This place is a hidden gem, do yourself a favor and GO! We had a meat/cheese board and everything on it was so unique. We also tried the Mac n cheese and added short rib on top O M G seriously amazing! Jessica was our server and very nice and attentive. We enjoyed trying the blind rabbit wine flight, a rose and finished with a half bottle of moscato. If you like sweet dessert wines, this was to die for We also tried the cookie skillet which was good and had an ice cream that tasted homemade with a whipped cream type texture - YUM! The ambiance was awesome with a piano player playing and signing fun upbeat tunes like Small Town Girl and Brown Eyed Girl and everyone singing along. Think upscale food and decor with hole in the wall bar fun. Seating is first come so you may have a slight wait depending on the time.

Fine assortment of cheeses👌

Great food, drink and friendly staff - every time!

So much fun! Live music, and amazing wine and cheese! Other food also available

Updated menu Oct 2021Hidden place in DTfullerton

The Cellar.A long time favorite tucked away in the historical location in Villa del Sol (once called The California). The food is amazing.The Cellar made sure the scallos were seared and not over cooked so when I reheated the food, plated it... Delish.Drinks smooth, not sweetIve dine there numerous times over the years. Tucked in the lower level of the complex and has a speakeasy classic bar restaurant for fine dining and quiet celebrations. A definite favorite.During covid19:I had opted for takeout/curbside during covid19. It was such a treat to have such a delicious meal prepared.*The Lobster Bisque is so smooth, creamy and tasty.*Pan Seared Scallops w/Risotto*Vanilla Creme Brûlée(2)Just Peachy (only with puchase if food during covid19)Brought it home, warmed it gently and it was delicious. Thank you to The Cellar. Great attitude, service and cuisine.

We came on a Tuesday night, but it was still a lively atmosphere. Nice aesthetics, service, and drinks for a good time, anytime :)

I liked the atmosphere and food. Good place to meet and greet

Excellent place for good food and drinks. We loved the food! Fresh, high quality ingredients, tasty. The only problem was that they gave us an old menu that didnt have all the dishes they offer and the waiter didnt offer us either. The service was a bit slow but the ambiance helped with the wait. Not a cheap place but reasonable for the good food and place.

This is honestly the best cheese plate and wine selection I have experienced in a long time. It was truly needed and appreciated. Thanks bartender J!😁

Great service, great atmosphere, great drinks. All around great! My new go to place

Best spot for wine and cheese in south county hands down!

Amazing bar / restaurant with fantatsic ambiance. There is limited seating outside but highly recommended if you can get it. Like being in a sidewalk cafe in Europe. The food is delicious and keeps us coming back everytime we are in SoCal. Staff is friendly and chatty. Great wine and beer selection as well. The best in San Clemente!

Quaint, cozy place. I had the Breakfast Burger without a bun. So much flavor! I cant imagine eating it with a bun and not being able to nap right after. The iced tea is fantastic as well. First time here and definitely not my last time.

Great local place with great food, coffee and of course, wine! The staff is always smiling and incredibly helpful.

Great atmosphere, music wasnt very loud. Had a great time, beer was a little late in getting to the table but everything else was fine !The had a cheese and sandwich counter

Great meeting place to chat with friends. Nice soft, light music. Great friendly staff.

They have live music most nights. A nice place to come in for a drink and listen, or to try new beers

My friend and I went for breakfast during the week. It was quiet with a romantic atmosphere. It was open seating and the waitress was very nice. They have some vegan options. Their granola with almond milk and the chia seed pudding are both vegan. The have some delicious drinks as well. We got the hibiscus mimosa and the Bellini. Both were awesome. Ill definitely recommend this spot to anyone in the area.

Excellent experience. Staff is always friendly and the food is DELICIOUS

Jaylene Shawn and Carolyn rock! Best happy hour in San Clemente

Had the truffle mac n cheese..they forgot the truffle but still an excellent.meal.

This review is a little late, but better late than never, right? I came in right before the social distancing requirement and found the food and service to be both equally amazing. I got the bacon and eggs, and French toast, and holy moly were both delicious. The bacon was so good I ordered a second round of it. The eggs were cooked and seasoned perfectly and before I left, got a chocolate chip cookie. As I write this, I wish I had a cookie in my hands (mouth) now. Ill never forget the server because of the song by Band of Horses. Detlef was attentive, easy going, and just a nice server all around. Definitely order for pickup or to go and support this business!

Really cool wine bar with a great ecstatic hour. Great service and beer and wine selection. The fries and grilled cheese was fantastic--great twist on a staple menu option!

Fun bar live band on Saturday nights

Great service, distant outdoor dining and most importantly delicious food+bevvies. thank you to the kind staff at cellar, we had a great dinner.

Im so grateful for the servers at The Cellar, especially Tanner! Great attitude and very attentive to get things right!

This site is my number one site. Of all restaurants I know I love it most. I never miss an opportunity to go to visit this restaurant. Whenever I feel like having a decent meal, this is the place that comes straight to my head. superb and many types of food and a large menu.helpful staff members, and pleasant mood. Also important, the charge is fair. I praise this place with pleasure.

LOVE the paninis! The bread is so light! Its perfect! I wasnt overly full! A perfect match with your wines!

OK, Ive written a lot of reviews, most good as Im always looking for the best places to dine. On occasion Im forced to give a poor review as I was at the Cellar our last visit. I have to say Ive never received a response as heart felt and genuine as I just did today from Christian (GM at The Cellar) making this right.The feedback was welcomed, owned and Im highly confident is being handled based on the response. They absolutely had a reason / excuse that could have been used for the poor experience (their kitchen is being completely remodeled) but they didnt. Their goal of an amazing dining experience was not lowered due to the less than perfect circumstances.Reading their response, I have to say WOW, what a perfect example of how to handle this perfectly. The hand written note should be used as a template for The Perfect response for restaurants that want to have a 5 star restaurant. Ive updated my rating back to 5 stars now as Ive been to The Cellar enough times to know that they have been a 5 star establishment with regards to their offerings. But the revelation today is that also have 5 star management!We can not wait to go back after the remodel!

Great little spot wine and cheese plates. Grilled chess sandwich was awesome, not your average sandwich. Good outside seating as well.

Over-priced cheese. There are grocers with the same yummies at a fraction of the cost. I used to love this place but was injured by a staff member backing me into a steel door stop on my last visit. The manager has now ignored my last two emails. Never looking for anything free, but I do expect to not be injured when I visit your establishment and also expect a response to my emails when I politely ask about your inventory. Never again...

In the middle of a pandemic they demonstrated such kindness, care and awesome hospitality. Great food, service and wine. What a wonderful experience. Thank you for giving me a happy birthday.

Live jazz first Sunday night of every month. Good wine list but they had run out of two on the list when we were there. Food was good / OK, cheese plate could have more. Nice ambience and very good service.

Nice atmosphere. Piano bar. Well maintained. Nice selection of microbrewery beers on tap. Amazing wine selection. Food is great. Menu changes every few months. Mimosa mornings are a must. Great selection of meats and cheeses for pairing with wine.

I have heard so many great things about this place and was expecting great and got just good. We got the cheese plate and the burger. The cheeses on the cheese plate were fine but I wasn’t blown away by it. We got the burger and asked for it to be well done and it came out bleeding still. I know some chefs refuse to cook well done but bleeding is a far cry from well. Our very nice waitress took it back and it was like they just seared the side we had cut and gave it back. I know chefs are highly skilled and trained but I feel like food should be cooked how the customer ordered it. This place is good but I was expecting to be more impressed. The waitress was kind and attentive, my husband really liked the cold brew, and the bacon on the burger was really good.

Food was absolutely delicious and freshly made. It was really good and good customer service.The food and wine selection is excellent. This would be the place I should consider be back again.

Great wine! Great food! Great service! Great fun! We came in for an hour and stayed for hours. A great place for locals and tourists alike!

First time having breakfast at the Cellar and it was fantastic! Perfectly cooked eggs and bacon and loved the potatoes. Would like to see a variety of breads offered for toast though. A nice fresh biscuit would be great! Still 2 thumbs up!

Good drinks and food

Great selection of Franche and Belgium food. With also Belgium beers. Some of the plate can be very feeding so make sure you come hungry. Definitely a spot to stop after a day at the beach.

Love everything! Outside small bit awesome if you can get it! Inside is lovely and warm

Great San Clemente hangout for food and drinks - beer or wine. A little more posh and 100% the San Clemente vibe. Great date place or after work drinks. Not a Marine bar.

The wine flight was well done....the bacon Mac and cheese made with delicious cheeses... Comfy chairs... fantastic service....you need to stop for a relaxing afternoon..

Had a fantastic experience at The Cellar. Special thanks to Danielle, the manager, who went out of her way to take care of us. The drinks were great, the food came out quickly (but not too fast), the service was spot on, and the atmosphere was inviting! There was live music going on during our meal which added excitement to the vibes. My wife and I would recommend this place to anyone traveling near San Clemente. 10/10 A+

I had heard so many good reviews about this place and wanted to try it out. I decided to bring my aunt along and I purchased coffee and the Spanish cheese platter for the both of us. The quantity of items you get on the platter does not match the price you pay for it. There was very little cheese, lots of bread, and a few olives and dried fruit scattered across the platter. Besides that, the staff is friendly. All I wanted to do was to treat my aunt to a nice meal but that ended up not being the case. Disappointing, over-priced, and will not be coming back.

Nice little place, great atmosphere... I dont drink, but they have a great little breakfast menu and have gluten free bread. I had the French toast which was pretty good. And some bacon, it was really thick which was cool but the bacon was overcooked. And the servers were really friendly and nice which helps the overall experience.

Great local San Clemente spot. Fun small bites fun local musicians and of course great wines! Bring a friend or three and enjoy!

Pretty good atmosphere (great piano & song selection!), although it was so busy we had to sit right by the entry... kind of seemed like a waiting section more than a real table. Had a good beer selection, my wife got a great wine, and the food was delicious. Will definitely be back. I teetered on 5 stars, but its hard to give that after just 1 visit.

That place is usually great but since they have been remodeling for ever it seems, it is getting tiresome to be served in paper plates and have just a basic menu. Furthermore the DJ entertainment is too loud for such a small place. Cant wait to have the remodeling done, and be the great piano bar restaurant it used to be with great cheese and charcuterie board selection

As my wife would say this place is so cute! They get the ambiance right. The piano on weekend nights is amazing and to top it off the food is phenomenal.Local grown organic vegetables only add to the experience since the entire establishment is environmentally friendly.The ever popular mac and cheese is a classic, done so perfectly. I highly recommend this place!

They are open. Wonderful restaurant, Ive been coming here for years.

I love this place so.much Ive gone for breakfast and lunch in the same day. The menu is small, but has a good variety and everything I have ordered has been delicious. I love the chocolate chip cookies too. highly recommend!! On the weekends there is fun live entertainment...and some fun jazzy piano!

Best Cheese selection ever!

One of the best coffee, I’ve ever had outside Italy.

Great service, great happy hour, safe distancing 👌

Been here a few times for breakfast. The espresso coffee is the real deal: delicious. They know how to handle the machine, unlike most places (looking at you Starbucks).The bohemian staff is friendly and welcoming. The atmosphere is casual.We have had the takeout croissant sandwiches which were great, and had the breakfast sandwich and their skillet. Both were nicely prepared and tasty.

My wife and I LOVE the Cellar!!! Ill start with dessert. Cookie skillet, enough said. My wife has inquired about paying for the recipe its so good and have been shut down multiple times. Next the sweet potato fries with the cheese and honey. I dont even want sweet potato fries and other way now. The Burrata is creamy deliciousness if you like that then this is for you. And finally the entrees. Burger, Mac and cheese, short ribs, chicken in no particular order. Just go already and find out for yourself.

Good good very busy! It’s kinda hard for me to go inside because it is quite small and always packed. The food though is worth it I love there 3 cheese plate, also there truffle mac and cheese is to die for

I love the ambiance, the food, the beer and wine selection and the staff at The Cellar. This is my favorite spot in the neighborhood, and a place I always take friends to who are visiting from out of town. I do wish they had more selection in terms of vegetarian dinner entrees, but I like the place as a bar, coffer and brunch spot and never go wrong when I visit.

Really lovely place. Amazing service. Great deserts, tea and wine. Fun with friends or a romantic date. Open until 11pm on a week night is also great!

The food and wine selection is excellent. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The prices are good. I highly recommend a visit there.

My wife and I first discovered this wonderful bar / cafe / deli a few years ago when we ran into our friend Dillon who we found out was working here. We had a terrific lunch that day and have been back a few times since. Last Sunday we had lunch here again and as usual it was superb. Kayla made us amazing lattes and lovely Hannah was our server. We shared a sumptuous panini while enjoying the live music. Its a great place night or day !

What an excellent evening of incredible service, delicious food, excellent drinks and a very talent pianist. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. With a family member now living near the restaurant, we will be stopping by whenever we are in the area.

Nice cozy wine bar with live music. They had a good selection of wines and drinks. I wouldnt suggest the house cab though.

Cool place in middle of some remodeling. Food menu somewhat restricted at moment.Nice atmosphere.

I have loved this place for 15 years. It is a shame that one of the bar tenders wants to control the whole bar and patrons. No, I wasnt drunk but stopped by for a bite and 2 drinks about 8:00 PMAsked specifically for cash change on my tender. Not only did he not do it, he got in my face He said he had home issues in an angry tone like it was my faults... Here is a hint....leave your problems at home like I do when I am at work. What a eraser head!!!

Great service! And great food! The chai latte puts Starbucks to shame. And when you get a cheese flight, the dedicated cheese guy comes out and explains why he paired things the way he did. Total foodie goodness.

The best place for breakfast or lunch. Great food, beers and wine. The service is great the atmosphere is enjoyable. I highly recommend the Works breakfast and for lunch you cant go wrong with there burgers.

Great staff!! Just really friendly, welcoming and helpful. Tasty food and great wines and beer! A great place for an evening in SC

Great wines, atmosphere and cheeses. They have some great menu items and a super fun wine club. Live music, food and wine...great combination.

This place is great! The food is great too. Their seasonal salad is awesome. I loved the fall one the best!

My friend Jacqui lives near the cellar and its the best spot for delightful wines and has a great menu. Also the staff is top notch. I love this place.

Local Neighborhood Gem! Best coffee in San Clemente along with terrific breakfast. In the evening good local music, nice wine, and great selection of beers.

One of my favorite spots on Avenida Del Mar. Live music, great food, big wine selection. It’s small inside so it can get a little loud, but they also have a little patio outside which can be great if the weather is nice! Seating is first come first serve.

Great live music, drinks, and food! Ambience on point

VERY GOOD SERVICE ! My wife and I were in San Clemente on Sunday to pick up a couple of items at a childrens clothing store across the road. We had loose plans to grab a some take-out food from one of the restaurants on this very touristy street. The amazing thing we noticed as we walked along the sidewalk checking to see who was offering take-out food was virtually everybody walking towards us had no face coverings. We had our bandanas round our neck and brought them up over our face when we came near anybody approaching us. It was a total freak-out ! As we passed The Cellar we noticed a few people standing around on the sidewalk waiting for take-out lunch orders. Good enough for us and we knew from previous experiences they serve good quality food & drinks here. A very cheery guy named Garrett who maybe was the manager ( wearing a bandana ) greeted us in a friendly manner from the little enclosure that serves as their outdoor patio. We didnt ask to see any sort of menu but I told Garrett that we would like a couple of Lattes and some nice Italian Style Deli Sandwiches. No problem he replied. Within a few minutes our take-out Lattes with lids came out followed closely by 2 individually wrapped sandwiches ( on fresh baked baguettes ) in a monogrammed paper bag with a handle. How convenient ! We werent sure where to sit down and enjoy our lunch as so many people ( not wearing facial coverings ) were walking up and down the sidewalk. In the end we decided on a long bench a few doors down which faced outward to the street and offered us a decent amount of social distancing from passersby. Our well made Lattes tasted quite good and our little Italian Style Deli Sandwiches really hit the spot.......fabulous spicy salami & sharpish cheese. A class of its own ! Of course half the reason we chose this particular bench to sit on was the brand new Tesla Y Performance parked right in front of us. It looked really cool with the big black wheels and its sparkly Pearl colored paint. I walked around it to check out the panel fit and paint finish...it looked pretty slick ! The reason we were excited is we have a blue Telsa Y with a tow hitch ( to transport our eBikes ) on order and we hadnt yet seen a Tesla Y close up. We already have a Tesla 3 but we cant fit a bike rack on the back. So thanks to The Cellar for our very enjoyable lunch !

Best breakfast in SC and BEST happy hour. Love this place for a date night!

We always get the mac and cheese, a salad and wine. Always tasty. This trip we added short ribs to the pasta and that was great, very succulent.

The cellar has some of the best coffee in the morning and their cheese is pretty amazing. They have these gruyere and caramel morsels on the counter is worth the price. The perfect bite of sweet and savory!

Pretensiones at is finest...skimpy plates of overly thought out recipes for a $$$ price. Not for me. The music was fun and the waitress Elizabeth was excellent... I guess thats what keeps them coming.

Great micro brews on tap you cant find anywhere else. The cheese plate is awesome and the live music is at the right volume for conversation. Perfect for a date or if you want something other than a dive bar.

Great breakfast and coffee selection. The breakfast sandwich is my personal favorite

Atmosphere is amazing! Great selection of brews. Food is very good and reasonably priced. Plus superb service!

One of my favorites in the area. Great place for brunch, cocktails and wine and cheese plates. Their Mac and cheese is really gooooood! Love the service and their wine list.

Great place to take a quick bite to eat with friendly workers.

Great Vibe. Great live music. 100% recommend

Our favorite date night bar in town. Wine lost is Stellar, food is amazing, people are cool, ambiance is top notch. very well run establishment.

Great food and very nice service, the prices were a bit high for me.

Im a big fan of beer, they have a long, interesting list. Cant wait to go back. 🙂

Even going in with high expectations, they were friendly, helpful and the cheese platter was SO delicious. And the wine was well paired. Get the cookie skillet! Best cookie I think Ive ever had.

Delicious food and wine. Atmosphere inside and outside could not be better. Live music too! Oh and great coffee

I love this place! Great wine, delicious food, excellent staff. I love the creativity behind the food - I recommend the cauliflower or the cheese plate.

This place is fun, out of the way. The grilled cheese sandwich and fries are really good. Great wine

Great food and very good service

This might be my favorite place ever!! The atmosphere is great for hanging with friends on a chill night. And the jazz band was perfection!

Great little wine bistro. Food is great. Live music every night. Also great cheese.

Great music. Cheese plate is a must. Lots of good items to try next on the menu. We also had the salmon which was done to perfection.

Good wine and food. Nice servers. Quality live music.

First time visiting and I really loved this cozy place. Great happy hour selection and some really tasty bar nuts!