Echelon Wine Bar

Ahh..what a refreshing change from the usual restaurants here.Not that the usual isn't good but thisbplace is outstanding.Got a flight of whites to start with ($10 off during hh)Perused the menu and couldn't resist the scalloped crudo appaetizer..with leche de tigre sauce , pears, jalepeno and white anchovies. This is a dish dreams are made of. Perfect from the flavors to the texture, delicious. For dinner I chose the quail with a molasses glaze , smoked celery root, blackberry and a Johnny cake.The fantastic bartender/somellaiar behind the bar paired it with a Pino that absolutely rocked!I also got my favorite wine, a st million gran cru for 35% off menu price! They sell their wine retail so you can just walk in and get a bottle.Go here, seriously, go!!

I had the best date night here with my partner!***LOCATION***Located in Shockoe Slip. We took the 14 bus there and the Pulse home. There seemed to be paid street parking nearby. It's a very charming location. The brick buildings are such a gorgeous vibe.***EXPERIENCE***We had a really romantic evening. We came on a Monday and had most of the place to ourselves. I enjoyed the exposed brick aesthetic. Our hostess and server were extremely kind and easy to talk to. We were seated by the window. The booth had a lot of pillows so I had to move some. I loved that it felt like we had our own private nook. We both got the white wine flight. This is a wonderful price for a tasting in the city! You get to pick from the white, sparkling, and rose glass lists. The tapas here are not only gorgeous to look at, but so yummy. Here's all the things I tried:White Wine Flight:I chose the Lambrusco, Albariño, and Malvasia. I adored the Lambrusco (which I figured I would). It was my first time trying Albariño and I really enjoyed it! I wasn't the biggest fan of the Malvasia, but that was because it was sweet.Pan Seared Scallops:These were soo delicious! It came with three scallops and two pieces of bacon. The flavor was yummy and the presentation was great.Tuna Tacos:I adored these. I'm a huge seaweed salad fan so adored the wakame on the tuna. The togarashi avocado elevated the dish for me. I liked these a lot.Pork Belly:You have to get this! It was SOOO delicious. The candied ginger and peanuts took it to the next level. I'm drooling writing about this dish. It was both fatty and crisp and just plain delicious.***PRICE***Note that this is a tapas style place so things are a bit pricey for smaller portions, but the food is good here and worth it. For three dishes and two wine flights we paid about $130.***CONCLUSION***I cannot recommend this place enough! It's great for special occasions, but even great for just meeting with friends at their bar for a quick drink. The food is so yummy. I highly recommend visiting Echelon Wine Bar.

Really adorable wine bar located in the heart of Shockoe Slip, next to Urban Farmhouse/The Martin Agency. Street parking was available on a Saturday evening but there are a couple parking decks nearby as well. They had a great wine selection and the wait staff are knowledgeable. The charcuterie plates had plenty of options and I was impressed by the spread. Our friend had set up a private tasting consisting of four courses paired with wines. While the actual menu for food is pretty slim, it is quality! Perfect place for a happy hour.

Scallop Crudo was legit, but, really, everything was very good, too. Started with a flight (you can choose your own) and then a glass of the one I liked best. Would recommend.

I finally visited Echelon Wine Bar and it is niiiicccceeee!Echelon Wine Bar offers 30 wines by the glass, wine tastings and wine flights which is what I went with. The flights you get to choose from are, white, red and reserve. I went with the red flight and chose 3 different styles. The space is gorgeous, modern elegance with 2 floors so it's very spacious. They also have a food menu served tapas style. They have a Sommelier on staff if you need help choosing the perfect wine for your liking. Echelon has memberships available for the wine connoisseur in you. Echelon is perfect for a sexy date night, girls night or a classy night out with the fellas. I didn't try the food this time but was told by staff that the parmesan grits and olive oil cake are a must try. Go check it out y'all if you're a wine-o like me or if you're new to wine as well. Cheers friends!

I was very excited to try out this newly opened wine bar in Shockoe Slip. My husband and I decided to do dinner for our Friday date night and we were not disappointed. All of the food is served tapas style and it was the perfect way for us to be able to try multiple different dishes without anything going to waste. Upon arrival, we were greeted and seated promptly as I did have a reservation that I made in advance. We were seated in a cute, quaint spot in the corner by the front windows. The ambiance of the restaurant is absolutely sleek and beautiful. It turned out to be quiet on a Friday night, which was a pleasant surprise. Our server greeted us promptly and offered us bottled or tap water. We ordered some glasses of bubbles and a Cheese Plate to start. FYI - I did inquire about doing a half cheese and half charcuterie plate from their menu, but was promptly denied. You'll have to either order both - or forego one or the other as we did. I therefore have not tried the Charcuterie Plate, however, we were extremely pleased with our Cheese Plate. All three cheeses were delicious and came with several accoutrements including grainy mustard, fig jam, candied ginger, warm and fresh house made gluten free bread, and nuts. Our favorite cheese was the Shropshire, a very fancy and funky bleu cheese variation. The cheddar was my least favorite with the goat's milk cheese being my second favorite. We did find that we wanted additional bread to go with our cheese and we were kindly provided just that. It was warm and fresh just as the first round was. We also enjoyed the Tuna Tacos (they added a fourth for us so that we each could have two which was appreciated) and the Scallops. Both were a hit.For dinner, we ordered a glass of red wine and shared the Pork Belly and the Filet Mignon. The Pork Belly was very rich and I didn't love the peanut butter with it, but all in all, the meat was delicious and perfectly prepared. The Filet Mignon was actually our least favorite dish out of everything we had. We would order everything we had again with the exception of the Filet Mignon. We chose to forego dessert so nothing to add on that front. The service throughout our meal could have been more attentive but all said and done, I would definitely recommend Echelon and we plan to enjoy another date night here in the future.

I'll have to write an update when I take proper pictures but can delete recommend this wine bar for a quiet girls night or date night.The location is rather small so I do encourage reservations to the extent that you're able to but walking in with a small group should be fine.I don't think they do happy hour but they did have a seemingly routine 4 course wine paired meal for $80. Or I encourage you to have one of their wine white (which includes roses and sparkling) or red wine flights.

Came here for my birthday to try the tasting menu and while it was delightful, it was not filling for dinner. My husband and I ordered a bistro filet to split after the last tasting course. It's still a really good deal for the price and we will definitely be back. I could see this being a great after work drink spot.

Randomly stumbled upon Echelon Wine Bar in downtown Richmond and I'm so excited about this new spot that opened up recently.They offer wine flights of your choosing (select 3 wines (3oz each))White Wine Flight: $20Red Wine Flight: $25Reserve Wine Flight: $45We sat at the bar and ended up doing one red and white wine flight along with some fantastic food. Ash, who was helping us that evening was fantastic!The wine, ambiance, dishes were excellent!!!I especially loved the dishes that we got; the food is served tapas style. Ash recommended about 2-3 plates per person, and that was perfect for us.What we got:Burrata- with red wine poached pears, granola, aged balsamic, herbed hot honeyCorn Chowder- with oysters, crispy potatoes, lardonsTuna Tacos- poke-style tuna with corn tortilla, avocado with togarashi spice, aji amarillo, and wakame (seaweed salad on top)Bistro Filet- herb marinated filet served medium rare with creamed spinach, truffle potato gratin, bordelaiseLamb- tomato braised lamb leg, chickpeas, oregano, red onion, fetaOlive oil cake with raspberriesThe food overall was fantastic however the Corn Chowder was our absolute favorite! The gentle creamy sweetness of the corn chowder with the savoriness of the oysters/crispy potatoes/lardons was "chef's kiss"! I also really liked the presentation of the dish as it came with the oyster/potatoes/lardon already plated in the bowl and the corn chowder was poured into the dish at the table, that way we got to appreciate all of the different elements of the dish! The burrata's hot honey had a great kick to it and paired so well with the granola, and the lamb was hearty and so flavorful. The flavors were so good that I wished I had a small slice of focaccia or pita to help get every single drop of the sauce that came with the lamb dish! The couple next to us got the Parmesan Grits (with shaved brussels sprouts, poached egg, truffle, fried shallots), and they kept saying how they loved it... I definitely want to try that next time!To end the night, we of course ended it with dessert. We got Echelon's signature olive oil cake, it takes 20mins to make so while waiting for it, we of course enjoyed some more wine. They have a great dessert wines available, but I was wanting something light and bubbly and refreshing, and went back for a glass of the brut.Overall, excellent experience, definitely will come back for sure! I saw that they have a Chef's Tasting & Wine Pairing for $79/pp with 4 courses paired with 4 wines, sounds like a great deal, I definitely want to try that next time!Thanks for a great time and see you again soon!

Love the ambiance and the cheese board was delicious. Really enjoyed the wine selection as well!