My husband and I knew that we would have a random day during the week off (Thursday), and decided about 2 months out that we would go to Food, Wine & Co. in Bethesda, because they have all day happy hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Â We traveled from NoMa to Bethesda just to go to this place and when we arrive we learned that they no longer offered the all day happy hour (even though it was still advertised on their website)! Â Well, not only did they not have the all day happy hour, but the menu (that was also online), was not available anymore. Â I had been really looking forward to this place, and basically starved myself all day so that I could enjoy all the yummy things they had to offer. Needless to say I was extremely unhappy, and after my husband finished his beer, we hurriedly left to go find somewhere else to enjoy our afternoon off. Â Here is where Vino Volo comes in...
We were walking around aimlessly looking for a place we had not been before in Bethesda and quickly because I was about to eat my purse strap. Â Ta Da! Â Vino Volo! Â Something about this place from the sidewalk just lured us in and I quickly fell in love. Â We walked up to the bar to ask if they were open (they were! and they were about to start their happy hour in 20 mins!) Â The guy behind the bar, Mike, was so sweet and quickly lightened my mood. Â Of course I was friendly to him from the get-go, but I think he had a sixth sense about the disaster and frustrating situation we just left, and made us feel welcome. Â
He gave us a great spot outside (per our request because it was a gorgeous day). Â He brought out our wine flights (amazing deal for happy hour), and we dove in after he explained them to us. Â The wind had started to pick up, so we hesitantly asked to be moved inside, and he said "no problem, I wouldn't want your wine to blow away". Â He sat us at the prime window spot inside, and we then placed our food order. Â I believe I ordered everything on the menu (not really, but I could have in the hunger state I was in). Â And he joked around with us, and just made our time there wonderful. Â He was also so sweet and put in our orders at the start of happy hour, instead of the 20 minutes earlier (when we actually arrived), so that we could get the happy hour prices. Â
He was fantastic! Â
The wine was so delicious. Â I did the Spanish wine flight, and my husband did a red wine flight, and then I also did a sparkling wine flight. Â From what I recall, the wine flights were half price during happy hour! Â What?! Â Jackpot!
The food was so yummy. We both had big eyes, and ordered a big salad with fruit, pork tacos, a small cheese platter, the house olives, truffle popcorn and my husband ordered a sandwich. Â We were delightfully stuffed when we left and glad that we went to this place.
We do not usually go to "chains", actually we avoid them as much as possible. Â You would never see me in a Roti, and I only grab a Starbucks when I cannot get to a local coffee shop, so we were bummed to find out that Vino Volo has MANY locations. Â With that said, we would probably revisit this place after we try other places in Bethesda/DC. Â We are so glad that we ended up here and not Food, Wine and Co. (I feel like that place is a little over-hyped...it is not that impressive). Â
I would definitely recommend trying Vino Volo, especially with the amazing staff at the Bethesda location. Â The food is fresh, the wine is delicious and the atmosphere invites you in. Â
For me to give 4 stars to a chain must say something about the quality of this place.
Other locations:
 Baltimore, MD
  Bethesda, MD
  Boston, MA
  Cincinnati, OH
  Dallas, TX
  Denver, CO
  Detroit, MI
  New York, NY
  Newark, NJ
  Oakland, CA
  Orange County, CA
  Philadelphia, PA
  Sacramento, CA
  Salt Lake City, UT
  San Antonio, TX
  San Francisco, CA
  Seattle, WA
  Vancouver, BC
  Washington, DC
Just got back from a lovely end to my Friday evening. Â The finance and I were driving through Bethesda and saw this wine shop/restaurant in the heart of town. Â We decided it was the perfect way to spend our summer evening. Â The ambiance of this shop is wonderful for both groups and smaller parties. Â We had no trouble finding a spot on the "patio" and they even allowed us to have our small dog at our table. Â They even gave him some water when they provided us with ours. Â
The menu has both tapas portions and "large" regular dinner portions. Â There is a separate menu for wines, including flights of three, glasses and bottles you can purchase to drink now or take home for later. Â Half of the restaurant is a cellar where you can purchase bottles. Â
We were excited to be able to try so many different wines with the flight options so that's what we went with. Â We were not disappointed. Â The wines were brought out on a tasting sheet, describing them, which was helpful in understanding what we were drinking. Â The prices were also on there for the bottles should we decide to purchase one later. Â We also got some meats and manchego cheese which paired well with our selections. Â We were so impressed with the accompaniments on the board, a fig jam, stone ground mustard, cranberries and almonds. Â The Virginia ham was sliced so thin, it was delicious! Â
The wines themselves were great and sitting there tonight was the perfect way to start my evening. Â Service was prompt, helpful and always pleasant. Â We definitely will be back when we're in Bethesda.
Totally loved the vibe here, they do their best to showcase wines from all over the world -- and I believe they even carry some wines from local wineries, which just adds to their great selection  The food was also very tasty, well-presented (YUMMY PORK TACOS), in fact I didn't know they were a sit-down place to enjoy food. The wine people were very knowledgeable, and more or less know what they are talking about, given that the most I can say about wine is...oh that 's good, oh how nice. Bursting with flavor, oh yea?!
Definitely worth another visit, especially now they have a storefront right in downtown bethesda.
The food was well prepared and tasty but the entree foodportions way too small. Â i left hungy and I am a tiny person. Not much to choose from on the menu. Â We went on a Monday night and it was quite busy. Â Unfortunately they were understaffed to handle the crowd. Â They offered Valet and charged $10 which would have been okay but the same valet charged $8 if you dined at the restaurant next door.
Review Source:Wine is the star of the menu... no ifs ands or buts about it!
They offer and extensive list of wines by the glass *and* several 3-wine flights that you can try. Â They change these up every few months so there is always something new to try. Â I opted for the Malbec Madness. Â I enjoyed tasting 3 different Malbecs side-by-side... It allowed me to really notice the differences between them. Â I even opted for a full glass of one of them (the less-expensive of the 2 from Argentina) later on in the meal.
The food was also quite good. Â my friend and I split a cheese plate with 3 cheeses. Â I had the pork taco appetizer and a small citrus salad. Â My friend had the salad, a small cup of chili.
The only real criticism I have is the service. Â It was *very* rough around the edges. Â We had to ask for silverware, and THEN for napkins, and had to repeatedly ask for water refills. Â We placed our order for wine and food all at the same time. Â After about 15 minutes the server came back and said that they lost the order and needed to take it again. Â It then took another 10 minutes just to get the wine. Â Even when I decided to re-order one of the wines later in the meal, it took a solid 15 minutes for it to come out. Â This restaurant is still new, and it *is* their first non-airport location, so maybe those things are still factors.... but its definitely something that needs to improve.
I would go back, but not for a meal. Â I'd probably go for a glass of wine and some cheese for a low-key evening. Â By the time I got home I was hungry again and ended up eating a bunch of crackers as a snack.
This place is wicked! A few co-workers and I were hankering some wine on Tuesday afternoon and happened to walk past Vino Volo we decided it was a sign and we needed to swing back after work. Their happy hour starts a 4, which is great when you get to leave the office early, but be warned it also ends at 6 PM, though it's a fantastic deal. All flights of wine are half off during happy hour!!! (AMAZING!) Small plates were also half price.
It was a fun atmosphere and there were a few people drinking both at the bar and tables. It was a great place to hit after work on a Tuesday. I will absolutely be making my way back to Vino Volo.
Unsure if I can legitimately write a review as we weren't served so much as a drink at this highly anticipated restaurant.
I had plans to meet three friends for lunch at Vino Volo today. Â The pleasant bartender/server seated me at a lovely window table. Â He appeared to be the only one working the front of the house which was fine as there was only one other table of four. Â After pouring water and describing some delicious sounding specials however, our waiter overlooked us entirely. Â As my companions trickled in we watched the server tend to the other table twice, at length, yet neglect to look our way. Â I planned to approach him the next time he emerged from the kitchen but after 25 minutes of sitting at the table without being offered so much as a glass of wine, we decided to leave. Â We headed next door to Mon Ami for an enjoyable meal. Â I returned to my car 7 minutes after my meter expired to find a $45 ticket! Â Poor clock management surely, but had we not wasted 30 minutes for attention at Vino Volo, our afternoon might have ended better.
I had eagerly looked forward to experiencing Vino Volo outside of the airport but will now think twice about pausing for a pre-flight drink.
In general, a review should be balanced with some positive attributes.... but that is impossible.  Last night we went to  Vino Volo with friends for dinner, but are unable to find one thing nice to say about this restaurant.  The evening started off with an unpleasant attitude......one member of a party asked to taste the wine before ordering...but was informed this was a $5.00 fee.  Putting this aside, the service was incredibly slow, menu had nothing of interest, food mediocre at best and the wine policy was deceptive.  They tried to indicate that the price of a bottle was lower than retail, but a  corkage fee was added ended up over the going rate.  Stay away from this restaurant.
Review Source:My friend and I were delighted to find a comfy, cozy, very customer- friendly place for lunch on a wet Saturday afternoon. Â So many restaurants in Bethesda are filled w/ families w screaming kids, are just so noisy that it's impossible to hear one another. Â Don't get me wrong--we're both moms--albeit of 20 something kids--so really appreciated the lower decibels, lovely food, enjoyable red- wine 'flight', & most friendly service. Â Surely beats the institutional Cosi, the so loud Raku (which I love but dislike jostling w/crowds), the mediocre Cafe Deluxe & American Tap Room w/overwhelming amou nt of TVs everywhere!
For a quiet, pleasant place w delightful menu, glots of wine choices & lovely service, at least for lunch, can't be beat in downtown Bethesda.
A nice addition to the scene in Bethesda, but really not that much of an addition to the scene in Bethesda. Wine flights are always fun, and I don't know if any other restaurants in Bougiethesda offer them, but other than that, it's par for the course.
For our wine flights, we ordered the "bright whites" (me) and the "fireplace reds" (him). None of the wines were really amazing, but it was fun and tasty. The cheat sheet that comes with your flight felt a little big-box and left very little to the connoisseur-in-training (him), though it was informative.
We also ordered the Pizzaetta Salciccia, whose fennel sausage was really delicious. The citrus salad had ingredients that complemented each other nicely (cranberries and the sherry vinaigrette), and the truffle popcorn - just a little nibble - was inevitably delicious. The broccoli and mushroom pastry, however, was as one-note as something you might find in the freezer aisle.
Overall, I'm glad we went and we had a nice time. But I don't think I'll go back unless someone I know is really dying for wine flights strictly in southern Montgomery County.
I think I've just found my new happy hour spot. With half off wine flights (choose from... 12 flights?) and bar bites, including $2 for 2 juicy pulled pork tacos (seriously, get these), how could you go wrong? Â
Each flight is 3 pours, or the equivalent of one glass. The particular flight I ordered (I forget the name) had three really interesting complex reds and at half off, came out to $4.50. I know what I like, but I'm no wine connosieur. Luckily, the super friendly and patient staff here are very knowledgeable and were game for all my questions, right down to where the wine grapes and cheeses originated from.
The cheeses and charcuterie are not discounted for happy hour but I recommend going all the way and grabbing a cheese plate anyway. It comes with generous pots of whole seed mustard and fig jam and you can choose from a pretty solid selection. I also recommend going for the wild boar salumi.
Besides a fun menu and great service, vino volo also gets a gold star for letting you sit anywhere in the restaurant (not just the bar like most HH places) for happy hour. Perfect for an easy, no rush, no cramming post-long week drink.
I cannot emphasize enough how good of a deal their happy hour is. Aside fro the cheese plate which was not on HH, one fun flight plus two pork tacos came out to $7.50. Quality, price, and ease of access. Yep. Definitely my new happy hour favorite.
What a new neighborhood gem! My husband and I decided to check this place out because the movie we wanted to watch was sold out. We had already paid for parking In downtown Bethesda, so it became an impromptu date night!
Walking in, it was dimly lit with a live band playing in the corner. There were tables on the side, the bar in the middle, and a wine shop on the right. We sat ourselves at the bar and was greeted by the friendly bartender. The menu has a wide variety of flights, grouped by locales and types of wine. You can also order wines by the glass. We ordered a flight each and some small dishes to share. It turned out to be a great date because nothing could be better than sipping some wine with your love, having a conversation here and there, snacking on some spiced almonds and then a brief conversation with the bartender, who was really knowledgable about wines and fine foods. Cory was the best of all. The initial bartender gave us good service, but Cory educated us about what we were having and we carried the conversation into foods. What's neat is that they give you these coasters with information of your wine so you remember if you want to taste the same the next time. Danger here is that you get into the zone or trying more flights and then you realize that maybe you ordered a little too much when the bill comes along.
We were so impressed by this place that we decided to come back for NYE dinner. It was a set dinner with wine pairing flights, which were great. However, the food could be better. Maybe it is because this place is so new, but the starter salad was a little plain for such a fine establishment. I was expecting Napa Valley I guess, but had to realize that I'm just in Bethesda. My roasted chicken was juicy too but a little on the smaller side. The dessert was good, but I don't remember what it was. Something chocolatey... aka not memorable. BUT the flights and service was amazing. Just wish the food would be on the same par. Cory remembered us and even gave us a complimentary flute of champagne. How awesome!
Definitely will be back for another flight or 6.
Came here while my sister was visiting as it is a quick walk from my place in bethesda. there was live music as it was a saturday night, great vibe.
Wines: I had the inauguration sparklers, which came with 3 sparkling wines. all three were tasty, they were fairly similar but i enjoyed the flight. i enjoyed how the glasses came set on top of coasters with a description of the wines. my sister ordered a white from the server's recommendation, i had a sip and it was very nice as well.
Cheese and Meats: we shared the cheese and meats platter, which was excellent - they picked a mix of meats and cheeses - it also comes with caper berries, a jelly, fig jam, nuts and dried berries and bread.
Entrees: the entrees we ordered were very mediocre - salmon rolls and truffle penne w/fennel sausage. not much to describe there as i did not think these dishes stood out. Â
Did not get to try desserts as we were pretty full. I liked how you could choose half portions of the apps and entrees.
Vino Volo is a great addition to the area. Â I've already been three times since it's opened! Â I love the wine flights. Â It's a really nice option and I noticed that the selections have changed already so there is always a new selection to choose from. Â Our waiter was really helpful and also mentioned that you could substitute one of the wines in a flight too. Â I really enjoyed a Riesling I had there and I love that you can take home the card underneath the glass so you will remember what bottle it was you liked.
Food was also very good. Â I've only had snacks here: truffle popcorn (yum!) and marcona almonds so far. The table next to me had the pizza and it looked amazing. Â Will have to try that next time.
The seats by the door are cold now that it's in the 30's but our waiter nicely accommodated our request to move to the back of the restaurant.
I have dined here 3 times now since they opened. I love the new curtains around the entrance which really helps absorb the sound from the band Friday and Saturday night, before it really got loud and echoey. Also helps keep cold drafts away when people open the doors which is nice now in winter! The servers are very nice and really know their stuff. They have a new flight - Bright Whites- which is awesome for people who like whites.
The food is great and is really consistant. The steak in the steak chimichuri needs a little more flavor, but the truffled penne is AMAZING! I have also had and liked the thyme chicken, the special pizza, and selection of cheese and salumis. The best is that it is only a $12 corkage for any bottle of wine from their great shop. Most places charge $20 and up!!! Even with the $12 the bottle is still cheaper if you plan to drink a bottles worth of one wine. The problem is to only choose 1!
I will definitely be a return customer and have been telling my friends to check this place out. You should too!
I've been to Vino Volo three times and had a great visit each time! The atmosphere is cozy and conducive to socializing, the wines are amazing, and the staff is friendly. I loved that the servers were enthusiastic about making recommendations when I asked questions, and really tried to understand my preferences before making suggestions.
Also, I love that Vino Volo provides a comfortable setting for newbies to try some amazing wine. They take the stuffiness out of wine drinking, and my friends and I felt like it was completley acceptable to ask questions about the wines, their taste profiles, etc! I highly recommend ordering wine flights, which are are reasonably priced; I personally loved their Sommelier tasting series. It was a great opportunity to taste fantastic, one of a kind wines at a steal of a price.
The menu is simple, but I recommend the cheese platters! I had the Tomme and the Grayson, and now hunt these out in the grocery store. Also, the restaurant has a wine store attached where you can buy wines you've tasted at dinner. This space also doubles as private event space, which I think is brililant.
We went on New Year's Eve, and were really impressed with the menu. The Perrier champagne with the first course was so good that we ordered another round after the meal! I was particularly impressed with my entree: monk fish in a tomato and lemon sauce. The flavor was incredible, and the fish cooked just right. I was blown away by the wine flight with the entree as well: a JJ Prum spatlese (only $67 per bottle!!), a quirky Italian white, and a rich Rhone viogner. Really quality wines that paired quite nicely with my dish.
Most impressive was the knowledge of the wait staff. Our waiter, Corey, was so helpful and not only offered his expertise on the menu, but engaged us to talk about what we thought, what we liked, what our favorites were. For our desert course (a devilishly delicious chocolate torte in raspberry coulis) we were blown away by the young woman who delivered our port-style chianti. She told us this really interesting little story about the monastery that sits at the top of the mountain where the vineyard is located. She detailed the geography, and explained how the monks take special care of the south east side of the mountain so that the grapes can be grown at higher altitude than normal.
Overall, I was really impressed that such a new restaurant put on such a spectacle for the holiday. The cozy atmosphere was complete with a little jazz ensemble that was the icing on the cake. I would definitely return, and take all my friends!
Happy to see this new addition to Bethesda's restaurant scene. Â The atmosphere here was great and the service was excellent. Â I tried a number of different items on their menu, with my favorite being the Pan-Seared Thyme Chicken. Â It was cooked perfectly and very juicy. Â
The reason I had to withhold one star was because the Steak Chimichurri was not cooked "medium" as I had requested (parts were still quite rare), and it was also under seasoned. Â The potatoes that came on the side were a disappointment also because they lacked any seasoning.
If you give this place a try, I'm sure you will not be disappointed!
Vino Volo, is wonderful every Friday and Saturday they have live music, great atmosphere, wonderful selection of fine wines. The wine flights are fun and their staff really knows wine.
The food menu is simple but nice, some of my favorites; bone marrow, steak and the pizza. We had the special of the night it was steak, roasted red pepper, goat cheese and sherry sauteed onions, very tasty.
There is not other beverages other than wine and water.
We visited Vino Volo for dinner on one of their first nights in business. Â The space is lovely, and not too loud. Â There's a spacious entry area with a wide selection of attractive wines displayed for purchase, we browsed there during the brief wait for a table. Â A semi-separate room contains the bar and dining area. Â The menu has a limited number of food selections with something for everyone. Â All of our food, including the pizzas and steak, were delicious and paired well with wines. Â Each member of our party ordered a different wine flight. Â The flights were reasonably priced and allowed us to discover some new favorites. Â The California Reds flight had a merlot that everyone was really impressed by. Â This is a fun, different dining experience for Bethesda with good food and great wines. Â We'll be back after movies in the future for the post-movie debriefing sessions.
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