Cellar Door is my boyfriend's and my favorite place to go out for a date night, and now that we are quarantined due to COVID19, it's our favorite place to order in from! Amazing wine selection and ambiance in the restaurant. Wonderful food selection. My boyfriend's dad lives near Napa Valley and he says that CD is the closest thing to a Napa-style wine bar that you can get in Illinois. Love the music trivia on Thursdays, too. High recommendation. :) read more

4.5 Was good! We went for charcuterie. It has become a thing with me, and I was pleased to see some real legitimate options. I placed an order and the guy brought it out saying " you didn't order this but I gave you some violet mustard cause it's great" and it was! Wifey and I had a good experience! I would recommend simply on charcuterie. We are not wine snobs but it seemed to have many there who were and were there for specific "wine snobbery scores"! Our server was Cory and service was ok, could have been more attentive but I think he was flying solo and trying his best. Go check this place out. Order charcuterie. The world needs more charcuterie and this place has it. Peace out homey! ( mic drop ) read more

So glad we found this place on Groupon! Its awesome! We have been back multiple times since our first visit. Great wine selection and good charcuterie board read more

Much more than just wine. Went in there for the first time, not realizing that they serve food too. I was pleasantly surpired that they serve delicious food. Its fresh, and light, and sometimes they add things per the season. The wines are lovely as well. And you can even take some bottles home. They have sitting outside as well as inside, and the atmosphere is so relaxing and enjoyable as well. I have been many times since my first time, and will be visiting many times more. read more

I found this place on Yelp and it looked like it was worth checking out. Let's just say the chef was very friendly when he brought out our food(which was pretty good). Other than that, the wine didn't taste that great and the service sucked. read more

Great spot. Solid food and incrediable beer line-up. Always changing kegs to keep your pallet guessing when you come in. Highly recommend for either a brew snob or novice looking for a bite and chill atmosphere. read more

We love the Cellar Door! Great wine selection at reasonable prices. It is nice to have the option to buy a bottle of wine that we haven't had before to take home, as well. The place is a bit small for the business they seem to attract and can get busy, but worth it! read more

Seriously horrible customer service, they put a bad taste in my mouth - both figuratively, and literally. I bought a Groupon for this place, and decided what I wanted to order, before arriving. I showed up and placed my order, not being asked "for here or to go," I sat at a table with the beer that I ordered. Before I knew it a lady who worked there put a plastic bag with a smiley face (my order) on the table. After sitting and drinking my beer, thinking to myself wow...pretty rude (seeing as I had wanted a table, and sat down right away after placing my order and said that I was by myself...to eat). After downing half my beer, I opened the box and began to eat the BLT w/ chicken; hey sounded good on the menu! I could not continue to eat the overly salted bacon on the hard, ciabatta style bread. So I began eating halves of the sandwich (the part w/ chicken and tomato on it). I asked for a fork to attempt to eat my salad that I requested with my sandwich. The cashier/waiter/bartender, acknowledged what I said, and did nothing but continue to do whatever he was doing (it looked like calculating previous orders, tips, etc)...I eventually asked the girl who had put the bagged food on my table for a fork, and ended up leaving it there, as the salad was saturated in a salt and vinegar taste. read more

Love this place! The food is great and the wine/beer selection is outstanding. I especially like the street seating in the summer.

I ordered a case of wine and some snacks during all this craziness. They were very respectful, and carried everything out to my car. The food was delicious and the price for a case per bottle can't be beat! I can't wait to drink a glass of wine in the sunshine! read more

Under a new manager over the course of this summer, the atmosphere of the Cellar Door has changed. The service feels more obligatory than it used to, and I feel I often need to catch the attention of the staff, as opposed to having them check in with me. In the past, the Cellar Door felt like a warm, cozy environment in which to enjoy wine and nice, light meals among adults. I really enjoyed this environment under the prior manager, Alex. Alex used to greet us on walking in. The new manager cannot be bothered to learn the names of regulars. Alex would stop by to check on our meal and experience; the only time I have spoken to the new manager is when I've had to come in from outside to get his attention for service and when he stopped by one time to "cut me off" from ordering further drinks of wine. In fact, the impetus for writing this review was the experience where the new Cellar Door manager stopped by to "cut me off" from ordering, which happened last night. I have never in my life been "cut off" from ordering drinks, as I am purposefully mindful of my consumption and behavior while drinking. Having the manager approach our table to specifically cut me off from ordering further wine in front of other customers was SO embarrassing! And I was not acting disorderly; I had ordered two meals over the course of several hours and was drinking a lot of water with every glass of wine. I was having a relaxing evening with my godmother and her husband. After the new manager cut me off from ordering another glass of wine, I asked him why - was I behaving in some way that was not acceptable? He said no; my behavior was not an issue - and I also know I had been respectful. I am confused about why the manager would stop a respectful customer from spending money with the business he represents. I can only take away from this experience the understanding that the Cellar Door does not want me to continue to spend money on their wine, as the manager was unable to explain his reasoning for why he would no longer sell to me during my last visit. And to note, the wine at the Cellar Door is marked up significantly and rather expensive. After being publicly humiliated at the Cellar Door, I am hesitant to return. I would like to continue to spend my money with local restaurants who would appreciate my business - any recommendations for alternate places where adults can enjoy a relaxing glass of wine and a light meal are very welcome. People thought your review was: read more

I was really looking forward to trying Cellar Door after having passed it multiple times but never making my way in. I went this past weekend for lunch with a friend. The service was absolutely atrocious and the food was average. The waitress took our drink order (I tried the "surprise white" and my friend asked for the "surprise red") - figured we'd see what sort of interesting glass they came up with for each. She came out and set down two glasses of white on our table and walked away. So aside from the fact that she got the order wrong, she didn't even tell us what types of wines we were about to drink. We had to chase her down to bring my friend's red. I then asked, "What kind of white is this?" "It's a sauvignon blanc," she replied. "Could you tell me what vineyard? Anything about the wine?" I pressed. "It's the Cono Sur." This happened to be already on the wines-by-the-glass menu and coincidentally the same price as the "surprise wine" but ok, fine. When she came out with the red, she also set it down and walked away. My friend asked what it was and the response, "It's a zinfandel." "What kind of zinfandel?" "It's a zinfandel." For reals? This is a WINE BAR and you can't even tell us what type of wine we're drinking? I get that this is the suburbs and all, but am I that spoiled by city wine bars that I expect a modicum of actual knowledge about the wine? That ridiculous exchange aside, the meal continued to get weirder. We were sitting at a two-top in the patio area. Two people with their dog and baby show up. The waitress comes over and asks us if we will move. "Why?" "Because they want to sit." (points to family). I'm just not understanding. Why would you ask a table that has already received appetizers and drinks to move, particularly when there is another table available? I thought maybe it was because the dog needed to be on the outside area of the patio, and being the dog-friendly lady that I am, was about to move, but the family ended up sitting at the open table instead. I am still confused about why we were asked to move because the waitress never really explained it. The asparagus, jamon serrano and bleu cheese appetizer was decent but not great. The wild mushroom grilled cheese panini had far too much mustard and far too little gruyere. When I order a grilled cheese, I want it oozing with cheese, not one slice of cheese slobbered in mustard. The prosciutto panini was the best of the meal but still nothing better than you'd find at say, Cafe Baci or similar counter-service places. Overall so disappointed. I feel so guilty writing bad reviews about a local business and I was hoping to make this a regular stop on my restaurant rotation, but I just can't get over the "What kind of zinfandel?" "It's a zinfandel." attitude. read more

We love coming to our favorite neighborhood in-town wine and food shop. The staff are the best and it never ceases to amaze us the yummy food that comes out of the small kitchen! In addition to the wine selections, they also have a great beer offering, which my husband likes! We are regulars here! read more

My husband and I stopped in here on a whim on Superbowl Sunday. This probably made our experience different from some other reviewers. For example, it was a lazy Sunday. We also had no pre- and post- management preconceptions (yay for us?). There were plenty of open tables, the staff was relaxed, and two different guys helped us out. We ordered the 4-piece cheese and charcuterie flight and 2 mimosas between the two of us, and it was perfect for a light lunch. In retrospect, don't order mimosas when you do cheese tasting. The two don't go together very well (bleh). On the one hand, I think it would have been helpful for the staff to educate the diners since we said we've never been there before and maybe gently recommend ordering something that doesn't taste like *ahem* mimosas if you are having your own little cheese tasting party for two. Anyway, not their fault, so I'm not deducting points there. One of the guys explained a little more about the cheese choices and left us to discuss (this is a very important decision you know). My husband likes slightly stronger cheeses and I like slightly milder cheeses, so we agreed that he should have his stinky cheese and I'll have my yummy cheese. Jk. They were both good. Mine was just naturally better because I chose it. :P He ordered the Humboldt Fog and I ordered the Midnight Moon for cheese, and then Prosciutto and Sopressata for the meats. The board came out with a few crackers, bread slices, nuts, craisins, and the meats and cheese. It was truthfully very yummy. My one complaint is that the chairs were quite uncomfortable. I don't know if this is a tall-people issue, but it's like the seat was too short, so it cut into the back of your thighs. Everything else was pretty nice though. Check it out. read more

Well, let's see. Was it the indifferent waiters or the bees in the restaurant or the gnats all over? I can't decide what was worse. Maybe it was the waiters counting dirty money at the register to divvy up tips. If I didn't have one more Groupon for this place, I don't see any reason to return. The "artisan" pizza was about anything but - not even a nice, crisp crust. Oh well. One more trip and I will definitely check this off my list. read more

Went in to get some craft ipa beer for a Christmas party on Sunday. The gentleman that works there was phenomenal and extremely knowledgeable. You can tell he really loved what he did and was passionate about craft beer. I also ordered the smoked salmon panini and was blown away. I was like, smoked salmon panini? I went with it and was not let down whatsoever. read more

Like many other yelpers, I found the staff & owner to be unfriendly. The saving grace of the Cellar Door is the atmosphere...and the trivia game. Other than that: the food was overpriced for the quality; I had the trio salad which included 1. Slightly chopped garbanzo beans with chopped green pepper & no seasoning 2. Spinach with way too much oil & salt 3. bacon potato salad. The entire plate may have cost them $5, and I paid $12. Service: After the cheese platter was finished our server & bus boy looked at us 5x without clearing plates or filling waters. We finally caught the server to remove our plates & put in an order for the meal. The most attention we got was when she dropped off our bill...leaving our dirty meal plates on the table still. read more

Dear Cellar Door, Downers Grove NEEDS you. Never leave us please! In a sea of mediocre italian restaurants, you are a shining star of "different" in downtown DG. Your cheeses are tasty. Your wine offering is fantastic. I love that I can grab a bottle off the shelf and for a small corkage, dive in. Your staff knows its shiznit about wine. I've always had friendly service. What a great place to go for pre-meal or post. Kiss kiss, me read more

Cellar Door is one of my favorite places for great food, service, and ambiance. Very relaxing atmosphere and always playing great music. Chef Nick always makes the tastiest dishes, and the selection of wine is wonderful. I highly recommend Cellar Door and I can't wait to go back there! read more

We enjoy the Cellar Door quite a bit in the summer, as they have an outdoor patio. Tuesdays are great, as it's 1/2 price sangria night...though the taste (of the sangrias) can vary quite a bit from week to week. We've tried several different dishes...there's a wide variety, and everything is fresh. The cheese platter is very good, as you get to select which cheeses you want to try. (serving sizes seem small, but are probably appropriate. We Americans are so used to huge portions, that when you get smaller servings, you almost feel cheated.) Cellar Door is a nice place to hang out over a drink- whether you're catching up with an old friend or on a "date" with your honey. 6/23/15... Just got back from enjoying another sangria, celebrating hubby's birthday. Sangria were just so- so, and I have to say that the waitress, Courteny, was pretty unfriendly! Barely looked at us as she served us. Didn't refill hubby's water after he'd asked and just had a sour puss the few times that she came by to ask if we wanted anything else. Maybe it was because we didn't order food? Maybe she doesn't like people? Seriously, if you hate your job that much...quit. You certainly aren't doing the business any good. read more

Great, reasonably priced drinks. Mediocre service. Waited 10 minutes for my check in a relatively empty restaurant. Was asked if I needed another drink before finally getting the check. I threw my tip down and was told not to come back because the waiter was offended. Interesting way to get a business off the ground. read more

Had lunch here this past Sunday this was our first time at Cellar Door. I had the turkey club, unfortunately I was horribly sick 2.5 hrs later with vomiting, etc. read more

Nice option in DG for a drink and an appetizer before dinner. Next time I would like to spend a little more time here and explore the dinner menu. The lobster pizza special looked great. The beer fridge option is nice and allows you to open up cans that are not on draft. read more

Food was alright. When we received the bill we were very surprised to see a $10 uncorking fee. We had asked owner about wine recommendations & pricing. He never disclosed this! read more

I could not be happier with this local haunt. I believe I've achieved the highly coveted "regular" status, since the minute I walk in, Zita always brings me my favorite drink. The owner, Sean, and other wait staff I usually see (Anthony) are incredibly helpful and accommodating. They go out of their way to make sure everyone is happy. Aside from the spectacular wine collection is an equally fabulous food menu. Anything Dave makes you will be sure to enjoy. My personal favorite is the BLT panini! You will always find something special here at The Cellar Door. read more

We sat on the dog-friendly patio after the recent Happy Dog Barkery Scavenger Hunt. (I love a dog-friendly place - we had 2 Goldens and they are well behaved.) We had (2) very delicious sandwiches - grilled cheese and a chicken sandwich. Service was fine - very pleasant, a little slow but it was a busy patio day. Wine was reasonably priced and excellent. Getting the Groupon so the hubby and I can come back, sans dog :) read more

Love this place. Excellent place to go and get appetizers and wine. They offer cheese and charcuterie flights that allow you to select any number of meats and cheeses depending on how much you'd like to pay. $20 gets you 7 which is PLENTY for three or four people. Nice outside patio and friendly staff! read more

Great wine selection but also if you are not in the mood for wine they have a great selection of rotating craft handles. Do yourself a favor and get a meat and cheese board or better yet the bacon wrapped dates. Trivia on Wednesday nights is always a good time!! read more

Friday tasting for $5 is a great deal here. The small bite cheese and meat sampler is nice for a small snack to cleanse you palate. Do not expect a full meal here. It is a wine shop and the food is a compliment. The spinach-artichoke dip is quite tasty. Not sure where they get it but it is some of the best I have had in that it is not greasy or oily. Service here has always been good. Friendly staff. They are not wine experts necessarily but they seem to be knowledgeable enough. You will often find the owner there which is a good thing. read more

Cool wine bar. Can pick a bottle off the shelf and drink that for a corking fee. Had a charcuterie board for a reasonable price that was very good. The craft beer selection is also very good here. I've been to better wine bars, but this is a good choice if you live close or are in the area. Theu also have a small outdoor seating area in front on the street. read more

This was one of the more mediocre meals I've had in the last few years. Nothing terribly offensive, but pretty boring for the cost. I'll say that the vibe outside is nice. They've got a few small tables and if you get there early enough, you may be able to snag one. It's pretty small inside, too, and the tables are on the small side as well. Definitely not good for a group without reservations (which they don't take on Saturdays.) Onto the food and drinks- sangria was fine for $6. Pretty watered down, but a healthy sized pour, so it was acceptable. We ordered bacon-wrapped dates, a pear and gorgonzola salad, a cheese plate, and a margherita flatbread. That flatbread tasted straight out of the freezer aisle at a discount grocery store. The $13 cheese plate was ridiculously overpriced- 2 small chunks of cheese, a tiny pile of proscuitto, four slices of granny smith apples (thin little shaved slices, not hearty slices), approximately 10 almonds, and a good dollop of fig jam. To their credit, when a cheese that we had picked tasted nothing like its description, they gave us another. Truly, the service was the best part about our dinner. Our server was fast, helpful, and kind. Too bad the food couldn't live up to the standard he set. read more

Hosted a bachelorette party here and they did such a nice job I need to up my score. We were given the private room in back and service was the perfect balance between helpful and unobtrusive. No fee or deposit for the room, which is nice, and they comped a few things since we stayed long enough to order a few bottles at an otherwise slow time, which was VERY nice. Will keep coming back! read more

I stopped in here for a quick bite and glass of wine and was very impressed with the staff, food, selection and prices. I will definitely be back for the BLT I had there. It was honestly the best sandwich I've ever had, with great ingredients and perfect execution. We shared a great bottle of wine that was only $16 and enjoyed conversation with the very friendly staff. read more

The Cellar Door is conveniently located in downtown Downers Grove, within walking distance for us and our friends. Once the Cellar Door began serving wine in the bar it became a hang out for us. The staff has always been very friendly and knowledgeable and the place is comfortable. If you are a member then the wine tastings are free. Throw the tasty food on top and you have a great place to watch a game or just drink wine, listen to music, and hang out with your spouse or friends. The Cellar Door is on the short list for places to go in Downers Grove. read more

They remember you if you come in just a couple times. The pace is that of a glass of wine, not for everyone but it is one of my favorite places. Friendly, decent prices, great food. read more

Great place for a girls night out! They have a lot of tasty wines to drink in the restaurant. The food is great, they serve grass fed beef! Haven't tried the cheeses or meat but I will next time. Try this out on a hot sure night with the girls. read more

I purchased a groupon and decided to come here for dinner drinks. It is always crowded and busy but we got in and were seated immediately. I ordered the Malbec and it was delicious. The turkey sandwich was amazing. I would eat the sandwich everyday! Service is great. Recommend going earlier to fight the crowd. read more

Sat outside on one of these nice 90+ degree summer nights we've been having. Went w/ 3 others girls, with a groupon to use. We each had 2-3 sangrias, which were very refeshing. Also split a cheese plate, brushetta and a cheese pizza. Couldn't say one bag thing about the food...everything was very fresh and flavorful. Service was good, and our bill was only $90, which I found to be very reasonable. Look forward to hopefully coming back in fall and enjoying some wine outside...my friend informed me there are heaters on the patio :) read more

Loved this environment, lots of people on dates, couples & small groups of friends. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves there. Waitresses had great knowledge, made good suggestions. We ordered cheese, meats & tiramisu. All of it was fantastic! Wine prices were a little high, but typical for this type of specialty wine bar. Wide range of beers to buy or on tap. Loved it, we'll to back! read more

Cellar Door - Ask the waitresses for suggestions, very knowledgable! Tiramisu to die for & unique cheeses. All very good! - Specialty Food Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

I have been to this place a few times now, as I am part of a book club that meets in the back room. The back room is a wonderful place for a small group to sit, drink, and talk. If you've got a semi-large group of friends together, I highly recommend it. It's very comfortable. It can be kind of loud, sometimes, but they will turn down the music if you ask. I haven't had the food, but the wine and beer selection is quite nice. They generally have some unusual beers on draft, especially sours, which are my favorite. Everything is local. The staff are very well educated about the wine and can offer recommendations. The service is a little bit slow. There have been a couple of times when I've been ready to leave, but the server doesn't show up to take the credit cards, but it generally doesn't bother me because it's the kind of place where you go for a nice conversation, which makes time pass quickly. Parking is difficult. They have a small private lot in the back, but I have yet to find it due to the one way streets and train traffic in downtown Downer's Grove and end up parking in the public garage and walking. They also have outside seating in the front, but it's usually all full, even on weeknights when the restaurant its self is not. read more