Vintana Wine + Dine

I haven't been to Vintana in a year or two, but have visited Vintana on several occasions both for nice dinners, but also just for after work social gatherings. First off, Vintana is conveniently located atop the Escondido Lexus dealership and parking is plentiful thanks to the parking structure at the rear of the building. Guests are greeted by a beautiful landscape and water feature that leads to the enormous glass-clad building tucked at the end of the driveway. Upon walking into the main entrance, you'll be greeted with a beautiful bar dressed with a nice bar top and a backdrop adorned with a very impressive bottle selection.My last time eating at Vintana for was in 2022 and it was for a friend's birthday. We had a very comfortable both towards the front of the glass facade overlooking the driveway and with north Escondido in the background. We were with another couple for the celebration and enjoyed several craft cocktails mainly such as old fashioneds but also enjoyed a couple bottles of wine as well.While I don't recall what everyone ate the particular evening of our last visit, I do remember enjoying the cauliflower appetizer as well as the Parmesan gnocchi with chicken on top. To finish everything off, we were treated with a slice of chocolate cake. Although I've been to Vintana a number of times for happy hours, dinners and even work events, I can wholeheartedly say that I've never had a bad experience at Vintana. I pass Vintana every day after work, but am not very consistent at stopping by, but would like to make a more regular habit of doing so even if just for an after-work cocktail.

I was invited here for lunch. I thought it was interesting that it was on top of the Lexus dealership. But once I arrived, it was a totally different space with a different feel. The interior had a large covers patio. It was 95 that day so I avoided the patio. The main dining area was more than expected. It was tiered to give everyone a view of the giant glass wall to look outside. I was sitting right at the window. Table and settings say fine dining. The lunch menu was varied but I opted for seared ahi sandwich. My friend was craving a burger. Both were good sized portions. Seared ahi sandwich was good and filling. Service was very good. They were charming and attentive. Price was $75 for both lunch sandwiches and drinks with tip. Overall, surprising lunch. It is funny to say but I would do Sunday brunch here or a date night. Solid place.

Wow, wow, wow! What an unexpected gem right here in Escondido! Hidden on top of the Lexus car dealership, there is the most amazing restaurant. Coming in, the entire location screams luxury with luxurious cars taking over street level where there is a Taj Mahal like body of water. As you drive up the parking structure to the 3rd floor, you don't expect much but once your in, you are in a whole new world! We had the pleasure of sitting outside looking at the dealership from above. How you ask? The center of the restaurant and the second floor is a big cutout, so you have a direct view to a beautiful fountain and can see the bustling ground floor of the dealership. The restaurant itself seems to have a million different unique spaces. With each turn you take, there is a different feel from bar, winary, indoor restaurant, outdoor restaurant, cabana, giant open space, seriously, it's got everything!The food, oh the food! They start you off with this unique jalapeño butter which I was worried about since I can't handle any amount of spicy. There was zero heat in the butter. The bread was not your ordinary bread. It was like a big beautiful puff pastry. The combination was top notch. We started with the baked brie. Who doesn't love a baked brie? This was no exception. The brie was covered in sesame seed crust that gave it a perfect crunch. It came qith a jalapeño jam which my husband told me I shouldn't eat due to spicy level but he loved it. There was roasted garlic, greens, and toasted bread. This was a phenomenal starter and I'm so happy we choose it. We went on to share the ahi Tuna dish. There was a lot going on with this dish and it all made sense. The Tuna was crusted in what seemed to be everything but the bagel seasoning. It was similar if not the same as what the brie was covered in. It came with a fluffy crisp of sorts which was too spicy for me but again, the hubby lived it. There was a sweet potato and a tiny eggplant, both were great. The curry was a bit spicy for my taste but again, hubby loved it. The dish came with rice and Mango salsa. The rice was out of this world. Last time I had this rice, I was in Laos. I was taken back to the great memory of that trip. This rice is like no other rice, it's sweet but not overly powerful. It is just so incredibly unique that words won't do it any justice. Combining this rice with the Mango salsa was just *chefs kiss*. The dessert we chose was the ube cheesecake. I'm not a huge fan of coconut and the crust did have it. Yet I found myself enjoying it so much. The presentation was so delightful- the purple (ube) and yellow (the most silky Mango I've ever had) complimenting each other so well. As for the taste, I remember going to Japan years ago and having ube ice cream. I remember living it because it was just so freaking delicious. This cheesecake was even better! I urge you to go and enjoy a dinner here. If you are as lucky as as, you happen to come when live music is being played. The atmosphere is wonderful. The service is great. Just go and thank me later.

A Fancy dinner above Lexus dealership was such a unique experience. I would have never known about it if it wasn't for yelp. The restaurant interior looked very upscale , with beautiful chandeliers and elegant decor. The macadamia sea bass was delicious and definitely a must. The lobster bisque was a little cold and the drinks were excessively sweet, not much alcohol but overall a nice experience.

Rating is based on wine and ambiance, we didn't order any food. My fiancé and I came here close to closing as we were in SD for the weekend and looking for a sexy spot for a glass of grapes as a nightcap. We enjoyed our wine out on the rooftop, next to the fire pit. Staff was attentive, wine selection was superb, and the view was chic. Really enjoyed this spot and would return when in the area.

Vintana always does it right! Ambiance, food and service here is very consistent and always executed perfectly. If you are looking for a good dinner to kick off the weekend, I can't recommend this place enough!

I've been here twice for happy hour and the food was excellent on both occasions. They have a very nice happy hour menu that offers great selections for $9 during 3-5pm daily. They have vodka drinks for $9 as well (any drink with vodka). If you prefer to bring your own wine, there is a $20 corkage fee.I've tried the black mussels, kung pao calamari, shishido peppers with pork belly, ceviche, baked Brie, and veggie hummus flatbread. I loved all of the dishes, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the mussels! I never expected that such a beautiful restaurant would be on top of a Lexus car dealership! The indoor dining area is pretty, and the outdoor patio is even prettier! When you enter the driveway to the Lexis dealership, pull up the driveway and drive to the end. There's a sign indicating turn right for the restaurant. You can pull into the parking garage or park on the upper level, where the restaurant is located. There are plenty of parking.Great good, great value, great servers, abundant parking, and beautiful restaurant!

My rating is solely based on the food! Service was 4/5- a 4 because they dropped off appetizers and didn't bring small plates so we just sat there for 15 mins staring at our appetizers. None of the servers notice so we had to ask for some. Also, our server disappeared for a while as we were trying to pay the check.Ambiance was 5/5-it's in a beautiful building and the decor is elegant.Food 2/5- ahi stack bleh! The fish had that defrosted, gristly texture. The crab was over seasoned so all you could taste was old bay all the way!Shishito peppers & pork belly... basically a sweet & sour stir-fry! Unoriginal and unreasonable to mark up a dish that's a spin off of a Panda Express dish.Macadamia Nut Crusted Sea Bass-- how do you fuck this up? The server specifically asked me about texture because apparently it's not obvious that the macadamia nut is going to encrust the fish (hence the title). Well the fish comes out and it's not crusted! It's more of a macadamia nut/coconut topping. All that shit is just thrown on TOP of the fish. There's nothing crusty about it. The beurre blanc sauce was more a beurre BLANK--no flavor, no depth, no salt, just a moat of nothingness surrounding my fish. Then it was paired with sweet potato mash--why? Sweet is supposed to cut the salt and the salt was non existent so it then becomes irrelevant and that's exactly how it tasted. I genuinely wanted to like the food. I kept trying it over and over again with hopes that the next bite would taste better but it just didn't happen. So I cannot recommend this restaurant.

Weird place to drive to dine but nice dining room, bar, patio, private room,...Service is personal, plenty of smile and remind you to take it in sloooooowly. Food is ok with very special rustic bread. Vintana wedge is huge and presentative. Steak is mediocre Seabass is flavorful. All the included green is very special. Dessert cake is nice and yummy. Price is competitive with the venue class. Recommended to give it a try. They have Tuesday date night special and happy hour 3-5 pm T-S $9 appetizers. Go enjoy!

We were here for happy hour and ordered Kung Pao Calamari, Korean Style chicken wings, Vegetable flatbread, and Alberto suggested the Chef Deborah's Pepita Sesame crusted brie. Everything was out of this world. I would HIGHLY recommend Vintana for happy hour. We also appreciate the live music that they have. Alberto (our server), and the rest of the staff were amazing. Can't wait to come back for dinner. Huge shout out to Alberto and Madison for the Fantastic customer service.