New ‘casual wine bar’ opens in Belleville, offering good drink, good food and good vibes
In vino veritas. In wine there is truth.
Or so I’m told.
The truth is that a new wine bar opened in downtown Belleville during the holidays.
Grüv Bistro & Wine Bar, located at 223 E. Main St., is owned by Kierra Hennings and Daniel Gonzalez.
“We’re doing a casual wine bar,” said Hennings. “I think it’s something downtown Belleville really needed.”
Since opening on Tuesday, Dec. 27, Hennings said that they are still making adjustments as they go, including tweaking the menu and training the servers.
That’s the business, according to Hennings, who has nearly nine years in the restaurant industry and was previously a manager at Casa Maria Mexican Grill, which Gonzalez owns.
“She’s not there [at Casa Maria] at all,” said Gonzalez of Hennings.
She left her position at the popular Mexican restaurant to be at Grüv full-time.
“It’s the only way it works,” she said.
“We don’t open until 4, but I’m here at 10,” said Hennings. “There’s always so much to do in this industry.”
Gonzalez, who is at Casa Maria full-time, said his role at Grüv is “pretty minimal” and that Hennings is “in charge of pretty much everything.”
Appealing ambiance
Gonzalez said in August that he wanted people’s reaction upon seeing the space to be, “This place is so beautiful!”
And with the new paint, art and decor, it really is so beautiful, with its warm color scheme of darker red and golden yellow. Colorful artworks adorn many of the walls.
Customers can enjoy the cozy setting while enjoying any of the roughly 50 wines on offer.
The cocktail menu is a work in progress, said Hennings. Some of the mixed drink options include a classic mojito, manhattan, old fashioned, paloma – which I look forward to tasting – and several others.
Gonzalez said that Hennings is also working on a martini section for the menu.
Grüv is currently running a special on their house-made sangria.
The menu offers a selection of foods, including sharable items like meat and cheese boards, bruschetta, a sizzling brie brûlée and a lump crab spinach dip. Pizzas, salads and desserts are on the menu too.
Hennings said that they will eventually have food specials, but everything’s still too new.
And in the spring when their built-in wood-fired oven is up and running, wood-fired pizzas will be available.
There is seating at the gorgeous bar, and tables (mostly for two) are scattered throughout the space. Hennings plans to add four-seat tables.
Then there’s the new patio area.
Most of the work to prepare Grüv for business went into the patio, which rocks a purple neon light that says, “Good Vibes at Grüv.”
The space is enclosed and paved with cobblestones. The existing retractable roof was updated with a pulley system for easier opening.
The patio is heated and includes a small bar area and the built-in wood-fire oven.
Although Grüv Bistro & Wine Bar hasn’t been open long, Hennings said that they are pretty busy most nights, and the patio is often full.
“It’s nice to have people out there” to enjoy it, said Hennings.
“We filled up on Friday. It was insane,” she said. “We had to turn the heaters off.”
Making plans
For Hennings, Grüv is her first endeavor as a business owner.
“We weren’t planning to do a wine bar,” she continued, “but once we saw [the space],” plans changed.
“We fought about names for so long,” said Hennings.
They considered “Red & White,” but she said it didn’t feel quite right.
“I don’t remember where [“Grüv”] came from or who thought of it, but we all liked it,” said Hennnings.
“It’s short, simple” … it was almost like naming a child, she said.
Looking ahead, Hennings would like to offer live music in the warmer months and hopes to eventually open the upstairs area for parties.
Grüv has about 20 people on staff, including servers and cooks, to cover the evenings they are open.
Hennings is still looking for employees to work days so she can extend the bistro’s hours and provide brunch to customers.
Anyone interested in applying can contact Hennings at 618-960-0811.
The new establishment is located at the former site of The Wine Tap, which closed in December 2020, and next door to Shoehorn Brewing, which opened a week before Grüv.
“I love downtown Belleville,” said Hennings. “It’s such a tight-knit community. I love being here.”
About Grüv
Grüv Bistro & Wine Bar is located at 223 E. Main St. in Belleville.
Current hours are 4-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 4-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Grüv is closed Sunday-Monday.
For more information, call 618-416-2471 or find them on Facebook.
This story was originally published January 9, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
