Flyte Coffee & Wine Bar

The service here is fast and simple. The coffee is always hot and fast. The location is perfect for my work ad the snacks are reasonable prices. I wish they had more alternatives of juices for mornings I need a jolt and some nutrition but I’m glad these guys are here.

Kind of strange… we got to the bar and were told that our Unilocal voucher was only valid for the restaurant in the back. We didn’t realize that this coffee & wine bar was also a hotel until we got to the place. The bar area is awkwardly near the hotel entrance/​check-​in. The bar also does not serve coffee (I guess that is false advertising). They used to serve coffee at the bar, but now only the restaurant in the back (which is NOT called Flyte Coffee & Wine Bar) has coffee/​espressos available.
When we walked over to the restaurant in the back, we were told that out voucher was only valid for the bar at the front. The server walked over to the bar to save us the trouble and asked the bartender about our voucher. Then, the server came back and apologized for the confusion, and said that we could stay at the restaurant. Soon after we ordered, the bartender came over to our table to apologize for the confusion as well. I still don’t know where this voucher can be redeemed, but we preferred to sit in the restaurant.
The restaurant is comfortable with a nice fireplace, and our server was great! We shared a pepperoni pizza which was cheesy and delicious :) I am not sure if I would come back here, but it is a calm and welcoming place, despite the confusion.

Service is definitely the best part.
Coffee is so-​so especially when surrounded by some amazing coffee places in the city.
Coffee 2
Wine 3
Service 5
Cleanliness 5

I’m poor and I can’t afford the wines at Flyte. But I was with a bunch of coworkers and we were too lazy to leave our hotel so we split a bottle of $ 65 merlot. It didn’t stand out but it served its purpose.
I didn’t get the impression that the wine bar really cared about business all that much. When I first approached the counter, the lights were dimmed and we all thought the wine bar was closed. It was only after our group started to gather that other hotel guests also walked up to the bar.

Very interesting wine tasting event with some friends… DeLoach Family guy here, with Youngs Market Distributor, The guy who runs this is great. He is entertaining, knowledgeable and very helpful to all different levels of wine enjoyment.

Another random night. I had a Groupon for a wine bar but I was silly not to check when the place open so we had to figure out where else to go. Unilocal to the rescue my bf found this place which happened to be inside the Hilton. It’s kind of strange but we have good luck w/​Hotels most the time. We went in not knowing what to expect since it was in the middle of Chinatown. Strange when you walk in I was in a very nice hotel with a wine bar next to check in and a beautiful restaurant in back. It was kind of strange but in a good way. We got two seats at the bar and ordered a chardonnay and a sangiovese. My favorite wine of all time must be a great sangiovese. Single grape sangiovese is my preference but rare, I didn’t know what the percentage was but it totally was how I pictured sangiovese wines to be. I totally loved my glass as did my bf with his chard. The bartender was a «character». He talked it up w/​us and the other patrons which was entertaining but my bf and I kinda wanted alone time so we opted to bar hop and go elsewhere after our glass. I’d come here again if I didn’t know where to go and craved some good wine. It’s a pretty atmosphere and although a tiny bar it packed a lot of quality wines.

I like this hotel, it’s a good addition to Chinatown/​FiDi. Flyte is right when you walk in and they have a pretty good wine list with various sized glasses. Good place to hang out if you are waiting for someone, or getting a pre-​Chinese dinner drink.

Its always a wonderful time at Flyte Wine Bar found at the Hilton Hotel in the Financial district. Cosmin, has extensive knowledge of his wines, and is eager to help guests feel right at home.
I highly recommend stopping by and introducing yourself. Not only will you find an awesome selection of wines, but you will gain a friend that you will soon not forget.

This is really just a counter bar out in the Hilton Hotel lobby in SF Chinatown. The only thing I liked about it was the friendly bartender and people watching of Japanese tourists coming in and out of the hotel lobby. The wine was a bit overpriced but that’s what to expect at a hotel bar.
I would recommend swing down here if you feel like grabbing a quick drink or you happen to stay at the hotel. I would much rather go to a real wine bar for HH with friends.

The only reason I came here was because I was meeting someone for a drink before my massage appt at True Spa. This «Wine Bar» is more like a wine counter in the front lobby of the Hilton in China Town. No ambiance. extremely noisy… and the wine list is so-​so.
Beware of trying to get a taxi from there on a Friday night. you may have to wait upwards of 30 minutes…

As you enter the Hilton Hotel in the Financial district, you will stumble across a chic little wine bar called Flyte.
A granite bar, a cool wine machine (I forgot the name) and the ambiance of the candles prompt you to have a glass or two of wine. My friend and I came here last night after a great dinner in North Beach.
I wanted to have white wine to wrap up the long work day and we decided to open a «flyte» of 4 wines. The wine sommalier, Cosmin, is super knowledgeable about all of the wines. We asked for Riesling and Seven Daughters, but needed suggestions for the other two. He suggested a sauvignon blanc and a viognior. Great wines!!! I’m a new fan of the viognior — not as sweet as a Rlesling, but goes down just as smoothly! YUM!
I definitely want to come back to try more wines and bring my gals along. Perfect spot to begin or end the night with a date or a friend.
Cheers!

Looking for someone who has a passion for wine? Head over to Flyte and talk to Cosmin!
From the moment you sit down, you are offered a taste of their wine from the always smiling and friendly Amy. If you don’t know what to drink, no fear! Just ask Cosmin, and he’ll suggest something to your liking. It’s great to know that he just dosn’t serve wine, he actually knows the wine. Very rare these days if you ask me. He has an extensive knowledge of the wine and can provide you answer with any question you ask.
This is very convivently location, just in the lobby of the hotel! Very relaxing, and def a great place for people watching. Everything is really clean, comfortable, and inviting. You can get wine by the glass, the bottle or get a wine flight! Overall, a great place to come and rewind from a hard day of work!

I’ve read the other reviews and agree with the positive aspects totally. I didn’t meet Amy, but Cosmin was a real find as a wine bar server. He has an in-​depth knowledge of world wines and can really explain the differences between countries, regions, vintages and individual wineries and their styles. He enjoyed asking our group about our thoughts on the wines we were trying and tried to educate us on what we were tasting. We tasted all French wines and learned quite a bit, since I almost always drink California wines. This may be what one reviewer didn’t like about some of the wines there. If you are mainly a California wine drinker, you may not like French wines so much. Many of them are quite different, even if they are the same variety of grape. A French Chablis is chardonnay grape and can be totally different than a California Chardonnay and you may not like the difference. They have flights that match a French and California wine made from the same grape.
So, Cosmin is top notch. He can make the experience educating, and I’m sure if you’d rather be left alone he can still be attentive and leave you alone, too. The cheese and meat platters were interesting. The wine selections were very good. The location in the lobby is a bit busy, but that fades away quickly once you turn your attention to the wines. And some folks might enjoy people watching.

I am a big fan of this little wine bar. It’s right next door to where I work and has been a great addition to the neighborhood. By just walking by you wouldn’t expect much as it’s a coffee bar (ok, really just tully’s) by day, wine bar by night. But once you’ve sat down for a few minutes and talked to either Amy or Cosmin you realize you’re in for a nice visit. The wine selection is very good and constantly improving. Ask Cosmin anything about wines, he’ll know the answer and doesn’t have the typical wine snob personality so you actually feel comfortable asking questions and picking his brain. Every experience I have had so far has been top notch and I look forward to many more post-​work wine visits at Flyte.

I’ve started going to Flyte Wine Bar since it’s close to work and I’ve developed a good relationship with the bartender there, Cosmin. While the lobby of a hotel is not the perfect place to do wine tasting, I will say that Cosmin brings in some interesting wines that I normally wouldn’t taste or buy. Of course, I don’t like some of them but that is part of the discovery process. There are others that I have liked enough to buy the whole bottle, at a good price. Sometimes you will meet some of the wine distributors and suppliers at the bar and this always makes up for interesting conversation. The place offers some nice appetizers (cheese plates, pates, baguettes, etc.) and the tastes/​half glasses are generous and at a good price. You would probably spend a lot more for a lot less in another place. You can tell that the set up was previously meant for a coffee bar, but nonetheless, I have had no problem bringing a group of friends to sit around the bar to do and discuss the various wine flights. Everytime I’ve gone I have discovered a new wine and Cosmin provides excellent information and outstanding service (having trained as maitr’ d and sommelier in one of the best cruise lines in the world). If you’re in the area and want to try some wine at a good price, or just want to hang out with friends and have some «Sideways» talk, stop by Flyte. There is cheap parking across the street; no need to park in the Hilton Hotel itself. I give Cosmin 5 stars and the place overall 4 stars.

The occasional Friday night after work at Flyte is the closest thing I have to a regular haunt. In the interest of full disclosure, it is literally right next to my work. It’s a coffee bar by day, wine bar by night in the lobby of the Financial District Hilton, so if you are thinking District, don’t. It’s more of a quaint little out of the way spot.
The attraction at Flyte is the sommelier/​bartender, Cosmin. In addition to being bright, pleasant, attentive, and possessing a great sense of humor, Cosmin really knows his stuff when it comes to wine. Better yet, he LOVES sharing his knowledge and answers questions in an easy to understand yet detailed manner, completely devoid of any pretense. I find that to be very rare among people with that level of wine knowledge. It’s almost like they have to hold onto some mystery or allure lest you see through them. Not Cosmin. He is a regular guy in the best sense of the term. He has that gift of disarming charm that puts everyone at ease. How can you not like a guy who gets so excited talking about wines with his patrons that he is regularly pulling out maps of wine regions or wine reference books? This man has some serious passion for his job.
The last half year or so I have seen the menu transform and, in my opinion, the wines dramatically improve. I learned recently that the reason for that is they are now giving Cosmin free reign to choose the wines. He researches these wines meticulously and is probably halfway through his transformation of the offerings. When he is done, look out! In the meantime, everyone who sits at the bar is his sounding board, which is fun in and of itself.
If Cosmin is the earth, the grounds upon which to build and nourish wine knowledge, then Amy is the air, the beautiful wind always with a ready smile and beguilingly infectious good mood as she breezes through on her way to bring samples of wine to unsuspecting travelers. I say unsuspecting because when she approaches they have no idea how quickly and inevitably they are going to succumb to her charm and intelligence. And like the wind on a warm day, it seems like she is always there and gone, leaving everyone wanting more of her. She is the perfect Yin to Cosmin’s Yang. Hard to imagine any proprietor ever stumbling onto a better team, both in terms of their individual strengths and also in how they compliment each other.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s an unassuming structure in the lobby of the Hilton with about a half dozen seats, so some who go here as a destination expecting something more may be disappointed. It’s proximity to my work notwithstanding, I actually like that it is in the Hilton as I almost always meet interesting travelers who happen by for a glass of wine. But if you love wine, learning about it and talking about it, or even if you just work in the area or park in the Hilton building, I highly recommend checking out Flyte.

Odd, just odd. As a local, I wouldnt come back to this hotel bar which is located in the Hilton just outside of chinatown. The wine bar used to be the hotel coffee bar, but was recently converted into a wine bar. The bar is loctated right as you walk into the hotel and across from the registration desk, and it isnt very chic or inviting. The bartender was nice enough, but quite frankly the wine isnt that good. We had several of the wine flights and I wasnt that impressed. There’s an aquarium next to the bar that isnt that visible, so I dont understand why they built it. While sitting at the bar, we gals felt like we were waiting to get picked-​up by the traveling business men, who are your typical balding, chubby white guys. Ewww

I have no idea how to review this place. Would never have come here, but for the 50% off coupon from Citydish. The vibe? You walk into the hotel lobby and are offered a glass of wine from a hostess. You see, a bar underneath an escalator between the hotel check in desk and the check in for the spa. At the bar are a handful of business travelers discussing the pros and cons of washcloths. The spot is very brightly lit. The wine bottles are hooked up soda fountain style. They have several flights (didn’t really care for the majority of the wines), and several wines that you can select to try by the taste, glass, or half glass. (Tastes start at $ 2.00).
We ordered flights. «#$%!» my friend exclaimed as I gasped «we’ll be back.» The flight appeared to consist of 4 full glasses of wine. Unfortunately, the bartender realized he’d accidentally poured us full glasses instead of tastes of the wine. Oh well. We were given a complimentary cheese plate with our flights– which was nice. As for the wines, of the 20 that we tried there were probably 3 that I could consider drinking again. So not the best stuff ever. Still, the staff was incredibly friendly and enthused about having locals at the bar.
Oddly (and I can’t explain why) I liked my visit despite the ambiance. There was something so bizarre about comparing everyone’s luggage and puppies while sipping wine. All of us felt like we were out of town.
Honestly, if I ran this place, I’d keep the greeter and combine this bar with the LOVELY bar in the back. Those of us who hit the restroom were all shocked at what a nice spot was further back. I might be back if I feel like something quiet, but I’m sort of doubting it.