Cute wine bar in Durham. Everyone is super friendly and the space is open so  you can move tables and chairs around to accommodate a large group. The wine selection is fine - not too extensive, and they also have beer and cocktails. The place needs a little re-doing, especially the upstairs. But generally, a good place to come to grab a drink.
Review Source:As an alternative to going to the usual bar place in downtown Durham, West End is very nice. Â The bar is spacious and the lay out fits with the mission of relaxing with friends with a glass of wine. Â I would have liked to see a more exotic wine list that features wines from around the country and world; but also different flavors. Â Also, the couches could have been more comfortable because it felt like I was yelling at my friends because we were so far from each other. Â It also didn't help that an entire wedding party showed up and decided to have their reception at the bar while LOUDLY watching the Clemson v. FSU game. Â Yea that was a real ambiance killer.
I wil give West End another shot and hopefully an impromptu wedding reception won't happen again.
A cozy, welcoming, sophisticated and laid bar bar in downtown Durham. Â I can't even compare it to West End in Chapel Hill, it's_just_much_better. Â There is decent parking. The place is always super clean. Â The lay out (with two floors and a separate game area) gives you tons of places to sit and relax. Â The staff is very helpful and efficient. Â They have enough food options for a filling snack or chocolates to satisfy a sweet tooth. Â They offer a great selection of wine and nice mixed drinks. Â Great music that's never too loud.
One of the best bars in Durham!
Their roasted hummus plate is delicious! Honestly, I think I may have enjoyed it more than the (also delicious) white wine that I ordered. The bartender was very helpful and knowledgeable about the wine selection, which was fairly ample. This is a great place to meet up with a group of friends, with a lot of seating options--couches, bar, tables.
Review Source:This is pretty much the same menu as the one in Chapel Hill, but with a different feel. The CH location is dark, while this is more airy and industrial with high ceilings and brick walls. It's on the back side of the Amtrak station, but don't let that scare you because the station's been recently renovated while keeping its historic charm.
Anyhoo, the wine bar has a good selection of interesting varietals that are briefly described but still specific enough to give wine newbies enough information to make choices. There's a small menu of snacks and good beers on tap. Typically, they have about six or eight wine and beer specials that are good values. Service ranges from fair to good.
I've been here many times due to its downtown location. Â This spot is nicer and newer than the one in Chapel Hill. Â As well as a bit sportier due to the presence of flatscreens playing sports. Â
I saw Stacy W's review about getting the cold shoulder for recommendations and honestly think it may have been an off night. Â I usually have no idea what I want and go up to them with some vague words like "Not too dry, not too sweet, something refreshing." Â And the WEWB folks do an amazing job, they usually get a spot-on recommendation by the second try if not the first! Â
It's a very cool vibe, not a place you go to pick up people, but a place you go with people you know. Â I've never been here on a date, only with girlfriends. Â But I've seen people on dates here and it seems like it would be fun and intimate. Â Plenty of seating upstairs, downstairs, and on their patio. Â Overall, WEWB has never disappointed me.
Sorry West End, but if you're going to call yourself a wine bar you should at least have a hearty wine selection. In addition, after sampling the 2 different wines my wife didn't enjoy....the wines you have should, you know, be good. I've had restaurant house wines that were better. Now in all fairness I'm not one who sips, swirls, gargles and spits their wine, but I do know what tastes good and what doesn't.
There are definitely better wine bar options in the area.
I ended up here due to time constraints and the place I originally was going to go seemed to be closed. They seem to have a larger liquor selection than wine. They also have an "Italian meats" pizza. Apparently having more than one wedge of pepperoni on the pizza counts as meats instead of just one type of meat. I know one place to not go back to when I am in Durham.
Review Source:Let me just start this review by saying my wife and I are beer drinkers. We thought we would go ahead and check this place out anyway. I can't really speak to their wine selection or prices in any way so I'm not going to try. Their beer selection is pretty meager. Because of that, my wife decided to get a mixed drink, which are quite expensive here. I will say the drink was pretty good on the whole, maybe not quite worth the cost though. The atmosphere is....average. I agree with other reviewers who say it feels like more of a normal bar, but for me that is a good thing. I really like the feel of the place as far as how it looks. I will say that there was a couple blatantly standing in the loft and making out for a good 7 or 8 minutes which was very strange. Especially b/c we could blatantly see them and there were other people in the loft. There's nothing West End Wine Bar can do about that though. We also got truffles on the menu (the candy kind). They were really good and a nice little touch to go with our drinks.
Overall...I had a fun time here. There was certainly nothing *bad* about it. There just wasn't that something extra that some other bars in the area have that keep me coming back. I think it is a good place to know about and occasionally frequent. That's about it. Try and see for yourself. It is certainly worth that.
I really like their location and their ambiance. I am frequently surprised that this place isn't more crowded. I probably shouldn't write this, because there will probably be a wanted poster-style picture of me hanging behind the bar the next time I go in...but if I were ever to get busy in a bathroom...their upstairs bathroom would be my bathroom of choice. Clean, large, good lighting, and there's never anyone in line! ;o)
Review Source:I love wine. I love bars. This place only fits the bill for one. It's honestly the worst wine bar around, but a decent bar if that's what you're looking for.
The Jonald and I stopped in at a usually "happening" hour on a Friday. It was pretty much dead. But we weren't put off by that, we got a nice seat by the window to sip on our wine.
As I strategize on how to review this place, I really don't know where to start. Which is kinda how I feel about this place entirely. There's wine on the menu, but it's nothing to write home about. Actually, I put it down and didn't bother to finish it - I was dissapointed with the pricey-er wine I selected - I don't like vinegary wines. Jon struggled to get his down as well. The selection of wine is not that extensive or sophisticated. They do however have other things to drink - like beer and liquor. Which may be the way to go honestly. I asked for a wine recommendation from the bartender and he just looked at me...
( o _ O )
so that was awkward...
The atmosphere is just as confusing. A really cool space as a bar, but not as a wine bar. I love sports, trust me, my Saturdays revolve around football in the fall. But, when I'm hitting up a wine bar, I'm not so sure that a ton of TVs playing sports really fits the ambiance you'd expect for a wine bar. They do have some outside seating which is nice on a cool summer night (although rare in durham!).
I'm sure this is a cool space to hang it in, it certainly has potential and it's clean and has some food and drinks - As a wine bar though, I was really disappointed. If it were called the "West End Bar" - this review would be different probably. But since I have standards and expectations for what a wine bar is and should be, this one falls pretty short. Especially  compared to a place like Six Plates that's right down the road!
So I'm not a wine guy, but I've been here a few times with friends. Â They have a limited beer selection too which has kept me occupied while friends downed some vino.
They have some cheese plates and other light fare, they don't include much but are quite tasty. Â Service has always been fine, the interior is a nice warm setting with leather couches and cool spinning coffee tables. Â The downstairs bathrooms are tiny and has no mirror in it (or, at least the mens room does not.) Â There is outdoor seating on their deck area. Â It's a good location right down from other bars and restaurants. Â Pretty good parking lot too.
A nice spot that my husband and I came across while looking for something to do on a Monday night in the summer (read: closed colleges made this city DEAD). The wines were a nice selection and variety of affordable wines, the pourer was just as nice as can be, and the joint was spacious. I was shocked the see a wine bar with no real collection on display, aside from the seven or so unopened bottles standing behind the bar (tsk tsk, they looked like bottles with real corks which, if you know an ounce or two about wine, you know you have to lay the bottles down to keep their corks wet), but it was a nice stop in an otherwise deserted town. One tip I would offer, hang a bigger sign above your door! You can't read it from the street!
Review Source:My co-workers and I made a visit after a difficult day at work late Thursday afternoon. Â The four of us and a gentlemen at the bar were the only patrons. Â We settled in downstairs with our glasses, roasted almonds and manchego. Â It was a nice way to decompress from a challenging day. Â West End is a lovely stopover from work to your evening plans.
Review Source:A really nice place for group mixer kinds of events. Nice wine selection for the cheapskate nonconnoisseur  (and presumably for those who actually know about such things too -- but I lack personal experience in that department). Decent beer taps too. Nice outdoor area -- small but usually not occupied, in my experience so far.
Let me tell you about something i *do* know about, however: food. And specifically cheese. We got $80-something dollars of cheese (in addition to other stuff) and it failed to satisfy the handful of people who were circling it. I asked if there was a mistake with the order -- seriously, there was barely any cheese on this thing. Nope. Just extraordinarily chintzy. So I got another 3 solo orders of cheese (for $15), and 3 of us had enough for a small snack. Wtf, give me more cheese. Even Whole Foods' most expensive cheeses (which the West End ones are not) are relative bargains.
Good things:
generous pours with their wine flights
good ambiance
neat back art gallery
Bad things:
flights are pricey and the selection was unimpressive
pizzas are terrible tasting and terribly overpriced. I paid $14 for a pizza the size of my hand that was all crust and hardly any toppings (just cheese and mushrooms)
The bar staff wasn't very friendly nor helpful, and awkwardly had us pay before we even had our wine or food, kind of hard to decide on a tip at that point.
Ahh vino! Â The cause of and solution to most of life's little problems... Â
Over on Main Street in Durham, you'll find the West End Wine (WEW) bar tucked away in West Village. Â WEW bar in Durham is a lot different than its older sister in Chapel Hill. Â Long bar, open space and a second floor landing with couches and stuffed chairs. Â WEW is a great spot to grab an early cocktail before heading off to bigger and better things. Â The bartenders are knowledgeable, personable and at the ready with their corkscrews. Â They typically have a couple of specials going on so take full advantage here. Â And while they serve some small plates and pizzas from Pop's next door, don't expect to put together a meal here. Â It's all about a civilized glass of wine at West End Wine bar!
But I hate to say it, I prefer the older location in Chapel Hill, it's a much more interesting space with a cozy feel. Â But stop on by WEW in Durham if you want to sniff, gurgle and enjoy a lovely glass of wine. Because you really can't ever go wrong with vino...
This place reminds me of a bigger Terroir in San Francisco, and that's a great, great thing.
West End is the only wine bar I've seen in the Triangle which offers flights. And GENEROUS pours with each flight at that. I had a flight of three different Spanish reds. While only one of the wines was noteworthy, I was still pleasantly surprised with the amount of wine I received.
The server also labeled each glass so that I would know which wine I was drinking (not that it mattered after downing several sips).
The place is spacious and dimly lit with a fantastic upstairs area. To be honest, I'm used to smaller, more intimate wine bars so I can't really get used to how big West End is. Nonetheless, I enjoyed being there.
Verdict: Thanks to Susan Z. for taking me here! Finally, a wine bar with flights! I'll have to come back to try some of the other wines and the snacks.
First time I stepped into this place we didn't end up staying. My guy wasn't into the wine bar with serve-yourself-tapas. Can't say the menu added up to anything that could negotiate a dinner.
But to chill with the girls with a glass of wine, it works. Not quite sure how pizza works out as a tapa, but didn't bother to try it. The hummus had a good presentation, but not enough pita to finish it. Like the comfy couches upstairs but thought it was a little awkward when they kicked everyone out for a private party, hey- maybe next time you should section it off when it gets closer to the reservation time. Luckily we were near done, but there were some larger groups that made it rather inconvenient on timing for them to vacate.
I concur that those flat screens with the sports channels down play the wine part of the bar. But I don't mind that it's not in an overcrowded section of downtown. This place is low key. Don't expect too much and just chill. Shiraz I tried was fairly decent. I'd stop by here again to see the live music. Might have to check out the Chapel Hill one.
I really dig the West End Wine Bar. Â Brought a group of my out-of-town besties here, two of us being hardcore craft beer lovers, two wine snobs, and a fancypants liquor drink sipper, and everyone was beyond pleased.
The night was bitterly cold, having dropped into the low 20s after a week of near-60s, with a howling wind undoubtedly contributing to the Yeti weather effect, so not many people were out and about in Durham that night. Â The other times I've visited WEWB, it's been rather packed, but was just fairly steady the night we visited, with plenty of seating from which to choose.
I love the look of the place: tall ceilings with wooden beams, exposed brick, sleek, modern furniture; it's all very Durham. Â At first we seated ourselves at the bar, then moseyed on upstairs, where we found that most of the tables and surrounding comfy couch seating areas had reserved signs on them, purportedly for a birthday party that was arriving later. Â Eventually those signs disappeared and there weren't any birthday revelers in sight, but we ended up taking a seat at a set of tables and chairs anyway, just to avoid pissing anyone off.
There is a super-comfy-looking room up there that we and other patrons were continuously tempted to enter, but it's got a sign near the door that says Office. Â Is it really an office or is this a ploy of some kind? Â Anyway, no one ended up sitting in there, but it would've been nice to have the option.
Also, there are toilets downstairs and up. Â Score! Â Everything in this place is super clean, too, for which I am eternally grateful.
On draft they did not have Carolina Brewery's Copperline Amber Ale (one of my faves), but instead they had the same company's Sky Blue Golden Ale (not as good, IMO). Â They've also got the Triangle Brewing Co.'s Belgian Golden Ale, Fat Tire and 2* Below from New Belgium, then your standards like Stella (skuntastic) and Guinness. Â I, for one, would like to see more local craft beers here, like some Fullsteam and Big Boss.
I sipped on a Moscow Mule (I think that's the name; one of my girlfriends ordered it for me) and it was awesome, like grownup sparkling lemonade. Â Highly recommend this one.
We didn't try any of their small plates, seeing as we'd just eaten at Alivia's, but everything that was ordered by other parties looked phenomenal. Â The menu looks fantastic, which tons of veggie possibilities.
WEWB has its own parking lot (shared with Magpie and a few others), but is easily accessible from Five Points or Brightleaf, if you're making a pub crawl out of your night.
I should point out that I saw John Edwards here.  (More specifically, at this party: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tnr.com%2Farticle%2Fpolitics%2F75931%2Fafter-the-fall&s=15f4fa04bda52980593aec94644e7b6759357710b836e79be921bb37add7f4cd" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.tnr.com/artic…</a>) Â
I should also point out that this is one of the two places I've seen John Edwards (the other being across the street from the other West End Wine Bar, but I digress).
I've been here twice, for what is referred to as the Duke Public Policy Prom. Â Â It's a good sitting around/dance party, and the bar is well set up for this sort of party: Â the upstairs is really nice and good for dancing, and the downstairs is nice for chilling. Â They also have a good selection of wine and beer available.
Overall, a nice place in downtown Durham.
Sometimes you're better off dead
There's gun in your hand and it's pointing at your head
You think you're mad, too unstable
Kicking in chairs and knocking down tables
In a restaurant in a West End town
Call the police, there's a madman around
Running down underground to a dive bar
In a West End town.
Greetings and salutations, Ron W and I hit up West End Wine Bar before the Yelp event, we had a fun afternoon. It's a comfy bar, plenty of wine to choose from, offering up flights to taste more than one! Â The bartender was friendly, all in all a good place to consume liquids. Shout out to my BFF Ron W and to WEWB!
Great hang out. I use the brand new totally excellent Durham Amtrak station, which is in the same complex. When the train is delayed, (which has happened twice in the last few weeks), I stop over here to have one of the many beers they have or a glass or two of vino. Nice tappas choices too. Â This is a good find for downtown Durham. Â Nice outdoor area also.
Review Source:This is one of the weirdest atmospheres ever...... A high ceiling, some outdoor seating, sports on LOTS of flat screen TVs type wine bar...... I just don't get it. Most people who want to watch the NBA playoffs are not at a wine bar, and even if they are there wouldn't one or two TVs be enough to support their sports needs?
The wine wasn't so bad, the prices were okay, and it can easily accommodate large groups. I also like the variety of seating areas upstairs, at the bar, and downstairs. Overall not a bad place, but if I want wine in Durham I am heading to Six Plates.
West End has the misfortune of being hidden behind the never-ending Main Street construction project, ergo it's usually pretty dead. Seriously, wtf are they doing to that road?? It better have moving conveyer belt sidewalks when they are done.
Anyway, West End is a nice place to drink when you want a quieter night out in a more sophisticated environment. But the great thing about it is that it's not stuffy at all..just more laid back. As a bonus, they are starting a live music night soon.
I've been eager to check this place out since I read a profile on it in Durham Mag, and I have quite a rich history with its counterpart in Chapel Hill. Made it out there last weekend on a Friday evening. It's further down Main Street than I anticipated, which places it in an odd, kind of isolated area. We wound up having to park at the nearby apartment complex, but didn't see any threatening signs posted anywhere, so I don't think it's a problem to do so. There is some outdoor seating which is a nice element, but would be nicer if the view or atmosphere was perkier. The inside is two stories, and much smaller than I'd imagined, but does have a really cool cellar area. (Again, frequent visits to CH's Wine Bar are probably deluding my objectivity here!) Menu is laid out similar to CH with varietals, whites, reds, and an "unusual and interesting" category, plus flight selections. In the way of food, your option is essentially pizza -- and overpriced, at that. An interesting array of chocolate truffles are offered at $3 a pop (would have loved to try, but got the disapproving raised eyebrow from my dear fiance). We were in attendance for a book party, so that probably clouded the true demographic a bit. I think there were only two couples there aside from the party, so I wonder if it's typically that quiet. I confess I never made it upstairs -- the crowd was blocking the way and I felt it would be antisocial to retreat that way even for a sneak peek! I do hope this holds its own though, as downtown Durham needs a staple wine bar.
Review Source:I love wine! This place has a great and manageable selection of wine options. They have three size options including sample (~ 2 oz.), glass (~ 4 oz.), and by the bottle. The prices are from inexpensive to really expensive ($4 - $15/glass) and listed accordingly within the lightest to boldest menu. They also have a varying selection up on the chalkboard behind the bar.
The 2 samples I had were very good. One was the Michel Tete and the other the Kenwood Syrah. I loved the syrah, but its my favorite grape. I can't remember the three my date had, but the best was at the end of the Merlot/Cab list  - it was a Bordeaux.
We did take a peek at the menu and considered some cheese and charcuterie, but it seemed really expensive. Each cheese and meat must be ordered a la carte, but the part that really got me is that you have to order the bread a la carte, too. When we added up 2 cheeses, 2 meats, and the baguette it was almost $30. It seems absolutely ridiculous.
We did try their chocolate truffles made by a local chocolatier opening a shop in Chapel Hill (bartender gave us the info). The Salty Potato Chip truffle was amazing - straight up Ruffles with ridges! I could've eaten 10.
We will definitely be back to sample some more wines and truffles.
First time in Durham visiting my sister at Duke. I didn't expect to find this place within walking distance from the DT Marriott. Great find good wine , food, and service. They play great music and a great crowed. I hope they keep this up. I was told this was only their second day open. The wine selection is great. I hear something about coffee in the AM. I will try to make that tomorrow so I can Yelp about it.
Review Source:West End Wine Bar is a lovely drinking spot that has changed the drinking scene for town Durham. It would be the first wine bar to open up in the downtown area. West End is located in the West Village Complex on Main Street. They have tables and seats outside so you can drink Al Fresco.
The wine bar is better lit than the Chapel Hill location and has a mezzanine floor. We came with a group of friends and found nice and comfortable seating upstairs. The drinks are medium-priced and we like the environment.
As of writing, there is road construction on the stretch of Main street just in front of the bar. I suspect this has affected business somewhat and we only saw a handful of people in the bar. We hope that the road works finish soon!!!
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