Came to winedown with some friends based on the yelp reviews for a couple glasses of wine. The bartenders recommended different wines for each of us. Unfortunately, one of the glasses ended up being quite gritty, but no one said anything. I'm confident the bar would've replaced it with a fresh glass from a new bottle. None of us were quite impressed with the wine, though none of it was corked or oxidized. They were kind enough to move us outside when a table opened up. Some of the crew tried the goat cheese bruschetta which was decidedly not that great either. Because its convenient and moderately priced, but we'll probably be a bit more wary of the wine and maybe move more towards cocktails.
Review Source:I consider Winedown "my happy place". Â My husband and I have been enjoying this place for several years. Â Ben and his staff are wonderful. They are all very friendly and approachable. You couldn't ask for a nicer and more knowledgable owner and staff. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. Yes, you may have to wait a few minutes for seating if you are there with a large group, but it is well worth the wait. They have a very nice wine selection. There is something for everyone. They also offer mixed drinks and beer if you are not in the mood for wine. If you are unsure what to drink, ask one of the bartenders or staff and they will give you some suggestions. Â The food is of smaller portions, but that is because it is served tapa style. My husband and I have tried many items on the menu and we were NEVER disappointed!!! Â They also serve delicious desserts that pair well with the wines. Whether you are searching for a place to go on date night with your honey, girls night out, happy hour with friends/coworkers or after dinner drinks, then I would highly recommend Winedown!!! As previously stated, Ben and his entire staff are approachable, very friendly, super nice and knowledgable. Plus, you are guaranteed an enjoyable experience at this classy place which will in turn have you coming back again and again.
Review Source:I love hanging out here with Ben and his staff when I'm in my hometown. Great selection of wine and light fare in a nice intimate space. For those complaining that the space doesn't accommodate groups, hello, it's a West Reading row house. You want big space, I'm sure we'd all be happy for you to take your entourage down the avenue to Viva.
Review Source:I have mixed feelings about this place. The atmosphere is very classy, and the drinks are reasonably priced for how strong they were! We had cosmos and Manhattans and I was not disappointed. The food was tasty but please be advised now, the portions are TINY. We ordered veggie spring rolls, there were five rolls about an inch long smaller than my thumb, but the flavor was good and the dipping sauce was awesome. We also ordered a mushroom truffle and artichoke pizza, again the flavor was superb but it was smaller than a personal pizza.
Now for the negatives: We went here on a Saturday night and got a table with no problem, but there were only two of us. THIS PLACE IS BAD FOR GROUPS. Several groups of 4 or more people arrived and were unable to be seated because the place was full and there were only about 2 places they would all be able to sit together anyways. Also, being a Saturday night and almost every table taken, there was only 1 server on staff. We waited over 10 minutes before she even saw our table and then saw her only one time again when she brought out our food and drinks, we did not even get a chance to put in another drink order and became extremely annoyed at the lack of attention and poor service. At one point the single bartender became so overwhelmed that the young hostess started mixing drinks. I'm sorry, but if I am paying close to $10 a drink, I would prefer an experienced bartender make it, not the girl who seats people!
So to reiterate, this place has good atmosphere, but is bad for groups. The food is tasty, but the portions are tiny. Also, management needs to better prepare for the weekend crowd by staffing more waiters!
Finally! A decent wine bar in Reading.....This place is a must go. Â They have a very nice selection of wines from around the world at reasonable prices. Â The staff is supper friendly and seem very happy to work there. Â I love the decor. Â It modern and warm at the same time. Â It is quiet enough for a conversations but it can get loud on weekends depending on the crowd. Â The food was excellent, especially complimented by some drinks. Â I say drinks because even though its a wine bar, they offer beer and mixed drinks too. Â My girlfriend and I love the white sangria. You will not be disappointed. Â
Parking can be a pain on the weekends and I wish they would so a cheese or meats blocks at the bar. Â Overall, I nice place to have a nice glass of wine and relax.
We stopped in here twice on a recent, weekend trip to Reading, PA. Â Loved it. Â Extremely friendly and helpful service, especially important as visitors. Â Great wine selection, of course, and a thoughtful menu with tasty little treats. Â The decor and atmosphere is warm and inviting, yet modern. Â Great place to begin your night with a glass before dinner or truly winedown at the end. Â Pun intended.
Review Source:Casual wine bar experience in West Reading.
The by-the-glass selections are a bit limited for a place that claims to be a wine bar. Â Sure California produces great wines, but so do NY and certain areas of PA; it would be nice to see some more regional wineries and varietals represented. Â
The food is light and fresh and reasonably priced. My boyfriend would recommend the crispy duck salad, while I always have the artichoke and mushroom flatbread. Â We skip the cheese course because local cheese producers aren't featured.
The staff is always friendly and are pretty knowledgeable about the menus, which is great because the printed descriptions of wines and entrees are fairly brief.
The interior lacks personality - it has a certain calculated hipness, but there is no soul. Â Â I recommend asking for a table in the narrow, brick-walled courtyard. Â On a warm evening, with kids coming up and down the fire-escape, it reminds me of my favorite outdoor dining spot on the UES.
This is a great cozy spot to begin or end your evening. I love the selection of wines by the glass, there is always something new on the menu. Last time I was there I tried a BEAUJOLAIS. It was a deliciously smooth French red! The menu has little bites to accompany the wine. This is a wine bar so for dinner you may want to hit another spot afterwards. I always stay for a while as it is a great place to chat and catch up with friends. Oh- and be sure to share a piece of their Tiger cake. It is divine!
Review Source:This place is great and a great addition to the West Reading restaurant scene. My husband and I went here after dinner. I had a nice red and he had a beer on tap. The service was great. The vibe was cool and relaxed without feeling pretentious.
I also had a piece of cake, and I can't remember what it was for the life of me, but it was fabulous. I noticed some people getting sandwiches and salads also and I had food envy. I'll be back.
Thanks to the positive Yelp scores, I wandered into Winedown while on business in Reading... and I'm certainly glad that I did.
This place seems like its the anomaly for this area. At the surface, a snazzy wine bar in Reading (West Reading actually) is a head scratcher. That's not a slight against against this fine establishment; its a slight against the city. Apparently Reading is the poorest city per capita in the country, so as an entrepreneur, one would think that the natural thing would be to open a wine bar.
Well I'm not sure if my sarcasm is conveyed here, but the risk that the owner Ben made by opening the first wine bar in the area is definitely paying off!
The ambiance here is on point; a long narrow bar with high top tables and an overall loungy feel. It was a welcome treat that I was not expecting!
I unfort ate an early dinner at my hotel and wasn't overly hungry, so I certainly didnt plan on eating. Well, after looking over the menu, I was reeled into getting something. They had a perfect wine bar menu of small plates, cheeses, crostinis & pizzas. I opted for the hummus & I'm happy that I did. The hummus tasted like it was made to order; ripe w/ flavor & freshness, and the crostini's to dip in the hummus were perfectly toasted! I'm mad at myself for eating prior to coming here!
The wine selection was solid. Surprisingly, there was only one bottle that I've heard of; which could be good or bad. In this case, its was good. It seems to me that the owner goes through great lengths to procure a variety of wines to deliver to his customers at an affordable price!
If you're in the area and are looking for a great place to relax, eat & enjoy some wine, this is definitely the place for you! If I'm ever back in Reading, this place is on my must stop list.
"I love everything that's old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine."
~ Oliver Goldsmith
My absolute favorite thing about Winedown is the kind people who work here and the clean swanky mellow decor. I admit that I'm always hoping they'll one day beef up the art collection, experiment with more vibrant colors and [shrinkingly stepping back] toss out the idea of a possible (less predictable and not so hokey) name change. I say this lightly because at the end of the day, how much do these things matter when Winedown is one of few pleasant places to escape this mad city. The atmosphere is calm and you will almost always run into a friend here. The locals have grown to appreciate the warm sense of inclusion and good vibes.
I've never been much of a lush and these days it's rare that I'll have a drink at all but when I do, Winedown is my first choice for a wicked fresh glass of Malbec. Filus is considered to be elegant and discriminating in Mendoza so seeing it on the menu here clearly means the person choosing the wine for service knows his stuff. Â I also appreciate the cheese variety from which you can pick & choose and you can't go wrong with the balsamic fig and goat cheese platter for $5.95 which seems to go nicely with everything.
As advertised, this is a classy wine bar/lounge. Great for a romantic night out. Â If your in the mood for wine and want some ambiance, this is the place. The wine selection was ok. I enjoyed a cheese plate and olives. Service was very friendly and knowledgeable. The lounge music made it a perfect setting to warm up from the cold.
Review Source:Winedown is a great wine bar and restaurant on Penn Avenue in West Reading.
They offer a nice selection of wines by the glass. Most are from small wineries that you'll never see on a Berks County wine list. The wine list is nicely arranged. The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly so even if you're not a wine expert they will help you make a great selection.
With a decidedly intimate atmosphere, winedown is a great place to take a date. Couch seating in the back is a great place to sit with that special person in your life.
I remember the buzz around town when this place first opened. Â I once went in twice in one day with different friends -- everyone wanted to get a look and a drink here. Â Still going strong, it is the only wine bar in town, a relaxing stylish understated atmosphere crafted from a row home and an important part of the renaissance that is West Reading. Â I thought surely when one wine bar became successful, others would crop up, but Winedown pretty much has the entire market.
Winedown is now open on Sundays, which is a good thing, because Sunday pickings in this county are slim. Â In the last year, they have added an outdoor patio. Â The menu has recently been upgraded, and I was pleased to see that some (plant-based) things I had suggested showed up on it. Â Thank you Ben, for listening to your customers and being open to vegan food. Â Small plate snacks are artfully presented, and they will customize dishes without making you feel like a pain.
Service in here has always been very sweet and personable, whether you are at the bar or a table. Â The wines are listed by style, which is always helpful, because you can choose by your mood. Â Their daily drink specials are good too. Â I recently got in on the Beaujolais Nouveau (which the French rush around for at this time of year) at $5 a glass, and it is quite good this year. Â Glassware is roomy to allow appropriate space inside, and they know how to make cocktails too. Â I'd love to see them add more vintage recipes to the menu. Â That trend is passing in major cities but still has not hit our county. Â
You will never be stuck with an oxidized glass here, and they pay attention to wine news and are up on what is going on in the wine world in order to bring it to you. Â They have classes and special events too. Â
I was hoping they would buy the empty space next door and expand, but it's ok; a very cool little bookshop grabbed it.
This is by far the nicest winebar I have been to! Â Tonight I am enjoying a nice glass of red wine and some sharp cheese. Â I recommend the chocolate lava cake and a glass of port wine. Â So delicious! Â There is even a nice outdoor seating area perfect for a summer night. Â So if you ever have a chance to stop by West Reading be sure to stop in Winedown Cafe!!!!!
Review Source:I love winedown. Â Many of the bars in the area have terrible wine selections, or the bartenders give you a strange look if you ask to see their wine list. Â I'm certainly not an expert, but I have enjoyed all of the wines I've tried (all reds), and I appreciate that the menu offers descriptions to lead you in the right direction.
The food is wonderful...I've had cheese plates, bruschetta, flat breads, hummus, and salads. Â Most of the portions are small and in the traditional tapas style; however, the salad was entree size. Â The food is everything you'd want to pair with wine, so I loved it.
The interior of the building is long and narrow, so the seating is pretty unique. Â There are stools at the bar, couches around tables, and even a few tables in the small but cute alley outside. Â The environment really lends itself to having intimate conversations, as long as you're okay with possibly sitting on a couch next to the people with who you are there.
The service has always been great, and we even received free homemade cake when it was an employee's birthday.
I don't know what's taken me so long to yelp about Winedown. Â I am there almost every week and always have a great experience. Â I usually try a different wine when I am there and they are all good. Â I have also had a few of their small plates and liked them all, though usually I order the cheese plate. Â I mean, what's better than wine and cheese?
What really makes Winedown my favorite spot is the service. Â The owner, bartenders, and waitresses are all welcoming, friendly, and efficient. Â They rock!
Winedown also has beer and cocktails. Â It's a great place to go for a drink before or after dinner on the Avenue, on a date, or to catch up with your girlfriends.
This small and intimate venue is ideal for a date, a small gathering, or a place to lounge after dinner. They specialize in wine and cheeses/snacks to go with that wine - the selection is big but not too big, and while the food is somewhat pricey, you do get what you pay for. The ambiance is warm and inviting, they have a full bar, some two-tops, and lounge chairs in the back. The staff is extremely nice and welcoming. While I wouldn't suggest this place for dinner, I would definitely suggest this for a place to go after dinner, for dessert, or if you're just looking for a classy place to have a drink (or two!). The jazz music they have playing in the background, the dim lighting, the great selection of wine...it all melds together in this beautiful little diamond-in-the-rough in the city of Reading. It's such a delight to find a place like this, and furthermore, it's such a delight to go there whether you are a wine enthusiast or not - the quality of the wine/food and the ambiance is sure to win you over. There aren't many places like this - if you're in the mood for something fresh and unique, come to Winedown.
Review Source:This was a relaxing place to go w a girl friend. Â
They have scoured the area for the best cheeses and every time we have been there that is what we order. Â
I am more of a sangria drinker, and my compatriot is a white wine drinker-the drier the better! This would appeal to any wine enthusiast and the menu accompanies nicely.
I have been to Winedown on several occasions. Â I highly recommend it if you are looking for a great place to get cheese, tapas, and wine. Â They have a great wine selection and offer them all by the glass and bottle, which is a plus to me. Â I would not go to Winedown if you are starving because you may end up spending a lot of money to get full. Â They do not have entrees. Â My favorite appetizers are: philly cheese steak spring rolls, cheese sampler, and the pizza. Â The servers are very attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. Â It is pretty small in there so be prepared to wait on a weekend night. Â They have four couches with little coffee tables to eat off and a nice bar.
Review Source:
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