Vanguard Wine Bar Reviews

This wine bar opened the day I was leaving the country for 3.5 weeks and so I was excited to finally get to visit last night on my first day back in NYC I met a friend for wine and small bites and we were so pleased with the food, wine, decor and service. The seating is communal yet intimate - which I loved. There are booths tucked into the back and more farm table-ish seating near the open air entrance. The bar is gorgeous with a marble top and outlets every few seats for iPhone charging! (Great attention to detail) The chef makes the small plates right in front of you - we loved the meat/cheese plate ($20 for a good selection of both) and the white beam hummus (cute presentation). My friend really liked the flat bread she ordered (ham, gruyere and in a twist - fried onions). The wine list seems diverse - we went with the cannonball merlot but they had ample options for white, rose and sparkling - as well as a few beers. Total bill was $100 for a bottle (plus 2 cheeky glasses) and 3 sharing plates. Really great new addition to our little neighbourhood!!

We stumbled across this place on our trip to New York. It is just fantastic, went back there twice. The concept of wine and cheese is perfect, and these guys do it so well. Atmosphere is intriguing. Great wines, reasonable prices and the cheese and meat plate is divine. Great friendly service. Loved it!

Just perfect. Excellent selection of wine. Great ambience. Superb service. Intimate setting. Love love this place. Highly recommend. Also appears to be mostly tourist free? Not sure but it feels that way.

A lovely wine bar with great French wine selection, and heart-warming music. The constantly streamed black and white movies in the background only add up to the out-of-rushy-new-york sensation one have, sharing a wonderful conversation over fabolous wine recommended and served by a very friendly staff. The experience is real, try it, you'll love it.

I met a couple girlfriends here after work. The staff were delightful off the bat as I walked in with a massive arrangement of flowers from work - the staff and other guests accommodated the flowers sitting next to our table. My friends had ordered a meats and cheese plate which was yummy and had something for everyone's palate and dietary needs. My friends had wine and they enjoyed it the selection. The staff really stood out with excellent smiling attitudes and care for each table. I know a few friends that use their as their go to spot for dates or wine bar spot in the neighborhood.

We stopped here for a drink after we attended a performance at Lincoln Center. A short walk from Lincoln Center. Great atmosphere, lively bar. Good wine selection at a variety of prices. Great cheese selection and good service.

Vanguard wine bars is a nice place and a variety of interesting wines. They are not that expensive and nice range to choose from. Good ambiance. Very French feel to the place … liked it!

This is a really nice stop for a glass of wine in a bistro atmosphere. A very good salad and a glass from a thoughtful selection, in a friendly and charming environment, at a reasonable (for Manhattan) price.

I brought my mom who was visiting to Vanguard, both our first time. The service is done a bit differently, you go up to the bar to order your bottle of wine and/or food. I didn't mind this at all and the bartenders were good about being speedy to those customers waiting. The wine is list is broken up into easy to understand categories and the food we ordered was excellent. I can't wait to go back with some friends.

The house wines are good; the bartenders friendly and generous with their pours. A happy place for neighbors to stop for a drink, at happy hour prices, before heading home. The flatbread was really tiny and not satisfying; the cheese and charcuterie boards a better bet if you come hungry

This place was wonderful. We found it on TripAdvisor but the last post was fairly old. All of the comments were positive and we totally agree! I've been to wine bars all over the world and this one was perfect. Friendly staff and great wine selection. The atmosphere was great-not pretentious and just the right amount of homeiness. Try this one out but don't ruin the local feel.

Close to Lincoln center but off the main drag, it's mostly an afterwork locals scene. Lots of people on dates or hanging out with work buddies. Great wine selection. Also serves flatbreads etc. A nice find on UWS.

This is a calm wine bar where you get your order at the bar. They don't rush you or pressure you in any way to buy anything or move along. We nursed one glass each of wine. The wine choices are good and pretty reasonable. In our neighborhood, we enjoy going here.

It was a cold and rainy (slushy) night when my friend and I wanted a glass or two of wine and some appetizers. We headed to Vanguard on the Upper West Side. With several locations in Manhattan, Vanguard is a wine and cheese bar with a friendly and knowledgable staff. We opened up the door and kicked the snow off our boots and were surprised to see Jason and Macray tending the bar. We know them from the other locations. The room was packed with people so we had to wait a little bit to get two seats at the bar. It was worth our time. You will be lucky if you get either of these staff members to make recommendations and serve you. Here are my suggestions: The combination of meat and cheese platter comes with prosciutto, various cuts of salami, goat cheese, manchego and brie plus warm bread. It also comes with a fruit preserve to complete the flavors of salty, savory and sweet. It's enough for two people to share. If truffles are your thing, order the mushroom, shallot and truffle tartine. The prosciutto, goat cheese, fig and honey on toasted baguette was exceptional. This is a great place to visit before or after a performance at Lincoln Center or shopping in Columbus Circle. We will return.

We had a chance to stop in on a busy (aren't they all?) Friday evening around 10:30. Took patience to find seats; then a table. Patience is easier to find with a glass of wine in hand. There were enough choices to please most anyone in terms of wine. We enjoyed a salad and mushroom panini. We will be back.

We love Vanguard wine bar! It’s everything that a great wine bar should be lots of places for friends to sit and talk, a great wine, selection, and great bar snacks! We came here with friends after a dinner of oysters and wine, and it was perfect to get another bottle of bubbly and a charcuterie and cheeseboard. Every time we come to New York, we always visit Vanguard wine bar coming or going to any occasion!

This is one of my favorite places to meet family and friends after work hours for a drink. It's friendly and welcoming. It's any place to find and a great place to unwind with friends.

Enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine here on a date, and I was charmed by the decor and relaxed atmosphere and the good-quality wine list. Eager to try the other location in midtown, which I hear is lovely. Great to have this on the UWS and near Lincoln Center, in particular.

Stopped here for a very late night drink (1 am) with a couple of friends while visiting New York. For me, one of the best wine bars I’ve ever been to anywhere in the world. I absolutely loved the atmosphere and ambiance—so inviting, charming, retro and cozy. Wait staff was fantastic, and wine list by the glass is excellent. In particular, I appreciated the tasteful jazz music and retro movies playing at a reasonable level—I so hate all the typical bars where the music is so loud that it is virtually impossible to have a conversation without screaming. There was a good number of people even at this late hour, but conversation levels where not echoey and overbearing as is also typical in many bars. If I were a local living in New York, I would certainly be a regular customer. Not able to comment on the food as we didn’t have any but it certainly looked very appealing on the menu.

Cozy benches and cushions but bit over priced. It's convenient to Lincoln Center and the food is fine. We've Mini caviar trio: smoked trout roe, wasabi tobiko on blini creme fraiche and chives Combo meats n cheeses Arugula walnut and grape salad For wine, we've 3 reds: Chateau la Bastide "Vieilles Vignes' 2013 Syrah - this is really yummy Domaine de la Damase 2014 Grenache "Original Malbec" Anne de Joyeuse 2014 Over all, it's a good neighborhood place to go

This place has a good atmosphere. Had a Malbec which was good. The food is OK--medicocre quality salami and cheese. For NYC, this is a good wine bar, but it can't be compared to a decent wine bar in Europe.

Great wine (we had sparkling and red). Enjoyed the cheese and meat plate also. It was easy to get a seat at 7 pm on a Saturday too!

This place has a small but good selection of wines by the glass and small plates to share. Perfect for when you aren't up for dinner but still want to go out for a snack with a friend to just catch up.

Dropped in for a drink late afternoon - not busy at that time. Good service and very interesting wine list with adequate food choices - hopefully, will get to go back someday

It's perfect, not too small and not too big. The wine list is diverse. High quality wines. Great service. Knowledgeable, well trained staff. Great decor.

My daughter and I went on Friday evening after Thanksgiving- pretty packed but 2 seats at bar opened quickly. nice variety of wine choices with helpful descriptions on the menu.. More importantly, the two wine tenders were pleasant without being intimidating. Small plates with enough variety to suit most people - -but not enough for a full meal.

Great wine and decor. Lighting and atmosphere were spot on. Really enjoyed it. Wine was well priced and service friendly.

Went with a friend before The Nutcracker and Vanguard Wine Bar was a great find. They have great cheese board selections to share - or not. The goat cheese/caramelized onion flat bread was delicious. Fun atmosphere and the bar service is very friendly. Nice wine selection.This place also doesn't cost a fortune as most places around Lincoln Center do. A fun place to really go anytime.

What a fun place--silent movies on the wall, and an amazing glass wine list with some notable noshes. Had the smoked salmon toasts and arugula salad with some great wines. Fun watching old movies on the Upper West Side behind Lincoln Center. What a great wine bar should be!

I live in the neighborhood and can certify that this is one of the better wine bars. Every time I bring friends here they love it. Food is so fresh and tasty. Great wine selection. Friendly servers. Cozy ambiance.

This is an excellent neighbourhood bar which was packed when we went in. The bartenders have excellent knowledge and the wine list is extensive. Food looked good but we didn't order any. Pricey place ($15 glass avg) but worth a visit!

Lovely place to stop in for a glass of wine. The wine list is great; nice quality without being over pretentious or expensive. The bar tender was very knowledgeable about the wines offered. This is a great place to stop in if you are going to Lincoln Center or otherwise in the area.

The perfect location for early evenings that just evolve into late nights. Intimate and cosy with a trendy vibe. Perfect!

I went to Vanguard last night with a group of friends. We had wine and a variety of small plates. Everything was really lovely. The bartender was knowledgeable about the wine and was generous with tastings. We had lots of the small plates -- the meat and cheese combo, olives, smoked almonds, and several flatbread pizzas. When the food came, we thought it was definitely too much, but we ate it all up! Everything tasted good, and complemented the wine well. It's a great find.

Went to the midtown west location on 51st street. Great selection of wine, great atmosphere and friendly staff. They chatted with us and recommended great wines to taste. Will definitely visit again next time we are in NY

Knowledgeable staff, good wine and good snacks. Great spot to stop and rest in NYC. We had the Whitehall lane can blend with cheese and olives. Yum

The service was superb and the atmosphere was brilliant. It was a Saturday night so it was quite busy, we sat by the bar and shared a bottle of wine. Very chic.