WHEN DID WINE BARS BECOME THE MOST INTERESTING PLACES TO HAVE DINNER?

On the spectrum between dive bars and fine-dining restaurants, wine bars used to exist in a happy in-between zone: They were places to grab a quick glass of wine and maybe some adventurous charcuterie, but not much beyond that. But now, the wine-bar world has shifted. These new spots-where the wine flows, the vibes are excellent, and the food is thrilling-are where I'm personally most excited to dine out right now.

This shift is happening in cities around the world. Nouveau wine bars in places like Mexico City, Los Angeles, and Tel Aviv are rife with creativity, where expectations are fluid and experimentation is welcome.

"We try to create a cool spot for everyone to enjoy, which is in a sense quite humble and open-even a bit rough around the edges," says Steven MacLeod, owner of Alba, an effortlessly inviting natural-wine bar in Amsterdam that opened in 2020. For MacLeod, a wine bar seemed like a more flexible model for a restaurant-one that would allow him the freedom to offer a relaxed environment that was a departure from the stiffness of Amsterdam's posh fine-dining scene. "The vibe in a wine bar is more accessible," says MacLeod.

The same goes in Los Angeles at Voodoo Vin, where a casual feel was the goal from the start: "Traditional restaurants are great, but it never crossed our minds to open one," says wine director and co-owner Natalie Hekmat. "We love the small, intimate neighborhood wine bars, where it feels so easy to unwind after a day, whether you're alone or with friends."