First Look: Postino Wine Café Posts Up in Addison and Southlake

A vibrant and trendy wine bar that made its North Texas debut in Deep Ellum in April 2021 has relocated to "Restaurant Row" in Addison. Postino Wine Café, an Arizona-born concept with 25 locations across Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia and Texas, offers great wine and shareable dishes in a laidback and fun atmosphere. The new location opened in August 2023 and the community seems to be welcoming Postino with open arms.
The name “Postino” is derived from the Italian word for postman, a tribute to the original location that opened in a former 1940s post office in Phoenix more than 20 years ago. Each location is tailored to the neighborhood and community, with colorful light fixtures, mid-century modern furniture and off-the-wall art objects (like old-school typewriters hanging all over the walls). Add to that the roll-up garage doors and a carefully curated music playlist and you’ve got the perfect atmosphere for a first date, happy hour, girls' night out or weekend brunch.

Our first look was right after we broke through the dog days of summer. Even though the forecast was for 97 degrees that day, the patio was packed, the garage doors were rolled up and everyone was celebrating the end of the oppressive heat.

We decided to indulge in a few shareable items, including meatballs and goat cheese, the chef’s charcuterie board and Postino's most popular bruschetta board. The meatballs, served in a small cast iron dish, were plentiful (about 10 to an order) and tender, with a flavorful combination of spices. They're made of a beef and pork house mixture topped with pecorino, goat cheese and chives.

The chef’s charcuterie has a little bit of everything including prosciutto, Spanish chorizo, salami, whipped feta, olives, hummus, artichokes, sweet peppers, crostini and lavash bread. It goes great with a glass of white or rosé.

Postino’s is best known for its bruschetta boards, with a choice of 4 out of 12 options per board. Each piece of bruschetta is cut into four bite-size slices so everyone can enjoy a bite or two of each combination. We chose the prosciutto di parma with fig and mascarpone, smoked salmon and pesto, mushroom and mascarpone and a seasonal option, Mexican street corn. All were unique and tasty, and there isn't one that we wouldn’t order again. However, our favorite was the mushroom and mascarpone.

The table next to us ordered the shrimp scampi and skewers. We were too full to indulge in more than what we had already ordered, but it’ll be on our list to try on the next visit. The shrimp scampi is a combination of butter-poached jumbo shrimp, artichokes and Calabrian chilis with a spritz of Chablis; it's served with focaccia to dip in the sauce. The skewers come two to an order (one beef filet and one chicken), served with Sicilian garlic yogurt and olive oil. If you are looking to have something with a little more sustenance, there's a nice variety of paninis that are served with a romaine salad or chips. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are also available.

Postino has around 30 wines by the glass from a variety of regions and only a handful of big California reds. There's a sauvignon blanc from New Zealand, a gruner veltliner from Austria, a riesling from Germany and a Sangiovese from Italy. A flute of Champagne or prosecco, you say? Not here. The brunch menu does list "mimosa" under "Basics," along with tea and Diet Coke.

The craft beer selection has many local beers and tops out around 60 different options. The only minor downside is the absence of a full bar. So, if you’re looking for a simple vodka soda, you'll not find it here. However, there are some unique twists on cocktails that use sparkling rose, Moscato and sherry, and several creative lemonade choices, like blackberry smash, prickly pear and cucumber honey.

Brunch is offered every Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and includes $5 mimosas. The brunch menu includes starters like ricotta fritters and cast-iron sticky bread and main dishes like meatball shakshouka, smoked salmon carpaccio and a focaccia stack.

Happy hour specials are every day (not just weekdays) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and include $6 wines by the glass and pitchers of beer. Every day after 8 p.m. you can get a bottle of wine and a bruschetta board for $25.

Postino also just opened a new location in Southlake.

Postino Wine Cafe, 5280 Belt Line Road, Addison. Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. – midnight; Saturday, 9 a.m. – midnight; Sunday, 9 a.m. – 10 p.m.