Old Vines Wine Bar

We wanted to love this place but had a few issues. We went on a non weekend night, atmosphere and décor is real cool including outdoor patio with fire pit. Wine selection, craft beer and cocktails were all awesome. Service was friendly and accommodating. The good: craft cocktails, beet salad, steak and wild mushroom dish were awesome, the chicken gyro was just «ok». The Bad: We did not care for the oysters as they were dosed in the vinegar mignonette, also the cobb salad was really disappointing, too much pickled and a browning avocado. Overall 3 stars.

I loved this place. It was VERY hard to leave. The selection of Cheese plates are GREAT, and they have VERY crafty bar tenders if you’re not a wine drinker.

If you only want Apps & a drinks this is the place for you. Happy Hour prices help too. We started off with the Pommes Frites (fabulous) Chicken Meatballs (yummy) and Messe for two hummus with toasted Pita (delicious) The wine was ½ price and very nice. We should have called it a night. We then ordered dinner and were very disappointed. Some of the small plates (very small plates) are served cold and we were not told that. One of us had the Halibut Ceviche with serranno chillis and tortilla chips. It arrived cold and We all sampled it and decided it was not something we could enjoy. The beef carpaccio was almost cold and came with a spicy sauce that we had asked to not be on the plate. The flatbread pizza was tasty and a welcome relief from the other very pretentious plates. The oven roasted mussels were also tasty but such a small amount. We decided to be brave and try the desserts since we all still had room. Out of the six we tried only one was not acceptable. It was called a pistachio shortbread crumble and it arrived at the table looking like a small serving of tan gelatin. This was left barely touched. Service is strange. The meals arrive one at a time often as much as 15 minutes apart. Our server told us meals are brought out as they are ready. Some in our party were finished before others even began.
The server did remove the halibut from our bill and when she saw the two desserts untouched offered to remove those as well but that never happened. The staff is very friendly and sitting outside by the fire was lovely. Wish we had just skipped dinner.

Very nice atmosphere — small inside but well decorated. It was a little loud, and the place wasn’t even full.
Good service — small plates for food that was well prepared and unique.
I would ask the owner to consider adding some seafood to the menu. We loved everything we had but we were looking for seafood
I would recommend

Hands down the best place to eat in Kennebunk/​Kennebunkport. Creative food choices, affordably priced with a fantastic atmosphere. A great alternative to all of the seafood places in town. The service exceeds most fine dining establishments in town. You can tell the employees like their jobs and it shows! I will be back.

This was the first time to the restaurant for my wife and I. We went based on the Unilocal review and weren’t disappointed. The chicken meatballs were great and the other apps were fantastic also. We each tried a cocktail and Charlie and the other bartenders were polite, timely and attentive. We sat at the bar since the restaurant was full on this Friday night. As it turns out, we sat next to the owners who were absolutely delightful. Rick and John let us finish our meal in peace but then asked how everything went and we sat and talked with them for almost 2 hours. This will certainly be our «go to» spot whenever we’re back in town!

Had dinner there last night and decided to just have apps & drinks. It was Prelude weekend so everywhere was very busy, but the staff was so pleasant & accommodating even though they were slammed. Our server even took the time to level our table! We had the hummus, beef carpaccio, and roasted fig & caramelized onion tartlet. All were extremely delicious, but I will say that I could have done without the fried capers in the beef carpaccio dish. Traditional
capers would have put that dish over the top.
We wanted to try their flat bread pizza, but we were both to full. So we returned the following day for lunch and was promptly greeted by the staff as if we were family, recognizing us from the prior night. We ordered the meatball, chicken & sriacha flat bread pizza. It did not disappoint.
The atmosphere, staff, service & food was simply outstanding. We’ll be back even though this place is 2 hours from home!

We stopped by for a glass of wine and a little cheese. Nice ambience great staff, great music, well worth it. Oh and great food.

To begin, I’m a little disappointed that you can only make reservations if you have a party of 8 or more. What If I want a date night without the wait? Luckily they called me and cleared this up – quite promptly I might add, and there was no wait when my party arrived. The place did really fill up between 7:30 and 8:00pm though.
When we got there the large area in the back was reserved for a large party, and most of the tables inside only seemed to hold 4 comfortably (I was expecting 5), so we sat outside close to the fire. It was quite charming until we got eaten alive by mosquitoes. Three days later I am still tormented by the 10+ bites I got on my legs. Our server, James, was really kind and kept the fire going to prevent more bites and even brought us bug spray (unfortunately the can was broken). It also got really dark outside. There is not sufficient lighting out there to read your menus. I don’t understand why there are no lights outside rather thant he one that puts the Old Vines logo on the building.
The service was painstakingly slow because it appears James was running the whole joint (or perhaps they had everyone else tending to the large party), but everyone at my table seemed to be pleased with their food when it finally came. I unfortunately wasn’t that impressed with my onion-​fig tart, and am kicking myself for not waiting the 45 minutes to get a flatbread (it took almost that long to get my tart anyway).
I really do like the drink menu. It has a wide variety of cocktails, wines, and beers. I got a passion fruit caipirinha because I love caipirinhas and had never seen this variation before. It was hardly passion-​fruity and it was mostly ice, so I would not get this drink again.
I will not be coming back, and the only reason I am giving this place three stars is because James was great. He had a lot on his plate, and he served everything with a smile – he’s also the person who called me back about my reservation. Does he do everything there?

Oh to be young again… pleasant surprise as we stopped into this wine bar for a quick light bite… instead we found a mixed crowd, mostly younger than this white-​haired Unilocaler with a wonderful service staff, who took great pride in their varied offerings. At the suggestion of Sam, our informative, charming server we opted for the hamachi ceviche (wow, thought I was in Japan), the burrata, and chicken meatballs further enhanced by a much better than average Pinot Noir and refreshing tart Sauvignon Blanc as suggested by Sam. as we were finishing our meal on a high top table adjacent to the bar we were totally surprised as an entourage of Secret Service men were escorting George H W and Barbara Bush out of the restaurant … of course everybody in Kennebunkport realizes that the Bush mansion, at Walker point was only 2 miles away… so sooner or later one would expect to meet up with the family, but not necessarily in this particular setting… our waiter told us this was their first visit to the Old Vine which of course says something about this wonderful wine bar.

Fantastic Date Night!
while on vacation with the InLaws, my wife and i had opportunity to have a dinner alone with no kids! my wifes family has a cottage up in Wells so we are frequently here, but never came across this gem! great food, atmosphere, and wine! i loved the 4 oz pours so we can have a few different wines, and the Key Lime Pies still shows up in my dreams. why is it so hard to find a good key lime pie? this place perfected it in my opinion. the we also loved he short ribs and marinated mushrooms. we had a few cheeses and a fire salami as well. thanks Unilocal for helping us find this place.

This place has really improved since I first went about 5 years ago. It now has a fuller menu with some great options. Had the beet salad and the hangar steak with Italian wine. Server was very attentive no complaints.

This should have been better. We were looking for a Wine Bar in Kennebunk and found Old Vines. When we arrived we were greeted promptly and decided to sit outside. We were served water and quickly ordered a bottle of wine. All good so far. Our waitress came back 15 minutes later to take our food order which was an arugula salad, a Roasted Fig dish and two cheese selections. An hour later, we were still waiting for our food. As the waitress’ served the surrounding tables there was no acknowledgement why it was taking so long — until I stood up and waved my hands. An Arugula salad with a «Ken’s Steakhouse Creamy Italian» type dressing, pre-​sliced cheeses and a microwaved fig dish should not take an hour. When we finally received one of the items ordered (the pre-​sliced cheeses), we didn’t have plates, napkins or utensils. I ended up walking from the patio into the restaurant to grab a couple of place settings. What made this all the more frustrating was the Old Vines Restaurant owners were sitting two tables from us yucking it up while oblivious to what was going on with their restaurant while receiving first rate service from their staff. We were told they were really busy, but based on what I saw severely understaffed (and committed to the owners table). Why the owners didn’t jump in to help is mind-​boggling. I certainly understand these situations happen, but a simple acknowledgement at some point would have really been grateful. At the end of the day, the wine was decent — nothing special — and the food was OK. The only reason I’m giving them 2 stars is the staff was apologetic and ended up taking something off the bill. The real question is, would I go back? At this point, I don’t have an answer.

We have been vacationing in KBPT for years, and every time we visit OVWB it does not disappoint. From the moment you walk in you feel welcome and relaxed. The wine selection is great, but my husband and I have a hard time veering from the craft cocktail list. The bartenders mix up great drinks! The tapas style menu offers something for everyone, and the food is fresh, innovative, and highlights local ingredients which we love! We have been back many times, and our favorites include the beet salad, the chicken meatballs, and the hot cashews.
If you are looking for a place in KBPT that breaks from the norm, offers a unique menu, and delivers a great personality, this is the place! As a night progresses at OVWB the locals pour in, the music sets the pace, and the cool vibe guarantees a great time will be had by all!

So, it turned out that Old Vines did close, but only for a short period. Some great guys bought it, and breathed life into it. There’s an updated menu, amazing new cocktails, and a regularly shifting wine palette. You just can’t find a better place in the Lower Village, IMO. Thanks for saving the place!

This place was recommended by the owner of the Inn where I was staying! The food was great! I had the beet salad which was a large beet salad for a tapas place! I also had the bacon and onion flat bread which was delicious! The staff was friendly and attentive! I would recommend this place to anyone!

When two big Unilocalers both bookmark this place for an upcoming trip to Portland, expectations are very high. Old Vines met and exceeded every expectation my boyfriend and I had during our recent trip to Kennebunkport.
We came on Saturday night around 8ish, and were able to pick any table that we wanted (granted, this is not high season for the area, so keep that in mind — I’d think in the summer, that wouldn’t be the case). The walls are decorated with old wine crates, there are plank wood tables, and comfortable seating (though not a lot of seating in the main area, where we sat). The bartender actually seated us, and we were immediately given menus for small plates and for wine/​cocktails.
The wine list has a variety — most are bottles, but they have white and red glasses available in 3 or 6 oz pours. Prices for 3 oz pours range from $ 5-​$ 7 and 6 oz pours between $ 12-​$ 15 (roughly). Bottles are also varied in prices (to be honest, I didn’t even look at the white wine offerings because I’m a red fan, so I can’t be sure on pricing for white wines). I first tried a California Pinot Noir and my boyfriend had the Zweigelt — both were smooth and delicious (and came out fast!). I then moved on to a glass of Cab, and my bf then switched to a cocktail getting one with blood orange and vodka that was delicious.
Since the food is tapas style, everything comes out when ready, which was exactly what we were looking for, as we put in food orders at different times and were able to fully enjoy everything. We started with the hummus and pita, which was incredible (both of us commented that it was possibly the best homemade hummus/​pita we’ve EVER had). We also ordered the white flatbread pizza, which was incredible — it was so delicious with arugula on top that I wish I had the stomach to eat the entire thing. Boyfriend ordered the chicken meatballs, which he said were incredible, and I also ordered the fig and onion tart, which was fantastic (despite being SO full by that point, I ate the WHOLE thing).
Service throughout the meal was excellent — glasses of wine never got close to empty before our server came back to see what we’d like next, and he was attentive in checking in about food/​food orders.
Old Vines is a fantastic spot — we talked about how good the food/​wine/​service was for the rest of our night, and even into the following day. Can’t wait for a return trip to revisit and drink a lot more wine!

Loved the vibe of this wine bar. We got the chicken meatballs and the shrimp & chorizo… and a bottle of wine.
Both dishes were good, but they could’ve been a little lighter with the seasonings — it was a little overdone in that regard. The ingredients in the dishes and the way they were put together were great — they didn’t need much to make them taste good. But I’d much rather have more flavor than not enough flavor. :)

Unbelievably accommodating, creative and delicious. Staff and owner willing to help with food choice and drink recommendations.
Cosmo was served with fire. Ladybird made with fresh fruit and top shelf liqueur

Old Vines Wine Bar was a lovely little spot for an early evening drink and appetizers. The décor is great, lots of reclaimed and reused items, dim lighting made for a quaint and intimate atmosphere. There is even a fireplace outside if that’s what you fancy.
The cocktails all looked delicious but I landed on the Lori 75. The tartness was unexpected but once my palette acclimated, it was delicious. Unfortunately, my husband suffered the consequences of the bartender’s VERY honest pour of his Chardonnay. That glass was 5 oz. MAX and you usually hope for a little padding on the portion but no luck here.
We ordered the burrata and the pita with tapenade. The burrata was delicious with arugula, honey, hazelnuts, radishes and balsamic. The tapenade portion seemed small but the flavor is so intense, a little bit went a long way.
Over all, we were really happy with our experience. The two apps were the perfect size to hold us over a few hours until our dinner later that night.
My only issue was music. They were playing a lot of motown hits which didn’t seem to jive well with the rustic, wine bar atmosphere.