We were both impressed with the overall experience as well as each aspect of it! This is definitely a must visit while in town. Everyone was so helpful and friendly! Starting with the hostess at the front door and continuing with the bar tenders/ wine pourers, wait staff and management. The food was excellent as well. The menu has something for everyone while maintaining a modest number of choices. The wait times were good and we weren't left waiting for our waitress when we needed her. It is a very cool building. It's very worthwhile to check out the second floor and the dining room and wine bar there. Tables were clean and the seating was comfortable with plenty of room in between tables. Our overall experience was a delight. We were never questioning if the staff knew their products or their business. I would definitely return and I can comfortably recommend giving this establishment a try and a looksee. read more

Will definitely be back here! Susie is so sweet and knows her stuff! Very personable and just so enthusiastic. We tried many different wines and I stayed away from my usual and it was worth it. The spiced apple wine was my favorite!! The prices are reasonable. There is a huge seating area just to hang out and sit to talk. There is a restaurant underneath the tasting room as well. I loved it. read more

Galena Cellars - Wineries Near Me - Galena, Illinois

See all

On a recent visit to downtown Galena we decided to walk around and visit the various shops on a visit to see our son for his 21st birthday. Since we are members of Coopers Hawk we decided to give this place a try and see how their wines were. The person taking care of us for our sample selection poured the wines in the order that as she explained would best fit the flavor profiles from sweet to dry. It's nice when you have someone that knows what the winery produces to give you the best experience. On two of the wines she recommended this little circle of chocolate to compliment the wine and it was a spot on recommendation. If your in the area and like wine, this is a great place to stop. read more

See all

Great for a wine tasting or small bite. I'd say it's more of a lunch than dinner place, but I can see it livening up when they have live music! It wasn't too busy on a Friday night. We really loved the curds (fried with white wine) and the steak bites. We were pretty hungry so we ordered a handful of things. I think it would have been a better lunch or afternoon spot! read more

See all

Not really a place to eat, but you can sample all of the wines from Galena cellars here. Delicious and easy to drink. Live music was decent and the staff was very friendly. We will definitely be back!! read more

Galena Cellars - Women's ar - Wineries Near Me - Galena, Illinois

See all

My friend and I decided to come by for lunch. We didn't order wine this time. We got 3 items (broccoli cheddar, pecan crusted salmon bites (I love it! It'S soo good) and prosciutto and mozzarella pearl flat bread. We OPT-OUT the prosciutto for the prosciutto and mozzarella pearl flat bread since my friend doesn't eat meat. My friend felt that she was a bother while ordering with the first staff because she was asking questions regarding the soup since she's a vegetarian. She just wanted to make sure theres no meat broth because other places uses meat broth as their soup base. Then a 2nd staff took over and completed our order. Unfortunately, 40mins after getting the flat bread.. we didn't get our 2nd part of the order until my friend asked the staff about it. She apologized and said that due to opting out the prosciutto, it canceled the other items and didn't get sent to the kitchen. We waited a bit for the rest to come since we already paid for it and packed the leftover it to-go due to time constraints. I'm taking 2 star off due to this reason. We will still come back. Just disappointed from our last visit. read more

See all

Amazing cellar! The Octoberfest wine!! What a choice! We loved the ambience We can spend the rest of our vacation in this lovely place! read more

See all

It was wonderful ! We bought a box of snacks from the fridge a bag of breadsticks. The place is so much bigger and nicer than our previous trip here . Excellent service from the moment you walked in you get greeted and during your visit. The place is clean. Try it . read more

We bopped in here as a group of gals on a girls weekend and they had plenty of space for us to get a snack and get out of the heat. I had the cherry o-fashion as I wasn't really feeling like wine and it was delicious. My friends largely had the wine flights and seemed to really enjoy them. My friend and I split a flat bread to eat and it was pretty meh and I would not get it again. However, the space is very comfortable, the service was great, and we were mostly here for beverages. I did try a portobello fry from my friends plate and it was tasty. I would suggest this as a solid stop when you are strolling Galena :) read more

Galena Cellars - Wineries Near Me - Galena, Illinois

We popped in before dinner intending to get a glass of wine. It's a multi level establishment, so we were a bit confused which floor to visit. We opted for the second floor because it offered wine tasting and flights, while the first floor included cocktails and was more seating focused. We each did a tasting, we picked 6 wines each. Of the 6 I had, I thought 3 were really good and 3 were ok. I wanted to like the wedding cake more than I did, it smells like an almond cookie, but it finished much sweet than I cared for. It was almost opposite of the honey mead which was sweet upfront, but had a nice clean finish. I didn't catch the name of the person who did our tasting, but she was very nice and informative. There are a few wine shops on Main and this one is worth a visit. We didn't try the food, but the menu looked tasty. read more

Galena Cellars makes some of the best wine in Illinois/Midwest, and we love it dearly. They have earned our customer-ship for the known future! We love the new location of Galena Cellars! While we were sad to say goodbye to the memories and experiences at the past location, this new location is a dramatic improvement. First, the new location is much more accessible by foot since it is in the heart of downtown. Plus it is in the gorgeous 111 Main location which has one of the most classy and memorable storefronts on the street! I love have Galena Cellars maintained the integrity of the facade with their new sign. Second, the new space has so much room for folks to enjoy their wine. It is three floor, but right now the main action is on the second floor. When you first walk in, the first floor entryway is decorated in a classy and warm way with a gorgeous white grand piano. There is a stairway up to the second floor, as well as an accessible elevator for folks who cannot use the stairs. The second floor itself is larger than the previous tasting room space. The bar is long and wide, enabling many folks to order at once while maintaining appropriate social distance! Then there is an entire space with Galena Cellar wines on display for sale and another massive room with socially distanced seating, a gift store, and the check-out counter. We felt very safe with the social distancing and employees disinfecting at all times. Thank you for taking COVID-19 precautions seriously and keeping us safe! I wonder what they might eventually do with the first floor bar and the third floor? A member lounge might be fun! I can't wait to see. And, as always, the wine is divine. Some of our favorites include the General's Red, Britt White, the Oktoberfest, and all of the mulled wines. Yum! We have been members of the wine club for a long time now and it is worth its cost in gold! Between discounts on merchandise, discounts on wine and the farmhouse vineyard accommodations, and wine in the mail, we can't imagine life without the wine club membership! Join today! Finally, and most importantly, the staff are so warm and helpful. We have several folks now who we know from many visits, and they always remember us with a welcoming hello and conversation. And new staff are great too: always so knowledgeable and helpful! We love the new location and cannot wait to see what is in store for the future. See you next time! read more

See all

Beautiful building and decor in building Very comfortable feeling inside, Nice selection of wines. Would have gotten five stars except for while doing a tasting, the bar tender really seemed to try and rush us through the tasting and short pours of the samples of the wines we selected. read more

Truly enjoyed my day at this bar. Bailey the bar tender told stories and entertained us. If you like sweet drinks ask for the kolidascoop, it's not on the menu but very delightful. I recommend this to be a stop to go to and seat at the bar. read more

I wanted to mentioned that the food here is amazing! I definitely recommend ordering from the menu (must order at the bar) if you are enjoying a flight or two. The food pairs well with the wine. read more

See all

I've been a wine club member for years and we just LOVE visiting the downtown and vineyard locations! Amazing Illinois wines and soooo many wines on the wine list, something for everyone! read more

Tasty bar food and wine options for everyone. We visited Galena Cellars on a Saturday for a late lunch and wine tasting. The tables are dark wood and the walls are brick. You order at the bar, but they bring the food and drinks to you. I tried the salmon bites, truffle fries, and cheese curds in addition to a wine flight. The wine was better than I expected even though they were not particularly full-bodied wines. The salmon bites were fantastic, perfectly cooked, and swimming in a decadent, slightly-salty sauce. The truffle fries and garlic aioli were as good as I have tried. The cheese curds were a bit disappointing and I though the mint sauce paired with the curds was an odd choice. Overall, I had a good experience and would recommend Galena Cellars. read more

Very nice wine selections. Loved doing the tasting and we also order the fried cheese curds. Very yummy. read more

Galena Cellars - La Crescent white wine. Delicious - Wineries Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Awesome place to eat and the wine is okay. The cook/server was very polite and concerned with quality of our food. When the bison sliders came out a bit too undercooked for our liking, he immediately took them back and made an entirely new order. I also like the photo opt to dress up with the queen. The mushroom fries, and the garlic shrimp pizza are very memorable. My only gripe, hence reason for 4 stars is I wanted full bodied wines. I think the thinner they are the more chemicals and it causes an headache for me. Otherwise great place with good vibes. Kudos!!! read more

See all

They charged us for the flight that they mistakenly gave us!!!! Discussed with staff then manager and she repeatedly declined to refund us. Never had such a poor customer service response read more

Loved loved loved this place! We had the cheese and bread board and flights of wine. We also loved listening to the live music and the sing alongs were a lot of fun read more

Galena Cellars - Wine flight testing - Wineries Near Me - Galena, Illinois

This is a great place to drop in for a small bite to eat and I drink. We popped in here right after arriving in Galena. I had the mushroom appetizer and it was wonderful!!! We also had cheese curds and my husband and I each had a wine slushy. Overall great ambiance and aesthetically, not too loud and good food. read more

Galena Cellars - Cheese curds - Wineries Near Me - Galena, Illinois

See all

OMG...see Lochlan, he is amazing for wine tastings!!! Knows his stuff and soooooo much fun!!! read more

Galena Cellars - Wineries Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Did a wine tasting with my girlfriend and another couple. We were impressed with not only the wine but knowledgeable staff and their excellent service. We had a great experience and left with a few bottles of wine to take home. Ask for Lori for your wine tasting experience! read more

My friends and I stopped in this past Saturday and our whole experience was ruined because of the extremely rude bartender... from the second we walked in, he had an attitude with us, continued to roll his eyes and acted like we were rude for asking for one wine suggestion. Truly don't understand what we did to receive the attitude, but it definitely pushed us away from the business. There was a bartender with a very bubbly, and positive attitude but he was busy serving other customers. read more

Love the great variety of wine. I had the wine battered cheese curd. Have eaten hear before and have never been disappointed.

Great wine list. Friendly. Cozy place. Live music Saturday night while we were there. read more

Galena Cellars - Wine fall flight - Wineries Near Me - Galena, Illinois

great food, great wine. the second floor tasting room is a little different as you can order food but you just take a number and bring it to a table of your choosing. still, it is so worth it. read more

March 2021 - not doing tastings right now due to COVID, but a $10, 6 oz flight doesn't seem unreasonable. We spent a lovely hour sipping our wines in their beautiful, socially distanced tasting room. read more

Galena Cellars - "Red" flight & "Sparkling" flight, March 2021 - Wineries Near Me - Galena, Illinois

We got to sit with Kathy at the bar during a tasting and had an incredible time. She shared her stories of the town and gave us nothing but a great time. She knew everything about the wine and knew all sorts of history throughout the years is Galena! Kathy is the absolute best!!! read more

Had a great experience! I went in looking for some fun summer wines and Augustine was very helpful. She answered my questions and was very patient with my indecisiveness. The raspberry, rhubarb and red wine selections were perfect for us. Also, very nice tote to carry the wine. Thanks! read more

Gianna was very informative during our wine tasting in downtown Galena. She was fun and very personable while we were there!

My boyfriend and I came here to try out the wine tasting. We heard good reviews from everyone. We were told just to stand at the bar and someone would be with you. They were pretty busy so we didn't mind waiting. This gentamen came up to us and asked us if we have been helped, he then guided us down to the other end of the bar because " that's where it was set up". We were a little confused because there were people right next to us doing the same thing. After giving him the paper he starting the tasting giving us little information saying if it was dry or sweet he went and got the other bottle right away. It seemed very rushed. The people next to us were getting larger pours. When pouring the third sample he did not know anything about the wine and told us That he didn't. The last three wines we choose he just told us the name and that was it. I am giving a 3 starts because we did buy a bottle that we liked. Other than that nothing stood out to us. We are sure if we will be here again. Didn't really feel welcomed. read more