Wine Market

Category:	American Restaurant
Address:	921 E Fort Ave, Baltimore, MD 21230, USA
Phone:	+1 410-244-6166
Site:	winemarketbistro.com
Rating:	4.2
Working:	11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–10:30PM 11AM–10:30PM 11AM–7PM

Location

Photos 22

Reviews 8

Peter Eacmen

This place is overly pretentious and definitely not family friendly. The owners need to look at a map and see where their business is located. This kind of place belongs in Howard County or DC, not Baltimore. My wife and I came here on a whim one Friday evening with our 2 year old son. Right away I could see the distaste from the staff of bringing a child into this establishment (oh the horror!). We had a reservation for 3, but they first tried to put us at a small two-seater table. What the F***? Is my child not a person? If you have ever tried to manage all the plates and glasses and utensils at a two person table with a child then you would never do this to a family. The kicker is that there were PLENTY of tables available, on a Friday night, at 630PM. Maybe if the staff werent such a**clowns this place might actually be busy on a Friday night. My wife and I both appreciate good food and good wine and are willing to spend the money required to get what we want, but no matter how polite we were the staff was giving us the cold shoulder left and right. The menu is full of typical foodie language. If you are a foodie you will love this place, behind the fancy words and high prices is small portions and bland flavor. My wife got the chicken and I got the scallops. The chicken was dry and the scallops were quite average. At almost $30/plate I would expect better. Their wine selection is excellent, no doubt. Having spent a good part of my life in California I can certainly appreciate a good wine selection. However, their $11 corkage is steep in my opinion and that applies even if you buy the wine from their market! Just because you are are a wine market bistro does not mean your menu needs to be priced at a premium. I think the owners really need to re-think their business strategy. If they made their menu more approachable to normal folk like myself I think they would do much more business and might actually have a wait for a table on Friday night.

David Konigsberg

Great for happy hours, not as good for dinner. I have been here a few times for happy hour and it is always great, the food is tasty and reasonably price, as are the drinks, and the staff is all excellent. In April I took my parents out to dinner here as a thankyou for something. This was a big deal for me and I had been wanting to take them out for a really extravagant night on the town. We picked Wine Market because of my positive experience there for happy hour, figuring the meal would only be more amazing. While the service was still impeccable and the drinks were great, the food was a bust. Of the 3 appetizers and 4 mains we ordered, only a couple were particularly good and a of the remainder a few were left unfinished. The menu changes a lot, so maybe they hadnt quite tuned the dishes, but I think next time I want to spend a few hundred dollars on dinner, I will do so elsewhere. All of that said, dont ever hesitant to eat here, and do yourself a favor and go for a happy hour.

Amy Phillips

This is a great place for a business lunch or a dinner. I started out at the bar with a great wine recommendation from the bartender - a wine I was able to buy in the store and take home - before going to my table. The service was attentive and helpful and made great recommendations. We started off with the charcuterie plate that was wonderful, and beautifully presented. For lunch I had the Mediterranean lamb "burger" and it was soooo goood. There is a real lack of nicely prepared lamb dishes in Baltimore, but this dish made up for it. The vibe is definitely all business, and I was impressed that even with modern look - exposed brick and steel touches - the noise level was not too loud. Its trendiness means it can be a little on the pricey side, but well worth it, in my opinion.

A Private User

The service was pretty shabby when my group went last week. Granted some of our party was late, but there were at least 6 empty tables, so it wasnt like we were holding things up. Our server was inattentive and slow to return to the table (even though we were celebrating a birthday). The risotto was undercooked (yes, I am aware that its supposed to be cooked al dente, however I am also aware that al dente indicates firm not HARD). Since the place was relatively empty, the waitstaff stood at the bar chatting rather than attending to our party. This group included a person I assume was a manager (based on his different attire). Oh, he finally did come over to say that they were closed! I guess they didnt need to be attentive since gratuity is included for larger parties.

A Private User

We loved the Wine Market. We went here because we saw it was part of Restaurant Week and wanted to try a new place. The food was delicious. The atmosphere was great. Parking...easy. Whats not to love? Well, we mistakingly thought that it was a BYOBottle restaurant so we did. The waitress uncorked it, presented it and we were halfway through the first course when she returned to the table to report that wed have to pay an $18 uncorking fee. What? For a $12 bottle of wine that I brought. For what was an honest mistake, it was absolutely ridiculous to be charged $18. Hell, even if it wasnt an honest mistake, $18? Are you kidding? Well definitely return but will stay away from having a waitress uncork anything!

A Private User

One of the worst dining experiences Ive had in a while. Food was mediocre and overpriced, and over half of our group felt nauseous that evening. Service was nearly nonexistent. It took 1 hour for them to bring out the appetizers (which were cold, including the soup), and 2 hours to bring out the main course. I had to go up to the bar myself to ask for pitchers of water to bring back to our table. My friend also had to order and pick up her own drinks from the bar. Granted I was with a large group of friends, but we had called 3 days ahead and had arranged a set menu. There was no excuse for such terrible service. Will never go back.

Alicia Lee

Now, I am not an experienced wine drinker but I have had a few. This place helps you get a taste of great food and great wine. The ambiance is great. Rustic meets modern. Lots of parking. Outdoor seating available when the weather permits. I sat inside this time but it looked like it would have been so much more of a great time outside which I will try and report back on that. The staff were all great that we encountered. I have to mention that the Panna Cotta was AWESOME! It was my first time having it and I cant wait to try it again. If you are a fan of Fran or Creme Brulee, then youll love this Panna Cotta.

John Butz

The 6 for $60 is hard to beat during the summer months as there is always a nice blend of reds/whites and the occasional bubbly/rose. There has very rarely been a bad bottle in the 2 years weve been getting them. We opt to go elsewhere during the winter months as we prefer all reds (no knock on the Wine Market selections though). Ive visited the attached restaurant for both dinner and lunch and would opt to return for both again. If I did have any complaints it would be the lunch menu was a bit sandwich heavy and the fries were on the soggy side for both me and my guest.