The former Vino Grille & Spirits may be gone, but a new restaurant has opened in its place in the familiar northeast Fresno building — and inside is a colorful new mix of flavors and people.
Oak Hill Wine + Bistro has been open for weeks now in the spot on Champlain Drive, just north of Shepherd Avenue.
Walk through the doors and you’ll find an “elevated, modern” menu that ranges from burgers to charred Spanish octopus. There are cocktails invented by a “mad scientist” who smokes olives with a handheld device. And a wine expert who wants to kick the snobbery out of the craft. Of course, there’s the chef, who grew up in southeast Fresno, and is infusing her Latin roots into the French bistro-style restaurant.
For the wine lovers who still mourn Vino Grille, there’s a wine shop. A much-requested wine club is coming later this summer.
Oak Hill is open for lunch and dinner, serving shareable small plates in the hours between meals.
It’s part French bistro with wine by the glass or the bottle. It also has Italian food, and that Latin influence, along with salads, burgers, and desserts made by the in-house pastry chef. And of course, that ultimate wine companion, a charcuterie board.