Went here on a date night, sat at the bar, and Luis the bartender was very knowledgeable on wines and recommended a delicious Pinot. We ordered lamb burger and fresh oysters, and everything was on point. Service was attentive, friendly, and even the owner came out to shake hands with the patrons, and asked if things were ok. We enjoyed the food and the service very much, and will be back! read more

5 stars for this place because of the food and Dodo! The wine here is also spectacular and don't forget to try the rib eye steak! ‍

This is a local favorite for me. I am not an easy please when it comes to wine and I am very particular about what I drink. The owner has been right on with his recommendations. I like the fact the wine selection changes often which keeps each visit fresh and exciting. The salads and pizzas are good. If you are open to new things, try the gelato with the vanilla salt! There is a patio area which I frequent with my 90lb dog! read more

Excellent service, very wide selection of wines, good size portions and reasonably priced! Noise level is energetic. I selected a Pinot Noir Flight... Nice.... OMG!! You won't believe our impressions. . So fun to do this. Love this date night with hubby. Setting is just perfect! Celebrating someone's birthday, too, across the miles. read more

The Cask - Gaming a Pinot Noir Flight... Celebrating a wonderful friend's 60th! Here! Here! Raise your glasses with me! - Wine Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

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This past summer, my wife came across the Cask after a hot day in the South Bay. We enjoyed a carfe of Sangria, theMediterrean Trio (hummus, baba ghanus & roasted beets hummus w/ toasted pita pieces) and the Calabrese salame plate. We been back a few times since and especailly enjoy the Happy Hours. read more

The Cask - Wine Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

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The best restaurant on Laurel... No doubt. Everything on the menu is great... but... if they have Branzino I'll be there every night. It's that good! read more

The Cask - Roasted Branzino with garlic mashed potatoes in a butter caper sauce. - Wine Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

The service and drinks here are great! The Cask is truly one of my favorite date spots! If you want to be boujee and cute order the Champagne flight (; read more

This place suffers from a strange dichotomy: the food and service are very good, the wine will make you say, "Barefoot makes a Sangiovese?" I was terrified when we ordered two wine flights, and were served three huge glasses each. You'd imagine that would be far too much alcohol for two people. Most tastings are served as tiny sips of wine. But these were incredibly low octane, and horribly sweet. They left me with a stomach ache, but hardly a buzz. This is not your Napa wine bar. Nothing is dry or smooth. It's so sweet. We're talking Yellow Tail, Barefoot, Sutter Home-esque wines. But the cheese board. Satan bless that cheese board. To the Humboldt Fog- it's not you, Baby. You're beautiful. I've never been served that much quality cheese. That cheese board alone almost makes this place worth it. If you do go, get the Humboldt Fog cheese, and stick to wines that you know and trust, if they are on the menu. Do not try the red flights. read more

I never really hang out in San Carlos area but came here last week with my cousins and their friends. It is a mini wine bar that is pretty decent. The crowd is obviously over and seem slightly upscale. We were mainly here for the wine, not so much the food. Although their cheese platter was pretty addicting! Especially this green marble cheese we got. It was so good with the bread and jam! The meats were whatever. Hams, salamis and those kinds of meat usually taste all the same to me. Can't really taste the difference! Wine was good too! Cool place to chill. read more

The Cask - Cheese platter - Wine Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

(review overdue) We were in the San Carlos area with our pups and needed food. We came across the Oh So Cute downtown area with all these little shops and sidewalk cafe's. We chose The Cask Wine & Cheese Bar because its so cute and they let our pups stay with us on the patio. Food and service was good, not great. I think you pay more for the ambiance. I would give the place another try but only because of the - Outdoor Puppy Patio. (8/11/2012) read more

The Cask - Sidewalk signage w/menu. - Wine Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

The food is incredibly delicious and everyone there is super nice. By far the best wine bar in Bay Area. Raviolis are amazing too.

We stumbled onto this place late night and it quickly became clear we will be coming back here again. The staff is friendly and accommodating. The food was delicious. Overall homey, friendly atmosphere with delicious food/drinks. read more

This review describes the birthday dinner that wasn't! I called weeks in advance to request a 7:30 pm reservation for a party of 6 and gave them my contact information. I explained that this was going to be a special evening in that we would be celebrating my daughter- in -laws birthday. A couple days later I called Cask back to inquire about increasing our reservation to 7 people instead of 6 at the same time. The person I spoke with - now stated that Cask doesn't take reservations on a Friday night - but that they would do the best to accommodate me. So I arrived at Cask at 7:15 pm and was told that my table had been given away because we didn't show up at 7pm!! I told the Host that my reservation was at 7:30 pm and I was NOT late. I believe that he then went and changed some info regarding the reservation in his reservation book because the host stated he had tried calling me and the phone # had been disconnected. The # he showed me was off by 1 digit & I think he changed the # to afford him an excuse. It appeared evident that there was probably no table for 7 to start with and it was their way to cover their mistake. We ended going to another place - Farm and Vine where our meal was fabulous and so the night began at Cask -but ended up soooo much better. Cask had been one of my favorite places - but I will never dine there again because of the way my family was treated! They made no apologies and it was clear that they were not going to be able to accommodate our party! read more

This restaurant truly stands the test of time, in all my years I've never seen a place like Cask, an exquisite Wine list, impeccable service and a wide range of delicious foods. It's a constant evolution of great wines and new additions to the menu that will keep you coming back for more. Despite being closed due to COVID restrictions, they're service is amazing, when I get my food to go it's in prime condition and prepared with care and passion. I'll be back for more as this is truly one of the bay areas best. read more

Comfortable atmosphere with outdoor seating available. Food was great! Service was phenomenal. If Chardonnay is your thing try the Rombaeur. read more

The Cask - Wine Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

Every time I come here the staff is so welcoming. Great selection of wine and The chicken wings is one of my favs!!! The Burger selection is ridiculously good. Must try! read more

The Cask - Wine Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Longtime costumer, I've been dining for years and they now charge $30/bottle corkage so won't come back.

Omg!! This place is so good! Just had the best short ribs. I will come back here again for sure. Moscato "nectar or the gods" read more

The Cask - Yummm - Wine Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

Came here with some friends for some wine and dessert. The place was cozy and the staff was friendly. The wine list was solid, and so was the desserts we ordered. There were people sitting outside on the "patio" out front with the heat lamps on the sides, enjoying a nice dinner. I would definitely be back to do that, especially since everyone's food looked great! If are looking to grab a good glass of wine in the area and catch up a friend, afterwork chillout, or even first date, this is your place. From the looks of it, for dinner too! read more

First time! Dropped in with a few friends. It's a nice wine bar and packed with patron's on a Saturday night. We waited a whole 5 minutes and were promptly seated. Ordered the Chacewater Pinot Noir; both berry-ish and tasty. We noshed on a cheese plate; we chose a manchego, a brie like cheese and one other I can't seem to remember right now! BTW, the cheese's come with some nice crusty thin breads and partner with the cheese's. My friend like her Zinfandel, with lot's of tannins. Customer service: very good. Parking: after hours, park behind the Bank of America. Shhhsh..don't tell anyone! read more

Everyone loves a birthday and wine so why not. So the crew wanted to take out a co-worker fit lunch and she ended up picking this place. I'm always down for wine and good food. We got there early so parking was easy right up front. I can easily see how that can be a hassle during peak hours. Once in we got seated immediately and served water . the inside looks cool wine tasting on the back and wine barrels on the wall. The first thing we ordered was a variety of wine flights from Reds to bubbles. One major complaint was all the glasses still had lipstick stains on them. I mean seriously you have six people working and an empty restaurant someone should be on top of that. But anyway we ordered our food I got the sliders with a side of fries. The rest of my crew got the lamb burger, pasta and a garden burger all were yummy. This is a on the rotation for lunch. So hopefully next time the glasses are lipstick free! read more

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Good food except the soups, poor service. English sometimes spoken here. This review is based on lunches only. I recommend the $15 specials. read more

The renaissance of San Carlos continues. Sister to Spasso across the street, Cask is a wine bar looking to refresh the nightlife scene in downtown. Open for a week, it was packed to the gills, overflowing with people who were tired with Town and Piacere being the only two places on the strip for a sophisticated drink. Too bad I ran into the place well after dinner and dessert, but the Porto still served as a good cap to the night. Even though the place was packed and our server looked tired, she was still friendly to us at the end of her shift. Will have to come back when the buzz has died down a bit and try both the food and other wines. read more

I had a rule about not posting poor reviews until my experience at The Cask this past Saturday night. I want to start out by saying I have been here a couple of times and had adequate experiences but this experience was just poor service. I called at 12:30PM to make a reservation for 6 at 7PM. The person on the phone was very polite and thanked my for the reservation. My group of 6, including a friend that was 7 months pregnant, arrived around 6:50 PM. I got the attention of the main male server and he told me it would be about ten minutes for our table. No big deal right? After 30 minutes one of my friends went up and asked him again. He said that we would just have to wait. This is only made worse by the fact that when we arrived there were 6 seats at the bar and he didn't not tell us that our reservation meant nothing and that we would just have to wait for a table to open up. To make matters worse two other tables were sat and the bar filled up while we waited. My friends wanted to go somewhere else because they had tickets to a show that night. Another friend asked if we could move two small tables together so that we could sit around them but was dismissed. Another friend then went to the very nice female server and asked if we could squeeze all 6 of us to the opposite end of the bar where there were only 4 seats, and grab two other seats. She allowed us to do so and we sat and ordered. All in all it was just poor service. Our reservation was not honored. They made no effort to rectify the fact that they did not attend to the reservation. We felt dismissed when trying to problem solve the problem and they were unapologetic (except for the female server). read more

Is this place for real? For starters, notice that in the "Meritage/Blends" section of their list they include: Castelvero Barbera, 06 (100% Barbera) Romolo Buccellato Nero D' Avola,06 (100% Nero d'Avola) Machiavelli Riserva Chianti Classico,03 (100% Sangiovese) Domaine Gros Frere & Soeur, Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 06 (100% Pinot Noir) Gaja Barbaresco,05 (100% Nebbiolo) Albert Bichot, Domaine Long -Depaquit Chablis, 06 (100% Chardonnay for which a section already exists) It's as if it were put together by an amateur. When I go to a real wine bar I expect to be challenged by what I taste, not by what's in the wrong place on the menu! read more

Atmosphere was great but food & service mediocre. My friend & I decided to dine there since few others places were closed. My friend ordered the mustard chicken which had way tooo much mustard sauce. The short ribs I ordered were bland. To top it off, the waiters kept giving us the side eye.. I know we overstayed our welcome but there's a way to approach customers to let them know they need our table. One of the waiters said "we have a reservation " Basically saying, time for you to go!! Definitely not going back!! read more

Hard to believe that I've lived in the SF bay area for this long, and this was my very first visit to San Carlos. I didn't even know where it was--thank goodness for my new GPS! I met some friends here to drink away the Monday night blues. This place offers a pretty good selection of wine and a tiny selection of beer. Our table shared two bottles of red, a pinot noir and a zin, upon our server's recommendation. The best part of this place was our server. She was friendly and attentive, and her recommendations on the wine were right on. This being a tapas style restaurant (and we were a hungry bunch), we ordered several tapas and shared them family style. Best of the bunch: Prosciutto and arugula flatbread Filet mignon carpaccio OK: Fried calamari Crab balls A little disappointing: BBQ shrimp on bread (shrimp were over cooked) The price was a little on the high side for the quality of the food. $250 for wine and food for five people. This is a good place for get togethers like ours. If I am in the area and looking for a place to meet with friends, I will definitely consider going back. read more

Food is OK, Service terrible. My friend and I met here for after work drinks and nibbles on a Friday nite around 5. The place was not crowded (4-5 tables occupied). We sat at the bar and had to beg to get served (not just once, but even when our glasses were empty for 10+ min or when we wanted to order food). When ordering our meat/cheese selection the waiter walked away from us in mid-sentence (again... where was he going as it wasn't crowded). This type of service continued for the next 2 hours even thought it was not crowded at all. There were plenty of help (at least 4 servers for 4-5 tables) but they were more interested in talking to themselves then attending customers. In the end we spoke with the manager and his "excuse" was it was like this when it wasn't crowded. Huh? I expect poor service when it is crowded but not when you have plenty of help and few customers. Lucky for us is that San Carlos, and the mid-Pennisula has lot's of other choices where they are happy to have customers. read more

This place is amazing. I like the food and also the wine selection. The service is excellent. You have to try the artichoke soup, the shrimp and don't missed the steak. Everyone is very fresh and delicious. I recommend this place with 5 star rating. read more

A unique addition to Laurel. But maybe a few rough edges to work out. R and I stopped by on Sunday around 2 or 3. We sat indoors, but their sidewalk tables will be fantastic once the temperature warms up this summer. Indoors, the late afternoon sun causes a lot of glare, esp. for the person who's facing the street. Window screens of some sort would be a great addition... We had a three-cheese tray, which is served with a generous plate of crostinis. Delicious cheeses, but the crostinis break way too easily. A slightly less dry toast or a plate of crackers might be a better choice. Not crazy about the three dipping accompaniments, but they were fine. No fantastic flavors to rave about or beg for more. R had a latte which was a-ok. I had water, so no wine critique here. But the waiter was totally gracious about our petite order. This place has a lot of potential. Very cool, relaxing atmosphere. More stars to come after they work out a few details. read more

Found myself in San Carlos last weekend with 90 minutes to kill...and ventured into The Cask and boy was I glad I did!!! Enjoy the pinot noir flight immensely and the cheese plate was DI-VOON!! The place was busy but not packed and the staff couldn't have been nicer, more knowledgeable and still not in the slightest pushy!!! When I have more time, I will definitely be back!!! FIVE STAHS, Dahlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (~_~) read more

Great place to meet friends for drinks and food. Decor is classy. Wine tasting is not cheap, but they pour more than 3-4 tastings. Very nice artisan and charcuterie choices to pick from. Discovered another great cheese, Cambozola, which is cow's milk cheese that combines a French soft-ripened triple cream cheese and Italian Gorgonzola. All the meats are wonderful. Very nice place. Definitely will tell my friends. read more

The Cask - Yum and what a great wine tasting and eatery. - Wine Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

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3.5 stars. A nice place to meet and catch up with friends. Setting is "upscale casual." (Well, upscale San Carlos style.) Warm wood vibe, with a cool hewn-stone-and-marble bar. TV showing sports, for those so inclined. You'll find a variety of varietals from around the world. You'll find lesser-known labels as well as some high-end, well-known names--this makes for a good representation across price points (though things to tend to be on the more expensive side here). Good balance of whites and reds by the bottle and glass. (When a place has like, two whites and one rose, and the balance reds, I think it's kind of lacking the spirit of a true wine bar--but this is not a worry at the Cask.) Some interesting flights, too. And, they have beers. Nice food to accompany the wine; I like getting a few meats and a few cheeses. Each meat, and each cheese, is paired with accompanying condiment, plus some crostinis. And, they have a few more hearty plates on the menu (these tend to rotate a bit). Does get busy at the times you'd expect a wine bar on Laurel to get busy. Do stop in. read more

Love this place. Been here a couple times for a work thing. They do a great job of accommodating a large group. Setup and decor is really nice. Love the wall o' wines. Service is outstanding. The staff really knows how to take care of their customers. Of course, great wine selection or else why come? Food is great. Love the cheese plates, flatbreads, etc. Everything I had (and we tried quite a few plates) was lovely. On the sweeter side...I'd love to see more dessert options, especially easy options for sharing as well as a larger offering of dessert and late harvest wines. A dessert wine flight would be fun. Caskers...think about it read more

3.5 stars Came here for wine and cheese with friend. Like the decor and ambiance, fitting for a wine bar. Grabbed a seat at the bar, bartender was friendly. Got a glass of red each - cab for me, pinot for friend and shared a plate of 3 cheeses w/ different preserves and honey for $16. Nice variety and very generous portion, so much that we didn't even finish half of the order. Nice place to hang over wine. read more

Going with the community grain - good restaurant. I had a seafood dish and they give you a lot of seafood. They do a very good job on the pasta. The one less star is from the sauce being a bit overwhelming (but that could be personal preference), price is a little high (but we are talking about beef and seafood), and seating is very limited (but we are talking about the Bay Area). read more

Popped in during the wine festival to get away from the crowds. Found a nice spot at the bar and Nick quickly greeted me and offered a cool beverage. I opted for a nice red and an order of calamari. While waiting for the calamari, he actually ran my festival wine glass through their washing machine. The food was outstanding, i loved all the little extra bits of fried artichokes in with the squid. Overall it was a very nice way to relax and high ratings to Nick and the rest of the staff there. read more

We love this place... have been here I think five times in the last few months... their wine list is great and their wine flights change almost every other week! Their food portions are good and great tasting... we come here some time just for wine and other time dinner. Out door seating to great as well. read more

Wine is overpriced and always makes me a little mad but my gfs like it so - ok fine. However after a $250 bill, they asked to take one of our tables for 'a big party' - rude. Will find it hard to come back. read more

We took a couple from out of town to get the vibe of Laurel street. The outdoor seating setup was lovely. The service was slow, but the place was full, and it looked like they were overwhelmed and possibly understaffed. First they brought us a free pita and hummus appetizer to apologize for the delay. This was before we said a word. Then when our meals came, mine was not correct, and the waiter (Luciano) knew as he walked up to the table so we didn't have to say a word (I had customized my dish and it was 100% not what I ordered, LOL). He said the incorrect meal was free of charge for the group to share and he would get my meal to come out. I had something to nibble on, so I wasn't upset. And poor Luciano was working hard and he was sweating and apologizing; I couldn't be upset with him. A little while later, the manager Kemal noticed I didn't have a meal and asked me if everything was okay. I told him my meal was not there yet, he went to handle it. He brought me a glass of wine too while I waited. At the end of the meal, Kemal brought us EACH a glass of port. That was completely unexpected and above and beyond. All of this without a single complaint or cross word from us! This is the way to win fans! We were all impressed. Oh - and the food was delicious too! We will come back! Luciano and Kemal - you guys were great! read more