Wine bar where wine is the focus, not food

Are there any wine bars that have wine as the focus and not the food? It seems like most wine bars opening lately are restaurants with a very good wine list, but no place to just stop by for a bottle of wine (with friends, of course). Of course food is ok, but very simple stuff that wouldn't necessarily need a full on kitchen to make (cheese, charcuterie, small sandwiches). I'm not always looking for a full on meal or be relegated to the bar area to have just a glass and trying to find someplace that I may have overlooked.

Am I missing any wine bars that would fit into this category?

ENO at the Intercontinental on Michigan is a nice option. Pops for Champagne would likely fit the bill too.

Though honestly, we like The Gage for that - last time we were there I & a friend shared a bottle from the list, split a charcuterie board & a dessert & despite the fact it was Friday night the staff were fine with us relaxing over our wine & taking our time (we checked with our waiter first before ordering, otherwise we probably would have just stuck to a glass each instead of the bottle, though admittedly it was one of their pricier bottles & we tipped appropriately).

LOL, nm. I completely misread the query.

Sorry, for the inconvenience.

=R=

I like the idea of ENO (small menu where people aren't there for the food), but something a bit smaller. Are there any bars like that in any of the neighborhoods (LP, Bucktown, Lakeview, West Town, etc)?

The Gage looks good, but I feel like I'd be going there for the food instead of the wine.

Are there any places that anyone can think of if you were looking for a funky (no necessarily "natural"), non-typical varietals but still well made wines?

Webster Wine Bar or DOC Wine Bar in LP might fit the bill, they are very much wine bars & are more casual environments than ENO, but they do have a much stronger focus on food than ENO does, particularly Webster. DOC might be your best bet if you want very little food focus, but I'm a sucker for the cheese selections at Webster so that's our usual choice when we stray up to LP. And Webster has a better wine list IMO, though its pricey.

Doing a little brainstorming...I've only been to the last two on the list and it's been a few years. The West Town location of Lush Wine and Spirits: the wine shop opens at noon, the bar side at 5:00 PM. 694 Wine & Spirits might also be an option. The Tasting Room on Randolph and Volo are two others that come to mind.

Lush
1412 WEST CHICAGO AVENUE
CHICAGO, IL 60642
312.666.6900
http://www.lushwineandspirits.com/

694 Wine & Spirits
694 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago IL 60622
(312) 492-6620
http://www.694wineandspirits.com/

The Tasting Room
1415 West Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 942-1313
http://www.thetastingroomchicago.com/main.html

Volo
2008 West Roscoe Street
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 348-4600
http://www.volorestaurant.com/

Let me add The Cellar, the more casual sister of the wine focused restaurant The Stained Glass. They're both only a block or two from the Davis Street El Station.

The Cellar
820 Clark Street
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 864-8678

Vera? While the kitchen is certainly part of the appeal, the wine list seems to stand on its own.

Vera
1023 West Lake Street
Chicago
312.243.9770
http://www.verachicago.com/vera

Blue Star Wine Bar
1209 N Noble St
www.bluestarwinebar.com
773-278-2233

Food's terrible, but the wine is good. Huge bar for relaxing. I have a love/hate relationship with this place. I really want it to make it in the neighborhood, but they just can't find a good chef, and I just can't keep giving it chances for dinner. But, drinking wine and hanging out, I'm ok with.

Either of the Bin 36 locations (on Dearborn or the cafe up on Milwaukee). They do have food, and the Dearborn one has a section where you can sit at white tablecloths and everything. But you can definitely sit in the Cafe (or the cafe part of the Dearborn part) and just have wine - bottles or glasses or flights.

I suspect that the OP is looking for a "real" wine bar loosely in the vein of 'ino in New York, where the only available food is made via a toaster oven. Unfortunately, Chicago doesn't really have one, except for maybe Webster's, as some of the best mid-priced wine lists in the city (i.e., Telegraph) are attached to restaurants, or the self-styled wine bars (such as Blue Star) are so-so in terms of wine. I think your best bet would be Webster's Wine Bar, where no one will care if you take a table and drink only a bottle. Food is definitely second fiddle there.

Otherwise, I'd say that the wine bar at Lush West Town comes a close second. Select any bottle from the store, pay retail, and drink it at a table in their comfortable seating area. They do serve some food, but it's mostly cheese and sandwiches.

(The addresses for Lush and Webster's are provided upthread.)

aschie30 wrote:I think your best bet would be Webster's Wine Bar, where no one will care if you take a table and drink only a bottle. Food is definitely second fiddle there.

I wholeheartedly agree. We have never gotten past a piece of cheese or two on the food menu at Webster and have never left disappointed (or with the impression that the staff was less than happy to have us). I think it says something about them that my wife and I have most frequently ended up there in the weeks following our return from various trips to wine regions. We know we'll find something to scratch the itch there and enjoy ourselves in a very wine-focused atmosphere.

Thanks for the suggestions. Sounds like Webster's and maybe Lush are closer to what I'm looking for. I'll have to check those out and report back.

I've been doing a bit of traveling lately and really like the small wine bars I've come across (30-40 seats) that have wine lists full of stuff that I wouldn't normally buy at a wine shop or order at a restaurant without a recommendation or someone pointing me in a direction. Good staff that know the wines to help. I'm really enjoying the cocktail resurgence the past few years, but there hasn't been much movement in the wine department (at least from what I've seen). And I'm getting a bit tired of the regular bars. There are a bunch of younger wine makers now making wines that don't get the shelf space, so I'd love to find a wine bar that's full of the unusual, updated standards and the like to enjoy.

I would highly recommend Rootstock. Yes, they have food (and it's very good) but it is definitely a place where you can go and just drink. They are passionate about wine, and will happily talk to you at length about it--I have learned a great deal from them just by sitting at the bar and asking questions. You will not feel snubbed or rushed at all if you don't order food, and you can get tastes of anything that they sell by the glass.

Rootstock
954 N. California Ave.
(773) 292-1616

Cru cafe and winebar is surprisingly good and affordable for the neighborhood,also in Wicker Park,from the same group,it's not billed as a winebar and the food is casual,but the wine menu is probably the best in the city.tons of old vintage gems,cool stuff from odd places,cheap and half price on tuesdays.I got 15 year old chinon for $45 a bottle.Not what I expected going in.

izzyd wrote:Cru cafe and winebar is surprisingly good and affordable for the neighborhood,also in Wicker Park,from the same group,it's not billed as a winebar and the food is casual,but the wine menu is probably the best in the city.tons of old vintage gems,cool stuff from odd places,cheap and half price on tuesdays.I got 15 year old chinon for $45 a bottle.Not what I expected going in.

I think you may be confusing either places or names? Bin 36 Cafe (from the Bin 36 people) is in Wicker Park, Cru Cafe (from the Feast/Goddess and Grocer people) is in the Gold Coast.

feast is 1616 n damen in wicker park
cru cafe is on delaware in the goldcoast

I meant cru is good.also,in wicker park there is Feast,not meaning also in wicker park.my bad grammer is not the clearest.sorry

Oh, got it. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable going to Feast and not ordering dinner, but they do have a nice wine list. Also, if you see a wine in the shop at Goddess down the street, but not on the list at Feast, they are sometimes willing to serve that wine to you. They have one night a week where there is some sort of discount on bottles, but I don't remember which night or the details.