Sonoma Wine Bar - Garden Oaks — Restaurant in Houston

Wine bars are a great place to kick back and enjoy good conversation and the Houston area is home to dozens of these bars, all of which feature a generous selection of wine offerings. One with a few locations in the greater Houston area is Sonoma Wine Bar and one of its convenient locations is Sonoma Wine and Cheese Garden Oaks.

This Sonoma location is much like the others in terms of food and drink. They have an extensive wine list, as expected, with the wines sorted by style. If you’re not sure what you want, then ask for a taster or do a flight of wine. You can order wine by the glass or by the bottle. If you have a companion with you and you both have similar tastes, then sharing a full bottle is a good idea, since it makes the per- glass cost a little lower. They serve beer and soft drinks, too.

With food, this Sonoma Wine Bar location offers small plates, cheese, sandwiches, etc. Charcuterie boards are a popular option, too, and cheese seems to be the food that most wine drinkers opt for. There is a nice assortment of cheeses, many of which match nicely with the different wines.

Comparing this Sonoma Wine bar location with the others, the greatest difference here is the atmosphere. Unlike the other two locations, this one has more outdoor seating than indoor seating and it makes a good choice when you’re wanting to enjoy some fresh air. There is outdoor seating in both the front and rear of the indoor area and there are televisions, too, usually tuned to sports viewing.

Service at this location is quite good. I ordered a full bottle of wine to share and I like that they made sure to keep it chilled and they stopped by the table periodically to pour more wine into our glasses for us. I like this added touch of service, and it was certainly appreciated.

Sonoma Wine Bars have much going for them and the Garden Oaks location is a good one for its wine selection and service. I like the interior at the Richmond Avenue location a little better, but this one is still nice and a good choice if you happen to live north/northwest of...

We went on a weekend, there was hardly anyone there and being our first time, I asked someone behind the bar if we should seat ourselves or wait and was told, with a smile, to seat ourselves. Unfortunately, that nice lady did not attend to us. We sat inside and waited for what seemed like quite some time before we got menus. The person who helped us only did so after she finished cleaning a table from previous patrons. I remember saying, I can't believe cleaning a table, when there was no one waiting for one and every other table was available, is more important than even giving us menus. Especially, since that table was used and empty before we came in. I know this because this place is small and we surveyed where we wanted to sit. After she finished busing that table, she finally came over with menus and after deciding what we wanted we closed our menus and sat there for a while again. She eventually came back over and asked if anyone had taken our order, we said no, so she took ours. We both ordered flights and one charcuterie board. The board had 2, tiny, pieces of cheese and several other items. I would rather have more cheese so I wouldn't order that again. The bread seemed fresh and that's always a plus. The wine flights and board came out quickly but that's because the board was brought out by the chef and the flight was made by whomever was behind the bar. This was our first impression of this place and with so many other places to try out, it doesn't make us...

We had an outing trying wines and a family member suggested Sonoma. As it's their favorite go to spot in the area and friendly with the owners.

We had a great time, service was excellent. Our server wasn't as informed on the menu and had to go back and forth. So it was a bit of a hit or miss. But still was polite and attentive.

Unfortunately there was a private party going on, on the inside. So was unable to get photos and such. But it has a beautiful decor and friendly atmosphere.

Some of the food items listed on the menu, weren't available on our visit. So had to make some pivots and was suggested we try the Crostini Fig Chèvre. It was a great bite to hold us over before our next stop. It had a great crispy toasted slice and fresh fig.

Would definitely go back to try more wines. Just look at the photos of the menu, there's no way we have the time to try them all. They have a wonderful selection to satisfy any pallet preference.

Parking can be difficult FYI. Parking to the back seems to be the best, as the front and side parking seems to remain full on our several visits.

Until next...