5 great wine bars and wine restaurants in Oakland 2024
Want to know about some of the best places in Oakland to go for a great wine experience? Then look no further. Star Wine List's on-the-ground experts have done the hard work for you, tracking down those top venues where the wine is no mere afterthought, but an integral part of the total offer, and designed to beautifully complement the cuisine. From upscale restaurants complete with starched linen tablecloths to small and quirky bars, all boast impressive lists that will have your average wine aficionado swooning in delight.
-
![]()
Phone: (510) 655-6469
Address: 5478 College Avenue, Oakland
A Rockridge mainstay for over twenty years and decades before the rest of the Bay (and the rest of the world, for that matter) caught up, À Côté has been beating the drum of the savoury and funky world of off-the-beaten-path wines from France, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece and elsewhere around the cradle of the vine. The small plates menu is fantastically Mediterranean fresh, but the star of the show is the wine – always affordable, always delicious, and ever surprising.
-
![]()
Phone: +1 (510) 653-3902
Address: 3859 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland
Chef James Syhabout's Laotian-inflected California cuisine offers a tasting experience like no other. Michelin-starred since 2009 and the star in the East Bay since 2010, two-starred Commis also boasts a wide selection of wines that won't break the budget and always deliver. Especially of note is the 100-bottle long selection of dry Rieslings and the deep cellar of golden-era Rioja back to the 1930s for unbelievable prices. If the three-hour tasting experience isn't what you're feeling on any given Tuesday, the bar offers well-curated small plates and access to the same cellar.
-
![]()
Address: 4316 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland
More than almost any other Bay Area entrant, fermentation is king at Day Trip. From black garum beef tartare to miso-cured asparagus, you are sure to find something fun, funky, and autochthonously fermented on Fin and Stella's menu. Part of Oakland's ever-growing natural wine scene, the wine list leans in that direction (although not dogmatically), but the real gem is wine director Jenny Eagleton, who is about as close as can be to an encyclopedic authority on all things natural wine, cider, and sake.
-
![]()
Phone: +1 (510) 788-7877
Address: 1737 Broadway, Oakland
One of the original parts of Oakland's thriving natural wine scene, Punchdown began as a wine bar focused on the wines, cuisine, and culture of Georgia but has now broadened to encompass the whole world of delicious and natural wines. The conserva program is second to none, and they offer blind flights – even out of black glasses for those who truly wish to test their mettle. Wine clubs and a small retail space complete the space. It has long been one of my favorite spots to enjoy a glass, some burrata and a few conservas to wind down at the end of the day.
-
![]()
Phone: +1 (510) 879-7678
Address: 4935 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland
Where to begin? This is, bar none, the restaurant at which to show off just how far the Oakland wine and dining scene has come. In many ways a modern heir apparent to the vibe begun decades ago at Chez Panisse (not too far away in Berkeley), Chef Andres' talent for sourcing quintessentially peak produce is always on display on the ever-rotating menu. The standby standouts are the snails (of course) with cashew miso and kumquat, as well as the grilled ham and cheese. The wine list skews natural (the nominal Snail is a reference to Slow Food), and the wine team is ever on hand to answer questio...
