Arbor Crest Wine Cellars — Attraction in Washington

I had really high hopes for this venue and we reserved a table far in advance. We had a table of 7 people and the service was so horribly bad. We were never brought water and we had to ask for it twice. We finally got it after an hour and after we had had our dinners by another server. They for sure brought us all the bottles of wine we bought right away (4 bottles). Our food took ridiculously long. Even the appetizers (chatcuterie). The wine was good. 6/7 people got their entres and my husband did not get his. We asked our waiter for her attention and she told us to wait, twice. When she finished what she was doing, she pulled out her phone and I went to her FOR THE THIRD TIME and waived her down. She comes over and we tell her we haven't gotten his meal and we are all 90% of the way done with our food. It's been over 10mins. She had so many issues with each table, we watched our waitress cash out so many people who complained. She even lost someone's card and they had to check all of our bills. When it finally came time to pay, again, we had to ask for the bill, twice. She literally was taking selfies on her phone at the bar and we waived down another server. Wild that she would do that while we are waiting. When we finally get our bill, it was a mess. She gave other people at the table a discount for late food, and not my husband. She charged our card then said it was wrong. Then never changed anything. As we are trying to leave, it took her about 20mins to figure out our checks. It was a mess. When we leave, my friend is pretty positive that she left her designer sunglasses on the table. We did not tip our server because it was the worst service I have ever had. She called back to see if anyone found the glasses, as we were only 1/2 tables left at this point. Nobody had found them. I can't help but wonder what happened to them, I wouldn't have been happy to not be left a tip on a 7 top. But I felt it was very undeserved. I have only not left a tip twice in my life. Don't come here for dinner service. It was pretty embarrassing how much attention they paid to the only table above 4 people in such a small setting. Let alone, we were there to celebrate a birthday. Highly disappointed. One star for good wine, nice atmosphere, and a beautiful place. 0 stars for...

When some old friends visited from out of town, we booked a table at Arbor Crest Winery for a Saturday night fireside dinner in March, 2024. We recently moved into the area and were looking forward to our first dining experience there. It was unforgettable, but mostly for the wrong reasons.

We ordered wine and dinner immediately, and after nearly an hour, our entrées had not arrived. Upon our inquiry, the waitress said that the kitchen was slow. After 1 hour and 15 minutes or so, we tracked down the waitress again (we had to leave our seats and find her), asking whether there was any prospect of food. She did a little detective work and informed us that our order was "lost."

Food did finally arrive - our total waiting time from ordering to receiving the dinners was a bit over an hour and a half.

The good news is that we were not charged for the entrées. We were also given some complementary flatbread (naan), and a complementary dessert of 3 chocolate truffles (for our table of 4 people). 🤣 We appreciated the gesture anyway.

We had hoped to converse with our friends but the volume of the music was way over the top for the cozy and intimate setting, and it destroyed the ambiance. The music itself was fine, but the extremely high volume was not. We yelled ourselves hoarse. I envied a man at a nearby table who had the good sense to bring foam earplugs to protect himself. My ears still hurt the next morning.

Weak points: incompetent service & the high decibels. Strong points: Quality of the wine and food.

Our rating is compromise between the 1 star-service vs. the food & wine quality and the staff's eventual compensatory efforts.

Subsequent addition:May 2024: Arbor Crest reached out and apologized, offering us a tour, wine-tasting, and gift card. We had a lovely afternoon on the beautiful estate. Rating...

I'm still acquainting myself to wine, which is why I have fallen in love with ArborCrest Wine Cellars. This villa-inspired vineyard catches your eye around every corner with brick paths, grassy knolls, ivy-laden walls and arches, evergreen glades, rocky bridges, patios - one covered, two or three open - and the best view of Spokane you can find without breaking any trespassing laws, day and night.

A variety of wines for every palate and budget, I certainly reccommend each of their three flights for your first time. The staff is wonderfully friendly and knowledgeable and worth the visit alone. They'll help you find your go-to every time without feeling like an idiot just because you can't taste the difference between Parisian or Washington grapes (according to some, it's the telltale "volcanicity" of the soil due to the ash of the St. Helen's erruption. Now you can sound wine-smart if you want anyway. You're welcome). And if you're not converted still, give the beer a try. Their new Square Wheel Brewing broadens their menu even further (the mini "pizzettes" are delcious, by the way), and every name comes with a fun story if you ask. Again, this staff is brilliant.

The best part is, they have events all the time! Thursday night Music on the Patio and Sunday night Concerts on the Cliff in the summer, then the Fireside Series indoors for Fall and Winter. The Tasting Room is comfortably decorated and lit for easy sitting, often with chess boards atop oak barrell tables for additional entertainment (of the classic size - the person-sized board is a permanent fixture in the garden).

Generally speaking, it's the perfect venue whether wine is "your thing" or your friends' with plenty to do, drink, talk about, listen to, or...