/por/ wine house — Restaurant in Louisville

What an incredibly pathetic night of service...

My best friend and I came tonight (May 22, 2021) and sat out on the patio. Everything was fine, the waitress came up and I ordered a margarita and my friend ordered whisky. The waitress took my ID (I just turned 21 in November) and then proceeded to take my friend's ID (he has an Oregon Id and turned 21 in February). The waitress told us she needed to bring the ID to her manager because she wasn't familiar with IDs from Oregon. About 3 minutes later, the manager comes back with the ID bent in half. He says "we performed a bend test and we don't believe your ID is real," then proceeded to accost me for my ID. Willingly, I gave him my ID and we encouraged him to use scanners because our IDs were real (given to us by the government!!! Crazy concept!). He refused to scan the IDs and instead, decided it would be a good idea to call his brother who is allegedly a "bartender" in Portland (and would apparently know what makes an Oregon ID real). He began to take out his phone, attempting to take pictures of my friends ID, which I quickly stopped him saying "you can't take a picture of his ID" (obviously). He panicked, saying that he never intended to do so. He then tried calling his brother (because over the phone, you can definitely see when an ID is real...). His brother didn't answer. After about five minutes, he accepted defeat and finally said "I guess this ID looks fine to me" and walked away.

Five minutes later, both of our drinks came out. We asked the waitress to speak with the manager because he essentially snapped my friend's VERY real ID. She basically refused to do so and after about five minutes, we asked a different waiter if we could speak to his manager. FINALLY, the manager comes out and goes back on his original statement claiming "the ID isn't real and we aren't going to serve you" (even though he had already brought out the drinks and we had consumed some). I said to him "do you see the problem here, then? You are claiming the ID is fake, but you are proceeding to serve alcohol to a "minor" (because that makes sense, right?). We argued for a bit (because he knew he was in the wrong) and even encouraged him to 1.) Call the cops or 2.) Scan the VERY real ID. He still continued to refuse us service and demanded us to get off his property for trespassing.

The point is, my best friend and I (who are very much alive and 21) were refused service at this restaurant. Instead of owning his mistake and finding alternative ways to solve the problem, he was unable to admit his mistake and kicked us off the property because of embarrassment.

Yours, Unfairly Treated

P.S. WE GOT DRINKS HERE ON MY FRIEND'S 21ST BIRTHDAY!!!!!

P.P.S. The picture attached is us drinking at the bar 3...

My fiancé and I had the pleasure of uncovering the charming town of Louisville during my birthday celebration yesterday. Although we've lived a mere five minutes away for two years, this delightful locale had never crossed our radar. Seizing the opportunity presented by one of the season's first pleasant weather days, we ventured out for breakfast and let our GPS guide us to downtown Louisville. We were instantly captivated by the quaint streets, bustling with inviting restaurants and unique shops.

As ardent aficionados of all things Italian, our internal radar for wine and cheese spots led us straight to Por Wine House. Our original birthday plan to venture into the mountains for a wine tasting was thwarted by car troubles, but fate had other ideas. We soon found ourselves at the doorstep of a stunning restaurant boasting impressive outdoor stone fireplaces. Although it was too chilly to relish the outdoor setting, we happily settled indoors to fully immerse ourselves in the restaurant's warm ambiance.

We were ushered to a cozy, dimly-lit corner adorned with dark linen-clad booths and an elegant wooden door beside a charming wall fireplace. Upon learning of my birthday, the attentive host/bartender promptly returned with "birthday bubbles," a thoughtful and unexpected gesture that instantly won our hearts.

Our server Liam proved to be equally outstanding, offering stellar recommendations and guiding us toward the medium cheese plate. Breaking from our usual preference for red wines, we opted for the intriguingly-named Butternut Chardonnay. Our selection arrived in a beautifully labeled flight, much to our delight. Each sip of the bubbles and Chardonnay was a symphony of flavor, with a perfect balance of sweetness and smoothness.

The star of the evening was undoubtedly the cheese board, a veritable feast for the senses. Laden with an array of artisanal cheeses, garlic-herb seasoned bread, and accompaniments like jam, mustard, glazed nuts, peppers, and divine pickled roasted onions, each morsel was a taste sensation. Our culinary journey concluded with a delectable crème brûlée, featuring a perfectly torched, deeply-hued sugar crust and a garnish of sugared strawberries.

Throughout the evening, the front-of-house manager made a point of checking on each table, ensuring every guest enjoyed an exceptional dining experience. The attentive service and unforgettable fare have cemented Por Wine House as one of our favorite Colorado gems, and we eagerly anticipate our next...

Update: The happy hour menu has changed quite a bit since my previous review (now reference the paper menu pictured), however it still has great deals. Notably this time we ordered the falafel, the chilled ratatouille, and the mushroom pizza. They were all very tasty and great value. The falafel were a bit small, but the pizza and ratatouille were large for the price! Ultimately I still can't recommend this happy hour enough!

Stopped by for happy hour on a Saturday. (They have happy hour every day from 3-5). I liked the atmosphere a lot. It was a bit on the smaller side (not considering tons of outdoor seating, which was closed due to weather), but it wasn't crowded so seating was no problem. On the drinks side, we ordered four glasses of wine all in all. Two red, one white, and one red sangria. The wines were good (I liked how they came on tap) and the sangria was GREAT. Would highly recommend if you're into sangria. This one had a particularly good berry taste. For food, we ordered the $12 small cheese plate. Let's just say it was bigger than we were expecting. It came with a ton of cheese and a bunch of other fun things like fruit, bread, and gardenia. It's definitely a lot for two people, but more appropriate for 3-4. Also ordered the calamari for $7. I wasn't a huge fan, but that's not to say it wouldn't generally be considered good. I generally prefer to have my calamari with marinara sauce, and they served it with a cold peppery sauce.

Overall, this place has a ton of wine selections at $5 a glass and a wide hot and cold tapas selection all for $7. Plus other food and drinks that come at a good deal. It's not the cheapest place I've found, but for what you get it's a great deal.

Note that if you come for a birthday they offer a small complimentary glass of champagne for everyone...