Bar Tinto is more than a hidden gem. It is a rare find in Orange County. It offers some of the best Mexico City style food items I've had anywhere other than CDMX itself. The chef uses his free range of creativity and offers such unique and amazing ingredients in all of his dishes. He truly cares and has a passion for beautiful food. My wife and I know alot of chefs and restaurants in SoCal and this is some of the best food we can find. Chef Jonathan and his kitchen staff are all one of a kind. They shop for only the freshest ingredients and offer a variety of seasonal dishes throughout the year. The Pork Belly Taco has been a long standing menu item that literally NEVER disappoints. It is incredible. Every tostada the chef creates is amazing. And the Green Goddess dressing on their salad is worthy of bottling and drinking straight. The wine program is also incredible. The range of wine is amazing and everyone on staff is SO knowledgeable about every wine they offer. If you aren't sure about wine or how to pick out you can give them the simplest explanation of what wine you want and they will bring over several bottles to chose from and will give you an in depth and beautiful description of all of them before you decide what you want. Amazing food, wine, music and vibes are all huge perks but what really sets Bar Tinto over the edge is the hospitality and kindness of all the staff. Great for date night, for a night out with friends, a spot to bring the parents too, literally any occasion. We look forward to sitting in tinto and enjoying the food and wine at least twice a week!! Gracias, Bar Tinto! 10/10 read more

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Went to check out the Jazz nights at Bar Tinto and had a nice night out with a girlfriend. Seating was limited so make sure to come early, managed to grab one in the corner. Staff was really friendly and accommodating. They recommended an orange wine that we liked. The oysters were fresh too and the bread had a nice crunch. Make sure to purchase tickets for the Jazz night in advanced they do sell out! read more

Bar Tinto - The coffee shop flips to a wine bar with jazz on certain nights - Wine Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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From the moment you walk in, the service sets the tone, attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely welcoming without feeling overbearing. The natural wine selection is outstanding. You can tell it's been thoughtfully curated, and the staff really knows how to guide you through it. The pairings are intentional and elevate the entire experience, not just an afterthought. The ambiance is top-notch, effortlessly stylish, warm, and the kind of place that works just as well for a date night as it does for a relaxed night out with friends. And the food... the pork belly taco was absolutely mind-blowing. Perfectly balanced, rich without being heavy, and executed with real attention to detail. This is one of those places where everything, from service to wine to food; comes together seamlessly. Definitely a standout. read more

Initially, I made a reservation for two through Resy, but wanted to change it to three. For some reason, you cannot book a table for three. but you can book for two or four. Instead, I called them and they were able to accommodate that change. Since, Bar Tinto is in WIP, we know that parking here sucks. So come early for parking, luckily they were able to hold our table. This review is for Jonathan Garcia's menu. Kushi oysters were served with a lime mignonette already in the oyster shell. Oysters tasted fresh and good quality. The ribeye vampiro was served on a corn tortilla, with a sheet of cheese, and balanced salsa. I was expecting nice thick chunks of ribeye, but it was a thin crispy slice. I enjoyed the dish, but I was hoping for more. I tried my friend's pork belly taco and it's delicious. The fattiness was decadent. I wish I ordered one for myself. In addition, as a wine bar I would expect a wider variety of wines. They are knowledgeable about the 5 wines on the menu. It's ironic facing a wall of wines, but only able to sip on 5 varietals and some spritz options. However, the desserts were delicious and I recommend saving room for both of them. Unfortunately, I would not return here. The customer service was attentive, but kitchen is slow. If you do decide to come here, then I suggest you practice patience or come here on a date with someone you really like. Also, check their IG for an updated menu, since it probably changes often. read more

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What a fun place! We got there right when it opened as we weren't sure how crowded it would be, and it did fill up pretty quickly. It's a pretty small place. A handful of two top tables some bench seating along the walls and a big 6 person table in the middle. I think they take reservations. Cool lighting in a hip environment. Good music. Parking is brutal in the area. We got lucky though, and found street parking right on Randolph. It's a very limited menu of tasting of small plates. And a small menu of eight or so natural wines, and two vermouth spritzes. I think they are all by the glass. When we were there, they had a guest chef, so this review was only for those dishes. I'm assuming they won't be on the regular menu once the regular chef gets back. We shared four dishes for two people. And each had two wines and a vermouth spritz. We weren't stuffed, but we weren't hungry either. The dishes to add up price wise, though - I think our bill was 170 or so. See the photos for what we ordered. Great place. We will definitely go again. read more

Bar Tinto - Smoked sausage with broken green Sambal and sticky black rice - Wine Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Came here with a group of 6. If you come with a larger group, I recommend making a reservation in advance. They had one larger table in the middle reserved for us but the rest of tables were very small. The vibes are very cute and intimate, perfect for an elevated date night. We ordered one of each dish. Our favorite was the tostada, we loved the citrusy fish paired with the crunchy tostada. Also loved the sour bread with tomato, the dip was delicious. The sardine fennel bread was extremely fishy. The duck quesadilla was pretty good although it was a pretty small/thin amount of duck. Overall pretty good tapas and cute ambiance! read more

Bar Tinto - Wine Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

It actually pains me to write this because I absolutely love Work In Progress and was really excited for Bar Tinto. I absolutely love the vibes and how moody it is - the music is great too. I think they're still figuring things out! They seemed a bit understaffed I will say. Vibes are phenom so let's start with that. I really enjoyed the drinks I had as well! They have a large selection of wines. The food was very lackluster although there were 2 dishes that really stood out. What stood out: The mushroom taco! This was soooo flavorful & I loved the mint with it. I could've ate a couple more of those. The dessert was insane. Every component individually was a party in my mouth but together it was a full disco. We started with the tomatoes that had fried shallots in fish sauce. Generally I like all these things but the fish sauce wasn't the fish sauce I particularly enjoyed and it was hard to eat. I eat fish sauce with my egg rolls when I go to viet restaurants so I usually like it but this one was off. We had gotten these meatballs that were very lemongrass forward and it was served with raw cabbage and raw onion like nothing on the cabbage at all dressing wise or sauce? The meatballs were kind of dry. We got the fish tacos and they did have skin on it. The skin just gave it a very odd texture and the flavor wasn't all there. I'd come back for the vibes and when the menu changes next month! read more

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My gfs and I tried this spot on a Thursday night. There were tables inside and a small outdoor patio with seating. We tried one of each item on the menu and they were all really good! Service was great. The server came by to check on us often and our waters were always refilled. They also gave us recommendations for wine. This would be a cute little dinner date spot. read more

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Los caramelos performed was amazing. Great place food was delicious. They have great customer service read more

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Bar Tinto is a 10/5. it's such a beautiful spot if you want something more chill and i believe they switch out local chefs every month so you get to try something new. their wine selection was pretty big but i ended up getting a chardonnay and my partner ordered the yuzu spritz. both were very good. the server was great and always made sure we had was we needed. they also are such a good third place spot and host events there. read more

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If CDMX had a love child with your favorite natural wine bar, it'd look exactly like this spot. The ambience? Perfection. We couldn't resist ordering the entire menu and each dish delivered. The pork belly taco was personally my favorite; rich, tender, and dripping with a fish sauce caramel thai chili that hits all the salty-sweet-umami notes at once. The kanpachi tostada came in close second, super fresh and citrusy. The owners are so sweet as well, making sure each guest enjoyed their time and are great conversationalists. Bottom line: whether you're coming for the aesthetics, the wine, or the food, you're leaving happy. I'm already counting the days until they expand the menu, because if this is the starting point, the sequel's going to be equally as great!! read more

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I saw this place pop up on my yelp and I decided to give it a try. Soooo glad I did! The place is so adorable. They have a large wine selection and the price is reasonable. They had like a Thai inspired menu for food when I came and it was absolutely delicious! I tried this meatball thing, tamarind mushroom taco, tomato salad and this pork taco. My favorite was the tomato salad and the mushroom taco. All the dishes I tried were flavorful and fresh. The tortilla for the taco were actually really good too. I will say the portions are slightly small but i would say this is a place you come in for a drink and nibble some bites. The server were friendly and delightful. I was told that the menu changes frequently so I am excited to try other things they will have. I would absolutely be back! read more

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Love love love! The food is seriously so good. Such a hidden gem in the camp. Everywhere else is packed and this place is yet to be discovered. Small menu but every item was incredible. I'm also gluten free and could eat everything except the sourdough (but my husband and son said it was amazing!). Couldn't recommend enough. Go here before reservations are booked out and you can't get in. read more

We stumbled upon Bar Tinto recently! The food was delicious and beautiful to look at. The owners were lovely. They came out and greeted us and we felt very welcomed. This place is a gem! In fact, doing a small birthday gathering there for my bestie's upcoming birthday :) read more

Lovely, homey bar with a relaxing ambiance. The owner who was there the night we went was incredibly knowledgable about French wines and had excellent recommendations. I'd definitely go back, and would recommend this spot if you're looking for a relaxing night out with great vino. read more

Love this place! The service was amazing. They were very knowledgeable to recommend wine, very chill and hospitable. Made you feel at home. Don't skip on their pork belly taco! I think about it all the time! Amazing! read more

love the ambience, food, and wine. definitely on the pricier side but super cute date night. went around 8pm on a friday night did not have to wait but food does take a while to come out. read more

Bar Tinto - Wine Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Super cute date night spot , went here with my husband and it's very intimate . It's perfect for people who don't want to be around huge crowds. read more

Good, chill vibes. Small but yummy food selection. Very friendly staff that was super helpful with which wines to get!

Delicious!! Great drinks, food, service, and ambiance. Got the tasting menu and didn't hesitate to order another pork belly taco. It was heavenly. I'm genuinely surprised there wasn't more people there on a Saturday night. Will definitely be back! read more

This spot is doing it right. From everything to the food, service, location, and ambiance. Top 3 food and drink experiences I've ver had in my life. This spot gives the hospitality industry faith that good places still exist. Didn't catch everyone's names that were working tonight but please go out your way to check this spot out and visit them. Worth it x1000. read more

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Yum! Everything was sooo good. Good vibes, good food, good people. Simple and perfect. Can't wait to come back!

I love the atmosphere and the food was delicious. Love coming here. Great price. The staff and owner is very friendly.