Esters Wine Shop

The most adorable place. Great addition to Santa Monica proper. So glad it’s close to me. I just wish the prices were a bit more reasonable or they at least had a happy hour. Not sure it’s worth it for me to pay $ 8 – 10 for some almonds… even if they are delicious. I also think the wine would be great priced down during certain times. Or at least a Wine Down Wednesday kind of thing.
Great little market inside. I can see this getting more business with cute gifts.
Don’t go here without getting the cheese sticks. They are incredible!

Hip place. Trendy cool. Food so lá lá. Ordered the Raclette with potatoes. It was ONE baby mini potato cut in millimeter thin slices which is ok covered with some cheese which was definitely NOT Raclette. Nope not Raclette. I know cheeses very well. I’m from Europe. Also they do not serve bread at all. If you want bread you’ve got to order it. Which is ok but frankly every restaurant ought to offer some type of bread to nibble on while drinking wine at $ 17 a glass. It’s just a good idea and also healthy and friendly. So that’s it. Maybe I will try it again.

so cute! love the interior! the drinks are a little pricey though. I can’t wait to go back and try the food which looked amazing and a perfect accompaniment to their drink selection. their beer was also so good and tasted even better served in a wine glass.

This is a great place to come for a glass of wine and good conversation. The staff is really helpful with selecting the perfect glass for you and even go as far as letting you try a few to make sure that you will enjoy your selection. Looking forward to coming back here!

A new and great located Wine Shop and Restaurant that is romantic, trendy, with a casual twist. We came without reservations at 8:00 with a group of 5 and were seated within 25 minutes after ordering drinks at the bar and hanging out. The wine shop is so cute with fridges and gifts from delicious wine, cheese, chocolates, which is hard to resist from buying. The wait staff is dressed all in plaid and it was nice to come as a visitor from Chicago.
We were seated on a large table sharing with another group and I loved the light wooden tables.
We started off with bread and olive oil which was super delicious– and got the grilled cheese which a must have made with ciabatta bread. The lamb meatballs were perfectly flavored and moist and tasted homemade. We got a charcuterie board after talking to our waitress about recommendations. They had flowers on the table, and you get little round plates to eat on. The food was really good — and it’s great for sharing, relaxing, and enjoying with friends or a date! They are still working out the kinks with some errors on the menu and not coming around fast enough to pass out extra plates.
If you visit the bathroom– you may have to wait because it’s a gender friendly one man show.

A Bright and airy west side addition to the Charcuterie trend sweeping Los Angeles right now.
Excellent breads, meats and expansive wine selection all live in great harmony here.
Great concept and execution… perfect place to have a relaxed tipsy lunch or happy hour.
In the words of our favorite action hero/​ex Governor (yeah that really happened) «Ill Be Back»

Was early for my dinner reservations at Cassis so went here for a drink as the Cassis bar was full. I asked for a glass of pinot noir, and after gratuity and health care fee (which I actually don’t mind) I walked out with a $ 26 tab. For ONE glass of wine! That was nearly half of what I paid for next door for appetizers, dinner, dessert and a cocktail! I did a double take to make sure they didn’t accidentally charge me for a bottle, and sure enough it was a glass. Ouch! That said, the servers were super nice, the pour was healthy (it better have been!!), and the décor was charming. I just would never go back because of the prices.

Atmosphere: Perfect upscale but not ostentatious Santa Monica wine bar.
Wine and Food: Well curated with taste, on both the wine list and food. With retail space selling wine (moderate $ 15 corkage per bottle makes for a great deal), cheese and food.
Staff: knowledgable, friendly, committed to providing a wonderful warm atmosphere. Kio knows his wine and Kedar (spelling?) is a warm friendly host at the bar. Their hospitality will have me returning again and again.
How I’d Use It: date nights, after work upscale glass of wine, epicurean midday tasting treat or lunch.
Love this place. More personal and friendly than Wally’s Bev Hills wine bar but with the same high quality and knowledge level.

Such a cute wine shop/​bar! My friends and I came here on a Friday night after dinner & this was the perfect place for good wine & good conversation. We found a cozy place outside on the couches & ordered a bottle of wine, I believe it was called the Kunin? It was delicious! The staff suggested a great wine all of us enjoyed! We paired our wine with their chocolate truffles for the perfect post dinner treat!
The place itself is wonderful! So trendy, with lights strung outside, heaters, & inside with the endless wine bottles all around! Definitely suggest this place for a date night or evening with friends!
Corkage fee is 15! (When you buy any bottle from their shop)

Recently while on a visit to Los Angeles I met up with a girlfriend at Esters Wine Shop… It’s situated right in Santa Monica not far from the infamous 3^rd Street Promenade. The ambiance inside was beautiful, it was bright, open and the bar was beautiful. It was a beautiful SOCAL day so my girlfriend I sat outside on their small patio.
We shared a meat & cheese plate and some Rose Champagne, we had our waiter pick out several choices that he recommended! We loved all of the choices and thought they all complimented each other great!
Service was spot on! I can’t wait to come back to LA to head back over to Esters Wine Shop and try more of their delicious small plate options!

Really beautiful space with lots of outdoor seating. Knowledgeable and attentive waitstaff. Great menu — everything I tried, I thoroughly enjoyed.
This place is a must if you love wine. The small plates options make it a great choice for a light dinner or a date. Everything is beautifully presented.
This will be a go-​to for me in the neighborhood. One star down because I think some of the food is slightly overpriced, but overall this is a great spot.

Very cute place to have wine and chat with friends! Met some friends here on a Friday night for wine and snacks. The wine is delicious and they even offer a «Magnum» size bottle which is awesome. The food is delicious but a little pricey for the amount of food you actually get. We had a cheese plate, the burrata, the almonds, hummus with veggie and the grilled cheese. We also have a regular bottle and a magnum bottle of wine. In the end, we all paid maybe $ 60+ which, like a I said is a lot for the amount of food we actually got. Staff is super friendly and the ambiance is great.

This girl LOVES a good patio and a good Grüner. Ester’s Wine Shop has both. This adorable new spot in Santa Monica will definitely be my future go-​to for girlfriend gab-​athons, dates and just about any other time I need a glass of wine whilst on a great patio. In addition to a great wine selection, you can have a great cheese board or charcuterie plate… and don’t miss their lavender almonds. Soooo good!
Service here is casual but nice. The crowd is a little homogeneous, if you know what I mean, but I hope it spices up soon. You can find parking on the street or valet, it will probably cost you the same… around $ 5. Enjoy!

Another great visit to Esther’s. We sat at the bar and were greeted by a wonderful bartender who introduced us to some Hungarian wines. Very knowledgeable, quick service – we’ll be back only this time with a bunch of friends.

Ambiance:
*Beautiful lighting, large windows
*Lovely bar and seating area
*The bar tender was very sweet and adorable just like this wine shop
Food:
*Sparkling Rose and burrata salad for lunch. So lovely.
This is a little slice of heaven.

This place has some serious good food! I mean real down to earth hardcore flavors fighting the good fight for your tastebuds. Not surprising brought to you by the same owners of Milo and Olive, Rustic Canyon, Huckleberry to name a few. They have put together an eclectic wine shop and bar, I’m curious if they got the idea from Wally’s in Beverly Hills. Many of the same elements are in play.
I enjoyed the baked ricotta with mushroom conserva, Rosemary, gochigaru and garlic confit the San Danielle, prosciutto, parmesan, basil, pomegranate and beet molasses the Grilled Cheese, reading, provolone, reggiano and bechamel with ham and the chicken confit with apples, Brussel sprouts and spiced bourbon sauce. Finished with chocolate champagne truffles… in heaven!
Everything was absolutely fantastic, I will be back to try it all again. Next time I will definitely try the plank of cheeses and charcuterie. It includes all there meats and cheeses on the day… sweet.
So you saying what not 5 stars? Well in the hour and a half we never saw any of the staff smile of engage anyone? Wow I think that is really hard to do even in LA were everyone is too cool to chat. Come on relax its food and cheese already darlings!

((((Newest Hot Spot))))
This place is unpretentious and seemingly hidden behind a wall of plants that separate the outdoor patio area to the streets.
It is right next to Cassia, another very hot restaurant.
You can’t lose by coming here to grab a nice glass of vino to meet friends, go on a date, etc.
The staff are extremely knowledgeable about all their wines and the best part is that they’ll let you sample as many of them as you’d like until you find «The One» that tickles your fancy.
I loved their pinot noir that they had from Sonoma.
I wish I could live here.
I am definitely going back soon…
Like maybe today or tomorrow at the latest!
I heart you Esters!

Huge fan of Cassia (right next door) and was looking for a spot where I could grab a drink and a bite and bitch about work — perfect place. Super cute interior, family sitting outside — really nice ambiance. Expensive, but somewhat expected given the concept and location.
Wine pours are light. I think that’s just what happens when you go to a grown up bar, which left me a little pocket light at the end of the day — but still enjoyable.
While it seems weird, the bread and butter actually pretty good. Apparently we were living large that day, casually sipping expensive shots of wine and ordering $ 6 bread but it was worth it.

Strangely enough, I actually liked the vibe of this place more than Cassia next door. Lots of people who are enthused about wine and cheese and fingery foods on wooden board abound!
You gotta love it, despite the elbow to elbow situation. It was rather sardine-​packed on a Friday night after we dined at Cassia but fortunately we found seats at the communal wooden table and immediately were waited upon by three very helpful servers.
Cool place! I’d like to come back and buy some of their bagged stuff and check out what’s in those yummy jars.

Great new wine bar that opened next to Cassia, and the newest of the Rustic Canyon family of restaurants. The restaurant has a really nice setup with wines from the ground to the ceiling. Service is great and very knowledgeable about all the wines. They offer up great suggestions for whatever you’re in the mood for. There is a $ 15 corkage fee for whatever bottles you do buy there, however. There isn’t as much seating as you would expect.
+ THE BALLER BOARD: If you’re a fan of charcuterie, or are indecisive on what to order, then you have to splurge on this board. The description is basically…“all of the meats with baguette and butter” Needless to say, all the meats they offer are delicious as is the CHICKEN LIVER IN A JAR that they serve with the platter as well.
+ CORN NUTS: Sometimes the simplest menu item is also very delicious. Great crunchy snack to order while enjoying some wine
+ LAVENDER ALMONDS: People who are familiar with their restaurants will recognize this menu item. Great hint of lavender
+ BAGUETTE AND ORGANIC BUTTER: As simple as it sounds, it’s a beautiful loaf of bread with homemade butter on the side.
+ ANCHOVY, CELERY, AND OLIVE TARTINE: What I love about this place is that there is no guesswork with their menu items… the description is in the name of their dish. I enjoyed this dish, especially with the mix of anchovy and celery. Even if you aren’t a fan of anchovy, you should give this dish a try, maybe it’ll change your mind!
+ GRILLED CHEESE: This is quite a HEARTY grilled cheese, with thick bread and oozing with cheese. Perfect comfort meal to pair with wine
+ HEIRLOOM TOMATOES, BURRATA, BASIL & SABA: as simple and clean as it sounds, it’s a very light, refreshing, and aesthetically pleasing dish
+ SMOKED LOCAL SABLEFISH IN A JAR: I’m a fan of sable fish, and this dish was worth getting. The fish had a great smoked flavor and was great as a spread on the bread.