Esters
Image Credit - Eater LA
Wine bar with small plates, retail wine shop.
When the wine collection is so vast, there is an entire corner of the shop dedicated to acting as a wine library of sorts, you know you’ve just reached a wine mecca. No detail too small for attention, Esters has completely blown us out of the water with their simple and classic take on a Santa Monica style, Parisian wine bar. If it helps to imagine the character that Audrey Hepburn plays from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, floating with her cigarette extender (no smoking allowed… It’s just that Audrey always made it look so glamorous, but now we know better.) from the patio to the corner living room. Esters has that same charming, timeless beauty.
It’s a great spot to go with a couple of close friends or a romantic getaway for a couple hours, even if it’s still in LA, in the heart of Santa Monica. The patio seems best suited for couples, with banquettes serving as more comfortable seat options, then a backless stool if any third party should happen to accompany. (Meaning, the third wheel is gonna get the cheap seat!)
If you’re balling on a budget, as so many of us Angelenos are, the happy hour is a great option to enjoy how beautiful the scenery is inside. Monday nights are happy hour all night and what better way to kick off the week than happy hour priced glasses of wine in such an aesthetically pleasing wine bar! If you like the wine you ordered, you can buy a bottle from their expansive collection. We’re obsessed.
Street parking is available but since it’s about seven blocks from the beach, it’s not the worst idea to park somewhere in between, enjoy the sunset over the ocean, and walk down to Esters. Happy hour is normally 3-6 but if you go on Monday, you can get that beach side walk in and still make it in time to enjoy a glass of wine and a (small) happy hour cheese plate.