Wine Vault & Bistro

Best place ever! Even my picky ass boyfriend loved everything he was served. The menu changes often, but that’s part of the charm.

Wine Vault is the perfect destination for the indecisive diner. No a la carte menus here — just prix fixe extravaganzas that change from week to week, and even from day to day.
I joined a group of friends here on a Saturday evening, where everyone partook in the five-​course chef’s tasting ($ 36) with accompanying wine pairing ($ 20). It’s a reasonable price for a tremendous amount of food alongside five mini-​glasses of carefully curated wine. The inviting, rustic, homey atmosphere and friendly, gracious service are also pluses. (Definitely make reservations, since Wine Vault is regularly booked solid on weekends.)
We just sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed the show while our server (and lots of support staff) choreographed an elaborate meal. Here’s the rundown:
1) Corn chowder with black bean/​sweet pepper relish and coriander crema
2) Miso-​glazed salmon with bok choy and shiitake mushroom tea broth
3) Pork loin with fava/​wild mushroom ragout and mascarpone polenta
4) Petite filet mignon with Mediterranean couscous, crispy artichokes, and violet mustard
5) Lemon bar with berry/​rhubarb preserves and shaved white chocolate
While it was a beautiful array of food, not every dish was equally successful. While I loved the corn chowder, but I found the salmon and pork dishes to be quite bland. The filet had excellent flavor, but it was overdone and tough. However, all my complaints evaporated once I tried the heavenly lemon bar dessert.
Importantly, each dish was accompanied by a 3-​oz pour of some tasty wine. There were some odd pairings in there (Pinot Noir with fish — sure, why not!), but overall it was a success. Here’s the rundown:
1) 2013 Etre Chardonnay
2) Hangtime Pinot Noir
3) Torcalvino Sangiovese
4) Westerly Cabernet Sauvignon
5) Michele Ciarlo Moscato di Asti
Since the menu at Wine Vault is ever-​changing, I’ll never have this menu again. This is a good thing, since I love tasting new dishes. But it’s also a bad thing, since I won’t have a chance to order my favorites again. In general, though, my ADD and desire to try new things will trump everything else, so I definitely see future visits to the Wine Vault.

We always enjoy the Wine Vault. We are here tonight for the three-​course dinner with, of course, wine paring. The field pea soup was delicious as was the pan fried soft shell crab. These are just the starters. This is a place to visit at least once in your lifetime. The sommelier did a great job with the pairing. I’m normally not a brisket person, but it was tender, juicy, and delicious as was the pan roasted halibut.

One of our very favorite restaurants in San Diego! Their special wine dinners are always a treat, featuring wines from a particular winery or region. Owners Chris and Mary lead an amazing staff in providing an experience that makes you feel like you’re dining among friends. Chef Gregory’s thoughtful dishes are delicious and pair well with their many wines which can be purchased directly from the restaurant at very fair prices.
Oh, and they also organize amazing wine tasting tours — we’re about to join them on a tour through Northern Spain!

Wonderful food! Great staff! Amazing owners! Excellent wine! Wine dinner experience was perfectly executed! We will be back! Highly recommend!

We went here based on an eater magazine article and the restaurant did not live up to the hype of all the other restaurants we’ve tried from the same article. Service was subpar. Being seated was awkward, and we made reservations. There wasn’t a host and the man who greeted us ignored us for 5 minutes then was mumbling and confused about where to seat us when he finally addressed us. A $ 100 bill for two people. you’d expect a much higher quality of service (not one were we asked how out food was).
2 stars because the presentation of the food was excellent. Ambiance was average. The Brussel sprouts wee delicious as was the cheesecake, but the rest of the meal was extremely heavy on salt. There are much better restaurants in San Diego.

Have wanted to try this spot out for years and finally had a chance to last year. It was everything I expected and more! Really a bargain for the quality of food, wine pairings and in the case of our winemaker’s dinner — the attention you get from the winemakers themselves. The owners are very knowledgeable and make sure everyone has a great time. We were seated at a communal table where we enjoyed everyone’s company. Loved the space and homey feel of the restaurant. And thought it was amazing that the chefs never cook the same thing twice — what talent! Looking forward to another dinner here soon.

I love this place!!! I came here a long time ago, and I can’t believe I forgot to write a review!
My husband and I came here for Valentine’s Day dinner last month, and we had the special holiday prie fixe 5-​course chef tasting menu (wine pairing included!). Here’s my review of the food:
First of all, this place is right across the street from Lucha Libre, so if you’re coming on a Saturday night like we did, self-​parking is an issue. Just spring the $ 8 for valet to save time and the headache. Second of all, this place is very discreet, and the entrance is not flashy from the street, so it’s very easy to walk past it if you’re not paying attention. The restaurant is on the second floor in what looks like an old house re-​fashioned into a cute cottage-​style restaurant inside. The atmosphere was warm and cozy inside, and not overly-​fancy, which I love.
Course #1: Crispy Fried Oysters with Beet + Avocado Salad, Apple + White Soy Broth, with an Uni Emulsion. First of all, what a creative combination of flavors! I really liked the broth on the bottom of the bowl, and I’m always a fan of uni, so this was a great way to start the meal
Course #2: White Asparagus Bisque, with Porcini Panna Cotta with a Tarragon Foam. I haven’t had the chance to eat a lot of meals with foam, but it was a nice cherry-​on-​top thing for the bisque soup.
Course #3: Prosciutto-​Wrapped Chicken Breast, with French Green Lentils, and Truffled Parsnip Purée. The chicken was so tender and moist! The outer prosciutto layer gave it a nice crunchy texture, which made it taste like fried chicken, but not dried out! A standout course for sure
Course #4: Sous Vide Coulotte Steak, with Black Garlic Potato Risotto and a Red Wine Reduction. The steak was cooked a perfect medium-​rare (just the way I like it!). By the time this course came around I was feeling pretty good and buzzed from all the wine pairings, so I don’t really remember much about this dish, but I do remember that the steak was cooked perfectly and had a great flavor to it. The wine that was paired with this was also my favorite wine to be paired up with this red meat, and my husband and I decided to take a bottle home with us for the memories.
Course #5: Dark Chocolate Pave, with Mocha Sweet Cream, Shaved White Chocolate, and Wild Berry Coulis. Absolutely outstanding! My husband even enjoyed it, and he is not a fan of desserts and sweets. The dark chocolate was savory, not too sweet, and the irish coffee that was paired up with this was the perfect combination to cap off the meal.
Overall, I was amazed throughout the meal from not only the quality of the food, but how well each course paired with their wine! They serve just the right amount in portion, and not too much where I felt like I had to rush to finish my glass before the next course came. For me, the standout dishes were the chicken and dessert.
The best part is that the prices are very fair, and not a snobby atmosphere for such good quality food! We will be back for more special occasions for sure!

Stoked that I live up the hill.
Great food and service. Hidden gem on restaurant row open selective days.

This is by far, my favorite restaurant in San Diego. You can simply tell that they ENJOY the experience they’re providing with the food they serve. You will not regret dining here, ever.

My wife and I have eaten dinner with friends many times over the years and have always enjoyed the food and wine at the Wine Vault and Bistro — this dinner, the Saturday Chef’s Tasting, was by far the best, in fact one of the best meals we’ve had, period.
The food and wine were paired perfectly, the service was exceptional and Mary part of the husband and wife team that owns the restaurant checked on us regularly to ensure we were having a great time.
We’ll be coming back again soon!

You want wine and great food? Then look no more.
We came here for restaurant week. This place is beautiful. Located on India. Right near Shakespeare’s Pub. In fact, you can walk to it from the balcony of SP. or you can take the stairs located off India. But be careful. If you don’t see the sign for the restaurant painted on the building. You may miss it.
The décor was beautiful. Whites and soft wood tones. Very country feeling. Got a lot of ideas for remodeling for sure.
The food we had was perfect. Honestly can’t remember what I had. But trust me. It’s very, very good.
But it’s called Wine Vault for a reason. The wine menu is quite extensive. Plenty of different wine for your palate. I personally love red and red blends. So, I was really satisfied. Tried a Pinot who’s name escapes me but it was really good.
Come here and enjoy.

This place was pretty awesome! It’s an upscale kind of place, but with a casual, cozy, and romantic vibe to it. I took my girlfriend here for our anniversary dinner and we loved it! The food was great and the service was excellent.
What appealed to me about this place was a good price on a three course meal and a menu that changes pretty frequently. That told me that I would have a great dining experience and the food would be pretty good. Both of these were the case. You can also opt for a wine pairing with your meal, which definitely adds to your experience here.
My first course was a beet salad with pine nut brittle, while she enjoyed a white fish salad. We both had a hanger steak meal for our second course and pie/​ice cream combo for the third. We also enjoyed the «nachos» appetizer. The cheese that comes with that is pretty great.
Anyway, if you’re looking for a great place to celebrate an occasion or to just have a nice dinner with a friend or loved one, this is definitely somewhere to consider!

Though i’ve dined at wine vault several times, this dinner was a miss.
Still i’ll be back and try again. Charming place, thoughtful wines, and menus. Owners are lovely and provide great dining and travel experiences.
Participated in the Thanksgiving 10 course meal.
First and second course — chili and apple bisque with salmon bacon served next to beet salad
Bisque served cold. Salmon added nice smokiness. Beet salad is standard but the citrus marmalade made it special.
Rose did not pair well for me.
Third and fourth course — duck sausage served along side marscapone and almond ravioli in brown butter
Though I do like duck, duck sausage is not for me. It’s ground and crumbly. Texture and flavor was off.
Ravioli was the best course of the evening, though the pasta wasn’t cooked enough. The sauce and ravioli had great balance of flavor, both creamy, lightly rich. This went well with the complimentary bread
Roussane had an intense aroma that was off putting. The flavor doesn’t match the scent and I enjoyed the fruit flavors of white wine after all.
Fifth and sixth course — brussels sprouts and onion bread pudding served with ham
Portion was quite large for the breading pudding and ham
Nothing stands out here. I prefer bread pudding drier and ham smokier
Rhond blend best part of the course. Smooth and light red wine
Seventh and eight course — turkey and stuffing with braised short rib and mashed potatoes
Turkey was dry and stuffing too moist but still didn’t go together for me. Short ribs had rich flavor but still too dry. Mashed potatoes though were very good on their own, buttery and creamy.
Syrah again best part of this course full bodied, rich. Pairs perfect with short rib
Ninth and tenth course — dessert! Caramel and walnut blondie, Tahitian vanilla ice cream, bourbon and maple pumpkin pie
This course was entirely too sweet for me. Nothing to enjoy in this course.
Stump jump sticky white blend was also overwhelmingly sweet

NOTE: This is for the SDRW 3-​course dinner menu ($ 30) with $ 15 wine pairing.
CONCEPT: A restaurant where the food complements the wine. All the wines that are served are available for purchase at the end of the dinner.
The Wine Vault is known for their Winemaker Dinner series hosted every Sundays, their five-​course chef’s tasting menu for $ 35 with a $ 20 wine pairing and a three-​course menu served every Thursdays and Fridays for $ 25 with a $ 15 wine flight. The prix-​fixe only restaurant changes its menu every month. I was looking forward to the chef’s tasting for the night I made reservations but it turned out they were extending SDRW’s menu by a week.
VENUE: I’ve been fascinated by the exterior ever since my first visits into the restaurants of Mission Hills. It is noticeably more upscale than its neighbors El Indio and Shakespeare’s Pub. The inside is quite homey with a modest décor for tables and chairs and with an emphasis on white. It is clearly a wine vault first with the numerous wines on display; I was afraid I was going to break the bottles if I accidentally moved my arm in the wrong direction.
Parking in Mission Hills can be tricky with the meters and the hill but usually when dinnertime comes along the time limits on the meters don’t matter.
SERVICE: The service was great. They were able to be flexible with the No1DP’s request for a white-​only wine pairing and he was quite impressed with pairings.
~First Course~
Thai Coconut Soup (poached scallops, rice noodles, toasted garlic, basil curry)
Paired with: 2012 Stolpman Roussanne.
The dining party all got this as the first course. The rice noodles were slippery and I eventually had to use a fork to finally eat them. Scallops were small but soft. The No1DP and ODP thought that the soup was a bit on the spicy side and they could barely tolerate the spice. The ODP’s girlfriend and I, used to spicy foods, actually liked the spice. To me it was more peppery-​spicy and not hot-​spicy that would suggest chili or chili oil.
The wine was quite salty and didn’t accentuate the food.
~Second Course~
Argentina-​Style Skirt Steak (chimichurri sauce, marble potato confit, charred scallions)
Paired with: 2013 cass mourvedere.
An upscale carne asada meat of good quality and went well with the chimichurri sauce. Meat pieces were easily cut. The potatoes were chopped into tiny pieces that can be easily consumed with the meat. The greens had a light vinaigrette and the charred scallion also added more flavor to the greens.
The wine paired with this was also okay, didn’t do too much to complement the dish.
Fennel + Black Pepper Seared Ahi Tuna (mediterranean couscous, nicoise tapenade)
Paired with: 2013 bodegas borsao rose.
Everyone else got this dish. The ahi is lightly seared and quite soft. No1DP was happy with his Chardonnay wine he got in lieu of the rose.
~Third Course~
Caramel Pecan Bread Pudding (tahitian vanilla bean ice cream, px reduction)
Paired With: nv dios baco 34-​year-​old pedro ximenez sherry.
The bread pudding is dense and can hold its shape. It also has a good amount of caramel pecans. The ice cream pairs with the bread pudding quite well, provided a creamy contrast. The reduction is made from the sherry that was also used as the wine pairing. Definitely accentuated the sherry and made the small sample go a long way.
Chocolate Flight (dark chocolate truffle, milk chocolate mousse, pistachio + white chocolate bark)
Paired With: nv forgotten barrel «lot 5150» zinfandel/​cabernet franc blend.
Alternative Paring: The Stump Jump, vintage 2010.
No1DP: I would be happy if I were just to eat this all day.
That truffle disappeared within a few minutes but I did have samplings of the mousse and all of the bark as No1DP doesn’t like white chocolate. I would be quite content if all I had was this as well as my dessert.
I loved the alternative pairing that the No1DP got me a bottle of the dessert wine for myself.
I’m glad that I finally got to try this restaurant and I look forward to trying a chef’s tasting dinner and/​or a Winemaker Series dinner. I’m definitely gonna add this to my personal favorites, recommendations for value prix-​fixe (it’s quite a steal) and restaurants for oenophiles, though I wonder if SDRW was a reason for my subpar wine pairings. I hope that the standard weekends have better wines served so I can up the rating.

Decided to try this place during restaurant week and I was more than surprised! The menu offered great options. I had the Thai coconut soup with scallops, ahi tuna for the main course and the bread pudding for dessert. Every course was delightfully delicious. We also did the wine pairing for a additional $ 15 and it was well worth it. Definitely a new favorite

Oh my goodness! I would not have changed a thing!
Lovely cottage atmosphere, FABULOUS food and perfectly ON POINT wine pairings.
We had the Chef’s 5 Course Tasting Menu:
Grilled Lettuce Salad
Roasted Sea Bass… OMG TO DIE FOR!
Spinach Angel Hair with tomatoes and garlic
Ribeye Steak with Potato
Cardamom Ice Cream, and Sticky Date pudding cake.
Everything was UHHHHHMMMMAAAZZZZING!
I recently learned they host foodie travel excursions.
I cant wait to go back!
–1 star for no coffee… NEEDED the coffee after all of the wine.
Lovely! Lovely! Lovely!

I had been wanting to try Wine Vault ever since I had heard about it. We decided a friend’s birthday was a perfect excuse!
The inside is adorable; it’s like you’re sitting in the warm, friendly kitchen of a good friend. It’s comfortable and inviting. We went for the Friday night prix-​fixe, because duh. With the wine pairing, because also duh.
I nommed on:
— Rustic tomato gazpacho with toasted bread and an herb salad. I’m such a sucker for gazpacho (thanks a lot, Spain), and this was on point.
— Sous vide hangar steak with roasted spring veggies and a potato mousse. The steak was cooked perfectly cooked, and everything was balanced nicely.
— Goat’s milk cheese with a philo stack, toasted almonds, and caramelized agave. This was a really nice end to the meal; sweet from the agave which worked so well with the cheese. Plus I can hardly ever pass up an opportunity for more cheese.
Be aware, that the portion sizes are a little on the small side. But, consider that you’re only paying $ 25 for a quality, 3-​course meal! Plus, the service was good! Add $ 15 for wine pairings, and you’ve got yourself a nice little evening.

I love that you have to get a 3 course tasting menu and it’s different every time depending on who’s cooking. You have to go to their website to see the menu for the day and make reservations. I’m not sure if you can walk in.
My date and I decided to come early so we can finish before our movie started, so we ate at 5:30pm, like seniors. And we were right, we only saw seniors… lol. The place is huge! I didn’t even know how big it was from the outside. I live around the corner and told myself I have to try their food.
They also have wines to go with your tasting, all for a very affordable price! And they are experts (I would assume with the name «wine» in their restaurant name) My date and I wanted to get different items so we can share it and taste more of what they have to offer.
–Scallop salad: I love the citrusy flavor, but it was literally 2 small scallops. There was also an orange in it, it went well with the spinach salad
–Tuna tartare with prosciutto and deviled egg: the prosciutto and the egg was the best thing! The tuna was a bit too bland. The wine pairing for the tuna tartare was spot on.
–Brussels sprouts: good brussels sprouts but my favorite is still Bo Beaus, this is probably in the top 5 though
–Steak with garlic spinach: I love my steak, it went well with the wine pairing.
–Zucchini lasagna: my date had this and it was good, the tomato sauce was a bit too sour. I don’t think I would get this again just because there was no meat in there! I need meat. The wine pairing for this was good, but they gave my date a bad glass of wine, it smelled like vinegar and we had to ask the server to smell it and we were able to exchange for a new glass.
–Crêpe with pistachio mascarpone: this was probably the blandest crêpe ever. It didn’t taste like anything and I felt it was undercooked or something. It wasn’t a good dessert. They paired it with the shot of Brandy and it was so gross, I can’t stand a shot of Brandy and I tried to mix the dessert then take a sip… nope didn’t do it for me.
–Butter cake with pear: this dessert was far better than the crêpe! The wine pairing was right on as well. It was delicious.
Wine pairings: Roussanne, bertrand rose, guigal red blend, sika cabernet franc, dessert wine– sheery and 1 shot of brandy
They got most things right and some things we were like, they can do better. But I would still love to come back for their 10 course tasting menu! I’m glad I discovered this place. It reminds me of Napa Valley.

This restaurant lost a few stars because of the server.
I came for restaurant week with my friend, and we had no reservations so they sat us by the fire pit which had awkwardly higher chair and a lower table more of a casual seating area probably meant for appetizers or drinks. We got water initially and it took 30 minutes for our server to even come by and initiate our dinner. That was a huge turn off as it made us feel neglected.
Another worker, I think it was the hostess tried to distract us by offering bread, but that’s still such a long time to not even acknowledge us or get us started with drinks.
It was a $ 30 dinner for 3 course meal and we opted for the wine pairing for 15 more dollars plus mandatory 20% gratuity. The first two wines I had were good, but then the last one was way too sweet for me I ended up not even really drinking it because it was gross. My appetizer was the new orleans gumbo which was tasty creole chicken with rice, the entrée I got was the hangar steak which was sliced and had good flavor, and the dessert was rum ice cream and blondie biscotto.
Overall a cutie intimate setting, but will probably not return here because of the poor customer service. It went from upscale to downhill in 30 minutes. thinking I get better service at Mickey D’s with some acknowledgement or a smile at least.

This restaurant has been a Unilocal bookmarked place for us as long as a year ago. We decided to try it for the first time during San Diego Restaurant Week. OH MY GOSH! What an awesome restaurant! We both did their Prix Fixe 3-​Course Dinner ($ 30) and opted for the Wine Pairing ($ 15). My wife had the ensenada-​style aguachile verde (bay scallops, whitefish, pulp, pacific prawn, avocado, and pimento cracker for her appetizer which was paired with a 2012 mauritson sauvignon blanc. I decided on the caramelized leek + roasted walnut agnolotti (wild mushrooms + truffle foam, alder smoked sea salt) paired with a 2013 ski «carneros» pinot noir. Both appetizers were delicious and were finely paired with the above listed wines.
We both tried the same main entrée which was their sous vide hanger steak served with bacon sautéed winter greens, charred scallions, white beans, and rosemary. This dish was elegantly paired with a 2010 marjoram «piocho» bordeaux blend. WOW is all we can say. The steak was cooked medium rare and was absolutely delicious.
Last was our desert which we both chose the same dish again and selected the brioche bread pudding served with toasted pecans, bourbon + brown butter roasted apples, and a bourbon hard sauce. This desert was paired with a buffalo trace kentucky bourbon (1 oz pour). This was the icing on the cake and ended the night on a high note.
We both loved the Wine Vault & Bistro!!! The pairing of wines (5 oz pours on the appetizers & entrees) was very well selected. The atmosphere and ambiance was very inviting and not too over-​the-​top. We met the owner, Mary, and her daughter Katie. They were very nice and recommended we try coming back for their 5-​course meals, or during their special events such as their Valentine’s Day 5-​course event, or their 10-​course Mardi Gras event. The Wine Vault & Bistro instantly became my wife’s favorite place to dine at. Everyone we know who’s dined here has highly recommended that we give this place a try. After finally trying it out, we definitely agree and suggest you make a reservation to dine here.