Just getting out of the house and sampling some of what Butte County has to offer. Almendra Winery and Distillery had a pop up fare going on with local crafts and offerings to check out in the back. At the bar I sampled some of the Monkey Face brand gin, rum, Brandy, and whiskey. Also, I had the monkey bites which is flat bread pizza like snacks. All told it was a very nice time. I tried a fancy spring mixed cocktail too. Very refreshing read more

Almendra Winery & Distillery - 4 Spirit Flight: Gin, Brandy, Rum & Whisky - Wineries Near Me - Durham, California

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Update: Almendra has now become a steakhouse. We decided to give it another chance and we're glad we did! VERY pleasantly surprised. The food is much better than before. We arrived too early for the steak dinners, but we were able to enjoy really DELICIOUS burgers. The service was good as well. Prices are very high though and that's unfortunate. We'd love to have Almendra be one of our regular lunch/dinner spots, but it's way too expensive for that. read more

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This week we had the opportunity to dine at Almendra, twice. My wife and I were extremely pleased by the food and staff. The restaurant has a charming atmosphere, the food service by Stephanie for both our nights out were amazing. The food was top shelf. This is now our weekly "date night" place to eat. read more

Almendra Winery & Distillery - Our awesome dinner for two. - Wineries Near Me - Durham, California

Music event tonight and not enough wait staff? Wow, not hard to plan for. The two waitresses were running. Wine was the worst wine I've ever had the displeasure to taste or drink. Bertagna's Vino Rojo tasted like it was bottled yesterday. Putrid, fizzy, and astringent. It took me two hours to try to drink it. The waitress dropped it and never came back or I would have returned it. My date had the Bertagna's Pinot Grigio and it tasted similar to retsina, she couldn't drink it it was so bad. I would have tried one of their home distilled spirits but didn't want to waste any more money. Dinner was good but a $19 hamburger with $1.50 if you wanted cheese, $2,50 for a couple chunks of avocado and $1,75 for a piece of bacon - a $25 hamburger served with cold chunks of some kind of French fry. At least it was a tasty burger. Then the bill. The waitress charged the two of us a Automattic mandatory 20% gratuity for being in a "big party". The only seating to hear the music was at large round tables. No two or four-tops. We were there with another couple at OUR table and other people came and sat at the table because there was no other place to sit to hear the music. All the tables became community tables as people wandered in looking for a place to sit to hear the music. So we all got charged a mandatory 20% because we were a big party. No there were four of us and other people sat with us because the restaurant provided no other seating option. Then the chairs were the most uncomfortable things I've never sat in, an hour later my butt is still complaining. Won't be going back there anytime soon if ever. read more

We were really looking forward to trying this steakhouse out. However sorry to say this was a horrible experience! The salad was ok but had a salad plate with no bread or even crackers. When the meal came the mashed potatoes (Seemed like box dried potatoes) were completely cold. The veggies were also completely cold. The sirloin was warm but I ordered med. well and got it bloody rare. The service wasn't much better. The waitress disappeared and we waited quite awhile to get the bill so we could leave. When she came she asked if I wanted a box , as I couldn't eat my meal, nope no way. Prices are high especially for food you can't eat! As for ambance, there was hardly anyone in the front section. There was live music in the back room so maybe they were just catering to them. I guess maybe for a bar it would be good but this was hands down the worst experience we've ever had. read more

Literally the best old fashioned I've ever had. Still dreaming about it. We had 14 people in our party and most everyone ordered something different and everyone liked their food. We were enjoying the moment so much I forgot to take I picture of our food and drinks. The staff were so kind and the bartender was on his game! Definitely will be back. read more

While researching stops on our last adventure, I found Almendra on Yelp as a distillery... I checked the website and saw the "Monkey Face Bourbon" long sleeve t-shirt- of course I HAD to have one!!!! We walked in, was greeted by the staff, sat down, ordered a whiskey flight followed by a cocktail and a tray of cheese and crackers with olives and grapes. Our server was efficient and witty!!! When back in the Durham area, we will definitely stop again!!! read more

Almendra Winery & Distillery - My excellent t-shirt from Almendra!!! Love this shirt, always gets comments... BBBUUUTTTT, the whiskey ROCKS!!! - Wineries Near Me - Durham, California

Mother's Day brunch was exceptional food and service. Very enjoyable time. The ambiance was beautiful! Would recommend checking the venue out and have some appetizers! read more

We wanted another restaurant to get a good steak. This wasn't it. Everything on the menu was very good ie tapas, salads, bread, deserts, whiskey ( bought 2 bottles to take home ) ,martinis, scampi and sea bass. We also ordered 4 steaks, 3 wagyu steaks and one a filet. 3 out of the 4 were like shoe leather but did have a good flavor. Needless to say we won't order a steak here again. The server we had was the best, very attentive and quick. And the martinis were full right up to the rim. We've been here about 3 other times and like the atmosphere So we'll probably return but not for the beef. read more

Solid. Pizza was probably the best I've had in chico area. The inside like oled really good and people seemed to be enjoying their wine. But dang, my beer glass wasnt cold and service took forever and outside had no shade. I'll give em a 4 but it was really close to a 3. I have faith shade will come and that we got there when they were understaffed. Will definitely go back, super cool spot. read more

Dinner Covid Saturday night April 2021: We had made reservations for 4 and had expected to have some descent seating for dinner which turned out to be a disappointment as we were forced to either sit outside in the full sun (they had no sun shades or covers) on wooden picnic tables or small tables not big enough for food and drinks for 4. The House Salad was ok. $6.75 The Midway Pizza was excellent. $18.95 The Aloha Pizza was very good as well. $18.75 The Bacon Wrapped Prawns were very good. $15.95 The Roasted Brussels Sprouts were ok. None of us were that impressed with this small plate. $14.95 The Bertagna Petite Sirah (tasted by 2 of us) was just so so. $8.50 The Bertagna Sangiovese came with what looked like a lot of residue floating on top and after drinking it all that residue was now at the bottom of the glass. Some of us thought it looked like soap however it didn't taste like soap. I'm a big fan and drink quite a bit of Sangiovese and this was not one I woukd ever order again. $8.50 Two of us had cocktails and they reviewed them as "pretty good" however not awesome. We're happy Almendra appears to be successful and we received excellent service from our server Sue A. read more

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We had our staff holiday party here on Wednesday evening. It was booked ahead of time and the restaurant/winery totally made it work for us- giving us the "side" of the restaurant for our get together. We pre-ordered pizzas, a charcuterie plate, and a big salad which was just the right amount for our group. We ordered our drinks separately and paid for them at the bar. I had a Moscow mule and a lemon drop, both of which were tasty and didn't seem weak. The bartenders were friendly and well-paced. I'd love to come back for wine tasting or one of the events they hold. Also for the adorable jewelry I saw when I walked in and then forgot about. I'll be back! read more

Almendra Winery & Distillery - Their pizzas - Wineries Near Me - Durham, California

Food is very expensive, $7 for a side of bread that all restaurants would consider complimentary, service is mediocre. Two stars for convenience for a Durham location. Old menu was much better. read more

Hawaiian pizza was sooo delicious. Make it a menu staple! We also got pepperoni and the Cowboy. All of them were amazingly delicious. My aunt tried the white wine. I think she liked it. I don't drink. So much for a review for a winery, huh? I would love to come back to try something other than pizza. I live about three hours away though, so it won't be any time soon. The only thing I disliked about this place was the dessert. I got bread pudding to take home with me, but didn't realize it was called "boozy bread pudding" until I saw it written on the box when I got home. Our waiter never said anything about alcohol in it and just called it bread pudding. No boozy. Yuck. read more

Awesome food, excellent service and great customer service! We had the Cubano sandwich and the steak sandwich with a flight of distillery tastings. Couldn't have been better! read more

New menu stinks, especially for a large family with kids. We planned our whole Saturday around an overdue visit to Almendra, which has been our go to spot for delicious food. After looking at the new menu we realized it was going to be a "no go" and decided to relocate to another restaurant. Kids were bummed there was no longer a pizza option, and kids menu was overpriced and not very kid friendly. Although we loved Almendra and it's food/atmosphere, we probably won't be back. read more

Almendra Winery & Distillery - menu for kids's menu - Wineries Near Me - Durham, California

Servers were amazing! Food is surprisingly delicious! Everything we ordered was sooo flavorful & seasoned perfectly! The meatball appetizer & pizza is a must! I highly recommend! read more

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Great Pizza and delicious mixed drinks or wine for anytime!! I love love love the barrel room. Perfect place to host a party of 50+ or enjoy a Artisan Faire. read more

Great setting, phenomenal cocktail, and delicious food. Really a special treat for the community of Durham! Cheers!

We came across Almendra while in Durham and we're so glad we did. It's a beautiful place with great service and even better food and drinks! Highly recommend. read more

Started off slow. But the Drinks made up for it. Great Smokey Old Fashion. My GF had a Chunky Monkey. They were great. The sausage and sauce kraut is really good too along with the Caprese Salad was delicious. Defginately a place to come back too. read more

Almendra Winery & Distillery - Smokey Old Fashion and a Chunky Monkey. - Wineries Near Me - Durham, California

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Food is worth the trip. Wine, do yourself a favor and skip. Spirits are good, but their cocktail game needs to evolve. The cocktails they serve are well executed, but un inspired. read more

Just one star short of a perfect hand. Why? Read on to find out The wine: after a few days in Napa we came here for a Sunday lunch and tasting. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and variety of wines. It's good to know you don't have to drive to Napa for good wine in the area. Where the wine brought me up - the Brandy let me down. Food: the bruschetta, garlic bread and pizza are all solid offerings. The service was spot on- super friendly and helpful. So why only 4?...Because I wonder where the Almendra is. Their name and the neighborhood indicates that should be some rich almonds in here somewhere. But sadly there are no nuts to be found. The brandy flights are cool and a fun way to sample them all. ... But, the brandy - it was drinkable but not worth the premium price to take a bottle home. read more

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We had an amazing early Valentine's Day dinner at Almendra. Chef Leon is a wonderful addition and the food was spot on! Honestly, we will eat any restaurant she's cooking for. We look forward to see what else she adds to the menu. The ambience was perfect and the live music by Tyler DeVoll was really enjoyable. It's the perfect venue for that kind of performance. We will absolutely head back soon! read more

So very disappointed with both food and service last night. Our waitress was downright rude. My very pregnant friend needed to use the restroom but the waitress insisted she wait so she could tell us the specials first. Then I ordered the bacon wrapped prawns. The dish was $15 and there were 5 severely over cooked shrimp not prawns. Then at the end of the night we were there 10 minutes passed close as we came at 7ish and there were still two other tables finishing up and our waitress came over and said, "you are the reason I'm still here I just thought you should know that," and left. For being such a beautiful spot and for having yummy drinks I gave this review two stars instead of one. However, the food and staff were seriously lacking. Maybe I will give it another shot but for the price I definitely expected more. read more

They are now a "steakhouse". I'm not sure anyone asked for that but the whole menu has changed and is filled with unappetizing TikTok trending food. They had a solid thing going with their delicious pizzas, monkey bread and bruschetta so I don't understand why they changed everything up. Not a single thing on their menu looks appetizing so we left without getting to use our gift card. Disappointed and probably won't return to use that gift card. read more

Best good ever! Chef Ann Leon was incredible. Alison was a great waitress and we got the best serine from her. I would definitely recommend. We got many dishes but pictured is the prosciutto pizza. read more

Almendra Winery & Distillery - Wineries Near Me - Durham, California

Had a great afternoon at the Almendra Winery! I was so surprised to find this place and to see that they also serve food. The bar was comfortable ---and a full bar to boot, and the flight of wine--$8-was reasonable. Admittedly I didn't fall in love with all the wines---the Cab didn't really present itself to me as full as I like, but I did leave with a bottle of the Monkey vodka and a bottle of Barbera wine which I really liked. In addition, you can find local meats---so I treated myself to some grass fed beef! Definitely a fun time . read more

My steak with mushroom sauce, mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables were way too salty. The potatoes were not only salty but also peppery! In additon, the veggies and potatoes were not hot. Barely warm. Very disappointing. Their prices compare to Bay Area or LA prices. I also don't like any of their wines. It looked like most customers were ordering cocktails instead. read more

Food was great. Wine and spirits great all the house made are a must try. I recommend the distillery flight. Server is knowledgeable about wine and spirits quick with a great recommendation. Couldn't ask for a better looking place had private dinner in the back. Run dont walk to try. read more

My friend and I visited Almendra Winery & Distillery on the way to Chico, the first day it opened to the public (January 30). We were welcomed by Berton and Carol Bertanga themselves, who were very friendly and excited to talk about the different wines they offered. You can taste 6 different wines for just $7. They even gave us little breadsticks with the wine. The quality of the wine itself is spectacular. Some of my favorites were the Zinfandel Rose, Syrah, and the Petit Verdot. We were very pleased with each and every one of the wines we sampled. The place itself is very spacious and relaxed, with lots of seating. There is also a large event room in the back. It's a great place to gather with friends or to hold an event. Bottles are very reasonably priced ($11-$28). The wine spirits were not quite ready yet (they said around March), but in the meantime there is an abundance of delicious wine to enjoy. We'll definitely be back next time we are in the area! read more

Almendra Winery & Distillery - Wineries Near Me - Durham, California

Wonderful wine and Spirits! Amazing staff. Excellent food! You must try this delightful establishment! read more

We stopped by Almendra for lunch on our way home from a recent road trip to Crater Lake, Bend, Mt. Bachelor, McArthur-Burney Falls and Lassen. What a nice find! I've never been to the Chico-Durham area and was pleasantly surprised by how lovely the area is and how good the wine, spirits and pizza are at Almendra. The staff was fun, friendly and so accommodating. We enjoyed several tastings of wine and spirits, delicious gin and bourbon concoctions and the linguica pizza, which was amazing! Mounds of delicious locally made linguica and mushrooms. Double yum! Who would think pomegranate wine could be so delicious! What a wonderful way to end an incredible road trip. read more

Food is delicious! Wine is top notch! Mixed drinks showcase their spirits perfectly! My husband and I joined their wine club. Their Sangiovese is our favorite wine here and we never get out of here without grabbing at least one bottle. I love their arugula salad with homemade green goddess dressing and their pizzas are tasty too! Stop by, have some lunch, and taste their wines! You'll definitely want to come back! read more

Almendra Winery & Distillery - Wineries Near Me - Durham, California

What a wonderful place, very relaxed with an outstanding atmosphere. Me and my friend enjoyed each of the 6 wine sampler, the food was excellent and reasonably priced. Even my friends 2 year old daughter had a great time thanks to Connor and the rest of the gang. Definitely a place to go and have a relaxed good time read more

After chef Ann Leon left the Almendra the quality of food went down along with the demeanor of the underpaid staff. They are keeping most of Chef Ann's food but with her gone she took the flavor, the quality, and heart with her. They also don't require masks during a Pandemic. I don't see a bright future for The Almendra Winery and Distillery. read more

Not what it should be or once was. Atmosphere- 5 stars, comfortable, relaxing, and impressive Food-Pizza-4 stars, quick, good size for 2 Specialty cocktails/wine-5 stars Customer Service-2 stars-Came for lunch on a Friday, 4 other customers inside. We were rushed for a drink order, vague responses on recommendations, and when we did make our food/drink order, the staff member just walked away. The food arrived promptly. About halfway through the meal (maybe 10 mins) the staff member brings the check over and drops it off, never once came to check in on us, never once offered to get another round of drinks, nothing. We would have liked to stay, but we did not feel like they wanted our business. I then put my CC on the table with bill, nobody ever came back. So after about 15 min I went up to the bar, and was greeted in a very professional manner by the bartender, and he handled closing out my bill. I'm not sure what has happened to the high level of customer service that Almendra use to provide, but please bring it back. read more

Fantastic wine, gorgeous atmosphere. Our server Stephanie was so sweet and funny with outstanding service. Highly recommend!

Hi, charming place. Great waitresses friendly and mostly attentive. Flat bread pizzas tasted good, however, the (steak?) burger which was a huge handmade patty of meat, tomato , lettuce, was grey and almost raw. (Asked for med. rare) It lacked flavor- even the tomato. fries were very salty. The drinks- Long Island and lemon drop were nice. The old fashions had a huge block ice cube which looked wonderful but left very little room for the actual drink. Over all very pricey for what you actually got. We spend several hundred dollars for our party. Again the ambiance was charming. read more

This place is the hotspot in Durham as there's only one other place to eat. They serve hard liquor and wine and beer. We had some of their wine and it was pretty good and reasonably priced so we bought a couple bottles. We also bought a bottle of the Gin and unfortunately could not go on a tour. We also had a pepperoni pizza and caprese. The pepperoni pizza was so-so but the caprese was excellent. Joel was our server and he was tentative and informative about the products they sold. read more