K'nB Wine Cellars
Type: Bar, Eatery, Store
6380 Del Cerro Blvd
San Diego, California, 92120-4703
United States
(619) 286-0321 | map
knbwinecellars.com
Notes:
Formerly Del Cerro Liquor
Added by torchednoodle on 11-25-2008
View: Place Reviews | Events
Reviews: 25 | Ratings: 44
4.13/5 rDev -6.1%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
One of my favorite places to go, especially on a Wednesday night, where it's $3 and $5 draft beers. They have a great selection on tap and pretty good selection on bottles. Prices for the bottles and cans are fairly average, but not over the top. My only drawback with this place is the service and I'm talking the restaurant service. It's always slow going and poor service in general. And that's every time I go.
★ 414 characters
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
One of my favorite places to go, especially on a Wednesday night, where it's $3 and $5 draft beers. They have a great selection on tap and pretty good selection on bottles. Prices for the bottles and cans are fairly average, but not over the top. My only drawback with this place is the service and I'm talking the restaurant service. It's always slow going and poor service in general. And that's every time I go.
★ 414 characters
3.77/5 rDev -14.3%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3 | selection: 3.75
Made a stop here to see what I could find that wasn't available back home, did not find to much, although the selection was good it was not amazing. I probably should have been more pro-active and asked for those that I was after (Russian River, etc.). I had an average experience and would probably go again if I am in the area.
★ 329 characters
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3 | selection: 3.75
Made a stop here to see what I could find that wasn't available back home, did not find to much, although the selection was good it was not amazing. I probably should have been more pro-active and asked for those that I was after (Russian River, etc.). I had an average experience and would probably go again if I am in the area.
★ 329 characters
4.33/5 rDev -1.6%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
One of my favorite places to stop when visiting. I don't have annoying people coming to me telling me what I should try that's new from CA breweries and instead I get an awesome selection with an always awesome tap list! Food has always been great and I just love the vibe I get when I'm in the store. Would recommend stopping here for lunch and something delicious on tap either before of after you shop for some great bottles.
★ 428 characters
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
One of my favorite places to stop when visiting. I don't have annoying people coming to me telling me what I should try that's new from CA breweries and instead I get an awesome selection with an always awesome tap list! Food has always been great and I just love the vibe I get when I'm in the store. Would recommend stopping here for lunch and something delicious on tap either before of after you shop for some great bottles.
★ 428 characters
4.5/5 rDev +2.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5
I visited here recently on a trip to San Diego. It is a great bottle shop with a good wine selection, as well as a bar that serves food. It's a nice place to visit, especially if you have someone with you that prefers wine to beer, you can get both at the bar. We had some great guacamole, a pint and a glass of wine.
The selection wasn't the largest of the bottle shops I visited in San Diego, but they did have three bottles of Supplication which I quickly purchased. Of the four bottle shops in San Diego, I visited, this was the only place that had Supplication. Service was friendly, but not overly so.
★ 608 characters
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5
I visited here recently on a trip to San Diego. It is a great bottle shop with a good wine selection, as well as a bar that serves food. It's a nice place to visit, especially if you have someone with you that prefers wine to beer, you can get both at the bar. We had some great guacamole, a pint and a glass of wine.
The selection wasn't the largest of the bottle shops I visited in San Diego, but they did have three bottles of Supplication which I quickly purchased. Of the four bottle shops in San Diego, I visited, this was the only place that had Supplication. Service was friendly, but not overly so.
★ 608 characters
4.2/5 rDev -4.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Stopped in here for Russian River and Alpine bottles to bring back to Boston with me. They had neither. I was told that they did have some but it's released during big beer release weekends that weren't happening any time soon. This whole idea irked me but hey, it's theirs to do what they want with it.
Despite not having what I was looking for the place has a massive selection of beer, wine & liquor. Don't get me wrong, the beer selection really is good at this place and I bought a couple of nice bottles but after reading all the reviews mentioning RR I was disappointed.
Also had a cheese plate and a pint out on the patio with the wife. This was a nice touch and it's a very nice option for a liquor store to have. The infused cheeses were ok, the Stone Enjoy By IPA was excellent.
Call ahead if you're hunting for anything specific.
★ 844 characters
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Stopped in here for Russian River and Alpine bottles to bring back to Boston with me. They had neither. I was told that they did have some but it's released during big beer release weekends that weren't happening any time soon. This whole idea irked me but hey, it's theirs to do what they want with it.
Despite not having what I was looking for the place has a massive selection of beer, wine & liquor. Don't get me wrong, the beer selection really is good at this place and I bought a couple of nice bottles but after reading all the reviews mentioning RR I was disappointed.
Also had a cheese plate and a pint out on the patio with the wife. This was a nice touch and it's a very nice option for a liquor store to have. The infused cheeses were ok, the Stone Enjoy By IPA was excellent.
Call ahead if you're hunting for anything specific.
★ 844 characters
4.6/5 rDev +4.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5
This place is a must stop if you have access to a car in SD. Located a bit up the highway near San Diego State, we stopped in at the beginning of a road trip day during our vacation.
Nice looking place, well laid out, easy to find your way around. The selection was outstanding. We maxed out our beer buying budget with great craft selections. Highlights were the Upright 7 and a whole slot full of Damnation Batch 23 (we bought 6).
Service was very pleasant. Stone was making a delivery while we were there and some of the case boxes were blocking the shelves we were looking to check out. The guy was very quick to move the boxes so we could see everything (and buy more).
Check it out!
HV
★ 695 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5
This place is a must stop if you have access to a car in SD. Located a bit up the highway near San Diego State, we stopped in at the beginning of a road trip day during our vacation.
Nice looking place, well laid out, easy to find your way around. The selection was outstanding. We maxed out our beer buying budget with great craft selections. Highlights were the Upright 7 and a whole slot full of Damnation Batch 23 (we bought 6).
Service was very pleasant. Stone was making a delivery while we were there and some of the case boxes were blocking the shelves we were looking to check out. The guy was very quick to move the boxes so we could see everything (and buy more).
Check it out!
HV
★ 695 characters
4.5/5 rDev +2.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
After a trip in Palm Springs (the liquor store in nearby La Mesa, not the desert city), I thought I had seen it all. Not so. With an never ending itenarary as I crawled closer back to Orange County, the talk of KnB grabbed my interest.
High ceilings and long, tall aisles make you feel small inside this alcohol heaven. It's clean, reasonably lit without burning your eyes, and rustic. There's a bar in one corner of the store with over 20 different beers on-tap, but I wasn't here to drink. I was here to purchase bottles. Roughly half of the beer in bottles are refrigerated, all tagged with pricetags, and neatly displayed. Friendly employees worked the beer as I looked around.
Brands include but not limited to Dogfish Head, Lost Abbey, Ballast Point, Lightning, Theakston, The Bruery, and surprisingly Jester King. There must be at least 500 lables to choose from.
Quiet location, lots of beer to choose from, draft beer available to drink there, and good looking food served. What's not to like?
★ 1,007 characters
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
After a trip in Palm Springs (the liquor store in nearby La Mesa, not the desert city), I thought I had seen it all. Not so. With an never ending itenarary as I crawled closer back to Orange County, the talk of KnB grabbed my interest.
High ceilings and long, tall aisles make you feel small inside this alcohol heaven. It's clean, reasonably lit without burning your eyes, and rustic. There's a bar in one corner of the store with over 20 different beers on-tap, but I wasn't here to drink. I was here to purchase bottles. Roughly half of the beer in bottles are refrigerated, all tagged with pricetags, and neatly displayed. Friendly employees worked the beer as I looked around.
Brands include but not limited to Dogfish Head, Lost Abbey, Ballast Point, Lightning, Theakston, The Bruery, and surprisingly Jester King. There must be at least 500 lables to choose from.
Quiet location, lots of beer to choose from, draft beer available to drink there, and good looking food served. What's not to like?
★ 1,007 characters
4.5/5 rDev +2.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Stopped by during a recent trip to San Diego. This place has a unique blend of liquor/wine store, bottle shop, artisan eatery and draft beer bar. It's mostly a liquor store that specializes in wine but they have one long aisle dedicated to craft bottles. One side is room temp bottles while the other is lined with coolers.
The bottle selection is pretty good with some selections from Avery, Loverbeer, Hangar 24, Russian River, Fantome, Drie Fonteinen, Deschutes, etc. Some really good choices but what puts their selection a notch higher is the twenty or so beers available on draft. Lots of cool SD locals as well as some other cool CA offerings, some east coast stuff, Belgians, etc. Lots of variety and the board is separated into styles. Pliny, Sculpin, Hangar 24, Lost Abbey, Green Flash, Rodenbach, etc.
You can sit at the counter and enjoy your beer but they also provide a small seating area where you can enjoy a beer with your meal. I didn't eat her but they offer gourmet/artisan sandwiches and other foods. Everything sounded great and looked even better.
Another great characteristic of this place is the service. I was offered help while browsing bottles and the one guys even looked in the back for certain beers that I didn't see on the shelf. The guy who poured my beer at the counter and the guy preparing the food were both friendly and knowledgeable, offering lots if advice when they found out that I was from out of town. we talked about all of the local breweries and they gave me some great recommendations. Also, one of them was a home brewer and very knowledgeable about beer. He and I had a lengthy discussion about all things beer.
Overall, this place was a lot of fun. A great combination if bottle shop, eatery and bar. I would have stayed a lot longer but had people waiting for me and didn't want a DUI. If I was a local I would spend a lot of time here. Highly recommended!
★ 1,917 characters
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Stopped by during a recent trip to San Diego. This place has a unique blend of liquor/wine store, bottle shop, artisan eatery and draft beer bar. It's mostly a liquor store that specializes in wine but they have one long aisle dedicated to craft bottles. One side is room temp bottles while the other is lined with coolers.
The bottle selection is pretty good with some selections from Avery, Loverbeer, Hangar 24, Russian River, Fantome, Drie Fonteinen, Deschutes, etc. Some really good choices but what puts their selection a notch higher is the twenty or so beers available on draft. Lots of cool SD locals as well as some other cool CA offerings, some east coast stuff, Belgians, etc. Lots of variety and the board is separated into styles. Pliny, Sculpin, Hangar 24, Lost Abbey, Green Flash, Rodenbach, etc.
You can sit at the counter and enjoy your beer but they also provide a small seating area where you can enjoy a beer with your meal. I didn't eat her but they offer gourmet/artisan sandwiches and other foods. Everything sounded great and looked even better.
Another great characteristic of this place is the service. I was offered help while browsing bottles and the one guys even looked in the back for certain beers that I didn't see on the shelf. The guy who poured my beer at the counter and the guy preparing the food were both friendly and knowledgeable, offering lots if advice when they found out that I was from out of town. we talked about all of the local breweries and they gave me some great recommendations. Also, one of them was a home brewer and very knowledgeable about beer. He and I had a lengthy discussion about all things beer.
Overall, this place was a lot of fun. A great combination if bottle shop, eatery and bar. I would have stayed a lot longer but had people waiting for me and didn't want a DUI. If I was a local I would spend a lot of time here. Highly recommended!
★ 1,917 characters
4.94/5 rDev +12.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
So just got back from this place today as it seems to be the best rated area near me. And yes...they do have a large beer selection, most that I've come across thus far. Overwhelming, but in a good way. Nice dark place well kept temperature. Aisles and shelving are not too enclosed together where you feel like if you pick up one bottle you might knock everything over.
EDIT - there was a little water puddle in the back that I stepped into, luckily I was not holding any bottles, may have been from someone starring at the Miller High Life 24 packs too long?
They do carry many beers including locals like Alesmith, Ironfist, a mix of Russian River, Port, some Lost Abbey. No Alpine or Ballast point that I saw, however they carried their hard liquors. A LOT of imported beers as well including some Japanese ones.
As for price, they same to be not marked up a dollar or two more like some other places I've been too. The service was great, workers there are not hassling you and are not like "what do you like, you try this? it's on sale, but 3" (most of you would know who and where I'm referring to)
Didn't get to try the food yet, but will as I saw they had many beers on tap I'd would have liked to have.
Overall I'd say I like this store this best, second Palm Spring Liquor, and third the Bottle Shop on Fletcher (keep in mind this is for me who lives in Santee) Would I come back? Definitely.
★ 1,408 characters
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
So just got back from this place today as it seems to be the best rated area near me. And yes...they do have a large beer selection, most that I've come across thus far. Overwhelming, but in a good way. Nice dark place well kept temperature. Aisles and shelving are not too enclosed together where you feel like if you pick up one bottle you might knock everything over.
EDIT - there was a little water puddle in the back that I stepped into, luckily I was not holding any bottles, may have been from someone starring at the Miller High Life 24 packs too long?
They do carry many beers including locals like Alesmith, Ironfist, a mix of Russian River, Port, some Lost Abbey. No Alpine or Ballast point that I saw, however they carried their hard liquors. A LOT of imported beers as well including some Japanese ones.
As for price, they same to be not marked up a dollar or two more like some other places I've been too. The service was great, workers there are not hassling you and are not like "what do you like, you try this? it's on sale, but 3" (most of you would know who and where I'm referring to)
Didn't get to try the food yet, but will as I saw they had many beers on tap I'd would have liked to have.
Overall I'd say I like this store this best, second Palm Spring Liquor, and third the Bottle Shop on Fletcher (keep in mind this is for me who lives in Santee) Would I come back? Definitely.
★ 1,408 characters
4.8/5 rDev +9.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5
We stopped here only because we were in the area...but boy am i glad we did so!
Atmosphere: basically its a high end wine/liquor/craft beer store with a small bar and outside patio. it is very upscale looking.
Quality/Selection: might have been the best beer store I have ever been to. I groaned a lot as i viewed so many beautiful beers that my wallet could not afford. the tap list was quite impressive. there were a lot of offerings from Firestone, Lost Abbey, Bruery, etc....i was very impressed.
Service: extremely helpful and enthusiastic.
All in all, i just loved this place. if i had the money, this would be my hang out spot. don't get me wrong...the place itself doesn't mark up the beers, but rather they just sell some extremely rare and sought after beers...Fantome...3F....etc..
★ 797 characters
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5
We stopped here only because we were in the area...but boy am i glad we did so!
Atmosphere: basically its a high end wine/liquor/craft beer store with a small bar and outside patio. it is very upscale looking.
Quality/Selection: might have been the best beer store I have ever been to. I groaned a lot as i viewed so many beautiful beers that my wallet could not afford. the tap list was quite impressive. there were a lot of offerings from Firestone, Lost Abbey, Bruery, etc....i was very impressed.
Service: extremely helpful and enthusiastic.
All in all, i just loved this place. if i had the money, this would be my hang out spot. don't get me wrong...the place itself doesn't mark up the beers, but rather they just sell some extremely rare and sought after beers...Fantome...3F....etc..
★ 797 characters
5/5 rDev +13.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Very impressed with this place. It took me a while to venture out to check this place out and glad I did. Brought home a nice bottle to cellar and found some nice gems while I was there. They have a long shelf stacked with a wide selection of good craft brews. Cooler is stocked with some rare bottles that you just don't see in some other stores. Check this place out-you will be happy. The girl behind the counter was very nice and helpful. Mentioned their Wednesday happy hour on beers. Will be sure to go back.
★ 514 characters
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Very impressed with this place. It took me a while to venture out to check this place out and glad I did. Brought home a nice bottle to cellar and found some nice gems while I was there. They have a long shelf stacked with a wide selection of good craft brews. Cooler is stocked with some rare bottles that you just don't see in some other stores. Check this place out-you will be happy. The girl behind the counter was very nice and helpful. Mentioned their Wednesday happy hour on beers. Will be sure to go back.
★ 514 characters
4.15/5 rDev -5.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
KnB Wine Cellars is located north of SDSU on the 8 East, off College Avenue. This place is right next to Windmill Farms.
The atmosphere as you walk in is like any normal liquor store until you glance to your right and notice the lounge area and open kitchen area. They have a medium to average selection of beers on tap and have flights available for the undecided....
Their selection of beer is moderate to good, but with bottle prices ranging from mid's to high's I would recommend shopping around..cough, cough, next door, WINDMILL FARMS, for local beers, and holding out for your standard selection of San Diego standards (Balast Point, Pizza Port, Firestone Walker, etc..)
They do have a fair selection of Belgians and one off's but be prepared to pay a premium...$16.99 Supplication..?!
Overall a good selection of beer and the food is ok, just a little high for what you get, be prepared to leave with spending around $20-$30 for a couple beers and a meal.
★ 967 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
KnB Wine Cellars is located north of SDSU on the 8 East, off College Avenue. This place is right next to Windmill Farms.
The atmosphere as you walk in is like any normal liquor store until you glance to your right and notice the lounge area and open kitchen area. They have a medium to average selection of beers on tap and have flights available for the undecided....
Their selection of beer is moderate to good, but with bottle prices ranging from mid's to high's I would recommend shopping around..cough, cough, next door, WINDMILL FARMS, for local beers, and holding out for your standard selection of San Diego standards (Balast Point, Pizza Port, Firestone Walker, etc..)
They do have a fair selection of Belgians and one off's but be prepared to pay a premium...$16.99 Supplication..?!
Overall a good selection of beer and the food is ok, just a little high for what you get, be prepared to leave with spending around $20-$30 for a couple beers and a meal.
★ 967 characters
4.66/5 rDev +5.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5
On a Sunday - Monday period in Mid October, I did a tour of San Diego breweries, brewpubs and beer stores. All the bottle shops I visited received A+ ratings with a significant number of reviews. My goal was primarily Russian River brews (Pliny, Blind Pig, Supplication) and then WC IPA's that I can't get in Ohio (Alpine, Kern River).
The places I visited in order of ranking...
1. 3 Way tie - KnB Wine Cellars, Beverages 4 Less, Best Damn Beer Shop
2. Holiday Wine Cellar
3. Olive Tree Marketplace
4. Pizza Port Bottle Shop
KnB would have probably come in at #1 for me if I would have gone later in the day when they were serving beer. I hit it early in the day on Monday as they were opening. Huge, outstanding collection of beers. Had all the beers I was looking for including Kern River (which I didn't see anywhere else) and DFH Bitches Brew.
★ 851 characters
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5
On a Sunday - Monday period in Mid October, I did a tour of San Diego breweries, brewpubs and beer stores. All the bottle shops I visited received A+ ratings with a significant number of reviews. My goal was primarily Russian River brews (Pliny, Blind Pig, Supplication) and then WC IPA's that I can't get in Ohio (Alpine, Kern River).
The places I visited in order of ranking...
1. 3 Way tie - KnB Wine Cellars, Beverages 4 Less, Best Damn Beer Shop
2. Holiday Wine Cellar
3. Olive Tree Marketplace
4. Pizza Port Bottle Shop
KnB would have probably come in at #1 for me if I would have gone later in the day when they were serving beer. I hit it early in the day on Monday as they were opening. Huge, outstanding collection of beers. Had all the beers I was looking for including Kern River (which I didn't see anywhere else) and DFH Bitches Brew.
★ 851 characters
4.08/5 rDev -7.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
Updated 8-23-2011
Good selection of local, import and a few hard-to-find beers. Many are in the coolers while even more are on the shelves. This place doubles as a beer/wine/tapas bar. The food was pretty damn good for a while, but has been lacking a bit as of late. Order the sandwiches and you'll be fine.
The place is usually poppin' off for $3 pint nights on Wednesdays, and may be a little hard to find a seat. But the drafts are usually pretty diverse. I have noticed a bit of rotation of the draft beers that sometimes leads to an older IPA being served, hopefully they'll get out of that habit and serve all their IPAs as fresh as possible.
Service is pretty good. Adam and Matty P. are both rather knowledgeable about beer, especially local craft and hard-to-find beers. And the selection is pretty good too. They get their fair share of limited-distribution beers and hard-to-finds, bith on draft and in the bottle. They are also one of the only stores locally that sell Pretty Things and Upright.
Anyways, good food and good service at great prices. The beer selection is good and the managers know their way around a bottle of beer. The prices are a little steeper than some of the other stores, but they have gotten a lot more down-to-Earth in the last couple years.
★ 1,283 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
Updated 8-23-2011
Good selection of local, import and a few hard-to-find beers. Many are in the coolers while even more are on the shelves. This place doubles as a beer/wine/tapas bar. The food was pretty damn good for a while, but has been lacking a bit as of late. Order the sandwiches and you'll be fine.
The place is usually poppin' off for $3 pint nights on Wednesdays, and may be a little hard to find a seat. But the drafts are usually pretty diverse. I have noticed a bit of rotation of the draft beers that sometimes leads to an older IPA being served, hopefully they'll get out of that habit and serve all their IPAs as fresh as possible.
Service is pretty good. Adam and Matty P. are both rather knowledgeable about beer, especially local craft and hard-to-find beers. And the selection is pretty good too. They get their fair share of limited-distribution beers and hard-to-finds, bith on draft and in the bottle. They are also one of the only stores locally that sell Pretty Things and Upright.
Anyways, good food and good service at great prices. The beer selection is good and the managers know their way around a bottle of beer. The prices are a little steeper than some of the other stores, but they have gotten a lot more down-to-Earth in the last couple years.
★ 1,283 characters
4.28/5 rDev -2.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
This place had a phenomenal selection of alcohols. Great selection of craft/imported and difficult to track down beers (like Pliny, when you can find it...). Service is great. Food is good. They just recently installed rotational taps so they always have something to pour on site.. That's right, you can grab a beer while you shop for beer!
Overall, prices are decent. Windmill farms next door sometimes undercuts them, however, Windmill's collection doesn't hold a candle-stick to K&B's. Highly recommend to those seeking out a cool, affordable store to find great brews.
★ 574 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
This place had a phenomenal selection of alcohols. Great selection of craft/imported and difficult to track down beers (like Pliny, when you can find it...). Service is great. Food is good. They just recently installed rotational taps so they always have something to pour on site.. That's right, you can grab a beer while you shop for beer!
Overall, prices are decent. Windmill farms next door sometimes undercuts them, however, Windmill's collection doesn't hold a candle-stick to K&B's. Highly recommend to those seeking out a cool, affordable store to find great brews.
★ 574 characters
5/5 rDev +13.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
This is one of my favorites in San Diego. They have a great bottle selection including rare and vintage brews. Their tap list is pretty impressive and they have special nights for different breweries. Their restaurant food is amazing! It's just like Stone's just ALOT cheaper.
The owners and employees have different specialties, some are wine experts, scotch experts and of course some are beer experts. So if you have a beer question just call ahead so you can talk to the right person
Like pastradul said it pays to be a regular here.
★ 540 characters
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
This is one of my favorites in San Diego. They have a great bottle selection including rare and vintage brews. Their tap list is pretty impressive and they have special nights for different breweries. Their restaurant food is amazing! It's just like Stone's just ALOT cheaper.
The owners and employees have different specialties, some are wine experts, scotch experts and of course some are beer experts. So if you have a beer question just call ahead so you can talk to the right person
Like pastradul said it pays to be a regular here.
★ 540 characters
4.53/5 rDev +3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
I'm pretty sure this place used to be a liquor/deli back in the day (when Windmill Farms next door was Stumps). Anyhow, now it is a massive beer/liquor/wine store with a small restaurant & beer bar in it too! Really massive selection; a bit overwhelming! Great quality beer too, and really friendly employees too. It is a bit cramped, though, with boxes in the aisles, and some of the top & bottom shelves don't look like they've been touched in a bit. Maybe I just caught them at a bad time. Prices are good, but on some domestic things they seem a tad pricey. They've got lots of beers from throughout the US and the world. Great Belgian selection, extensive Japanese(!) selection, some Mexican craft beers(?!) etc. I think that the domestic craft selection is a bit better next door (at Windmill Farms), but this is place is quite amazing. Didn't have any food (the girlfriend forgot her ID! *sigh* ;-) ), but the prices and menu looked really good. Will definitely be back!
★ 977 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
I'm pretty sure this place used to be a liquor/deli back in the day (when Windmill Farms next door was Stumps). Anyhow, now it is a massive beer/liquor/wine store with a small restaurant & beer bar in it too! Really massive selection; a bit overwhelming! Great quality beer too, and really friendly employees too. It is a bit cramped, though, with boxes in the aisles, and some of the top & bottom shelves don't look like they've been touched in a bit. Maybe I just caught them at a bad time. Prices are good, but on some domestic things they seem a tad pricey. They've got lots of beers from throughout the US and the world. Great Belgian selection, extensive Japanese(!) selection, some Mexican craft beers(?!) etc. I think that the domestic craft selection is a bit better next door (at Windmill Farms), but this is place is quite amazing. Didn't have any food (the girlfriend forgot her ID! *sigh* ;-) ), but the prices and menu looked really good. Will definitely be back!
★ 977 characters
4.95/5 rDev +12.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
This was my favorite hidden gem in San Diego. Not only do you have one of the best beer stores but you also have a fantastic eatery and drinkery!
The draft line in about 15 long ( with news that it is going to double soon!)
There is a small cappage fee if you want to pull something out of the coolers and drink it there. The people are great, good service, they know their beer pretty dang well. Adam is the head beer guy there and he is always bringing in new rare brews for the draft and in the coolers!
It is also a great place to be a regular, they will treat you well no matter what. But if they like you you totally get hooked up!
★ 641 characters
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
This was my favorite hidden gem in San Diego. Not only do you have one of the best beer stores but you also have a fantastic eatery and drinkery!
The draft line in about 15 long ( with news that it is going to double soon!)
There is a small cappage fee if you want to pull something out of the coolers and drink it there. The people are great, good service, they know their beer pretty dang well. Adam is the head beer guy there and he is always bringing in new rare brews for the draft and in the coolers!
It is also a great place to be a regular, they will treat you well no matter what. But if they like you you totally get hooked up!
★ 641 characters
3.66/5 rDev -16.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4
Still signed as Del Cerro Liquor though run by K N B Wine Cellar this November day. Up and running with taps, wine tastings and food service, including a patio permit with smoking allowed. Passing through from a rare day in the area and after hearing of the on-sale license revision.
Surely wine-centric in nature given the distribution of space and with an interesting sliding library style ladder to access the upper reaches of the liquor shelves. Surely has potential.
Service is harried but with good intent. It was quite busy during my visit.
Selection is not overly robust but they do offer quality over quantity in that regard. Lots of newer releases and a selection that covers a broad range of countries and styles, though turnover is a bit suspect given the date codes of some brews.
Extensive options in the beer fridge which is kept quite cold, no need to rechill upon arrival home if for this evenings consumption. Standard options at room temperature, most of them offer no pricing information however. Given the prices I did see, I didn't seek out that info., not that there was anyone to seek out anyway.
Price? More expensive on every single beer/6 pack than I've ever seen anywhere! If they'll pop it and serve it to you on the patio that's great, maybe. For your standard takeout, ouch! That new license must have cost some bank. Basically, this place is a screw job. If you need it that bad, come and get it, and good luck to ya...
★ 1,459 characters
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4
Still signed as Del Cerro Liquor though run by K N B Wine Cellar this November day. Up and running with taps, wine tastings and food service, including a patio permit with smoking allowed. Passing through from a rare day in the area and after hearing of the on-sale license revision.
Surely wine-centric in nature given the distribution of space and with an interesting sliding library style ladder to access the upper reaches of the liquor shelves. Surely has potential.
Service is harried but with good intent. It was quite busy during my visit.
Selection is not overly robust but they do offer quality over quantity in that regard. Lots of newer releases and a selection that covers a broad range of countries and styles, though turnover is a bit suspect given the date codes of some brews.
Extensive options in the beer fridge which is kept quite cold, no need to rechill upon arrival home if for this evenings consumption. Standard options at room temperature, most of them offer no pricing information however. Given the prices I did see, I didn't seek out that info., not that there was anyone to seek out anyway.
Price? More expensive on every single beer/6 pack than I've ever seen anywhere! If they'll pop it and serve it to you on the patio that's great, maybe. For your standard takeout, ouch! That new license must have cost some bank. Basically, this place is a screw job. If you need it that bad, come and get it, and good luck to ya...
★ 1,459 characters
4.75/5 rDev +8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
I've known the owner Tony and the manager Adam for a very longtime. I met Tony during my college days at San Diego State and have to say his selection of craft beer at Keg N Bottle is what turned me on to craft beer in the first place.
When TK and Adam first explained the concept of K&B Cellars to me two years ago, I thought it sounded like an awesome concept that would be near impossible to pull off. The idea of having a craft beer, wine, and tapas bar inside of a retail store seemed like a major headache in the making.
Flash forward two years: these guy pulled it off in a major way! They have one of the best bottle selections in San Diego and consistently carry an ever changing selection of regional and hard to find brews on draft.
During San Diego Beer Week these guys stepped it up with events with Stone, AleSmith, Green Flash, Ballast Point, Karl Strauss, Airdale, and Lightning. They've become a haven for the beer aficionado and a comfortable and welcoming hangout for neighbors and students. I commend them on their hard work and respect for beer.
★ 1,072 characters
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
I've known the owner Tony and the manager Adam for a very longtime. I met Tony during my college days at San Diego State and have to say his selection of craft beer at Keg N Bottle is what turned me on to craft beer in the first place.
When TK and Adam first explained the concept of K&B Cellars to me two years ago, I thought it sounded like an awesome concept that would be near impossible to pull off. The idea of having a craft beer, wine, and tapas bar inside of a retail store seemed like a major headache in the making.
Flash forward two years: these guy pulled it off in a major way! They have one of the best bottle selections in San Diego and consistently carry an ever changing selection of regional and hard to find brews on draft.
During San Diego Beer Week these guys stepped it up with events with Stone, AleSmith, Green Flash, Ballast Point, Karl Strauss, Airdale, and Lightning. They've become a haven for the beer aficionado and a comfortable and welcoming hangout for neighbors and students. I commend them on their hard work and respect for beer.
★ 1,072 characters
4.26/5 rDev -3.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
So after many business trips to San Diego I was finally able to check out some of the local establishments and see what this town is made of. One of my stops was K & B Wine Cellars, which is tucked into a strip mall just a few miles off of I-8.
The place is impressive with floor to ceiling wine and beer and a bar off to the right side where they have about 10 taps for either tasting on site or to go (which is awesome and every bottle shop should be required to have). The beer section consists of a row of about 10 coolers and across from that about 30' feet of shelving with much of the same beer but at room temperature.
The selection is pretty diverse with quite a few imports as well as a good supply of local stuff and prices were on par or with other shops. I might have went at an in-between time but I didn't see that many harder to find beers as some mentioned earlier. Pretty much the standard lineups from Alesmith, Ballast Point, Lost Abbey, etc. and a bunch of stuff from the up and coming So-Cal breweries. They had a bunch of Older Viscosity, which normally I would have bought a bunch of, but with the carbonation issues I held off on (and I'm sure that's why there still sitting on shelves).
Overall one of the better places that I have seen in San Diego (still haven't been up the Pizza Port bottle shop) and will definitely stop back by when in town.
★ 1,379 characters
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
So after many business trips to San Diego I was finally able to check out some of the local establishments and see what this town is made of. One of my stops was K & B Wine Cellars, which is tucked into a strip mall just a few miles off of I-8.
The place is impressive with floor to ceiling wine and beer and a bar off to the right side where they have about 10 taps for either tasting on site or to go (which is awesome and every bottle shop should be required to have). The beer section consists of a row of about 10 coolers and across from that about 30' feet of shelving with much of the same beer but at room temperature.
The selection is pretty diverse with quite a few imports as well as a good supply of local stuff and prices were on par or with other shops. I might have went at an in-between time but I didn't see that many harder to find beers as some mentioned earlier. Pretty much the standard lineups from Alesmith, Ballast Point, Lost Abbey, etc. and a bunch of stuff from the up and coming So-Cal breweries. They had a bunch of Older Viscosity, which normally I would have bought a bunch of, but with the carbonation issues I held off on (and I'm sure that's why there still sitting on shelves).
Overall one of the better places that I have seen in San Diego (still haven't been up the Pizza Port bottle shop) and will definitely stop back by when in town.
★ 1,379 characters
4.8/5 rDev +9.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5
I made a stop by K&B today and was pleasantly surprised to find some amazing beers. I had read reviews here, and have been telling myself for a while that I needed to check it out. Today I made the time and I'm glad I did.
You walk in and there is floor to ceiling alcohol. It isn't just eye catching, but it also does something to your expectations of a place. It kind of says, we have so much that we don't know where to put it all. I strolled into the beer section of the store and started perusing the coolers. Passing great beer after great beer, I finally realized that I was going to need a box. It would be hard to stop by this place without picking up a few bottles each trip.
I settled on the following:
The Bruery Papier
Mikkeller It's Alright
Stone/CBC/Brew Dog Juxtaposition
Port/LA Older Viscosity
RR Pliny The Elder
RR Blind Pig
Seeing so many great brews in one place just reaffirmed why I love living in San Diego. We have great beer no matter where you go.
I didn't get a chance to try anything they had on tap, or any food, but will have to make a point to return for both of those things. Today was the first day of many trips to K&B Wine Cellar.
★ 1,171 characters
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5
I made a stop by K&B today and was pleasantly surprised to find some amazing beers. I had read reviews here, and have been telling myself for a while that I needed to check it out. Today I made the time and I'm glad I did.
You walk in and there is floor to ceiling alcohol. It isn't just eye catching, but it also does something to your expectations of a place. It kind of says, we have so much that we don't know where to put it all. I strolled into the beer section of the store and started perusing the coolers. Passing great beer after great beer, I finally realized that I was going to need a box. It would be hard to stop by this place without picking up a few bottles each trip.
I settled on the following:
The Bruery Papier
Mikkeller It's Alright
Stone/CBC/Brew Dog Juxtaposition
Port/LA Older Viscosity
RR Pliny The Elder
RR Blind Pig
Seeing so many great brews in one place just reaffirmed why I love living in San Diego. We have great beer no matter where you go.
I didn't get a chance to try anything they had on tap, or any food, but will have to make a point to return for both of those things. Today was the first day of many trips to K&B Wine Cellar.
★ 1,171 characters
4.65/5 rDev +5.7%
Stumbled in there today on a trek to fill one or two entries on a 30 bottle list, filled with seasonal IPAs, DIPAs, Stouts, Belgians, etc. Actually planned to go to the supermarket next door looking for Alpine Brewing stuff, but figured I'd try the liquor store first, just to 'see'...
I walked in, saw the beer on the right side, and promptly asked for two empty boxes, as I was 'gonna be there for a while'. Found almost everything I was looking for, including Pliny the Elder, Glind Pig, Hop Henge, Sea Monster Stout, Victory at Sea, La Chouffe Houble (possibly the best beer around), Port collaboration brews, Hopsickle, HopSToopid, Marin IPA, urthel's Hopit, Le Freak, GF Stout, Coronado Red Devil, etc. Some $250 later, I wandered back to the supermarket laughing, and found them missing any of my targets.
Awesome place, will be back when I need a rare/hard to get bottle of beer/port/wine.
Oh, and stop stealing their ATM. It breaks too many bottles being dragged out!
★ 981 characters
Stumbled in there today on a trek to fill one or two entries on a 30 bottle list, filled with seasonal IPAs, DIPAs, Stouts, Belgians, etc. Actually planned to go to the supermarket next door looking for Alpine Brewing stuff, but figured I'd try the liquor store first, just to 'see'...
I walked in, saw the beer on the right side, and promptly asked for two empty boxes, as I was 'gonna be there for a while'. Found almost everything I was looking for, including Pliny the Elder, Glind Pig, Hop Henge, Sea Monster Stout, Victory at Sea, La Chouffe Houble (possibly the best beer around), Port collaboration brews, Hopsickle, HopSToopid, Marin IPA, urthel's Hopit, Le Freak, GF Stout, Coronado Red Devil, etc. Some $250 later, I wandered back to the supermarket laughing, and found them missing any of my targets.
Awesome place, will be back when I need a rare/hard to get bottle of beer/port/wine.
Oh, and stop stealing their ATM. It breaks too many bottles being dragged out!
★ 981 characters
4.65/5 rDev +5.7%
I submitted this place to BA a couple months back, but then promptly forgot to actually review it. Consider this a remedy.
Formerly Del Cerro Liquor, of course, but now under the new management the sights are set very high on competing with other top beverage stores in San Diego, namely Holiday Wine Cellar. So named K&B because the owners also own the Keg and Bottle Shop over near SDSU, this location is their more upscale vision of that college-focused shop, and it's obvious they're sinking a lot of money into upgrading the joint. Adam, the beer & wine guy, took the time when they opened to tell me about their expansion plans. While they seemed a little stratospheric at the time having just recently opened, I was there yesterday and saw for myself that those plans are surely coming into existence, and not that slowly either.
They are just putting the finishing touches on their draft beer lines, and they say they'll be pumping great craft beer through them in no time. It's unclear to me if they'll be pouring pints or tasters, but either way, having a beer or two while you do your shopping simply can't be beat. Plans are in the air for a second story cafe/tasting room addition as well, although I don't know what the timeline is for that.
The selection is very good and getting better every time I visit. There's a moderate focus on European beers, including somewhat rarer Belgians, but I tend to focus on their domestic craft brew section. Great cooler space, although it's a genuine shame that a lot of delicate, domestic hop bombs remain on the wooden shelves while the hardier Belgian and Euro styles sit in the cooler.
Staff is always ever helpful, and if you ask for something they will make every effort to see if they can score it for you. Justin, one of the guys at night, knows plenty about good beer, and though Adam's specialty seems to be in wine, he also knows a fair bit about beer as well. They also have beer tastings in addition to their wine tastings.
Another positive: they're right next to Windmill Farms, which itself has a pretty darn good craft beer selection for a supermarket, including being a rare retail outlet for Alpine beers. The two stores complement each other well.
All in all, this place is already one of the better San Diego beer stores and is only getting better every day. If they end up fleshing out all of the plans they have for this joint, it will easily be the top beer and wine place in the county. Yes, I'm saying it now.
★ 2,492 characters
I submitted this place to BA a couple months back, but then promptly forgot to actually review it. Consider this a remedy.
Formerly Del Cerro Liquor, of course, but now under the new management the sights are set very high on competing with other top beverage stores in San Diego, namely Holiday Wine Cellar. So named K&B because the owners also own the Keg and Bottle Shop over near SDSU, this location is their more upscale vision of that college-focused shop, and it's obvious they're sinking a lot of money into upgrading the joint. Adam, the beer & wine guy, took the time when they opened to tell me about their expansion plans. While they seemed a little stratospheric at the time having just recently opened, I was there yesterday and saw for myself that those plans are surely coming into existence, and not that slowly either.
They are just putting the finishing touches on their draft beer lines, and they say they'll be pumping great craft beer through them in no time. It's unclear to me if they'll be pouring pints or tasters, but either way, having a beer or two while you do your shopping simply can't be beat. Plans are in the air for a second story cafe/tasting room addition as well, although I don't know what the timeline is for that.
The selection is very good and getting better every time I visit. There's a moderate focus on European beers, including somewhat rarer Belgians, but I tend to focus on their domestic craft brew section. Great cooler space, although it's a genuine shame that a lot of delicate, domestic hop bombs remain on the wooden shelves while the hardier Belgian and Euro styles sit in the cooler.
Staff is always ever helpful, and if you ask for something they will make every effort to see if they can score it for you. Justin, one of the guys at night, knows plenty about good beer, and though Adam's specialty seems to be in wine, he also knows a fair bit about beer as well. They also have beer tastings in addition to their wine tastings.
Another positive: they're right next to Windmill Farms, which itself has a pretty darn good craft beer selection for a supermarket, including being a rare retail outlet for Alpine beers. The two stores complement each other well.
All in all, this place is already one of the better San Diego beer stores and is only getting better every day. If they end up fleshing out all of the plans they have for this joint, it will easily be the top beer and wine place in the county. Yes, I'm saying it now.
★ 2,492 characters
K'nB Wine Cellars in San Diego, CA
4.4
out of 5
based on 44 ratings.
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.25
This was one of four bottle shops I hit while in San Diego last week. Parking is a bit tricky as it is either street parking or pay through the nose at a lot that isn't exactly nearby. Keep in mind I was there at like 1:30 PM on a Friday. An employee did ask if I needed help. I picked up some Green Flash Cellar 3 bombers, Alesmith 2015 Decadence and Evil Dead Red. Really other than these beers, everything else was at either Bottlecraft location and definitely at Krisp Beverages.
★ 488 characters