What a charming place. I've been here a few times now and it's one of my favorite spots when I'm in…read moreAlbany/Berkeley. Perfect to relax and converse over good wine selection and tasty bites. Pups are welcome! Grab a book or a friend, bring your pup and enjoy!

Ambiance was good, but it's tiny. Service was fair, guests on the patio do not seem to get as much…read moreattention. The food was horrible. It did not taste Brazilian in the least, and it did not taste good. Wish I had read the description as the advertisement is focused on wine bar and not a restaurant or food. That being said, if you wanna high price glass of wine go for it, but I would not recommend eating there. It is very pricey as well.

Amazing place. Very comfy, elegant, and the owner is an amazing person that understands a lot about…read morewine and has amazing recommendations. You definitely need to come and have a good end of the day relaxing with good wine.

"You telling me that wine is better than Pepsi? Huh, no way wine is better than Pepsi." - George…read moreCostanza, Seinfeld da Scene: Yelped them for pre-dinner spot. Kinda hidden on a corner right off University & 5th; make the right onto 6th & scoot around to park on 5th or University. They buzz you in, best to make a res., but seems like walk-ins are ok. Very modern, yet welcoming feel, tables spaced well for intimate encounters and a bar with Hightop seating. da Grub & Libation: I had res. for a buddy & I and belly up to the bar; they offered a table, but we're bar flies by nature. Very diverse wines by the glass & bottle so we had 4 different glasses w/ a modest charcuterie plate. da Service: Excellent, warm, friendly and genuinely so. I look forward to my next visit, whether it's for a contemplative glass in solitude or with the wife on a pre-dinner excursion. Hidden Gem, find them and enjoy!

Came here while waiting for a table at Mencho and came back to bring my roommates because it's such…read morea cute spot! You order at the bar and get handed your drink(s) right away and are free to sit wherever. Both inside and outside seating available - there's heaters outside. Ordered the flight of three and got to choose what I wanted to try, I felt that the pours were generous. The bathroom, wow, they outdid themselves, love the decor!

The ambiance is beautiful and the wine selection is solid, but unfortunately the service really…read moremissed the mark. We started at the bar and mentioned it was our first visit, but were met with a blank stare, no welcome, no guidance on how things worked. At first, I thought it might have just been that one interaction, but when we ordered a second round with a different server, the same cold and unwelcoming service continued. It's a shame, because the space itself is incredibly charming and inviting. Customer service feels like such an easy fix here, especially given that many other reviews mention the same issue. You'd hope management would take note and make the necessary improvements to match the quality of the setting.

A little urban winery with back and front patios. They offer really unique and well-produced wine…read more Came for a break between jobs near by and enjoyed two glasses of the Greco Bianco. This was s totally new varietal for me and its so unique with beautiful color. They do offer little snacks but its more of a curation of prepackaged things that they them bring to you to open and enjoy vs a kitchen where they're producing the food themselves. Prices a little steep but I think thats just bay area things....

We used to like this place enough that we were actually members for several years, but definitely…read morenot anymore. The biggest reason is how extremely unwelcoming most of the staff are. We regularly felt ignored, talked down to, or just uncomfortable. We also got repeatedly over charged for things and would have to get it fixed. We went back for an event today for the first time in 5 or 6 months, and were reminded of why we stopped all over again. We got 2 glasses and the pours were tiny, and we got over charged TWICE. Even after catching it the first time, they messed it up a 2nd time that we noticed once we saw the emailed receipt. I just can't go back counting on an unpleasant or frustrating experience almost every time at this point.

Nice friendly spot to try new wines. They explain each wine in detail and they taste great. The…read morespace offers chill and relaxing vibes. Highly recommend!

My favorite winemaker! The winery "tasting room" is very casual, the opposite of a pretentious wine…read moretasting experience. If you like fancy places with overpriced wine and lengthy explanations - this may not be the place for you, but if you like really good wine without all the pomp then you will love it!

I love the vibe here. It's very open, warm and bright. A nice contrast to the busy traffic on…read moreSolano and San Pablo. I'm not a wine expert. I like it and I drink it. If you're a wine expert, my guess is you'll enjoy the unique selection. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable.

Hi, I'm someone…read morewith a disability and I need my dog around to help me out with my disability. I had a bad experience there because the bartender lady was very rude and disrespectful towards me and my service dog in training right from the start. She gave me a dirty look and handed me the menu with disrespected. I felt she discriminated me because I have a disability. This experience caused me to have a severe anxiety attack and I'm someone that has severe anxiety. I understand my dog needs more training and experience. She's still getting used to being around in public places. Because of it I got kicked out with my dog. The man that worked there handled the situation with more caring and professionally and I thank him for that. Even though my dog and I got kicked out due to her unruly behavior. I'm not upset about it because I understood that my dog was being unruly due to another dog being there and the man that worked there was just doing his job. I just didn't like how I was treated by the bartender lady. For that I never want to come back again. Even if my dog becomes a service dog in the future. I do apologize for my dog's behavior and action but not sorry for the bartender lady's attitude towards me and my dog because she cause me severe distress and anxiety. Honestly, I would rate this experience a zero if it gave me that option.

Book Society is such a great little spot in Berkeley. I've been a few times now, and it's easily…read moreone of my favorite places when I want to browse books and relax for a bit. The owners are super nice and genuinely helpful, and the whole place feels welcoming the second you walk in. The book selection is also really solid. I always end up finding something (often have to reign myself in), especially in the thriller section, but they also have classics mixed in, too, which I love. One of my favorite parts is that you can actually sit and read while having a glass of wine. The wine selection is really fun, and they have some unique varietals that you don't see everywhere, which makes it even better. I also love that they do book and wine pairings each month. It's such a cool idea and makes it feel like there's always something new to check out. You can also join their book club, which includes a new book and a paired bottle of wine. Also, you need one of their bags. Trust me. If you love books and want a cozy little place to hang out, I definitely recommend stopping in.

This place is so cute! This is like a dream spot and I wish I lived closer so I could visit more…read moreoften. We went for Halloween as they had some themed activities/books out. There were cozy seating options but since it was fairly packed, we sat at the bar. Loved to see such a big turnout but this place feels like it only has space for ~20 people comfortably. We got the popcorn and I tried out some of the wine tasting on the wall. They give you a tap card so you can control how many tastes you want. They offer 1 oz, half glass, or full glass pours for each of the wine on tap. The wine on tap is mostly their wine pairings for the month. I love the concept and definitely tried a couple wines to decide which book I should read! Overall pretty cozy and intimate. The book selection is pretty small and curated. The shelves are tall and they have the moving ladder! Very beauty and the beast library-like! Would be good to come with one other person or solo to have some cozy reading time. I could only imagine this place would be a dream for a small book club! I know they have a couple events like that every month and would love to come check one out someday.

This place has such a cool vibe! It feels like you've walked into someone's house. There is tons of…read moreart and retro stuff on the walls. Home alone was playing on multiple screens when I went. Vinyl playing on turntables and a high quality charcuterie board.

I'm not often in the area but have been back to Banter a couple more times, including most recently…read morea couple of weeks ago. I have since learned that the online shop is just for pick up and shipping and that those bottles aren't necessarily in the wine bar itself so if you're looking to pick up something from the online store to drink in the wine bar, be sure to arrange that in advance (I'd suggest as early as possible) so they can have the wine brought to the wine bar and chill it if necessary so it's the proper serving temperature for you to drink in-house. I'm absolutely blown away by the wines they have on offer and the prices at which they're able to offer them. This is easily one of the best places to pick up higher end French wines for pretty competitive, if not the lowest prices in the area. They have cheese and charcuterie available and make a pretty good jambon beurre. From time to time, they'll host popups from local chefs and they will take over the food - we had some really delicious halibut crudo and duck confit, which paired nicely with our wines! Lastly, they host a ton of really great events. I randomly stopped in one night and it was a completely packed house for trivia night. I wasn't able to stay long, but it was awesome to feel the energy of the place. Even when it's quieter, I love the vibe with vinyl playing and old VHS tapes playing - very nostalgic!

Love love Hammerling! They are located in the Berkeley or Gilman wine block, an area with several…read morewineries. They are known for their California Sparkling wines. My first visit was for their "Thirst Trap" sparkling wine tasting. It is a very cute and comfy and spacious tasting room with seating inside and outside. They also partner with a few wineries in the area for1st Fridays, the perfect time to try wines and food from their vendors. This spot is on my list for wine tasting in Berkeley!

Who knew Berkeley had some nice wineries?! Parking isn't too bad and there are wineries close by…read moreyou can walk to. I only stopped by here for a glass but the ambiance was really cute. Their outdoor seating is perfect for a nice sunny day. They share walls with Donkey & Goat which is perfect for a nice wine hop. They do have different food vendors too, so be sure to check out their IG to see what's on the menu. Their wine was a pleasant surprise and very pretty colors! I admired their wine label designs too. Would probably buy a bottle just for the look haha. Can't wait to come back here again and try more of their wines. And maybe eat somewhere beforehand or afterwards.

Very nice staff, fun location with a really nice outdoor seating area, interesting wines!…read more We didn't try any of the snacks, but they had some that we might try next time. We did teo flights of wine and they were very light and crisp. The staff was super nice and walked us through the wine selections and helped us to an outside seating area where we got to enjoy the sunshine. The outdoor seating area looks to be great for groups as it's large and covered!

Great wine tasting service! Alex was very patient with my indecision lol!…read moreWe selected tasting the Thanksgiving table, $35 And Fox Hill harvest $30 Loved the 2014 Sunshine Rosato! Since it was a cold night we finished our night with hot tea Genamaicha