M Winehouse in Little Italy is there for your nightcap.
Located in a “fun-sized” 825-square-foot Victorian house built in 1888, the doors are open until 1 a.m. every night.
On India Street, the bustling main drag in Little Italy, that’s an unusually late closing time. There are plenty of excellent restaurants and bars in the area. Most do last call at 11 p.m. or earlier.
“Our license allows us to stay open until 1 a.m., so we do,” M Winehouse owner Ruth Melero says. “We’re often a pre-dinner destination, then people come to have their last drink with us.”
Quick check: Like most India Street restaurants, Barbusa closes at 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends. Cloak & Petal serves until 11 p.m. on weeknights and stays open until 1 a.m. on weekends. Bar One shuts down at 10/11 p.m. Exception: Two blocks away on Kettner Boulevard, full bar/restaurant The Waterfront, the city’s oldest post-Prohibition tavern, is open until 2 a.m. every night.
The Waterfront is on a pedestal of its own fame and longevity. Melero says M Winehouse is a popular spot for date nights, anniversaries, proposals and mature late-night sipping.
“There’s a lot of foot traffic in the area, but we get a calmer crowd,” Melero says. “Not the younger, crazy crowds.”
Along with serving locals, she’s hoping to attract more full-bar sellouts for corporate groups, conventions or private events.
The building doesn’t have a kitchen, but M Winehouse serves specialty cheeses and charcuterie. The menu includes international wines, bubbles and some craft beers.
Inside the two-story house, you can’t miss the sassy sayings posted about wine drinking. Melero says she’s got more than 100 framed quotes on the walls. We’ll close out with a few grape observations:
- “Wine improves with age. I improve with wine.”
- “A meal without wine is called breakfast.”
- “Wine is to women as duct tape is to men, it fixes everything.” SDSun
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