La Cave Du Vin

La Cave Du VinLa Cave Du Vin
La Cave Du VinLa Cave Du Vin
Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

2785 Euclid Heights Blvd
Cleveland Heights, Ohio, 44106-2885
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.15
Reviews:
18
Ratings:
27
pDev:
16.87%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.13 by whitenads from Michigan

May 24, 2016
 
Rated: 4.23 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Oct 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4.11 by Gregf51 from Ohio

Sep 28, 2015
Photo of YodersBeerEmporium
Reviewed by YodersBeerEmporium from Iowa

4.26/5  rDev +2.7%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.75
Hidden treasure if you can find it! Take friends with you as its in a questionable part of town....HUGE beer selection and a few quality taps as well! Literally like being in a cave...
Jun 11, 2015
 
Rated: 4.33 by Ohiovania from Ohio

Feb 07, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by Nuggetz from Texas

Nov 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by docacl from Massachusetts

May 20, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by throwback from Ohio

Feb 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.76 by rcjennings from Ohio

Dec 16, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by BeerBucks from New York

Oct 09, 2013
Photo of mhaugo
Reviewed by mhaugo from California

3.79/5  rDev -8.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3
If I were to open a bar and call it “La Cave”, this is pretty much exactly what I would want it to look like. To enter, one must walk into an entryway, descend a staircase, and enter a nearly unmarked door. The inside is dimly lit, with dark, unfinished ceilings, exposed heating ducts, brick walls, and a few select Christmas lights to give it some highlights. The horseshoe bar is flanked by racks of wine bottles and a four-door beer cooler. There are small sets of round tables and chairs illuminated by candlelight. Jazz plays lightly over the overhead, while Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory projects on the wall. 8pm on a Monday night and I’m the only customer in the place.

The bottle selection is pretty nice, with a handful of decent vintages, but there are only six lonely draft handles. Bottles include regional choices like Southern Tier, New Holland, Victory, Jolly Pumpkin, Brew Kettle, Fat Heads, and Founders. Nice west coast options like Ballast Point, Stone, Lagunitas, Mission, The Bruery, Green Flash, and 21st Amendment. Also some imports like Mikkeller, Famtome, Trappist Rochefort, Lindemans, and Delirium. I asked the friendly bartender for a local recommendation, and I ended up with Brew Kettle’s White Rajah India Pale Ale (which coincidentally ended up being exactly what I wanted).

I ended up at this place because of Draft Magazine’s “Top 100 Beer Bars in America” list, and I’m not sure I agree. This is a great little establishment, but top 100 in America? I think you need more than six handles to be considered in the upper echelon in the country. But my review is about the bar and not the list, so I am certainly rating it favorably.
Jun 22, 2013
Photo of bili
Reviewed by bili

1/5  rDev -75.9%
vibe: 1 | quality: 1 | service: 1 | selection: 1 | food: 1
I have never written a bad review for any business as I am business owner myself and I know how hard and frustrating it can be working with public but this place (actually its owner) has crossed every limit of rudeness and I do not plan to cross with my food ever again into his place nor will I bring anyone or recommend this place to anyone. I wish I could give it a 0 in reviews

Wow what a wreck of an owner. he should not be in this business! The place is romantic as you will read in other reviews but if you are planning on bringing a date you might want to reconsider as you might be attacked and yelled at by the owner himself. Who knows maybe a bottle will hit you at some point too! That would be embarrassing, wouldn't it? If you mr Eric as a bar owner cannot take a positive criticism and don't know how treat customer than you should go to out of the business and do some sort of more "anger-related" type of work.
Here is the story. It was Wednesday evening, I met up a friend for a relaxing evening and glass of wine. We chose this venue as we have been here before and felt that this place would be good choice considering that we were in mood for glass of wine. As we enter the place we realize the place is pretty empty (there were 4 tables at the time mainly seating 2) We order our wine, bruschetta, and cheese plate. We were waiting over 20 min for bruschetta, considering the amount of people inside it was pretty long. We were joking already how it seamed as they were preparing a roast for us and not a simple dish. Yet we were still ok and patiently waiting. 10 more minutes later our cheese plate arrives and its brought out by the owner. I made my comment about the roast, which was intended as a joke and a positive criticism which he took as attack (since I have been in this business I have dealt with far worse customers and it never even crossed my mind to argue with the customer) and started giving us explanation why it took so long to cut 4 wedges of cheese and few more slices of sausage, and toast bread for bruschetta and some other explanations which I did not understand what that had to do with our order. Anyway for us it did not justify 30 minutes but we would have been cool if he did not start raising his tone of voice and clearly showing frustration and telling us that we can leave if we wanted to and that we can get the dish for free, which that made us frustrated and really insulted. We explained to him that we did not have such a thing in mind and that he is not understanding our point at all, at which point my friend said "enough" and lets leave. Then we got a taunting speech and how we think we are better than that place and that he doesn't give a f... if we leave (mind you he repeated the F word 3 times) At that point it was clear, either this guy will continue to insult us or we simply leave, and we did leave. Really too bad for the place to have this kind of rude management. Definitely not going back!
Nov 17, 2012
Photo of dorianmarley
Reviewed by dorianmarley from Ohio

4.4/5  rDev +6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
This is my favorite place in Ohio. There is no more peaceful place than a back table in La Cave Du Vin.

The beer selection is exhausting and still selective. A handful of artisan beers are on tap, with over a hundred bottles of beer to choose from in a walk-up refrigerator.

The lighting is dim. A small, table candle allows you to see the faces of those sharing a table with you, and not much more. It provides for an intimate, but still relaxed environment.

The cheese boards are very well made. The cheeses themselves are good, and they are paired with nuts and fruits and crackers that accentuate the cheeses. And it all goes so well with beer.

La Cave Du Vin is an incomparable experience, unless you have been to some Belgian monastery beer cave. In that case, you would feel right at home.
Sep 12, 2011
Photo of Hoppedup616
Reviewed by Hoppedup616 from Ohio

4.56/5  rDev +9.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
First off, the location of this place couldn't be better. It's located next to my favorite music venue, The Grog Shop. So, before and after attending a show, I always stop in there. As you walk down the stairs, you start to wonder what this place will be like. The outside of the building, and basement level entrance doesn't do it justice. The atmosphere of this place is incredible, all lit by candle light, giant wooden bar, and plenty of seating for groups or just you and another person. They have multiple taps, which change everytime I'm in there, which is awesome. Last time I came through they had Stone's Old Guardian on tap, which was exceptional. They have crap ton of great craft beers in their fridge located on the other side of the bar. They have just about everything, most of them are resonably priced, as far as craft beer goes. I stuck with the Southern Tier, and my personal favorite to get there, Gulden Draak. I always notice the large selection of wine they have, but I'm usually to excited about the beer. Great place to stop into if you're local, or just want to take a roadtrip.
Aug 09, 2011
Photo of Tifore
Reviewed by Tifore from Ohio

3.35/5  rDev -19.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 1 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
Ah La Cave Du Vin. We have a love hate relationship don't we...

The atmostphere at La Cave is enjoyable. Its located in the basement of a building at the southern part of Coventry near the Grogshop and B side. Located on the corner of Coventry and Euclid Heights. Its very dark once you enter and there are little orange to red christmas lights hanging all over which makes a nice atmoshere. Very dark and scerene which to me is relaxing because I can just grab a beer and mellow out in the privacy of my own table.
The quality here is also very high. They have some beers that I haven't been able to find anywhere at any of the shops in town (Warehouse, Red White and Brew etc...) which is one thing that really makes me love this bar / shop. They really do only stock the top of the top in there coolers / taps.
The service here is the one MAJOR and I mean GIANT downside. The staff all seem to be very very smart and enjoy there beer as much as the rest of us but they have a way of making you feel like your a complete idiot. Also, I've been completely ignored when I've walked in on some of there busier nights like Friday and Saturday. I've waited with a six pack to go on the end of the bar trying to get service only to be told that I'll be helped in a second but don't get looked at for another 10 minutes and even then its just letting me know there busy and it'll be a second which at this point I just walked out. They also have a small section of beers that are sitting out in the open but if you even think about trying to pick one up or buy one you'll be told thats their special stash and its not forsale. Its being cellared till a later date.
The selection here is limited as they only have one decent sized cooler to choose from but as I stated earlier everything is of pretty high quality and you will find something that you can drink without a doubt. If your having trouble looking for something you'll be lucky to have one of the staff members guide you in the right direction but I have seen it happen.
The food here is very limited as well but the cheese plate that my girlfriend and I shared was very nicely put together and tasted pretty good. It was nice to nibble on as we kicked back a few drinks.
All the beer that the sell is priced two ways, a drink in the bar price and a togo price. The thing that I love is that all there beer to go is sold at state minimum which you can't find at my favorite bottle shop. The to drink in the bar price is a bit high but not so high that its not even worth it.

Overall, I still pop my head in here every now and then to see the selection and take home some beer but I've basically given up on drinking at the bar unless its a monday or tuesday and I get in there when they open or soon after bacause thats the only time that the staff seems to care enough to help you.
Jan 04, 2011
Photo of jampics2
Reviewed by jampics2 from Ohio

3.71/5  rDev -10.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 2 | selection: 4.5
Visited many times over the years. This is in the basement of Coventry, a nice spot and one I used to bring dates to enjoy the "members only" feel and the nice drink list.

Atmosphere is incredible. Dark and really romantic. Nice too, not a hole-in-the-wall. Really second to none.

Quality is good, a huge selection of 6 taps and like 300 bottles. Including some rarities too. Lots of Bruery and Cantillon. And I had Flying Dog Barrel Aged Gonzo on tap. Awesome!

Service is this place's downfall. Not because the bartenders suck, they don't. Because the owner, Eric (I think) acts like a beer know-it-all. He has a "beer museum" over in the corner of warm beers that aren't for sale. For fun, grab one and bring it to him and ask how much. He'll say something like "Oh, that's not for sale but thanks for knowing how rare it is". I've had the weirdest interactions with this dude. Really, I'm a friendly knowledgeable geek, you don't need to impress me, you come across as a jerk.

Never tried the food. A bit freaked out that they go in a closet and emerge with a cheese plate. A good venue but not my favorite. A classic case of a good place ruined by snobby ownership. I avoid unless something exclusive is going on.
Aug 10, 2010
Photo of shrxxm216
Reviewed by shrxxm216 from Ohio

4.78/5  rDev +15.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
La Cave Du Vin is located downstairs next to the Grog Shop in Coventry Ohio.
The atmosphere is very nice. Dimly lit with a lot of candles. Very comfortable environment.
The service was fantastic. The owner really knew what he was talking about, and served everything in the proper glass.
Huge selection of beer. The bar is in a cool basement, allowing there to be an aged section with lots of good stuff. Tap selection was nice. They had Old Rasputin, Duvel Green, Southern Tier Unearthly, Prima Pils and a few others.
I had three draft beers and bought 6 bottles to take home. The most notable of these being a 2008 KBS, and payed less than I expected. I will be a returning customer for sure.
Jul 08, 2009
Photo of UDbeernut
Reviewed by UDbeernut from Florida

4.64/5  rDev +11.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5
Great atmospehere, decent size bar with many smaller tables surrounding. Crowd was mostly younger, but a fair amount of "mature" people there

Selection was excellent. Have a cooler with what appeared to be close to 300 different bottles. Several beers on tap, but I mostly stuck with bottles. Everything was poured into the proper glassware, very impressive.

Not a food place really, did offer snack foods, cheese plate, brie, etc. Better go elsewhere if you are looking for a meal.

Deffiantly worth a visit. Top 3 Beer Bar in Cleveland.
Nov 15, 2008
Photo of adamette
Reviewed by adamette from Ohio

3.93/5  rDev -5.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 2
Returned from La Cave Du Vin about an hour ago. Learned about it here on BA.

Atmosphere. This is "The Wine Cave" afterall so accordingly it is moderatley dark (really just dark corners..the bar and walking areas are moderately lit) with wine and beer bottles (some in the Fridge) lining the walls but there is some modern art (originals?) also prevelant. I liked the atmosphere. It was very comfortable. There are ...I dunno... 15 small tables with 3 to 4 chairs around them and about 10 bar stools in front of the bar which features no macros whatsoever.

Quality. Quite good for beer. Employee spoke of proper glassware, proper serving temperatures, reduced lines for the taps (no more than 5 feet!) and regular cleaning of lines, etc. Bottles were presented in a clean, organized way. This is a small bar with "to go" beers available.

Service. Staff consisted of a single young lady (I got there as it opened at 5 p.m....I was not aware that it opened at that time...I simply showed up on coincidence then) who was busy "setting up" for the evening as I spoke with her. She was patient with me as I asked various questions.

Selection. about 250 bottles "out front" with "more that we rotate in" in the back and 6 taps tonight
1. Tommyknocker Black Powder Stout
2. Two Brothers Bitter End Pale Ale
3. Stone Levitation
4. Cider Bouche (sp?)
5. La Trappe Quad (!)
6. Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale
In all I consider that to be a nice selection. I bought Delerium Noel and LAgunitas "We're only in it for the Money" in 250ml bottle too. Very nice bottle selection including (not limited to) Gulden Draak, Piraat, Rogue, Southern Tier, all Deleriums, Avery, New Holland and several Two Brothers bottles.

Food. This is not a food place. Just some snacky stuff. Here is a smattering of what they offered: Antipasti plate, Brie, Cheese plate, Beer cheese plate, homemade bread. I was not impressed even though it is not any kind of a food place.

Value: Delerium Noel 250ml $18
Lagunitas We're only in it for the.. $9
I think that it is reasonable. My tap beers were something like 5 or 6...I did not look.

Notes: Cool place that I wish I had closer to me (I live about 25 miles away) but I would go there AFTER dinner since what little food they offer will not satisfy. I know that it is not supposed to be a restaurant as the focus is wine and beer.
Nov 09, 2008
Photo of imaguitargod
Reviewed by imaguitargod from Ohio

4.88/5  rDev +17.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Ahhhh, La Cave Du Vin, how I love your selections, let me count the ways....on second thought, that'll take to long. The beer selection is HUGE and so is their wines as well. This place, by far, has the most knowledge full staff that I have ever seen. They use the correct glass wear for the correct style of beer. Did I mention the beer selection is great? They also have a fair amount of cellar aged beers. Try to get their early though because this place is hopping at night and it's a bit tougher to get served. The people that work there are extremely awesome and very friendly. If you are in the area, you should definitely stop by.
Apr 01, 2008
Photo of 77suburban
Reviewed by 77suburban from Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Fantastic atmosphere. Dark and cave-like (as you'd expect). Music isn't too loud for conversation. Local art is on display. The staff seems to be quite knowledgeable about both beers and wines, definitely more than many bar tenders or wine sellers I've dealt with. They have a very unique selection of bottled beers, many I've never seen before, which is a rare instance. Prices are a bit high, but it's worth treating yourself from time to time. If you're into liquor and mixed drinks, I noticed that they have one of the best stocked bars I've ever seen. It's a great neighborhood in which to have a nice dinner and then walkover to La Cave for a drink.
Jan 14, 2008
Photo of Nipitato
Reviewed by Nipitato from Massachusetts

4.29/5  rDev +3.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4
La Cave Du Vin is located in the trendy Coventry neighborhood in Cleveland Heights - or is it actually Cleveland? Anyway, this basement bar is pretty damn sweet. The atmosphere is laid back, dark, with almost too loud music. Plenty of tables and ample seating along the bar that snakes its way through two rooms. The coolest thing about this place is how you get your beer. Along one wall is a large beer cooler. You simply pick which beer you want, take it to the bartender at the bar, and they open it up and pour it into its appropriate glassware. A good selection of beer with solid Midwest brewery representation. Average English selection, better German selection, Good Belgian selection. All in all pretty cool. The cooler was a great place for people to strike up conversations about their next beer choice and provide opinions. They also had a range of draft selections.

Prices were moderate but not ridiculous. Service was good and attentive with a dose of the typical condescension that seems to unfortunately be the norm in beer bars in hipster neighborhoods.

Didn't try the food but they had a good looking menu with multiple cheese trays.
Sep 05, 2007
Photo of neenerzig
Reviewed by neenerzig from Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +3.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | food: 3
This is pretty much the only bar my friends and I my friends and I go to when we just want to go to a bar. Well, I guess this one and the Great Lakes brewery/pub once in awhile. We all live on the east side and most of us live within 3 miles or so of each other so this is a great close location for us. Mainly, the only other time we will get drinks at a bar is if we are at a concert at venues like the Grog Shop, Beachland, etc. which have decent beer selections for concert venue bars. Anyways the selection at La Cav Du Vin is one of the best I have ever seen at any bar. Period. The name La Cav Du Vin is French for "The Wine Cave." They have probabley well over 50 craft beers in bottles as well as 6 craft beers on tap, all of which change from time to time. I dont even think this bar carries cheap American macro brews such as Budweiser, Miller, Coors, etc. The only bar I have ever known that carries craft and micro brews exclusively. They have beers there both on tap and in bottles that I have never heard of before and others that I have only seen for sale at maybe 1 or 2 stores in the greater Cleveland area but have never seen for sale at any other bar. Great Lakes, Stone, Sierra Nevada, Unibroue, Bell's, Rogue, Samuel Smith and Corsendonk can all be found here. They also have a nice selection of Stouts and Ales. They have also carry sort of odd beers such as a blueberry ale, a strawberry ale and seaweed ale. Both of which were very tasty when I tried them. They carry all the seasonal brews from Great Lakes as well as most if not all of the seasonal brews of Stone. i am still kicking myself for not getting the Stone 9th Anniversary Ale last August when they had it there. I won't make the same mistake with the 10th Anniversary Ale this year. As the name would imply they also have a very fine wine selction as well as food such as cheese and crackers that go along with wine. They also have a decent selection of hard alcohol behind the bar. They could change the name of this place to "La Cav Du Booze" since it has the 3 main types of alcoholic beverages-beer, wine, and hard alcohol. The service is average, not great, not terrible. Sometimes the bar is so busy that it seems like they need to hire more bartenders. However, the last time I was in there was on a weeknight so the place was not too busy and the bartender was very helpful and knowlegable about all their beers on tap. I think this bar is a little more pricey than most others I have been to. It is the only bar I know that adds a sales tax to the beers, both domestics and imports, you buy to drink there. For example say a beer you want, either from the tap or a bottle, is $6. You assume the sales tax is already built into that $6, but when you to to the counter to pay for your beer you find out that the it's total cost is actually $6.75. I don't know what the fuck is up that, it sort of pisses me off. I have never had that experience at any other bar I have been to. This seemingly extra charge is only the case for beers you buy in bottles and isn't added to your bill when buying beers drawn from the tap. Now you can also buy beers in the bottles to go and I assume you can buy bottles of wine to go as well. Obviously if you buy a beer to go it will be cheaper than if you were going to drink it there and naturally a sales tax is added just as if you were buying it at a beverage store. Because of the seemingly extra sales tax for drinking in and the fact that the service is average, this is the only bar where I am often reluctant to tip my bartender. The atmosphere of this bar, along with the fantastic beer selection, is what draws me to it most. This bar does have a very cave like atmosphere. It is quite dark inside, even for a bar, and the tables are lit by candlelight.

Eric
Jun 06, 2006
Photo of TurdFurgison
Reviewed by TurdFurgison from Ohio

4.58/5  rDev +10.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
I found this bar on BA, and tried it despite the previous reviews which compained about service. I'm glad I stopped here. The service was much much better than I expected. The bartender was completely friendly, helpful, and knowledgable.

The best attribute is the atmosphere, kind of dark with trippy techno music (that night), put me in the mind of an opium den. And the drug of choice was damn sweet beer, top shelf selections on tap. Not many taps, but they were all awesome (one quad, one American stout, one Russian imperial stout, and several others which are hard to remember but were tasty). You could choose from 100's of bottles also, many of them (maybe most) Belgians.

I heard that the taps switch kind of often, and are always good obscure beers. I'd stop here weekly if I lived in Cleveland. I completely recommend this bar.
Jan 28, 2006
Photo of DaPeculierDane
Reviewed by DaPeculierDane from Wisconsin

4.44/5  rDev +7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Update - Visit on 6-12-07

Below you will find my original review of La Cav. I am raising my original service score from a 1 to a 4.5 assuming that my bad experience was a fluke. I am also raising quality score from 4 to 4.5.

Updated Review - This last trip I had great, knowledgeable service. I drank Rasputin on Nitro and Cantillon Organic on tap. I bought Blonde Behemoth, Saison Deluxe, Unearthly IPA, Fantome Printempts, loads of singles, etc...I was shocked to find that they can sell carry-outs until bar time! The bartender knew as much about beer as any active BA and had just returned from a road trip to FFF. I greatly enjoyed my conversation with him and appreciated his recommendations on beers. I also found that La Cav is more beer focused then it was a couple of years ago. Prices were pretty darn high to drink there but carry-outs were a steal, about 40% less then the drink in price. Also, my Rasputin was served in a 16 oz glass and for only $4 and change so I am changing the value score from $$$ to $$. One other thing I learned about the Cav is that they are a bunch of hippies. They are so anti-BMC that they will not carry brands that associate with them…that means no Goose Island or anybody else that has deals or is partially owned by the big boys. I don’t agree with this policy but since they manage to fill up the shelves with awesome brews I don’t really care.

La Cav is absolutely a top destination for BAs visiting Cleveland, especially those from states west of Ohio because of all the East Coast beers available there.

Original Review - I really enjoyed this cave despite the abominable lack of service. Admittedly, it was a busy holiday weekend when I was there, however, the service was really just too pathetic and kind of unbelievable. I waited at a table for about 10 minutes and when no one came to help us I walked to the cooler and picked out two 750 bottles and carried them to the bar. I waited for about 5 minutes and then paid. To my shock the snotty little hipster walked away with my tip and didn’t even bother to open my bottles. I waited a few minutes longer while he gabbed with some friends at the other end of the bar, showing no signs of wanting to return. Then I took out my Swiss army knife, opened the bottles my self, and went back to my friends and table. About 15 minutes later that same little “cooler then thou” punk came up to me in a rage, screaming at me to leave and that he was calling the cops because I opened the bottle myself. I laughed at him until the manager came over and told me calmly not to open any bottles in the future because it could get them in trouble with Johny Law. He didn’t apologize for his loony-tunes employee but at least he dragged him away so that my friends and I could enjoy our brews in peace.

Anyways, to the good stuff. The atmosphere rocks. It looks, feels, and smells how a cave should, dark and dank. The selection is tremendous, particularly due to the large number of the 750s. This is really a great place to drink. They just need to get rid of that bartender jerk and the cave will be one of my favorite bars in Cleveland hands down. Definitely a great place to take a date.

(Visited Labor Day Weekend, 2005)
Nov 10, 2005
Photo of ViveLaChouffe
Reviewed by ViveLaChouffe from Georgia

4.36/5  rDev +5.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
If I lived in Cleveland, I would be a regular at this place.

As you descend into the "cave" (it is actually subterranean), it gets dark and the room is mostly lit with candles on barrels and Christmas lights. The bar itself has candles all over to light your beer and is divide into two sections. The "right" side is nearest the beer cooler and seems to be the non-smoking side while the "left" side near the drafts seems to be non-smoking. The mutha wall of coolers stocks over 100 types of beer, local, domestic and foreign. Great Lakes Brewing, Rogue and Fantome to name three. I was in the mood for a draft so went over to the other side to see what they had. 6 taps. But, oh, what taps they be! From my hazy recollection that evening: North Coast No. 38 on nitro, Dogfish Head 60 Min. IPA, an Irish lager whose name escpaes me, Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter, Avery Maharajah and Weyerbacher Insanity. Enough said.

Both the barkeeps were very knowledgable about the beers and friendly and prompt with a pint.

Beers were fresh, every one.

A must hit when in Cleveland.
Jul 28, 2005
Photo of Dogbrick
Reviewed by Dogbrick from Ohio

4.36/5  rDev +5.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Cave du Vin is located in a quaint little area about 20 min from downtown Cleveland. Plenty of free/metered parking and pay lots are around. Even if you have to park further away the walk is nice. The "Cave" is on the lower level of a building it shares with the Grog Shop.

Upon entering a door that looks like it belongs on a restroom in a mall it immediately becomes nearly pitch black. The space is lighted only by candles and some christmas lights (and the beer cooler). It is a great effect for the wine cellar/bar theme they have. The bar is cozy, with seathing scattered about and a decent sized bar. The right side contains said beer cooler and racks full of wine, and there is a small collection of art done by locals.

The beer selection is pretty impressive. While only 6 taps, they are great brews like Old Rasputin and Bell's. The bottled selection is great and one can purchase for the road or to have there. The prices seemed high but they may have been the "dining in" prices. Bottled selections included GLBC, Bell's, Stone, Two Brothers etc.

Can't complain about the service here. The bartender was helpful in describing the beers and asked where I was from, what show I was seeing etc. Very friendly.

I didn't have any food, it seemed to be only appetizers of the cheese variety.

In a nutshell I loved this place. The fact that it is right by the Grog Shop and a Winking Lizard doesn't hurt either. I will definitely be looking for reasons to visit this area again. It might be a drive from downtown but I would recommend the scenic drive to this suburb to anyone visiting Cleveland.
Jun 27, 2005
La Cave Du Vin in Cleveland Heights, OH
Place rating: 4.15 out of 5 with 27 ratings