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Angelenic is the essential news resource for those living, working and visiting Downtown Los Angeles. Check out our 626 Reserve Wine Bar. The name says it all, right?

626 Reserve, located on Spring Street in the City Lofts building, has been quietly serving up food, wine and jazz for the past 2 years.

Owner Barbara Taylor-Gray reports their busiest nights are Tuesdays and Thursdays when they have live musical performances and Art Walk nights are even busier. Depending on how many guests hang around the musicians may stay as late as 10 or 11pm.

The dark interior and terracotta-colored walls give 626 Reserve a warm and cozy atmosphere suitable for romantic dates and intimate gatherings. It is difficult to pinpoint the decor but it almost has an African Art Deco-ish flavor. Some of their artwork is from the gallery next door and rotates on a regular basis.

Taste Wine To Your Heart's Content

626 Reserve has a sort of "do-it-yourself" wine tasting. While they do not offer wine flights, you can come in for happy hour Monday through Friday from 4:00pm-7:00pm and all wines by the glass (and beers) are $2 off, including the 2.5 oz half-glasses. That means you can design your own flight of 5 different wines for about $15.

Nothing fancy, nothing formal. "If you just wanna taste we can do that all day," said Taylor-Gray. That sounds like both an invitation and a challenge. How much would it cost to taste all the wines on their list and would you need to be carried out on a stretcher afterwards?

"Share the Bottle” night allows customers to taste different wines that are newly acquired or not on their ‘by the glass’ list. This event is $15 or more depending on the types of wines they choose to open. Occasionally 626 Reserve holds special wine education and wine tasting/food pairing events on Sundays. Interested individuals are encouraged to sign up on their email list for updates.

626 Reserve Serves Lunch and Dinner To Boot

The reviews on Citysearch for 626 Reserve refer to the establishment as “a hidden gem.” One reviewer gave props to the Maryland crabcakes so I could not pass that up when I visited. The reviewers were not kidding. These crabcakes were one of the best I’ve ever tasted and was obviously made with fresh, flavorful crab meat and a tasty dollop of red pepper coulis. The dish was served with an arrangement of sweet strawberries and a cluster of grapes. It made a light yet satifying accompaniment to my Riesling.

Taylor-Gray commented on how much the neighborhood has changed in the past 10-15 years. “It used to be homeless and drug-addicts on the sidewalks, now it’s mostly business people and residents.” Although the neighborhood may still give you heeby-jeeby vibes at night, Barbara reassures me that if a guest stays late they are happy to call a cab and there is plenty of security detail on bicycles patrolling the streets.

626 Reserve has recently started opening for lunch Tuesday - Friday from 11:30am to 2:30pm. The lunch crowd is still light, as is the daytime foot traffic in this part of town. Hopefully once more people learn of their lunch hours business will pick up.

626 Reserve Wine Bar
626 S. Spring Street #B
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 627-9800

Happy Hour ($2 off wine and beer) 4:00pm-7:00pm Tuesday-Friday
Lunch 11:30am-2:30pm Tuesday-Friday
Dinner 4:00pm-11:00pm Tuesday-Saturday
Closed Sunday and Monday

Stay tuned for the next installment of The Wine Chronicles. Next up, “San Antonio Winery- wine tasting a stone’s throw away.”

-the wine chronicles episode 1: a wine enthusiast’s hope and heartbreak
-the wine chronicles episode 2: Ralph’s as community (wine) cooler
-the wine chronicles episode 3: learning to be less of a wine retard

Check out these related posts:

1. the wine chronicles episode 5: wine tasting a stone’s throw away
2. the wine chronicles episode 3: learning to be less of a wine retard
3. the wine chronicles episode 2: ralph’s as community (wine) cooler
4. the wine chronicles episode 6: a metro jaunt to arroyo whole foods and more