At first glance, Echo Park’s wine shop–cum–wine bar, City Sip, is an affront to serious oenophiles. On the menu, flights get playful labels like “Explore the Body” or “The Godfather,” and fig and gorgonzola bruschetta is “Figgin Good.” But behind the silly menu lexicon, you’ll find impressive by-the-bottle and by-the-glass lists, assembled by proprietor Nicole Daddio. As accompaniments, the kitchen serves hearty, if somewhat standard, pan-European bar food. Cheese courses with nuts and quince paste and a serrano ham plate with piquillo peppers and goat cheese don’t blaze any culinary trails, but there’s a reason these combinations are classics. The setting is mostly typical: dark, warm and inviting, with featured bottles of wine on display and rotating shows of local artists’ work to brighten the room. The real light, though, comes from the ever-present Daddio, intoxicating in her enthusiasm for this irreverent venture and the boutique wines she sources.

Cheese plate choices: Fourme d’Ambert and Truffle Tremor
Serrano ham plate with piquillo red peppers
Figgin Good (figs and gorgonzola on toast with balsamic syrup)
OMG Brownie (house-made fudge brownie with peanut butter mousse and salted peanuts)

The restaurant is first come, first served, so arrive early to score a table in the front where you won’t have to contend with bar traffic. If you are bringing a large party, call ahead and the restaurant will do its best to accommodate; a nook in the back of the restaurant works well for these occasions.

Study hall! City Sip runs popular wine-tasting classes roughly twice a month. See their website for a schedule.

Tues.–Thurs. 5:30 PM–11 PM
Fri. 5:30 PM–12 midnight
Sat. 5 PM–12 midnight
Sun. 6 PM–11 PM

$10 (country pâté with morello cherries) to $13 (Catalan Panini with serrano ham, Manchego cheese, and piquillo red peppers)