It was nice. Â The Naked Rebel is my favorite red wine there. Â They have great happy hour specials. Â But I must say they have to get turn up the music and put in some deep/chill house (or some background beats). And put in more meat in the happy hour specials. Â But overall, I loved the service and the ambiance.
Review Source:Cute place to come for a glass of red  after a long day of work. Music is great and the happy hour special is pretty good. The flatbread margarita pizza is yummy! Parking isn't too bad but be sure to read those signs carefully. Most of them are free after 6PM. I hear they have a wine Wednesday special where each bottle is $20.
Review Source:We had our MBA Women mixer yesterday and everyone had a wonderful time. Â I liked the vibe and rustic decor of the place. Â Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. There were over 30 of us and I was amazed how fast she brought our orders. The food was great, would definitely recommend their three cheese plate and pizza (any pizza! it's thin and juicy, just the way it should be!). And wine....very good selection and awesome special - $20 for any bottle! I'm definitely coming back!
Review Source:My MBA group hosted an After 5 event today at Bodega...one of our best events eeevvveeerrr! Â They had $20 wine bottles. Â How crazy is that?! Â We got a $50 bottle of Pinotage for only $20....it was delicious...I love, love, love South African wines and they actually have a $50 bottles that should be selling for about $75, but on Wednesdays it's only $20 (for ALL their wines).....We'll be back!....Oh, and they let you take wine home...We bought a case to go! Â
This is my new favorite happy hour place when I'm in Santa Monica ;-)
I had my girlfriends birthday party here a few weeks ago, and the very first thing I did was open a tab. Long story short, at the end of the night, I found out that everyone that had cheaped out on their tabs were suddenly on mine. When I asked my waitress why she's allowed to put other peoples' drinks on MY tab, she told me "That's how we do big parties here. Everyone needs to chill the fuck out." When I told her I won't pay for other peoples' drinks, I was confronted by an equally rude woman who I'm told is the manager (I don't know for sure, since she never introduced herself; she simply walked up to the table and said "We have a big problem here.").
Bottom line: the food is "meh," and the waitstaff/management is extremely unprofessional, rude, and slow. I'm never going back here again.
A really good first date place. Excellent mood lighting, and before 9-930 quiet enough to actually hear what they're saying. It's a pretty nice mellow spot and is close enough to walk for me. The wine selection is great too, although take that with a grain of salt, as I know nothing about wine. My favorite is the prosecco or cab.
Review Source:Great date place up until the music gets super loud. If you want to get to know your date and have a nice conversation get there before 9 pm.
The food selection is not wide-ranging, but I guess you don't really come here for the food. The food they do have is good, served promptly, and has a gastro-pubby eclectic flare. For instance, their walnut Brussels sprouts salads was pretty good - a little on the dry side but I ate the WHOLE thing so it must have not been that dry.
Ferrara Port is the reason why I keep coming back to Bodega. It is a woman's drink with a slighly sweet flavor. I can drink this all day long.
I'm usually here for drinks after eating dinner elsewhere. For some reason I never dined here except had their dessert once....White Chocolate Bread pudding (which was a-okay).
Everytime I come here it's always been relaxing and quiet. I haven't had the pleasure of listening to live DJ music....hmmm maybe it's a good thing. For some reason a wine bar and high energy DJ music does not seem to go together. There are a lot of different seating areas and we never had any problems finding a place to sit.
Overall a good place to chill and if you come on Wednesdays it's $20 per bottle of wine.
I was hoping Bodega would be the Father's Office of wine, but perhaps my expectations were a bit too high.
Bodega has several redeeming qualities: a comprehensive, noob-friendly wine list, a great wait staff, and good happy hour deals. They also have different specials nearly every night of the week. We had the prosecco and the cab, along with the cheddar and pepperoni platter, and this was a tidy late afternoon snack. (The pours were a bit smaller than I'd like, but since it was happy hour, it was no big deal.) Our server was patient, helpful, and had that rare talent of leaving us be when necessary and magically appearing when we needed her.
So, why 3 stars?
I hope this doesn't sound rude, but I was a bit...creeped out by the interior decor. The exposed brick walls were rustic and homey, but seemed more appropriate for a downtown pub than for a Santa Monica wine bar. Also, the red window that faces the street is really eerie, especially when the sun hasn't set yet and the light pours in. This, combined with their weird penchant for thrash metal, gave me the heebie-jeebies. Quite honestly, I felt like I was drinking wine in a horror movie, or some really trippy art house film.
Bodega is great if you don't notice - or don't care about - things like strange decor or music. I know I'm being completely subjective here, because I prefer light, airy spaces. It's no fault of Bodega's, and their philosophy of providing a variety of wines at a reasonable price is awesome. I'd recommend Bodega if you're in the area, but it's not really for me.
I'll keep this short and not so sweet....maybe a little bitter in fact! A wine bar's defining feature should be it's wine list. Let me just put it this way, the price per glass is almost the same as the price per bottle were you to buy it yourself. While prices may be affordable, the markup is high because the product you're being served is definitely sub par.
However, I don't want to single Bodega out, most LA wine bars serve crap. Hell, some quite trendy ones even serve what are really $5 wines.....but balances it out with a few average selections. Bodega fails to even do that.
What is this place? So many wine choices, I cannot decide!
This place is so cool, mellow, and classy! It is a great place to grab some vino and catch up with people! There are so many choices and the staff is very helpful in explaining what each wine is and what your preference is. I did not get to try to food, but from what my friends got, it looked pretty good. This place gets packed on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights! Seating can become limited so get here early if you want a seat, if not, wear comfortable shoes...lots of standing room!
Wonderful westside bar to grab a drink after work. It's cute and friendly and they have a pretty good happy hour menu. Â Love the flatbread/pizzas and the hummus! Â Mondays are all day happy hour, Tuesdays are taco days, and Wednesdays are awesome $20 wine specials. Â
I love the atmosphere -- classy and tasteful, but fun and not too pretentious.
Call up that old friend you've been meaning to reconnect with, and head on over to Bodega! It's a good casual evening out!
Bodega has become a favorite among my friends and I. I've been to many wine bars in L.A., and this is by far the best. The DJ keeps this place lively, but I enjoy how the volume is reasonable so you can still hear the people around you. I'm rather new to the wine scene, but all of the wines and the red sangria I have tried have been great. I have yet to try the food here, but I've heard all of the dishes are good
Review Source:OMG. I love this place. I've eaten here twice and it's always been lively and fun. Plus, they have sake, and sake is always a good time;)
We ate:
Roasted Brussel sprouts - yummy
bacon wrapped dates - yes, please!
Roasted Fingerling potatos - delish!
BBQ chicken Pizza - was gone in a few minutes
Beet & Avocado salad - fresh and tasty
It's a great vibe there too - lots of energy and great decor.
This place grows on me more and more each time I go.
Bodega was great place to wind down after a whirlwind business trip to Santa Monica.
Despite having "wine bar" in their name, they also had great beer for those of us who enjoy beer more than wine.. Their grilled cheese won some sort of grilled cheese competition (it was indeed great) and I also enjoyed a nice cheese plate. Fabulous!
I came here on a Saturday night for a friend's birthday party. Â Bodega has its own valet, but there are tons of meters on the street as well.
Not sure if she reserved the space, but she and her friends were in the large seating area right in the front of the bar. Â
We arrived to a very busy bar/restaurant and loud music. Â It's really dim, feeling more like a lounge, but with tons of tables of different heights and lengths for people to sit and enjoy their meal/drinks. Â There was a DJ on hand playing music and some people were dancing around the bar.
The birthday girl had her own assigned waiter/bartender, so it made it really easy to order whatever beverage or food you wanted. Â I was starving when we arrived, so I ordered the Pepperoni & Mushroom Pizza. Â The pizza was about the size of a small pizza cut into 8 slices. Â I enjoyed the flavors in the dough, it was crispy & soft at the same time. Â They did a good job of having just as many pepperoni as there were mushrooms, so nothing was too overpowering. Â It was simple, and tasty, and I think I ate about 4 pieces and was full.
On the table was this BoxStar Army Ammunition Box filled with red wine. Â I've never seen that before, it was kind of cool! Â I would like to sit and actually enjoy a glass of their wine the next time I go.
I can't believe I've glossed over reviewing this place. Â I love, love this wine bar!!! Â And they have an awesome happy hour which I just discovered IS ALL MONDAY NIGHT!!!!!!!!!! Â Um, love?!!?!?
They have so many different choices on wine that it would be tough to walk out saying you couldn't find something you like. Â They also have Chimay Blue, which is my favourite beer to get here in the States. Â They have lots of stuff to pick at if you're peckish - pizzas, etc. that are great to share. Â Ambiance is nice, it's in a great part of Santa Monica (slightly off the beaten path of the Promenade but not super far either) and I almost always find a parking spot on the street. Â (I don't mind walking a block or two.)
This can be a great place for a nice drinks/apps date, but casual enough to meet a friend. Â Decor is on the darker side and it doesn't seem to be too loud (at least not when I've been there). Â I wish I was walking distance from it because it'd be my hangout if so. Â Love this place.
Okay, this place is a nice place. Always has a good crowd.
BUT this place cannot host groups that need to converse and actually hear each other or just one person. We ended up holding a 'meeting' here and they assured the organizer that it's not too loud. This was for a group of 15. Well, with background noise and people, it just can't handle it. They put us in the same corner/wall as the first time I came. And it's spread out and there must be a speaker right above it as it is the worst place to be able to hear anyone.
I am so appreciative for a place that will take groups, but don't sell yourself as one thing that you're not.
The waitress was great, once we found her after the meeting or after I went over the bartender and told him we were interested in ordering again.
They have a great happy hour. $5 glasses of wine, i think. And a deal on bottles also.
Fun place. Definitely better for dates or 'intimate gatherings'.
-K
Came out here with a friend on a Sunday before a Monday holiday and it was lightly patroned. But the atmosphere was still great and the decor is super classy! A nice place for a first date or a group adult party.
They have a great selection of wines and the carafes are perfect for two but we went ahead and ordered one glass each to end the night. We ordered a carafe of the Malbec and two glasses of block 9 Pinot Noir. Both lovely.
The food is pretty good. We split the hummas plate, Â sliced beet salad with chicken, and the margharita pizza. All really yummy but not rave worthy. The portions are great!
Parking can blow...there is street parking which is metered with a 2 hour limit before it becomes free after 6pm. And you might just walk by the place if you aren't looking carefully. Very understated elegance in the atmosphere and the whole set up of the place.
If I had to think of one word to describe this place: sleek.
Yeah, this place is great! If it were a movie, it'd be Disturbia -- low expectations blown clear out of the water.
My friend and I were attending a birthday party here on a Wednesday night. The birthday girl invited a bunch of friends and the party got cookin' around 8:30.
8:30 - Came in to the bar and immediately began to greet/meet people for the first time. The atmosphere was very sexy. Dark, white, and hip. I really enjoyed the set up of this restaurant. They have a bar, tables, and various couch/chill spots to sit and converse. We then proceeded to the bar.
8:45 - I was expecting this place to be SUPER expensive based on the contemporary design of the bar. We ordered a bottle of wine and it was only $20! No way! The perfect start to a great party at the Bodega Wine Bar.
9:00 - We begin chatting with random strangers. The bottle of wine is half empty and everyone is feeling solid. The couch/chill area was excellent. There was plenty of seating for everyone in our party and it made for a very attractive area to mingle. The only problem I had with it was the music was just a bit too loud. I could barely hear the insanely good looking blonde girl across from me talk about kale chips. The table/setup was VERY cool. It felt like we were in a movie.
9:30 - The wine bottle is 3/4 gone. Talking with strangers is now the greatest thing we've ever done. Laughs are being shared. Stories are being swapped. Lives are changing. The dim lighting, solid music, and attractive bar patrons makes for an awesome party at the Bodega.
10:00 - Bathroom break. I was somewhat disappointed with the bathroom. It was as if no one had cleaned it since Grover Cleveland was in office. Paper towels every where. The pole holding up the sink was in shambles. There seemed to be garbage everywhere. However, I do not base my review on how the restrooms treat me.
10:15 - After I was in the bathroom for 15 minutes, haha, our waitress comes over to check on us. She was EXCELLENT. She was an African American woman with a very large Afro. She was very kind, knowledgeable, and friendly. Great service all around.
10:30 - Time to head out. The wine was gone. The tab was paid and people were starting to disperse. After all the great conversing and laughter, it was time to end our time at the Bodega. It was a very pleasant experience.
Bodega Wine Bar:
PROS: Perfect atmosphere
-Sexy
-Sleek
-$20 bottle of wine on a Wednesday night
-Great service
-Lots of seating
-Wonderful design
-Attractive bar patrons
CONS: Gross bathroom
-Music a bit too loud
Check this place out! Grab a bottle of wine and sit in the couch area. It makes for a great night!
Best,
Sean
Huge fan of this place and I've been coming here for over for years.
First, the wine list is not massive, but it is comprehensive. Â There really is something for everyone. Â I also like how the wines are listed by price point, ($5, $7, $9). Â Bodega also has happy hour EVERY DAY from 5-7. Â Seriously, every day. Â They have a few bones of off drinks, and $5 appetizers. Â I really enjoy their hummus. Â
The cheese plate is to die as well. Â It is an actual cheese plate, you know, one that gives you more than 2 oz.. of cheese? Â For dinner my favorites are the brussels sprout salad, with or without chicken, and the margarita pizza. All of their pizza's are awesome, so you really can't go wrong. Â
The service is usually great, but I often find they are understaffed. Â This is largely because the place is so popular. Â Don't try to come here after 7pm on a weekend, there will be a massive line outside the door. Â I like to go on Sunday for industry night (hello $1 sake shots), or around 530 for happy hour. Â
Overall: Great wine and beer, awesome food, and a chill vibe.
This is one of the few wine bars that are open late on the west side. The menu and wine list is actually not THAT extensive, but their weekly specials more than make up for it.
Check out their websites for what special they're featuring each day. Â (half off bottles, 5 dollars off drinks, happy hour prices, etc).
The decor of the place is very vibey, with tones of red and black, and you're situated right next to Swingers, in case your appetite was not sated by the food at Bodega. Not a bad place to plan a friendly outing with the girlfriends.
Great ambiance, decor and vibe. Â It's Hollywood-esque minus the Hollywood ego. Â It's never too crowded, yet always enough people. Â Seems like the people that are there are low key, but up-scale enough to be boozing at a wine bar.
The selection is great, and the food is even better. Â It's not the best I ever had, but it's definitely 4 star worthy.
The drink selection is nice, considering it's a wine and beer place. Â They also have soju, which I wasn't feeling experimental enough to give a whirl. Â I'm not big on vodka, and apparently it has the same sort of taste which I loathe. Â I digress.
The only downside is that the waitstaff moves like molasses getting back to your table. Â Each time I had a question, wanted a refill, etc., I had to track down a waiter or waitress, which turned out to be a difficult feat each time.
This is an upscale bar/lounge that reminds me of places commonly found in NYC. Â They have about 12 white and 12 red wines from around the world all for the same price: $9 a glass, $24 a carafe & $32 a bottle. Â I don't find any of them that great so I usually just order a beer.
The happy hour is pretty good with $3 off all glasses, $7 off all carafes, $8 off all bottles and $2 off all beers.
It used to be ultra cool here when Kristin Cavallari was spotted once. Â Now that she's gone, so has some of the chicness.
I was here for a Charity Event for ONE HEART FOR HOPE FOUNDATION and the Bodega Wine Bar were excellent host. The staff were friendly, the bartenders made you feel at home, and the place had a nice Ambiance inside...it was a nice chill atmosphere.
And the Ordurbs (Party Appetizers) were pretty good too.
Chill place, sexy bartender's (who gave my friend and i free sake/sake bombs all night), and good music! We came here to drink and accomplished that perfectly! Especially w/ the free drinks, my friend and i were already on glass # 2 of a sweet moscato when all the shenanigans began, lol...A bit hard to find, it's near Swinger's and it's on a bit of a dark street. We parked at Santa Monica Place (in the parking structure) and ended up walking several blocks (which was fine because the weather was beautiful), but I'd suggest just doing street parking if you're gonna hit up Bodega. I would definitely go back, would be a good date place ;)
The only thumbs down this place would get is, the door man is a doucheeee, and needs to smoke a bowl because he has a very god-like complex...Really? You're just checking ID's buddy, that's it!
I've been meaning to check this place out and this past week was definitely the perfect time!
Lighting and decor...screams "sexy" and you have got to love the prices! The music the DJ was playing in the background that night got me in the mood to just chill...relax... ready to kick it with the crew! Â
It reminded me so much of 101 Wines in Maui! (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/100-wines-maui-lahaina#hrid:3oYDOyc7vnub2pvyMmgjZg">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>)
Came here on a Friday night... and my party decided to order the following to share (this is after we had dinner so we were mostly full but since the menu looked so appetizing, we had to get some food to taste!)
- BRIE & APPLE (olive oil, brie & apple slices topped with lightly dressed arugula) = there is something about this pizza that I loved... LOVED... will definitely order this again. Perfectly made... brie was creamy and apple was sweet but not too sweet that it still kept its tangy form.
- Cheese plate = typical cheese plate... it didn't really give me the "wow" factor, just alright.
- white chocolate bread pudding = this was quite a dessert... definitely after a few drinks inside and you start eating this... warm and fuzzy indeed! Not to sweet considering I'm a chocoholic... loved it. Highly recommended!
Drinks... oh boy. I don't remember how much I had but they were all oh so delicious! I remembered starting with Lambic Framboise... then moved onto a glass of Eidosela Albarino since it was a hot night... wanted something refreshing. This went went with the brie + apple pizza. Last I remembered... someone from the crew ordered a round of gimlet soju for the whole party and boy... that pretty much threw me off my game. That's the last thing I remembered and everything else was all fun and games!
Definitely ...definitely coming back! I wanna catch their deals for HH. Don't forget to bring your sexy back... just sayin'!
Great for happy hour and also the great music. Not sure if it was because there was a KCRW party there, but the music was outstanding.
The drinks for great price for happy hour and the flatbread and bruschetta portions were more than expected were quite tasty.
The sangrias were strong and only $5 for happy hour. Dishes served for happy hour were a great value as well.
I would definitely return if I was in the area or meeting a friend for happy hour in Santa Monica.
Crowd is your Santa Monica crowd -- white. 30ish. and yuppiefied.
Always a favorite hangout over the years whether it be to catch up with a long lost acquaintance, share some apps with a group of friends, or get closer to a date over a bottle of wine. Bodega is a sexy little wine bar. Definitely the place to be on a Wednesday night when any bottle of red or white will set you back just a single Andrew Jackson. This is a steal if you go for a wine from the bottom third of the menu where the regular price is listed at $39/bottle. We asked for the Sauvignon Blanc, not realizing there were 2 on the wine list and our server Keith directed us to his favorite of the two, the French option: Domaine de la Couperie. And what an exceptional suggestion! My friend wanted a second bottle to cork and take home but it was so well liked that they had already sold out for the night.
It's been a few years since I've eaten anything here (why waste time eating when you could be drinking?) but it seems like the food has really improved.  Last night we tried the Tomato Bruschetta  & Artichoke Tapenade and a pizza, Everything's Better With Bacon (hell yea, it is). Incredible flavor in the bruschetta and I almost licked the balsamic glaze off the pizza platter.
We left well fed and well wined for under $50. See you there next Wednesday!
I've been coming here for the past several years and I dig it! Â It's a nice, dark, wine bar with a bumpin' atmosphere. Â
The decore is chic, modern and really cool. Â Good crowd, kinda trendy, but I prefer it over the divey bars like Townhouse or James Beach or the places on Main Street. Â It's easy to miss if you don't know where you're going. Â It's right next to swingers. Â They don't have a parking lot, FYI, so you'll have to hunt for street parking.
The wine selection is ok, and perhaps on the pricey-er side but I mainly come for the atmosphere. Â It's a great date spot, or a nice place to bring a group of friends. Â
They do have a menu, but it's nothing special. Â Never ordered any of it. Â If I want food, I just go next door to Swingers.
LOVED the $20 bottle of wine on wednesdays deal. you can pick any wine on the menu so that was a treat! i came in around 9pm and was surprised the place wasn't more packed given the deal.
just wish the food was better. it was totally fine, but nothing to get excited over. we ordered the hummus and "very chopped salad." the hummus was whatever but the salad was really nice and light, even with the salami. it was also huge - i could've easily eaten this as my dinner.
buttt for dinner, i had the BLTA which was fine. you can't go wrong with a BLT but i probably wouldn't order it again. it came with a side salad.
our server was super nice and i liked how cool and dark the place looked but i don't think i'd come back UNLESS my friends were down for another wednesday wine night.
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