If you're in Rockwall and deciding where to go, The Downing makes it easy. It is truly a GEM. The cocktails are always on point--this time I tried the coconut mint margarita and it did not disappoint. They even have great mocktail options, which I love when you want the experience without the alcohol. The most unique one that I've tried is the Pho Ya - it's Pho inspired and actually delicious. Cocktails and the menu are seasonal so you always get surprises. My favorite food options are the Salmon Poke, Beef & Rice Bowl, and the mussels. What really sets this place apart is the people- starting with the owners. The servers actually remember you, the owners are intentional about creating a unique, welcoming space, and you can tell they genuinely care about the community and giving back. The whole team feels connected--you can see they truly enjoy working together. And the vibe? Cozy in the best way. The patio feels like you're hanging out at home, just with better drinks and food. It's the kind of place you keep coming back to--and recommending to everyone. read more

The Downing Bottles & Bites - Coconut Mint Margarita - Wine Bars Near Me - Rockwall, Texas

Another year, another visit. This place never disappoints. It is always lively, welcoming, and comfortable. It's the perfect mix of casual and upscale, if that makes sense. The service for me is that of a Michelin star as well as the flavor profiles they can pack into their food. This will always be a must-visit, and the el jefe cubano is spot on! Best Cuban sandwich I've had in Texas. If you haven't been and you're local, you must come, and if you are just passing, it is a must-try. read more

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Well ... maybe it's just me .... But the last 2 times have been disappointing; The Lemongrass bowl Was so tart and over limed ... hard to enjoy. 6 months ago, the shrimp and grits were the best I'd ever eaten .. recently ?... Mediocre at best. They must've list their chef ? Anyway... really a shame . read more

Place is still absolutely Amazing and like the fine wine they sell, has gotten better with age read more

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This place is a must in Rockwall. A MUST. I was hungry, and wanted something flavorful. Got on yelp and saw that they had some good things on the menu and decided to give it a try. What I loved most about this place was how local it was. People were dropping in, and everyone knew each other. We loved it. I highly recommend getting a reservation. We came in and sat at the bar, which wasn't bad, but just a heads up! Bartender/server Russo - AMAZING! This space isn't extremely spacious. They do have an outside, but it was really cold. We started off with a wine flight. Such a lovely poor for a flight, and the price was only 18. My man and I actually shared it. Will easily get this every time. For food - you can't go wrong with anything. I mean anything. We were blown away. We started off with the seared tuna, the sauce was so tasty we dipped our toasted focaccia bread in it. Perfect combination. We couldn't choose between the two pastas so we got both. The lamb gnocchi and ricotta lemon ravioli everything was so perfect. Both great portions, both extremely flavorful. You have to get these. We ended the night with a desert and again, blown away. We got the chocolate mousse and cleaned the bowl. It had little bites of vanilla cake in it, so good. This place is fantastic. We are easily coming back, we need to try the sandwiches! read more

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This place was so quaint and amazing. The hummus appetizer is huge and very delicious. I had the Cuban sandwich. It was also really big (took half home). Service was perfect, not over priced and worth the ambiance and moment! I will definitely come back here next time I'm in the area! read more

I had heard good things about this place, so I decided to give it a try. It's a little small inside, but has some cool areas outside. Wine selection is pretty good. Food was great, but it was hot inside. AC was not working correctly and our server seemed to be on drugs or something. I hope they find better servers, otherwise this place won't last. read more

OMG the Gumbo was perfection on a cool rainy day before Easter. The Bloody Marys were great too. Excellent service. We can't wait to come again. It was the perfect meal before our musical at Fair Park. We came from Winnsboro. read more

The Downing Bottles & Bites - Gumbo and the best crispy bread for dipping. - Wine Bars Near Me - Rockwall, Texas

The Downing Bottles & Bites is a splendid gem nestled into the charming downtown Rockwall town center. The street on one side has been paved over for walking which is great, the eclectic ambiance inside is fun, the wine selection (and other spirits too) are deep and carefully thought out, plus the food is just really interestingly designed and quite delicious! I had a martini which had some oysters involved (made in house) that is voodoo magic but quite delicious and my other guest had a wine flight - a fun flight serviced in a tree. We shared the salmon dip as an appetizer - I learned that Chef David Hauffman broke down and grinds the salmon by hand to create this spectacular dish. We then also shared the lamb (looked like a thick stew served with warm pita) and grilled salmon (cooked to perfection with a crunchy top shell, perfect inside). Denise was an attentive, friendly and helpful server as well. And, Jenni (one-half of the husband-wife ownership team) swung by to hang out for a bit. Honorable mention to the animal skull above the toilet in the bathroom (pic included - you're welcome) The Downing is absolutely splendid and should be visited, so go check it out read more

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This small restaurant has an amazing menu. You would never guess that variety and sophistication of what comes out of their small kitchen. This reminds me of some of the small restaurants in NYC that are super good. Examples from their menu include: mushroom lettuce wraps, fresh oysters on the shell, baked Brie, chicken tom yum soup, shrimp & grits, salmon poke, cheesy truffle pasta, ricotta lemon ravioli, el jefe's Cubano sandwich with roasted pork, ham, & Swiss, tuna melt, and hot dogs. They have a wine club and offer an impressive selection of wine and beer which, ordered with one of their charcuterie boards, will give you a lovely evening in the pedestrian only part of downtown Rockwall. read more

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Loved the vibe here!! The food and drinks were amazinggg. Just moved to the area and I've already been twice read more

The Downing Bottles & Bites - Lemongrass chicken bowl and crab fingers - Wine Bars Near Me - Rockwall, Texas

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What a Quaint place! This is a hidden gem in Rockwall that is a must visit. Great variety of wines, espresso martinis, and other Adult Beverages. The food is excellent and so delicious, whomever the chef and collaborator are, round of applause for y'all! I had the Lemongrass Chicken Bowl with the chili lime vinaigrette dressing and it was refreshing. I also order a glass of the Chenin wine and it was crisp and clean. I had a bite of my friend's Beef & Rice Bowl made with Red Angus and it was sooo good. I may order that on my next visit. The ambience was welcoming, relaxed and cozy. The waiter was attentive and gave great service. We went to sit on their outside patio after lunch to enjoy another glass of wine & feel the sun and found ourselves in hanging chairs accompanied by a friendly cute & calm squirrel to watch. Can't wait to go again, still craving their food. read more

The Downing Bottles & Bites - Cute & friendly outside squirrel - Wine Bars Near Me - Rockwall, Texas

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Horrible and disappointing service. Profiled in the open and was extremely disheartening since just moved to this community. Not just one person but the owner and bar staff. We were invited to return during last visit by cordial bartender but he was not on staff and obvious that he was the exception not the rule. read more

Great food, great service, great ambiance. Love just ordering a bunch of the appetizers and trying all the different combination of flavors. read more

Love love love DBB! I've gone countless times and are disappointed I haven't left a review sooner! Service is always amazing, service is top notch, food is scrumptious. read more

Great Cuban sandwich with enjoyable vibe to relax and have a glass of wine. Staff is attentive.

Best little hidden gem in Rockwall county. Wonderful atmosphere, food and staff. Thanks Jessica, Randy and Robert for taking such good care of us. Give it a try you won't be disappointed. read more

Slow service, awful menu selections and they do not bring what you order. Very disappointed.

Great atmosphere, great vibe, even greater people! Came here during the farmers market and Halloweekened events! The place is a lot bigger than expected and the hostess was fun to talk to, witty and expressive (I love love loveee people w character)! The bartender, didn't catch her name but she had dark hair and blue eyes. She was a sweetheart and gave phenomenal drink and food recommendations. I ended up listening to everything she said to get and got it. I'm not easily influenced however everything she liked, I loved and was already planning on getting. Guess great minds do think alike! We had the seared tuna, it was sweet yet savory. Every bite down to the ponzu was incredibly satisfying and mouth watering. My man had the muffeleta. He devoured it and the Sicilian salad I chowed down on. I love anything salad with peppercini's. The kitchen is quaint and the cooks, from what I can tell, put great love into their foods. Or what I call, art on a plate! Overall service was a 5/5, food 5/5, ambiance 5/5. Can't wait to come back! Also they have great HH and a wide variety of wines to choose from and FABULOUS cocktails. I had the pear gimlet and also a fig ginger spice. Both fantastically curated. My man had beers. read more

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Had brunch today, per usual we left in a better mood than we came. The food and drinks are always great - especially given the kitchen size, but it's the atmosphere and people that keeps us coming back. read more

Came in on a Saturday night and asked the bartender if she could make a cocktail using my girl's flavor profile. Charlie not only made it to her perfection but she hit it out of the park. The best bartender in Rockwall! Love this place. It was my girl's favorite cocktail. read more

Had the el jefe Cuban sandwich. If you're looking for a perfectly American sized portion of a meal this is the one. Crispified to perfection with every bite. Salad on side, olives in it were delicious and firm and so were the pepperoncinis. So pleasantly surprised by this meal read more

The Downing Bottles & Bites - El Jefe Cubano Sandwich - Wine Bars Near Me - Rockwall, Texas

The Downing Bottles & Bites never disappoints. My friends & I love to go for long lunches and wonderful wines. Their wines are personally tasted & curated by wife, Jenni & delicious bites & entrée's are superbly cooked by husband, David. My favorites are Baked Brie, El Jefe Cubano sandwich & Shrimp & Grits. Pictured here is the brie app. Great warm atmosphere & thoughtful service. read more

The Downing Bottles & Bites - Baked Brie - Wine Bars Near Me - Rockwall, Texas

We wanted something new for our Sunday brunch and was really happy to have come here. We are usually now the wine going people but some of the stuff on the menu just looked so good that we had to come in. We walked in and right away the staff was very welcoming to us and had a table ready to sit down at. The vibe of the place is really relaxing and easy going. The staff was really on top of things for it being so busy. It really impressed me how quick they had our food out to us and how fresh everything was. Our food was surprisingly really filling too but it doesn't leave us feeling like we have the food coma lol . Definitely a cute place to come out and get something light for brunch/lunch. We will have to come back to try out the dinner menu and another recommended wine. read more

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Great attentive accurate serving staff. Sorry bro I didn't get your name but admired your tats Excellent, fresh, hot food. Great cocktails too. Nice patio read more

I love everything about this place! Insane selection of hard to find wines Including my all time favorite which I have never found anywhere else in DFW. Half price bottles on Sunday!! Beer/Wine TO GO!!! Food is 5 star every time!! I think they start serving food at 4 Right in the plaza and also a darling outdoor space. So -- the best part?!? The super styling bartenders So happy to have this spot so close to home read more

The Downing Bottles & Bites - Soooo cute - Wine Bars Near Me - Rockwall, Texas

You know it's delicious when you crave the chili even when it's hot outside! The bread in the grilled cheese was perfect and the chili has the perfect balance of heat! Always a good time here ! read more

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The food and service were great. The atmosphere was comfortable; however, after tipping and paying over $50 we discovered we got charged over $2 for a credit card fee. We don't see other restaurants doing this, so we dropped the rating from 5 to 3 stars. For this reason we probably won't return, which is pretty sad, because I really did enjoy the meal. read more

The Downing Bottles & Bites - Wine Bars Near Me - Rockwall, Texas

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This is a really cool little hideaway in downtown rockwall. They sell wine and a few items and have wine by the bottle and glass as well as tapas. The wine selection is good and has quality without tired labels. We came on a night where they had a guest chef and he had Argentinian tapas. They were great. Olives &artichokes and foie gras. Each stood on its own well. The foie was silky smooth, artichokes had flavor and the olives were well olives. Great experience and great spot for date night, group of friends or pre-game. read more

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Great prices, & friendly service! When we went, they had turn out of the HH wine, but our server offered us a replacement bottle at the same price! How accommodating! read more

David's steak hash is amazing on a rainy day like this and Robert and Caelum took service to another level today! read more

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Rockwall, you now have a little bit of Europe tucked into your town square! I was invited to tag along for lunch to The Downing Bottles & Bites on San Jacinto in downtown Rockwall. And I loved everything about it! There is a long community table in the front room and many choices of bottled wine for sale. They also offer a shelf of ingredients and a fresh olive bar so you can create your own dishes at home. For lunch we ordered a pasta salad (I loved their unique version of the pasta salad!), a Sicilian salad and we split a large muffuletta. For dessert we split the Burrata cheesecake and there was plenty of food for all three. So if you're into European bites or if you want to support local, head on over to The Downing Bottles & Bites! They even have a heated patio area too! I hope to see you there! read more

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One of my absolute favorite spots in rockwall. I miss their old sommelier, he kept the wine list interesting and was always good for ordering wine for their patrons. They recently obtained their liquor license so the drink list has grown. Their food menu is delicious. I've not had any entrees we always do charcuterie. The cheeses that are offered are varied and flavorful as are the olives, oils and meats. Highly recommend. read more

I was going to the brand new Casa Mama for lunch, but they changed their hours without posting online. And I actually was quite hungry. No problem, The Downing Bottles & Bites was just 1 block away. Yep, like a second home, and my corner seat at the counter was open. Ahhhh... Cold, freezing January morning calls for bowl of warm Chili. Along with El Jefe Cubano sandwich, and fresh-pressed pot of coffee. Staff informed me that the Muffalatta sandwich is back on the menu, and they are sold-out already! But, I really recommend this Chili recipe for it's zesty-tangy low heat flavor. The ground beef is of a perfect texture. I do like spicy food, but variety is the spice of life, as they say. The El Jefe Cubano is now on soft roll bread, instead of panini, and it was fantastic! I agree with the original Miami style version. This came with house Sicilian salad, so I was filled up & warm now. Other diners filtered-in behind me, soon the Downing filled with conversations, and the giggles, wine glasses clinking... I finished a 3rd cup of the fresh-made coffee. I had some driving to do in the drizzing rain outside. Another great Downing meal. read more

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I was really looking forward to trying this place, but it was pretty bad. The service was slow but friendly. The restaurant is dirty. Like, gross dirty. The silverware was dirty. Their menu is extremely limited and they were out of several things. Including the Cuban, which was why we went there in the first place. The deviled eggs were rubbery, like they buy them pre-boiled. The mussels had unpeeled, huge slices of ginger (I've never seen that before. It was terrible.), and if I had to guess they use chicken stock for the sauce and it has no garlic. Then just jalapeños on everything. Yet still somehow managed to be bland. Pretty sure who ever is doing the menu has no or very little culinary experience. We tried two of their sandwiches and they were decent, but nothing you couldn't get at a food truck. Overall, go somewhere else. This place is not worth it. read more

What a great new date night location!!! Love this awesome privately owned tapas bar and wine bar!!! Loved the ambiance, the superior customer service, the detail to music selection, menu choices! Wow!!! We had so much fun and I enjoyed the overall experience and the deviled eggs were great! We also enjoyed the chicken liver mousse ! So light and slightly sweet!!! Will be back! Highly recommend!!! Yeehaw 5 read more

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Paul advised us well on the wine choices. Jacob gave us great food recommendations. We enjoyed the Brie, smoked salmon board, and oysters to start! Everything was delicious. The Atmosphere was enjoyable. Cost was affordable compared to popular Dallas areas. Excellent service and vibe. We will definitely be back!! Five stars!!! The best wine selection in town! read more

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Food= excellent Service = average Ambiance = a dump...zero...no stars... zip!! A make-do facility in a small antique storefront with hideous seating with half of it in a crowded kitchen. Seat benches are half the width they need to be to support your legs so they tend to go numb from lack of blood flow, but the food is good so get it to go and eat it elsewhere. I won't go back. There are other good restaurants. read more

Oh my goodness, how we have overlooked this Rockwall gem is beyond me. I've wanted to stop in before but have never done so until friends suggested after church lunch there today. It had several brunch selections and a very interesting lunch menu. 4 of our group did brunch and the other two lunch. Everyone was very impressed with the food quality. You can tell they put a lot of thought and time into the menu. At our waitresses's recommendation, I tried the Cubano sandwich with a side salad and it was, without a doubt, the best Cuban sandwich I have found since leaving my favorite Cuban owned sandwich shop in Birmingham 3 years ago. The meats were delicious and the bread fresh and crusty. The side salad was well executed and dressed perfectly. There was not a scrap left of either when I got done. My wife had the DBB breakfast plate that had biscuits and gravy, eggs, potatoes and bacon and it was all delicious even though the biscuits were denser than us Alabama folks are used to. Other parties had the French toast, the smothered breakfast burrito and the beef and rice bowl. Our server, Cat, took excellent care of us and was very helpful in making selections. Another great bonus was the French press coffee. We enjoyed multiple pots. I am sure the wines, beers and other libations are excellent too but we did not partake today. If you haven't been, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. read more

Two of my kids go here every Sunday after church. I recently had the Chicago Beef sandwich. The meat was more like a pot roast as opposed to the shaved beef. The meat was extremely flavorful and the giardiniera was flavorful, but not to spicy (I cant do real spicy anymore). Once you get past the difference in the meat, this was an excellent sandwich. BTW, going back tomorrow for one. My son ordered there breakfast which was scrambled eggs, fried potatoes and biscuits and gravy. There was a lot of food and he only ate 1/2. My other son had the Porchetta sandwich and he really likes it. This will continue to be one of our go to spots. read more