New San Diego Wine Bar Jake's on 6th is a Hillcrest 1st

For San Diego wine enthusiasts who are pro-vine but anti-vain, Jake’s on 6th has been a long time coming.

Gone are the days when San Diego wine bars consist solely of conversational yet empty-talking guests, or swirling glass patrons with cigar-lips and pressed jeans. Jakes on 6th has switched up the vibe of typical wine bars in San Diego, and has done so at exactly the right time.

Named after retired-chef owner Jake Totah, Jake's on 6th truly is a family affair.

Jake's son, Richard, is the acting general manager and wine selector. Jake’s wife, Nema, designed the menu, Jake’s mother-in-law is the designated pastry chef (baking homemade bread and fresh Panini daily), a family uncle designed the bar’s rustic and earthy interior, and Jake’s lovely daughter, Jennifer, attends to the bar and overall serving, along with a handful of other employees who are kind and gracious. 

The setting is small, romantic and cozy, with soft candles and appropriate dim lighting. The space is open and quite dramatic, with stone structured walls, concrete floors, and dark woods and leathers that really cast the feeling of being in an underground wine cellar. The long bar is centrally located and surrounded by intimate tables and creamy suede sofas. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors open up to the street-side patio in front, welcoming the metropolitan breeze to carry in scents of jasmine and other patio flora. 

The menu at Jake’s is simple, but anything but ordinary. Highlights include Wine Bites: an assortment of cheese and fruit platters with Mediterranean-inspired flair, and the popular Basil Pesto Bruschetta: fresh basil and parmesan cheese, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil spread over slices of fresh toasted bread that pairs beautifully with varietals from Jake’s extensive wine list. 

Aside from garden-picked fruits, deli-rich meats and cheeses, tangy olives, mouth-watering breads and sauces, and their signature selection of six handmade paninis and gourmet salads, what makes the menu at Jake’s really stand out is the heaping portions and are-you-sure-that’s-the-right-price questions the menu is likely to spark. For example, the Antipasto Platter features generous servings of fresh salami, prosciutto, mortadella, cheeses, fruits, marinated olives, warm sliced bread, and all served on a large wooden cutting board, can easily satisfy a party of two, and goes for $10.50. 

The house-favorite Basil Bruschetta, which again can be shared between two, is $8.50. All signature paninis (that come with a house salad) are $9.00, and don’t forget the sweet stuff—the gourmet cheesecake selections, including a Crème Brule Cheesecake drizzled in raspberry and chocolate puree is $6.50. That’s right, $6.50 for a slice of decadent gourmet cheesecake. In Hillcrest. Enough said. 

And now for the wine. GM Rich Totah hand selects each varietal that makes it on Jake’s wine list, and once again, the price point for these glasses and bottles is incredible.

Most glasses of wine are available for around $6-8 per glass, and a lot of bottles can be purchased for under $20. Selections include traditional reds and whites, along with international varieties including Argentinean, Chilean and Spanish offerings. Organic wine is also available (as well as organic beer), and wine specials are listed daily.

Rich and the family Totah are thrilled with this new endeavor, and hope that Jake’s on 6th can continue to provide a hip, classy place to enjoy wine at great prices, but also gives back to the community that Jake’s calls home.

“I have great respect for other wine bars in the area, and I visit them and even recommend them to others, but I wanted to bring a little something different to Jake’s,” explains Rich.

“We are open 7-days a week unlike other wine bars, we don’t have a set closing time, we try to incorporate as many of our customer’s suggestions as possible (food, wine, or anything else), and we really want to stay current. But we also want to stay as active as possible with local charities and events.”

What does the future hold for Jake’s? “We would love to host live entertainment, and make our wines available for retail, but for now we are happy with what we have and what we can give.” I’ll toast to that, Rich!

Jake’s on 6th has Happy Hour from 4-8pm everyday, and the specials (food and wine) change every week. Tuesday nights from 5-8pm offer 50% off any bottle of wine with any menu purchase, and every Sunday buy 1 bottle of wine, get the second 50% off. Their website features more monthly wine events in San Diego.

For more information, visit Jake’s on 6th in Hillcrest.