Why Wine Bars Are the Best Place to Eat Dinner Right Now
Wine bars around the world are seriously upping their food game. The result? Delicious, satisfying dishes that pair perfectly with your favorite glass of wine.
When did wine bars become the most interesting places to have dinner?
On the spectrum between dive bars and fine-dining restaurants, wine bars used to exist in a happy in-between zone: They were places to grab a quick glass of wine and maybe some adventurous charcuterie but not much beyond that. Now the wine-bar world has shifted. These new spots — where the wine flows, the vibes are excellent, and the food is thrilling — are where I’m personally most excited to dine out right now.
This shift is happening in cities around the world. Nouveau wine bars in places like Mexico City, Los Angeles, and Tel Aviv are rife with creativity, where expectations are fluid and experimentation is welcome.
Related: The 15 Most Important Natural Wine Bars in America
“We try to create a cool spot for everyone to enjoy, which is in a sense quite humble and open — even a bit rough around the edges,” says Steven MacLeod, owner of Alba, an effortlessly inviting natural wine bar in Amsterdam that opened in 2020. For MacLeod, a wine bar seemed like a more flexible model for a restaurant — one that would allow him the freedom to offer a relaxed environment that was a departure from the stiffness of Amsterdam’s posh fine-dining scene. “The vibe in a wine bar is more accessible,” says MacLeod.
The same goes in Los Angeles at Voodoo Vin, where a casual feel was the goal from the start: “Traditional restaurants are great, but it never crossed our minds to open one,” says wine director and co-owner Natalie Hekmat. “We love the small, intimate neighborhood wine bars, where it feels so easy to unwind after a day, whether you’re alone or with friends.”
The food at this new generation of wine bars is intentional yet playful, ambitious yet accessible, with dishes that are meant to go with a range of wine styles. At Loup Bar in Mexico City, the wine list features an abundance of natural wines, and the kitchen prepares food that draws inspiration from the natural-wine ethos, too, emphasizing peak-season ingredients with little intervention. (Their delicate saffron mussels with golden beets inspired our Mussels with Saffron Aioli, Yellow Tomatoes, and Roasted Fingerlings.) “We wanted dishes with excellent ingredients from producers who share the same values as our winemakers,” Loup Bar co-owner Gaëtan Rousset says. “It’s more about the pairings than about pretension.”
Related: Wine Bars in Paris You Need to Add to Your Bucket List
The recipes that follow, each inspired by a standout wine bar — and created to pair beautifully with wine — bring that sensibility home to your dinner table.
Celery Salad with Arugula, Feta, and Pita (Habasta, Tel Aviv)
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
At HaBasta in Tel Aviv, seats filled with guests of the beloved spot who’ve stopped in for a glass of something special and a bite to eat spill into the pedestrian-thronged streets. The menu, handwritten each day, features simple preparations full of bright flavors and satisfying textures. This celery salad is a riff on a crunchy cucumber, onion, and pine nut salad served at the wine bar, layering pita chips, crisp slivers of celery, and creamy, tangy feta cheese. Pair it with a fruit-forward Israeli Sauvignon Blanc, a continuation of HaBasta’s ethos to cook, eat, and drink locally.
Pair with: a zippy, bright Israeli white, such as the 2021 Yarden Sauvignon Blanc.
White Beans with Sausage and Arrabbiata Sauce (Le Verre Volé, Paris)
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
Le Verre Volé in Paris is one of the greats. The petite spot’s lengthy, terroir-driven wine list makes it truly destination-worthy, while the cooks deliver casual, clever, seasonal riffs on classic French bistro fare. From the daily changing menu, Food & Wine editor in chief Hunter Lewis enjoyed pungent stewed tripe nestled in beans at Le Verre Volé last fall so much that he returned home intent on making his own version. His recipe spotlights thin-skinned white beans, which, along with a spicy tomato sauce, partner perfectly with a juicy and bright Beaujolais.
Pair with: a light, juicy red that still has some structure, such as the 2021 Laura Lardy Beaujolais-Villages Gourde à Gamay.
Green Curry Deviled Eggs (Alba, Amsterdam)
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
A curry-spiced oeuf mayonnaise is a favorite at Alba, a wine bar in Amsterdam. “This has been on our menu from the beginning, and we often switch up the flavors in it,” says owner Steven MacLeod. He enjoys the rich bite with a glass of slightly tannic, skin-contact (i.e., orange) wine made from an aromatic grape like Riesling. “When you have a dish like [this], you need something stronger with structure, and curry pairs so well with tropical, floral wines with a fresh kick.” Each egg gets a topping of crispy spiced puffed rice that delivers a contrasting, satisfying crunch.
Pair with: a tropical-fruited, aromatic white with some substance, such as the 2020 Sybille Kuntz Estate Mosel Organic Orange Riesling Trocken.
Mussels with Saffron Aioli, Yellow Tomatoes, and Roasted Fingerlings (Loup Bar, Mexico City)
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
At Loup Bar, a deep list focused on natural wines and a creative kitchen foster a welcoming environment. “We never wanted the food to take over from the wines,” says Gaëtan Rousset, who co-owns Loup Bar with business partner Joaquín Cardoso. Far from taking over, the dishes complement and balance what’s in the bottle. This recipe is inspired by one served at Loup Bar that features mussels and golden beets in a silky saffron sauce, but we’ve swapped in yellow tomatoes for a versatile shoulder-season main that pairs perfectly with a Grenache-and-Syrah blend. The wine offers just enough structure to stand up to the creamy saffron aioli.
Pair with: a fresh, Rhône-style red, ideally from a natural wine producer, such as the 2022 Andréa Calek A Toi Nous.
Grilled Skirt Steak and Cipollini Onions with Meyer Lemon–Nori Butter (Place des Fêtes, Brooklyn)
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
Owen Laufersweiler, chef de cuisine at Place des Fêtes, says that the mission of the Brooklyn wine bar is simple: “We hope to create a complete experience that sits in your memory for a long time.” The knockout grilled steak served here features their signature umami-filled Sauce des Fêtes and braised onions. This version draws on their layering of flavors with a savory sauce fortified with Maggi seasoning and nori. Beverage director Piper Kristensen suggests a glass of Silice Viticultores Tinto Ribeira Sacra, a medium-bodied red from northwestern Spain. “It’s elegant, and the Mencía in it brings a flinty salinity that goes so well with the beef.”
Pair with: a savory, medium-bodied red, such as the 2020 Silice Viticultores Tinto Ribeira Sacra.
Caesar Steak Tartare (Voodoo Vin, Los Angeles)
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
L.A.’s Voodoo Vin is the platonic ideal of a neighborhood wine bar. The menu highlights peak California produce and pairs dishes like a garlicky Caesar steak tartare with wine from the bar’s 400-plus-bottle list. At the wine bar, the tartare is served atop large croutons, assembled like a piece of toast; this version features endive cups for scooping. One of Voodoo Vin’s most popular items, the tartare plays well with a range of wines. “The options are endless,” says Natalie Hekmat, wine director and co-owner. But she loves it most with a classic French red like a Cabernet Franc.
Pair with: a peppery, bistro-ready Cabernet Franc, such as the 2021 Bernard Baudry Chinon Le Domaine.
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