A wine night in Encinitas / Del Mar
2 stops, all within a short walk
1
0.7 mi
5:30 PMA glass to start
2
7:00 PMDinner
← San DiegoDate night guide · San Diego
Best wine bars for a date in San Diego
A glass to start, a table around the corner.
23 spots · Jump to the list
A wine bar is the low-pressure date: stay for one glass or four, and let the staff steer you if neither of you knows the list. Most pour a good range by the glass and serve small plates, so a wine bar works as the first stop before dinner or as the whole evening.
This guide ranks 23 wine bars in San Diego, from Oceanside / Carlsbad to Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown and Encinitas / Del Mar. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.
Nights people planned here
Published date nights with a stop on this list.
Make a night of it
Routes around the top spots on the list, with the best-rated places nearby for the rest of the evening.
A wine night in Little Italy / Middletown
3 stops, all within a short walk
1
0.6 mi
5:30 PMA glass to start
2
0.6 mi
7:00 PMDinner
3
8:30 PMSomething sweet
Frost Me Cafe and Bakery
Dessert Shop
555 W Date St, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
Little Italy / Middletown
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating.
Caves Wine Bar & Shop
4.7(9)Encinitas / Del Mar · $$
Vino Carta
4.6(11)Little Italy / Middletown
Bacari North Park
North Park
Turtle Rock Ridge Wine Bar
La Jolla · $$$
Wine Girl
Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown
Gianni Buonomo Vintners
Ocean Beach / Point Loma
Coomber Craft Wines Oceanside
Oceanside / Carlsbad
Rumi
North Park
Sabre Champagne & Wine Bar
Little Italy / Middletown · $$$
The WineSellar & Brasserie
$$
Oddish Wine
Le Charcuterie Bar
Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $
Dorothy's Wine Bar
Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown · $
Juan Jasper Kitchen & Wine
East Village / Barrio Logan · $$$
Carruth Cellars Urban Winegarden & Cheese Shop
Shelter Island / Harbor Island · $
Napatini Bistro and Wine Bar
Oceanside / Carlsbad · $$
The Meantime
Oceanside / Carlsbad · $
Costa Azul Winery
Oceanside / Carlsbad · $
Ernie's Craft Deli and Wine Bar
Encinitas / Del Mar · $
WetStone Wine Bar Solana Beach
Del Mar / Solana Beach · $$
Next Door Craft Beer & Wine Bar
$
Elixir Espresso & Wine Bar
La Jolla · $
The Privateer Marketplace & Wine Bar
Oceanside / Carlsbad · $$
Good to know
- What's the best wine bar in San Diego for a date?
- Our top pick is Caves Wine Bar & Shop in Encinitas / Del Mar, rated 4.7 out of 5. Vino Carta and Bacari North Park round out the top 3.
- Which San Diego neighborhoods have the best wine bars?
- Oceanside / Carlsbad (5), Gaslamp Quarter / Downtown (3) and Encinitas / Del Mar (2) have the most spots on this list.
- Are there affordable wine bars in San Diego?
- Yes — Caves Wine Bar & Shop, The WineSellar & Brasserie and Le Charcuterie Bar are all $$ or under.
- What should we do before or after?
- Make it a wine night: a glass to start, then dinner, then something sweet. The plans on this page pair each top spot with the best-rated places within about a 20-minute walk.