The Barrel Room at Two40 South

i like the wine bar. but I don’t like that the whites are on the side of the restaurant dining area. very awkward to walk around there and get wine while hovering over the seated diners.
interesting that you load up the card then pay for it at the end. I’ve only had it the other way around where you pre pay for the card.

Fantastic wine selection– we had a party of 5 so we ordered 2 bottles of wine. The wine came quickly and was great. Now the bummer– we ordered food– it took an hour for us to get our food! No kidding– we ordered our food at 7:30 and it didn’t arrive to the table till 8:32!!! And it wasn’t that great. The margarita pizza was cold and the angel hair pasta flavorless– the server dropped the food off and was gone!!! My suggestion– the bar is cool and has a great wine selection so go to the bar to enjoy a glass of wine and then go down the street to the Yard House for some good food and customer service

Came here for a Wine and Canvas event. Really liked the atmosphere of the restaurant and want to come back for happy hour. The HH menu looked really good, esp the pretzel and jalapeño cheese sauce.
But for the event, I ordered a pizza and fries. The pizza was absolutely atrocious. I asked for a plain cheese flatbread pizza, SUPER easy on the cheese and asked for them to add any veggies they could to the pizza. bell peppers, onions, anything. What came out? Heavy cheese pizza and you ask what veggies? ONE SPINACH LEAF PER SLICE. What?
I was starving so I forced myself to eat two slices, taking off the cheese as I went. Don’t know in what world veggies = one spinach leaf.
I would come back for the HH menu but probably not for a meal, esp for a vegetarian.
One star for atmosphere and one for the service.

I don’t know why I waited so long to visit this restaurant. Food and service exceeded our expectations. Arrived in time to order half-​off happy hour appetizers and wine –the presentation was second only to the fresh and flavorful food.
I had the heirloom angel hair pasta, my husband had the same only with shrimp and our friend ordered beef. My husband was so impressed with the shrimp that he paid his complements to the chef and owner. The beef was prepared as ordered
While we were all quite full we couldn’t resist ordering gelato which is prepared daily in house. The vanilla bean was anything but ‘vanilla’ — intense creamy vanilla bean flavor. And oh my goodness the salted caramel gelato was worth the extra 20 minutes on the treadmill. Saltier than I expected with a buttery caramel finish.
Prices were reasonable. My only regret is not trying it sooner.

I don’t know what I was thinking but I am glad we tried this place out for lunch. When we got here on a Saturday literally no one was in this place at lunch. We weren’t even sure they were open or not.
But they said they were and we decided to sit outside on the patio area. It was nice and the weather was good. Our server came with two ice cold waters which was nice since we been walking all day.
We ordered the fries, and tartare first and shard a pasta with scallops. I would say each bite was tasty and delicious. I love eating french fries yes I do they were nicely done with loads of flavor.
Since it was soo empty we were able to talk to each other and have a great time. It was nice and pretty amazing soo I would say this place did a pretty awesome job. Thanks ! :)

Ehh… I definitely did not come here for the food… Typical American dishes with mediocre flavoring and preparation. What I cam here for were for the wines, specifically the wine fountain.
I liked how they had an abundant of empty glasses hung above the wine. The wine fountain were separated by your whites and red wines, and the wine glasses complement the type of wine that is hovered over. For instance, if you get a red wine that needs extra «breathing,» the wine glass above it would have a wider rim than the rest.
Prices were decent for the wines, and the service was winefully-​tastic. My waitor was helpful in helping my party choose a wine that catered to our taste.
What topped my experience was the store manager. He knew we were there celebrating a birthday so he took us to the wine cellar, and took the picture for us himself! He told us about his past experience, how he got to where he is at, and even invited us out to come to their upcoming events.
Overall, I enjoyed Two 40 South very much, and would definitely come back. Next time, I hope to see the manager again! Too bad he said he stopped drinking. otherwise, it would be very nice to have a glass of wine with him!

5 Star food and service. Make a reservation to be on the safe side. Arrive before your reservation to hang in the bar to enjoy their self-​serve wine dispensers… a true delight!

The first time I came here I had a pretty good experience, but the second time REALLY turned me off to this place and I haven’t wanted to return since. My boyfriend and I came because we wanted to use the wine machine. We started off with a small pour, and both of our wines tasted awful. I thought we both happened to choose a wine we didn’t like and it wasn’t a total loss because we bought the 3-​ounce pour, albeit still pretty pricey. The second round was just as bad, so we started to think something was wrong with the machine. We brought it to the servers attention that the wine smelled like bad eggs and tasted even worse. He told us that is how the wine is supposed to taste. Ha! Anyways, we tried a third round and it still didn’t get better so we closed out our $ 30 tab and haven’t been back since.
A few days later, I had the Pine Ridge at another restaurant, one of the ones I had tried at Two 40 South. It was nice and crisp, so I knew it wasn’t just in me head. THEN, I read an article on Food Republic explaining that sometimes taps become moldy if they are not cleaned and maintained. I don’t know if that is the case. Maybe the wines were just old. Regardless, I expected more and if the wines fell short, then the server could have been accommodating.

We were hoping to do a Saturday Brunch there, made reservation the last minute, got there on time, found out they only serve brunch on Sundays now, lunch daily, our server apologized that they should’ve changed the info on their site and the banner on the wall outside the restaurant. Well… It’s ok, I could do lunch too, I want some wines anyways.
I liked their new name, The Barrel Room, much better, Two 40 south is kinda mouthful. The restaurant lives up to the name now, they have wine barrels in their wine storage room behind the bar area. Liked their simple lunch menu, some vegetarian choices too, we asked a card to get wines from wine dispensers, AKA wine ATM, it was so much fun to get up and get different wine throughout the meal. There was only one table of dining people besides us, it was so quiet and relaxing, perfect Saturday casual lunch atmosphere.
Started off with tuna tartare, oh my! Seriously it was one of the best I have ever had! The tuna was so fresh, the bread was amazing! I almost wanted to get another order… But it would be awkward I guess…:(I had vegetarian margarita flatbread, it was so good, light with enough flavors, the crust was so thin and soft, I don’t care for crispy and thicker crust, so this flatbread was perfect in my ways! Hubby had angel hair with shrimps, very delicious. The shrimps were so tender and tasty, angel hair was perfectly cook with veggies and cheese slices, the flavors went with our wines so well.
We had a few glasses of different wines, I had an extra spicy Bloody Mary too, it was a great pour, very spicy and strong. Our server was also the bartender, he was very attentive, friendly, fast and polite. Great service! People started to walk in as we were finishing up our light lunch and wine tasting. The tab was $ 89. It was a very pleasant way to start a Saturday shopping afternoon, we went to Brea mall after this fun and relaxing lunch.
This place has become my favorite wine bar in the hood! Fun wine dispensers, good wine selections, delicious light dishes, friendly service, classic décor and casual atmosphere. The booth seatings with curtains are prefect for a semi private dinner date, the patio dining area with fireplace is perfect for romantic date night with wine tasting and intimate conversations. This wine bar provides all kinds of dining experiences, and I really like that!
I am sure we will be back again and again for delicious light food and tasty wines!
Ps. Cork fee is $ 20 up to 2 bottles, %20 gratuity for 8 people and more. Parking lot behind the restaurant.

Two 40 South is one of those places that manages to offer relaxation and indulgence while somehow remaining fun and lively — not at all stiff, formal or pretentious.
The food was delicious, very high quality and well executed. My mom and I came in for a light dinner and a lot of wine :). The interior is beautiful and tranquil. There is also an outdoor patio which I plan on visiting.
I enjoyed many aspects of the place so where to begin… the wine! In addition to regular bar/​table service, patrons have the option of sampling wine at a machine. I found it fun to get up from the table and choose a new wine — I feel like the wine machine encourages intermingling among guests. My complaints about the machines are: 1) I wish the descriptions were a much more detailed, what’s the point of trying something new without learning about it? 2) The wine we wanted was often out and we had to flag some one down to change the bottle for us.
I’m a casual wine aficionado and found the selection satisfactory. I recognized some brands from wine tasting in Napa/​Sonoma and others were new to me.
The food: We started with a seared ahi salad — there was nothing unusual about it, it was just delicious and done right. Then, we had the shrimp appetizer, which was done perfectly and set in a heavenly, buttery broth — amazing. We finished with the flat bread margarita pizza, also very good. Don’t expect anything unique or crazy, but basics done really well.
Service was great. Super attentive, friendly and good looking staff. It seems like they are very team-​oriented in regards to taking care of the guests, which I like.
My mom and I stayed for over 2 hours, just chatting, sampling wine and had our plates brought out one at a time. We never felt rushed or pressured. I will definitely be back.

Two 40 South Restaurant & Wine Bar is pretty great! I went here the other day for a Wine & Canvas event and was pleasantly surprised.
They are located across the street from the movie theaters and restaurants in the Birch Street area of Brea. The place offers indoor and outdoor seating, but we opted for the outdoor seating because that is where the class was being held.
They offer an awesome selection of wines at happy hour prices. They also offer delicious food and reasonable prices for the quality. The service was also very good.
We ordered the trio of dips — guacamole, salsa and hummus. All were tasty and there were served with fresh pita. Then we shared (because it’s that big) a burger. I don’t remember the name but it was (not being sarcastic) the Best Burger ever. It was pretty dang tasty.
This is definitely a good place for any meal, especially a date. The inside is romantic and dark.

This is one of the places that I WANT to like so very badly. It is BY FAR the most beautiful restaurant in all of Brea. If this was a design rating it would be an outstanding 5, from the copper accented pots overhanging the kitchen to the curtained-​off booths and private barrel room the place is just brimming with personality…
But…it just goes downhill from there.
I’ve been here three times now and every time my intense wish is that the food will have improved or that the service will have been better or that, I don’t know, that the Unilocal gods will have gotten through to these owners, but that just doesn’t seem to be the case.
The food is OK. That’s it. OK. Nothing jumps up and grabs you with flavor, but it also doesn’t completely disappoint.
What was absolutely scary was a recent visit where their temporary «Wines by the Glass» list at the bar looked like a textbook example of how you should be using your spell check… especially when you purport to be a winecentric restaurant. Here is a short list of only SOME of the glaring mistakes on the list:
The Brocard Grand Cru Chablis was listed as a Chambis… I don’t know what a Chambis is but that one should have been pretty obvious.
The Barbeito Madeira Baul. It’s Bual, or Boal, but never Baul. Is that sort of like Paul? Come on guys, try a little.
They spelled Willamette… Williamette…okay now we’re entering normal Google search territory.
The Donati Claret Pacinas CA… should’ve read Paicines CA.
And finally there was the Hearst Three Sisters Curvee. Are the sisters Curvee or did you mean to say Cuvee?
Do you want to be a wine bar? Then have respect for your craft. This was pitiful.
3 stars ENTIRELY for the décor.

The Ahi Tuna Salad was as beautiful as it was tasty. I loved the different textures with the fresh salad leaves, crunchy light tortilla chips and soft avocados and sweet, smooth-​textured ahi tuna sashimi.
Best Bass dish that my husband and I ever tasted! Perfectly cooked, crunchy bass skin on one side and moist flesh on the other side swimming in a thick broth of tomato, manila clams, and chorizo. I cleaned up the delicious broth with my dinner bread. The bread itself could have been better (didn’t seem super fresh).
High quality, non-​fatty rib-​eye steak with trois vin demi glaze cream sauce also tasted wonderful.
My husband LOVED the self-​serve wine sampler bar where you can use a card to buy different sized tastings by the glass of 15 different wines, including one that is a $ 95 for a 1.5ounce glass ($ 5000 bottle) red wine from Abraham Lincoln’s era.
My only complaints were that the portion sizes were on the small side for the price and that the bread could have been fresher.
I heard from the waiter that the shrimp has an AMAZING Beurre Blanc sauce that I will have to try on my next visit.

This is a 5 star place for wine lovers as the owners are extremely passionate about fine wines. They use argon to prevent oxidation for the wines offered in their serve yourself wine bar. They offer some once in a lifetime tastes with some high end wines and a port that I would love to try someday. Think liquid gold for one of their maderas at $ 95 for a 1.5 ounce tasting. I offered one of the owners a taste of a 2003 Heidi Barrett wine I brought down for dinner and he just loved having some. It was like a drug high for him, not that I would know what a drug high looks like.
The food was very good too. The lamb was excellent and the sides were okay. I loved the offering of sherry you can add to the French onion soup and that was great. Can’t give this place 5 stars yet as the food was not 5 star worth but the wine experience is 5 stars.

Located near the edge of Downtown Brea, in between the Halloween Club and Buffalo Wild Wings, you might walk right by and not notice it. It’s a small, cozy location, great place for a date. There’s couch seating and tables, full bar to the right as you enter, back left is the kitchen, and back right is the bathroom. Coming on a Friday night, there was live music, a singer and two people playing instruments.
The food is good. Started with the Pork Belly Brek which was great with the bread, cheese, and wine. I really enjoyed their Sausage pizza. What did it for me was the thin crust. I don’t normally eat the crust but since the bread was so good, it was easy to devour. The Angus Ribeye Cap seemed salty but their Chicken was great, paired with a White Polenta Cake that I liked. I want to try their Duck or Lamb next time.
They give you a plastic card so you can take it to the wine dispensing machine. Take a glass from the top, choose red or white wine, insert card, select the amount of wine desired. The service is slow cause it took a while for the food to come out and getting more bread took time. If I wasn’t with good company, the wait would have been more noticeable.
I like the restaurant, I would definitely come back again. My only gripe is the amount we paid for the meal compared to the food and service. I would expect quicker delivery of my food and the portions to be bigger. I don’t eat a lot at one sitting but the serving seemed small. When I had to walk to the machine and serve myself, the amount of each pour seemed little compared to the prices. I’m going with my instincts on this one cause something just doesn’t feel right.

I really like this place. They have all these little cushy cabanas along the side, which adds a nice ambiance to hanging out/​eating. They also have regular booths and dining tables.
One cool feature is they have this automatic wine dispensing machine in the center so you can fill your own wine glass (they have a generous supply of clean glasses hanging over the machine so you can always get a fresh glass). They have 20+ wines ready to be machine poured for you at the push of a button. The machine can perform a 6 oz, 3 oz or 1.5 oz pour. The prices are exactly proportional (i.e., no surcharge for a smaller pour. a 1.5 oz pour is half the cost of a 3 oz, and a 3 oz is half the cost of a 6 oz), so feel free to sample! I elected the sommelier’s choice which, that evening, was the Nelms Road Merlot (yes, it was good). Prices for wine are normal (most of them are $ 10-​$ 22 per 6 oz pour).
They have various food choices but my friend and I got the sausage pizza and the smoked salmon pizza (thin crust, $ 15 each, very tasty), and a gelato for dessert (also very good, $ 8).

since our last visit here, the service has definitely not improved. i think it got worse.
we arrived when they opened so the place was empty except for one other person at the bar. there were at least 3 servers, a bartender, and a manager on duty in the bar and dining room. despite this, we still had to ask:
1. to have the empty glasses taken away after our first tasting;
2. for a menu;
3. what we were being served;
4. for water to be brought to our table;
5. the bill.
by the time we were done, we still had several empty glasses on our table that no one bothered to take away while we were eating. see photo attached.
fellow Unilocalers, riddle me this: for the clear lack of service, how would you tip on a bill where you did most of the work (we got up and filled our own tasting glasses) and the only time you received any service, was when you asked for it? would you tip off the entire bill? do you tip off the amount of the items they actually brought to you? do you even tip at all?
for service only, i give it one star. because of the pretty cheese platter, i give it two.

«I went to a restaurant that serves „breakfast at any time“ so I ordered French toast during the Renaissance.»
Steven Wright
Actually, for brunch with parental unit I ordered Ricotta Lemon Pancakes… very good as was the side of bacon. Bottomless Mimosas $ 15.00. This review update still does not earn them a 4^th star though. Still slightly overpriced (That Mimosa price should be lowered as should food prices) and the wines in the enomatic machines are still pedestrian. However, service was excellent and sitting on the patio is lovely on a Sunday morning. I’d give them a 3.5 and would recommend this restaurant.
I’ll come back for dinner and music one night.

3.5 stars.
Great food, great ambiance, perfect for a date to impress your lady or celebrate something special.
I came here to celebrate a friend’s birthday and was worried that I would have to go to In-​N-​Out after my meal to satisfy my hunger since the restaurant serves their dishes tapas style.
We ordered a total of 3 appetizers + 1 which was on the house, 1 pizza, 1 pasta, 1 entrée, a bottle of wine, 1 beer and 2 desserts for 4 people. The hostess recommended we order 2 – 3 dishes per person and I’m happy we just had about two since we were surprisingly well-​satiated by the end of our meal. I think this has a lot to do with the pacing of the meal (we ate our food over the course of almost 3 hours) as well as the richness of the ingredients used. It’s definitely a more upscale dining experience.
Confit Fries: Great taste due to the generous dusting of truffle salt and paremesan. These were a great filler while we waited for our others foods to come out.
Crostini Duo w/​Heirloom Tomatoes: Very fresh tomatoes served on perfectly toasted bread.
Beef Brek: This was served to us on the house. I’m not really sure what a brek is supposed to be exactly, but I guess the best way to describe it is a meat filled eggroll with not as much fried skin. I found the meat to be a little bit dry and the tomato sauce that was served with it to be a lacking in flavor.
Pork Belly Brek: This dish was one of my favorites. The sauce that came with it tasted a bit curry-​ish to me and the pork belly inside was absolutely amazing.
El Jefe Pizza: The draw for me here was the crème fraîche and the bacon. The pizza did have a really nice rich taste to it, but I found it to be a little bit too rich, and it was a bit of a knife and forker since it was so rich that the oil seeped from the pizza onto the wood board it was served on.
Spinach Fettucine: This dish was a pretty strong effort as the flavors of the olive, tomato, mushroom, ricotta and spinach blended pretty harmoniously. However I still found it to be a bit lack luster despite the nice flavors.
Wagyu Flat Iron: Great quality meat — very soft, flavorful and juicy. It was served with some sweet potato chips and black beans along with the peppers.
Mocha Crème Brulee: Very delicious and a nice take on the classic dessert.
Molten Chocolate Lava Cake: Rich chocolatey flavor paired with fresh berries and ice cream Definitely worth the 15 – 20 minute wait.
They have a wide range of wines available as well as a wine tasting option where you go up and try wines with a charge card. They also a nice blackberry pear cider that tastes like sparkling water mixed with juice.
The ambiance is very intimate and cozy. It’s dimly lit by candle light, there’s fresh flowers and the silverware is very stylish and unique (think elongated forks and spoons).
Overall I had a nice experience here and would come back again for a special occasion.

I was recently invited here to celebrate a friend’s birthday party and this place is fancy schmancy. Great venue for a private event, a date, or whatever worth celebrating.
Parking in downtown Brea is tricky but we parked across the street and luckily there are plenty of structures. Just arrive early to accommodate for that.
This place set us up with a table near the back with a view of their amazing wine cellar. It’s kept chilled so I was freezing while dining. Not fun but at least I had a jacket because if you know me, I’m almost always cold even when it’s 100 degrees out. I’m just crazy!
Anyway, we ordered off the appetizer menu and got a few bottles of wine to share. All very impressive. I was in love with the dumplings and the beef pasta dish. Also their garlic fries and the butter spread were to die for. I was in foodie heaven and 240 south appealed to my senses. I love foodgasms. ;)
Note: the service here is horrible. The waiters tend to forget orders or are negligent. This can be very frustrating.