The Tasting Room

07/25/2008 Posted by staceyrr

I have been hearing about this place forever and absolutely could not be more disappointed. It is crowded, loud, poorly furnished and full of ridiculously arrogant people. I am a lover of wine and don't go to a wine bar to feel like I'm in a Richmond club on Saturday night at 2am! Where are the comfy chairs, the atmosphere, the knowledgeable staff? You can't even have a conversation in this place, it's too loud. And of course the patio is miserably hot. Have been to pretty much every other wine bar in Houston and this is the worst. If you want a real wine bar with some atmosphere, try Corkscrew, Vintropolis, Wine Bucket or even Vino 100. I'll never be back.

Pros: Good location

Cons: Loud, crowded, parking is terrible, bar has nothing to do with wine other than they serve it

05/28/2008 Posted by jbrusovich

First of all, The Tasting Room's Uptown Park location is a notorious meat market. It isn't about wine, principally because it's too loud and obnoxious to even broach the subject, much less sample new varieties. It's really a bar couched as a wine bar. It attracts everyone from upscale, 30-something single professionals, to 50-something married men posing as 30-something single professionals. The same strategy also applies to the women, by the way. There is also a lot of flotsam and jetsam - both male and female - on the prowl for whatever bites. Be prepared for lots of posers in tight, shiny shirts, strippers, con-artists...and what appear to be oily "cage-fighters" straight from Central Casting. Having said this, if you pick an off night that's not too muggy, you can actually have a reasonable evening sitting outside under the patio trees, just watching the rif-raf come and go in search of prey. I think of it like a live version of The Discovery Channel. The location alone makes this place popular. Uptown Park is a gold mine for anyone in this business, with its numerous restaurants and bars keeping traffic raging at all hours of the night. Arguably, it has become Houston's "South Beach." Personally, I would choose The Tasting Room in River Oaks; particularly if you happen to be on a date, or have any interest whatsoever in exploring the world of wine. The staff at this location are quite knowledgeable of wines and always friendly and attentive, given the fact that they're not under enormous pressure to serve six thousand people standing in lines at either ends of a 360 degree bar, with no idea what to order. They usually just say something like "Chardonnay, please"; the same mantra they repeat, ad nauseum, at other hot spots like Bennigans, Applebee's and Chili's.

Pros: Good wine selection, good thin-crust pizzas, lots of outside seating

Cons: noisy, poor service [due to congestion], no bar service [must stand in line for another refill]

05/13/2008 Posted by Beachluva

I liked the place, went with a group of friends and found it to be a great place to enjoy a glass of wine or two, and have an appetizer. I disliked ordering at the bar, and some of the people were a bit as I would say, in love with themselves. They had live music, which was good, and a nice patio.

Pros: Patio, wine list

Cons: Pretentious staff and patrons

05/10/2008 Posted by winegig

Great place to meet people and enjoy a great glass or bottle of wine. They now have a room where they have great food and they are working on the menu. I love this place!!!

03/07/2008 Posted by abain

I paid $50 per person for their Valentine's day event, which I was told included a special dinner and a DJ. The front area was hopping but we were cornered in a back room with only one other couple, we had to serve our own dinner, and there was no DJ. Very awkward. We made the best of it since the food was good, but we had no service and felt ripped off.

Pros: Fun atmosphere

Cons: Special occasions

03/05/2008 Posted by EquitableCritic

Note: Myself and friends visit many wine venues around town and Tasting Room is not a favorite nor a least favorite. It has location/outdoor seating as it's only real benefit to myself and friends. 1)Everytime we have gone there the service is laughable. You walk to the big wall, stare at the wine for a while hoping to find something awesome... no one helps you. They have tried to help before, but it almost like they really don't care. 2)When you buy the wine, they slam some glasses down (which happens every time), take your money, and walk away. You're on your own now. Good luck getting any service afterwards. 3)Everyone that works there just seems either uptight or pist-off at the world. Love how the bus boys run around dumping wine in the bushes, stealing glasses from customers.. entertaining to watch until it's your turn!**My overall impression about this place - It's run like a money machine. Get the customer in and out, don't waste money on service. Money money... in and out.

Pros: Outdoor seating, location

Cons: Service is never good, if there is any

10/22/2007 Posted by chi2hous

This is my favorite place to go in Houston. I work very close to their Uptown Park location and try to stop by at least once at week. I have many friends who work in Uptown and this is our official meeting place after work. We usually come on Wednesdays and enjoy a few bottle of wines together along with some great pizza.

Pros: Meeting place, atmosphere

Cons: No table service

10/21/2007 Posted by angry_diner

I used to work for the company and I've never had such a BAD experience at any establishment! Myself and three friends arrived at TTR Uptown around 12:00, one hour before closing and ordered only one bottle of wine. Not only were the bus boys rude but everyone who was working seemed tipsy (some drunk)! We were rushed from our table at 12:45 and when asked for our wines glasses, which were 1/4 full, the bus boy (who was very tall and lanky) just threw the wine behind him, almost getting it on my jeans, and stood waiting for the other glasses impatiently. We also overheard him saying to another table, who had commented on his rudeness, that he "...didn't care, we're closing..."! I won't go back to TTR nor will I go to Max's Wine Dive if this is how their employees (new or veteren) behave!

03/08/2007 Posted by perpetually_treu

This has been my favorite wine bar for 5 years now. The staff is knowledgeable and loves wine. This means that if you don’t know what you want, they probably do. The cheese trays are beautiful. The atmosphere is just right, and the $5 tasting are a deal. The sommelier offers Q and A via email and he knows his stuff. Having a dinner party? You can email him to select the right choices, they’ll pull the bottles for you, charge your car and when you get there load them in your car. Try getting Specs to do that! In my book you cant do better.

Pros: Selection is outstanding,no one compares. Menu is fabulous, no one else has one. Sommelier will knock your socks off! Offer great wine classes and $5 wine tastings with cheese pairings!

Cons: Can be pretty crowded on weekends. Most of the glasses are pricey.

11/24/2006 Posted by pinoyvlf

The Tasting Room was the first real wine bar I had ever been too. With a trendy, romantic, and cozy feel to it, The Tasting Room makes for a great place to take a wine-loving date to. The food was tasty and the service friendly. Overall, I had a great experience and I continue to come to this place (or their location in midtown) to enjoy a few glasses of wine and have a little chatter with a special someone. If you are having a hard time deciding what to try, the staff is always willing to help you out. This location is on the uptown plaza, so there are always places to go to before or even after the Tasting Room. I have been to almost every wine bar there is in Houston (except maybe 2), and Tasting Room is up there (but not number 1 in my book).

Pros: One of the best wine lists I have found in houston

Cons: Not the coziest place for converstation and wine