Symposium Wine Bar — Restaurant in Town of Lancaster

We stopped in Friday night 12/9. Walking down the street there was a chalk board sign outside that said “stop in, we’re open!”, so we did just that. We were greeted by a woman cleaning up mopping, who informed us that we could come in for one, but they were closing, she said they close at 11pm. We were unaware of the hours because we didn’t go online and check, we just observed the sign outside. We didn’t want to hold anyone up, but there were still about 8 people at the bar so we sat for a fast drink and were going to be on our way. There was a younger male and female bartending. The girl behind the bar repeated they were closed. We were confused because the woman just told us we could have a drink. So after an awkward moment she huffed a puffed but basically said fine. My husband ordered a bourbon neat. The girl who took the order disappeared… not sure of where she went the male came up and noticed us waiting after about 5 mins with nothing in front of us and took my husband’s order again. The girl then came back with a rocks glass of ice. The male had already served my husband, she obviously has no clue what a “neat” drink meant, but no problem, we all have to learn. It was her snarky comments about “how she should be home” and her terrible attitude to follow that was the issue. She was beyond rude. As a fellow business owner in the service industry, if I heard my staff speaking like this in front of guests it would be their last day. My husband left a $5 tip on a $10 drink and she wouldn’t even say thank you or goodnight, and we were there for a total 10 minutes. I truly hope you can work out the kinks because with help like this you won’t have many...

Symposium Wine Bar is a great addition to the recently revitalized area of W. Main St. in the Village of Lancaster. They have an extensive list of wines from regions around the world. You may pay a little extra for a glass of wine (compared to some places), but its due to the quality and generous pour sizes. We were not disappointed.

Service was great, the atmosphere is cool and trendy. We did not grab a bite this visit, but did note various food offerings. There was a small party in the rear of the facility when were were there (good to know for a special occasion). It's a great place to go to relax and spark up a conversations.

The only thing preventing this from a 5 star rating (in my opinion) is the noise level. If they could find a way to dampen the acoustics it would make for an even better experience. Dimming the upper lights as well could enhance to the overall ambiance too.

There is a nice room in the back for a group to hang out (8 people +/-). Anymore intimate setting.

We are already looking forward to returning again! Certainly worthy of a stop!

Bonus: They have a fantastic...

We hosted our daughter’s baptism reception at Symposium this weekend and it was absolutely fantastic. Katie worked with us to come up with a menu that everyone loved and was really responsive to our emails and phone calls throughout the planning process. The staff were so accommodating and took care of our every need. The food and beverages were delicious (of course the wine is good but they also make a mean Bloody Mary) and the atmosphere was incredibly welcoming. What a beautiful space and wonderful hospitality! We can’t recommend Symposium enough for a private event or just...