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Today I am going to profile Side Door Wine Bar & Cafe, located at the Village Plaza in Mammoth Lakes. As advertised, Side Door is a wine shop, inside a wine bar, inside a café. The wine list is hand chosen with a wide selection featuring something for everyone at all price points, but make sure you don’t get caught up and miss out on the delicious crepes.
The Quick Details
Hours: Thursday through Monday 9:00 am to 9:00 pm; closed Tuesday and Wednesday. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Events: Wine Not Mondays featuring select wine flights.
Kid Friendliness Level: Has highchairs. No kids menu but has kid friendly plates.
Dog Friendliness Level: Dogs are welcome!
Vegetarian options: The menu has many vegetarian options and vegan options.
Gluten Free options: Side Door is GF friendly with options for GF crepes, paninis, and crackers for the cheese and charcuterie plates.
Drinks: extensive wine list with the option to buy bottles to go; full bar and beers.
Price point: Reasonably priced with salads, crepes, and paninis from $14.00 to $17.00.
Parking: Parking can be limited in the Village. There is street parking, a paid parking lot directly across the street, or a lot below the Westin. The village is easily accessible by bus, trolley, and gondola, and is walkable from many spots in Mammoth.
Reservations: None accepted.
Ability to accommodate large parties: Seating is first come first serve, with limited indoor but more outdoor seating.
The Experience
Every time I have gone to Side Door it was to relax. You can certainly get things to go and get out quickly, but the real joy of Side Door is to go sit, order a bottle of wine and some food, and watch the Village life go by.
Our most recent visit was no exception. I went with my family and another couple and their toddler. Along the side of the restaurant there are long tables, and we were easily able to fit four adults with our two highchairs and two strollers. We did not bring our dog this time, but Side Door is dog friendly and has bowls out for water. Behind where we sat was a little pond and the Village pool, and in front of us was the Village Plaza with all of its goings-on, so there was plenty to entertain the kids.
My friend and I started with a $21 bottle of albario, which the bartender helped me pick out from the white wine cooler. He brought it out promptly in a bucket of ice. It was exactly what we were looking for – crisp, minerally, and dry – and it was refreshing on a summer afternoon. My other friend had a beer and my husband had his standard fernet branca and coke. You would be surprised at the number of establishments that do not carry fernet, but Side Door had it in their fully stocked bar.
We started with the baked brie with strawberries and jam. It was delicious and a hit with the little ones. While the idea is to eat the cracker with the jam, strawberry, and cheese on it, my son of course ate each thing individually. Which is great! Highly recommend. Other starters that are great for sharing are the artichoke spinach dip and the crostinis.
I got my usual, which is Side Door’s niçoise salad. It never misses. There is a generous portion of ahi tuna on a big salad of green beans, olives, potatoes, tomatoes, and hard-boiled egg. Dressing comes on the side. The salad feels healthy to eat, is protein packed, and tastes delicious. I would also give a nod to the spinach salad because it is another tasty salad on the menu that is a vegan option.
My husband got a panini with chicken and pesto. It was warm, crunchy, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. My friends went with a savory crepe. The crepes are a house specialty, and the one portion was big enough for them to share. They noted that there was a lot of mayonnaise on the top of the crepe, which looks pretty, but they scraped a lot of it off. Once the mayo was toned down, it was a delicious dinner.
It would be a sin to skip the dessert crepes, so we ordered two. I personally prefer the chocolate ganache to the sweeter chocolate flavor in Nutella, so I went with the chocolate ganache and added strawberries and banana. The fruit makes it healthy right? We also got the citron crepe, which is the perfect blend of sweet and sour. I didn’t order it this time, but shout out to the apple crepe that is stuffed with apple pie filling.
Before leaving, I got a bottle of wine from the wine shop to bring home. The staff at Side Door are knowledgeable about wine and were easy to engage in conversation about what to try from their large selection. I liked the Spanish white wine earlier, so the bartender mentioned a white Rioja that he believed would be different from anything I have had before, but in a good way. I have never tried a white Rioja and I was intrigued. He was right and it was an awesome bottle of wine.
Go to Side Door for a fun atmosphere, good food, and great wine. The lovely folks there will be happy to make sure your experience is a good one.
As always, please comment with any questions, thoughts, or your own experiences.
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