Pop the Cork

Pop the Cork sadly closed in July of 2011

Out of business!
I had actually been here once before and liked it, so I asked a girl here for a first date. I showed up ten minutes early and found out it was out of business! Not the best way to make a good impression. I hope my posting here saves someone else the same embarrassment!

My bf and I just happened to pass this place. We went inside the store to see if they had my wine that I’m looking for. The guy that helped us was really nice and seemed like he knew his stuff. Unfortunately they didn’t have what I was looking for, I appreciated his help and info on wine. =)
I’d probably go here if they have wine that I know about…

I’ve been here 6 – 7 times on random nights. This review is strictly for the the wine … When me and the bf are lazy we meet half way in Anaheim and grab a glass or two here. The owner is really nice here, sometimes the waitresses are a hit or miss. I am horrible with names but one is really good… Maybe I will go back this week and grab a glass. For some reason one of the girls has a indian boyfriend, and supposedly my bf looks like him, the owner thinks its him sometimes, maybe that’s way we get great service hahaha just kidding. Anyhow the couple that owns the place is really nice, the place is well decorated… We usually order off the flight menu’s and they haven’t disappointed us yet… Oh yea also if you sign up for their newsletter they always email you kool deals!

Really awesome place! I really hope they make it since they are in a mall that hasn’t really caught on. We stumbled upon this place when we were on vacation in Anaheim. I can honestly say we would be regulars there if we lived in the area. They were closing when we went in, but served us a few rounds and talked for a while. The two owners told us about some great little spots to hit in the area while we were there. The ambiance was great and the value was unbelievable. I really hope everyone checks it out…

The owner is rude and likes to pretend because she is on the city council that she is better than everyone. I am a certified sommelier and pretty young. She treated me like I was a 21 year old looking to get drunk. Very poor food choices which they make in a slightly better oven than an easy bake. For a place that is struggling they sure know how to turn away business.

When rating this place, you have to remember that it’s inside of a dying mall… next to Disneyland. What you’re paying for is not just the wine, but the convenience factor.
Food has been steadily improving although it’s far from fine dining. It’s very clean usually not that busy. I love coming here before and after a movie, and their wine selection is fairly decent. But the thing I love the most are the owners… super friendly and warm.
worth the look!

Very nice bistro in a not so great location. Just wondering around what appeared to be a struggling Gardenwalk outlet. Fortunately, I saw the sidewalk sign or I might have missed Pop the Cork completely. The wine bar offers both retail and lounging.
I was fortunate to get to meet owners Ron & Lucille Kring. They are the closest thing I have found to Texas hospitality since traveling out of Austin for some time. Ron was knowledgeable and willing to keep me company when he wasn’t serving other patrons. This is my kind of place when traveling far from home!
The wine selection is very reasonable and it is clear that Ron & Lucille have gone to great effort to avoid that pretentious atmosphere common to so many wine bars. Some of the lower reviews I have read here suggest that perhaps that was what was expected. Nothing wrong with high end wine bars. I have often spent $ 30 for a glass of Cab, but that is not what Pop The Cork attempts or desires to be. They even have a few bottles of well chilled beer for your non-​wine drinking friends. I ordered a bottle of 2005 Stag’s Leap District Chimney Rock Cab. It was $ 60 and just right as far as expectations and value are concerned.
Extremely comfortable lounging area and soft, enjoyable music over the sound system. I had the bruschetta and hey, for $ 10, I thought it was just fine. Even though olives were not offered on the menu, I asked if our server could put something together and a nice bowl of several types of tasty olives appeared…$ 3.50! So come on folks, this is just a friendly couple trying to do what they enjoy and make a go of it.
No big corporate money or venture capital, just honest folk who genuinely enjoy the wine industry and serving people.

Just visiting Anaheim, and actually surprised by the lack of wine bars around here. Stopped by on a Wednesday night and it was, not surprisingly, not too busy. Love the set-​up, and the atmosphere was open and friendly. Service was friendly and recommended a pretty tasty cabernet. I guess the only downside (more of an annoyance) was the parking garage; spaces were ample and validation is good for three hours, but I’m just not a fan of potentially having to pay for parking. In the end, it was a really nice place, and hope to check it out again on the weekend when it’s a bit busier.

My wife and I were on vacation & excited about going out to a new winebar. This one got good reviews but there are some issues with this place. Just to let you know I am a veteran wine professional, broker and consultant. First, four out of five wines were oxidized and the owners had the nerve to tell me that the wines were fine and that I just didn’t like them. Yeah I didn’t like them because they had been open to long and were oxidized. They told me that their wine-​preservation system kept wines good for 90 days. That is complete BS. The cheese plate was lacking, not a good value and the service was lacking as well. Everything about this place was a turnoff. Word of advise only purchase unopened bottles of wine. To top it all off they tried to overcharge us for a ½ glass of wine. Two thumbs down.

After dinner and two bottle of wine at McCormick & Schmick’s, as a means to celebrate our friend’s birthday, we continued the celebration at Pop the Cork! With a party of 6, we were able to find a couch corner seating at the wine bar. A very cute wine bar!
Surprisingly or not, there was definitely an older crowd gathered around that night. Is this the usual? I’m not too sure. Live music on a Saturday night? Awesome! A bottle of Valentin Bianchi New Age Vino Bianco on the rocks with a slice of lemon? MmMmMm. Thumbs up, very refreshing! $ 31 a bottle? Yikes! BevMo? $ 8. O_​_​O Expected. Can’t complain.
Overall, Pop the Cork has a variety of selections of wine! Despite their price, there were still many items on their menu that I have yet to try… such as their cheeses, hummus, dessert wine flights, and of course… carrot cake! I am in full anticipation on my next visit to try new things and another glass of Valentin Bianchi New Age Vino Bianco on the rocks with a slice of lemon can’t hurt. =)

I have certain expectations of people who open wine bars:
1. That they know their wines and their employees know their wines also. The benchmark? Know more than me and have a desire to share what you know. Oenophiles are akin to hobbyists. We don’t just want to drink it, we want to know what we’re drinking and why you thought it was a good idea to put it on your wine list.
2. That their flights/​tastings are an example of the best of the wine selection. At the very least, one of the offerings in a flight should be something that is so deliciously amazing I want to take home a bottle. Don’t use your flights as a way to get rid of the stock you just can’t seem to sell. It just makes it look like you have bad taste.
3. That they know how to serve their wines. This means that I don’t end up with sediment at the bottom of my glass and the whites and the reds are served at their perfect respective temperatures.
DH and I headed to Pop the Cork on Saturday to kill some time at the Anaheim Gardenwalk. I tried talking him in to going here many times before because I like trying out new wine bars so I can become the first of a die hard group of fans. You see, I want to be loyal despite what you may have read.
First off, I love the way this Wine Bar/​Store is setup. You enter through a wine store, to the left is the wine bar and a number of tables and seating areas to sit while enjoying a glass of vino and some munchies. The bartender and owners were perfectly cordial. This is where the good ended.
Nothing in the Coastal Flight I ordered was good. Any southern California wine bar or store worth its value must have good Central Coast and Napa/​Sonoma wines. If you can’t get your own state right, how can you hope to get the Rhone Valley right? Plus they offered the Coastal flight which led me to believe they might know a little something about it.
If the Coastal Flight was going to be so disappointing I would expect the staff to steer me in the right direction. Or at least offer some tasting notes to give me an idea of what I’m in for. Something? Anything? Nope.
The bartender, though friendly, was not at all excited to be talking wine with us. I come to a wine bar to chit chat and broaden my horizons not just be served. If I wanted that, I could just go to my local Bevmo! Actually, even at Bevmo the customer service people are more than willing to have lengthy discussions about what they know.
To be clear, no, the bartender was not busy. There was a total of 9 customers in the entire place with 3 people working on staff and the guy wasn’t talking to any of us about what we were drinking.
Then there was the sediment at the bottom of my DH’s glass of Syrah. Don’t get me wrong, I understand how a little sediment can accidentally happen. The bartender dumped the rest of the bottle to the bottom into DH’s glass without a concern over the junk that came out. There are some people who actually like/don’t mind sediment in their glass. Not most but some. Take note Pop The Cork: sediment at the bottom of a glass, especially if you don’t ask the customer if they’re fans of solids in their liquids, is a fail.
I left this place ranting about how people who open wine bars should love wine and love talking to people about wine. Otherwise, why not just open a liquor store?
It just seems as though they got all the bones right without the heart and soul to bring this little wine bar to life.

So as I walked up to the door and the music I thought was coming from the elevator I just stepped out of grew louder, it was clear. There was a live muzak guitar player in the wine bar. I clawed my pocket pulling for my phone to tell my date to abort the meeting point as it was compromised by mediocrity.
The middle aged solo artist had a crowd of 2 people on a Friday night and they we’re seemingly entertained. I bet they were locked in once he started and didn’t want walk out and offend the performer. Wine drinkers politeness at its best.
So I never actually stepped foot in the door, but I thought to myself, you should be able to talk at a normal volume at the end of a long day over a glass of highly recommended Shiraz. If I wanted live music I would have gone to house of blues.
I so would have bought the guy a glass of wine out of pity.
We went to the Bar Louie instead and it was just fine.

This place is AMAZING! Delicious wine… we had the Melbec at a good price. The owners were the friendliest people I’ve ever met and did everything possible to make sure my girlfriends and I had a great time. They even surprised us with a Birthday cake (no one asked for it) after hearing we were there celebrating a birthday.
If you want a nice comfortable ambiance with incredibly nice service, delicious cheese and nice décor… then you have to stop by here. It’s a little Mom & Pop in the middle of a mall-​like strip.
So have a group of friends looking for a nice night out to enjoy with some wine and cheese… GO HERE! Or a good date place.

I want to LOVE this place. My wife and I love wine. We are members at wineries in Temecula and we get to Paso Robles and Napa at lease once if not twice a year.
First, the location. They are hindered a little bit by the fact they are in a new mall with less than 50% capacity. But the movie theatre always has crowds and the restaurants up front always has crowds. So people do come here. But not Pop the Cork. We have been there 6 or 7 times since they’ve opened. Sometimes to specifically go there, other times while we are waiting for a movie or dinner. We keep going back because we WANT TO LOVE this place.
So, as I’ve mentioned, we’ve been there 6 or 7 times. The bartenders have always been great, and Ron is always really polite. Lucille on the other hand, I can’t figure out. EVERY time I’ve been there, she has come up to us and said «Hi I’m Lucille, I’m the owner, is this your first time here?». NO IT’S NOT. You need to either recognize your customers or AT LEAST not insult them by admitting you don’t recognize them. It is much better to say «Thanks for visiting» because then it works if it is your first time or your 100^th time.
We stopped by our favorite winery in Temecula last weekend (Wiens BTW) and even though the place is packed every weekend and we only go every other month, the cashier recognized me AND knew my last name. I was so shocked that it drove me even more nuts that we were at Pop the Cork two days prior and Lucille asked me again if it was my first time., especially when I’ve had 15 – 20 min conversations with her in the past.
Ok, now that I got that out of the way. The wine list is pretty good. They really need tasting notes on their wine menu. I think there are too many dessert wines and not enough reds, but that is a personal opinion. I don’t understand the pricing. Why would I ever buy a glass of wine if the half glasses are exactly half the price, you’d think there would be a discount on the full glass over the half glass. Why would I ever drink a cheaper bottle of wine at the lounge as the corkage is $ 15 no matter the price of the bottle, it should be a percentage of the retail price in their store.
They finally started allowing their Flights of the Week to be purchased on any day instead of just Thursdays, so that’s a good start. They should really try and promote with the other small businesses in the mall, like the Movie Theatre or 300. I want to LOVE this place, but they really need to visit the Twisted Vine more often and try and mimic what they do. They need to start remembering their «regulars» (ie, anyone that comes more than once or twice)

I’m a little surprised this place is still in business. To be fair to them, I visited here when they had just reopened after being flooded and had extensive repairs done. The place was empty, which I blame more on the struggling Gardenwalk more than anything.
There were some wine representatives and my small group there, and the wine salesmen were complaining that the owner took all of their free sample wine, but didn’t want to place any orders.
People in the group I was with were really disappointed with the poor quality wines, and the even worse food. Reheated pita bread? (Note that they don’t really have a kitchen here).
I usually steer most people that want to taste wine in a great environment to the Twisted Vine. Much better service, selection, and really great food and atmosphere.

Came here with David L. on a Friday evening. It was unusually crowded which is good for business but makes it a bit difficult to carry on a conversation. We decided on the (large) cheese plate with five cheeses. The waitress went through the extensive cheese options and we settled on: spicy asiago, smoked gouda, blue cheese, brie, and a cheese that tasted like parmesan. If I had to compare with Twisted Vine, the cheese plate at Pop the Cork seemed pretty average and it seemed like you could get all of these cheeses at your local store.
Despite the unimpressive cheese plate, the wine we had was amazing. We split a very nice bottle of Forefathers Sauvignon Blanc and finished the night with half of a glass of the Moscato. The quality of wine is there and service was fantastic. Looks like a great place to meet up with friends to share wine but I would like the see the food menu and cheese plate to be a bit more exotic and adventurous.

We met up a few of our friends here before seeing a show at the IMAX nearby. Hadn’t really gotten a chance to browse the menu before my friend suggested one of their house wines. And what a great choice it was! For just a little under $ 7 a glass, this house wine fulfilled the satisfaction. Very light, breezy and sweet. It IS a good summer wine. Pop the Cork seemed a little quiet when we arrived but definitely gave the lounge feel. To add to that, they had live jazz music in the other area of the bar. For being a brand new wine bar at Gardenwalk, I definitely see myself coming here again. This place has got great potential!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
⁴⁄₅ Ambiance — The mood, character, quality, tone, atmosphere.
³⁄₅ Service — Helpful, accommodating, efficient, delivery and speed?
⁴⁄₅ Food /​Merchandise — Quality, taste, presentation.
⁴⁄₅ Price — Reasonable, inexpensive, high priced?
(Based on Irma’s review rating rubric —
)

After a wonderful dinner with friends we decided to take a walk to this wonderful wine bar. The owner Lucille, greeted us. This place is wonderful. This is more of a lounge with comfy seats both inside and outside in the patio.
They have both wines on tap and the old fashion bottle poured wine. My friend ordered the Tilia (Malbec) from Argentina. It was amazingly smooth. Then the guys ordered CIGARZIN by Mitch Cosentino and headed outside to smoke some cigars. MMMMM the wine tasted just like pomegranites.
I only gave it 4 out of 5 stars because I didnt try their food but everthing was very nice and clean and the staff were incredibly friendly.
If you wanna stop by, park in the purple level and when you exit the parking lot make a right and Pop the Cork is right there.
Cant wait to go next time and try out all the other goodies they have.

pop the cork is such a great idea… i’m so happy to see this included in anaheim’s garden walk. it’s a lounge (inside and out) that serves wine and accompanying foods like cheese, bruschetta, etc.
unfortunately it’s located at the end of the walk on the second story and it’s a bit tucked away so i worry that people won’t see it and frequent the place and it’ll go under. hopefully the build up the shops around ptc so business gets bustling.
went there friday with the bf and had an awesome liberty school cab as well as our choice of five cheeses (drunken goat, humboldt fog, etc.). sooo yummy. sooo relaxing.
the server we had ended up bein a really nice gal but she took some warming up to get that way… that’s all i would have changed about the experience.
i really really like this idea… hopefully this place thrives… as it should!