The Ruby Tap — Restaurant in Wauwatosa

I had no idea what to expect walking into a "self-service" wine bar, but I was rather hopeful due to the other reviews I had read. And I'll tell you those expectations were met and blown away. While it is self-service, the staff are more than willing to help with whatever you need. They are very friendly and there to guide you on your journey of winey(?) self-discovery.

But on to the actual wines themselves. They are all high quality, and from what I can tell, they are price at an exceptional point due to The Ruby Taps business model. If you like all types of wines but aren't willing to buy ten bottles at $35-50 a piece, then this is absolutely the place for you. They feature many regional wines here both local and imported, including from areas of Washington, California, Spain, France, and (my favorite) Italy.

And while they are all very nice wines, they are still accessible to even beginner wine drinkers. The descriptions are well written and very descriptive so even if you don't know what to look for, you can find something that sounds tasty and try it. After all, they have a 1.5 oz tasting pour that costs only a few bucks. Not to mention you can see which wine each staff member recommends but the adorable picture they have above that bottle.

All in all, a wonderful experience due to the friendly staff and amazing wine all provided at an amazing price point. Will definitely be...

Ruby Tap is pretty awesome, but 5 starts, I think not. It is a very unique wine bar and it is hip and trendy, but they could do better.

Here is the concept: you can taste around 50 different wines, and all at your own pace. You open a tab and they give you a card and a glass. You insert the card into these machines full of various wines and choose how much you want, 1.5, 3 or 6 ounces, priced accordingly. A very neat idea, especially for those who don't know what kind of wine they like yet.

You can also order very small portions of specialty cheeses and meats by filling out a little slip of paper at your table and bringing it up to the bar. When I say small portions, I mean it. They were literally only a slice of cheese and several crackers.

Do not expect table service here. They will clear your plates eventually, but if you need something go to the bar.

It is a relatively small place, with not a ton of seating. The seating they have is very jammed in there so it was hard to navigate. If I owned the place I would have more high tables without chairs so people could at least have a place to set their drink if...

Cute place! However, I ordered the winter sangria and got probably less than 1/4 of a glass and so much ice. Two sips for $8. So I went up to the counter and asked for less ice (after I bought two drinks). Bartender poured under half a glass. It’s sangria…. I’m confused… So I asked for a bit more. Still not a full glass and I was charged over a dollar extra. I actually chuckled to myself because it was kind of ridiculous.

I don’t know, the vibe of the bartender kind of threw me off because I already spent a lot of money there and it was like she was shaking my pockets for change and went out of her way to up-charge me.

It may not be her fault. Probably the policy.

Also there was no table service. Flatbread was cold and unflavored.

Eh… underwhelmed and the experience kind of rubbed me the wrong way....