Great local neighborhood wine bar. Great service, warm and friendly people hang out there. Ernie and his wife run a great wine bar. read more

BEST PASTRAMI IN LONG BEACH!!! We have been coming here for years and to not recognize Chef Brian for his amazing food would not be doing Willmore Wine bar its justice. This is not only the best place to enjoy a glass of wine or beer but the pastrami has to be recognized. I have had my fair share of pastrami but to say this is the best I have tasted is an understatement. The quality of meat is naval cut so if you never have had then it will be a game changer for your pallet. Ernie and his staff will always have plenty to recommend and paired with Chef Brians food, FORGET ABOUT IT! Do your stomach a favor next time you crave a moist, juicy pastrami and stop in. I guarantee you will not be disappointed! read more

Willmore Wine Bar - Best in LONG BEACH!!! - Wine Bars Near Me - Long Beach, California

Since retirement, I have become quite a regular here. Ernie, the owner, and the rest of his staff know about wine and service. I always learn something new about wine, and I've been drinking and studying wine for close to forty years. I've had wonderful conversations with Ernie and his faithful patrons on wine, food, books, travel, and sports - especially the San Francisco 49ers games. There are no TVs, so it's all about talking and connecting to other humans.Even with a cold kitchen, he has a good food selection. read more

Had an amazing evening tonight with my daughter's at your establishment! It was our 1st time at Willmore Wine Bar which was suggested to my daughter from her friend David Michalik. I'm so glad because it was so much fun great atmosphere and the wine and cheese boards were delicious and so yummy. I tried cheese I'd never heard from sheep goat and cows and the salami was just as delicious partnered perfectly with assorted crackers yummy! The wine list is deliciously yummy with many choices. But most of all the customer service Ernie the owner and staff demonstrated should be applauded for their extra measure of care to assure my birthday celebration at Willmore was wonderful. I will surely be back again because this is truly a hidden gem a diamond in the ruff. If your in Long Beach in the Bixby Knolls area you should definitely drop bye!!! Thank you too the entire staff I had a great birthday Happy Birthday too me read more

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The best pastrami sandwich around. Great wine. Great regulars. Wonderful owners. Polite and respectful workers. Tastefully decorated and clean. This place checks all the boxes for the perfect watering hole. My girlfriend and I spent a wonderful evening at Willmore and I can't wait to return. read more

Great wine choices, chill vibes, friendly staff! Great find! And they have happy hour read more

Willmore Wine Bar - Helpful staff will find the perfect wine for you - Wine Bars Near Me - Long Beach, California

Came here with friends who wanted to check it out. There is a small patio up front that's dog friendly. The inside is nice and cozy, with chill and welcoming atmosphere. We got to meet the owner and chat a little bit with our server, all very pleasant interactions. We did the wine flight, which everyone enjoyed. Charcuterie plate was pretty basic, but the chicken pasta wirh peanut was very tasty (and I'm not a huge fan of peanut sauces). Will definitely come back to try their other dishes and of course, have some good wine. read more

Excellent Service, Food, Wine and Entertainment! Will definitely visit this bar again.

Lovely wine bar with live music. We went on a Saturday to hear some classical piano and were pleasantly impressed by the food and selection of wine. We'd be regulars if we lived closer! Loved the red wine flight so much that we ended up buying a bottle to go! Highly recommend for a date night with friends or significant other. read more

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Love the wine selection and the staff is eager to assist. Super cute place to sit at the bar and enjoy a conversation.

Coupla things I really love here, or a few: 1) The food is innovative, not the same tired rehashes of stuff restaurant owners can get "kits" for from food suppliers. Pretzel covered in flakes of sausage? Check. Honey-drizzled cheese? Check. You'll find some other unexpected combinations, not just pulled-pork sliders or whatever the fad du jour is. (Wine's fine too, naturally.) 2) The staff is great. Anywhere you go in the world, sometimes people will be distracted. I can't tell you how many times the staff here has added special touches to the service. They're sweet and thoughtful; they make good recommendations; it's personal service. Last time we were there, we sat out in front, but even though we were far from the counter, the waitress kept an eye on us through the window, and before any plate or glass got empty, she was right there to make sure we were O.K. and see whether we needed anything more. On a more crowded night, maybe the service wouldn't have been as exceptional, and yet it's always quite good. 3) Outdoor dining so we can bring our dogs. Frequent live music, on the local upright piano or on guitars etc. Neighborhood camaraderie. I could go on with little things, but you get the idea: This is a house that feels like a warm home. read more

We stumbled in here trying to kill some time before a Galaxy game later that night, I had no idea wine was so close to the Stub Hub Center. We were greeted right away by the owner and chatted with a few of the regulars at the bar. I picked out a glass of wine to try while my husband went with a flight of reds. Wine selection was great, they had a nice variety and I really enjoyed the two glasses I picked. Friendly service and a pleasant location, we will definitely be stopping by before the next game. read more

Felt like a wine and cheese night and the place had good reviews. Parking - Limited street parking in front and additional parking around walking distance. Venue - Nice chill little place with intimate feel. Place can get full easy so I would call ahead to see wait on weekends. Staff - The guys here are very cool and friendly giving you options on wines and opinions. Pricing - Very reasonable prices for the wines and appetizers with large portions. Will be back for sure and recommend it. read more

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This was an amazing find. My husband and I took our dog to the vet and while we waited we took a stroll down the street. I like wine; my husband likes beer. This place had both. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. They even got my husband to drink wine and enjoy the experience. We will definitely be back! read more

Magnificent wine, food, and atmosphere! The wife and I had a great cocktail dinner! Highly recommended for date night!

I've been to this wine bar a few times and have always felt very welcomed. This wine bar offers a calm/relaxing ambiance with a large selection of wine. I happened to stop by on a First Friday and they had live music which made the experience even more enjoyable. Billy, who helped us through the night, is very friendly and treated us like regulars. The Willmore is a must try if you like wine! read more

I love this place and the best part is that you will feel like family there. You will never be bored if you go along because the people and staff and super friendly. Ernie the owner is there most days and he is the best proprietor. The wine is good and they serve food too. If you don't know what to drink you can always ask for a recommendation. They have a wine club too. read more

Walked in and was stared down by the pompous bartender in the fedora who gave attitude to us, and did not greet us or say hello. We tried to grab a menu, he refused, mocked us, and he said "this isn't wienerschnitzel, sit down and I'll serve you." Total lack of customer service skills and proved to have a sexiest, ageist attitude when approaching women in their late 20s. Clearly a pretentious establishment unwelcoming of anyone under the age of 55. read more

Very cool wine bar. Great service and food is tasty. My only negative is that it is a small space and can get crowded, not good if you are nervous about Covid. Other than that, thumbs up! read more

I'm only giving one star so that I can tell you about only part of my experience at this ghetto establishment. I ordered a glass of cab that was on the menu. The server (brunette) tells me that they don't have it. She offers me another wine, pours me a taste, but I wasn't interested. She then OFFERED to pour me a glass of cab that was not on the by the glass menu. But "it's expensive..." she says, "it's $20 a glass..." I said, that's fine, I'll take it. She removes the foil, is about to cork it but then the owner pulls her aside and has a conversation with her. She then comes back and tells me that she cannot pour me the glass of wine that SHE OFFERED TO ME because it's not by the glass. But I can order the bottle. Excuse me?! Ghetto. This place is garbage. read more

Great little spot to unwind. I had a rough few days at work and this was a great pick me up. Very friendly and personable service. I ordered the Kick Ass Grilled Cheese sandwich and it was perfect! read more

Tried this place out with a small group and it was fairly lackluster. Walking in immediately seemed like we inconvenienced the staff. We sat down in a table in the back and checked out the menu. Glasses of wine were pretty pricey (most averaging $14-16), and the tastings were preselected. No one walked us through the different types of wine. We were greeted by the owner who didn't seem enthusiastic at all that we walked in. We were left with a sheet of paper to guide us through the flights, which takes away from the magic of hearing directly from the staff about different wines. We were dissappointed with every wine we bought. read more

I hesitate to write this review... when I find a rare treasure in the LA region, I'm afraid of ruining the vibe by promoting it. Great prices, chill, great food - limited menu, excellent wine, welcoming and friendly/attentive staff, lighting is mood-setting, nice patrons, it's a true neighborhood place. My god, what more can you ask for? read more

Number one wine spot in long beach. Wine is top notch, staff is super friendly and attentive, and their food is to die for. Both indoor and outdoor space but they have cool events like tastings, live music, trivia, etc. Im also part of their monthly wine club... yum! You will not regret stopping in here! read more

I spent another engaging evening at the Willmore Wine Bar. Right upon entering, I actually ran into an old friend that I hadn't seen in quite some time. This only enhanced the "Cheers" vibe that everyone keeps referring to. Ernie was very friendly and generous with everyone in the bar. I had a couple glasses of a white wine, we ordered a cheese plate (loved the manchego and brie), and ended up getting a pizza delivered from Bella. It's great that they offer a discount for this service. Although there were many people around, it was easy to have a nice conversation and focus on the person next to you. I'm sure I'll be returning! :) read more

The Willmore Wine Bar is located across the street from Nico's Italian Restaurant just outside of the Virginia Country club area of Long Beach. Once you enter the establishment, it is very clean in its presentation with a nice bar area to sit at and relax. There is table space at the rear and north area of the bar which is nice if you order food. In the front area of the bar they have a player piano and a nice couch and table set-up. What I like about this place is they have an established rotation of guitarists, pianists, and other musicians that come in and play music for happy hour. A classical guitarist was playing during my visit. The staff (Kristin and Katie) is sharp and witty. With that said, your orders will be taken quickly with service provided promptly. I found the price structure reasonable, not to high. A nice menu is provided for customers which the food is prepared in a small kitchen. It shows that Willmore's management made a good planning effort when converting the previous business into the wine bar it is now. The last Thursday of the month Willmore Wine hosts Fred's Best Pizza to augment the wine bar culinary offering. As my dad always told me, more options are always better. When next in this neighborhood, I will stop by and check out the piano talent and have a nice glass of bubbly. I did not get a chance to ask Ernie the question I wished posed. However, it is a good bet that Willmore wine bar is a name sake reference to Willmore City. As long time residents of Long Beach can remember, Willmore City is basically what now is the downtown Long Beach redevelopment district and extensions up to Anaheim Street including Drake Park. This area included the Jergins Trust Building (present location of the Long Beach Convention Hall (demolished in 1988); the Heartwell building (present location of the landmark square), Security Pacific National Bank Building, (current location of the Federal Bar); and the historical Willmore building located at Cedar and 3rd street (current location of the La Traviata restaurant). Of course, most of the major buildings dotting the shoreline were built after the city of Long Beach incorporated in 1897. .... A bone for the history buffs ... Prior to Willmore City, the area was a Rancho granted to Manuel Nieto in 1784 from the Spanish territorial governor Pedro Fages. The Rancho was subdivided upon Manuel's death in 1803 of which his daughter Manuela (Maria) and husband Guillermo Cota inherited the subdivision of Rancho Los Cerritos. After Maria's pasing in 1837, the Rancho was acquired in 1844 from the Cota family heirs by John Temple and his wife Rafaela Coto (a second cousin to Guillermo). In 1827, John settled down in Rancho Los Cerritos. In order to court the attractive Rafaela Cota and to grow business relationships with the Spanish ranchers, John Temple converted to Catholicism and changed his name to Juan. He married Rafaela in 1830, fourteen years prior to acquiring the Rancho in 1844. He maintained ownership of Rancho Los Cerritos up until two month before his passing. John being of poor health and financially strapped sold the Rancho to the Flint-Bixby Company in 1866. Llewellyn and Jotham Bixby first were gold miners. They saved their profits and purchased farm and ranch lands in northern California. After purchasing Rancho Los Cerritos from John Temple, the Bixby brothers set out to expand their ranching operations in the south of which Jotham Bixby moved to Rancho Los Cerritos. Jotham Bixby encouraged his family members to help in the land acquisitions by leasing, then purchasing, Rancho Los Palo Verdes, and Rancho Los Alamitos during the 1870's. In 1880, Jotham Bixby tendered a lease with option to buy 4000 acres of agricultural land to William Willmore. Willmore City is born. Between 1880 and 1884, Willmore is not successful in promoting his city. In 1885 Long Beach Land and Water Company purchase the lease option from Jotham Bixby and renames the area Long Beach. In 1888, Long Beach is incorporated. The incorporation falls apart in 1896. This mis-step requires a 2nd and final incorporation in 1897. Jotham Bixby passes in 1916 while sons George and John manage the emerging real estate company through the first half of the century. One of the sales in 1913 of 16,000 acres brokered by George Bixby to New York financier Frank Vanderlip develops Harbor City. Vanderlip expanded his real-estate projects and developes the sheep grazing land to the southwest of Harbor City into high priced housing and horse ranching tracts. Rancho Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates, Miraleste are part of these developments. Also notably, during the passing of Jotham Bixby, there still existed 3,500 acres from the original land grant to Manuel Nieto dating back to 1784. read more

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Nothing but positive things to say: Cozy, eclectic, comfortable. Anna was a sweet, cool, funny chick who knows her shit (and uses the word chick) Happy hour every day until 5pm. $3 ciders, $5 wines, craft beers, and plates. Choose your own wines for the tasting flight, which comes on a wooden slab with names written on glasses. Great pours. Staff drinks with you. Can eat food delivered from local restaurants. Great plate: pick your own meats, cheeses, etc. Got a small piece of chocolate! Piano! Reservable back room! Two or more charted bus tours a year. Friendly locals. read more

This is the best wine bar in all of the LBC! Exquisite and broad selection of wines paired with attentive service and outstanding ownership. Ernie, sommelier and owner is often there to ensure your absolute satisfaction. Truly love this place and host all my happy hour meetings. Oh and I couldn't forget to mention, they host live music as well. From the bottom of my heart, Thank you for bringing such excitement to Bixby Knolls. read more

Just found this little gem from reviews on Yelp. Stopped in for a wine before heading over to EJ Malloys for dinner. Bartender was sweet and knowledgeable. Great Happy Hour deal $5 for wine and appetizer plate. Loved the Janis Joplin music. AND- no kids in this bar:) Will be returning for more drinks, appys and conversation. read more

I love this place. The staff is friendly and they'll remember your name if you're a regular. I ended up coming back two days in a row after my first visit. I'm not a big wine aficionado but I like a glass or two. Besides their wine I'm in love with their honey fig panini and goat cheese and bacon flat bread which I swapped out for mozzarella cheese instead. I look forward to going back again. read more

Willmore Wine Bar - Happy Hour menu - Wine Bars Near Me - Long Beach, California

If it's your first time have a Nelson's blood and have Ernie (the owner) tell you the story. I have been coming here over 3 years. I moved to corona and I still make sure anytime I'm in the city I visit. Ernie is literally family and this is home away from home. As soon as you experience this vibe you'll come back for years to come. I guarantee. So cheers ahead of time welcome to a wonderful experience! read more

Meh.... interesting that you can bring in your own food... Think maybe I will try it one more time only better prepared ;-) read more

Willmore Wine Bar - Wine Bars Near Me - Long Beach, California

The staff here is awesome! Our 2nd time here and love it. Our first time Billy and Ernie made our experience fabulous!!! And today on a Sunday afternoon, Ana has been fantastic! The locals psssssss awesome, I will def-recommend my friends and everyone I know to #WILLMORE !!! Thanks Ana for the excellent service!!! read more

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I loved it! How nice to see a place like this in the hood. They have Silver Oak Cab by the glass. Outstanding selection of wines by the glass. Not a beer drinker... But, they have a large beer menu. I was there last night, which was the First Friday of the Month. They were very busy. Terrific service from Kate. Nice piano music.... All neighboorhood clientele.... A very nice mix of people. My compliments to the owners and staff! If you live in the area, wander over. You won't be disappointed. read more

Willmore Wine Bar - Wine Bars Near Me - Long Beach, California

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Server was very rude, it was my first time visiting. Wasn't welcoming and was rushing me to order. (Young server wearing all black) didn't even introduce herself! 2/10 read more

Great little wine bar for Cal Heights and Bixby! The owner/sommelier, Ernie, is a very friendly guy. He definitely knows his wine, and keeps a wide selection. My one suggestion would be to add more to the charcuterie and cheese selection. Pate, french bread, tapenade, portuguese sardines, maybe a selection of chocolates for dessert... keep it simple, no cooking necessary. Cold tapas. I'm not much of a drinker and I am definitely not a wine connaisseur, but with enough finger foods I'd happily share a bottle with my wife and spend an evening at Willmore. read more

Willmore Wine Bar - Willmore has some great beers too. - Wine Bars Near Me - Long Beach, California

Great people and great service. I know it's all about the wine, but they can pour a mean bear as well. Jenn is the best

Enjoying a few drinks and a friend who was performing there. I happened to order the pastrami sandwich, and OH my goodness what a treat. Probably one of the top two pastrami sandwiches I have ever had. I NEVER mask the taste with mustard or pickles just the meat, bread and cheese. If you are ever near here on an even I ng you GOTTA try it read more

What a great little and classy, intimate wine bar. The service was great!! We were greeted by a great server behind the bar. She went over the wines and asked what we were looking for. The wine list was good with many different whites and reds. We got a few wine tastes provided with a little direction that we really felt good about.The pairings selection was good too. We really enjoyed the atmosphere and people that were here. Everyone was really nice and classy. I can't say enough about our server... She was the best.. I wish i could remember her name because she was great!! The bank came out about 7ish. They were really good to. This is a great place to visit and enjoy some wine for sure!! I would recommend Fillmore to everyone!!! read more

Willmore Wine Bar - Wine Bars Near Me - Long Beach, California

Willmore is an intimate setting which is perfect for lazy Monday afternoons where you just want to enjoy good tunes and have good wine with your best friend. They were out of a lot due to their recent Mardi Gras celebration, but made up for it by dolling up the flight choices. Groovy and chill atmosphere... Will be back.... read more

Willmore Wine Bar - Cool bar with a cool cat.. - Wine Bars Near Me - Long Beach, California

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