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Vinoteca
London
Vinoteca’s strong suit has always been its obvious passion for wine. It wears its heart on its sleeve, and sells its wines in its own restaurant and bar by the bottle. It has been justifiably lauded for displaying both the price of its wine at retail (i.e. take home) price and the restaurant mark-up. Admirably, the latter is a fraction of the markup found in equivalent bars and eateries – but then, when you’re this busy almost all the time, turnover comes easy.
No matter. Vinoteca is split into a downstairs dining area, an upstairs bar as well as an aforementioned section dedicated to the sale of said wines. 275 are offered by the bottle, and a rotating selection of 25 are offered by the glass, starting at a very reasonable £2.50. The selection is eclectic as well – as well as the obligatory greatest hits of the French regions as well as favourites from the Mediterranean, it also offers esoteric and interesting choices from hitherto underrated and emerging regions like Slovakia and even Blighty gets a look in with bottles from local producers. Service is efficient and friendly though by and large when it gets busy it can turn into hit-or-miss. Meals are also served at lunch and dinner, but always to accompany the food – never the other way around.
Opening times: Monday - Saturday: 12:00 - 23:00