The Cask Room

Website says there open on Mondays…
Store front says there open on Mondays the door was not open on Monday.
And to think I was so excited to try a new place.

When I say this place is off the beaten path, I mean it.
We were in San Diego for only two days and wanted to sample the best in the area that’s away from touristy Gaslamp quarters. We got more than we bargain for.
Cask Room is located in the East Village, at the ground floor of an apartment building located across the trolley tracks. Sure, some shady characters were lingering here and there and I was probably too dressed up since we were going to a steakhouse after, but whatever.
We walk in and there are only two patrons sitting at the bar. Pretty much dead. The owner, Jules, confirms that people would stumble in here thinking its new but they’ve been here 5 years. Whoa. Not a lot of foot traffic because of the neighborhood. However, I’ve never felt more welcomed.
The Cask Room literally feels like you’re hanging out in your living room. It’s a little bit dim, with oversized leather couches, comfy pillows, board games and chill music in the background. They feature small production wines, craft beer and even have a short menu of apps, sandwiches and salads, etc. if you get hungry.
Contrary to others who thought their price by the glass is expensive, I thought it was fair. Considering the compact wine list they have, the choices you get are excellent. But if you’ve got a couple of hours to spare, bottles here are sold at retail, which is a BETTER deal. I had a dry sparkling wine here (the name escapes me) as recommended by Wes and the bf enjoyed his Russian River valley Pinot.
Owner Jules is the nicest! she recommended a couple of bars for us to check out after din and overall was a very pleasant lady. She informed us that they’re moving in the next couple of months, so check their website for their new address.
Look no further for the perfect wine bar to hang out in downtown San Diego — make it the Cask Room!

This is what wine bars should be. Good wine that is not too pricey in a comfortable atmosphere that is not too stuffy. The leather couches are very inviting and the service is fantastic. I wish they would do flights since I like to try lots of different wines, but even without them, I really enjoy this place.
You do need to walk through some seedy blocks to get here from the Gaslamp District, but inside is an entirely different world. However, if you see a female junkie wearing a plastic bag bow on her head check you out with her male friends, you may want to turn a block early on your way back. Yeah, that’s all it took to outwit their obvious attempts to do whatever it was they were contemplating.
BUT, keep that in mind and don’t take a seat looking out the window, and you will have found a cozy, friendly place to enjoy some yummy wine.

Not much of a wine person, but am beginning to like a glass every now and than.
Needed to find a wine bar downtown, and this place came up and got good ratings.
It is quaint, nice cozy atmosphere with scattered leather couches and games out waiting to be played with some friends, and a good glass of wine.
Wes, the manager, was very nice, patient, and down to earth, which added to the very relaxed atmosphere. He brought me several wines to try because he didn’t want to serve me a glass of wine I wasn’t happy with.
Had the goat cheese stuffed dates with prosciutto and they were quite good.
Next time, going there to relax for a couple of hours and play some board games.

I wanted to like this place, I really did. It’s not in the heart of downtown and so you avoid the annoying college kids who order the cheapest wine and sit and complain about their oh so hard lives. Instead of annoying college kids, you get horrible wait staff and a different annoying patron at The Cask Room.
I’ve been to Cask Room five times. My first time I went with friends the few things we tried to order off the menu they were out of due to «poor ordering» and so we ended up not eating anything. Convenient they didn’t mention half the overpriced menu was out prior to us ordering a bottle of wine. Anyway, the wine was good, but couldn’t judge the food that night.
I went another time with a different friend to show them this new place I found and it took more than half an hour after we asked to get our check brought to us after we’d been sitting around waiting for it. Finally we went up to the bar to get it all cleared up. Keep in mind, there were MAYBE three other couples in there. Not busy at all.
I was ready to write Cask Room off at this point because it was nothing special, parking is really hard to find (REALLY HARD) and I still hadn’t had a chance to try food because (shocker) they were out of food AGAIN.
Then much to my delight Groupon ran a $ 15 for $ 35 special at the Cask Room. Me and a couple girlfriends bought the Groupon in hopes to turn our opinion around of this place. After three more chances, I still probably won’t be back.
My friends and I always wait a couple weeks to use a food Groupon in hopes that most people who have bought them would be gone by then. So that’s exactly what we did.
The first time we announced we had a Groupon up front (like you’re «supposed» to do) and pretty much got scowled at and ignored from then on. We had to go up to the bar to order and we decided to try and get the chocolate fondue and SHOCKINGLY they had the stuff to make it. While the fondue IS AMAZING, it’s overpriced for the amount of dipping items you get. However, it is fantastic and I ordered it the fourth time I was there.
The fourth and fifth time I was at Cask Room were nothing but the same ol’ horrible service, stuck up staff who look down on you if you ask questions about the wines (isn’t that their job?) and pal around with the snobby patrons who blab loudly about tannins and aroma while ignoring us normal people.
What prompted me to write this review is the owner and his attitude toward «low tipping, & entitled peeps who are almost always just there for a deal» Groupon buyers. (Direct quote from a tweet @thecaskroom) I’ve been in there when Mike (owner) has been in there and he’s the worst of them all. Just because I’m younger than some of the other patrons, my money and my love of wine is just the same.
Mike also wrote a blog on their website about how Groupon was a horrible thing and urging people to boycott Groupon and other sites like it because it’s killing small businesses (
)
I urge people to learn just who is running this place and see if they want to support someone who thinks oh so highly of themselves and so lowly of people who don’t make 6 figures but still love wine and want to enjoy a good night out and can’t afford to do it blindly without some incentive to try a new place.
All in all, wine is fine, but don’t count on getting food. Parking is AWFUL and the wait staff makes you, well WAIT a long time for anything.
If you’re looking for a good and fun wine bar, try The Wine Pub in Point Loma or Wine Steals in Point Loma. Really anywhere else but here.
There’s my $ 0.02 Mike, and this time I paid full price for it.

This is my favorite wine bar in San Diego, and I’ve been to many. I’ve been a wine aficionado for years, and was a bartender at an upscale wine bar in college, and my ex-​boyfriend of many years was a master sommelier. This is to say, I know good wine, and I know when other people know good wine.
This place has great wine at outstanding prices. They are not the run-​of-​the-​mill popular wines, but usually very subtle in character and flavor, small batch production types of wines. They really try to make sure you get the most bang for your buck with what they sell.
If you’re just as happy with a $ 50 bottle of wine as you are with a $ 5 bottle, this place may not be for you. Because the wines are more expensive than you would find at Wine Steals, but they’re substantially better if you’re looking for quality. But if you’re the type of person who’s looking for $ 50 quality for a $ 20 price, then this is your place. Ask the bartender for recommendations, because they are all sommeliers and really know how to make a recommendation based on your tastes.
As everyone has mentioned, the ambiance is outstanding. It’s low light, leather couches, flickering candles, surrounded by casks on the walls. It’s utterly charming, and invites you to nestle in, enjoy your wine and your company. And there are board games scattered around, which is really fun.
As to the food — I’ve really liked everything there. We’ve had the Napa Panini, which is a great roast beef sandwich with arugula, horseradish and caramelized onions. The olive tapenade is clearly freshly made and delicious. But the hands-​down standout are the goat cheese stuffed prosciutto wrapped dates. Served warm, they are PERFECT. Your food will be prepared by a loving perfectionist, who pays attention to every little detail. It takes a little while, but that’s because it’s slow food, not fast food.
Also, their happy hour ends at 7pm, so you have plenty of time to take advantage of the deals, which are considerable.
The only downside has nothing to do with the Cask Room, but with the location. It’s in a kind of sketchy part of east village, and depending on where you park you may be surrounded by scary junkies. On the way back at about 8:00 last night, we ran into some homeless people leaning against my car clearly finalizing a drug deal on the street. We parked a block away on Market. Maybe want to go to a paid lot and not park south of Park on Market.

Groupon led me to the Cask room. I’m glad it did! It’s small & cozy right in front of the trolley station on Park & Market. I like the dark leather comfy couches that make it seem like you are in a cool friend’s living room.
Once we sat down the sommelier immediately came over to greet us and ask what we would like. I told him I was feeling like a sweet white wine. After a couple of complimentary tastes, I made my choices. I went with the 2008 Montes Cherub Rose (Chile) which I really enjoyed. Then I had a glass of King Estate Vin Glacé ice wine (Willamette Valley, Oregon) to really satisfy my craving for something sweet. Really enjoyed the ice wine because it wasn’t overly sweet.
They also have a great collection of craft beers for those that are not a fan of wine. Being that the BF is into a Belgium beer kick, he choose a Koningshoeven la Trappe Isid’or Amber (Holland) which is $ 17 for a 750ml bottle. Our sommelier had him taste it first and let him know if he didn’t like it he would drink it later! Of course, the BF loved it!
They have a limited menu, but what we had was really good! We had the following…
*Cask Room Trio– olive tapenade, roasted red pepper hummus, & goat cheese peppadews w/​flatbread. LOVED the olive tapenade & the goat cheese stuffed sweet peppers! The hummus was also good but it taste like the stuff we buy from Costco. This appetizer was definitely made for sharing.
*Avignon Panini– oven roasted turkey breast, french brie, arugula, roasted garlic, and chipotle raspberry compote w/​a side of bbq kettle chips. Great tasting quality ingredients and they didn’t skimp on the ingredients either.
*stuffed dates– proscuitto wrapped medjol dates stuffed w/​goat cheese. These were really tasty.
The place was super busy at the time since the Groupon offer was expiring that weekend. Service unfortunately did slow down. They were nice enough to extend the coupon until the end of September.
Given that we enjoyed the atmosphere, service & wine list, I will definitely be back for drinks and some appetizers.

Very nice manager dude and wine lady person. Happy hour is cool too, weekdays form 5−7pm, $ 6 wine glasses and $ 3 pints. Had some wine earlier, so went a pint of Racer 5. And their glasses are slightly bigger than a pint glass. The manager said they welcome groupons, but can’t combine during happy hour specials.
Very nice selection of wine bottles, and a very nice chill place for future visits. Bar area was super clean. They have nice dark sofas, candle lighting, and of course many casks out on display. Lady was nice and gave a bag full of old corks. Needed some corks for a friend of mine, and they were pretty cool just giving out a bag. She was about to give me more, but I didn’t want to be too greedy, they were just handing them out like candy.
This place is just a little bit off from the main part of downtown on Park blvd between Market and Island St. But it is worth the walk to and from this place. Think of it as means to sober up a bit on your way to your car as you leave this place.
Décor is cool, dark, candlelit, female bathroom was super clean. The dude bathroom is closed for renovation when I came in this particular evening. Great customer service and great conversations about pretty much anything and everything. Will come back and try the happy hour vino next time.

I love the relaxed atmosphere of this place and the fact that it’s about fun and chatting and enjoying good wine. Unlike a restaurant, I feel welcomed to taste a bit and say I like it or I don’t like it. The guy working at the bar was charming and fun and poured some great stuff for us based on what preferences we laid out.
I just take off a star for the paninis… they actually taste DELICIOUS but are like $ 12 each. I really think ~$ 8 would be more reasonable. If you’re willing to shell out the cash, though, I highly recommend the Avignon panini (turkey, raspberry chipotle, and some other stuff) — the chips are great too.
I hear they’re starting open-​mic nights again soon, which should be fun if you’re into that kind of thing :)

Not a fan. Decidedly underwhelming. Wine selection is average and the plates are so-​so.
Sorry, Cask Room… I really liked the idea of you. But my business goes to The Wine Vault or Proprietor’s where the service, ambiance, food and wine are exceptional (not average) for the same price.

Disagree strenuously w/​Michael K.‘s comments:
Six ounces — yeah, right! (closer to six ccs)
Groupon conditions say «can’t be combined with any other ‘OFFER.’» «Happy Hour» prices aren’t an «offer,» as another coupon or one-​time promo might be…
So, it’s STILL deceptive, wrong and a shitty way to do business!
As I said, if you, as a business owner, are going to participate in a discount program, then DO IT WITHOUT attaching every «string» in the book.
TO REITERATE: THE CASKET ROOM SUCKS!

That was an experience… one that I won’t like to relive.
The layout is very cozy and comfortable, the wine selection was top/​mid grocery store shelf (which isn’t bad)… just very far from Opus One.
The food was visually very appealing– platted nicely but tastless-​SERIOUSLY please go, it’s like a MAGIC TRICK… you put something in your mouth and you see it’s food… you smell food… but you taste NOTHING… it’s truly MAGIC… BLACK MAGIC!
Hhmmm… Then there was a staff member… not mentioning who. all I will say is that he doesn’t think highly of the people who walk through the door that aren’t to his standard. His behavior was tasteless, just like the food.

Go during their happy hour times! Their wines are SO good and they serve it in generous portions! It gets pretty busy there so try to get there early to secure a table.
This place is a nice change from Wine Steals and other wine bars that have been around. There was an event in the back room so I didn’t get to see it but it looked pretty cool.
We got a basket of bread which my boyfriend just devoured and then a pizza. it was pretty good — not dinner portion but appetizer portion for sure.
I am going back… I am definitely a fan!

Prices are standard for a wine bar establishment in downtown. On a Wednesday night, there were only 2 – 3 tables at around 7:30 PM, but it slowly filled up to about 7 – 8 tables by 9 PM. I call that kind of slow. There is only 1 person in the kitchen making the food and 1 server in the front so the service is REALLY slow. I can’t imagine how the place can handle a busy night if service is this slow on a non-​busy night.
Despite the slow service, I have to say the server and even the kitchen person (who sometimes doubled duty and serves the food), are extremely nice and courteous.
Chocolate fondue ($ 6) — had some mixed spices in the chocolate so it had a nice «kick» to it. They give you some pretty cheap fruit like strawberries and bananas. Passable.
Napa Panino ($ 10) — the bread is super thick and really hard. The filling was flavorful. A bit oily. Come with a pretty sad salad that consist of red onions and baby spinach.
Pizza ($ 9) — I liked this one the most. Seems like it was freshly made. Great mushroom and heirloom tomato taste. Yummy, but again, a bit oily.
We enjoyed some wine too, I am not a wine connoisseur, but the recommended glasses were easy on the palette for beginners.
Would come back for Happy Hour since they offer $ 6 glasses and ½ off their food.
On a side note, the lighting is extremely dim and relaxing with comfy couches so it is really difficult to take pictures inside. Please excuse my ugly cell phone photos.

When you first walk in, you are immediately at the bar. There is no hostess stand. We stood there until someone acknowledged us and then chose a small table to sit at since all of the couches were taken at the time. The place has an industrial vibe to it because of the exposed pipes in the ceiling, contrasting black & white colors and huge wine barrels in the wall.
We ordered a roast beef sandwich that was delicious despite the overpowering horseradish. The «Greek Taco» special of the day was delicious. I do have to say that they played awesome music: Jack Johnson, Slightly Stoopid, Bob Marley, etc…
I ordered a bottle of wine that was sweet, even though the waitress told me it was dry. I told her I didn’t like it, and she took it back with no problems. The attitude of the staff is not rude, but it isn’t very friendly either. It is very serious and I would prefer a warmer attitude from the staff.
Eventually someone left, so we sat at one of the four couches. It was much more comfortable than the tiny, two-​seater table. They have board games all over the place that some people were playing. We just ate, drank and chilled in the couch until we were ready for a different environment.
Would I go back? Probably not. The location is out of the area that I usually frequent, and I just wasn’t very impressed. I think the place is a little too small. A party of 6 came in (when it wasn’t very busy) and they didn’t have anywhere to sit. They had to split up to each get a seat. The place seriously looks like it seats under 20. Decent wine that is overpriced and good food. My husband said he would give this place 4 stars, but I don’t agree.

Okay, so the BF and I headed into the Cask Room last night to enjoy some wine before heading down to Syrah. It’s such a cute little place and it’s so close to home that we thought it was a great place to start off our night. We got there at about 8:30 and there was a small crowd all seeming to be having a good time. I had to update my review though because they actually had the items featured on the menu this time and we tried quite a few of them out. Can I just say WOW!
Okay, so they have these Foccacia Crostinis right? One has Gorgonzola cheese w/​agave nectar & the other has goat cheese w/​pesto. Both were delicious and only $ 8 bucks for a good sized plate! Seriously though, the one with the Gorgonzola was heavenly. I am salivating now JUST thinking about it! After we had our first glass of wine & the Crostini’s we were just hanging out talking and ended up having another glass. We weren’t in a hurry to leave, especially with the great atmosphere (and MUCH better music! It didn’t put me to sleep this time! Yay!) The ladies now known as Julie & Kate are so wonderful and fun! We had some great laughs talking to them and hanging out at the bar.
Later on we also tried the dates stuffed with goat cheese & wrapped in prosciutto… I’m such a picky eater and thought I wasn’t going to be a fan… But the flavors blended so beautifully together. Sweet, salty, & creamy. mmmm!!! We also ordered a panini but Julie told us we had to have a pizza instead, and she made us a delicious thin crust pizza with goat cheese, basil, pesto, & capicola (sp?). OMG it was so tasty and so affordable! I couldn’t believe it! Julie is a great chef and was so wonderful to us! We had a great time.
We never made it down to Syrah, we were at the Cask Room till 1:30 and were completely satisfied with our evening. We headed on home happily buzzed with full tummies and big smiles! I think the Cask Room may quickly become a new home away from home for the BF and I. We really enjoy ourselves there and it’s just such an inviting space. 5 stars to the Cask Room they more than deserve it!

Stick with what you know. I’m new to San Diego, but I keep coming back to the Cask Room. The couches are ridiculously comfortable and they have free wifi! The Cask Room carries a very unique selection of wines. The menu is almost exclusively smaller producers, which means you get to taste things that very few people elsewhere will ever experience.
Wine bars get a bad rap these days because the staff isn’t knowledgeable and they serve you wine you can get at the grocery store or Costco for 4x the price! I continue to go back to the Cask Room because I learn something new every time I visit. The staff goes above and beyond to make your experience unique and enjoyable. On some nights there will be wii bowling, other nights a tasting lecture or a documentary. Each visit is something special.

I planned an event here about a month ago for a group of 30 people. I found the Cask Room through a random search on Unilocal.I don’t live in San Diego anymore and was looking for a place where all of the girls could catch up and talk about old times. A club would be too loud and a typical restaurant would be hard to talk to those not within the group of people right next to you or across from you, so I liked what the owners had to offer — a small room off the main room with couches and bar tables that we were free to move around.
Stephanie and Mike (the owners) were really friendly during the planning stage and even at the event. The wine flight that they served was great. My only comment was that there was not enough food. There seemed to be a slight miscommunication and we were never sure whether we had more food coming out or not. For the price, I thought the food was a little stingy but was told after that food I did not see was served.
I think for a date night out the small portions are great, but for a larger group, make sure you order more than 3 appetizers. The food itself was really tasty — we had the steak brioche, the hummus trio and the cheese platter.
I would definitely go back!
Thanks for a great evening.

Hate to start on a bad note but I feel it necessary. They serve foie gras. I understand that this is a special treat to those who like but it is simply an irresponsible item to feature on the menu.
Why is this? Foie gras is fattened duck liver. The liver is fattened by the force feeding of the duck. Even the best case scenario looks lame to me but I’ll leave that to you to decide:


They were out of a number of items on the menu. My waitress had to keep checking to see if bottles of whatever I wanted to order were available. To my dismay they had roughly 1 out of every 3 things I had ordered. Not good.
The cheese tray was excellent but very small. I realize cheese plates are typically not large as I order them pretty much everywhere I go. This one was just a tat skimpy for the $ 17 asking price.
Cask Room has a great atmosphere. Amazingly comfortable leather couches all over the place. Very cool lighting. Good music playing. Fun board games abound. All in all nice looking.
So two stars. Foie gras is a bummer. Being out of ²⁄₃ of what I wanted to order was a bummer, but at least it was all done in a super cool atmosphere.

I went here based on the many Unilocal reviews and über-​hype I’ve been reading for weeks, and I gotta say… it totally lived up to it! Most definitely my new favorite wine bar in town.
The owner, Mike, jet-​sets all over the world with the sole mission of finding the best smushed grapes on the globe. Not only does he find them, he brings ‘em back to the 619 and gets us crunked on the cheap! Seriously, I couldn’t believe how inexpensive these fantastic-​tasting vino’s cost. HUGE props.
He’s also an expert on all-​things-​wine. My usual criteria for picking a quality bottle is:
1. Is it good?
2. Is it cheap?
3. Will it get me weird?
If all of the above are met, I’m usually a pretty happy camper. Mike goes above-​and-​beyond to educate and ensure that you consume the right glass to meet your taste bud’s desires.
It’s also a great place to hang. Comfy sofa’s and ass-​friendly bar stools made it a breeze to kick back for a few hours, sippin’ on some exotic red’s while rappin’ with my lady.
Overall, it was an awesome experience. I highly recommend you grab your best pair of knickers, DVR that episode of American Idol you’ve been dying to watch, and head downtown to experience this absolute gem in East Village.