It's great to have this place in Bakersfield. Â When you walk in, it feels like you've been transported to the Napa Valley area. Â They carry a large selection of beers, wines, and spirits from all over the world. Â
Imbibe is a wonderful place to meet up with friends. Â Many nights, there is live music to entertain. Â They do have some food here as well. Â I do not know if the menu is always the same. Â They were serving various flat breads when we were there.
In conclusion, I'd have to say that Imbibe gives great vibes! Â I can absolutely recommend them for a nice night out with your special someone or to hang out with friends.
well it had been almost a year since i had been in here, and what a mistake it was to wait that long. Â
The store had always been great, but they sure made some huge improvements over the past year. Â Honestly the only reason i dont come more often is because of the location. Â Â They are centrally located in town, and though it really isn't that bad to get to them, i have to use streets in Bakersfield that i pretty much try to avoid because of traffic.
anyways..back to the good stuff!! Â
If you are looking for an alcoholic drink they have the best selection in town...whether its beer, wine, or liquor. Â I dont want to make them sound like your average liquor store as they are much better than that!
Their beer selection is one of the best in town. Â A couple of their employees are part of a brew club i used to be part of, so i think this has something to do with it.
They also have a cigar room and beer on tap...this was something new they didnt use to have.
Their service is awesome. Â I have never gone in there and not received top notch service ever. Â One time my brother in law came in, paid for the bottle service for one beer, and they brought out cheese, crackers. Â You can't get that anywhere else in town...not for these prices.
It's further than i usually like to go to grab a beer i like, but i will say that it is worth the drive....every time!
This 5 star rating is because this is my first time visiting a self-service wine bar--since visiting and posting my photos on FB, I've heard of many other in Los Angeles...
Regardless...this was a nice lounge type bar where you purchase a pre-paid card to dispense your wines. Wine selection was great - I liked the freedom of having and controlling my own wine-tasting event. Each 3 oz pour averages around $2-$3. Live music on late nights---but they're not open super late, make sure you get there before 10!!
I'm totally spoiled. I like my wine bars to have personality, some well informed or enthusiastic bartenders, and good wine. I felt ignored, unappreciated, and confused at Imbibe. We walked in and had no clue what to do. No one asked if we needed help, though there were folks chatting at the register. Â The impersonality of the wine machines turned me off, I'm used to bartenders talking about the wines, the wineries, and chatting if you want conversation. Â The chairs weren't comfortable, we couldn't find a table, and all in all, I felt like I was in some industrial alcoholic experience. Â The live music was good though.
Review Source:Went to Imbibe last night for the first time. Â Aside from having trouble finding a parking spot I was really impressed with what I saw. Â THe inside story part of Imbibe is awesome!! Here you can also pick up some snacks to enjoy inside bar area. Â Lots of different wines and beer varieties. Â The lady at the counter was very nice and explained everything. Â There was a special event going on that night so the place was pretty packed. Â I had no idea there was a patio area otherwise I would have just gone to that! Â They had live music that was very good. Â As for the wines there was a nice selection. Â I love that they had wines from other countries but also wines from local (Paso) wineries as well! Â All the wines I tried were very good. Â THe prices range from 2-4 dollars a pour, which can get kind of expensive, and of course as mentioned before it is self service. My only complaint about the experience was the chairs in the wine bar area. Â They were pretty uncomfortable. Â I feel like lounge chairs would do really well in a place like this! Â Overall I enjoyed my experience and will be back soon!
Review Source:I really like imbibe. I've placed a couple big orders through them, and Josh was always very courteous and helpful. He also recommended a great rose that I enjoyed. Thanks for everything Josh.
I also met Dave Dobbs, the owner, the other day and chatted with him while trying the new 2012 cab flight from the pouring station. Dave is a very nice guy.
Their wine and beer selection is good, and their prices on wine lockers is very reasonable. I'll be returning to this establishment.
They also have live music on select nights, which is usually pleasant but occasionally too loud for the venue (it's not very big.) If you want to have a conversation on a live music night, you'll have to sit on the patio.
I am fairly new to wine, but I know good customer service. I have got to say that Imbibe delivered on all points. Â I was blown away by the professional and courteous service I received. I walked out with more quality wine, for less money than I expected.
   While I was there, a local Political figure walked in. The person helping me was polite and recognized them by name, but then continued to help me, dealing with questions and helping others along the way all while making me feel as though I was the only customer in the store. He effortlessly answered my questions, and even took me and another customer over to their tasting bar to try a one or two wines. Every selection was right on  point with what I was looking for.
When I made a comment that probably reflected my lack of knowledge of wine, he handled it in a way  that educated me, without making me feel stupid. There was none of the usual snobbery going on here. I really enjoyed the experience and would definitely recommend this place to others.
Always have a great time. We have been here for several tasting events, date nights, and fun evenings when a musical group is playing.
Josh Ochoa always has great tips and suggestions for us and I love the options Imbibe has; there really is someting for everyone. Good full Cabs all the way to girly dessert wines and now they are carrying a strong variety of Belgian beers as well. They have a great option for storing your good wines/cigars and one of the best selections of beers to go as well.
My review is for the "wine bar" part of Imbibe because it is all I had the opportunity to experience.
First, I had no idea what I was walking into when an employee at the hotel recommended this place as a wine bar. I guess I expected a bartender, or at least being able to find someone to tell me about the wines? I found one employee at the front who was busy talking to a lot of folks who rang me up for a card but then I was left on my own. I did not see any real directions on how to proceed.
The live music was fabulous and since I now had money on my card, I searched for a place to sit. There were large groups milling around and lots of plates on tables but no one sitting at the tables. I am not sure if the groups belonged to the tables but they never returned and nothing got cleaned up until I was leaving.
Without knowing anything about the wines, I tried a few but wasn't impressed with my selections. That said, there could have been amazing wines to select but I had no guidance and had to select based on my knowledge of wine regions and labels I couldn't read.
This seems like the kind of place you could go with friends if you are a local, chill and hang out. It's not as welcoming for those who come alone for the first time. The music was great and I enjoyed it and I am sure the locals love it here, but I wouldn't recommend it to those traveling through.
Imbibe is a great place full of good drink and ambiance. Some nights they have jass musicians come play. They have a good selection of cigars, liquor and a great selection of wine and beer. You can buy wine and beer by the glass and their selection of wine ranges from $7-$400 per bottle.
They also have a membership deal with wine storage options. Â
Seating inside and outside in a private comfortable patio.
LOVE this place.
a great fun environment, perfect to spend a relaxing evening out with friends!
The goods:
-Great selection of wine and beer. great display of their alcohol. and a charge card so u can try a little bit of everything for an ok price! (ranges from $3-5 a taste)
-Live music!! i always love live music, and its great to listen and watch in the dimly lit, classy seating area, sipping on wine and relaxing after a long week.
-If ur going in a big group, u can buy a bottle and pay a $5 corkage fee to drink there :)
-They serve you bread and crackers. nothing special, but still nice to have somethin to munch on.
The not-so-goods:
-I wish they served more to snack on that you can buy. altho their fridge section did have some containers of cheese.
-I've only been on friday nights, and its veryyy crowded. it was hard to find a place to sit.
-If you want to have a deep conversation with your friends, this may not be the place. if you want to just chill and relax, this place is perfect!
Great selection of beers. They have everything from Three Philosophers to Hop Henge IPA. They have a 2-piece jazz band on Tuesdays and Thursdays which blends perfect with your drink after a hard days of work. The staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable of their drinks. They also make a killer pasta on Thursdays. Highly recommended if you want to unwind and relax!
Review Source:This place is probably a wine seller first and foremost, however I am not a wine enthusiast, so I will rate what I go there for. Â They have, hands down, the very best craft beer selection in town. Â I have been all over town and this place has things you will find nowhere else around. Â Their entire back wall of the store is devoted to craft brews such as Kern River Brewing, Alesmith, Stone, Dogfish Head, Port Brewing Company, and on and on.
If I had any beef with this place at all, it would be that they are a tad on the pricey side. Â And even though I know it's not their fault, it would be nice if some of the special releases were around longer than a day (Notably and recently: Citra, 5th Anniversary). Â It seems like they announce the product has arrived and if you can't drop everything then and there and drive down there, you probably won't get any. Â It would be nice if you could reserve one or something, even if you had to upfront the payment. Â But hey, that's the cost of doing business in the big city I guess, and you snooze you lose.
Still I cannot recommend this place highly enough. Â I applaud their efforts to raise the bar on craft beer selection, and I hope someday we will be able to see even more of the hard to impossible to get craft brews at this location.
Really cool place. Â It is a wine bar and wine/liquor store. Â The employee who helped us, I believe his name was Josh, was very friendly. Â They have a climate controlled wine storage locker area where you can rent a locker to store your wine. Â If you are part of a wine club, you can have the wine delivered to them, and they will put it in your locker. Â If you are a locker renter, they waive any corkage fees on bottles you open. Â They also have a walk in humidor where they sell cigars. Â We sampled 4-5 wines at the wine bar. Â Ended up buying a bottle of Brittan Vineyards 08 Pinot Noir, which was one of the wines we tried at the bar. Â They have nights where they serve food and have live music. Â I would definitely go back.
Review Source:I just went for the first time on Friday for a flight of Pinots and I'm so glad I did. I had a great time and sampled some fantastic wine. I loved the Craggy Ridge! The staff was extremely helpful and recommended some good wine in my budget. The place has a great vibe and an excellent selection of wine and a good selection of craft beer. I would love to go back for some live music and future tastings. Oregon Pinots in February! Makes me want to get all Sideways!
Review Source:Reasons to like Imbibe:
1. Friendly workers.
2. Knowledgeable and helpful owner.
3. Classy, unlike other places you might stumble upon in Bakersfield.
4. Great selection of wine and beer. They have beer from all other the world!
5. LIVE MUSIC. The two times I've gone, there was jazz music. According to the owner, they offer live music every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
6. Great place to meet up with friends.
I'm a fan and will certainly return!
I don't drink alcohol, but I have had a good time at this place. I was attending a private event and though their wine-tasting area was a little cramped (we had over 40 people in there), the servers and cashiers were all very nice. The bathrooms were clean and outside of the dining area, they also had lots of chilled beverages as well as some snacks. Seriously, it was like a higher-end mini-mart at times. I hope that line doesn't keep you from going. I think their prices were generally pretty good and it seemed as though they had a good variety of wines available for tasting as well as some beers on tap. I'd very willingly return to this establishment.
Review Source:If you're into wine and trying new things, come here. Â Imbibe is what helped me enter the world of wine and introduce other friends to it as well. Â The ambience is perfect and there's a great big selection of wines. Â The staff is very helpful and knowledgable.
Absolutely loved Jam Jar. Â Thank you Imbibe for introducing my sister and I to our new love. Â We've already gone through 6 bottles and counting.
Great atmosphere! Catch the dinners by Chef Ellie serving amazing food/wine or beer pairing. We had a chance to go to Chef Ellie's Fall Beer Feast featuring cheddar beer soup, spinach & butternut squash salad, stout-braised short ribs, and gingerbread cake. Each course was served with either perfectly paired beer, cider, or barley wine. Â You who are foodies would really enjoy. I'm for sure catching the next dinner put on by Chef Ellie!
Review Source:Great place to sample some wine and just hang out with friends. I like the relaxed atmosphere and the occasional band is fun too. My only criticism is that maybe they could offer more snacks to purchase, oh and more seating if that's even possible. But all in all it's a great place to have a drink with friends. Bakersfield needs more places like Imbibe.
Review Source:not a wine drinker myself.  I love this place for the best selection of craft beers in bakersfield.  the case the beers are kept in is super cold.  one of the few places you can find beers by  Alesmith and Bear Republic.  If you are into wines, the place appears to be pretty cool.
Review Source:Love this place. Great atmosphere. Great staff. A nice wine and beer selection. You can also buy anything from the attached market they have and they will open it for you in the wine bar area for a small corkage fee. I was talking to the manager there and he said once a month they have spirit tastings as well. This will definitely be my one stop liquor location from here on out and also a fun place to go get a few glasses of wine with some friends.
Review Source:We come to Imbibe for the beer. You can either buy it and take it home, or drink there!  They have a decent craft beer selection, so being beer lovers we come here to check out what they have every so often. The prices vary as well depending on what you want. They carry beer from Kern River Brewery (their Stout is one of my favorites) and it's well priced - one of the "cheaper" of the craft brew selections. They also  have a decent selections from other countries, as well as beers from Rogue, Deschutes, Stone, Lost Coast, Russian River, etc.  I also like they they will stock seasonal beers from these places as well.  Staff is super friendly and helpful!
Review Source:Great selection of spirits and cigars! Loved the set up of the store and the available staff for purchasing. However...
I was a little disappointed in the "wine bar" aspect of Imbibe. I have been to many wine bars where you can get a flight paired with an appetizer and enjoy the knowledge of the bartender during your visit. Free for all wine sampling is fun (and dangerous. ha), but Imbibe has a limited selection out for sample. Not to mention that the one wine my friend and I wanted to purchase was not in stock in the store and not currently on re-order. Why was this one in the case then? The seating area was also very modern and cold with Ikea-like furniture and hard, uncomfortable chairs. Many other wine bars in my travels have had couches and arm chairs with dim lighting and a very relaxed feel. Imbibe has the music and the wine but didn't feel like a place to unwind because of furniture and the cramped set up of the tasting area. Overall I would visit again, but I think Bakersfield could do better when it comes to wine tasting.
After reading my fellow Yelpers reviews, I can't say I have much to add. I recommend reading the first review by Charles M. I will just tell you why I like Imbibe. First and foremost; it's relaxed! It's a great place to come to after work and find a great glass of wine at a decent price. And you can't beat the selection of alcohol here; it's extensive. A great night with friends starts with an early meal and then a trip to Imbibe for some great wine.
Make sure to sign up for their e-mail notifications and receive offers and notices of special events, music, and tastings. If you're a beer person, Imbibe is for you too. I was there about two months ago and enjoyed a beer tasting for about fifteen dollars and it was worth every penny.
If you like wine, try Imbibe. Â They offer a large selection of wines for any budget- especially of note is the amount of great wine for less than $25. Â The staff is helpful, the wine dispensing machines are cool, the decor is modern and chic. Â Plus they gave us free bread to go with the wine!
Review Source:I went to Imbibe for a wine tasting with two friends. The first friend told me abou the wine tasting and the other knew about Imbibe because they're the only ones that carry the specific rum he prefers. I was really happy with their setup along with their selection in beer. The staff was very friendly and helpful. I haven't been back since but I loved it the first time.
Review Source:By far the best place to buy and taste wine in Bakerslfield.
Was there a few weekends ago visiting family and was very impressed with the business ....from the atmosphere to the wide selection of wines to the service and knowledgable staff.
Was also able to find a Orin Swift Mercury Head Cab <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.orinswift.com%2Fwines%2Fmercury_head.php&s=5ba6e17907c125d950e7924eae56b8511a989e9a82d248b6ef665c1950c06d7e" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.orinswift.com…</a> (very hard to find at retail) and a great buy on Caymus Special Selection.
Looking forward to going back soon to do some tasting at their tasting bar.
Cheers!
Is it odd that I went here at the same time as the other guy. I don't want people to have the impression that we are in cahoots, whatever cahoots means or implies. The facts presented in the other review are true and I dare you to refute them. But that's the problem with Charles M.'s review...it is just facts.
Facts are for chumps. I offer gut responses. The people of Imbibe are fine people. That seems a bit unfocused you may say. But what I mean to say is that they truly love wine and they aim to share that love with you, all of you. They know that the wine snobs are a built in demographic for an extensive collection of wines such as theirs but they obviously cater to the uninitiated and the newcomer. The catalogue they print is easy to understand and simple. The wines on it are not prohibitively expensive and they talk to you.
The masterminds behind Imbibe will chit chat and connect with you. I am no wine connoisseur. I have a sieve for a mind and can't remember specific labels or years or what have you...I'm more typically a beer guy. Â I simply know if I like the wine I'm drinking or not. They could understand that and said the rest would come and they would help. Yes...they have a great selection but they also guide you through it.
Also, if you register with them, they'll ask you about it, you'll earn credits for tasting for every dollar you spend.
Drink like your life depended on it.
As far as wine goes, this is it. They have a big and diverse selection of wine. If you don't know where to start, they provide a brochure where they have selected the top 100 wines they like, each wine gets a paragraph why it was selected. Their list doesn't have a bias towards expensive wines either, I believe none of their top 10 wines go past $30. For someone like me, just starting to get into wine, this really helped me narrow down the wines I'm interested in. If you still are not sure what wine to get, they have a wine bar where you can taste the wine before buying. I'm sure you heard that they have a storage facility for people who want to store/age their wine. It's still under construction and won't be done until 6 months I've been told.
There is much more to this place than wine though. Their beer selection is very good and I'm told their current inventory is only from one distributor so it can only get better when they get more distributors. Saw some Belgian beers I've never seen before. They seem to have a wide selection of spirits. They have a walk-in humidor where they have a decent selection of cigars and they are going to rent out lockers within the humidor.
If you can't tell by now, I'm pretty excited about this place. It is a convergence of everything I love about liquor and tobacco. The only problem I can think of is they don't have an outdoor patio (I didn't see one at least), so you won't be able to smoke a cigar and taste some wine at the same time, which is a shame.
UPDATE 4/24/09 - New shit has come to light.  They do have an outdoor patio and their wine storage facility should be ready to go this weekend I'm told.  I'm not sure why  Don L. thinks factual yelp reviews are for chumps.  Perhaps I should make them fictional?
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