Wine Steals

Wine Steals is located on the eastern edge of Hillcrest, as the area begins to morph into North Park. On University Avenue, a few blocks west of Park Avenue, Wine Steals is a wine bar that also offers wine tastings and an array of tapas style food items. Glasses range from about $5-7.

Wine Steals is typically pretty crowded. They are going for a very European approach to drinking and dining. Many tables are large enough for multiple parties (depending on size, of course), and the wine bottles, which are also for sale, are the primary decor.

You order your drinks and food at the bar, take a number, and they bring it out you. The bartenders are typically quite knowledgeable, and they have a good selection of wines to choose from. The bartenders are friendly and will offer suggestions, even take your wine back if you aren't satisfied.

Yet for all their good efforts to be European, I think they have fallen short of what they strive for. The music is a bit too loud, the crowds a little too rambunctious. While the wines are quite delicious, the bread is a little stale, the cheeses nothing to write home about. Of course there are plenty of bars in Europe that have only mediocre food, but there is something more subtle than that. I suppose the best way to state it is to say it is slightly less civilized.

That's not to say it is a bad place. I would certainly return; it's just a matter of adjusting your expectations. It's an American Wine Bar, not European, and not Wine Tasting.


Wine Steals
1243 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 295-1188

Hours
Mon 4-10 pm;
Tue-Wed 2-10:30 pm;
Thu 2-11 pm;
Fri 2 pm-midnight;
Sat 11 am-midnight;
Sun 2 pm-9:30 pm