This is not the same place anymore. Apparently The Cellar is under new owner and boy can you tell. The menu has changed, the wine options have changed and it's no where near as good as it used to be. Why would you buy a bar/restaurant and change what makes it great??? Sadly after coming here for over 8 years, I won't be back. The quality of the food and wine is just not good. Even the quality of the cheese seems to have changed. Oh and FYI if you want to add meat to your cheese plate, you now have to pay an additional $3.00 per meat choice. Crazy! read more

We went to the Celler on friday night about 8 PM and walked right in and found a nice table by the bar witch is very lucky as you usually have to wait and then pounce on a table as soon as people leave and then wait for them to clean the table. We Waited for15 minutesjust to see how long to get any attention as my wife and I watched as two waiters and two bus boys walked by our table and ignored us completly and were horsing around the bar area having fun and not doing there job along with the lady manager. I finally got up and said to the manager that we have been there 15 minutes and she said OH WELL, I DONT KNOW WHAT TO TELL YOU ! The food has always been so so and even worse post covid lockdowns, Never again will I ever step foot in that dump and I have been in town 25 years and will tell all my friends the same. read more

I only go here for the cookies and iced coffee and if you haven't had one of their cookies then you're missing out on the best thing in the world and the coffee comes with a vanilla sugar sweetener that's divineeee. read more

The Cellar - Wine Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California

Just noticed this had 4 stars instead of 5... must of been a accident bc I LOVE the Cellar!!

Great food, wine and entertainment! Johnny Greco, the piano guy, was awesome! Always a good time! read more

The Cellar - Wine Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California

Cheese plate. Reallllllly good assortment w Marcona almonds and Manuka honey and the good ISH ;) read more

The Cellar - Wine Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California

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Cute place. I have been here a few times and it is always a pleasant experience. I would give this place a 5 star rating, but we waited almost over an hour for our cheeseboard to be delivered to our table. Although the server and I believe it was the manager to apologize, it still was quite a long wait for a simple order. The cheese was small portions but of excellent quality. I also got the steak salad which was delicious, but a little pricey for the size of the salad. Overall it is good food, fun atmosphere, and I would definitely come back! read more

The Cellar - Wine Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California

Went to the cellar today to pick up some groceries etc. I am so happy that they are offering this service. I'm most definitely going to order more from them. read more

This is such a neat place! The staff is cool, they have a great selection of drinks, and their food is good

Great food, service and vibe. Thanks Dawn! Loved the cheese plate plus the great happy hour wines. Very comfortable atmosphere and nice to have zero TVs at the bar. Great beer selection as well. We'll be back. read more

This was my first time coming during lunch hours. Very welcoming, quick service , friendly staff . I opted for a quick snack and requested the three cheese platter with a glass of Cabernet . The waiter brought out my order and gave detailed descriptions of each cheese and from where they were imported. Lovely presentation , wonderful selection of wine , overall I would most definitely be coming back to try out one of their full lunch selections . Night time at this restaurant is definitely recommended . Live music nightly , great wine , romantic atmosphere . Great location for a girls night out or date night. Seating is very limited so I would suggest getting there early for a future nights out in lovely downtown san Clemente . I absolutely love Del Mar street. read more

The Cellar - Wine Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California

Lexi and Vince here are my favorite. Lexi is always so helpful and fun. They have the best cheese and atmosphere.

Best cheeseboard I've had in my life over Napa or any winery. Chill vibe, live music, pretty busy. Servers could be a bit more attentive, but aside from this it was phenomenal. read more

This place was BOMB. Came here while on a family vacation and ordered a few drinks and a few different menu items during "ecstatic hour". There were 5 of us, so we ordered quite a bit of food: a cheese plate, the hummus board, pretzel bites, sidewinder friends, poutine and washed it all down with the jam band berry ale (had a beer similar to this one in Belgium, but this one was better). Okay. First I want to say that everything was delicious. But I have to specifically mention the poutine. It. Was. AMAZING. The fries are crispy on the outside, but soft in the center, the short rib was cooked perfectly, and was rounded out nicely with the gravy, fried egg and cheese on top. I would highly recommend this place. read more

The Cellar - Wine Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California

My husband and I went out for dessert tonight (to escape our sweet toddler) and we had a lovely experience- primarily because of our bar tender Jayleen. The oven went out right after we ordered an oven-required cookie thing, and she went totally out of her way (and on a super busy night) to get us a treat to enjoy with our sparkling water. So generous and kind. Thank you Jayleen- love your energy and hustle! read more

One of my favorite places to eat and drink. Just about everything I have had at the cellar is delicious! They are one of the few places in town that serve ciders along with an extensive wine list and great beers. The cheese trays are also the very best in town and the Cheese Mongers are very helpful and always willing to let you try something before you buy it. Bear Coast coffee got there start inside the cellar and the cellar continues to offer great coffee and delicious treats every morning. If you just want to buy some wine and cheese for your own party you can do that too. Again, this is a favorite spot of mine to chill in the afternoon, sit outside with my dog and have a cheese tray and some wine. For breakfast try the French toast it's ridiculously good. read more

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Came here on a Tuesday for a lunch biz meeting. Seating was a bit awkward, with a wall of padded bench type seating with tables, and another row of stand alone tables very close to this. Results were having to hear cackling conversation of the group of ladies sitting on the booth seating in most of establishment. One remote table saved us. Friendly staff. Had Ceasar salad ($11) with bacon ($3 add) and my cohort had the mango salad ($19) with no protein added. Salad was pretty good, croutons crunchy on outside but soft inside (unique flavor). No wine, working lunch...but green tea was fresh brewed. Interior was pleasant, large bar behind us and area for small band. I can understand the appeal of this place. I would probably check it out for "ecstatic" hour, where prices drop and live music goes down. It is more on the expensive side but not too far off course with quality and ambience. read more

Very impressed with this place. The bartender was dynamite, wish I would have got her name to tell you. They have live music, every day, and the band last night literally reminded me of Chicago. Great variety of wines ( obviously) and also beers. And for all the guys out there, the girl to guy ratio is at least 3 to 1. Great place. read more

great food, we had breakfast there. loved the coffee and that they made their own almond milk. Cute atmosphere, it was under construction, but still very clean and comfortable. read more

Gem of a stop. Great wine & beer selection. Attentive bar service in chill environment. Hear breakfast/brunch great but post work stop perfect for burger/fries with dill dip. Hope to be back often for food, drink & conversation. read more

We went to The Cellar to choose cheese & charcuterie for a party & they had everything we needed. Great service & selection. Knowledgeable, friendly & helpful staff. read more

Love!!! Best spot for avo toast and champagne!!! Best chees plates around!! Happy to support local!!

I do not eat here, but I buy cheese almost every week. All the cheeses I have had (quite a few) are excellent. I love the various sheep and goat cheeses the most. read more

On May 14 I made a donation to one of DJ's that are affected by door closings of COVID-19. The sales pitch was $25 =2hr unheard mix and $100 =2hr DJ set at your next party. Thank you for taking good care of those who provide services to The Cellar read more

Nothing like pay hard earned money to sit on the side walk to have bums walk by and stink up your average over price food. not good. read more

This has always been my favorite wine bar and I was excited to see that they were still open. Just want to give a shout out to our server Dylan for being so sweet and accommodating. Not only was Dylan quick and efficient, Dylan was personable and made our experience memorable! Thanks Dylan!! read more

This place is fantastic! My new favorite spot. They have live music and an amazing charcuterie board. We also ordered the Brussels sprouts, burger, and Caesar. Everything was delicious! I'm not a fan of Brussels sprouts but they toss them in mustard and balsamic and they are so good. The burger was so good too and I want to try everything on the menu. This is a true gem. First come, first serve seating so be prepared to wait a bit for a seat. read more

The Cellar - Spanish cheese plate - Wine Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California

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I would give zero if I could. I will NEVER come back here. Terrible service and horrible management.

Somehow we got lucky and got a seat outside. The inside was jam packed which is always a good sign. We ordered the champagne flight, beer flight, Spanish meat and cheese board, mac n cheese with short rib and the short rib entree with veggies instead of grits. Everything was absolutely superb! Our waitress was really helpful with recommendations too! Highly recommend this place! read more

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Love this place! I've been here a handful of times and each time I go the atmosphere is amazing. They have live music, a great wine selection and the staff is extremely friendly. I like coming here on Sundays to wind down a long week. Their food is also very tasty. I'll definitely be coming here again. read more

I had never even heard of this place until a friend invite me to go on Saturday night. This place is perfect! Live piano music, great vibe, friendly people, and good wine + food. Get there early if you want to grab a seat near the piano. There is some communal seating so you can always try to squeeze in with others. read more

I love this place! I consider this "my spot," the food is always good; the house white wine is amazing; the music is good, and the overall vibe is very cool and unpretentious. Cheese plates are the best! read more

Amazing place the owners are true professionals food was great We do wish the menu had more selections & maybe update soon read more

Found this place on Yelp. We wanted a light lunch and decides to split a salad and a cheese board. They let you supplement some cheese for meat and they pick the choices for you and just avoid what you dont want. Best of all, they put some sauces with the cheese. We had Gouda with Carmel/lavendar sauce and goat cheese with balsalmic. The pairings are perfect and everything is so fresh. The whole vibe is relaxing and cute. I cant wait until we go again! read more

Had a fantastic experience at The Cellar with my girlfriend. We stopped in for lunch. Loved all the cheeses and they have an extensive wine list. I had a gooey grilled cheese and she got the Mac and Cheese. The bread pudding was delish! And the skillet cookie was full of fresh-from-the-oven goodness. Will have to being Mr. Honey here! read more

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I come from San Diego nearly every month just to have a sandwich here with their sidewinder fries. I usually get the pastrami sandwich, the quality of the meat is fantastic and paired with the rye bread and pickles, it's as close to a NY style deli pastrami sandwich I've ever had in California. The beer selection here is incredible, especially if you're a beer geek. Bottle Logic on tap, Modern Times on tap and a ton of cans for sale on the side if the tap doesn't please you. Holton is the head chef here and he does an amazing job preparing and cooking some of the best meals I've ever had. He's a big beer guy and shows his skill through selecting quality brews for the customers via can and tap list. Can't wait to come back and I was just there yesterday! read more

The Cellar - Night lighting in the cellar, a bit dark. - Wine Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California

This review is overdue but I had an awesome experience here. If you haven't been here, it's definitely cozy and pricey, but worth it I got the cheese plate among a few other items but the cheese plate was the most memorable. Their pairings where phenomenal! Definitely recommend. Great for a date night just don't go during rush. Will be back soon! read more

The one star is for the customer service. I would give the menu 3 starts for inconsistency. The only time food comes out as it's suppose to is when their head chef is there. Also, their serving staff have terrible service skills! The only time I've gotten exceptional service is when the owners are there or real management is over looking the place. The servers/baristas have no urgency to get to tables at least to greet them. And coffee takes forever at times. When it's busy, expect to be forgotten. I've had to flag down any server to get missing items, add-on's or more coffee drinks. There appears to be no team work ethic and I've caught many of them socializing (they are usually huddled by their POS system or hiding behind the cheese counter) trying to get items they have forgotten I've ordered. What's wrong with writing things down?, at least make that mobile phone useful for work if they're going to be on it anyway! I've met friends here in the evening and the music is just way too load. Also, they have no high chairs or buster seats, so expect to bring your own. The cement tables are drilled into the floor so if your party has any over weight guests, your stuck sitting at the bar or communal bar tables. I really wanted to love this place, now, I'm just disappointed and I only stay if it's not busy, so long as I can allow at least 1-2 hours for a meal. It's unfortunate that there are few places with good coffee. Oh well. This is a love hate relationship. The food is good though... maybe I'll give it 4 stars. read more

How can you not like a place that has Happy Hour on Saturdays :-) went for a birthday dinner and it was so happy hour on Saturday at 5:30 that was really nice... the place was pretty crowded and pretty loud. They have a great wine selection. As a starter I had the hummus Bowl which was good everybody love the way they cook the veggies. We had the fried chicken the pork steak the mac and cheese and the short ribs. Everything was good especially the fried chicken the short ribs being my least-favorite. I'm not a big fan of grits so did not really appreciate that as the starch. Overall the food and service was good and I would recommend this place especially for happy hour. read more

Love this place. We make excuses to go to south county just to come here. The weekend happy hour is always great, the regular dinner menu is also great. The bar and patio are bit friendly and fun for afternoon wine and snacks. read more

The Cellar - Wine Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California