Del Mar's First Beer & Wine Tasting Room Preps For May Opening

A main intersection in the seaside town of Del Mar — at Camino Del Mar and 15th Street — will soon be a new hub for beer and wine, with Tasting Room Del Mar scheduled to open there in the first part of May.  An outdoor flower shop on the corner is in the process of being repurposed into a bar; under the umbrella-like shade covering, patrons will soon be hoisting pints of beer at a six-tap, seven-seat bar, with an additional 38 courtyard seats spanning a mix of bar height seating and communal and traditional tables.

Tasting Room Del Mar's indoor space, a former bagel shop, will hold another 35 seats. The barrel stave-decorated space will feature another bar stocked with 22 taps of craft beer, plus cold brew coffee and a rotating tap for kombucha, mead and cider and a temperature controlled cellar that will store bottles — 100 wine labels and 45 beer varieties — that can be opened on-site or purchased to-go; even though this is swanky Del Mar, co-owner Evan Taylor tells Eater that prices will be competitive and accessible.

A proprietary app will allow customers to pre-select bottles for pick-up or order their food and drink on premise; Tasting Room will also have service staff to help educate on beer or wine styles and provide pairing suggestions. Executive chef Steven Lona says Tasting Room's menu will be intensely focused on sourcing — with all ingredients coming from a 300-mile radius — and an elevated dining experience; the 20-dish, New American menu will rotate every six weeks.