Talk about awkward city! The service here was pretty darn terrible. I always hate when you get a strange server & it affects the whole dinner. Conversations start being awkward, people wonder "why did she ask for my drink order twice?" "why did she skip over me for a food order?" instead of being able to focus on the friends that they're out with. On top of an awkward turtle staff, the food was so-so. Sure they have a great selection of cheeses, but, really? All you have to do is buy expensive cheeses and put them on a tray. Not too difficult. The paninis were relatively greasy and unimpressive. I'd say save your money for good wine & cheese, and go to Lemon Tree a few blocks away. read more

I have tried to give this place a chance but will not ever go there again. Our table was dirty and the wait staff was inattentive and dismissive. The food was terrible. read more

I was really disappointed with my experience at The Cellar Door. I'm so sad to post this because I really wanted to love this place! We came in yesterday for a bar crawl for my 21st. I had been in contact with the owners off and on for the past month making sure everything was set and they were SO unbelievably nice. They were probably the most phone-friendly bar we dealt with! They seemed excited to have us come in, saved us the back room, and even made sure we didn't collide with the other bar crawl in town that night. However, upon our arrival it was clear from the first moment we walked in that we were NOT welcomed by the bartenders/wait staff. Rude comments, sarcastic tones, and a general lack of caring made it a bad stop on the crawl. At one point the waiter asked me to carry drinks back to my friends, since he obviously couldn't be bothered to do so. We did our best to be polite and courteous as we knew the setting wasn't anything party-ready. I was sorely disappointed that they couldn't return the favor, as we brought them probably $200+ worth of business. I will not be returning again and I don't think many who were on the crawl will be either. And before anyone comments, yes I am aware that this is a wine bar and not a pub type establishment but we were eagerly welcomed by the owners and assured that bar crawls have come through before and enjoyed their time at the bar. read more

I really want to like this place... Great food. The service has always been horrible. Not just once, but all 4 times my boyfriend and I have been here. Last night though, made me rethink EVER going back. I called about 6:30pm (I had a Groupon that said to call) to make a reservation, the person on the phone said they were not accepting reservations, first come, first serve. No biggie. My boyfriend and I get there around 7pm on a Friday. It's busy, we figured that. As soon as we walk in, the man (found out the manager) asked if we had reservations, I explained no and that I had called, and what she told me on the phone. He interrupts me by saying, with an attitude, "Well. I am just asking because we had reservations earlier and I'm just making sure. OK?" Ok... He just walked away and told a bus boy to get a table from outside. So there we were... Sitting right at the entrance on freezing cold and short little table and chairs since it's 20 degrees out. I felt like we were at a kiddie table. We ordered, the waitress was actually wonderful--Jennifer. The first and only server we have ever had here that was sweet. Well, we get the check, I give her the Groupon and credit card. After almost 10 mins, I overhear the manager telling her to "show them that they signed, this has been redeemed." Now, keep in mind I have purchased TWO of their Groupons at two different times so I must have printed out the wrong one, that we did indeed use already. (Who would know? It says they have both not been redeemed on my account.) My apologies, I try to pull up my account on my phone--of course it's not working. So my boyfriend runs home (lives down the block) to print out the other one and bring it in--I know that one has NOT been redeemed. We bring it in, my boyfriend is waiting in the car and the manager is still scouring their pages of papers trying to see when I used THIS Groupon... I obviously did not, which is why they couldn't find my signature again. After 10 min of waiting, I go over and ask what the matter is, the manager walks away and the waitress redeemed it, apologizing profusely. I gave her a good tip, I would hate working there with that man. They also made me sign the back of the Groupon and put down my info--I scribbled my signature and email... Why would they need all that. This was SO aggravating... Seriously, Cellar Door if you want to eliminate confusion on Groupons, either don't offer them or actually REDEEM THEM. Do not make people sign pieces of paper... REDEEM them so it shows up on our accounts. It's not that hard--Groupon will give you a device to use, believe me, I've worked at a restaurant that did this. The manager was absolutely rude from the time we walked through the door. You could tell that the employees were annoyed by him and was edgy as a result. He kept bobbing around and giving us dirty looks... Honestly, I was practically sitting on the floor... Give me a break. We had gone a few times for dine in and at least twice for carry out.... But after that experience I don't want to bother again. read more

Amazing, Knowledgable, and Attentive.....this is exactly what you will experience at cellar door! The manager Anthony caters to your needs and has a high level of expertise with craft beer which is an added bonus considering this is a wine bar (best of both worlds). Never disappointed always impressed! I will continue to bring friends and family there and always look forward to a night at The Cellar Door. read more

After much anticipations, I finally visited this place on Valentine's Day. The food was delectable, the wine and beer flowing. The main thing from a full 5 star review was the seating. They didn't have much, and we got jipped - even with a reservation! I don't exactly know all the details of their thought process, but all I know is that we made a reservation, and got a high table next to the door and window. FREEZING! Others came in after us, and got the cool barrell tables for a much more intimate setting. I should mention that the restaurant was not packed. The food came out quick, and you can tell it was made with high quality ingredients. Even though it boasts to be a wine cafe, it offered a nice selection of craft beers for the non-wine drinkers. Parking, as usual for Downers Grove, is tough, but anything is walkable. We will be going again, for sure! read more

We decided to stop in after work to use a Groupon we had and were not disappointed. The Cellar Door offers a decent amount of wines in the $6-$9 a glass range and we were pleasantly surprised when my husband's sangria rang up at $3! We were very happy with their cheese and meat selection. We opted for the 7 for $20 combo flight, which probably was the best cheese/charcuterie plate we have had value wise. I do have one small complaint and I find this happens often at "cheese" places. Our cheese plate was delivered by one of the kitchen staff. If you are serving a cheese plate, you must be able to tell the customer which cheese is which. The man put the plate down and walked away. My husband and I have had a great deal of cheese/know enough to know what we are eating but several people who are trying cheeses for the first time won't be as informed. The waiter who brought the neighboring table their cheese did describe each of them for that table, but it needs to be consistent. The wild mushroom grilled cheese was awesome. The sandwich had lots of mushrooms and the bread was great. I wish they had a larger dessert selection, but we will definitely be back (especially if there are more Groupons)! read more

We were given a gift certificate to the cellar door and I was blown away. Great food, wine, atmosphere. Food as good as Barcelona. GO HERE TODAY. read more

I had to review after our visit last night and the change we experienced! I have been to the Cellar Door several times, on my first few visits, the service was so-so. However, on my most recent visits, the service was MUCH better!! I have tried a variety of the items here and feel they always have a great selection of wine and my husband and always happy with at least one of the craft beers they have on tap. We also discovered one of our favorite beers here (Lagunitas Sucks...if you haven't tried it, you should!!) We've eaten a pizza here, it was fine (not great, but it wasn't bad either). We have also eaten some of the Indian food options, yummy!! We almost always order meat and cheese when we come here and enjoy it, mind you, we're not meat or cheese connoisseurs, but we think it's good!! The only thing I don't enjoy about Cellar Door are the barrel tables, in fact, I kind of hate them. They are really uncomfortable to sit at and I can never get in a good position. I always think about how awkward it would be to sit at these tables on a first or second date! Tables aside, the atmosphere is laid back, the menu items are tasty, and the service has improved, four stars for me! read more

This is a nice establishment with both indoor and outdoor seating available. The drink prices aren't outrageous and they seem to have nightly specials that make the place that much more attractive. I've only been once, but I plan on returning. My group sat outside and enjoyed the fresh air. We ordered the bruchetta, the spinach artichoke dip, the goat cheese marinara with bread, and an assorted mix of a cheese and meat platter. The prices for the food aren't outrageous either. They also have sandwiches and salads, neither of which we tried. I have a few complaints though. The service was less than mediocre and it almost seemed as if it was painful for our waitress to take our order. It wasn't super busy, so she couldn't have used that as her excuse for the lack of cheerfulness. When I asked about a few different wines, her response to all my questions was, "Yep!" which led me to believe she had no idea, didn't care, or had never tried them- any or all could apply. Oh and one last thing, they have a very clean bathroom as well, shared, but very clean. read more

I wish I could do half stars on yelp, because this would be a definite 4 1/2. My friends and I frequent this place pretty often, and just love it. Whether you sit inside or outside, the atmosphere is perfect for a neighborhood wine bar. The only reason I downgraded the star is that the servers are hit or miss - we've had a lot of good ones, and a lot of bad ones. Nothing in between. But, the owner hangs around and frequently brings out plates, we've had conversations with the chef when he comes out to check on our food. I love their current fall menu! Butternut squash soup for me, and 'the perfect grilled cheese' for my friend - we haven't been disappointed yet. In the summer we hang out on the patio with a cheese platter or bruschetta and a couple glasses of wine, just people watching. Last Wednesday we went for trivia and tried an appetizer of grilled asparagus wrapped in ham and drizzled with balsamic glaze. Yum! A fun thing this place does is the 'Surprise White" or "Surprise Red" wine by the glass (I believe its 8 dollars). Perfect for someone like me who isn't picky, but is extremely indecisive. read more

Excellent selection of wine at reasonable prices and nice deals on cases at times. The kitchen cranks out a very solid but limited menu. Unfortunately, the GM Anthony has some of the worst customer service/people skills I have ever encountered at a bar/restaurant -- to the extent that I and several other locals go to Cellar Door FAR less than we would if Anthony and his staff were more welcoming. read more

I have long scoped this location out as a potential fun spot to hang and finally visited during the Christmas season. I was surprised at the great selection of food! I ordered the Cuban Suerte and asked the server for a recommendation on a wine pairing. She pointed me to a Zin. I don't yet understand how you can taste things like dusty earth in a drink but for a novice wine snob I thought the recommendation was a good one. I also tried the Christmas Ale on tap. It was watered down but I still enjoyed it. I would come back again! Service: Meh but probably varies depending on how busy it is/the time of year. Food: Fabulous! Good mix for snobby goat cheese eating gluten/vegan/plant-based/whatever special diet types and also plain ole food for us more simplier folk. My sandwich came with mixed greens that were delicious. Location: Awesome. A DG native, I always like downtown DG spots. Nice and cozy. This is sorta next to a graveyard but it's a historic founders graveyard and not creepy or visible from the inside. Drinks: $10 corking fee, wine or beer by the glass or take home options lined across the wall and in the coolers! read more

Wednesday night early and the place was packed. The outdoor seating is nice but I think the service is better inside. Nice selection of wines and a great wine bar menu. We had a selection of cheeses and meats along with a vegetarian panini. Everything was very good as was the service. They honored our Groupon without any issues. We did end up sitting right next to the cash register which wasn't ideal. We had a drink at the bar while waiting for that table. I would imagine the place is a real zoo on the weekends. Make a reservation! read more

This wasn't our destination for the evening, but we arrived an hour early for our reservations down the street (oops), so a glass of wine was the best way to pass that time! I enjoyed a glass of Rose on their patio, which is tiny and a little bit cramped, so this isn't an ideal spot to work or have a private conversation. There is additional seating inside and at the bar. I took a sip of my husband's Tincho, a sparkling white wine cocktail, so refreshing and perfect for spring & summer! I like that the menu is simple, if you're ordering beer or wine to enjoy on-site. They also sell bottles of wine, which you can consume on-site or take home (price varies depending on if you're staying or taking it to-go). read more

I've been here twice now and I would rate it somewhere between "A-OK" and "Yay! I'm a fan!" Our first trip was during a cruise night in DG and we sat at an outside table with our dog. Everything was generally pretty good. I think we ordered a cheese plate and the server didn't really know what cheeses they were, which was annoying. Recently I ended up here twice in one night. First just for a glass of wine, then again later for a glass of wine and a snack. The food was good, the wine was good, the service was good...it was good. :-) They have a decent beer selection, but I kind of remember thinking that it seemed like they should have more wines by the glass. Additionally, you can buy a bottle of wine from the retail wall and open it there, but they charge $10 corkage fee or something, which I think is ridiculous. I also got six bottles of wine here as a Groupon or You Swoop or some such thing. Some of the wines were ok, one for sure was really good and I may have one or two bottles left. I'm not sure I would make a special trip to Downers just go here, but if I was an the area I think it's worth stopping in. read more

What a charming establishment to land in Downers Grove! I love the atmosphere here, and it always seems full whenever I walk by. I headed in for the first time with some friends and was lucky enough to come in on Trivia Night! The room was clearly filled with regulars and the atmosphere was warm and friendly. There wasn't a table, but fear not! The incredible owner of the place created space and brought in a table for us. Other customers were excited to move their table and make space for us! I saw the owner stick around the whole night, make conversation with patrons, and saw a great relationship with his staff as well. All of that love and passion is reflected in the culture of the place and the warm feeling. In addition to the service- which was a huge plus- we also ordered drinks and food. The wine selection is wonderful and the Riesling I ordered was delicious. We also ordered the Asparagus/Goat Cheese/Fresh Berries salad as well as the Baked Goat Cheese Pomodoro- both looked beautiful and tasted great...and were very reasonably priced. I will definitely be returning next week for trivia night, and it makes me wish I lived in Downers Grove for more than one month a year during the Winter so I could become a regular! read more

This is a great place to go to have a glass of wine and relax. I have yet to dine here but they do have a nice selection of cheese plates, sandwiches, etc. One day I will sample something off the menu, but for the most part I go to try new wines and relax with a date or friends. It is a great place to go before or after dining at one of the several restaurants in the downtown DG area. The wine selection is nice and the servers seem knowledgeable about what is served. If you are new to drinking wine they will be happy to offer a few suggestions. My favorite time to go to Cellar Door is in the warmer months, it's nice to sit outdoors on the patio and people watch. read more

A low-frills wine shop, wine cafe and bar. All sharing the same small long room the wine shop comprises of a whole wall of bottles segmented off by type. The brightly lit and wooden wall is in opposition to the rather stark bar side as if an afterthought or new idea. Come as a wine person looking for a quick fix. As for me, this wino is going to find a different cellar. If you're looking for sweet white wine and a pat on the head from the place which gives you unlimited bread sticks - try someplace else. That brings me to the part I call: "You don't want to know where sausage come from": Here hot food consists of whatever can go onto a paninii grill - understandable as the method of having a bar and not a full fledged restaurant due to expensive license. However these are foods that are easy to put together at home if you have a whole foods nearby. To add to this was that the cold food plates (pate, cheese, etc) were taken straight out of the refrigerator unit which was in plain sight of the customers and 'tossed' onto a non-descript plate. I understand they are understaffed but it could be less obvious. Granted they have a small space - but the use of the 'VIP' like back room for grilling and preparation could make a difference. Lacks on the presentation and explanation of the wine as if you are read more

Got a pretty good deal from groupon for this place - 10 bucks for 20 dollars worth of food / drinks. Found free parking right in front of the place on Tuesday night around 8. The place was about 80% full so the two of us didn't have to wait for a table. Huge wine selection, and a fair amount of bottles of beer. The Sangria was the special for the night (4 bucks / glass). Tasty, but very watered down with almost no flavor. Would not recommend. We ordered the 5 charcuterie with some meats and cheeses. The truffle cheese was disappointing and bland, but the explorateur was amazingly creamy and flavorful. read more

Oh The Cellar Door! I love this place, although it is not without its frustrations. Pros: great food!! Wonderful bistro menu with paninis, flat bread pizzas, small plates and more! I am a huge fan of the smoked salmon panini! They do seasonal items that are always delicious! Great beer and wine selection and good drink specials. Wednesday night trivia is always a blast!! Cons: the seating system is disorganized so it can be difficult to get a table. Wine bottles are a bit overpriced. Overall, food and atmosphere bring be back every time! read more

Wednesday trivia night is so much fun, the sangria is delicious and the pizza is good! Friendly staff, very clean and fun environment. read more

Cellar Door - Specialty Food Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

I have new favorite hangout! Nice selection of wines, cheeses and specialty meats with comfortable seating in downtown Downers Grove. DG has been starving for an establishment like this. It has a European feel where you come, sit, stay and enjoy. Nibble on this, sip that and pass time with other nice people. Alex loves what he does and it shows. Try the salmon pannini. read more

They have an entire wine wall! Way cool inside and the outdoor seating in the good weather is so relaxing. Try their dates wrapped in bacon and their bruschetta which is so fresh and pairs great with your favorite wine. They have it all! read more

This place is A-OK as a 3 star yelp rating. Prices for wine by the glass are kind of steep, given the location and local feel. You'd expect more value for a place of this size. I've been to other local wine shops like in Wheaton, where the glasses are $5/each vs. $10 each here. However, the cheese flight is highly recomended! The first cheese on the list, the extrodenier or something of a similar name, was excellent. It was a soft cheese with a taste similiar to brei but stronger. The waiter was happy to bring us out more crackers for our cheese flight- the plate had only came with a few and we needed more to eat the other half of the cheese! We went here on a Saturday night, and it was packed. Fortunatly a group was leaving just as we walked in and were able to take that table. The crowd starts to die at around 10:00 however. It is a wine shop in subirbia, after all! read more

We found Cellar Door through Groupon. We stopped in Friday night July 11, 2014 at about 8:30pm. Little did we know there was a car show in the area. With that said it was challenging to find parking. After driving around we did find parking at the 4 story parking garage about 2 blocks away. Our reservation was ready when we arrived. The place is quaint they had outdoor and indoor seating. The out door seating was taken, so we sat indoors. The tables are pretty small, perfect for wine. Challenge is your gonna eat a good full meal. On the hand of food, we ordered flat breads. The bread was kind of thick, taste was acceptable. The sangria's were very refreshing. All in all the food was acceptable. We closed the evening with Tiramisu. again not bad. The only negative was the wait time at the end of the night in getting our slice of Tiramisu. I think we waited over ten minutes. By no means am I cheap, but if the establishment was mine I would have comped the Tiramisu based on the wait. Then again, maybe it was frozen and had to thaw? My only advise to the establishment is parallel Customer Service......staff was so so in friendliness, nothing special relating to knowledge or recommendations. The establishment is not that big that the staff is so busy. Check on your customers more. read more

This wine bar had a good variety and didn't seem to be TOO over priced (for a wine bar). The service, however, was less than optimal. My friend and I sat at a table for at least 10 minutes without anyone stopping by our table (and the bar was not busy... the waiter just kept walking right by us to help others). Once we ordered our wines, they came very quickly. We ordered Tinchos (an Argentinian sparkling wine). I believe it was either $6 or $7 per glass, which we thought was reasonable. It was a good experience for a Saturday afternoon, but not sure how the service would have suffered had we come at a busy time. read more

Love this place! We have enjoyed lunch and dinner here. The owner is very friendly and knowledgeable . The food was divine as was the wine. Enjoy the patio, if you can. Probably my favorite wine bar ever! read more

Popped in for lunch with a groupon. Sidewalk seating was really noisy so we sat just inside the window where we could people watch. Wine was good, the Goose Island Class of 88 beer was ok. Very citrusy, which indeed was noted on the menu. We had decent food, the house salad which had "fun lettuce" ( mesclun style mix) with vinagrette, and the Asian Chicken wrap, which had an ass kicking chipotle suace that was just excellent. Not Asian at all but very tasty. My wife liked her glass of wine so much she bought a bottle to take home. Prices average for main st DG. Not a bad little spot, especially if you like your wine. read more

My husband and I ate here on a Wednesday night. He had been excited to try this place for a little while now, given that they have a really good beer list despite being a wine cellar. We went specifically to get the Off Color Dino S'mores, which he hasn't seen anywhere else and has been dying to try (it was delicious...it seriously tasted like s'mores, and this is coming from a person who doesn't like dark beers and generally doesn't think "chocolate" beers taste like chocolate). We had seen the Goat Cheese Pomodoro dip online and decided to get that with drinks (I went with a Surprise White and ended up getting a glass of Chardonnay of some sort). Our drink order was taken right away, and the drinks were brought out quickly, but it took 15 minutes or so for someone to come take our food order. We considered leaving after finishing our drinks, but we eventually got our order taken and since it looked so yummy and I was starving, we stayed. It took another 10-15 minutes for it to finally come out, but when it did, we devoured it. Soooo good. We ended up ordering a second round of drinks. As our food came out, we realized that Wednesday night is Trivia night, so I'm hoping that explains why the service was slow--the wait staff probably anticipates people lingering all night, and we had taken one of the last tables before the place filled up. The dip was really good, the beer list impressive, and the wine approachable for a novice like me. The restaurant itself was quaint and I can see us coming back, just not on a trivia night. read more

Updated 9/28/2016 - Updating in 2016 from 4 to 5 stars because we continue to use them for our book club and they are just consistently good. Everyone that works here is so helpful and knowledgeable. We've honestly never had a bad experience. I've been here quite a few times now with a book club that meets in the back room. If you have a larger group, the back room is the way to go and they let you reserve it if you call ahead. The seating in the rest of the restaurant is smaller cocktail tables that would only seat 4 comfortably. They have a nice menu that's mainly small plates/sandwiches. I've had some things that are good and some things that are OK, but never anything bad. For being a "wine" place, they have a great beer selection in both draft and bottles that you can buy to go. read more

Loved this place! Small and cozy but big enough to gather with some friends. Tried the surprise white wine and was surprised with a delicious Chardonnay. The bruschetta was really tasty too! Will definitely go back. read more

Cellar Door - Specialty Food Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

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This place is definitely my favorite place in Downers Grove. They have a very good wine selection, excellent food, and great overall ambiance. I know the owners a bit and they are very nice people. Probably the best pub quiz night I've ever been too. I really like this place and would strongly suggest this place who needs a good place to go to visit a friend or go on a date. read more

Casual, friendly and offering a good selection of wines by the glass and a few beers on tap. I loved the smoked salmon panini and the cheese plate. I have been the this place many times. In the week look out for Trivial night and I think on Thursday's they have live music. Fun times oh and before I forget you can drink a bottle of wine for a retail price with a nominal corkage. read more

I have been here a couple times. Each time enjoyed myself. Last time we had the house Cabernet & a charcuterie board, where you get to choose the meats, cheeses, jam & nuts. Was very delicious with wine and inspired me to try one at home. The previous time we had a girls birthday lunch and the sandwiches we had were creative and yummy. Definitely try the Cellar Door. read more

Excellent atmosphere that made me and my friends staying for longer then we had imagined. We had a great time sharing great wines together and having friendly conversations with the staff. The other customers there were extremely friendly and it just felt like a fun place to be. Unexpectedly the food was really good too! A definite must go when visiting Downers. read more

Fantastic wine (and beer!) selection and a great menu to complement both. Daily specials are always great. Shrimp tacos and jalapeño popper pizza w/cauliflower crust are our favorites. And the tiramisu....always! read more

My girlfriend just moved out to the burbs, so we've been trying this place out as a local spot we could hang out at after work. Great experiences until tonight. Whoever the guy was who was seating people needs a quick lesson in how to deal with guests. Wasn't even a line, and he was unnecessarily short with my girlfriend when she was just having our name put down on the waiting list for a table. Honestly, good food isn't worth waiting around for at a place adjacent to so many other good options. read more

Romantic atmosphere great cheeseboards all for a great price. Also it's right next door to The Downers Grove founding members cemetery.

My husband and I have been going to Cellar Door for more than ten years. We're actually more beer people than wine people, and they generally have a large selection of amazing beers on tap, so we've enjoyed sitting inside or outside and having a few beers and their delicious cheese plates (you select the cheeses, meat and condiments). However, the quarantine has turned me on to the fact that the food at Cellar Door is equally amazing! We ordered some take-out steak quesadillas a few weeks ago that my kids are STILL talking about, and we did a second take-out order with a variety of foods that was just as delicious. It's become one of our favorite restaurants in town. Can't wait to be back there in person! read more