Waterfront Wine Bar

Staff is kind/personal/great energy! Food and ambience so great! New Year's Eve dinner amazing !

This place is well appointed with great seating right on the river. They have a good selection of wines, service is pleasant and the food is decent. We had fried cheese curds as an app (it is WI after all). Mu husband steak tacos which he loved and I had Ahi Tuna salad also good.

This restaurant has it all!The location is picturesque- it's located on the river, very close to Lake Michigan. Outdoor seating is wonderful. The waitstaff are all friendly and welcoming. Our server, Stacey, was super enthusiastic, sweet, and energetic! And the trifecta- the food was exceptional! My grilled salmon risotto dish was so good that I wish I lived in Manitowoc and could frequent Waterfront Wine Bar! My husband enjoyed his grilled chicken sandwich and fries. My wine flight was also fun!

The weather was perfect for some adult beverages and light eats. The Waterfront Wine Bar exceeded our expectations. Our outdoor seating was nice and quiet. There were maybe two or three other tables. For this reason it was fairly private. My first beverage of choice was a Dirty Martini. Our server was super attentive as to my preference. After the martini quenched my thirst I was super excited to see my current favorite white wine as a choice on their selection of wines. We returned the following evening for another glass before we had to leave town the next day. Due to our late lunch we wanted a dinner that was lighter so not to make our pants tighter. The Meat and Cheese Charcuterie Board was a good choice. We loved all the variety of cheese selected. My husband enjoyed all the choices of meat. As for me, it is official... I just do not like salami. That's a "me thing", not a restaurant quality issue.

As a more recent update to my review from 2021 I got a chance to return to the Waterfront Wine bar during a recent visit to Wisconsin and of course I had to see what was happening there as this was/is one of my favorite businesses in downtown Manitowoc. During this visit I not only indulged in the argon wine pour system they have but also had dinner on this trip which was a first for me at this business. From a positive perspective the food was good, where the star of the dinner was the Pad Thai which was excellent and the Spagetti Carbanaro and Asian Chicken wrap, although good, was not on par with the excellent Pad Thai. The wine available on the Argon pour system was quite good, especially on the high end, featuring Orin Swift wines which are $50 bottles if you buy them at home but more like $100 a bottle if purchased at a restaurant. Unfortunately there were limited choices on the budget friendly Reds that I look for at these wine tasting stations and which were more available the last time I was here in 2021. Part of the problem I believe is that they have taken one of their three argon pour stations (each station holds five or six individual bottles) and dedicated it to a whiskey tasting station which I am not sure was like that in Jan 2021. Oh well, many people might consider this a minor point but for me is was definately an annoyance.Overall I am still very pleased with this business and the cool historical vibe associated with the building and its location on the riverfront but have to drop a star from my original rating due to lack of less expensive wines for tasting. Unfortunately it's not clear to me why this business located in a blue collar town of 30K people would not take this into consideration when selecting the wines in their tasting station but hopefully they will get back to a more budget friendly selection again at which point I would definately give them back their 5th star. Fingers crossed I see this the next time I return, which I defiantly will be doing the next time I visit Wisconsin.

Good atmosphere but food was disappointing. 18$ for "elevated" Alfredo that had no season or lemon flavor and pasta was obviously not homemade so idk why the price is so high. Mediterranean Flatbread was dry and flavorless as well and the salmon risotto had a hair in it. We also got a round of sangria which was half filled glass with ice and about 3 sips of wine. Would not come back and a 70$ bill of low quality food.

This is a nice way to enjoy Manitowoc.. not your usual place. The selections are more upscale than most restaurants in the area, if you're looking for big city food and prices in the area this is the place.

The food, for the most part, is very good.The service is hit and miss. Our first experience on a Thursday was wonderful.We returned a 2nd time on a Saturday.The dining area was only 1/4 filled.To start, the waitress asked if we knew what we wanted shortly after we sat down. Way too soon. There are no paper menus to view. You have to scan your phone and read it from there. When we did order, the waitress had to return and ask one of us at our table. What did you order again? I can't read my own handwriting.No water glasses were refilled, and no offers to order more drinks.The worst part was that when we received our checks, each receipt had a $12 service charge (for parties of 5 or more). With 3 receipts, we were charged an additional $36 for service undeserving of any tip.I don't anticipate the restaurant to be in business very long if they can't maintain consistency.

Waited nearly 90 minutes to get our food. We were told it was because there was a party of 12 ahead of us. But this restaurant, in addition to the seated group of 12, has at least 15 other four-tops inside and 5-8 four-tops outside. The restaurant was only half full inside, so you do the math. The food was good... once it arrived, but they really need to speed up the kitchen.

The food was good, but the wait staff was completely useless. No help whatsoever, and the menu is supposed to be on your phone, so bring your smartphone.