The Wine Cabana

Ambience is very nice and relaxing. I get the impression that the dude helping us doesn’t know all that much about wine though… At a wine bar… Hmmmmm.
We ordered the happy hour duo of cheese. It was good, nothing out of the ordinary though. Typical gouda and sharp cheddar. Wine was decent. Happy hour gives you $ 2 off each glass, yay! The relaxed feel is definitely what makes the place though!

In the past I have loved this place… which is why I was so excited to bring my sister who was visiting from the east coast. Promising her cute cabanas, and delicious wine and chocolate pairings I was appalled when I ordered the $ 6 chocolates off the menu only to be served a bowl full of Kirkland (Costco brand) peanut butter cups. I mean… seriously?! The peanut butter cups were wrapped in Kirkland labeled foil and thrown in a bowl with bridge mix which I can only assume also came from Costco. Classy, eh?

I stumbled upon the wine cabana one night when I was having dinner right across from it. After seeing how nice it looked I decided to try it out with some friends on a Friday night. Although they have an awesome happy hour with delicious wine and appetizers… they completely lack in customer service. I came here twice; once on a friday and once on a thursday. Both nights they didn’t have half the stock on the menu and the firepit wasn’t working outside.
If it weren’t for the great wine and atmosphere, I would give this place a 1.

I like this place for the wine and the scene. The area is offset from the street which I really appreciate when going to an outdoor space! (I don’t want to listen and smell the cars, ok!) The open air patio with little cabanas and heaters is cozy for sipping some wine and hearing some tunes. I heard Bridget Allen and some other musicians there a few times and really enjoyed the energy. I heard her next performance is 7 to 10pm this Friday the 11^th. I will be back!
I haven’t tried the food yet — reserving the 5^th star til I get to sample the whole shebang!

The truth is, I want to give two stars, but the gal who was working yesterday is so nice that I’ll bump it up to three.
After a long day, I was jonesing for some vino and cheese. I had been here once before during a non-​successful Meetup group (let’s not relive that memory), so I figured I’d give it another whirl.
I ordered the cheese duo and a glass of Red Zin.
The brie and Manchego were eh. Not the highest quality cheeses– brie should not be hard, and the wheat crackers were like flavorless pieces of round cardboard. The handful of grapes were the highlight of this fare.
The wine was off. Perhaps a bit of vinegar? I didn’t finish it.
Cute outside sitting area, but their food leaves a lot to be desired (had the hummus last time I was there — pretty flavorless).
I’d actually head over to Hacienda de Las Rosas in the square for wine tastings before I head back here. A more fun experience for the price.

Nice «hole in the wall» wine bar. It’s off the beaten path of Old Town San Diego, but it provides a nice little haven from the margaritas and tacos that come at you from every angle. They have a cozy little lounge inside with comfy furniture and dim lighting. The outside was very impressive. They had cabanas outside with fire pits and plentiful seating.
It really had a romantic feel to it, I like that it was removed from the hustle and bustle of the rest of Old Town. I’d prefer it in a different location, but c’est la vie! I have to agree with another reviewer that more outside heaters are in order.

My date suggested I find a quite place in old town to get together. I said there is nothing quiet in Old Town, it’s filled with tourists. He said that he knew a place off the beaten path that was perfect. I was pleasantly surprised.
The atmosphere at the Wine Cabana has great ambiance with private cabanas inside and out, wicker couches and fire pits for colder weather. It was delightful. It was the perfect place to have a romantic interlude and enjoy some great wine and a wonderful cheese plate (the Red Wine Cheeses were absolutely wonderful).
Ryan was our host for the evening and he was exceptional! He was attentive and informative without being intrusive. Ryan gets 6 stars for answering all our questions about the delicious cheeses and then disappearing so my man and I could be alone.
I only wish you could maybe have a little more privacy in the cabanas by closing the curtains. Just a thought!

Cute, little wine bar.
Note to management: more heaters please!
Both visits were a bit cold (San Diego’s definition of «cold»).
Interesting «characters».

Great place to hang out with friends or to rent out for your own party.
I’ve been here many times over the past couple of years and I’m always happy to see many of the same faces working here and feel welcomed each time I visit.
The place is split up into three areas, the bar, the indoor lounge and the outside fire pits. The bar has bout 10 or so seats, so great for just grabbing a drink with a friend. For something a little more private they have a nice semi indoor area that has booths and lounge furniture. For bigger groups they have the outside fire pits that you can sit around and enjoy a couple drinks.
I’ve been here to just get a drink on a pitstop to dinner or after dinner, for birthday parties and for private parties. I’ve planned a few reunions here myself and have had nothing but compliments about the venue from those who attended. I’ve been able to close out the lounge area and the fire pits and it makes for a great mingling venue.
P. S. Half of the place is set outside and although they have heaters and fire pits, during the winter months it can get pretty cold in Old Town, so bundle up.
P. S.S. For those interested in having an event here, the staff is really easy to work with and you can work out bringing outside food vendors in since they do not have a full kitchen.

Really cute spot. I came here with two friends, but didn’t know that it coincided with a poker tournament happening just a few minutes after we arrived. It didn’t bother me too much since I was there with friends, but if I was with my boyfriend on a date night, it totally would’ve killed the ambiance the place usually gives off. There was a couple there who actually went to the outdoor cabana instead (thank God for firepits!).
The waitress was very friendly, and answered all of our questions. The paninis were delicious too!
I’d definitely come back — hopefully there won’t be any distractions this time.

Atmosphere — Very nice date and chill place in Old Town that offers a different option than the norm in that area. Seating at the bar (small) inside and well as chairs and couches. Outdoor seating with music and crafts (sometimes) with heaters and fire pits. Dogs are allowed. Friendly service.
Food/​Beverage — Typical wine bar offerings for food. Usually have 6ish beer options and wine as well.
Cost — On par with wine bars I guess… that being said I always use the $ 25
certificate…spend $ 35 and get $ 25 off… not too shabby. That usually equals 5 – 6 drinks depending on the wine/​beer mix.
Summary — Short review but they offer a cool date place where you can sit back, talk and relax. The main knock would that they have very limited options for a wine bar (both beer and wine) and their beer is fairly blah as far as options. They also usually only have one person working but it usually isn’t super packed… just means sometimes you need to get up from your situation and get your drinks.
*** BONUS BONUS BONUS ***
$ 25 certificate costs $ 2 and you have to spend $ 35 (alcohol included!). I usually pair this with the same exact certificate with 25 Forty Bistro & Bakehouse — DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET — and have a killer night out with dinner and drinks for under $ 50.

A nice place to chill out and relax, though their food menu is a bit limited from the looks of things. My cousin’s friends decided to stay in this place to kill time after finding out that there was a 90 minute wait at nearby Harney Sushi on a Saturday night. The two girls in our party had glasses of white wine while the four guys had beer. We all ordered Stella Artois and by the time we were in our seats, I was really hungry. I hadn’t eaten in about eight hours by this point and I have found out that I just drink alcohol better if I have some food in me to better absorb the alcohol. As I’ve said, this place’s food menu was severely limited and I didn’t want to look like an idiot by being the only person to order a soda while in a wine and cheese bar so I went ahead with the beer. I barely drank from the glass, which might have been socially inappropriate, but I didn’t really care. It was a cheap beer and I actually only wanted food.
They did take the cabana theme a bit too literally. We were seated in an actual cabana with giant relaxing chairs that allow for too much slouching for my taste. I’d like a stiffer chair, and probably would’ve done better if I had sat at the bar in the next room, which had a TV set to a football game then later the World Series game for that night. The problem was that the room the bar was in was incredibly, claustrophobically small. The one saving grace was that there was a jazz band in the big outdoor space next to our cabana and it made me wish we could’ve been seated there instead of one of the cabanas off to the side.

I love this place. The atmosphere is completely inviting and comfortable. It’s big enough to feel intimate and not cramped, and there’s plenty of cozy seating options, both inside and out. The service is friendly and knowledgeable. Their menu is small, but their options change fairly commonly. We are a huge fan of the Chocolate Port, if it’s still on the menu. We love port. And we love chocolate. Put them together? Oh man. I definitely recommend this place for a romantic date, night out with friends or just some quality wine tasting!

5 stars for atmosphere
5 stars for service
3 stars for selection…
1 star for only having one unisex bathroom!!!
came here for my girlfriends going away bash (she’s off to Spain for 2 months to teach English! woo go Lori!!). we called ahead about 3 weeks to let them know we were going to have about 40 people coming, and they said no problem (also, Lori knows people who work here, etc). the whole place is GORGEOUS. the inside & outside areas are actual «cabanas», so cute, and a couple fire pits outside. for being in Old Town, the bottle prices are great too ($ 20-​$ 40). the food selection is minimal, though. so grab a bite before you head down.
negatives:
1). one bathroom. 40 drunk well-​wishers… eh :/​
2). for being a wine place, the selection is a little dismal. maybe 30 wines to choose from total?
3). we called to tell them we were coming 3 WEEKS ahead, but they still were out of a lot of wines. you think they would have stocked for the weekend a little more appropriately, oh well.
positives:
1). flipping great service. before buying a bottle, our bartender had us try a few to check them out beforehand. +1!
2). the seating areas inside and out are so fabulous. comfy wicker chairs, cozy fire pits, super chic cabanas… take a trip inside just to look if you’re in Old Town.
3). NO SMOKING on the patios! I know this is a negative for smokers (me!) but I love it so much more when they’re aren’t 7 374 875 people around me being nasty. also helps keep their wonderful patio clean.
4). no credit card limit! sweet.
go go go go go

Throughout the perils and uncertainties of life, we as a species tend to find and cling to the few things in life we know we can count on. Our loved ones… religion maybe, or a favorite pet, perhaps.
I, too, have my rock. My solid ground where no one can hurt me, where I feel safe and sure and like everything might just be okay in this crazy world.
That solid rock, of course, is cheese.
So when I hit up the unassuming-​looking Wine Cabana one Sunday night in the 28-​days-​later-​like human-​less zombie world we know as off-​season Old Town, I was excited to see a cheese platter on their happy hour menu. «Oh, that’s nice. A little cheese with my wine,» I thought. NOPE. NOPE. NOT A LITTLE CHEESE.
Nothing could have prepared me for the SPARTAN SHIELD OVERFLOWETH WITH CHEESE AND CRACKERS AND FRUIT that they brought out. Now, sure, mind you, it may have because we were the only couple in an empty wine bar full of aging-​quickly cheeses, but my GOD, it was like CHEESEARIA GODDESS OF CHEESE had smiled upon me on this day. That, coupled with a decent hummus plate and a few glasses of wine and I was down for the count within an hour.
I decided then and there that if I ever trick some sucker into marrying my socially-​inept, borderline retarded self, this is where my engagement party will be. Adorable indoor/​outdoor patio, cabanas, candles, heaters, wine, and MOTHAFUCKIN CHEESE PLATES.
4 stars, Wine Cabana. Nice work.

This place is so versatile! If you’re looking for a place to take a date, this is it! If you’re looking for a place to be social with friends just for a gathering, this is it! If you’re looking to have a birthday party which can accommodate 40 – 50 of your friends, this is it! I’ve had all of the above here. Kevin and Ryan are the best! They can recommend all sorts of wines to suit your liking. There will even be times when the owner is there and he checks up on you to make sure your experience is top notch.
The atmosphere is subtle and relaxing. The wine selection and pricing is very decent. The seating is plenty whether you’re indoors or outdoors. The music is chill and the staff is cool!
This place is tucked away so look for a sign stand that says Wine Cabana.
Here’s a tip: Get on their mailing list. They send out monthly emails which show themed nights and specials! You have no idea how many times I’ve heard people talk about ladies night at the Wine Cabana!!!

Another bar in historic Old Town that people would just walk by and not take advantage of. I guess that’s good on my end since I can sit in peace, but the lady said that they had to cut their hours and only open after 5pm now, now that less people are coming over. Sorry to hear that. Hopefully this place will pick up, it’s a pretty decent, chill, relaxing wine bar.
Well again, took advantage of their happy hour, 5−7pm and it’s $ 2 off wine, $ 3 beers, $ 5 hummus, $ 6 antipasto or $ 10 duo of cheese. I went with the IronStone Symphony Obsession blended wine. The nice lady ran out of the riesling that I asked for so she recommended this nice suhhhweet wine. Very nice, very aromatic. And yah, kinda sweet. Good choice my friend.
Décor was cool, music was jazzlike, and other chill, relaxing music. They have cabanas/​lounges out in the patio area. But it’s getting hella cold these days, and yah people were still sitting out there. Nice looking fish aquarium out in the bar area. The bathroom was super cool too. As you are in there pissing away, just look around and above you with the nice undersea murals. It’s as if you are eating, swimming and sleeping with the fishes. And no, not like sleeping with the fishes Godfather style, but like hanging out with Nemo and stuff. Check it out, you will probably piss on your pants because you’ve been focusing way too much on these cool fish, sea murals thingee. Again this is inside the unisex bathroom. Ooops, sorry to leave the toilet seat up.
Lady was super cool too. I don’t know what’s up chicks but they have extra sensory or something. Like you know what’s going on in your mind and stuff. Earlier in the day, she noticed I was just staring at the bar and essentially spacing out, and she got me back to my balance. Then later noticed again, that I was… well. not into it, and again she got me through it. Super cool bar lady who has ESP or something. I dont remember this in 8^th grade Health class, but I guess chicks have that ESP thing embedded into their seraphomes or hormones… or whatever you call that feminine thingee.
Other than that, nice chill wine bar. You can also sit out in the front patio, no credit card minimum. And like other parts of Old Town, your AT&T service sucks here as well. They need to update their menus too to reflect current restaurant hours and new food menu. But yah, come by for a visit.

I came here for happy hour on a Tuesday with my friend. We caught the last few minutes of happy hour and ordered an antipasto and two glasses of wine. I had the Zinfandel and she had the Malbec. I had initially tried the cab on their wine list, but found it to be kind of on the tart side. My friend tried the Shiraz and also found it a bit tart. I like the zin better. It was full and fruity. My friend enjoyed her Malbec. The happy hour wines were $ 2 off each glass (about $ 5−7/glass after the discount). We didn’t order any beer, but it was $ 3 for beers.
The anti pasto was a plate of salame and cheese with some crackers and a dish of olives. It was pretty standard. The olives were Greek olives (yummy), but the salame and cheese were unremarkable.
The atmosphere was chill and the staff was friendly.

This place was okaaaay. I was only here briefly for a happy hour event before I went to dinner else where. This street is pretty dark at night, but there is a decently lit parking lot diagonally across the street from this place which is where I parked. I’m glad I used my GPS since I had a hard time reading the numbers on the other buildings up until I approached Wine Cabana.
The wine list was okay, the Gypsy Kings-​esque music playing ambiance of the place was okay, the food selection was okay and my $ 4 dollar happy hour special glass of riesling was okay. That’s pretty much all I have to say about Wine Cabana. Oh wait, one nice thing that was a plus in my eyes was the toilet paper at this place; they didn’t skimp on the cheap stuff… I think they use Charmin.
Yeah, that’s all folks.

The Wine Cabana is a great concept that was seriously marred by nonexistent service and bad food.
The layout of the place is beautiful — with indoor and outdoor cabana areas of various sizes and shapes and dimnesses to hang out in and put away wine. That combined with a thorough by-​the-​glass and flight list… what could possibly go wrong?
Well, to start with, reds probably shouldn’t be served at room temperature when it’s a sweaty 80 to 85 degrees indoors. Other than that, I found some good selections while working my way through the burgundy bathwater.
There was only one person serving 20+ patrons, which led to some waits and necessitated abandoning the cabana to trek to the bar to pick up extra pours.
We had a selection of hummuses (humii?), and they were damn good, although they were sloppily splooged into and over the side of lil’ cups. The accompanying scattering of crumpled pita chips resembled what you find when you reach the bottom of a well-​worn bag of Stacy’s.
Then there was pizza.
I claimed hints of Mama Celeste and Jeno Pizza Rolls. My cohort claimed Bagel Bites. Not that there is anything wrong with any of those microwave concoctions, but for $ 12?
When the fresh whiff of ass rolled in, as noted by a previous reviewer, we rolled out.
Damn, Cabana. I’d hoped for so much more.