The Wine Bar

I’m visiting from Georgia to visit some family down here in Florida. the first bar we went to we received the worst experience possible from the bouncer at the front door at «the wine bar». I have always used my CCW to get into bars. No issues until today. I handed him my CCW license since it was the one readily available in my wallet, he then asks for a second ID, I said sure and handed him my drivers license. after he inspected my drivers license. he threatened to keep my CCW license and said that it was a fake and said I paid someone to make it. why would I make any effort to give you my CCW license if «it’s a fake» in order to get into this slow dead bar, when I could give you my drivers license that you never questioned? he wasn’t planning to return my CCW and was bending to break it. if he destroyed my state issued license due to his ignorance, should I just sue your bar for damages? from his stupidity? please, educate your employee. if he had destroyed my government issued ID, I would have to sue your establishment for damages. we ended up having to deal with an uneducated cop as well. he said my CCW license is fake because they both saw «foreign languages in the hologram». I’m pretty sure America is multi ethnic. I guess Georgia don’t discriminate like Florida. If we were white, we would be treated differently and I’m most certain he would Just ask for another form of ID and returned my other one. Racism is very much alive in Jacksonville. don’t worry I spoke to the officers supervisor as well. with service like this, maybe that’s why your bar is DEAD and SLOW when every other bar we walked to had LINES and was PACKED.

My boyfriend and I went in for a glass of wine and had great service! We also loved the wine they helped us pick out.

Retracting my incorrect review.
They replied to me to explain what happened. Even after I left town. How awesome! I will stop back next time I’m in Jacksonville Beach!

I loved this place. Came here on a date and there was a wonderful, intimate atmosphere. There was live music, but it wasn’t overwhelmingly loud: we could still have a nice conversation.
I had a glass of the Stellina di Notte Moscato from Italy. A decent price at $ 8 a glass and it was very tasty. My date got the Urban Riesling ’13 from Mosel, Germany. Also a decent price (also $ 8 per glass).
The staff was wonderful. They worked in a team and we never felt overwhelmed by the attention (as can sometimes happen with tema serving) nor did we feel neglected. All in all, would definitely go back!

The food was really good. The servers were very nice and helpful when they actually showed up. Very small place with a chill atmosphere. An acustic band was playing but the music wasn’t good. I would go back again for the food.

An oasis of cool and friendly in the otherwise crazy central Jax Beach area. The folks running the place — Matt, Faith and Melissa — are super nice. Great knowledge of the wines and full of recommendations. Good munchies food, too. Highly recommended as a chill place to relax with friends or a date and a glass of wine.

Took a while to get a drink. One bartender on a Saturday evening and she wants to talk to friends. I want WINE!
Okay, Mike saves the day and turned the evening around.

I attended a Meet up event for a Halloween party. The place is very nice decorated, definitely a place to have some wine in a very elegant atmosphere.
The good: good wines during this tasting event, nice environment. A cover fee of $ 5 allowed us to taste many wines if we were wearing a Halloween costume.
The bad: if one was not wearing a costume, the cover fee was $ 10. A friend of mine paid $ 10, but he had only one glass of wine. The business ran out of wine… why? They should have it available for everyone who paid.

They’ve revamped this place since last time I was here, but it’s still the same fun wine bar I remember! The live music was great, as usual, same with the service. They work as a team so your not waiting on one server, someone checks on you always! We played Jenga, a couple of drinking games with their cards… etc The prices went up a little (cheapest glass of wine is $ 8) but they have awesome late night munchies and they’re famous $ 1 jello shots are still there!

The Wine Bar is definitely my chill spot. I love to go there on Friday or Saturday to have some great wine and here the local band Brother of Another Color. The bar and the band are a perfect match. This is for sure a hidden gem in Jax Beach.

This place is such a hidden gem among the crazy beach bars in Jacksonville Beach– we actually missed it the first night we walked by but were glad to find it the next day. They have board games to play and very relaxed yet upscale feel– bartenders are nice and genuine when speaking to you and wine selection is above and beyond. We would recommend this place to EVERYONE nearby.

We went to The Wine Bar early on a Friday night. It was so nice and relaxing and the wine selection was delicious. A little later that night a band played (don’t remember the name) and they were really good. They played some fun cover band songs which were fun to sing along and dance to.

This is in response to three reviews submitted by Kelly T., Nicholas G., and Kelly D. as an attempt at clarification of their experience at The Wine Bar. I wouldn’t normally respond to a negative review as a guest’s perception of service or amenities is highly subjective and very individualized, however I take exception to their description of events that evening, as I was the employee working and it directly involves me.
Kelly T.: The staff did not insult your friend’s clothing or intelligence. I was the staff and no derogatory comments of any kind ever came out of my mouth either towards you, about you, or directed at you or your friends. The individual you are referencing is a bar regular who took exception to the way your group was behaving towards myself and the manager, however she is not representative of our business and does not speak for us. Her opinions were solely her own. The Wine Bar had nothing to do with your exchange with her whatsoever.
While I do not like to discuss tips or tipping as a rule in general, I must address the other part of your comment. It’s commonly held that when you receive a discount on a check or use a coupon, you are supposed to tip on the full price of your order. You and your friend split a $ 40 bottle of wine that was half off that night. You then split the payment onto two credit cards, $ 10 each. You left me a $ 2 tip. I don’t think I need to elaborate.
Nicholas G: Your entire statement is factually incorrect. The manager, Matt, never claimed ownership of the Wine Bar and, in fact, repeated several times that he was the manager at your friend’s questioning. He never made any statements about your friend’s clothes or intelligence and was already outside on the patio before you and your friends left. And if you’ll recall, he asked if your group was going to Fly’s Tie because he wanted to buy you all a round of drinks. As for my own actions, I believe I treated you with nothing but professionalism and respect.
Kelly D.: You absolutely were not overcharged for a bottle of wine. Here’s what really happened folks: you wanted a $ 30 bottle of wine which we were out of. As I was splitting payments for two of your other friends, the manager (who was off at this time) came around to offer a different bottle, thinking it was the same price, and that you might like it. This bottle actually happened to be $ 8 more than the other, which would amount to $ 4 with the half-​price discount. He corrected his mistake and offered it to you at the originally quoted price of $ 30, which with the discount came to $ 15. Apparently, this was unacceptable, however, as you berated and questioned the manager for several minutes about the price difference between the bottles, even though, again, he’d already stated he would give it to you at the other bottle’s price, and included free jello shots for you and your friends as well. I made no comment, however I did feel you were creating a «situation» where there was none. After he walked away, you then went on to denigrate our business and question our ethics. The customer at the bar heard you clearly and, as she is a regular patron of The Wine Bar, took offense to your attitude and comments but did not say anything to you. After you left, you then engaged the manager again, who did not insult you at any point during your encounter with him, from outside on the sidewalk and berated him further, even as he tried to be friendly with you. At that point, I stated I thought you were overdoing it and to just let it go, as you’d gotten the discount you wanted and all the drama wasn’t necessary. You then praised my service and even acknowledged to me that maybe you’d been a little too aggressive about the «incident» but that you were unhappy with how the manager had treated you.
As Dave Barry said, anyone who is nice to you but not nice to your waiter is not a nice person. You are that customer.
I hope anyone reading these reviews and others on this site will take my account into consideration. I generally disapprove of employees of a business responding to negative reviews but this was beyond the pale for me. To be insulted, under-​tipped and then reviewed in this manner is too much for me to let quietly go by.

Love wine bar! My honey and I love having a quick date night here. Sometimes you just want to go out for a glass of wine but you don’t want to rage. Always live music with 1 or 2 people, dim lit, and they sell cigars. They could definitely remodel their outdoor patio since right now it looks like they’ve accumulated some pieces from a garage sale. Also, I’ve only ever had a flatbread from there and it was. not good. Wine and beer selection is wonderful and so is the atmosphere.

The staff insulted my friends clothing and intelligence when they thought she was out of ear shot. Did not have a good experience there and won’t be returning.

Go for the wine — not for the food.
We needed a little something to tide us over and remembered that The Wine Bar was great and that they now had light food. We had the scallops and some kind of chips and hummus, I think. In a word «horrible», but the wine was good.
Still tucked away and could be hard to find but worth the trip.
The wine selection is excellent and the place is an oasis in the middle of a desert of typical bars full of people just looking for a shot or specialty drink.

The Wine Bar is a great little escape from the hustle, bustle, shot-​taking party fest of the beach bars. With dark wood and deep red décor, comfy couches, and a stack of board games, this little place is all about refined relaxation and adult conversations. They have open mic nights on Wednesday which can get a little loud, but hey, it’s always nice to see burgeoning local talent. I don’t usually bother trying to pick out the perfect glass of wine. Instead I let the bartenders decide for me, and I’ve yet to be disappointed. All the staff seem to know their stuff, and the place is spotless and welcoming. It’s not somewhere I’d go every night, but it’s wonderful to know there is a quiet hideaway where you can enjoy a glass of vino (and maybe a cigar?) east of 3^rd Street.

I love going here. I have been a patron for years. The service is amazing! The owner is usually there and even bartends! He really knows his wines. The atmosphere is the best. Very classy and comfortable.
Although I have been here dozens of times, the Wine Bar really out did itself this Saturday night. When I paid my tab, I left my change purse with my cash and driver’s license there. The owner found it and looked me up on facebook. Then, he sent me a facebook message letting me know that my purse was at the bar. I was so happy that I would get my driver’s license back. I assumed the cash was gone. To my surprise, everything was in it! Thank you Wine Bar for taking car of your customers.

Cute little relaxing chill spot. This is where to go when you want to get out of the house but you don’t want to be around loud music or a messload of overly drunk people.
They have board games for playing with friends and it’s in the same building as Chicago Pizza if you start getting the munchies. The interior is nice and upscale, so you feel pretty classy even if you just came to lounge around and play board games and sip wine in casual gear.
Great for a low-​key night.

Clean and modern with a more upscale feel, The Wine Bar is almost out of place next to the rest of the places on the 1^st Street Strip. But that’s a good thing. Its nice to have a fancier, quieter option in the area, although most of the bars on 1^st are a blast if you’re in the right mood.
But I digress… The Wine Bar really impressed me with its décor and atmosphere. The first time we went in it was during Happy Hour [it was pretty dead, but I’ve heard that’s not the norm] and it was cool and nicely lit. The wine list isn’t amazing, but its really solid, and I got some great suggestions from the bartender.
I can’t say that I would make the trip out to the area just to go to Wine Bar [as opposed to The Grotto in San Marco, which is drive-​worthy for sure] but it is a very nice place. Its a must-​try if you do happen to be in Jax Beach.