$5 happy hour wines are good. Wished there was more variety in wines though.We came in on Cave a vin's birthday and got free cake and enjoyed an awesome live show. They have good music, nice ambience for a date or leisurely dinner, and huge, delicious salads. Their other food is so-so, I mostly love this spot for music and outdoor seating. read more

Nice spot - ambiance and such. It was a very eclectic night. They had live a jazz singer and pianist. They have a rather extensive wine list. I loved every second of it and want to return. read more

I love it here. This is my new spot. Good wine selection. Really good cheese selection for the cheese boards. Cheese boards come with delicious bread, crackers, and fruit. The soup was really good (onion) and my friend are the whole sandwich before I could even try some, so I guess that was good too! The atmosphere is super cute! Very small interior, mostly comfy couches and a small bar, but they have a patio too! read more

Love this place! We stopped in to check it out before meeting friends for dinner. We loved the atmosphere! Very cozy and in one of my favorite sections of New Haven. We sat at a high top, but there was comfy sofa and chair seating as well, and of course at the bar. The service was excellent as we were assisted right away. We ordered two flights - one of red and one of white. It was such a great way to try different wines. They also provide forms for you to rate the wines and take with you. Because we were going to dinner, we didn't have anything to eat. But we will definitely be back! read more

Omg what a great place to meet your friends or just alone. Great tapas style food great wine had a blast when I visited. Met the owners as well read more

This place has a great atmosphere. There was a good band and the food was good. We will go back, likely for a glass of wine and appetizer.

To be honest I'm not a huge wine person but Cave A Vin is a cute little spot with a relaxed vibe. I've only been there for happy hour on Wednesdays. They have a nice selection of wines along with various types of cheese and crackers to go along with it. They also have a small area in the front for outdoor seating on a nice day. Great for people watching on State Street. read more

My fiancé and I absolutely love this place! We recently booked our engagement party here and the owner has been extremely accommodating. Great wine, food and service. read more

Cave A Vin is a hidden gem in New Haven. Come as you are and enjoy a great selection of wine that won't break your budget. Given this place is a wine bar and not a restaurant, their food is creative, delicious and amazing, you would think the food came out of a Michelin starred restaurant. As to the staff, they are knowledgeable, polite and hard-working. Do I need to say more? Highly recommended! :D read more

Love this place, wine selection is great for wine lover, service was good . Tapas style menu is very good. Parking is brutal as is normal on State street read more

This place is perfect for dates and a casual wine night. you get plenty of wine in your carafe, enough for almost two drinks. the paninis and pizzas are really good but sometimes take a really long time because they have a very small kitchen. the peanut butter, jelly and goat cheese pannini is my favorite thing! they have a nice outdoor seating and tables, couches and the bar inside. the chocolate fondue is amazing to share! read more

Such a cozy place with excellent happy hour deals! I've been here a couple of times and service has always been great. Highly recommended!

My boyfriend researched Cave a Vin for a Friday evening date night for the two of us. We enjoyed how cozy the atmosphere is, as well as the friendly and attentive nature of the staff. The wine selection is great. I located a bottle of wine on the menu that I haven't had in years. As for the food, I must say, everything we ordered was fresh and very good. We were both pleasantly surprised. We relaxed and enjoyed the atmosphere for a while after finishing our meal. The only con I have for Cave A Vin would be the parking. There isn't a designated lot and given the other close neighborhood choices for food and wine in the vicinity, the street parking is a bit scarce. I would not, however allow this to deter me from returning. read more

Cute place! I was very happy with their wine list, and found the descriptions helpful. We split a few appetizers and they were all very good. I only wish the seating was arranged a bit differently. We wanted to eat, and the only seating that had the right table height for eating was at the bar... not really the vibe we wanted for date night, but that's okay. read more

What a little gem on State Street! There is no place quite like it in New Haven. The owners, Tony and Linda, are sweet as can be...just like their Sangria! And who doesn't love belgium beer?! Gets the job done a heck of a lot quicker than American beer, that's for sure :) And there's even a gated area on the sidewalk where you can enjoy your refreshing beverages underneath the shade of an umbrella. The inside, on the other hand, is very loungey and chic, showcasing artwork from local artists. My friends and I LOVE that they support local, because we do too. Cave A' Vin is a great place for a date, or just to hang with friends. Friendly, charming, unique and good happy hour specials too. read more

Great wine selection, and nice ambience with live music on weekends. Pity about the rude service and we were given a hassle when it was time to split the check. read more

A great spot for a glass (or two) of wine with a friend (or two). In the warmer months, it's nice that there is a patio to sit outside. And in the colder months, it's super warm and cozy inside. They have an extensive wine list of both bottles and glasses, with a wide range of price options. The sangria is also quite tasty. The service is fine - they get you situated and then pretty much leave you alone. But there's no judgement if you stay for a while. It always seems like a mix of grad students and locals, which is nice. read more

Good wine list. We had the happy hour Grenache and Chardonnay. Both were pretty good for a $5 glass.

Check out Lisa Hess Hesselgrave's paintings there...Beautiful... an exhibit not to be missed. Lisa Hess Hesselgrave, artist http://www.lisahesselgrave.com/ read more

Incredible food made with love. I bring all of my friends here because the drinks are outstanding. There are great wines. The deserts and the decor are cozy and well thought out. By far, my favorite place in New Haven. read more

If your seeking that little Parisian wine bar with great company, super charcuterie, and live casual & jazz music, Cave A Vin is must visit in New Haven. Car il est ce qui rend la vie magnifique! read more

A friend of mine recommended that my husband and I try out Cave A' Vin. I am so glad that we did. We went last Saturday night around 7 p.m. (Nov. 5, 2012). We loved the atmosphere which included 2 large leather chairs and a sofa as well as tables made out of wine barrels. Great selection of wine and I highly recommend the cheese platter with fruit and crackers/bread. Huge selection of very tasty cheeses. To top off the night, they had a singer (Jim) playing acoustic guitar - He was amazing. A perfect night out in New Haven. We met a very nice couple who brought their baby daughter, Veronica, who was just a joy to be around. Nice to see some families there. Tony came over several times to make sure we were enjoying ourselves. Tony, make sure you have Jim there again. We have been telling all of our friends about our experience and hope to see you again soon. Kathy and Peter L. read more

Having lived in New Haven for 25 years, this is hands down one of my all time favorite spots New Haven has ever had. There is nothing like it open in town. Incredible wine list, inventive food and deserts, and a very attentive and knowledgeable staff. Cozy, comfortable, and my "go to" spot every time!! read more

Cave A' Vin - Yet another wonderful night here. Soft rain outside, great music inside, and a delicious Prosecco to sip!! - Wine Bars Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

The service by Jack was great. Met both owners they pointed out beautiful details of the architecture I has missed. This place is beautiful. The wine selection is to amazing. read more

I'm so glad to have discovered this great little wine bar on State St., a welcomed addition to the neighborhood. This wonderfully intimate space, featuring local art and culinary delights, just opened on Thursday. They're in the "soft opening" phase, but from a patron's perspective, there aren't any kinks to work out. To complement their wines, they offer an array of cheeses and desserts, perfect right? Our relaxing night at the Cave A' Vin was accompanied by great music, apparently Fridays will feature an acoustic set, while Saturdays has a trio of piano, trumpet and sax. Lastly, getting a chance to meet the owner Linda and her boyfriend Tony capped the night off perfectly. Their passion and enthusiasm is evident and I couldn't wait to come home and start spreading the word about their new venture. read more

What a cool little spot to go with friends or even on a first date! I went with two of my girlfriends on a Saturday night around 8pm. I'm from West Hartford but the place was super easy to find. I found parking on the same street but there is also a parking lot in the back. The neighborhood has other small restaurants but is still pretty quiet and safe at night. It was fairly empty at the time but an hour later the place was packed. The space is very intimate and the atmosphere is cool/laid-back. The decor is very artsy. As a matter of fact our waitress was a photographer and artist but I digress. As soon as I walked in and sat at the bar the friendly bartender asked if she could help me. (I love good customer service!) My friends and I ended up eating at one of the four outside tables. We ordered a bottle of Cava Segura Viudas ($28), the Marlborough Tuna Panini with Sweet Potato Chips ($10), and Spicy Queso dip ($8). The wine list had so many choices to choose from!! They have this "Choose any 3 2oz drinks" so you're able to sample a few at a time which is cool. Everything tasted good. It did take us a while to get our food but it was super busy and they only had one waitress. By 8:30pm they have live entertainment and the crowd was a bit older but we still had a great time. The owner came over to ask how the food was and even jokingly hopped in one of our pictures. Overall this is a great little spot to go and catch up with friends! read more

This was our first visit and we had a great time with our hosts and really enjoyed the atmosphere. The service was pretty inattentive but that was ok for this time since we were catching up with friends. I would hope however they pay better attention normally. The place was empty and we still had to flag down the bartender when we wanted refills because our waitstaff had disappeared. As a wine bar the wine selection is really interesting and diverse and beer offerings unique enough for non-winos. Because of this my review averages the 3 stars. Without the neat wine selection it drops to 1 star. The food is another matter. Although it is not bad it s far from great and as a general rule over priced. The charcuterie option lacks any creativity or vision an is simply an expensive offering of basic cheese and crackers. The meat offerings are also basic and very skimpy. How about some honey, or jam, crostini, or other interesting spread. The sampling of grapes is just not enough at this cost, I don't mind the $$ if the offering is creative but boy does this have a long way to go. Onto other plates...artichoke dip pretty good but crab cakes yuk. My Gouda panning was dry, and under melted and just a very boring not o good sandwich. Curls on the chocolate fondue desert it made some of the earlier miss-steps bearable. Cave A Vin has great potential they just need to get beyond the drinks and focus some on their food. read more

We have been to Cave A' Vin many times over the past year. We enjoy the wine list and the small but tasty menu. Its a nice space, although small, but this adds to the atmosphere. The only complaint I have is the wine flights sometimes come out with way less than 2 ounces in the glass. It always seems to be the same guy at the bar when they come out. It seems he just pours less I suppose. The last flight I got was so pathetic, I had to switch to a glass of wine. The glasses in the flight are really small and when you can drink the wine in one taste, something isn't right. read more

I just love that my neighborhood has a cozy wine bar. I've only been once, but I can't wait to try it again. Wonderful wine selection, delicious cheeses and other nibbles from the chef, good ambiance, and such friendly staff! I hope this never, ever closes! read more

Greet place! Feels like a bit of Europe on State St. Awesome selection and great tasting menu.

My wife and myself went to this cave a vin twice already and we loved it. They had a good variety of wines and the food was an outstanding mix that goes well with a glass of wine. The place is cozy and one one night that we were there they had music with a piano player that was really good. Overall a great place to stop after a movie or a play. The staff was super friendly and they had outdoor street seating which I always love read more

70% of the food is processed and the owner has no idea what she is doing when it comes to selling or cooking food .The kitchen is to inefficient they need a better kitchen if they want to sell good food. read more

Great place,great atmosphere. The wine selection is great as well as the food. Tony is extremely helpful, a great person. And very knowledgeable about the wine. Definitely a place for a date or to just hangout with friends. I would definitely recommend this place. I Always go there!!!! read more

What a gem!! This definitely meets a particular niche that is not met well in New Haven. Thankfully, it's away from the hectic crowds of downtown enabling the intimate, upscale ambiance. The artsy decor, complete with local art, and varied seating options (stools, tables, leather couches) creates a lounge-like atmosphere while maintaining a particular warmth. Chocolate truffles created by the local artisan, Chef Carol Monnerat (another local gem!) are an exquisite compliment to the artisan cheeses available. Live music perfectly rounds out the experience - with local singers spontaneously joining the trio that apparently will regularly perform on Saturday nights. Linda and Tony have a friendly manner and comfortably visit with the guests, a style that is similarly evident in their charming bartender. I also stopped by during the week for a quick drink to continue a conversation with a colleague, and was glad to have this quiet and intimate atmosphere in which to unwind. Although I am eagerly reviewing this spot to further its success, this new venue will undoubtedly surpass expectations irrespective of any review because of its unique and exceptional nature! read more