Now Open: Wine Dive in Lakewood, From the Owners of Lakewood Truck Park

Jackie Ramey and Dan Deagan, who run the nearby Lakewood Truck Park (among other spots), have spent the past three months converting the former El Carnicero space in Lakewood into Wine Dive (16918 Detroit Ave.), which opened this week.

The mission behind the place, says Ramey, is to "toe the line between dive bar and wine bar."

“Dan and I love going to dive bars – and honestly the shittier the better,” she says. “But I like to drink wine, and at a dive bar that means the little bottles of Sutter Home or a regular bottle that’s been open for six weeks and tastes like vinegar.”

In contrast, Wine Dive is a come-as-you-are place that happens to serve wines from Ramey Cellars in Healdsburg, Trefethen in Napa Valley and Pride Mountain Vineyards, which famously sits on the county line between Napa and Sonoma. There are about a dozen wines by the glass, including some drafts "from the tank." Bottles range from modestly priced -- like the Richter dry Riesling from the Mosel Valley -- to high-end chards, pinots and cabs.

The beauty of a "wine dive" is that low-brow beverages like Blatz and Hamm's sit shoulder-to-shoulder with heavy hitters like Orval Trappist Ale, Three Floyds Zombie Dust and Duvel Belgian Ale. There are both classic and contemporary cocktails as well.

The spacious restaurant has been opened up a bit by the removal of some half-walls. A stage was constructed in a corner, heaps of beverage paraphernalia will cover the walls, and new TVs have been installed for sports fans.

"We wanted a place where you can enjoy a great bottle of wine while watching the Cavs in the playoffs," Deagan says.

To eat, there's a "pub-style" menu offering snacks like buttermilk-fried chicken skin, spicy shrimp tacos and chicken wings alongside housemade chili, chicken club sandwiches, lamb burgers and more.

In a few weeks, the bar will roll out its lineup of nightly specials, such as Monday Steak Night, Taco Tuesday, Wednesday Wing Night, Two-Buck Shuck Thursday and Sunday Sauce Sunday. Weekend brunch will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.

Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter