I really had No idea what to expect when I walked in. The building is old and very rustic, in my eyes. Walking up the stairs I said to my wife where is this she's taking me. The groupon voucher said wine and cheese she says so ok, I'll go. Once Inside we are greeted by the owner Robert and he was very polite and cordial. He was seating other people who were also arriving for a beer tasting as well. He goes on to explain at the beginning of the event that it is a very casually run tasting of various wines for our side of the room and craft beer for the people there for their event. Our wines are paired with three separate cheeses and I must say I rather enjoyed the cheeses and the wines. There was a pepper jack cheese. A cheddar cheese and vegetarian Munster cheese. They were all paired very nicely with our six bottles of wine. At the end of the event for the beer taster's he was pouring , robert the host, a organic chocolate Stout beer and was nice enough to pour a little for me even though I was not there for that event as I expressed what a fan I was of chocolate Stout's. It was a very relaxing fun two hours away from home and I would definitely recommend this place to all of my friends and family. read more

I first learned about Bar Academy 101 through Groupon. I had so much fun the first time I've been back for every event! It's located on the second floor of what seems an empty building, but once inside you have a great experience. Pictures and posters on the wall create a fun atmosphere. The owner, Rob, is very friendly and welcoming. He is accommodating and wants everyone to have fun. He has an interest in all of his guests. There is a low key, relaxed feel. The chocolate and wine tasting pairs 4-5 different chocolates and wines together to complement their flavors. Craft beer tasting samples 4-5 beers. Sangria making you actually get behind the bar and prepare 4 different kinds of sangria for your group. There were 4 of us so we each made one. Glass painting was byob. We were given 5 different types of glasses (wine, pint, stemless wine, etc) and the supplies and then guided to create our own fancy glasses. The wine and cheese pairs 4-5 different wines with cheese to enhance their flavors. Each class you are given a handout with names and descriptions to refer to and keep. I would definitely recommend checking this place out. I know I'll be back for more!! read more

I just want to write a little bit about my experience Thursday at bar Academy 101 hands-on sangria making class. Thought this was going to be a class where we actually went and just tasted different flavored sangrias and that was not the case. This was so much more fun. The way our instructor and I believe he is the owner Robert had us working was very hands on. We learned about proper bartender pour accounts and we learned by doing the drinks ourselves behind the bar. We got to taste five different flavored sangrias that we created per station at the bartending school. Whenever someone wanted a different flavored sangria we would take turns making it ourselves which was so much fun. I came in with a group of girls and I could not have been happier with the entire experience. Rob was the most relaxed person and was a scream to be around. I definitely recommend taking this if you want to learn how to make different flavored sangrias by the glass. I look forward to coming back in for the two day bartending course. I have recommended this place to several of my friends. read more

The only reason why I gave this place four not a 5 star venue is because it was a little hard for me to find at first. I attended the wine and cheese tasting about two weeks ago with my boyfriend and we had a really nice time. Robert who was the host of the night explaining the beginning that any tasting that we attend not everyone is going to leave completely satisfied which is something I do agree with because I have a very particular pallet. He outlined the evening how we were going to start with very light cheeses which was a nice vegetarian Munster cheese and how we're going to finish the night heavy with a darker Shiraz Cabernet tasting and a Vermont sharp cheddar cheese for the final tasting. It was very low-key and very relaxed and I have to say that I was really impressed with how friendly and warm Robert turned out to be. I had a great time and would definitely recommend this place to all of my friends and family. read more

I've been meaning to write this review about my experiences here back in early June for a craft beer tasting I attended. The host was the owner Robert and he was a really nice guy. Very informative and a very low-key tasting. Meaning for each individual style of beer he was serving he would give us a brief explanation and move onto the next and that's what I personally liked and my wife I did not want to attend any kind of a tasting where I was being lecture tour for any great length of time. We had some really great beers and from what Rob had told us all of the beers were readily available for purchase at local stores not far from the venue we had attended for the tasting. Great time great experience and I would definitely recommend going for this particular event I've thought about attending the wine and chocolate tasting as I've heard from other people that that's a really good deal as well. read more

So I came to bar 101 this past Friday for the wine and cheese pairing. The building is a little hard to find because it's off of the main Avenue but once you go upstairs it's an amazing place. I was greeted with my girl by the owner Rob. He walked us to our seats and we waited a few extra minutes for people that were running a little bit late before we got started. Altogether there were 14 of us for the event some people for the wine and cheese tasting some people for the wine and chocolate tasting. Robert broke down how the event was going to run for the night that it was a very casually run event basically letting our own pallets dictate to us what Pairings we liked over other pairings. It was a very chilled two hours and we have learned a lot about wine as the owner Robert was very very knowledgeable and very friendly. I would definitely recommend this event for all of my friends. Great time. read more

I came here last Thursday with four of my other girlfriends for the glass painting class. When we first got there the building and looked a little sketchy because it's very old not like some of the more updated buildings modern buildings in town. Once there we were greeted by the owner Robert who is a very very nice guy. He directed us towards our seats and then our host for the evening Korynne took over from there. One thing that I really liked about this was that it was complete artistic freedom meaning the instructor did not tell us what to do we did whatever we wanted to do putting our creative ideas down on glasses that we got to keep at the end of the night. Everything is supplied from the classes to the paints and all of the other supplies needed. I will definitely be back for the sangria making class which seems like it would be a lot of fun. read more

I came here with my wife a couple weeks ago for the sangria making class. We have done the shot making class and the wine and cheese tasting and thought this would be a nice night out. As usual Rob did not disappoint. He starts off the night by going over how he learned many years ago to make sangria by the individual class and gives us real basic rundown of how the night is going to run. Then where we get to make the drinks for ourselves. There were a few recipes that I did not care for but the majority of them I did. Also we got to square off against each other in a competition at the end of the event it was a lot of fun. I would definitely recommend this for a wonderful night out as Rob is a bit of a smart ass but in a very good way. Without a doubt he kept us laughing all night long. Best of luck on a great concept ! Will be back ! read more

I came here with my wife a couple weeks ago for the sangria making class. We have done the shot making class and the wine and cheese tasting and thought this would be a nice night out. As usual Rob did not disappoint. He starts off the night by going over how he learned many years ago to make sangria by the individual class and gives us real basic rundown of how the night is going to run. Then where we get to make the drinks for ourselves. There were a few recipes that I did not care for but the majority of them I did. Also we got to square off against each other in a competition at the end of the event it was a lot of fun. I would definitely recommend this for a wonderful night out as Rob is a bit of a smart ass but in a very good way. Without a doubt he kept us laughing all night long. Best of luck on a great concept ! Will be ba read more

Wanted to get creative for my friend who is getting married. He didn't want anything too crazy so I thought why not have a steak and some scotch. What better place to have scotch than at Bar Academy. I've been here several times for the beer and wine tasting but this was our first scotch tasting. Would love to say that I had a great time, but from what I'm being told, I never made it past the second tasting! So I guess I did have a greaat tme! Rob is a class act and really knows how to take care of his customers and introduce them to new things. Unfortunately I think the group I was with got a little out of hand, but I can tell you that everyone said they had a great night and can't wait to go back. You're the man Rob! Thanks for taking care of us. Literally! John read more

This is my first review on this app and I'm not normally one to feel the urge to write reviews on these sites because a review is just that, a personal review and peoples tastes vary. I must say for the price paid for the 2 hour wine and cheese tasting we ( my fiancé and I ) got more than we expected. Rob who was the host for the event was very relaxed and had a wicked great sense of humor. We were at the Friday night October 23rd event. This is such a great little place that trains people how to bartend during the day and provides wine tasting events in the evening. It has a great vibe and decor and loved the overall experience. We tasted 6 great wines and 3 equally great cheeses. Would definitely recommend and will be back soon. read more

I'm new to the area and wasn't really sure what do on a Friday night right before Christmas. My girlfriend and I saw that this place had a groupon for a sangria making class. I wasn't really sure what to expect so I came up to this with a very open mind. And what a really great time the 4 of us had. Rob is such a sarcastic funny guy. I saw sarcastic in such a good way. He's a riot. Teaching us how to make different sangria a in a hands on way I'm sure isn't easy with people that have never really made drinks before. Lol. He was patient and very knowledgable. Truly awesome experience and made some other friends that night. I'd recommend coming here whole heartedly. Will be coming back here again very soon read more

I just completed today bartending course here at bar Academy 101. I just want to write a quick little review about my experiences and how what a great time I had and how much I learned during the two days that I was here. The course was close to 90% hands-on practice with very little in the way of instruction and the instruction was short sweet and to the point. It was great because I had a friend of mine who went to another bartending school in Woodbridge and it was two weeks long and very little in the way of actual hands-on practice. I had a great time and would definitely recommend this place to all of my friends and to those of you that are reading this on yelp. Cheers read more

I just want to take a few minutes out to go over my experiences at this great place bar Academy 101. I came in this past Friday for a wine and chocolate tasting and the host his name was Robert I found out is also the owner of the place. He was extremely cordial and very nice. The building is right off of bloomfield Avenue on the second floor of an older building. During the course of the event we weren't about six different brands of wine and we were served six different chocolates one with each wine. It was a great night and Robert was a ton of fun. I would definitely recommend: going with friends and going with a great attitude. A lot of fun. read more

This review is long overdue! However, I totally recommend Bar Academy 101. During my first visit at the Wine and Cheese tasting, I had so much fun that I booked another class, Sangria Making, before I left. The Sangria Making class was a lot of fun for me. The class size was perfect. I got to work behind the bar, which I thought was totally cool, I truly felt "official". Rob, organized it perfectly. I learned a lot of great tips for entertaining. Also, Boris, is very knowledgeable regarding wines and spirits. He also offered amazing tips. Bar Academy 101, by far, is one of the best places to go for fun, affordable, organized classes/tastings. read more

This review is long overdue. I was here in the beginning of December with a few family friends for a wine and cheese tasting. I didn't know what to expect because I had never really gone to a winetasting before. The host was the owner of the establishment his name was Robert. He was genuinely a really nice person to be around and funny and sarcastic as anything. He pointed me in the direction of a few brands of wine that I should try if I am a fan of sweeter red wines. It was a great time and I would truly recommend this event if you were a fan of wine and some truly awesome cheeses. Great time and I would wholeheartedly recommend. read more

Just came today from the 4pm wine tasting event. Wine and cheese. I really was not knowing what to expect when I set the appointment. It was from Groupon and saw it discounted. So I figured why not. Man, what a killer time. The host Robert is as chilled out as can be ( loved the Sopranos shirt ) lol. Knowledgeable and friendly and all the wines and cheeses were great. Well except the pino Grigio ( I'm just not a white fan ). Anyway great time and for the price you can not beat it. Loved loved loved the goat cheese. Insanely good. Anyway, I will be back for the sangria class and totally recommend this place to all my friends. read more

Just taking a second to write A quick review about my experience here. I came to a winetasting event roughly 2 weeks ago and Robert who is the owner of the business was the host for the event. He was genuinely a really nice guy and it was a really nice event. He was welcoming from the minute we came in the door gave the whole room a brief explanation of how the event was going to run and everything was really enjoyable. My only complaint is the building was a little hard to locate because they are on the 2nd floor but other than that it was an all around amazing experience. Will definitely be back read more

Ok so I'm coming to this place last Monday night for the glass Painting class with my girlfriend. Not really sure what to expect but I will say I had a really nice time. It was very informal and the thing I really liked about it was that they let you paint whatever you wanted too. It wasn't structured like pino and pallet where everyone paints the sane thing. Granted these were bar glasses and not canvas which my girlfriend really wanted to try. Robert who is the owner greeted us at the door and korynne the host was very friendly. Both very nice and will be back for their sangria making class read more