really impressed with the food here and even more impressed that it’s coming from a wine bar. creative small plates with bold flavors done well. service is helpful and friendly. great place for a drink, dinner or late night snack.
They stock an interesting selection of wines – all local – and I found a new brand I enjoy (Miscreant). Friendly staff as well. However…I have a slight gripe with this place for charging a $15 corkage fee when you buy a bottle on site and want to drink it there.
The wine and bites are nice, especially for San Jose. I’d return with the expectation that it’ll be spendy and that the wait time is likely to be long. Wish they’d take reservations!
That’s pretty common tho, maybe not everywhere but not out of place. probably related to the cost of needing a different license for on site consumption vs sale for takeaway
Edit: i was thinking this was about a bottle shop, didn’t realize what thread I was in
Many restaurants charge less for a bottle to go because it costs them less: no labor to open and pour, no glasses to wash, polish, and replace when they break, less related staff training (e.g. Responsible Beverage Service certification).
No extra license is required. The type 41 “on sale beer & wine - eating place” license includes off-sale. The vast majority of California wine bars have that license, which is to say they’re technically restaurants. Bars with the relatively rare type 42 “on sale beer & wine - public premises” license cannot allow minors and don’t have to sell food.
It was my first time seeing this type of charge, but I’m based in LA where the practice might be less common? I understand the costs associated with my consumption on site; still, I’d rather see the all inclusive price on the bottle and get the discount on takeaway (the less common scenario).
The usual reason for a policy along the lines of “pay $15 corkage to open any bottle from the shop to enjoy here” is that they don’t put everything on the wine list (which would be an additional labor cost).
Wine list prices are typically a percentage over the cost, so a flat fee like that is a bargain if you’re not getting the cheapest wine.
Helen’s in the back of jon & vinnys used to do an upcharge for opening a bottle at the restaurant vs the listed price on the bottle, not sure if they still do
Can’t say I’ve paid attention to how common either is but I’ve seen both scenarios over the years
