Lets just say in a downtown where every bar makes you feel like your in the boonies of Tenessee..this place is sorta a gem. The interior is cute and it has a great vibe. Nice place for a drink / conversations.
Only downside is....they barely have enough seating even though there is space for it? Besides that the people who work there are nice and its an overall chill and pleasant place in San Mateo!
i really enjoy this place. there are not many places to go to grab a drink and have conversation with friends in downtown san mateo. so this is a hidden gem. its really tiny and only has a few tables. some low and some high bar stool cocktail tables. all the seats are stool type and they don't have very many extra stools. so if one table hoards all the little stools they you'll just be standing or sharing seats. it is dimly lit and has a giant chalk board in the back you can add a piece of yourself to. sparsely decorated mostly with wine bottles. they also have some games and card on the shelf that you can play with your friends.
menu:
they have a bunch of unique bottled beers and also local beers. if you like trying a different types of beer you'll have a good selection here. Their taps seem to change and so does their wine selection. they have a really long wine list ranging in price, many of them local.
they also have this great munchie called crack corn. i ate the whole thing. it was so addicting. its like crunchy like a corn nut but parts of it was soft like popcorn. it all looked like un-popped kernels or corn but wasn't. so yummy. one bowl is enough for the whole table!
i really enjoy this place like i said. i will be coming back here again and again. i also like that since it is small. it doesn't get very loud even with a full house. you don't have to scream over all the noise to hear the person next to you. Â i just wish it was a little bigger with more seating. or maybe just having a few extra chairs/stools so we could shove extra people at a table. the last 2 times i went there we got lucky and had open tables! :D
Love this atmosphere! Grape & grain= wine and beer. This is a cozy, comfy, intimate little place to kick back and have a drink or 2. It seems like a nice place to take a date or hang out with a couple of friends, which is what we did. They have conversation cards, which we perused. Kept us entertained and made for some interesting conversation.
I'd say it's more "grape" than grain. The wine selection looked a lot larger than the beer list. Decent beers and plenty of wine to choose from...I think anyone would be happy with something on their menu. We also had the "crack corn" which is basically corn kernels in between the stages of popcorn and raw kernels. It was quite addicting and crunchy and I liked it more than I thought I would. Great snack! I know it was good because I still ate a good amount after eating a full dinner...whoops!
I would totally love to hang out here again. Loved the laid back, relaxed vibe. As long as there aren't too many people it's a chill place to be. I shall return if I am in the San Mateo 'hood again!
Love the vibe here from the awesome artwork to the comfortable communal table to the impressive wine & beer bottle display. Â The draft list is quite extensive and complemented by a seriously legit bottle selection that includes hard-to-find picks like Firestone Walker's 2013 Parabola and 2013 Sucaba.
Wines by the glass come largely from Sonoma County though I also enjoyed my pinot noir from Santa Barbara. Â Will be back again for sure for the drink selection and atmosphere.
It's so rare to find a wine AND beer bar (hence the name, Grape & Grain). Â Most places around here either serve only wine or focus on beers, so it's nice to have a place that can cater to both.
The place is actually pretty intimate, and there are some food options to go with the alcohol. Â It's low key, and we were able to watch the Giants game tonight on multiple screens. Â Servers were very chill and friendly. Â The crowd is as you'd expect for a wine bar - probably mostly 20-30s on the night we were there, not too crazy.
It's an unpretentious but cool place to hang out and get some drinks.
This is a good location for those who enjoy WINE and/or BEER, and they also do serve soft drinks like the elusive Mexican Coca Cola (real natural sugar) as well as the famed Underberg liquor that is similar to Jagermeister, to soothe the belly and help digest a meal.
There's comfortable seating, and they have music going, TV with sub-titled closed captioning and a chilled scene.
They sell half glasses of wine for about $7 and full glasses for about $11, and seem to have a good selection.
My rating is * * * which in my book is as Yelp calls it "A-OK" which is positive and good, but I'm really not a great authority nor a reviewer to be respected as one when it comes to bars and lounges since I don't really drink much if at all, so it's sometimes like asking a vegetarian to review a steakhouse.
The area is nice, and parking seems easy, even on busy nights, it's not impossible and is no worst than one should expect. Â For the South Bay of SF's peninsula it's a doable scene that is convenient and hip enough to call happening and is as fun as the crew you bring with you.
The service here is excellent, friendly, accommodating and they seemed informed to provide advice and a helping hand with customers questions and selections.
Grape and Grain won me over, fast.
Atmosphere: chill, dimly-lit, calm and relaxing. It's a place at the top of my list if I'm looking to play catch-up with my friends. They serve some small bites too (i.e. cheese and nuts as drink pairings). Candles and darker hues of the decor add to the "relax and stay awhile" vibe.
Main plus!! Their substantial selection of BOTH wine and beer, most I have never heard of. Â We ordered a bottle of cab at the bar and the bartender gladly brought it to our table, nice service! Enjoyed being here so much, we ordered another bottle. And that's what I liked so much about Grape & Grain-- every table housed a group of close friends chatting, drinking, laughing. Nothing too fancy, but not too crazy either. Perfect for our weeknight after-dinner refreshment.
I'm not much of a cocktail girl, so I magnetize towards wine and beer spots like this one. I'm excited to come back and try some brews!
Love the beer selection. So many to choose from. I got the Goose Island "pepe nero" which was delicious, smooth and dark for 8 bucks for a tulip (12 oz). Their pom cider is pretty good too and cheap as well (11 bucks for a 22 oz bottle). They have board games here too which I wholeheartedly appreciate. This seems like a great place to hang out. Unfortunately, they do kick you out after about 3 hours which, granted, we should have anticipated already.
Review Source:It's not too difficult for me to hand out 5 stars to a beer and wine establishment that seems to do everything right. Great bartenders, small and intimate set-up (perfect for dates and get-togethers with good friends), and a VAST selection of beer and wine that will make your eyes pop. Having lived in San Diego for 5 years, I almost crumbled to the floor when I saw that Grape and Grain had Alesmith IPA on tap, not to mention a few Alesmiths, Ballast Point Sculpin IPA, and even a Green Flash Trippel by the bottle. The prices are fair. It's more than you'd pay for the bottle at BevMo or something, but that's expected.
What a gem in downtown San Mateo. Spend a night here and you won't be disappointed!*
*You will be disappointed if you hate beer and wine.
The girlfriend found this place for a night out to chillax with friends and definitely this place is just for that! The place is a small venue for 3-4 to gather for not your typical beers and wine in the San Mateo DT area.
The whole concept is for you to order in the back counter and take your drink to a table/counter of your choice. If they're free, they'll bring the drinks over to you.
There's a great selection of red/white/sparking wines and IPA. Not too much but enough for you to enjoy for a few hours. Has a few TVs which had the warriors game on the night we went.
The snacks in my opinion is a bit lacking as they should have some meat snacks to pair with the wines.
If your conversations gets dry, they have board games for you to play with as well!
It's a fun and relaxing place. Â I've gone with my boyfriend and another time with a girlfriend and each time we sat on a couch and yakked late into the night while sipping great wine and noshing on nuts and cheese. Â
It feels very uptown with its high ceilings and chill staff - like everyone should be wearing black or something. Â A bit like Soho.
A nice spot to come with friends or co-workers to kill time, snack, and sip on drinks. Â It's not a very big place but with that is noise control. Â Unlike other places, you can get a seat and actually hear each other talk. Â There are a lot of drink choices and some snacks, more like dry snacks to munch on and olives. Â They also have a cured meat platter but that's about it. Â Don't come here hungry as there isn't real hot food that you can order.
Review Source:I don't claim to be a beer connoisseur so perhaps the magic of a $35 beer is lost on me no matter how great it tastes. Wine, I know a little bit better, and I wasn't impressed. Their collection is A-Ok. You're not going to be disappointed, but it's not going to blow your mind. I wish they had some substantial food to offer. I'm not asking for a multiple course meal, but how about something more than spiced nuts?
The ambiance is as expected, wine-bar-like. The prices are a bit steep. The cider is good. Not spectacular, but good. The service was friendly enough. I wasn't blown away, but I didn't leave sorely disappointed. I'd go back if someone I want to hang with in the area wants to go there, but I'd definitely pick the Vault (or something similar) to this place.
I love this place. Â Great ales, nice wine selection, chic vibe. Â Rarely seems to be too crowded, perhaps because it isn't the typical bar scene. Â It's great for meeting friends, though, one-on-one or in small groups. Â The quiet ambiance -- a little on the dark side, with candles on the long tables -- makes it great for conversation, and I even go here sometimes just to write.
Review Source:If you're looking for a chill place to grab a glass of wine or beer, this is the spot for you.  They have a wide variety to choose from and plenty of tables/sofas to enjoy  your glass.  The dimly lit atmosphere also invited an intimate yet cozy feel to the place, which was one of the main reasons why we came here. Â
Grape and Grain, I will be back!
Dropped by this wine bar after dinner to meet up with friends from out of town. This place is cute. I didn't order any food since I just had dinner but did try out some wine and some friends had beer. I cannot remember the wine that I had but it was a little sweet which is my favorite. Â I enjoyed it! Â We shared a long table with other people and had good conversation. It does get loud where you cannot hear eachother at some point. The staff is in the back behind the counter and they were very cool. I didn't get to try the crack corn. :( But will definitely try it out next time I come here. This place is a great place to go when you need a place to chill at after dinner. Â Would definitely check it out again. Â Street parking only which can be a little tough to find.
Review Source:This is the cutest wine bar! I am soooo happy I had a chance to try this place with the lovely Abby S.
We came here early on a Sunday so of course ... it was a bit on the dead side. But I loved how it was very airy, open, and had this quaint air of ... come hither and drink some wine ... feel to it. I know, so specific ... but it's true!
The bartender was very sweet, and his super cute little dog made it all the more fun to chat up while enjoying some delicious vino. The menu is spunky and the rest of the lounge seats were intimate and loungey. Totally a place I can see myself hanging out at night up until an obscene hour. However, mostly this place closes at 12.
They serve some light fares, but this is definitely no place to have dinner. Great spot!
Came here on a Thursday night to hang out with my dudes. The place was pretty empty, but that's fine, because we just had a great dinner at Little Sichuan nearby. The wines they served here were all great. They have playing cards and board games, so it's kind of like a mix between a tavern and a wine bar. Really chill atmosphere; would come here again.
Review Source:Fun place! Found it randomly while looking around for a place to get a pre-dinner drink before hot pot at Little Sheep and came across this little gem. There's a pretty nice beer and wine selection here. Front page has highlights/beers on tap, and then there are several more bottles to choose from. Also a handy cheese menu and snacks, one of which is called Crack Corn.
It must have been late enough in the afternoon on a random day or something strange because the bartender brought us a complimentary cup of crack corn and it was delicious. No wonder it's called crack corn! My friend and I had to stop ourselves from finishing the bowl so we wouldn't ruin our appetites for dinner. The general lighting is dark but a nice ambience. High ceilings and cool but not too packed communal tables and other smaller areas for seating keep it comfortably chill. Came back here a second time for a mini-college reunion and everyone was a big fan :). This will definitely be my go-to bar in San Mateo!
This is definitely my kind of bar/lounge. The first thing I noticed was the chill mood of the place. Candles everywhere (like...a lot of candles...), games on the shelves, very clean, and couches w/ little tables close to the bar area.
Kathleen W. and I dropped by for a quick drink before dinner, and although I was a bit saddened that they did not have any happy hour deals, I did appreciate their selection of unique beers and wines. The bartender was very friendly and patient with us, opening up new bottles for us for wines on this Wednesday evening.
I had a half glass of red blend that was easily drinkable while Kathleen opted for the white. We sat on the comfy couches, and everything was just so relaxing and nice. I'm definitely down to come to San Mateo again and try some of their other selections on the drink menu!
Making wine is all about blending. Blending some grapes with others and what not. I think there's some stomping involved in that as well. Either way, this bar does that sort of blending as it takes the wonders of wine, mixes in a very good selection of craft beer  and you have Grape & Grain.
The beer selection is really good and does have a lot of gems tapped every now and then. The setting is pretty relaxing. It's a mix of a sports bar without the douche factor. A wine tasting room without the unneeded snobbery and a craft beer establishment with all of the hard to find beers on tap.
In saying that, the owners here have to be some of the most greedy folks around and do give the craft beer scene an unneeded scalper factor. If you see limited bottles, guess what, you're going to pay a mark up.
And not just any ol' mark up, it seems like these folks just hike up prices way above and beyond the usual. But hey, they have no shame in that.
Rating 2.5, but can't round up to 3 stars for this place.
Rustic yet modern, sophisticated without snootiness (the big tv was playing "The Goonies"!!), I will definitely be returning to Grape & Grain in the near future. Each and every wine and brewski is hand picked by the staff, so there's a reason why each is on their menu. I loved that I was given a recommendation on what to try when I told them the flavors I was craving. Their pick hit the nail on the head.
Cheese, meats and marinated olives are available for about $6 per pick, comes with crackers and delish seedy mustard. Gonna come up with an excuse to cross the bridge to this place very very soon.
I'm really excited to have a good beer bar in San Mateo. Â They have a huge bottle selection and a nice set of rotating taps. Â For the uninitiated, the beer is more expensive than a $3 PBR (as others have stated), but they are some great, hard to find beers. Â
Atmosphere is very casual and enjoyable. Â The owner and staff are friendly and knowledgable, at least in terms of the beers. Â I can't speak for the wine selection here, but they seem to have a sizable amount of bottles available. Â
The first time I went in there, they had 'The Big Lebowski' playing on the TVs which was awesome. Â I would like to see movies playing instead of sports as I don't really see it as a sports bar. Â
Definitely go visit and enjoy some delicious beer at Grape and Grain.
If you are looking for a relaxed place to go have a good beer, come the worst bar that 2 broads on yelp have ever been to. Â
First off. Â Adam picks every beer himself, so there is no garbage here unless your gutter pallet likes shock top, if that's the case, head to Moons loser.
The 8 taps (which are soon to more than double) are constantly rotating with new beers that are always top notch. Â
The cheese and meats are perfect for snacking.
Matt and Nat both know their beer and wine, and are more than qualified to help recommend something new to try, or pass the time with conversation.
Prices are more than fair for what you are getting. Â If you want a 3 dollar beer, go to a gas station and enjoy your bud light lime.
I love Grape & Grain because it exudes the essence of downtown San Mateo. Cool in an unpretentious and loungey sort of way, and inexpensive but good. They have these "half glasses" of wine which in most places would be considered a full glass.
I love their orderly ordering system where you simply line up. So, no trying to look at the bartender with your boobs hanging out, pouty-sexy face, or the opposite tactic - honing jedi-mind tricks by glaring at them till a figurative dart goes through their head in order to get their attention. Just get in the queue!
Usually there is a good flow of people on the weekends, so that it's not empty but not completely packed either. It's great for just hanging out. My type of place.... and love the name!
I went on a weekday night, so maybe that's why it was so quiet... but I LOVED it. I detest bars where the music is so loud that you have to yell to be heard by your neighbor. I also detest bars where you have to fight people to get seats.
It was quiet, there was some light music, a football game was playing quietly on a big screen on the wall. The lighting was appropriately dim, the seating was comfortable, and the seats were about 30% full the entire time we were there.
I had the huckleberry cider that was on tap, and then a bottle of pomegranate cider, which ended up being giant-sized. Whoops, didn't read the part where it was 22 ounces.
I didn't get any of the snacks (e.g. cheese, meats, "crack corn") because I had just eaten dinner, but I definitely will try them next time. Would love to be served some cheap munchies for free since the beers are expensive. Like Costco pretzels or something. Nothing crazy.
Bathroom was clean. Very important.
Also, open later than B Street and Vine (which is where we originally planning to go, but dinner ended later than expected). Open later is always a plus.
I love this place!!! I've been here a few times and have always left impressed with their wines.
I've always gone during a weekday, but it is consistently busy but not to the point where it's uncomfortable.
The bartenders are usually super attentive and gives you suggestions if you're not really sure what you want. But seriously I think you could blindly point at the menu and will still have something fantastic.
The only funny thing about this place is the half vs full pour. Mainly for the reds, the size of the glass is pretty drastic. Now I know I am not a wine expert, but I find it funny the the glass for the half seems much smaller than the full.
Eventually I'll try to make it back during a Sunday afternoon just a for a drink to close out the weekend.
(BTW what is up with this place playing Battle Royale - It might be a fluke, but the last two times I've gone here they played this movie. its kinda an interesting choice for a bar)
The best legs on television.
Cindy Brunson.
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DsHLxAZPwMic&s=807afccb8f00f762af0e57f2470bcae872dd6005737222e09f9e1fa8a0a915e4" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/w…</a>
Do follow her on twitter. But believe me (and she would agree), the Seahawks uniforms are an abomination.
Best legs in a wine glass? Can be found here. The tannant from Monterey is sexy. Like lock your door and scream sexy.
This place is over priced, a hole in the wall (attempting to look trendy) with a bar staff full of college students that have no knowledge of wine. I wouldn't go here for their wine selection. I would rather go to B Street and Vine or The Attic in downtown San Mateo.
I went here and got a $14 glass of Pinot Noir, and when I tasted the wine it tasted like vinegar. It seemed as though the wine had been open for more than just a few days. We politely asked if this was really how this wine should taste like. The bar person tasted the wine, and just answered, "yes." The girl didn't add much to her response after (she couldn't support her argument) because she did not seem to have any knowledge about wine.
I have been there a couple of times just drinking their canned beer, and last night was the first time I tried their wine. The fact that the girl wouldn't even offer us another glass just seemed unprofessional, and she didn't seem to care at all about her job. The bar staff is always sitting around with their group of friends at the bar, and when you go up to get served, they seemed so annoyed that a customer was interrupting their conversation. HELLO you're at work, so man the bar like you're suppose to.
I did mention on their FB wall (that they have now taken down) that if a customer makes a complaint about a GLASS of wine, it would just benefit your business to agree with the customer and gladly offer them another choice of wine. It is good for customer satisfaction, and it won't deter customers away from your business.
This bar would be good for people who want a quiet establishment and who don't care about wine...(maybe their beer selection is better). Oh, and  for people who don't care to pay for mediocre service, with a staff that has limited knowledge of their over priced beverages.
Adam is the name of the owner, and I would just like to inform you that for one it is good to have online presence (complete your website because it's just necessary for business nowadays) and take the time to consider the suggestions that people have about your bar (including negative reviews - like this one), so that you can improve the areas where your bar lacks performance in. LIstening to your customers suggestions can strengthen your business because you would be catering to the needs of your target market (which seems to be young, trendy and mellow customers with money to spend). Don't take negative reviews personally. Your customers are just expressing a need from your business. It's better to get a negative review, than silence from your customers because how else are you going to know how to improve and grow your business without suggestions from the very people you serve?
Have YOU ever tasted a $30 bottle of... beer? Â I hadn't either. Â That is, until I visited Grape & Grain (with a friend that enjoys splurging on decadent alcohol). Â Wow, let me tell you... that was definitely not your everyday PBR. Â Just like how Grape & Grain is not your everyday bar.
This is one of the reasons why I love Grape & Grain. Â A few more are:
- CHILL. Â Chillest, in fact. Â The vibe, that is. Â The beer was too, I suppose. Â No loud, obnoxious drunkies. Â No blaring music. Â No need to scream. Â Just... chill.
- SELECTION. Â There's a lot. Â Yep.
- COOL PEEPS. Â Owners are hella cool. Â Down to earth. Â Know their shiizznit.
- LOCATION. Â Ok, so it's not right in the heart of downtown SM, but it's a short walk (few blocks). Â Parking is easy. Â Walking/stumbling distance from my house...
For a nice, laid-back evening, hit up Grape & Grain. Â Forrealz.
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