Bodega Wine Bar — Restaurant in Santa Monica

I am super disappointed in my experience here, especially after reading some of the reviews.

Let me preface my review with saying that I came here as a single person ~6p and it was a fundraiser night, on top of being super busy - so perhaps take my review with a grain of salt, as perhaps someone else's experience at a less busy time would be a bit better.

As I said, I came at a fundraiser night for animals. If you donated money, you got a "free" glass of wine or beer. That "free" glass of wine was the best of the whole experience. I came here for wine and food. After receiving my free glass of wine, I sat down at one of the tables outside, as that was the only space open. After sitting down, I ordered a cocktail, Bodega mule, since I already had a glass of wine. I love soju and ginger beer, and this had both. Unfortunately, I could not taste either, as this drink was very watered down. It tasted like water with lime. Additionally, after giving my drink, the waitress left quickly before I could even order food. It took an hour for me to even get food! I don't know if me being by myself was a factor or it just being busy, but I surely was forgotten about. No waiters/waitresses were regularly attending the outdoors and when they did, my efforts to get their attention went unnoticed. At my whits end, I was going to go inside to close my bill, but another waitress came to the table beside me to clean up and I asked if I could order with her.

When my food came out, I was so hungry and ate immediately. A huge disappointment. It had no flavor. I ordered the chili bear, and no trace of honey, chili oil, parmesan. It literally tasted like burnt bread and red sauce. I ate it because I was so hungry, don't like to waste food, and doubted that a waiter or waitress would come around so I could let them know my food was not made well - I was right, no one came around until maybe 40 minutes later. At that time, I was over it and just wanted to leave.

I paid almost $50 for a pretty mediocre dining experience. Like I said, the best part was the "free" wine. I could have spent much less elsewhere for better food. I had high hopes for this place.

On the other hand, the vibes inside seemed great! Seems like a cool place to hang out. Perhaps I'd give it another chance and only order wine and chill inside, but I feel so meh from this experience and essentially wasting money. Maybe try to go when...

I am currently at the store right now 9/22 6PM. Might I say even though the decor is very nice the service has been the worst. My friend invited a group of 15 people to the bar to surprise her boyfriend for his birthday. So while we were drinking, the selective group noticed OSU against Oklahoma state was playing and we were interested in watching the Oregon game.

My friend now asks the waiter that has been serving us, mind you we are the largest group, if we can change to the Oregon University game instead. The server Wes now says “someone has requested the game and unfortunately we can’t change it if someone had requested the game.”

So being the friend that I am and wanting this to be a great experience I went up to the only person that looks like they were interested in the game and asked if they were watching the game. The gentlemen stated he was not watching the game.

I went to our server since we had communicated with him before and asked if he can point out to the person that requested the game because no one seemed like they were into the game.

As I was talking, Wes who seems to be the bartender brought himself into the conversation and stated “Look, we are not a sports bar and we do not take requests”

I was spooked because he was a taller gentlemen and was very aggressive in tone and defensive with statements and this is when I now asked “why did Dom the server lie to us and tell us that the game was requested?

Why wasn’t the truth told to us from the beginning

During this conversation the manager that was on duty Davi did not care to fix the issue.

I’m aware the owners are Greg Sears and Jason Mcente and please know I am not pleased with my first experience at your bar.

Your employee/bartender Wes was very rude and felt entitled, I don’t know if it’s cause I’m African American and he feels that he can speak to me any way but it’s unfortunate to have a man speak to me as though I’m on his same level of built and aggression.

Anyways, if you dont care to Promote a sports bar setting I would highly recommend not advertising a large flat screen monitor or sports game during business hours.

The drink was fine but the service lacked in emphaty.

The least Wes could have done was apologize Makes me wonder if this is how he treats the women in his life.

And you should probably card the customers, I did not see Wes card anyone not once while I was...

On certain days, you’ll see all one hundred forty-four bottles of wine line the back wall. The bartenders retrieve bottles from there when they don’t feel like bending down to for the wine under the counter. They’re some of the friendliest people you will meet on the West Side, and I count them among my favorite familiar faces to see on a weekend.

Don’t order an espresso martini here; it’s a wine bar with soju and beer. By day, Bodega is a wonderful coffee shop to get work done, say hello to a dog or two, and make a friend. By night, the vibe varies. Some evenings are relatively calmer, offering a great spot to have a real conversation. Other nights are jam-packed competitions for even a spot at the bar counter. Having spent nearly a year in Santa Monica, I can tell you that Bodega is a great place to bring a date (as you’ll observe from the countless first dates on any given night), but the odds of a spontaneous romance from a night out here seem low. That’s fine; just befriend the staff.

In terms of alcohol, you can’t go wrong with any of the wine or soju on the menu. I’d say even the cider is underrated, but that’s obviously seasonal. Grüner, Prosecco, and Chardonnay are all great. I particularly love the Han Fire Shot, which is essentially Fireball but tolerable.

In terms of food, every item on the “Shareable” section of the menu is enjoyable. If ordering a pizza, I’d recommend the Margherita, Vampire Slayer, Scapegoat, or Chili Bear. The Kale Salad, believe it or not, is also filling.

Go by yourself, show up with a friend, come with a date, or reserve a section for a large party. Bodega has it all for everyone. Make sure you tip well; the...