Wine Down is a wine bar in Ooltewah, Tennessee that also has a great beer list and fantastic lunch, dinner, and brunch menus!

I’ve been meaning to go to Wine Down for a while now. Actually, for the longest time I assumed that they didn’t really serve food, aside from some appetizers/finger food type things. I was wrong. Then, I was concerned because I, well, don’t really like wine. That was silly, because it’s totally okay to go to a wine bar and not drink wine. But…you can also ask your server to make a recommendation for something that you might like.

We decided to go to Wine Down for lunch during the week before Christmas. We were the first diners in the place, arriving a little after noon. Our server, Molly, told us to sit wherever we liked, then she filled our water glasses and reviewed the specials with us. We decided to order the deviled egg of the day – bacon and feta. Philip ordered a Dogfish Head Midas Touch for $5 (Wine Down has a pretty impressive beer list), and, on Molly’s recommendation, I ordered a glass of Caposaldo sparkling peach moscato ($8.50). And guess what? I liked it!

We were served 4 deviled egg halves ($7). They were stuffed with a filling that, in addition to the traditional mayo/mustard included feta cheese. They were topped with large chunks of thick, chewy bacon. The salty bacon and feta was the perfect foil for the creamy filling. They were delicious!

I wanted to order something fairly light and the soup and sandwich combination ($9) seemed perfect. The soup of the day was mushroom bisque, which sounded delicious. While the French dip sandwich sounded amazing, I was torn between the sun dried tomato sandwich (burrata mozzarella, spinach, and pesto on Niedlov’s ciabatta) and the grown-up grilled cheese (4 cheeses – local smoked cheddar, Irish porter, midnight moon cheese, and creamy montchevre,  bacon jam, and green tomato on Texas toast. The soup was creamy but still had a little texture to it from the pureed mushrooms. The mushroom flavor was strong and satisfying, and I was surprised at the little bit of spiciness in the soup. The sandwich was buttery and crunchy, the cheeses melted perfectly. The bacon jam lent a little sweetness, and while I don’t typically like goat cheese very much, I liked the tangy pungency of the montchevre on this sandwich.

Philip decided to go for the WDO burger ($11) with Wagyu beef, Red Dragon dijon cheese, bacon jam, and caramelized onion aioli on a Niedlov’s bun. Philip chose the fries as his side (the other option was a mixed greens salad). The burger was pretty much gigantic and it was cooked perfectly. All of the flavors worked well together and Philip commented several times about how tasty the burger was. The fries were hot, crispy, and peppery.

There were a few other tables occupied by the time that we left. I have a feeling that nights and weekends are their busy time. The atmosphere at Wine Down Ooltewah was casual and relaxing and Molly was an excellent and attentive server. I was very happy with the variety of foods available (the dinner menu is different from the lunch menu) and with the quality and flavor of the food. And I found a wine that I like (baby steps)!

Wine Down Ooltewah is a great place to go for a relaxed but slightly upscale lunch or dinner, especially if you want a great glass of wine!

Wine Down Ooltewah is located at 9431 Bradmore Lane Suite 109, Ooltewah, TN, 37363 (in Cambridge Square). They are open Monday, 4-10 p.m., Tuesday – Thursday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. for brunch. You can call them at 423-531-WINE(9463). You can find out more about Wine Down Ooltewah on their website, or their Facebook page. You can also follow Wine Down on Instagram.