Esters Wine Shop & Bar

"Those looking for more flexible happy hours can come to Esters on Sunday or Monday when the specials run all day. From Tuesday to Saturday, discounted bites and sips at this swanky Santa Monica wine bar are available from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with oysters and $25 charcuterie plates. Classic cocktails like martinis and margaritas are also only $10." - Rebecca Roland

"There’s going to be a wait at Cassia, but that’s a good thing - you want to be grabbing drinks at Ester’s next door first. This bright wine bar is good at knowing what you want to drink, and also serves excellent small plates that will tide you over until you can stuff your faces with curry." - jess basser sanders, amy clark, brant cox

"If you want your Valentine’s Day to be more of a snack-and-drink situation, Esters is a great option. The Santa Monica wine shop and bar is offering an $85 Valentine’s “Date Night” package that includes three different meats and cheeses, cheese twists, snacks like curry cashews and lavender almonds, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and Champagne truffles. From there, take advantage of their excellent wine stock. Pickup only." - brant cox

"Esters is an all-purpose wine bar and restaurant directly next to Cassia (and also run by the same people) that’s perfect for a first date, a pre-dinner drink with a group, or getting some work done when you’re sick of coffee shops. In addition to a fantastic selection of wines by the bottle and glass, they also have a full bar and serve excellent cocktails, like the Esters’ Old Fashioned made with earl-grey-infused bourbon. " - brant cox, sylvio martins, nikko duren, brett keating

"Esters Wine Shop & Bar, the casual-cool drinking hole from the Rustic Canyon folks, is an ideal spot for folks to chill following a sunny day frolicking on Santa Monica’s pier and shores. The happy hour specials — available all day Sunday and Monday, and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday — are particularly worth noting, with $3.50 oysters and charcuterie boards brimming with chicken liver pate, white bean dip, farmers market vegetables, and cured meats. And there’s something for everyone on the winding drinks list that includes wines of all stripes, mocktails, cocktails, and beer." - Eater Staff