My friend and I walked past this place it looked pretty good so we walked in. They look to have a really good wine selection there weren't too many people in and there was an employee behind the counter. We sat down she gave us the list of wines and a list of sparkling wines and we look them over, but then she didn't come back for a long time.
Finally when she didn't come back we asked her if there was any other list and she said, "this is a list we have you just pick one and ill just pour, so you just have to just pick one." We were pretty surprised at how snippy her attitude was it thrown back a little bit.
Then my friend asked her about this wine she had gotten there before and the hostess seemed very irritated at the question. Â She told us she had something comparable and then just walked away and never came back. At that point we just got up and left it was not very good customer service I had no idea what was going on so we decided to take our business elsewhere.
Fantastic small bites and a great wine selection. Came in for our anniversary having arrived in town at 9:20 and found not a single restaurant open (save fast food and pizza). Thought we'd try our luck at the wine bar. There was a fantastic yelp check in deal for two wine tasting flights for the price of one. We had the shrimp cocktail (just okay) and the filet mignon crostini. The pesto was wonderfully flavorful and the steak was melt in your mouth tender. Service was a bit slow, but most of what we ordered was well worth the wait.
Review Source:So, this might be a good place. However, having sat at the bar for ten minutes and not having seen a single employee, yea, ten minutes in an employee-less restaurant, I left. It looked very nice and the menu looked interesting, but it seems very poorly run. Why bother with a place that does not care enough about its customers to actually be in the building?
Review Source:Stax is one of my favorite places. One reason is it's accessible to me by a two-mile walk down the beach from north of Morro Rock. It's the only place I've ever become a member of their wine club. A cozy place with great ambiance, wines, and light but very tasty food. Live music on scheduled nights.
Review Source:Stax Wine Bar was a 2 minute walk away from our hotel! My girlfriend and I arrived to try out some wine.
Right off the bat, the place is right beside the bay which made it a romantic setting for a glass of wine and a light dinner. The place is small but the interior decor was an amalgamation of comfortable settings such as your living room, a friend's home, and a wine cellar, which placated us after an exhaustive afternoon of driving and tourist exploration. The waitress was very welcoming and pleasant. She immediately attended us and explained to us the way their wine tasting works and began to converse to us about things to do in Morro Bay.
Their wine tasting costs $10 for a 5 wine flight. Their selection was a collection of local wines that made our experience even more Californian. Out of all their wines, my favorite was their 2007 Tudor Pinot Noir and my girlfriend really liked the 2008 Adelaida "Inventor" Red Blend. In addition to their wine tasting, their menu offers delicious small dishes fitting for wine. My girlfriend and I ordered some of their crostinis: The Ultimate and the Crostini Ala Caprese. Their Ultimate consists of pesto sauce, portobello mushroom, filet mignon, and blue cheese on a crostini bread; it was delicious. The filet mignon was cooked medium rare and went perfectly with the Pinot Noir. Their Crostini Ala Caprese consisted of mozzarella cheese, basil, and sliced tomato; also a delicious and light dish perfect with their Sauvignon Blanc. After you're done wine tasting, there's no rush or pressure to purchase or leave. You could stay until closing and they're absolutely ok with it. Nevertheless, since the place was so comfortable and welcoming we decided to order a couple more glasses of our favorite wines.
For anyone in the Morro Bay area for the first time, and you want to do some wine tasting, I recommend you explore STAX. The service is impeccable and for the size of the restaurant it's collection is impressive.
First, Morro Bay really isn't the place to go for good wine. Â We knew that but figured we'd give this place a chance. Â We ordered the Friday special which was $16 for two 1/2 glasses of wine and a cheese platter. Â The wines were okay. Â The cheese platter was a complete joke. Â Three different cheeses, each less than the size of a quarter, and I kid you not! Â Four thin pieces of toast (which were good) and that's it. Â It was almost embarassing being served something so tiny, and the cheeses weren't anything special either. Â Sorry, we will definitely not be back. Â A trip to Trader Joe's for wine and cheese and you'll spend way less and get at least enough for more than a few bites.
Please, STAX, don't embarass yourself serving a cheese "platter" like this. Â Charge more if you have to, but at least serve a sampling of cheese larger than an inch.
We walked by the restaurant and ate there on a whim because they had a lobster roll advertised on a flyer on the door. Good thing we went in. The wine tasting for brunch that day was for sparkling wines. We ordered that along with the lobster roll and a plate of mixed cold cuts and were impressed with the food and wine. We also checked out their wine collection on the wall and they had a nice variety. It's well worth eating there if you're in the Morro Bay Area.
Review Source:This is our go-to place for an afternoon bite and good glass of local wine. Â The appetizers are wonderful and reasonably priced, whether you feel like local oysters on the half shell or filet mignon crostini with arugula and pesto or a cheese plate with Spanish almonds. Â Everything excellent! Â The service is a little uneven - sometimes great and sometimes really lackadaisical, but the setting, the food and wine outweigh those occasional service lapses.
Review Source:We had my mother and uncle's 70th bday celebration at Stax this past weekend.
We had guests coming from the LA area and the Bay area, so Morro Bay was a nice location in between. Â I found Stax via Yelp and booked our party there sight unseen, so I had a little bit of apprehension about the party. Â My wife made all of the arrangements over the phone with them. Â They were very accomodating, doing several rounds of changes to dial in the final number of guests, amount/type of food, wine selection etc. Â
I have to say I don't think we could have found a better place. Â The service was outstanding, the food was excellent and venue was perfect for the size party we had (approx 35 people). Â The wine selections my wife worked out with them were excellent. Â I should also mention that because of the size of our group, the bar was closed for the private party. Â We had reserved the wine bar from Noon to 3pm. Â Stax also had a nice selection of non-alcoholic beverages available for the few kids we had non-drinkers.
For food we had crostini's, pannini's, cheese plates, olives, a caesar salad. Â Most of the guests commented on how good the food was. The filet mignon crostinis were outstanding! Â There were also many comments on how nice the party was and how good of a job the staff at Stax did. Â Most importantly, my mom and uncle said they had a wonderful time.
If you are looking for a venue for a celebration in the under 50 people range, I highly reccomend Stax. Â I'm sure we will be back next time we are in Morro Bay.
Late evening thing to do if you are in Morro Bay.. talk and taste wine like the pros in a beautiful space. Â Best part of Stax is that they are completely unpretentious and will bend over backwards to make sure YOU are happy. Â gotta love the chocolate paired with wine flights... Â
I showed up a little too late to get a sandwich..but next time... Â :)
Good pours... you will learn a lot by the time you leave. Â
PS.. there a good array of goodies and things to buy at Stax. Â not just wine. Â So be sure to spend a few minutes to look at all their other offerings.
To celebrate the anniversary of a much celebrated and praised about wine bar we set out for the town of Morro by the Rock. It was a group made up of a Siren, a Winemaker, a Mermaid, Mr. Bayus and myself. All excited for the phenomenal paring proposed by Stax Wine Bar. This beautiful bar features daily food and wine treats like no other and when they sent me the menu for the second anniversary celebration, I couldn't confirm my spot fast enough. Â
Owner Giovanni DeGarimore has got himself a slice of paradise, overlooking the sea and impressing all whom walk in the door. I just love a fisherman gone businessman. They are so pragmatic and smart, and they always succeed. We sat among some of my favorite friends, those called Sea Smoke, Turley and Sinor La Vallee, my dark drinkable companions who I long to spend time with over a plate of cheese and freshly baked bread. The interior was warm and welcoming and we were over joyed to hear the history of the featured bubble maker this evening, Graham Beck.
Mr. Beck was a South African entrepreneur who went from coal to grapes and his sparkling wine is some of the best I have tasted for the price point (we all can't drink Cristal every night, right?) We started with a Graham Beck Brut Rose paired with a sweet potato blini (a small fragrant pancake) with crème fraiche and Tsar Nicolai Classic Caviar. My head nearly exploded with pleasure and I bribed the waitress for another round of this delectable gift.  The bites this evening was prepared by Chef Charles D. Paladin Wayne of Catering by Chef Charlie and he outdid himself with a mixture of sophisticated tastes pairing perfectly with our bubbles.
Gary grabbed a bar of Vosges Haut Chocolate and made us all try it with the bubbles. This was an outstanding combination of peanut butter, bourbon, pink Himalayan salt, maidon sea salt and deep milk chocolate. At 45% cocoa, it was a real indulgence.
Next was a Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs paired with Smoked Salmon Roulade. These outstanding treats were resting upon a home made potato chip (called a Potato Gaufrette) with a lox style raw smoked salmon rolled with crème cheese and sprinkled with capers, crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, and a sprig of baby dill. It was inspired and so subtle in it flavors and textures.
Our next course features the Graham Beck Brut NV paired with an Oregon raw oyster washed in champagne and tossed with a mignonette sauce. Those that read me regularly or know me, understand my passion for oysters on the half shell and this nearly drove me to swoon.
The last course was the Graham Beck Brut Zero with a Maine Lobster BLT. Tiny sandwiches pressed with the glory of the sea were stuffed with apple wood bacon, Maine lobster, baby heirloom tomatoes and a butter leaf lettuce into a brioche toast.
We giggled and toasted to just how good this menu and pairing had been when they brought out the Chef's chocolate truffle. Chucks of cocoa and cinnamon all dusted in a dry chocolate powder made this treat one that would bring back the Mayan's.
We had to try something from the regular menu, so we ordered the Stax Cobb Panini. This delight featured oven roasted turkey thinly sliced, piled on fresh ciabatta bread and served with crisp lettuce, vine ripened tomatoes, a hard boiled egg, crispy thick sliced bacon, and St. Agur blue cheese, then pressed to perfection on the Panini grill.  We also stayed for the Stax Cheese Plate which included inspired selections such as the St. Andre French Triple Crème Brie, Amadeus a cheese from Austria with a smooth velvet texture, Campo de Montalban a Spanish cheese made from a mixture of cow, goat and sheep, and a spectacular cheddar called Sage Derby that was marbled with a sage infusion.  The Marcona Almonds that are fried in olive oil and dusted with sea salt always are a hit on my cheese plates and complimented this quite nicely.
Stax is the one of the finest wine bars on the Central Coast with over 100 local and International wines. They are open everyday for tastings, wine by the glass, as well as panini sandwiches, gourmet meats and cheese plates, plus those amazing chocolates and live Entertainment. Â Champagne Sundays at Stax are a must try with with unlimited bubbles for $20.
We were looking for some place for to eat in Murro Bay and stopped in for a look around at Stax and saw they had a menu and decided to try it out. Â The owner was very knowledgable about wine as we listened in on his conversation with a local wine vintner. We sampled two of their different wine tastings. We also tried the meat and the cheese trays along with our tastings. Between the two of us we went out with over 12 bottles of wines! Staff was very friendly and we will be stopping in on our next visit!
Review Source:I went there back in Aug for a birthday cellebration  and the staff was pretty rude and spent most of the time on the computer.We waited 30 min before someone came an took our order....... The food was so so but I figured I would give it a second chance, again we went and sat at the bar this time. The staff was extremely rude paying all the attention to one single woman at the end of the bar.......When I asked for a menu it was as if I was bothering them. The glasses are pured maybe 1/4 not a half glass like other wine bars......
There is a new wine bar in town up the way by Di Stasio's I think I will try that one next time....the only thing I can say is Stax has a great view of the Rock.......
Best local wine bar. Â The decor is awesome, live music on the weekends, knowledgeable servers, and hundreds of wine choices. Â I have gone for the specials and enjoyed the 2 for 1 wine tasting a few times! Â :) Â
The Filet Mignon Crostini is my favorite snack. Â Would love those every day!!
This place sucked us in because we were living joyously on a vacation weekend. Wine tasting seems like a no-brainer on the ocean. But it left a lot to be desired - mostly because of the ones. We found one we liked the best, and purchased it -- but really only because we felt gulity using a yelp check-in offer for the wine tasting. The gal who poured was actually phenomenal - LOTS of knowledge. Just didn't translate to the palate.
Review Source:I love coming to STAX. Â I had my birthday party here in March 2012, I've been to birthday parties here, I've been coming here since they opened. Â I was just here two and a half weeks ago. Â The menu is fantastic. Â I almost always get the cheese and meat plates. Â The shrimp cocktail is very good (14 prawns on it!). Â The Ultimate Crostini or the Filet Mignon Crostini are also very good. Â
I always do the wine tasting. Â They used to have two wine tasting menus, one 5 tastes for $5 and one 5 tastes for $10 (better wines), but this last time I went, it was just one list. Â Bring back both lists! Â I would always just request to taste all of the reds, and they'd charge me $10. Â Perfect arrangement.
Communication has always been good. Â I've emailed questions or reservations, and the response is timely.
The ambiance is lovely. Â I really enjoy sitting in the sofa area - it feels more intimate and fun. Â I like browsing the wine bottles they have on sale. Â They also have a new vending machine with fancy gadgets - digital cameras and the like. Â Funny!
For those who don't drink wine, they have a nice microbrew menu, as well as sparkling wine and soda. Â I've always been too full to try dessert, but it sounds good.
Absolutly love this place! Friendly staff and great atmosphere! Wonderful nibbles!!
We usually start of with a wine tasting. 5 tastings for $5 OR 5 tastings for $10 if you want the reserved menu. OR maybe both? =)
With that you might want to order some crostinis, a sallad, cheese platter, or delicious panini. YUM! We always end up staying longer than we have planned for... Thats how much we like the place!
As I'm reading the other reviews I noticed Gio (owner) has commented on a real bad one. Now that's how you run a good business! Â You get back to your costumers and let them know you've heard their complaints/praises!! Good job Mr G!
Even better than last time!
I went here with limited expectations; but I had heard the food was good. It looks like just a wine-tasting bar, but it certainly isn't. They have live music on the weekend sometimes, so imagine my surprise to get some really good quality sandwiches. Not run of the mill, very imaginative. I don't usually like too much "creative" additions, but this was very well done.
Their tri-tip sandwich was excellent, their chicken sandwich was superb, and even their hamburger exceeded any reasonable expectations.
It's a peculiar combination of elements, but it flushes out as a really enjoyable and unique experience.
And FYI, I don't drink and drive, so I wasn't able to enjoy the wines.
OHHH! Check in here and get a free glass of wine!!
Nate and the other gent pouring were friendly folk. We did the regular ($5) and the reserve tasting ($10). Some nice wines. Not every one a winner, but I was introduce to a new vineyard I'll check out again. <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chroniccellars.com&s=e909c8a422ec649dbdb5d54a6677c23f4763e0b147fc52fea3d249e64ba509f5" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.chroniccellar…</a>.
Lovely atmosphere.
I've been eying The Stax Wine Bar since it opened up, heard it had great appetizers and, of course, great wine. I finally had a good excuse to go - Girls night out/birthday outing and we were not disappointed...
The three of us got there around 6:30 or so on a Wednesday night, very low key, not a lot of people. We were pleasantly surprised that there was going to be live music (guy and his acoustic guitar). I think all three of us agree that the music made the night that much better! He played what ever we requested, it was awesome, like we had our own soundtrack for the evening.
Appetizers were absolutely delicious, we ordered the Shrimp Cocktail, Fillet Mignon, Portobello Mushroom, Bruschetta, meat platter, cheese platter, olive platter, and we all shared a slice of the Creme Brulee cheese cake - Yes, us girls like to spoil ourselves.
While the appetizers were coming, we got the 5 for $5 deal on the wine and the 5 for $10 for the "Choice" wines. We are by no means wine connoisseur, but had so much fun tasting and judging each wine that came out. We even got a complimentary taste for each of us of the Chocolate wine, since we had a birthday girl in the house!
As the night went on more people started coming in, there were only two people working, but we still got the same great service. I even noticed some people had ordered appetizers to go... I will be doing that in the near future.
Overall, the service was excellent, music made the night, food and wine were Yummy, ambiance - awesome! Will definitely be bringing friends here again!
Okay, this was unexpected and really fun.
A friend told me about this "wine bar" on the embarcadero, and I must say I was very pleasantly surprised by the samplings- You can opt to get five pours for $5 (wow), five pours for $10 of some more significant vintages (sounding worldly now, am I?) and you can, as we did, opt to get one of each to share with a friend!
The somalier was knowledgeable, and how to put this delicately? Intuited  when to stay away as the conversation progressed. THAT alone was worth the trip.
We also enjoyed some tapas- the cheese plate had some remarkable aged and semi-exotic cheeses for not much, about $9.
GREAT way to spend an evening with a date or friend!
Great place! Â Tons of high quality wines from all over, delicious food, good decor, nice view, and friendly staff! Â And they have a good selection of beer and other bevys. Â Their flights are always good and start at $5. Â Also a great place for get-to-gethers! Â Had a birthday party there Saturday night and we all had a really fun time. Â Our server treated us with great customer service; she was always there taking care of our group.
The food is great too. Â They have this Italian meat panini that is Amazing! Â Meat and cheese plates are good too. Â The olives however, weren't that good. Â They were a bit bitter and slimy. Â (that's my only complaint, haha)
I always love coming to STAX. Â Great spot for wine, fun, and food!
We finally have a CHEERS on the Embarcadero for all the Morro Bay residents..AND visitors.Take a night stroll and enjoy a beautiful Pinot with either a nice Cheese OR Chocolate of your choice.
So inviting to sit along a wide range of windows along the bar.
The food is incredible--WOW what they do with Crostini.
While also enjoying several different wines each week.(keeping it local) .AND lets not forget the entertainment..You can find continuous updates on FaceBook and their Website @ <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fstaxwine.com&s=2197fdb460fe1aca917f64628adab77eb62f8b30c620c49447973f92d6c82d5d" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://staxwine.com</a>-----(805) 772.5055
Hello to Genna / Wayne --very helpful crew--thanks Gio
Delizioso !!!!!
STAX is just what Morro Bay needed. Thank you Giovanni!
I frequent STAX at least once a week not just for the excellent tasting selection, but for the vibe as well. Not only did I spend New Year's Eve at STAX, but I am throwing my birthday party there as well.
The staff are fun and friendly and if you're a SLOcialite or MB native, you probably will recognize many familiar faces behind the bar. They are very 'real' people and don't have the snobby attitude that you often experience at other wine bars. Same goes with owner Gio, who is not a sommelier, but still has great taste in vino. I find it makes it a place much less intimidating and very welcoming. There's no room for pretentiousness here.
I have not had any of the food here yet, but I will definitely be trying one of their paninis soon. Since its a relatively new business, its been interesting to watch their menu grow and change over the last few months. I am also pleased at the variety offered on the tasting menu - no 'grocery store' wines here. It's rare in SLO that I can find vino that I haven't already sampled. STAX has helped me expand my wine horizons.
**I had an AMAZING birthday party at STAX last month! The food is amazing! The filet mignon pesto crostini is, like, jizz in your pants FANTASTIC!**
Saw this place was newly opened since our last visit to Morro Bay
Tried it out
Not bad
They serve small plates (cheese and meat samplers)
I tried the cheese sampler. It was good.
Wine tasting fee is not refunded if you buy a bottle after tasting.
I was unfortunate that the staff were busy and I had to wait at the counter for 10 mins before getting served.
When I was served, the staff were very helpful
Only down side is children have to wait at the door as they can't go past the "line" where wine is being served. It's a dumb law.
Overall, Stax is a great addition to Morro Bay
I visited this new wine bar with a couple of companions. Â It's good to see another tasting bar open in town. Â
I opted for a tasting while sitting at one of the tables away from the main bar.  I wonder if this was a mistake.  The pours were accompanied  by very little information about each wine.  I'm not sure if this was because they were busy, or because the person serving the tables was not well -informed about the wines.  At any rate, we were told the winery names and the varietals, but that was about it.
I give them a lot of points for ambiance and decor. Â I'll have to stop by a few more times to see if the informative portion of the equation improves.
The place ~is~ beautiful, though. Â Apparently, it is available to rent for late evening private events.
Outstanding bar/wine tasting/pairing menu
Bby a glass of wine or a bottle- you name it! Did I mention that STAX Wine Bar has a tasting menu that changes WEEKLY giving customers an experience that is out of this world. I had the opportunity to try 5 wines off the $5 tasting menu and another 5 wines off the $10 "Reserved" tasting menu... OMG that is 10 wines in one comfortable classy yet intriguing sophisticated environment. I was educated on the ample variety of winery's, vintages, varietals, champagnes, martini's.... oh and did I mention they have quite the paring menu with meat and cheese plates, olives, pomme frites w/ black truffle salt (fries), and a large abundance of chocolates from their retail section. Panini's were just added to the menu and they have been hosting a few private/public parties in the past 3 weeks of being a new business on the Central Coast.
It is worth it or should I say:  ça vaut le coup! What wonderful staff/servers and an ample arrangement of  wines and retail product available for both the new wine consumers and the highly intelligent wine professionals. This is exactly what Morro  Bay needed.
Mon expérience était excellente!
We stopped in to STAX during a visit to the Morro Bay/Los Osos/SLO/Paso Robles area and were very impressed with our find.
STAX currently offers two tasting menus: $5 for 5 tastes, and $10 for 5 reserve tastes, as well as lots of wines by the glass and even more bottles.
I loved the Riesling on the tasting menu - I believe it was called Dr. Loosen's Riesling, but don't quote me!
We were also impressed that they carried one of our favorite Sauvignon Blanc's - from Deep Sea.
Overall, a great atmosphere, very friendly staff and beautiful decor. For only being open for slightly over a week, they really had it together and we had a wonderful time.
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