Village Vino

In a family neighborhood, I’m surprised this isn’t a family friendly place. We wanted to have a nice glass of wine on the patio with our sleeping newborn and they wouldn’t let us because of their liquor license. Such a disappointment for this local Kensington family. We won’t even go here for date night out of principle.

The melon wrapped in prosciutto was really good. The olives were also great. The gluten free mushroom flatbread WAS AWESOME. The wine was good, but pricey. The staff was friendly, I will come back again. Although, I was hungry when I left. .oh and the parking was difficult.

Chill place with good wine selection. It’s not the best joint, but quite good for a mellow Datenight or after work vino. Go and enjoy.

Hello Yummy! And hello vegan options without modifications. And Hellooo Delish (although expensive) wine! I had the crunchy salad (vegan!), which was surprisingly filling, and they also offered to make one of their flatbreads without cheese. DH ordered the margherita pizza, which he raved over.
Although the food is tasty (yet pricey), the selling point here is the atmosphere and the wine– a great spot for meeting new or old friends.
Next time we are in the mood for high-​end appetizers and a great wine selection, we will probably revisit, though not for dinner. Although I was full, DH was wanting more. He dropped me at the house after and went for tacos. Oh well :)

Amazing selection of wines, most you would never pick or see at a store. Staff knows their stuff… and the flatbreads are some of the best I’ve had.

A really nice little gem here in beautiful Kensington! Village Vino offers an exceptional selection of wine from the gorgeous Napa Valley to Champagne France. Not to mention a few brews for the non wine enthusiasts. Village Vino offers a good little happy hour 6 days a week! They are closed on Mondays (need to restock the shelfs with wine!)
They also offer a good menu, Cheese boards, salads, and flat breads to name a few!
Be sure to stop In if you’re in the area. If you do stop and love wine, ask about the two different wine clubs the offer!
We joined one and couldn’t be more satisfied.
Rob has been extremely nice and welcoming. Highly recommend this place.

Awesome, this place transports you to a very «wine» experience… gonna go back soon!

Amazing selection, Ambiance and Food. Perfect for a date night. There’s an older gentleman that works here that is a doll. Best service I’ve received in a long time! Highly recommended.
Order the Margherita Flatbread. Best I’ve ever had.

Ok we are hooked not just the wine. the food… the food. chk out Oscar. check out the amazing work he does… ask about his specialities… it’s a foodie s paradise… wine amazing food… in kensington?-omigawd!

Had been wanting to go for a while and finally did. I’m glad we went but we probably won’t go back. The wine selection was good but a bit over priced. The servers were nice but not really talkative… like at all!
We ordered the hummus which was definitely homemade and very tasty. It had artichoke in it and that was a nice surprise! We also ordered the margarita flatbread which also was good, not great though. It was actually pretty thick for a flatbread and looks of tomato. I did wish it had a little extra something, maybe spice. Something to cut all the sweet tomato.
Great location!

Finally had a chance to dine here the other week and I really enjoyed it. It’s a nice quiet spot with a great selection of wines (and other alcohol) and food to choose from. Ended up with a cheese & charcuterie plate along with the very delicious watermelon salad, plus one glass of red white (although I could’ve swore the waiter said the grio was white). Great staff and a nice place to dine at.

liked the wines i tried
the flatbread pizzas are good but kind of small compared to other places
the hummus was really good, fresh tasting

Village Vino is a lovely find in the little neighborhood of Kensington. A group of us descended upon this little wine bar last Saturday night to imbibe on a couple of bottles and to take full advantage of their cuisine.
We all shared two bottles of red. They were both blends, but both offered different personalities (one being on the dry side, while the other was juicy and big — my favorite). Their specific names escape me right now. Needless to say, they were both lovely. Equally pleasing was the depth of knowledge that the staff had. When asking for information, they didn’t reply by pulling recommendations out of thin air, as what commonly happens at similar establishments. You expect a wine bar to know its wine, and Village Vino doesn’t disappoint in that department. The bottle prices are moderate and respectable, although they do have other more expensive options if you have an arrogant palate to satisfy.
Most of us arrived quite hungry. We ordered the following:
WILD MUSHROOM FLATBREAD — Easily one of my favorite items of the night. The mushrooms were flavorful and meaty, commanding a huge presence on the construction. The taleggio cheese tied it all together beautifully. It proved to be a wonderful option for our vegetarian friends.
ROASTED CORN FLATBREAD — Nicely constructed. Loved the soft presence of the Anaheim chile counterbalancing the sweetness of the corn.
HUMMUS — We all thought this was some of the freshest tasting hummus we’ve experienced as of late. Paired nicely with slices of cucumber. Refreshing and healthy.
CHEESE PLATE — Our three cheese plate was served with accouterments of sour cherries, almonds, and a delicious apricot preserve that I could have eaten straight out of the bowl had I had a spoon. The cheeses were all delightful, but I honestly can’t remember their specific names.
Thanks to Village Vino we can add a new wine bar on to our rotation. It offers a charming, quaint ambiance that will surely put a smile on any oenophile.

We came here on a Sunday. $ 25 for 2 glasses of wine, flatbread, and salad so not a bad deal. Wine is decent as well.

After exiting the Ken (cinema), I was delighted to find this quaint and convenient wine wine bar at the corner to discuss the film with a friend. The wine selection was good but I was hoping for a few recommendations from the barkeep — eh, not a lot of enthusiasm there. The Italian Nebbiolo I chose was great!
My friend and I were hungry but couldn’t decide between the flatbread choices (they all sounded good) so we took two to split — the mushroom and another with squash chunks. They were large, served on planks and we dug in. Meh… the crust! What gives? Chewy and flavorless, not the experience we were anticipating at all. Our flatbreads barely touched, the chef himself appeared behind the bar so I called him over, voicing our disappointment — to which he said «We just get the crust in and roll it out. Next time order the gluten-​free, it’s much better.» Not the response I anticipated.
Pre-​packaged crust, really? Seeing our dissatisfaction, shouldn’t he have at least taken the flatbreads away and just replaced them with his recommended crust? Hmm…
We also mentioned it to the waiter (half of each remaining, a small mound of crust cast-​offs piled on each of our side plates. She said sorry, but made no offer to replace or comp anything. Didn’t even seem surprised at the chef’s cavalier comment. She even asked if we wanted a doggie bag for the remainder. Yes, that’s exactly who will be eating it. Spending $ 12 – 14 for flatbread «pizzas» is on the hefty side, but without a homemade & tasty crust? What a gyp! What a disappointment.
Overall, this establishment’s location, ambience and wine selection is great — but they need to get it together if they are going to offer food. Maybe they should just stick to serving wine and cheese. Fail.

Adorably centered in the heart of Kensington, and perched right there on the cozy corner.
Their wine selection is definitely impressive, and the food is tasty. We split a flatbread and a meat and cheese plate. Filling and tasty!
Here’s the icing on the cake for me; I’m a wine glass snob; thin rims, thin stems. Done & done! It’s all in the detail. I take notice to these things, and really appreciate the quality in all their presentation.
I also suggest meeting a client, date or even hosting a girls night with a few of your friends to catch up! Keep in mind that it’s a quaint little space, so not good for large groups. Definitely comfortable for a one on one or a 4 top max —in my opinion.
Hope everyone can support this local vino bistro!

Love this place — really friendly staff and good wine. My fiancé and I are members of the wine club and month one did not disappoint with one of the best wines I’ve had in a long time.
One small negative is that happy hour only features one red and one white, if it was opened up with more wines at a small discount it would be more appealing so we could taste more wines.

This little gem in my own backyard of Kensington has everything you could ask for in a wine bar. The small plates are delicious, the wine selection is fantastic, and the staff is knowledgable and very enthusiastic about the wine they are serving.
I’m also a member of the wine club. The wine club is great for individuals like myself who love to experiment and try new wines but don’t have the time to do the research. Rita the owner does all the work for you and her selections are always great! There has not been a bad month yet!
There is some competition in this area but Village Vino wins my vote hands down.

My first time at Village Vino was a triple success. I was in the mood for a nice glass of wine and my Reckless Love (Sryah & Cab blend) hit the spot, success #1. Coming here let me cross one more place off my Best of San Diego bucket list, success #2 and Village Vino introduced me to the super cool Kensington area which for some reason I had never been to before, success #3!
We came on a Friday night and were able to score a parking spot in the small lot in the back. We sat at a cute little table outside and were able to people watch on Adams Ave (loves it). The service was great. We didn’t have just one waitress checking in on us, but several as each server who walked by would make sure we had everything we needed.
Village Vino is a cute spot with many different wines to choose from. They also have some food on the menu which we didn’t try out this time but will be sure to on our next visit!

And now a short commercial break… lol! We have been here four times already and so I’m going to interrupt my Paris reviews to finally write about Village Vino. I love this place!
We stopped by one late afternoon and received a warm and friendly hello from the owner, Rita, and she explained how the village works. Since we are partial to reds, she recommended the Etna Rosso and we’ve been hooked ever since. We have brought several friends with us and have tried a couple more wines, most recently a Malbec by Amancaya. They carry a nice selection of wines and some in limited lots, so your favorite might not be there the following week. But I feel the owner really takes pride in what she wants to serve her customers, and it shows.
We really like the pesto flatbread and also the mushroom and caramelized one too. The hummus comes out with vegetables and crispy crust french bread from Bread & Cie. One night they had bacon maple (?) cookies. But our favorite is the gluten free, chocolate flourless cake with salted caramel sauce! I feel like I’m in Paris.
I like the fact that everyone at the Village is very passionate about wine and not some wine snob like at some of the other wine bars. The staff is very friendly and the space has great ambiance. Parking can be a hassle, especially Friday or Saturday nights. And I wouldn’t dare tell you about the secret parking spot… lol!
This is a great place for a pre-​Ken theater or a great start before dinner. We will definitely be back!