The Cellar

We’re Midwesterners temporarily relocated to San Clemente. We’d walked by The Cellar dozens of times during our sixth-​month stay and it was always hoppin. What finally drew us in was the «free draft for dad» on Father’s Day. We also ordered the buratta and it was divine. Last night we returned for dinner, and, after a short wait, we were able to snag one of the outside tables. Overall, it was a great experience. Great food, fast, attentive service.
I only have two observations (I won’t list them as complaints… more of an «I just wish» kind of thing.
1. They had live music and from our vantage point seated outside it was ok, especially when the door going into the restaurant was closed. Inside, it would have been much too loud to carry on any kind of conversation. It’s one of my pet peeves. When I have to text my husband across the dinner table for him to «hear» me… nope. Glad we were seated outside.
2. I ordered the Gem Chopped Salad as an entrée. It was very tasty, well dressed. At $ 14, though, I was actually looking for a real, authentic gem. A little pricey for some chopped Romaine, tiny bacon lardons and sweet corn and a couple other veggies. No major protein, which I knew going in. I just hoped the price would have been justified by the size.
I also took issue with their definition of «chopped.» While the supporting cast was nicely bite-​sized (even a a bit smaller than that) the leading lady (the aforementioned Romain) was chunky and unwieldy. My expectation of a chopped salad is that one can get a forkful of every delicious ingredient in one bite. Can’t happen if the lettuce is taking up too much of the forkage area. Back home we’ve got a fabulous salad place that uses a giant mezzaluna a to chop the heck out their salads.
Again, an overall good experience. Just those couple of things.

We had our rehearsal dinner at The Cellar. Everything was outstanding!!! The food was delicious, the service was amazing, and everyone had a great time. I would like to thank Monica for her help putting together a menu for our group. I would like to that the servers and bartenders for being so awesome and attentive! Our group was incredibly impressed with you! I would like to thank the chefs for the delicious food (bacon jam, cheese & meat selections, truffle popcorn, figs stuffed with blue cheese wrapped in bacon, the Salmon was fantastic, and the strawberry shortcake was so good, I ate two!). Everything was so perfect!!! All night long our family and friends raved that this was the best rehearsal dinner that they had attended. They wanted to know how I found such a wonderful restaurant, and I told them, Unilocal.Thank you for the great recommendation. This place exceeded our expectations.
Also, I would like to apologize to those of you that had to wait because of our party. I am sorry, but can we agree it was well worth the wait?
I wish I could give this place 10 stars; they truly deserve it.
Food — Perfect (One of the best meals)
Service — Perfect (I was so impressed with everyone; friendly, polite, courteous, overall great people!)
Atmosphere — Perfect
Thank you for such an amazing evening!!!

Possibly the best place to go hang out on a Friday night and listen to a guy play Billy Joel and Moody Blues and drink craft cider and eat dinner.

Food? SUPERB! Atmosphere? SUPERB! Service? SUPERB! Entertainment? SUPERB! Cleanliness… including bathrooms? SUPERB!
The Cellar does not just provide GREAT FOOD; The Cellar provides a GREAT EXPERIENCE!
They have a wonderful ECSTATIC HOUR Menu… but you need to get there as early as possible as this place PACKS OUT quickly!
In a world over-​run with restaurant «chains of sameness,» it is SO REFRESHING to find a small owner-​operated establishment that cares about providing consistently HEALTHY, DELICIOUS, ETHICAL and CREATIVE dining options for its customers.
And, no matter what you order (vegetarians, worry not… they have LOTS of CHEESE (LOL)…and OTHER OPTIONS so YOU won’t get stuck with whatever they can «scrape together!») it is dee-​li-​cious!
After a tasty meal and delectable drinks, make sure to finish it all off with their yummy chocolate chip cookies – topped off with sea salt for interesting chemistry on the tongue!
And if you search carefully and the stars line up, you will get a glimpse of «Dawn», one of the owners, who really should have been named «Sunshine!» She is a warm, positive human being who always makes me feel like I am coming home to visit family!

We had lunch yesterday at the Cellar and thought it is a great place, shabby chic style and good quality food. My husband was very pleased with his egg dish that came with nice toast and vegetables. I made a bad choice by ordering the Avocado salad toast. It was over priced for what they serve. The slice of bread was too thick and almost over-​toasted, the crust was so hard I could not even cut it. Then there was a layer of smashed avocado on it with some salad on top. 12 dollars? I told the waitress that I have problems to eat this. She said I bring you an extra plate so you can scrape off the salad. It looked awful when I scraped of the mashed avocado. I had to ask for some extra toast. They should re-​think this dish and make it appropriate. Thinner bread and avocado sliced and not mashed!

The Cellar Wine Bar truly lives up to its name, as it is just that-​a trip to a wine cellar and one you won’t want to leave!
This has become one of my favorite spots in south OC to just hang out! I mean if I had my own wine cellar this is what it would look and feel like! The Cellar is dark, comfortable, stylish, and cool. Upon entering The Cellar I noticed I immediately felt relaxed, and I hadn’t even had a glass of wine yet! I realize this could be a conditioned response, but the place is really laid back-​none of the «upper crusty» attitude to be found at this spot.
I sat at the long bar with a view of the well displayed bottles of wine. They also have a nice selection of beer as well. Oh yes, and did I mention cheese? There are many yummy cheeses to indulge in. On my first visit it happened to be Happy Hour (4−7pm, M-​F), so I ordered from the Happy Hour menu. I was quite happy enjoying my appetizer with a nice Hook and Ladder Red Blend, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. Apparently, there are some great entrees on the menu as well. However, I did not partake on this visit.
The staff is nice, friendly, and appear knowledgeable regarding wine. My server Alex was especially helpful in making sure I found just the wine I wanted! Thanks again Alex-​I will be back!
As far as location, the Cellar is located on Avenida Del Mar, so the heart of San Clemente. It definitely appears to be a locals hang out and understandably so. I am ready to relocate just, so I can become a regular! I am told they offer live music as well. I will return!

Came here with some local friends, while visiting from San Luis Obispo. Absolutely loved it. Friendly staff, excellent wine selection and the food was stellar. will def be coming back. The music was a little loud but it added to the fun atmosphere… thank you!

My wife and I had lunch here yesterday after we had checked out the car show. Kayla made us 2 superb lattes while Hannah looked after us at out table. We shared a very nicely made panini followed by utterly indescribably delicious strawberry shortcake. We had a great time and there was live music while we enjoyed our meals. This bar/​café/​deli is fantastic night or day.

My husband I found The Cellar on Unilocal on our way back from San Diego. The food is delicious!
The atmosphere is not so much romantic as super loud, but we had a blast and can drive home with happily full stomachs.
Worth the stop!

This is my favorite place for happy hr. I always get the hummus without fail. Their grilled cheese is amazing, and their burrata cheese plate is delicious. Not to mention the amazing service. I love listening to their live music while catching up with friends, or relaxing after work.

Excellent selection of beer and wine. I’ve had the cheese board, the turkey sandwich, sweet potato fries, and the burger here. All were excellent, they even have a cheese deli and an amazing barista for coffee drinks.
Really nice atmosphere, friendly staff, very clean and well run. A+

Awesome find for a unique dining experience. We stopped in for breakfast. The atmosphere is fantastic, great wine and beer selection with a phenomenal cheese display.
The décor is distinct and makes for a great place to meet friends and hang out.
Full service espresso bar and the bakery chef makes some incredible pastries.

Pretty darn good place for breakfast. I always order the steak-​n-​eggs, and there was once or twice where I ordered the breakfast beer (yeah!). The skillet is great value in the morning too. Service is friendly, if a bit slow. Totally hipster’ed out in the morning.
I haven’t been there for lunch or dinner in awhile, but last time I was there the menu was a bit short. I personally like short menus, but this one was REALLY short. I should go again to see if they had changed that.

This place absolutely deserves the stars it gets.
We came here after searching Unilocal and noticed they have an amazing «Ecstatic Hour» from 3−6pm. It’s located in downtown San Clemente and is in a super cute location. The inside is cozy, modern, and rustic. Perfect for a date night or a girl’s night out. FYI, it’s self seating when you walk in, so make sure to get there a little early for a good spot (or don’t, so I can take your spot :))
Between the two of us — we ordered a cheese plate ($ 10), Sweet Chili Wings ($ 7), Petite Burrata ($ 7), Grilled Cheese and Tomato Bisque ($ 6), 4 drinks ($ 6/​ea.), and a Skillet Cookie ($ 8). The $ 65 price tab was worth it because the portions are pretty large. The servers are attentive, knowledgeable, and friendly which is huge considering how busy they get. Honestly, we liked all of the dishes, but highlights were the cheese plate and the skillet cookie.
There’s craft beer here as well if you’re not a wine person. Can’t wait to come back!

The Cellar has a 4 ½ star rating for a reason! Love Love Love !!!
I popped in during the day and was immediately greeted by a friendly male employee. I thought it was super cute in there and the cheeses looked fanfreakingtastic (Displayed through glass counter in front.) I asked him about the happy hour he mentioned… Apparently they have HH everyday from 4 – 7. I spotted a covered piano and was hoping for some entertainment… So I definitely wanted to return later on and did.
…Came back in around 6:15 and sat at the bar. A Miss Jaylene (sp?) was an excellent bartender and very personable. I took her advice on wines and got a cheese board on HH. Delicious! The cheesemonger came out to describe the cheeses. I had a hard time understanding her. she needs to open her mouth more when speaking. Ordered a second board (all different cheeses). The second board was as fabulous as the first. Cheesemonger obviously loves cheese and it shows! Jaylene asked if we were still going to be around at 6:45 because there’s going to be «amazing» music by a Rabi with dreadlocks singing on piano along with a violinist, guitarist and drummer. Um, Yes please !!! And she was right! Amazing is an understatement. As soon as they started playing we spotted a seat closer to them open up… and so we moved from the bar… But before changing seats, we took Jaylene’s recommendation and ordered the chicken sandwich and fries. PS– she asked for our names at the beginning of our visit. «Kim, do you like truffle oil?» …Why, yes I do, Jaylene! The fries were swimming in truffle oil and I was swooning! Loved them. Chicken sandwich was also very good. I’d order it again.
Gorgeous place. Wonderful ambiance
Genuinely friendly, knowledgable staff
Great wines, cheese, food, craft beer
Amazingly talented live entertainment.
Great crowd of people
Happy Hour every day
HIGHLY recommend

After a very drunk afternoon of day drinking, we stumbled into The Cellar to get a littttttle more sloppy. We walked by and I was drawn in by the beautiful wood features, dim lighting, and lively atmosphere.
The Cellar is a great place for large and small groups alike. I was here with about 6 other people and we decided to grab a center raised bench table. Our waitress was also wonderful. She guided us through the wine menu, and helped us choose 2 bottles for the table to share. I was already too drunk to remember the names of the wines we tried, but I remember enjoying them. Our group finished the 2 bottles within minutes of sitting down, and we were on our way to the next booze location!
Overall, a great experience. The ambiance is romantic and fun. The prices are reasonable, and the menu was extensive. They also serve food that pairs great with their wines. Can’t wait to come back.

The environment is classy, creative and fun and the food is fantastic!

Best place to unwind and hang out with a couple of good friends, totally recommended this place! Great selection of cheese and good coffee.

Great wine selection and if you get there during Happy Hour, amazing wine prices. Really liked the location right in the center of downtown and would definitely go back next time in town.

Even though it’s a bit pricey it provides a great date night environment, a wide selection of drinks, & unique yet tasty food. If you are having wine you need to order the 7 cheese plate. They paired the cheeses very well with toppings including honey and dark chocolate. :) The burrata was also absolutely amazing! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
The piano man who is there on the weekend plays a lot of old school music including my favorite– Billy Joel. You’ve got to get there early if you wanna grab a seat since they don’t take reservations.

We were referred by a friend who lives in San Clemente. We absolutely loved this place. Great bartenders. Very attentive. Fabulous Cheese and Meat platter. (They sell all the items on the platter at the deli up front) the moscato was amazing. Each meat and cheese was accompanied by dried fruits, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, mustard and other things I have never had. One cheese was paired w caramel. Prices were fabulous. The cheesiest grill cheese w tomato bisque for $ 6.00 Our entire bill was under $ 60 I can’t say enough good things. I was hesitant to write a review because I don’t want everyone else to go but I couldn’t be selfish. We met a great couple they further proved why San Clemente is our favorite place Thank you Ashley and Brian.

Wow. Just wow. I went here on a Saturday night looking for a fun venue to entertain a friend from out of town. Did I say Wow?
I had the mushroom soup that was presented kind of like a super delicious Phở, and the Burratta plate was AMAZING.
There is a piano bar and an awesome pianist named Elliot was playing last night. Awesome chops and was definitely connected to the crowd.
Good times and highly recommend this san clemente jewel.

Everything is amazing! Everything is fresh and seasonal as they have a garden out back. Only thing is they get busy! And fast so grab a seat and get ready for an amazing meal and beer and wine selection!!!

The Cellar is easily my favorite spot in San Clemente, thanks to it’s all around perfection. Yes, perfection.
Every bit of food I’ve had here has been delicious, and the service is always exceptional… it’s nice when the energy coming from a place seems genuine, and that’s exactly what you get here. On top of that, the ambiance is really special, regardless of whether you’re sitting down at one of the tables for a meal, or just grabbing a drink at the bar with friends. It’s a nice looking place and I like that it doesn’t cater exclusively to an older or younger demographic… everyone just seems to enjoy themselves here, and I’ve never once felt rushed or ignored.
The drink selection is great, and if you have any questions you’ll find that the people working here know their stuff and can help steer you in the right direction. If you’re just passing through San Clemente, make sure to visit The Cellar at least once while you’re in town.

I have only eaten here for breakfast and I have not been disappointed! If you like french toast you need to get it here. The berry compote with the ricotta gives you the perfect bite of sweet and savory. The bread is yummy too not to soggy with the yumminess that they put on top. If your not into french toast then you should try the avocado toast. I like it with the egg because once you cut it open the egg runs onto the avocado and toast. Its just really good!
The service is warm and friendly.

This is a great place to go to if you’re a beer drinker, or if you love wine. They have an extensive selection of both! They had live music on weekdays, which was a great find! Unusual to find in San Clemente! I have only tried their meat & cheese platter, & it was just ok. A little bit on the expensive side. The burgers & chicken looked good, as the sever was bringing it out. Friendly bartenders, and a very chill place. Classy! Not a meat market, at all! My kind of place. I’ll be back for seconds.

Strolled in for a late lunch on Saturday with our out of town relatives.
We started with the 5 cheese board, which was ok… Just NOT a ‘wow’ factor! We all ordered a glass of their house Pinot Noir which was recommended by our waitress. Affordable, tasty & smooth!
Next, my husband & I shared their signature burger & I must say «OMG, SO ridiculously good!!» JACKPOT! The flavors explode with every bite. A must try!

I found myself here on a Sunday night while a live band was performing. Rabbi Blue happened to be playing that night and he put on a great show. The atmosphere has a great vibe and really has a down to earth Brooklyn/​NYC feel to it. In fact, for a split second, I had forgotten I was in CA. The crowd seemed to be pretty local, no hipsters, just a casual beach crowd. Everyone was really nice and friendly, very low key.
I tried a couple of white wines which were recommended to me by the server. I also tried the Gold Coast mead, which also happened to be my first time drinking mead. The wine was good, but the mead was my favorite. I did not try the food, unfortunately, but I will next time.
I recommend coming early if you want to get a seat to see a band play. The place filled up quick when I was there.

Their own website advertised Rombauer Zinfandel at 14 a glass so we came here because we love this wine. They charged us full price at 18@ glass and the explanation from the Manager was «Our website isn’t up to date and we charge the price on the menu «we came for happy hour. He adjusted 2 glasses and charged full price for 2. Attitude was I don’t care and I’ve never had to honor advertised prices. REALLY?
This is the second bad customer service experience we’ve had here and we spend well over 100 each visit.
Very poor management. Won’t be back.

We stopped here when we wanted to have some coffee from Bear Coast Coffee when we were in the San Clemente area. It was around lunch time when we came here so we wanted to eat something light. We had the O.G. salami panini house with pepper jam, provolone and arugula. I don’t usually get panini sandwiches when sometimes they’re very greasy then it really depends how they put the sandwich together with the spreads and if they put too much butter or oil on the bread. They made this panini really good the taste was well balanced especially when salami usually has a lot of pepper in it that it can taste spicy.
This is a small place with limited seating better for couples or a small group of people to enjoy drinks, coffee, wine and cheese or other small potions of food. Service can be slow then just waive the waiters or waitresses over when its not a really busy place. Good place to stop by if you’re in Downtown San Clemente even just to quench your thirst and relax a bit before you go somewhere else.

The Cellar is truly an experience not to be missed in SC.
They have a perfect blend of character, design, bar, shabby, elegance, interesting people, age groups, music, great cheeses, wonderful wines and entrees that are fabulous!
Did I say I loved it?
LOCATION and AMBIANCE (Rating 5) Located in the heart of San Clemente on the main drag, The Cellar is a «Locals Hangout» for good reason. There’s no reservations so expect to wait a bit, but who cares. there’s great wine and entertainment most nights. RELAX… The interior is well done with a long bar, high seating in the middle that lends itself nicely to squeezing in and meeting others and there’s a few dining tables for sitting with your significant other and enjoying the party.
SERVICE (Rating 4.75) Our waitress was awesome. She helped us with the «Best Of» and shared her favorites. She suggested wines and steered us clear of a wine we were thinking about. After reviewing the wine on Vivino, she was right. It’s busy, so don’t expect fine dining attention from 3 or 4 waitresses. This is much lower key friendly service as they make there way around. It works for the venue well.
ENTREES BELOW ARE IN «BEST OF» ORDER
SHORT RIBS (Rating 5) Wow! These were amazing. So tender, so flavorful. The creamy gouda grits it came with were a perfect match as well. This dish deserves a seriously big red to go with it. I’ll be back!
SPRING CHICKEN (Rating 5) So my wife ordered the chicken. Usually when you order the chicken you’re in for a mediocer meal, right? NOT SO! I have no idea how they were able to infuse and permeate the flavors into the organic jidori chicken but mission accomplished! The farro, grilled asparagus, baby chard and dijon were a perfect fit and made my wife a happy camper.
BURRATA (Rating 5) This is a must have appetizer IMHO. I only wish the burrata was a little larger. When the menu says «heavenly cheese pillows», it means it! And how the heck do you fry arugula? But they do it well and the garlic, tomato and castlevetrano olives makes this an exceptional dish to share. (OR NOT SHARE ;))

The Cellar offers a classy but forgettable wine bar experience in San Clemente.
In a city that is starting to slowly (and unwillingly) become upscale, The Cellar is yet another step in the affluent direction with their wine, craft beer, high end meats & cheeses and tapas style menu that seems designed for sharing. I stopped in with a group on a San Clem pub crawl of sorts within the heralded «triangle» downtown. The sound of a live pianist tempted us to go inside the dark yet spotless bar area. The service was quite good, full of smiles and the crowd was right out of Newport Beach — a limitless buffet of silicon, botox and augmentation to be seen. Oh and perfume, lots of perfume.
Cheese snobs will be right at home at The Cellar, dozen of choices are at your beck and call but be prepared to pay for the privilege (7 cheeses will weigh in at $ 25.00). Our party decided on sharing the Sweet Potato Fries (not my idea) and and the Ahi Tartare. The Sweet Potato Fries were the standard fare and reminiscent of The Yard House’s rendition of the same appetizer. Sweet Potatoes are deep fried, salted and topped with olive oil and slices of a nutty but undetermined cheese. The Ahi Tartare was a somewhat tired and boring mash up of raw tuna and avocado chunks again slathered with olive oil and peppered with pine nuts then draped with pita crisps. The tuna was plenty fresh as was the avocado but there just was no pop. An addition of soy sauce, sriracha or anything to make the flavor profile more interesting was sorely missed. It was just to… dull?
Will I return to The Cellar? I am sure I will thanks to the craft beer options and live music, oh and world people watching for San Clem’s standards! As for the cuisine, I think I will respectfully refrain.

This place definitely deserves five stars for food, wine, ambiance and service!
The hubs and I ventured here after a couple of recommendations from people. Although the place was packed when we arrived around 5:30, we were able to snag a table and our waitress Katie greeted us almost immediately. She informed us that it was still happy hour which was cool for a Saturday (they have happy hour every aka ecstatic hour every day of the week!)
We opted for a few glasses of Pinot, a cheese plate, and short rib grilled cheese. The cheese plate had three different types of cheeses, accompanied with bread and roasted nuts. When it was delivered, each cheese and accompaniment was explained to us. One of the cheeses was served with a strawberry-​jalapeño jam that was to-​die-​for. The short rib grilled cheese was also delicious and the bread was perfectly toasted.
The service was outstanding. My glass was never empty, and the manager was walking around the restaurant checking on all of the tables.
They have a cheese shop at the front of the restaurant. We wanted to buy the strawberry-​jalapeño jam but they were out.
They have live music every day of the week, although we were there too early in the evening to catch it. We had such a great experience and will be back soon!

What’s ironic is that I don’t even drink wine, but this is my favorite place to eat in San Clemente. There are some small tables strewn about the room inside, a bar, and a bigger high-​top table for community seating. My favorite are a couple big chairs in the back facing a couch with a coffee table in between. Some nights there’s even small live folky or jazzy acts playing.
Today was my first lunch visit, and it was a sunny day, so we scored on one of the few small tables on the front patio. People watching is great on Del Mar Street since you never know who’s coming to check it out on any given day. It dates back to the 1920’s so it’s got that cool old Main Street feel about it.
As far as the food goes I haven’t had anything bad at The Cellar. My favorite thing on the dinner menu and something I have every single time is the Mussels appetizer. It comes in a big bowl of delicious broth and some long strips of garlic toast for dipping.
There’s a smaller lunch menu, but sharing a Short-​Rib Grilled Cheese and their interestingly unique Burger lived up to the high standards I’ve come to expect from The Cellar. There’s not a ton of meat in the Short Rib Grilled Cheese, but the flavors are sensational on its own with caramelized onion or dipped into the horseradish sauce supplied with it. The Burger also has carmalezied onions, grilled red pepper, and blue cheese cooked to the temp you fancy. I was skeptical seeing the ingredients in print, but it definitely works.
There’s people coming and going at the coffee and cheese stand up front. I can vouch for great lattes, but they also seem to have quite the selection of fancy fromage people take to go on party platters.
Can’t wait to go back!

This place was awesome tonight. Met up with a friend to catch up. Not only was the food spectacular, they let us sit and talk for three hours!!!
Burrata appetizer is probably the best burrata I have ever had!!!
I also got the Mac and cheese and the sweet potato fries!
Everything was delicious and original.
Life music brought in a decent crowd and the place got packed the later it got.
We finished the meal off with a delicious cookie with lavender vanilla ice cream.
I would have given this place five stars, but it would have been nice to have more options on the menu… as a vegetarian, j had salad and Mac and cheese as options. Also, it would have been nice to have lattes as options!

An amazing find and hidden gem in Downtown San Clemente! They have 3 other cheese shops around OC but this is the location that serves food, wine and beer.
The Cellar is decorated so beautifully full of various types of cheeses, dim lighting, smaller and larger tables, a bar area, a coffee shop in the AM and an entire wall of wine. There is even a shop in the front of the store to take home those delicious goodies The space has a wooden rustic glam feel to it and my boyfriend and I throughly enjoyed our time here. Ecstatic Hour (Happy Hour) is awesome! It is everyday from 4−6pm and the restaurant is seat yourself.
Ecstatic Hour features House Red or Whites for $ 6, draft beer for $ 4 and food for about $ 3 – 4 less than original price. The cheese plate priced at $ 10 during happy hour came with 3 types of cheeses and wonderful accountrements that paired wonderfully with the cheese. THE CHEESE WAS DIVINE. Nom nom nom.
We also ordered the Margherita Flatbread ($ 8 HH price) which had mozzarella, tomato and basil. Absolutely delicious! Nice crispy warm crust and mouthwatering fresh ingredients.
It’s so close to my boyfriends house, I will MOST DEFINITELY be back to try the food and other wines.