Take the Whine Out of Wine Time: Wine Bars That Welcome Families

When you think about wine bars, you picture an elegant setting where one can sit back, sip a lovely Bordeaux, listen to jazz and chat. In other words, the antithesis of any place you can ever imagine bringing your sticky, yammering, Paw Patrol theme singing brood. But more and more of LA’s hottest wine bars are not only welcoming families, but embracing them. Guess they finally realized we parents, more than anybody, could really use a nice glass of vino. Here our favorite places to sip when the sitter isn’t available.

photo: Pour Haus via Facebook

Pour Haus Wine Bar
If you find yourselves downtown, be sure to bring the fam to Pour Haus Wine Bar on Industrial Street. With an extensive wine list, comfortable seating, a delightful patio, mouthwatering truffle popcorn and an awesome selection of board games to choose from (Jenga, anyone?), small-fry sommeliers will stay plenty entertained while you pop a bottle. Service is attentive and friendly and the vibe’s super mellow, so you won’t feel the need to sip and run. If popcorn alone isn’t enough to tide tiny appetites over, Pour Haus also features a fantastic selection of munchies, including sloppy sliders, grilled cheese, mac ‘n cheese and even s’mores.

1820 Industrial St.
Downtown
213-327-0304
Online: pourhauswinebar.com

photo: Barbrix

Barbrix
Tucked away in a cozy 1940’s house in the Silver Lake Hills is beautiful Barbrix Restaurant and Wine Bar. Owners, Claudio and Adria Blotta have created a warm and welcoming atmosphere that’s perfect for parents who’d like to enjoy a glass of wine with tots in tow. The husband and wife duo say they and their managers have even been known to walk around and bounce a fussy toddler or two while their parents finish dinner. Now, that’s service! They also realize kids will be kids wanting to crawl and explore the premises, and are totally cool with pint-sized curiosity. The indoor dining space is super casual and the even less formal patio accommodates “outdoor voices” with total ease. If you’re looking to grab a bite, check out the open kitchen with counter seating. With room for six, kids will dig watching Chef Don Dickman twirl his tongs, flip food and churn out the very dishes they’re about to devour. Menu items feature kid-friendly faves like french fries, polenta croquettes, meatballs, and a cheese and charcuterie board that’s crazy popular with small fry.

2442 Hyperion Ave.
Los Angeles
323-662-2442
Online: barbrix.com

photo: Vintage Enoteca

Vintage Enoteca
Located in the heart of Hollywood, Vintage Enoteca is a bustling neighborhood wine bar that features an ever-changing list of unique varietals from lesser known regions and boutique wine makers. What’s even better, they love hosting families. Service is friendly and the outdoor patio with lower benches and tables is perfect for new parents who’d like to be eye level with stroller-bound babes. Older kiddos will love dishes like all-beef meatballs or baby mac—an off-menu version of their crab mac ‘n cheese minus the crab and spicy sauce. Be sure to check out their website for a list of their non-traditional tasting series where parents can explore wine pairings in a fun way, like their recent Sriracha & Wine event.

7554 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood
323-512-5278
Online: vintageenoteca.com

photo: Sonoma Wine Garden

Sonoma Wine Garden
If you prefer your Chardonnay with a gorgeous ocean view, Sonoma Wine Garden should be at the top of your list. Located on the rooftop dining area of Santa Monica Place shopping mall, parents and tykes can sip and savor the sunset away on a patio that’s lively and bustling; in other words, your kids can be themselves. With a variety of tasty pizzas to choose from, along with truffle fries, hummus, burgers and sandwiches, even the most finicky tots will find something they love. And with Sonoma Wine Garden’s close proximity to the Santa Monica Pier, families can easily stroll over for an afternoon or evening of roller coaster fun. Just let your wine settle first.

395 Santa Monica Place
Santa Monica
424-214-4560
Online: sonomawinegarden.com

photo: Zinque via Yelp

Zinque
After a long afternoon of playing at West Hollywood Library and West Hollywood Park with your minions, Zinque wine bar is the perfect place to wind down and relax, just around the corner. With a charming and vibrant patio and cozy outdoor fireplace, rugrats will be right at home while you swig a swell selection of wines. Great go-to dishes for kids include delish quiches, the ham & Gruyere panini, 3 cheeses flatbread and of course the amazing fries. You can steal one. Or three. We won’t tell. The patio tends to fill up quickly at peak times, so if you’re able to plan ahead, be sure to make a reservation online.

8684 Melrose Ave.
West Hollywood
424-284-3930
Online: lezinque.com

Tin Roof Bistro
So, you can’t get to Napa this weekend?  This lively Manhattan Beach eatery brings wine country to the South Bay. Everyone loves the artisanal wood fired pizzas and parents like that it’s easy to keep the vino flowing from their wonderful list that offers up wines from all over, but has an especially superb selection from California, particularly the Pinot Noirs and Cabernets from up north.  The relaxing and welcoming spot also has serious food like fried chicken, porterhouse steak and whole fish for big people, while pint-sized palates will be pleased to find faves such as burgers and pasta.

3500 No. Sepulveda Blvd.
Manhattan Beach
310-939-0900
Online: tinroofbistro.com

photo: © Deborah Jones

Bar Bouchon
Wishing you could go further afield than even Napa?  Transport your brood to France via Beverly Hills, when you snag an outside seat at Bar Bouchon.  Slurp oysters, nibble fois gras and confit de canard while sipping crisp wines.  Kids will return to your table long enough to scarf french fries, giant pretzels, popcorn and grilled cheese.  But the draw for them is the Beverly Canon Garden, which doubles as the grounds for the Montage Hotel.  The adjacent big green grass space is perfect for running and wrestling, while there are also fountains for penny pitching and plenty of tables and chairs for playing hide and seek (don’t worry, you can see everything from your elevated patio perch).  Summer nights are perfect for sipping and savoring as free concerts play on Thursday nights and Sunday evenings there are family movies showing on a giant screen, which further enthrall kids, and leave you to quaff in peace.

235 N. Canon Dr.
Beverly Hills
310-271-9910
Online: bouchonbistro.com

photo: Marla B. via Yelp

Momed
You came for the open airy space, pet and kid friendly attitude and spectacular wine list (the beer and cocktail offerings are pretty fantastic as well). But you’ll put this on the frequent repeat list once you get a bite of the modernized Middle Eastern dishes. The paired-down spin on traditional recipes makes the exotic flavors and ingredients of the Middle East kid-pleasers. Our favorite time to come is for an early dinner (say on Tuesday, when bottles of wine are 50% off, or for weekday Happy Hour when 4 well selected wines are discounted), when you can nosh on the appetizers platters while you sip wine, and the kids fill up on the pillowy pita and fresh avocado hummus.  But a mimosa and chilled white wine brunch with Cinnamon French Toast or Spicy Soujuk Benedict is a pretty close second.

3425 Casitas Ave.
Atwater Village
323-522-3488
Online: atmomed.com

photo: Mar M. via Yelp

Malibu Wine Safari
Ok, it’s not a wine bar, but this wine tasting spot had to go on our list, because: giraffe! Kids will love bumping around in the open-air Land Rover at this 1,000-acre vineyard and ranch nestled into the Santa Monica Mountains just east of the famous Malibu coastline. Get up close and personal with celebrity animals (including the unfortunate giraffe from The Hangover III, who is alive and well) as well as zebras, camels and water buffalo. When you’re done playing with the animals, enjoy local wines and toast the gorgeous mountain views. Only children over 7 and above 48” are allowed on the weekday tours (you have to be over 21 to take the weekend tours).

32111 Mulholland Hwy.
Malibu
818-865-0605
Online: lasafaris.com

Where’s your favorite spot to sip a nice glass of vino with the littles? Give us the scoop in the comments below!

–Jennifer O’Brien