My wife and I love to go for casual dinner and dancing at this local hangout. Â A very friendly staff and competent kitchen staff always make us feel welcome and well cared for. Â Mellow atmosphere with fun, upbeat live music and a decent sized dance floor for all your best moves. Â Presided over by Al, who takes personal interest in his guests. Â All around pleasure, well managed, hospitable, a place to return to often for a good time with friends.
Review Source:We love it here!  My wife and I were recommended to visit by several of our friends and we have been twice now. The music, food and drinks have been  awesome every time.  Great service sitting both in the dining area and bar.  My wife loves the mojitos.  We both enjoyed a nice meal the last time we visited and both got casual pub fare on our first visit.  We will definitely be back and felt very welcomed by the family atmosphere and the owner Al makes a point to greet everyone that comes in when he is there.  He and his wife and friendly staff make this a great spot to spend an evening.
Review Source:While it's a great find in our suburbia and we had a good time there, it's not exactly my kind of place. The wine and food selection was good, the service was OK, but the music was too loud for us to have a pleasant conversation, and the smokers on the patio didn't make it a welcoming spot.
Review Source:I dropped in with a friend to grab a beer after taking my dogs to the Cherry Creek Off Leash area. Â It was too nice to be inside and I took a gamble that I could score a patio seat (with my pooches outside of the railing). Â It worked out, the patio was not that busy, and we were able to grab the table in the back corner. Â They have some nice happy hour specials here, and I appreciated the HH prices on the beers. Â Mine (Dry Dock Apricot Blonde) were served nice and cold by a friendly waitress. Â We also sampled some HH discounted edamame and it was fine, if nothing special. Â I love that they have a patio here, but it appears that the smokers are doing their best to ruin the experience for everyone. Â There were cigarette butts all over the place. Â The tablecloths and couch coverings all had cigarette burns on them. Â It made what should have been a nice patio into a somewhat seedy over-sized ashtray. Â I would like to come by again, sit inside, and try the food and some wine, as I hear it is rather good.
Review Source:what a great little joint hidden in a shopping plaza off Parker and Ochard! Last night was open mic night and the variety of talent blended for an eveing of fun. The drinks were spot on and the bacon wrapped scallop over some kind of rice with lobster was unbelieveable. I will make an effort to hit this place again on a weekend since I had this much fun I can only image what the weekend brings when they have bands. Definately worth stopping in.
Review Source:Surprising little gem with food/alcohol and live music. I can't speak for the food, but the drinks kept flowing and the music was magic. We had such a good time here. Prices for drinks were on par with regular bars, not fancy, but normal priced. Moscow mules were a little weak, but still decent for $7. Lots of parking, low lighting inside, great venue for live music. Bar with space for stage and dance floor and restaurant/booths on other side.
Review Source:Owner was nice & friendly. Our waiter wasn't too savvy with food allergies. Â Brought me a menu with highlighted gluten free items. The supposedly gluten free chips were obviously fried in house so after eating one I asked if they were in a dedicated fryer, of which they were not. Â So they were actually not gf. The cook had highlighted the menu so maybe more of the blame goes on them. Music was too loud for much of a conversation in our group. Seemed busy, people enjoying themselves. Not enough of an allergy friendly place for me to go back (many of their gf foods had dairy & egg which i cant do) but it was nice for a one time deal.
Review Source:Great food, music, atmosphere. This is such a perfect addition to the neighborhood, and the greater metro area. Â We can walk to it, but it would be worth a long drive! Â Whether you are in the mood for quiet conversation (sit up the stairs) or a rockin' good time, this is the place. Â I am amazed at how it can accommodate so many options. Â Fabulous dinners; super Tansy snacks. Â Extensive wine list; inventive martinis. Â Rock and roll; smooth jazz. Â This place has it all! Â Try the magic mushrooms and the lemon martini.
Review Source:WOW! This place was awesome! Not what I expected, our service at the bar was fantastic! The bar has a neighborhood vibe with lots of regulars.The wine list is large, but the bartendar was very helpful explaining the menu and the happy hour items. Decent prices, a select few items are half price during happy hour. We tried a few wines, and then tried some of the martini's- The Randini Bellini was SO good- I had to hold back from gulping it down! Then out of nowhere a cover band started playing and the place was Hopping! Such great people watching! I will be back here for sure! Had a great night here!!
Review Source:A Gem!
First of all, the atmosphere is intimate, while at the same time, a great place for people watching. If you want a private dinner, there are booths "upstairs" and if you want to be a part of the people watching action, there are plenty of tables down in the larger part of the bar.
The owner, Al, does everything he can to make this place extraordinary. He personally shakes hands with nearly everyone who walks in and makes rounds at the tables greeting everyone and ensuring everyone is having a great time. It turns out that pretty much everyone considers themselves a "regular" and a "good friend" of the owner, Al. I love that this place feels family owned and not at all snobbish. I've been to plenty of bars where their obvious number one goal is to have a huge cash business. But at Bistro Al Vino, you really get the impression that Al owns this place because he wants to have a place to party every night of the week with his friends.
The food is absolutely fantastic for a bar. I have been to plenty of wine bars that serve your traditional bar food (read fried everything) and then some "tapas" that consist of some crackers and spreads they picked up at Costco. NOT HERE. I have never had anything on the menu that didn't taste like the ingredients were fresh, had a unique gourmet flair, and care put into the creation of the dish.
My only critique of the wine list is that I come from CA and really, most of the CA wines (as usual) are only from the Napa area. I like to see variety, but there are plenty of great wines to choose from.
Weekends get crazy with the bands, but I don't know of too many places where you don't have to pay a cover, you get great music, and you can just dance without being at a club for "kids" downtown. The bands are usually pretty great, and if they aren't pretty great, everyone is still having a great time.
Monday night salsa dancing is a big surprise, too!
And for people watching? Well, you just can't ever have a dull night.
Friday night and I was in the mood for a good meal and nice glass of wine. I had not been to Bistro Al Vino in many, many years so decided to give it a try again.
The place has changed over the years, it's larger and less intimate. Being a Friday night I expected the place to be packed but instead found it was mostly empty. Based on the number of servers hanging around the bar, I'm sure it would be much busier later.
I was by myself tonight so I sat at the bar. I wasn't greeted right away so I scrounded a menu from a pile of menus left from a previous customer. The bartender finally made an appearance and, shortly, I placed my order of a Kobe Cheeseburger and a flight of wine.
While waiting for my food, it became apparent that I'd chosen the wrong part of the bar to sit as this was near the 'social area' for the employees. I got to watch the bartender flip off a coworker and hold the finger for a good five seconds. Shortly thereafter, the employee's conversations turned to fake mustaches that someone had brought in. My bartender chose to apply hers to her finger.
During all this, my wine flight was brought to me and it was at this time I was told that one of the wines listed in the flight was not available and had not been available for some time. (Why wasn't the menu updated?) I agreed to the substitution, which was acceptable. Oddly, the bartender stated that this wine was "Sinatra's Favorite". It's not, of course, but it was on the flight of Italian wines called "Sinatra's Favorites".
The bartender eyeballed the pours and I'd say about nailed the 2oz pours correctly and the large wine glasses were appropriate for the wine (something many places get wrong). The tempurature of the wine was a couple of degrees above cellar tempurature but, again, better than most bars.
As it turns out, the wines were well-chosen for the flight. The complimented each other, yet were distinctive. Sometimes, bar wines from open bottles can be well past their prime, but all the wines were reasonably fresh.
My Kobe burger, ordered medium-rare, was cooked to the correct temperature and was delicious. The bun was appropriate for the meat and the cheese was spot on. The vegetables were crisp and fresh as well. Finally, the sweet potato fries were excellent.
At the finish of my meal, my bartender was busing chatting with another employee so I flagged down a server to get me a "to go" box. It was more of a challenge getting the attention of my bartender so I could get my credit card back and sign the slip.
The kitchen deserves a 5-star rating. The food was as good as you'll get at any bar and many restaurants.
The sommelier of the bar, did an outstanding job choosing the wines and putting together the wine flights. I never understood why so many restaurants don't pay more attention to the wines they serve, this place did an excellent job.
If it wasn't for the front of the house issues, I'd give this place 4 or 5 stars. Unfortunately, the customer seemed to be an afterthought for the employees. The service was very inattentive (to put it mildly) and generally distracted. Overall, it made for a sour experience despite the good food and wine.
We'll probably give this place another try on a weeknight and see if the service is better. Somehow, I doubt it will be but the food was worth taking another chance. Kudo's to the kitchen.
It's rare to find a place on Friday night that can really put out an excellent meal while throngs of people are crowding the  bar and seated for dinner. Bistro Al made it happen.
Al the Owner, a Chicagoan who earned his sommelier in Hong Kong knows how to create an atmosphere of fun. Bands arrive around 830 on Friday (although we left just beforehand), food moves effortlessly to  your table and the  service is quite good. The food is uber comfort food: bbq ribs in Jack Daniels sauce, grilled Grier cheese sandwhich with avocado, swordfish and a handful of fried potato versions cooked as they should be - extra crispy.
The wine list is extensive and well planned, perhaps a bit high on some labels, but well worth exploring. The bar simply glistens with light reflecting off the many bottles of liquors available. We had martinis extra dry that were perfectly made, and ordered a Zinfandel with our meals.
There were five of us and each hyper critical, yet we all agreed to return...soon!
I went to Bistro Al Vino in spite of some of the negative yelps because I was looking for a local (South East) wine bar with some live music and a little class. This was on Valentine's day.
There aren't a lot of choices in south Aurora/Centennial.
As a first visit, I thought the place has some real potential and class. We walked in at the end of a nice set of jazz, comfortable atmosphere, a nice end to Valentine's evening.
The wine list was definitely fine, and really has selections for every budget, unlike some of the snobby wine bars that never have budget selections. Based on the wines, the prices seemed reasonable.
This place has the potential to become a favorite. Â I will definitely go back on a weekend night when they are busier.
The Owner, Al, was very pleasant and indulged us with snapping an excessive number of photos on request.
This was our second visit and we came back for two reasons: because the food and service was good last time and because we had seen the band on many occasions and they were talented and we liked them. Â However, our experience this time has to top the worst ever. Despite how busy it was (private Xmas party) the waitress was friendly and prompt. Upon ordering I told the waitress "I like my food hot", which translates to, please do let it sit up on the counter and get cold. A reasonable request, I would say. So when my husband's food arrived, his was nice and hot, as were my veggies, but the steak I ordered was lukewarm at best. When the waitress came back, I mentioned it and she apologized and offered to bring me a new plate. I told her I didn't want to lose my veggies as they were good, and I did not want to wait to start the whole process over. A little while later the owner Al Vino himself knelt down and got in my face (literally two inches away) and started screaming at me and I quote "Your way too f***ing picky!" and he said this he was spitting in my face! I was astounded and shocked! I tried to explain that I had asked prior to ordering how I wanted my food, and that is not the way I received it. He then said "Your steak was hot! you're a liar!" I told him I would not be back because he had been so nasty and rude to me and his reply was "GOOD" with a smile! Â After screaming in my face, Al then told my husband that he would cover the cost of both meals. At this point, I simply left my unfinished meal, paid the waitress her tip in cash, because she had done nothing wrong, and went to the car. Â My husband later told me that Al had apologized to him for his behavior, but did not do so to me. While I was waiting for my husband, I went to the Italian place next door and ordered something else to eat. Although, they were closed at the time, they made me some food and told me they had similar experiences with Al, and it happens a lot. I will say, the Italian/pizza place people were great, and I intend to write a very positive review on them. I did not need to drive from Broomfield to Centennial to receive this display of verbal abuse, especially from the owner himself. We will not be back! Go there at your own risk, You've been warned!
Review Source:Old Al's! what can I say? Locally owned and in the burbs...
This place is pretty cool - If you find yourself without kids on a lonely Saturday night with no place to really go. Whaala, Al's Wine Bistro where you can witness your drunk neighbors breaking loose and I mean breaking loose. Where housewives to business professionals have been known to actually dance on the bar! Crazy Centennial.
Anyway, Al's has some pretty cool live music and a very relaxed atmosphere. With that being said the food was awful. Making me really wish that small business owners would invest in advise from real Chef's instead of Sam's club. All the food tasted frozen and processed. Pretty gross. However, I do love Al's for the entertainment factor alone. It's better than a movie. Like I said for a lonely Saturday night when the kids are gone...
This place has an identity crisis, but I liked it. Â By the name, you can tell it's mostly trying to be a wine bar. Â For the most part, it succeeds-- the wine menu is huge and has a nice variety. Â It may not be a particularly innovative wine list, but I got to try an albarino for the first time, and they had a lot of wines I didn't recognize. Â Most of the wines by the glass are around $9, but you could spend a lot more if you were so inclined. Â The food menu was on the expensive side, so I was glad we ate dinner first. We did have dessert with our round of red wine, and the chocolate fondant was delicious, but super rich. Â Our server was friendly and had good wine suggestions, but was a little hard to catch once the place got busy.
When it got busy was also when the vibe changed. Â Until 8:30 or so it seemed like an ordinary wine bar-- background music but easy to have a conversation. Â When the band started (an oldies cover band of some sort), you could barely hear yourself think, much less your friend talk, and the over-50 crowd hit the dance floor en masse, which was simultaneously strange and awesome. Â This obviously isn't totally a bad thing, it's just not what I think of when I think "wine bar."
My friend lives close to here and I am a fan of wine, so even though I'm confused as to what they are, I'll probably be back.
Why did I do this? Strip mall places tend to suck and this is no exception. Bistro Al Vino came highly recommended by a friend who is also into wine. First off the wine list is pretty uninspired, the basics with no character. The prices are crazy high. The food is very much what you would expect from a strip mall joint. I guess I can see the charm for middle aged suburbanites who simply don't know any better.
Review Source:I've been to BAV several times over the past few years. Â I like the wine, the food, the staff and the location.
I've always appreciated the extensive selection of wine both by the glass and the bottle. I like to have options for less popular varieties as well as the old standards. I've also found the appetizers to be tasty... I usually don't get a lot of food there. Â I consider it more of a drinks and snacks place than a food place. Â
The layout is small, but the space is used well. Â Though the photos and decorations that seem to keep going up but never coming down, are starting to get rather cluttered.
The spot is great for a first date or after work cocktail. Â I rarely stay very late, mostly because while I enjoy live music very much, it is usually just far too loud to also have any kind of conversation. Â I'm surprised by the volume given it is a wine bar and not a night club. Â
Parking can be a bit of a problem, but I don't mind a little walk unless it's brutually cold or snowy out.
The staff has always been friendly and knowledgeable. Â If I'm undecided between some choices, I can simply describe what I'm looking for -- light and grassy, or buttery, smokey, rich and spicy -- you name it, and the staff will have an excellent suggestion for me.
I was staying in around town for a training class in Boulder and I wanted to get a nice drink at local place. Came across this place by word of mouth and this place is AWESOME. Something about this place makes you feel like you just want to hang out all night long. Made some good friends and quickly grew to enjoy the place.
Food was great. Try the shrimp cocktails, comes with a finger licking good sauce.
It's too bad that I had to leave. I would be a weekly or daily usual if I lived around the area!
(Oh and the owner, Al, he greets EVERYONE.)
Keep it up!
Went here for their Tuesday Open Mic Night. Â Our friend was playing. Â We were delighted at how beautiful the place is. Â The wine selection is great and the food was very good. Â We split a sandwich. Â The fries were so good. Â I dont know what spice was on them but I keep thinking about them. Â We will definitely be back, and probably on a Tuesday for their open mic night. Â So fun!
Review Source:Wow, what an improvement!
Mr. Mixer and I went back to Bistro Al Vino last night. Â We had read the owner's response to my previous review and wanted to give the place another chance. Â I'm so glad that we did. Â We did not, however, let on that I was the Yelper of Doom until it was time to leave.
We sat down and ordered a bottle of sauvignon blanc. Â Then I ordered the wedge salad and a kobe beef burger while Mr. Mixer ordered the special, which was a Caribbean salmon on polenta.
The salad came, lettuce dry and dressed nicely. Â The dressing was not overly mayonnaise-y. Â Using prosciutto bits instead of bacon was a nice touch. Â The salad was big enough for both of us to share, and we enjoyed it thoroughly.
My kobe beef burger came cooked exactly as I'd ordered it and the fries were good. Â Mr. Mixer liked his salmon, although the polenta was a bit strong on the rosemary.
Throughout the evening our server was super nice. Â She chatted with us and brought us a taste of another sauvignon blanc that she thought we'd like. Â And we did like it. Â We decided to share a wine flight at her suggestion, also. Â We asked for a cheese plate, and although they do not have a cheese plate on their menu, she was able to get us one made up. Â She was great, I wish I could remember her name.
The highlight of the evening came when Mr. Mixer ordered a vodka shot they didn't have. Â The owner, Al, personally came over to have us try another vodka that he preferred. Â After a shot, and then another on the house, we were all becoming fast friends. Â
With the superior service, great wine and decent food, I know that we'll be return customers for Bistro Al Vino.
Cheers!
I heard this place had kobe burgers and I have a policy of only eating animals that were treated nicely (maybe aside from the force feeding of beer) so we swooped over.
It was SUPER busy on a Saturday evening. Live music was cranked LOUD baby boomers cutting rug like nobodies bizniz. There was all sorts of confusion over who was going to seat us and where when we walked in which was kinda akward but whatevs.
Service was a little vacant but I could understand as it was busy.
Kobe burgers were...pretty good. Not great. They do, however, have $5 kobe burgers on Monday....I'll pay $5 for mediocre I spose.
Didn't have any booze here but it seemed like a cool place to sip some wine flights. Don't quote me but I think they serve food til 1am.
I'm sad to see some of the low reviews because every time I have been to Al's it has been wonderful. When I lived in CO we would go to Al's a couple times a month. We usually go for drinks and the live music which always impress. The owner is always around and is as friendly as he can be. This place seems to draw in an eclectic crowd but if you are looking to kick back and chat with friends this is a great place to be. I would strongly encourage you to try this place for yourself because it is one of the few locally owned places in the area.
Review Source:I used to work valet here. Â It appeared that most of the patrons, many regulars, would always have a good time. Â I remember seeing woman dancing on the tables! Â It got pretty wild at times.
With that said, he never once offered me a drink or meal (which is customary). Â In addition, I had to wait approx 6 months to get paid for working this job several times. Â My employer said it was because Al wouldn't pay him. Â Whether it was true or not I don't know. Â I just know that I always got paid on time by the other accounts and this was the only one that caused me grief!
Met some friends here last night for dinner, drinks, and live music. I have to say that this place is great! Upon entering, we were greeted by Al, the owner. He was extremely welcoming and friendly, which I love since a lot of people these days are not very nice or service oriented. We sat at the bar while waiting for our friends, and the bartender was also extremely friendly and helpful.
The drink menu was fun and unique. We tried a few different martinis. The wine menu was also quite extensive.
For dinner, we had shrimp stuffed poblanos, mussels, and portobello mac and cheese. Everything was very, very good.
They had a live band too which was a lot of fun! I would go back here simply based on the service, especially to sit at the bar and have a drink, but as an added bonus, the food is awesome! Yay! I'm a fan!
This place has highs and lows for me..This was a non-smoking restaurant before the laws went into effect which was why I started going here in the first place.
Then like Sandi (the first reviewer), when I was dating... this was a great meeting spot.. Â I didn't like to date in my home town.. so this S. Aurora spot was great for the happy hour, glass of wine, see if there was a spark..
I love the waitresses there.. they all seem very happy and fun and gave great service... Â I really enjoyed that and they used to have "free" wine tastings... which of course usually cost you $100 bucks a couple with dinner and drinks after... Â
They get really stingy with their coupons and specials there... They wouldn't let my girlfriend use her coupon because of some weird technicality, and the food seems to have gone downhill in the last year or so.
The parking is also VERY limited if you don't get there early, you have to park way down the street. Â
They do have some great bands, but the website is often wrong and I've gone expecting a favorite group only to see someone totally different.
I know I'm going to get mail over this...but I'm reviewing BAD, I'm mean BAV anyway.
Once upon a time, I would have given Al 4 stars. Â Before I even moved to A Town, my friends have been taking me here. Â Seemed that every Thurs and/or Fri. happy hour into night was spent here...and spend they did. Â My very social friends happened upon about 20 other couples who enjoyed envibing as much as they did, and started a group who partied hard, yet were professionals so Veuve Cliquot, Jordan, Grey Goose were house brands to them.
Anyway, on my first few visits, I was taken in by all the kissing. Â The very friendly owners knew everyone by name, and were very demonstrative.
I was also bowled over by the variety of wine, by the glass, by the bottle, by the flight.
Appy's galore made ??? Â on a hot plate...ok, who cares when you can get escargot. Â
Then I moved here. Â Week after week, my new friends help me celebrate my Western move and help me acclimate by having a once or twice a week party here. Â Each visit, we were hugged and kissed, and tables moved to accommodate the huge group. Â Week after week, we would order bottles of very expensive wine (Cakebread $100 for example) and many, many appetizers...thankfully food at happy hour is 1/2 price. Â Wine by the glass is $2 off, but not a dime off a bottle.
Then, I started dating, doing blind on line and fix ups. Â Each time, the gentleman would ask where I would like to go. Â Not knowing any other place, I would suggest Al's. Â For several months ( or so it seemed) I was at Al's almost everyday, between my friends going, having to take clients out for a drink, and my exhausting dating schedule, I hammered Al's.
Then, it happened. Â Just like a relationship gone bad, my friends dropped Al's. Â They were feeling slighted for some time, but after too many glasses of wine it all came out--the group got tired of spending thousands of dollars and not even a glass of wine or an appy on the house. Â They haven't been back since.
I'm my own Woman, and did like it for a 1st date, so I continued to go, until I brought my guy buddy for a pre-dinner drink. Â It happened to be my BD, so I thought it would be a fun place to HH it.
My buddy hated it-not his kind of place ( he's an ex ball player), and was so embarrassed for me after I told him of all the business I brought him (must have had 50 1st dates, before one of them sticking ) each buying $100 and up bottles of wine))
and even on my BD, not even a glass on the house.
Al, you win the GOLD in my tacky award
The Broker, Cork House and so many other of my favs my entire meal would have been comp'd -- ( what a happy surprise )
and at Al's --all I got was the hug, and my buddy got a huge bill.
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