non-corkage fee restaurants

A tenant new to the area and The Cave asked me if I knew of any good restaurants around LA that didn't charge a corkage fee.

Good question!  It definitely stumped the troglodyte as I tend to go local, dining on a steady diet of ferns, moss, liverworts, and mushrooms. So I emailed a few of The Cave foodies, poked around the internet, and got a really good lead.

First, the honorable mentions.
Open Table
Yelp
LA Weekly

1st runner up, Rosso Wine Shop, on Verdugo Avenue in Glendale just before you get to Montrose.  Or La Crescenta.  I still haven't figured that one out. 
    "The idea of the shop is to stock primarily every day wines from Italy, France, Spain and California. For us 'every day' wines are the ones that go well with food and don't break the bank."
Here's the list.

Lastly, it was suggested I try the Los Angeles arm of the American Wine Society.  So I called David Kwan and he was both good and generous enough to send me this very comprehensive list.  Be sure to check out the links at the bottom for more info.

Corkage-free restaurant list

·      Ocean Ave Seafood in Santa Monica on Ocean Ave

·        555 East – Steakhouse in Long Beach

·      La Petite Crêperie – Mar Vista

·      Foundry on Melrose

·      Bandera in West LA, not great food but good enough for a casual tasting

·      Gulfstream – part of Houston’s chain

·      Blair’s in Silverlake, great restaurant

·      Cafe Bizou either Santa Monica or Studio City, we've had tastings there before

·      Musso and Frank in Hollywood, still good after all these years

·      Tasca on Third Street, good Italian

·      Girasole, great little Italian in Larchmont but may be too small unless they let us have the whole restaurant on a slow night

·      Paperfish in Beverly Hills (part of the Patina restaurants)

·      Cobras & Matadors, if bought next door – need to check

·      Alegria on Sunset Blvd

·      Umami Burger - really “in” burger joint, but crowded

·      Cafe Brasil in Culver City, really inexpensive and food is good and will pair well with the wines

·      Manchego – Main Street in Santa Monica

·      Breadbar – casual

·      Latitude Thai – on Lincoln Blvd in Santa Monica

·      Tlapazola Grill, Southern Mexican

·      Jitlada Thai - Hollywood

·      Indo Café – Culver City

·      Metro Café – Culver City

·      Carousel on Hollywood – Middle Eastern

·      Rosti – Santa Monica, Encino

·      Pinot Bistro in Studio City

·      Rib Ranch Barbeque -Woodland Hills

·      Roy’s Pasadena

·      Bottega Louie - downtown

·      Nick & Stefs Steakhouse – downtown

·      Pinot Grill Downtown

·      Zucca – downtown

·      Pitfire Pizza – Westwood, Culver City

·      Two Boots Pizza – Echo Park

·      Rosso Wine Shop in Glendale – communal table for wine/food events

·      Alejo's Presto Trattoria in Venice – too small, communal table

·      Cha Cha Chicken - Pico and Ocean Ave in Santa Monica – outside, casual

·      Gaby's Mediterranean on Venice Blvd

·      Bread and Porridge on Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica

·      Sazon Latin Fusion in Mar Vista – call to confirm no corkage and make res

·      La Petite Creperie in Mar Vista

·      iCugini in Santa Monica - closed

·      Water Grill - downtown

Corkage-free on certain days

·      Akasha in Culver City,no corkage on Sundays

·      La Cachette Bistro in Santa Monica, $1 per bottle corkage on Sundays, no limit

·      Chaya Downtown – no corkage on Sundays

·      Nook in West LA, no corkage on Monday

·      Josie in Santa Monica, no corkage on Monday, 2 bottle limit

·      Daily Grill in Brentwood and Santa Monica, corkage free on Tuesday

·      Locanda Del Lago in Santa Monica, no corkage on Mondays

·      Providence on Monday, parties less than 10

·      XIV by Michael Mina in West Hollywood, very expensive but maybe Brad could get us a deal, free corkage on Mondays

·      The Dining Room or Terrace at Langham Hotel in Pasadena, really pretty setting in warm weather, free corkage on Wednesdays

·      Celestino in Pasadena, no corkage on Sunday

Low corkage

·      Baby Blues BBQ in Venice $10 per bottle

·      Girasole $2

·      Fritto Misto in Santa Monica, $3 per person

·      Café Bella Roma $4 corkage on South Robertson

·      Soleil on Westwood Blvd $5

·      Sawtelle Kitchen $5 ; $1 for each Riedel glass (listed on their wine menu)

·      Restaurant 2117 on Sawtelle $8 or $10

·      Pizzicoto – Brentwood $8

·      Centanni on Lincoln Blvd in Venice – casual, $10 or $15

·      The Counter $10

·      Tara's Himalayan Cuisine in Culver City $6

Corkage prices over $10

·      Upper West - $15 with a max of two bottles

·      Hungry Cat – One free corkage if you buy a restaurant bottle

·      Ariel (formerly World Café) $15

No corkage on first bottle (might be able to negotiate)

·      The Lodge Steakhouse in Beverly Hills – no corkage on the first bottle, $25 for each additional

·      Second City Bistro in El Segundo – no corkage on the first bottle, $20 for each additional

·      Bottega Louie – downtown, First bottle free, $15 for subsequent bottles

WineBerserkers.com Google Spreadsheet of Corkage

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AkFx0iCxZ7fwdEhkRGJfQldKNU9vSXZEV213S1NHeFE&hl=en#gid=0

Delicious Life Corkage list

http://www.thedeliciouslife.com/corkage-fees-for-los-angeles-restaurants-where-you-want-to-get-screwed/

Chowhound Corkage list

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/484258

Open Table Corkage list

http://www.opentable.com/promo.aspx?m=6&pid=370

Rosso Wine Shop list – owner keeps it up-to-date

http://www.rossowineshop.com/pages/links/corkageinlosangeles.htm

Moe’s List

http://moesfinewine.tripod.com/pdf/LAWestsideRestaurantCorkages.pdf

Yelper’s List

http://www.yelp.com/list/cheap-corkage-and-byob-los-angeles

Learn About Wine Corkage Club - LAW membership required

http://www.cvent.com/events/become-a-member-2009-/custom-17-e6d53286fa0a4f7d80c2d985dafd24b8.aspx