Enoteca Bar and Wine Club

I originally made a reservation to ristorante mamma gina for dinner to celebrate my and my boyfriend’s birthday. But we found out that this bar had happy hour going on, so we asked if we can move to the enoteca bar! The happy hour menu and prices are just unbeatable. They offer complimentary bread with olive oil/​balsamic and the bread was just so addicting and delicious. My boyfriend and I ordered two pastas, and to be honest we didnt really know what to expect bc it was so cheap! Each pasta dish was like $ 10. We were pleasantly surprised at the portion size. It was definitely more than $ 10 worth. Was it the best pasta Ive ever had? No, but it was worth the price. The pasta was 3.5÷5, but I honestly couldnt complain! They also gave my boyfriend and I some dessert to celebrate our birthday! I got the Napoleon and my boyfriend got the tiramisu. Wow they were both so delicious and yummy! You have to try their dessert!
I will definitely be back next time to try the drinks and other dishes!

October 2015: out-​of-​towner who was in Palm Desert by pure chance… walked past Enoteca Bar at about 9:40 on a Thursday and it was still hoppin’ although it was supposed to close at 10. Popped in and had a wonderful Manhattan (or two)…as a Kentucky native and bourbon fan I was pleased to see Evan Williams in the well! Very cool bar… struck up a nice conversation with some locals and generally felt very welcome. Will ‘upgrade’ review to 5-​stars when I return and sample the dining fare! Highly recommended for a somewhat casual Palm Desert diversion.

By far the best deal in Palm Desert. Put your name on the board, get a drink from the bar and wait in the tiny cramped hallway half an hour. Bar menu excellent and half the price of restaurant. Great gnocchi and salad for about $ 20. Excellent baby fillet $ 15. Note to all the old folks, please wear big boy pants at dinner.

Great place for happy hour — 4 till close! Small plates were great and a decent Malbec for $ 5 a glass. We had the wild mushroom ravioli and the polenta, sausage and substituted the ragu sauce for the green pepper sauce — both were amazing — great friendly service and busy little place! I’d highly recommend it!

Seriously. the best happy hour!
Restaurante Mamma Gina gave birth to a very social child, and her name is Enotecca Bar and Wine Club!
This is the happy hour you are looking for when you are looking for a huge selection, lovely wine, and damn tasty food.
I am not going to go into all they have, for they have 3 large pages of food on their happy hour menu, but you can get entrée type meals for a nice price. Plus. you get Mamma Gina’s flavors which are simply amazing.
TIP: Meatballs– 4 delicious meatballs in a romanesco type sauce with your choice of either spinach or pasta. Choose the spinach, as is accompanies the bites of meat perfectly.

Enotecca Bar and Wine Club is the brainchild and offspring of Mamma Gina’s a Palm Desert institution serving very good Italian food. Enotecca is the bar and happy hour portion housed under the same roof…
First and foremost the happy hour is legit not your skimpy a couple of items and beer and wine selections. But rather a full blown menu serving up real deal Italian creations at a fraction of the cost at the adjoining restaurant.
Tables and seating is at a premium. Clearly the secret is out and not just the locals are in on the deal. The bread and tapenade spread is addicting. The happy hour food rocks as does the vast array of menu items along with the wine list.
The crowd is an eclectic mix packed with young and old, locals and visitors all seeking the same thing a really good happy hour meal and accompanying libations that rock.
Enotecca gets really busy so be patient but it’s also well worth the wait and for good reason. Service is a bit challenging especially when busy which seems like all the time. People tend to mingle and hold court especially the older locals so be patient. A great find in the desert with down home Italian food that rocks at happy hour…
Arrive early and stay late. I have been to Enotecca probably a dozen times over the past 3 – 4 years visiting friends in the desert but never to actually eat in the restaurant Mamma Gina’s. That should speak volumes about the food, pricing and atmosphere.

Just finished dinner, I had the salmon with spinach, it was amazing. Perfect portion size, and very filling and the same time. Good quality food. We’ll be back tomorrow

We waited 20 minutes for bar space. Waiting by the bar and had no one approach us or welcome us. After finally having a table open up we had other people take the table even though they came in after us. Apparently there was a sign up list that was in a different room that no one told us about. The hostess was not apologetic.

Unbelievable food! This is not your regulate happy hour. The bar for happy hour seems to have many of the delicious dishes from the main menu. Service is excellent! The gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce… like nothing I have ever tasted even in Italy. The wait time can be daunting but totally worth the wait!

Our friend recommended this as a fun place a while back, but who knew how great it is? We have been there alone, then taken friends, about four times this summer, and all have loved it. Food is great, pours are generous, service is friendly, prices are low, atmosphere is pleasing, and the people who frequent the place actually enjoy each other’s company instead of staring at their cell phones.

AHHHHHHMAZING HAPPY HOUR!!!
After a day out by the pool, my friend suggested that we head out to the Enotecca Bar that is attached to Mamma Gina’s and I am so glad that we did!
First off, the bread they serve is fantastic! I had to restrain myself from eating it all! The dishes they serve are smaller portions (tapas style) so you can order a few and share with the table like we did. Each and every dish we tried was to die for especially the Gnocchi stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese! Melts in your mouth delicious!!!
Friendly service and our server was on top of things. I will definitely be back the next time I am in town and will recommend this place to all my friends!

I heard this was a really popular place, but didn’t realize in the middle of summer it would still be so busy. We stopped in for happy hour last week before heading to dinner and had a great experience. They offer amazingly cheap prices on food and wine ($ 5 wine specials)…I can see why so many locals frequent this tasty joint. Next time we’ll come back for the food and the wine!

OK, thanks to good management who listens to customers’ reviews, their new bread is fantastic. Last time it was mush with no flavor. This past visit it was crunchy with herbs and nice flakes of salt. Good job, Piero. It is now up to your standards.
One note: whenever I order their minestrone soup, it arrives lukewarm… not hot. I’d like to see them correct this. it’s no fluke. It’s happened more than a dozen times.

Love this place! It was such a great find while in Palm Desert on a short Vacay. Great food, great wine and incredible service.

Enotecca has such a deservedly great reputation that even getting a seat at Happy Hour during the season is a real challenge. But the season is over and this past weekend, five of us found a table with no trouble, then proceeded to eat, drink, and like the rest of the customers, be very, very merry!
Service is top-​notch, and everything we ordered was excellent. We especially loved the black ravioli in lobster sauce, the chicken sausage, the wedge and the shrimp scampi. Wine is generous, water was kept filled, and there was an infectious good mood in the bar, which is loud but a lot of fun. As a local, I’ll probably stick to off-​season Happy Hours just because it’s easier. But for visitors, it’s definitely worth the wait to get a seat and enjoy this outstanding Happy Hour.

The only place we eat when my husband and I come down to Palm Desert for our mini 4 day wknd vacation every year. Its joined with Mamma Gina’s restaurant and has the best happy hours. They are open every night 4pm to 10−11pm and the place is always packed with locals and vacationers. If you want to sit at a table you place your name on the chalkboard in the hall and they will call you when a table is ready. If you can wait, try coming after 8pm since its a little easier to get a seat, not much of a wait but trust me, there is still a wait. The food is amazing, the prices are even more amazing, and the staff is the best. The bartenders are friendly and fun. We come every year and its nice to see the same friendly faces there. Try this place out, you won’t be disappointed.

Excellent dishes, fun and relaxed atmosphere. A really great experience for our anniversary dinner. Our waitress was tons of fun, great with suggesting dishes and supremely nice. They let you order dishes off the main restaurant’s menu as well. Try to the Swordfish Carpaccio.

This is one of the best places for HAPPY Hour! It is everyday from 4pm to close. You sign up near the bar for a table and how many people are in your party.
I’ve eaten at Enotecca twice and both times we had to wait for a table for about 30 minutes, which means this place is very good! You can see their bar menu on the website. This last time we went, we had a party of 10, but we were willing to split up, so we ended up being at tables of 3, 2, and 5.
This time I had a Fat Tire and the Penne Bologonese ($ 6.99 or $ 7.99). Both items were delicious after a long day of tennis. My team played at Indian Wells Tennis Garden. For the table, the restaurant serves warm bread and olive oil/​balsamic vinegar. Yummy! We also got garlic bread and fried calamari for the table and those two items were delicious too!
For dessert, I enjoyed their bread pudding with vanilla ice cream ($ 4.50) on top!
I can’t tell you how good Enotecca is, you just have to try it for yourself! If you’re in the Palm Desert area, you must give Enotecca a try during their awesome happy hour!!! I wish I took pictures of my food, but I was too hungry!
Xie Xie!

This place has the best happy hour food menu of any place I’ve seen in the desert. The portions, while on the smaller side, are large enough that my wife and I both left feeling full. If they ran the happy hour drink prices past 4:00, they’d get that coveted fifth star.

This is a very small bar attached to a very pricey restaurant. But the bar offers many of the same pasta dishes, in slightly smaller portions, for less than half the price. The drinks are served right. All day happy hour.
I suggest the bruschetta.
Enter by the front door (Mama Gina’s) and head left. Get your name on the chalkboard. Enjoy.