09/22/09

Save yourself - much better wine bars in the area!

by katiemarie3

If I could give Bodega less than one star, I would. I'm not really into complaining about places online, but the way we were treated at this place was so appalling, I feel I need to warn other people before they make the mistake of having an event here.

My sweet fiance reserved the Lido Deck at Bodega for my birthday this past weekend. We arrived to an absolutely dead wine bar. By 10 PM, my group of 20 in the corner was the only reason this place wasn't the saddest scene in Santa Monica. We had a minimum to meet of course, and our friends were drinking up. I won't get into the details but due to seriously poor service, we got to the end of the evening and were accused of not meeting our minimum. When my fiance tried to find a manager to reason with, he was presented with a shady bartender who told him, and I quote: "I don't care what your mother f*%^ing problem is, your card is f$#%ing getting charged." I was shocked. That is the way you speak to a paying customer? And not only a paying customer but someone who kept you from having a completely dead Saturday night? In order to avoid making a scene, my fiance quickly bought a few bottles of wine to cover what was "left" on our tab and we departed.

Not only was the service here completely unacceptable, but the wine was a disgrace. When a Santa Barbara Winery wine is your finest offering, you're kind of giving wine bars a bad name.

I recommend you avoid this place at all costs and definitely don't let them ruin your birthday.

• Pros: None.
• Cons: Appalling service, poor wine selection

04/09/09

Great place to grab wine & apps with friends

by DenaG

Went to Bodega on a Tuesday night with a date and it was a perfect place to meet. The wines are all $8 a glass and there was a great selection. The appitizer menu also offered a good selection and we tried the brushetta which was tasty. I'll definately go back to Bodega again. Scene was relaxed and friendly.

• Pros: Good inexpensive wine list
• Cons: Valet parking costs $5

07/29/08

Wine Bar meets laid-back Bar

by kiercemartin

So we checked out Bodega on a whim after tiring of the line outside Father's Office. I was pretty skeptical going in, but Bodega is by far more laid-back and less pretentious than even Father's Office. While you may think this is kind of comparing apples to oranges. Bodega offers just as many wines just as cheap during happy hour as Father's Office does beers, and all the wine at Bodega is the same price no matter what you order and bottles of wine are only 20 bucks. Do the math and you're coming out better than a lot of bars around Santa Monica. Not to mention $3 beer during happy hour and their food is great too. While it's definitely not a place to club, it's a great place to get a drink.