Banter Wine — Restaurant in El Cerrito

Would give 0 starts if I could. The experience was aggravating enough to make me leave a review . Came on Tuesday July 29 late evening. The place is great , but the person behind the counter was literally chatting with someone for 20min ignoring my order and also others waiting to order. Then they brought the orders of ppl that ordered after me (who also had to wait 10min for them to finish chatting, to Even put in an order). At this point it had been 30min. They had clearly forgotten my order existed .

When I went up and reminded them about my order, I got the Gen Z stare-down and an insolent “I’m working on it now”, as though I should not have dared to ask about it. instead of idk, taking accountability like an adult, for both ignoring and forgetting. Mistakes happen but rudeness doesnt happen- it is a choice. The rudeness and unpleasant interaction is actually why I am writing this review. And why i won’t be patronizing again. Finally after 30min wait got a cheese plate. I should say the place was not busy. This was not due to busyness. This was simply someone not doing their job and then being rude about it, taking 0% accountability. Unsurprisingly, 5 min later had to go back and remind them of the second part of the order which they were not working on and had also forgotten. All in all took 1h to get my entire order (of two simple items which would take maybe 10min to assemble, in a low busyness day). At that point I just left. I was excited about this place , but after this bad experience, which tbh ruined my entire evening, I’m sad to say I’m not returning and will...

EDIT: Banter just keeps getting better and continues to impress. The oysters and shrimp cocktails specials on select days are a great bargain, fresh, and tasty.

ORIGINAL: What a welcome addition to El Cerrito! Friendly staff, lots of different styles of seating (communal, couch, stool, bar), and a heavy focus on natural (sometimes natty) wine.

Food rating based on the latest pop up, keep in mind it is wine bar food format, so small, generally uncooked plates rather than full on dishes.

Eclectic wine list, expect skin contact and bottle caps. We do find the majority of the wine offerings are very subtle and light bodied.

Parking can be a bit tough, don't park in the lot next door! Or take BART!

Now open...

🖼️ What a great addition to El Cerrito! A chill neighborhood wine bar with good music, retro vibes (record player, VHS...)

🍷 A nice rotating selection of wines by-the-glass + more bottles available for purchase to go / to drink onsite (corkage applies).

🍞🥓🧀 Meat and cheese plates currently available, in addition to anchovies w/bread, and bread&butter.

💡Tip: Look out for the "Special Open Bottles" options on their menu. Thus far, it's been a no-brainer for the best...