place that I could take my (VERY) large dog. I called first to verify the dog friendliness and then off we went. So cute! Very small, and on a Sunday afternoon, very quiet but it’s perfect if you just want to relax with a glass of wine. Marissa, the staff for the evening, was lovely and accommodating to my baby. I will definitely go back!

This used to a sweet little place, until the owners sold it. A pint of beer in a mason jar can run you close to ten bucks now. A glass of wine at least 12. Food is snacky and overpriced. The owner insists on keeping her dog around, and welcomes others with dogs. Pretty sure municipal code prohibits that for a reason? On top of all this, the new owner sits behind the bar and dispenses a demeanor that suggest she is better than her customers. The only good part about this place is the décor. Save yourself some time and walk down to the Go Lounge.

Stopped into the Next Door since a friend had recommended the spot. The ambiance and décor are unique — antiques, cute paintings and lights. I love my wine and beer and they have a great list for both! I was impressed to see the variety of wines and beer. The owner was very friendly and immediately asked us how we were doing and what we like to drink. I will definitely be back and tell my friends to come by!

On a slow night, great place to study, work, etc while enjoying beer or wine. Bonus is you can order food from the bbq place next door and they will deliver to you.
Staff is amazing; know their beer and wines! Annie is the best!
Can’t wait to go back, enjoy football on the patio or attend trivia night!

My kind of place. Informal, casual, friendly. Not a hipster, hopping place (which I also like), but a good selection of brews and wine. Which works great for me and my wife since I go for the beer and she the wine.

Awful customer service. Our «waitress» definitely put the «wait» on our service. Even the lady hosting trivia night was rude. First time there and I won’t be back. If you order the «charcuterie». what you’ll get is a Starbucks style cheese and meat box (see picture posted).

I was visiting San Diego, and my friends invited me here for a Trivia Night. I’m impressed with how smoothly it ran and how cozy the vibe is. Feels like I stepped into someone’s home for the evening… especially with the bar dog Sawyer. Actually it seems like most people who come here are regulars and bring their dogs with them too.
Jenn was nice to me and my friend since it was our first time. While waiting for others to arrive, I tried both their red and white sangrias. I think their recipe changes every so often. Both red and white sangrias were refreshing and delicious. I don’t like the straws that they use, but they’re cute anyways. They have a decent beer & wine selection… just enough choices so you are neither bored nor overwhelmed. The only thing is that there is no food menu here, but you can order from the BBQ place next door, and they will bring your food over.
You definitely need to come for the Trivia Night every Tuesday evening. They allow teams of up to six people, and it’s so well-​organized. Try to close your tab before the night ends, though, because there is always a long line of people trying to do the same. Oh and definitely check their calendar online for more events, because if I still lived in San Diego, I would come here ALL the time! Lots of cool things going on.

Went to Next Door for the first time for a friend’s low key Bachelorette party. This place is really charming and cozy. It’s a good place to relax with friends or a significant other. It has a modern, green aesthetic with woodsy, and metal elements. Got the white and red sangria, and was happy with the taste. I like that these drinks were served in mason jars, topped with fresh herbs and berries, and had festive straws to sip from.

Great atmosphere, prices and drinks! Amazing BBQ that you can bring into Next Door right next door. :-) Highly recommended!

After an emotional day of going through storage my bestie and I stopped here for a drink because it’s dog friendly. We ordered the cheese & charcuterie plate. So good. It included smoked meats from SF, cheese from Sonoma & France, and truffle infused Marcona almonds. We also ordered the red sangria. A Delightful blend of blueberry and blackberry sage. Light, mellow and a tad sweet. We even got to try a ton of different wings because of a cook off! PB and j, sesame and buffalo to start. Perfect way to top off a draining day. Come take a load off next door!

I came here for Valentine’s Day because my favorite La Mesa wine bar (Vine Cottage) was a full house. My husband and I weren’t planned on going out, but we decided to last minute. We wanted to stay close so I got super sexy for the commercialized holiday and ended up here.
To be honest, I wasn’t impressed for the following reasons:
1.) I don’t drink beer. Don’t tell me that I just haven’t found one that I like yet because carbonated beverages just aren’t really my jam. They’re really harsh on my throat. Basically they make me cry so more beer for you.
2.) Street parking. El Cajon Blvd is kind sketch. Having to park on the street is just a reminder that this street has an illicit reputation and dressing sexy could be a bad idea if you’re alone… unless you like to live dangerously.
3.) No kitchen. Yes, Next Door allows outside food and offered small snacks like cheese and almonds, but I was kind of expecting more. I wanted the BBQ from next door, but I also wanted to stay trim and happily wine drunk in my sexy outfit more.
4.) Mediocre service. I’m not an a**hole, I swear!!! The owners were incredibly sweet. I understand that they were busy and I also understand that this is a little neighborhood spot for locals in the area. They were super involved with their regulars at the bar and I felt kind of out of place (until I got drunk… thank you wine). When we first walked in, we weren’t sure if we could just sit anywhere or if we had to wait to be seated so we awkwardly stood there for ~5 min. Finally, we were approached and were told we could sit anywhere and someone will be with us. I felt rushed and I felt like I couldn’t ask questions about the wines so I ordered the rosé and a water. I could only get half a glass because a fresh bottle had to be chilled. In the beginning, we were constantly seen and offered refills, but about 3 drinks drinks later, we stopped getting approached and this confused me. I just started to go to the bar for my drinks and to pay my bill. I just felt that the service was inconsistent.
Besides these minor personal issues that I have with Next Door, this is a cute and clean bar overall. The bathrooms were clean and the wine glasses were spotless. This place is definitely good for a date night. There are tons of board games and sexy couches to lounge on and maybe I’ll come back for an event, but I think for now I’m going to stay true to my #1 La Mesa wine bar, Vine Cottage.

First time here and my friends and I love it! Definitely will come back. I just wish they had moscato, but the resiling is a good second.

I have been here twice to have a glass of wine (or two) and ejoyed my visits. The wines that I tried were really good and decently priced. The owner was the one that served us and she was really nice and knew her wines enough to give us information on how they tasted before we bought them. They have quite a few games on their shelf for the customers to use if they choose. The ambiance had a cozy feel to it. I will definitely be back.

I have been coming here for years and I cannot believe I haven’t reviewed it yet.
I love this bar so much, words cannot express the depths of my emotions. This is the place to go after work to relax, have a brew or glass of vino and really take a deep breath.
Play board and car games, chat with other patrons, or just close your eyes and listen to the music. The weekly events are a blast too.
Big shout out to Jen and Steve, they are fantastic owners and all around great people. I am so glad I came across this place. I could break into song about how everyone knows your name and they’re always glad you came, but instead i’ll just say check it out and see for yourself.

I love this little bar, very close to home. They continually rotate their craft beers making this a great place to frequent. It is a small, quaint location but such a great place to visit with friends. Plenty of board games to play and since they don’t have a kitchen you can bring in a bite or just pop next door for some barbecue.
I’m not much of a wine guy, but appears they rotate those selections as well. I’m sure other reviewers can weigh in there.
If you like craft beer, you should check this little gem out!

Great Wine and very down to earth owners. I stopped by here with a friend last Friday. At first, I wasn’t expect it to be very extravagant or have great wine. Although, once I got inside I realized that the place was excellent. They had such a wide selections and a very nice ambiance going on.
The entrees they serve are also to die for. Be like me and take a chance and give this little joint a shot. I’m almost certain you’ll love it.

Such a great spot! Probably my favorite wine bar in San Diego.
My boyfriend and I came here last weekend on a whim. My coworker had been telling me about this place, but I haven’t had time to check it out, and I’m glad I did!
Located on El Cajon Blvd in La Mesa, Next Door Wine Bar is such a great gem to have in the area. The décor is absolute amazing. I fell in love with it instantly. The décor has got an antique and rustic look to it. There are a few tables, antique furniture, stools at the bar and a few high tops to sit at. They place isn’t too big, or loud, which I love. It’s very intimate and cozy.
The beer selection is great; I believe they had 10 different local craft beers on tap, and an awesome selection of wine!
They have a few snacks such as hummus and flat bread to snack on and on Friday nights they have a food truck there.
If you’re in the mood for a bigger meal, I suggest Haritna next door and end the night here with a great glass of wine!
Next Door is a great date spot! They have games such as Uno, Scrabble and a few deck of cards– perfect for helping to ease the first date jitters and make conversation a bit easier! Or grab a few friends and hang out for the night.
I’ll definitely be back, I love this spot!