The Happy Grape Wine Bar and Bistro

Ambiance is nice. Overpriced and small portions for food. Live entertainment is always fun. We go for wine, not for expensive tiny flatbreads and store bought desserts.

Visited the Happy Grape tonight and had the worst service I have ever experienced. I ordered the Viva Italia flatbread and my server brought out the Tuscan flatbread. I told her that I ordered the Viva Italia and she shook her head no. I repeated that I was sure I ordered the Viva Italia. Instead of apologizing and saying she would get me what I actually ordered, she shook her head and said «No, you ordered the Tuscan.» I was on a business call at the time so once I got off my call I told the manager that I wanted my check and I wanted to leave and I told him what happened. I told him that the server argued with me and he said (with an attitude) «Well, I didn’t hear any arguing, I just heard you on your phone.» I will NEVER go to My Happy Grape ever again. I have never in my life been treated so poorly as a customer.

Came in to try something new… here are our reactions:
room and set up are great! Love the seating, and patio will be nice when warm.
Appetizers: had the antipasti platter, good but could of had more cheese and olives for the $$.
We had the flatbreads for dinner, one was the Italian the other the Bartlett. Go with the Bartlett– it was spot on! Other was good, but didn’t hold a candle.
Regret: wish a small loose leaf salad was included for the price for the night…
Wine flight? Awesome! Loved both the. Sweet and the White basic.
We will be back, but hope they add a small artsy salad in with the flatbreads for the price.

My favorite wine bar! Great selection of delicious wines from around the world. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable! Plus they have amazing tapas to compliment the wines!

Very good wine selection, nice patio and yummy good food. Pricey and dark inside, but it’s a wine bar. Overall a nice place to go, if your trying to impress someone take them there just don’t forget your extra $$$.

Very nice atmosphere and very upscale. I’ve been there about 4 times. 2 out of the 4 times I have had horrible service. From getting the orders wrong to waiting forever for a drink and service. Prices are kinda ridiculous for a glass of wine if you ask me. Maybe I’m just a cheap ass, but I think it’s pricey.

Try the New Age white. So light and crisp.
We were in the area for my husband to run a very crazy race that included a crazy amount of mud. As a nice treat for me, he planned a date night and we went to The Happy Grape! I wish we had one of these in Cincinnati. I loved the wine selections that our server offered and the atmosphere was excellent.
I had the white flight and I LOVE when places have a mixed flight that includes sweet & dry whites in the same order. I loved the variety.
They also have a wide selections of craft beers.

Great place. Try the Bartlett pizza

Could I please give a rating based on sub-​categories? That would be great.
I’m not much of a wine fanatic, but I really do enjoy trying new things and hoping that I’ll like them. The Happy Grape gave me the opportunity to do just that.
I called ahead to see how things worked. The man who answered the phone was knowledgable and was very helpful and polite. He explained what a corking fee was (A $ 6 charge on top of the purchase of a bottle of wine so you may use their facilities, glasses, and servers to enjoy your wine at the bar), how a wine flight works (A sampling of four 2.5 ounce pours of different wines that you may share among others — priced at $ 9.99 except the Chardonnay Flight priced at $ 11.99), and that they serve some menu items.
Telephone Customer Service Rating: 5 Stars
Here’s a breakdown of how the night went:
My group consisted of myself, my boyfriend, my friend and her boyfriend. None of us had ever been to a wine bar before. We were immediately welcomed by a man at the bar as we hedged further away from the door. The atmosphere was clean and well-​lit. The table seating was well spaced but full of patrons and the bar wasn’t the kind of seating the four of us preferred. Unsure of whether to seat ourselves or wait to be seated, I asked a server near by. She said we may seat ourselves and that there was more seating in the next room over. The next room was brightly lit with a few tables. Paintings by local artists hung on the walls and a random guitar and amp sat in a corner.
First Impression and Atomosphere: 4 Stars
We sat at our table for about 10 minutes, once again pondering how the establishment worked. Do we go to the bar and order ourselves or are we served? There were plenty of people who seemed to be working the floor. Finally, a server arrived at our table. He seemed charming and eager to answer questions. My girl friend noted that he made «googly eyes» at us regardless that our boyfriends were with us. We each ordered a different flight, handed over our IDs, and our server (who took note of each of our ages and names) went off to get our drinks. After a few minutes, we all wondered if wine and the four beers listed on the menu was the only beverages served here. I went to the bar to check if liquor was served as well. I was greeted by name by our server and told that they serve, «…wine, more wine, a few beers, and more wine…» The other bartender was nice enough to point out that they did carry liquor under their elaborate display of wine bottles over the bar.
Our flights were served as our server called out our names. He checked on us once shortly after serving to see how we enjoyed our wines. By this time, I had only tried two of my own and a few of my friends’. We didn’t hear again from our server until my girl friend and I were quite tipsy and in desperate need of water. To make a long story a little less long, our server gave us waters but did not check back to give us refills. He also did not give us the bill. My boyfriend and I had to walk up to the bar to get our tab and hint that our friends still at the table could use more water. It seemed our server was more interested at flirting with the «girls’ night out» table rather than attending to ours.
Service Rating: 2 Stars
Food Rating: 3 Stars
I ordered the red pepper hummus with pita bread. The hummus was tasty, but nothing better than what you buy at the store. The pita bread was a little too chewy and tough, but the server said they can toast it if you order it that way. Note that he did not offer to take my pita bread back to have it toasted.
Math Time!
5 + 4 + 2 + 3 = 14
¹⁴⁄₄ = 3.5 Overall
Overall, I’m very glad that The Happy Grape has arrived in Lexington. This area needs businesses such as this to keep our small area alive and entertaining. I will definitely revisit and cross my fingers for a better server!