Vinum Japanese Fusion & Bar

I arrived here on a Sunday afternoon for the first time. I ordered from its lunch menu: salmon bento, mixed tempura, unagi hand-rolled & green tea. Everything was delicious & my server, Sunny, provided excellent service. He refilled my water & green tea. When I told him it’s a bit warm in the dining area, he increased the air condition. I will teturn again. This time with my whole family.

Our first time here. The atmosphere was a true delight! The fusion is in the decor as well as the food selection. Food was excellent... particularly the Mushroom Risotto. It is much better than others that I've had at Italian restaurants! The service from Henry (Di-Ha) was top-notch! We will be back when we have more time to chill and enjoy the wine.

Vinum is legit, consistent and easy going. I never have to wait long, the bartender is great.

This is a proper wine bar. They have a vast selection of amazing wines. They also have an interesting selection of food. They have sashimi, sushi, charcuterie, boards, and a variety of different food items. It really has something for everyone. The quality of the food is top-tier the service we got today from Jack was exceptional. I highly recommend trying this place out. They also offer Brunch and dinner as well. Check it out.

The price point was intimidating, but I must say they delivered and the experience eating here was perfect. The risotto with shrimps was the highlight for me! For a party of two, we ordered: Assorted tempura - classic and hit the spot. They gave plenty of assorted vegetables with the shrimp. Garlic edamame - recommended by the server and it was very good Sashimi moriawase - it was pretty good quality, but not a wow factor Vinum reserve flight - I liked the Duckhorn and Caymus red schooner White wine sangria - plenty of fruit and good taste White volcano - recommended by server and was very good Mushroom risotto shrimp - highly, highly recommend this Trio skewers - I always love yakitori, so this was pretty good. I would order again if I come back. The vibes here are nice with a dimly lit setting and the decor is very warm. The portions were generous and worth the price. This is located in Newpark, which is a newer plaza, so it's very clean and there's a ton of parking. Vinum seems like the perfect place to unwind since they occasionally have live jazz music and wine tasting events. We just missed the jazz music, since they had a wine tasting event earlier. The menu is extensive with all the Japanese fusion fare you would look for. Everything was delicious and great quality. Service was excellent-- server was friendly and provided perfect recommendations. TLDR: The risotto definitely stood out and I liked the Vinum reserve wine flight

🍣🍱🍶🍹🍸@vinumjapanesefusion 📍Newark, CA (New Park Mall) Need a date night? 🙌🏼 Let’s GO! Enjoy a movie at AMC @NewparkMall, walk across to @vinumjapanesefusion, an upscale-casual Japanese fusion bar, perfect for date night or group dinner. Our first time having Japanese tapas and it was delicious! We started with some refreshing cocktails: Yuzu Fizz + Mint To Be (🍓 strawberry Mojito). The chicken karaage- it was crispy with a yummy mayo sauce drizzle on top. The Buta, salt-grilled pork belly on a stick- that was fun to eat. The Vinum and Golden sushi rolls were creamy and delicious. The Assorted Tempura (Shrimp & mixed vegetables) was light and crispy, while the Wagu Yukke and the Ikura+Uni hand rolls were rich and creamy.. so good! We love the Yaki Udon, who knew udon and pesto could be so perfect together? Last, by not least, the “Choya Uji Green Tea” shots were yummy. It was light, sweet, and refreshing, the perfect way to end a delicious meal. Please follow me on IG: @ssindyeats for more foodie bites and travels.

Review is for the wine experience only. We came for happy hour which the deal is you get a flight ranging from $29-$39 (4 tasting pours) which allows the deal of a $1 full pour of any wine on the menu. We went for the cab and vinum reserve flight. We liked the vinum more which makes sense since it was more expensive. We would be back!

Great food. Great service !

Came on a Saturday as soon as they opened. Wasn't too busy but it picked around peak dinner time of 6 to 7pm, and I definitely no why! The service was good and servers were able to answer all of our questions! He also gave really great food recommendations. Everything we had was amazing! Would highly recommend getting literally any sushi roll or nigiri! The fish was really fresh and you can definitely taste it! They also offer several wine flights which was nice and all the wines were really good. The place seemed small at first, but then realized there is a whole other side that can be seated or reserved for bigger parties. The ambiance of this place was really fit for a Japanese Wine Bar which I feel is personally uncommon. Will definitely be coming back!

I enjoyed my wine, my food, the service, and the ambiance! Honestly, I wish I discovered this place sooner! I feel like you get the best of all worlds here. Wine, skewers, sushi, cheese board, and vibes.

Definitely a cool spot within new park mall. Good sushi, service and ambience. For lunch they have have bento boxes that are a sizeable portion. They have a Jazz Jam on the 2nd Saturday each month, but I haven't been for that yet.

We came in a big group. The restaurant was pretty much empty so we had it to ourselves for the night. The waiter was really nice and responsive. But the food came really really slowly. We had some members who had to eat while others watched. Food-wise, there's nothing particularly noteworthy. We ordered bentos, rolls, calamari (too sweet for me), edamame, gyozas, vegetable temperas, cocktails, sake. This place is in a mall so parking is not a problem. My bar for Japanese restaurants is fairly high, personally I wouldn't come back especially since the food comes so slowly :( but maybe for a company/group dinner this is fine

Exists in a DEAD mall. And has existed in said dead mall since 2018. They're doing something right. Quick no fuss service. Clean cutlery and quality napkins. Beef tongue ($15) was delicious but could have used a touch of finishing salt. Beer is beer. Dear.

We had an incredible dining experience at this hidden gem my boyfriend found on Yelp for our last minute "fri-date"! From the moment we walked in, the ambiance was inviting. Our server, Jack, was attentive and knowledgeable, guiding us through the menu with great recommendations. Each dish was a delightful surprise and beautifully presented. This place exceeded all our expectations--highly recommend!! Jack even gave us these sparkling yuzu shots that were smooth and refreshing!! Hamachi Kama was my favorite dish and I was so excited I didn't even get to take a photo lol must try!!

Best service, and best food... Really enjoyed. had a good time with my best friends. Thank you Vinum we'll he back..

We had a date night (afternoon) that included a movie at nearby AMC and something to eat. We had initially thought we'd visit the Newpark Mall food court, but happened upon Vinum. It's a super clean restaurant with a fantastic server, beautifully decorated restaurant with a very chill soundtrack of cool cover songs. I ordered chicken and waffles and my wife ordered smoked salmon sandwich. The food was FANTASTIC!! Fresh, Great Presentation and it was just the right amount. The prices are unbelievable and it's the type of upscale restaurant that it's a shame to be at a mall. Easily could have been in SF, Danville, Vegas, that good. I've spent more at IHop for brunch and this place is 1000 times better. A+ Highly Rated and we will definitely be back!

Very nice wine bar tucked away at our local mall- Newpark. The food is an Asian Fusion style and the menu is great. Their wine selection is excellent and I recommend to try their flights.

This restaurant is located at Newpark Mall but luckily it has easy access from outside. (I'm not a mall fan). Stumbled upon this place looking for something on Yelp and that was close. I was skeptical with it being at the mall but this is quite the hidden gem. We came on a Saturday night and there was live music in the bar area. The general seating is to the right so we couldn't hear the live music but since it's on the second level and floor to ceiling windows it was a nice view with the sunset. Service was just okay but the food made up for it. We ordered : Mint to Be drink Volcano Tuna Tataki Mushroom risotto Lobster and steak bento box We ordered the food all at once expecting the appetizer/starters to come out first but it was basically served all at the same time. Next time we will space out the ordering. We did get two Sakes on the house at the end. Not sure which one it was but it was a cold filtered sake with an almond taste. My favorite dish by far was the volcano. I'm definitely coming back and ordering a few dishes of the volcano and the pairing it with the wine flight.

Henry, our server, was outstanding. He made sure that we were happy and satisfied with our food. The ambiance was also very relaxing, with bossa nova music playing. As for the food, the Deluxe Moriawase Sashimi was amazing! I don't usually eat sashimi, but I tried everything, and it was so delicious! The ribeye steak was bland, though. The chicken karaage was good, according to my kids, but I had to order another one without the sauce because my kids aren't fans of sauces. I wish they would put the sauce on the side. The Lion King roll was just okay--nothing special about the taste. We had crispy baby octopus as an appetizer; it didn't come with dipping sauce, but it was still good. We were given three complimentary green teas with plum sake, and they were great! If I had known earlier, I would've ordered that instead of a margarita. But my margarita was good too--it had a kick, so the $15 was worth it.

*LOCATION* This cute little restaurant/wine bar is located outside on the second floor of Newpark Mall. There is plenty of free mall parking available. *WAIT TIME* My bf and I visited on Friday ~6:45pm and it didn't look too full inside. We were greeted by the bartender (?) and had to wait a little because there seemed to only be 1 waiter/hostess who was rushing around everywhere trying to serve and clean tables. *FOOD* -Salmon & Tuna handrolls: ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS, lots of fresh fish wrapped in extra crispy seaweed, 10/10 recommend ordering just this and nothing else LOL -Diablo roll: tasted ok, the dressing combined with the already-soft spicy tuna made each bite seem a little mushy -Ribeye steak bento: not bad but small portion of meat, perfectly medium rare, could probably be better with some sauce on it, volcano rice balls were really good though! -Agedashi tofu: tofu wasn't crispy anymore when it arrived at the table since it was drowning in tempura sauce, skin was so chewy that I could do a "cheese pull" and tasted almost like mochi texture -Refreshing flight: light and refreshing mix of white and rose wines -Austin Hope cabernet (Paso Robles 2019): stunning full-bodied wine, almost sweet (and thick!) enough to be a dessert wine but not quite HAPPY HOUR: $1 for any glass of wine with a purchase of any flight (before 7pm on weekdays or before 2pm on weekends) *SERVICE* It took some time to be seated but the food didn't take too long to come out. We ordered a lot of food so it helped that they were all staggered. Our waiter was really friendly but we felt really bad for him because he was so busy taking care of all the tables by himself :( *AMBIENCE* Nice classy and modern interior! The bar looks really cool with the wine on tap. Cute place for a date or girls night!

Went here for a celebration Small resturant kinda linked to a mall I got a yuzu cocktail which was good to me but everyone said it's not that good 10/10, my bf got the minty cocktail which is in the sweeter/sour side 9/10 For food we got the Vinum roll, fish tasted super fresh all night 10/10 lobster pesto udon: this was a interesting dish because there was the chewyness of the udon and then the creamy pesto sauce. I would get it again. 11/10 salmon hand roll: delicious. again fish is fresh We also got this bowl of sashimi I forgot what it's called but fish is definitely fresh. This place has high quality seafood. 11/10

Service was great. We already had dinner at a nearby establishment. My friend brought a bottle of wine and wanted me to taste. So we went to Vinum. We order their cheese and meat board, $39 not including tax and tip, pair with our wine. The charcuterie board was very laughable...please refer to photo. Very disappointed. We had visited every other month to support our local business but not any more.

The price point was intimidating, but I must say they delivered and the experience eating here was perfect. The risotto with shrimps was the highlight for me! For a party of two, we ordered: Assorted tempura - classic and hit the spot. They gave plenty of assorted vegetables with the shrimp. Garlic edamame - recommended by the server and it was very good Sashimi moriawase - it was pretty good quality, but not a wow factor Vinum reserve flight - I liked the Duckhorn and Caymus red schooner White wine sangria - plenty of fruit and good taste White volcano - recommended by server and was very good Mushroom risotto shrimp - highly, highly recommend this Trio skewers - I always love yakitori, so this was pretty good. I would order again if I come back. The vibes here are nice with a dimly lit setting and the decor is very warm. The portions were generous and worth the price. This is located in Newpark, which is a newer plaza, so it's very clean and there's a ton of parking. Vinum seems like the perfect place to unwind since they occasionally have live jazz music and wine tasting events. We just missed the jazz music, since they had a wine tasting event earlier. The menu is extensive with all the Japanese fusion fare you would look for. Everythign was delicious and great quality. TLDR: The risotto definitely stood out and I liked the Vinum reserve wine flight

Great food and a fun happy hour option of a wine flight plus a glass of wine for $1. We have tried their sushi and a bento box, all has been great! Friendly service.

I honestly didn't expect to be so impressed by this place. Kinda feels weird to give a standing ovation to a fusion restaurant, but Vinum definitely deserves it! I'm typically not the biggest fan of fusion cuisine since it tends to lean heavily into the world of meme novelty creations.. but the dishes here are actually put together and cooked VERY well! Highly recommend the daikon salad, mushroom risotto, and yaki udon especially. The daikon salad was fresh yet tangy, with just the right amount of acidic bite. The risotto was cooked perfectly and I loved the mushroom essence. Now the yaki udon particularly impressed me - I thought this would be a soupy noodle dish, but it was actually more like a cream sauce based pasta. The sauce was super flavorful and creamy, and the udon was nicely bouncy and al dente. Service is not the fastest. We waited a while for our food to come out, but it's fine if you have time and company to chat with. And fortunately it turned out that the food was well worth the wait! However, we did notice other impatient parties complaining about the wait, so do keep that in mind if you're on a time crunch.. All in all a surprisingly fantastic place with really great food. The location is a bit of a bummer since it's part of Newpark Mall, which is basically on life support and close to dead.. I imagine this place would be insanely popular if they opened in a more highly trafficked area.

Great place to eat, drink, and be merry! Great selection of wine flights and sangrias. Service is great. Nice place for date night or to hang with good friends. A must try...

This is an unassuming spot located at the edge of a mall. I'm never sure what to expect when I hear 'Japanese fusion,' but if it's like this, I love it! Their bar does not disappoint; there's a lot of sake options as well as cool fusion cocktails to choose from. What we got: - Assorted tempura ($19) - Trio skewer special ($12) - Chicken kaarage ($9) - Lobster pesto udon ($39) - Mushroom risotto ($20) w/ scallops (+$7) - Curry fish katsu don ($23) - Golden roll ($18) Out of everything we tried, the most memorable were the skewers and pesto udon. The meat isn't chewy and the udon is very creative. The assorted tempura has good variety. The service is also incredible; I wish I got our waiter's name so I could mention him here. Overall, a nice place to eat dinner after shopping.

Where do I even begin... My Valentines dinner was such a disaster that my date and I decided to never discuss this again. And, this is why it took me so long to finally write the review. This was our first valentines together... and we'll never forget it. Quoting the business owner "Yes. We are a restaurant, not just a bar." My response is "No. You are not a restaurant, just a bar." Please do not come here with your date for a meal. A friendly advice if you want to impress your date. Vinum is beyond in-over their heads thinking they are capable of hosting Valentines dinner. For a whopping $85+ fixe price dinner and wait times of over an hour after ordering, you did not deliver at all. You delivered disappointment. The quality of food was as if an elementary student was tasked to make a cheap four course menu and just wanted to pass their class. 0/5 Wait times: 20 mins to be seated. 1.5 hours until our salad was served. 0/5 Service: Waitress did not know what the items on the menu were. We had to go up to pay. They forgot our appetizer and served our entrees before our appetizer. 0/5 Food: All of our food was delivered cold. Isn't it a fixed menu? Don't you serve these on your regular nights? I estimate the food we ate is $30 in value, but we paid $200 (see the breakdown below). RIP to my date's wallet. 0/5 Ambiance: All the other hangry couples... I wonder how many relationships breaking up you contributed to that night. Overall: It took us 3 hours to finally get all of our food.... we coulda netflix & chill. jk. You know...even that would have been a better plan. We should have cooked food at home ourselves. Here's the break down of the food, sorry no pictures cuz they weren't picture worthy: Salad Daikon Salad- an extremely tapas sized, plate of shredded daikon that you would usually find on the bottom of your tempura or sashimi at Japanese restaurants. This is embarrassing. Estimate value- $0.50 Menu price- $9 Shrimp Spring Mix Salad- again, an extremely small proportion of spring greens topped with 2 half sliced overcooked shrimps. we paid $4 extra for the 2 shrimps... spring greens are cheap... they could have spared more. The dressing wasn't great, tasted like soy sauce. Estimate value- $2 Menu price- $12 Appetizers Trio Skewer- Skewers as expected. Estimate Value: I won't argue with the value. Menu price- $12 Red Volcano- two pieces of tuna and fried rice topped with a piece of cripsy seaweed. The only thing that was good... Estimate Value: I also won't argue with this one Menu price- $9 Entrees The Mushroom Risotto- cold and mushy.... it was congealed. proportions were good, however. Estimate value- 5??? I would rather eat the risotto from Trader Joes instead. The seafood pasta- tasted like couple-days old sun-dried piss? or dirty fish market? No, I never had piss or the streets of a dirty fish market, but it sure smelled like it. Estimate value- 0, inedible Dessert Mochi ice cream- a piece of melted mochi ice cream per person. I expected something more than store bought mochi... not to mention they couldn't even keep it cold enough. Estimate Value- $2 Menu price- ??? Not on their usual menu. Drinks My date did order a cocktail... I think it was alright, but not strong. I cannot speak to this since I don't drink much.

Went as a group but I fell in love with a lovely Rose' I tried as part of a flight - fast forward to me buying a bottle before I left.

The food tasted great! I particularly loved the rolls, the sashimi platter was a tad overpriced and took a while to come out, but overall very pleased with the experience! Can't wait to come back when the mall fully opens.

The absolute worst dining experience I've ever had. My boyfriend made reservations for us to celebrate Valentine's Day. Once we were seated, they only handed us the drink and Valentine's Day special menu. We asked if they had their regular menu--they said no. Not the most ideal situation since my boyfriend specifically picked this place for us to try their handrolls and sashimi items--but no big deal since the V-Day menu had some options available. I skimmed through and noticed that the starting price was $59 per person and nearly every decent course item was an additional $9+ charge which is ridiculous; if you wanted a remotely decent dinner, you'd be paying $100+ per person. But okay, whatever. We placed our orders at 7 pm and did not receive our FIRST appetizer until 30 minutes later. Mind you, THIS WAS A DAIKON SALAD AND POKE SALAD. Waited another 30 minutes for the SECOND round of appetizers, which mind you AGAIN, was just two HANDROLLS. At this point, we were STILL missing two orders of appetizers. I was galaxy-brained. This wait time is already unacceptable for entrees that require prep and cook time let alone appetizers that can be put together by a 10-year-old within 5 mins. Like, let me into the damn kitchen--I'll do it myself. Also, how do you not have anything prepared when you have a SET course menu for Valentine's Day and aren't expected to make anything else outside of that? We proceeded to wait another 30 minutes but our entrees were nowhere to be found; it was nearing 2 hours since we were seated. At this point, several tables near us also complained that they were starving and hadn't received their food yet--and a couple at the table behind us stood up and left. My boyfriend is usually a patient and kind person but he had enough with the waiting so he called over the server to request that we pay for what we ate, cancel the entrees, and leave. She responded, "Sorry to hear" in the most monotonous, apathetic tone ever and receded to the back to inform her manager. Came back and told us that we could cancel the entree orders but there would be a $20 charge. We were frustrated but agreed to those terms. She whipped out the receipt and turns out she still billed us for the two appetizers we DID NOT RECEIVE and still charged us the starting price of $59 per person PLUS the $20 cancellation fee. I WAS ABOUT TO LOSE MY MIND. My boyfriend politely told her that this was not fair as they were asking us to pay $100+ for two salads and two handrolls when their service was quite turd-like. After some discussion with her manager, she removed the menu charge and cancellation and we walked away only paying for what we ate. It's actually insane to see how a restaurant owner could leave their business so severely understaffed on Valentine's Day and still have the audacity to attempt to capitalize on people when the service was nonexistent. I am never returning. If you want good sushi and amazing service, go to Kakushi Izakaya which is just a 5 min drive from here.

Great dining experience at the crossroads with other restaurants in Fremont ... go off hours and get your meal faster -- if the server is not serving a larger party

Great staff, great food, nice tables, overall a twelve out of ten experience !!! Good sushi and an interesting Japanese fusion menu, if you love wines, you will enjoy this place

Went here for an event and was blown away with the food selection, service and wine menu. Would give more stars if possible. I can't wait to come back with my wife.

Excellent Japanese fusion cuisine with high quality assortment of sake and wine. Ambiance is wonderful with excellent customer service. Definitely look forward to having more gatherings here at Vinum!

4.8 stars!! Need a date night? Let's GO! Enjoy a movie at AMC at NewparkMall, walk across to vinumjapanesefusion, an upscale-casual Japanese fusion bar, perfect for date night or group dinner. Our first time having Japanese tapas and it was delicious! We started with some refreshing cocktails: Yuzu Fizz + Mint To Be ( strawberry Mojito). The chicken karaage- it was crispy with a yummy mayo sauce drizzle on top. The Buta, salt-grilled pork belly on a stick- that was fun to eat. The Vinum and Golden sushi rolls were creamy and delicious. The Assorted Tempura (Shrimp & mixed vegetables) was light and crispy, while the Wagu Yukke and the Ikura+Uni hand rolls were rich and creamy.. so good! We love the Yaki Udon, who knew udon and pesto could be so perfect together? Last, by not least, the "Choya Uji Green Tea" shots were yummy. It was light, sweet, and refreshing, the perfect way to end a delicious meal.

the food is so good me and my cousin enjoyed it i recommend the deep fried cali roll and lion king service was great too. and the ambiance is definitely 100% instagramable hehehehe

We have been wanting to try Vinum for several years now and finally got a chance to visit last night. They have an amazing happy hour for their wines, which is basically about $30 for a four-wine tasting flight, and then you can add on ANY wine of theirs for $1. Try the Cabernet- it is so smooth and fruity. Their flight pours are decent as well. We ordered their sashimi bento box for dinner, which was a considerable amount of food for two, and all fish was very fresh. They like Taylor Swift here- either that, or they knew I was coming. I counted at least 8 songs of hers playing in the background while we ate. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys wine, sushi, and Taylor. :)

I'm giving this a 3 stars because of the poor prime ribeye experience. They wanted to charge for $49 for 6 pieces of a tiny cut up steak. Before ordering, I had asked the waiter how big the steak was in ounces, since it wasn't written on the menu. The waiter had no idea. He said I don't know and just made a hand gesture of the size (was pretty big), so I decided to order it. Little did I know he was just talking about the plate. The plate had 6 slices of steak and the rest were just mixed greens LOL! I then waved the waiter over and told him how upset I was that he said it was going to be a larger steak. He then went to the kitchen to confirm and said it was 9 oz. BIG CAP (and not even the rib-eye cap kind ) this was 5 bites of meat. If they had disclosed to me how big it was, this wouldn't have happened! Felt like a Karen the whole time but honestly this was my first time outright rejecting a food order. Honestly worth it if you're going for one of those bento sets or curry sets. A pretty large portion of food, and taste is pretty decent. Ambiance was cool too. They have one side with live music and the other side is just for dining and enjoying your meal.

Beef tongue - nice cheese & charcuterie board - lovely sangria - love it. lot of selection - wine, sake and cocktails

I miss when this place used to serve tapas now they have mostly sushi, which there are already a ton of sushi/asian spots in the newark/fremont area. A couple of years ahí when we tried this place for the first time, they had tapas with some little sliders & chicken wings & we absolutely fell in love! Now that they changed & rebranded, it's just not the same. We already have a good sushi spot that we indulge in so after trying this sushi we just can't go back. It's decent sushi, but it doesn't give you that satisfaction of having a great meal. I'll still give 3 stars because they still have pretty good service, the waitresses are very nice & on top of their stuff. We also still like the fact of the wine bar & that's the only reason we will probably go back, for the wine.

Dining at Vinum is always five stars! Their newly revamped menu caters to different palates, and the optional wine pairing is a sweet touch! We've been to Vinum a couple times now and had a great experience both times. The service is outstanding and they work hard to ensure you receive your orders timely. We love ordering tapas style, so having the orders back to back is great. Most importantly - the food is amazing! The concept of Japanese fusion is presented very well and there's definitely options for everyone. Their menu and flavors change seasonally, so the dishes may be a little different depending on when you visit. Our favorite dish is the volcanos. Soo yummy and flavorful! Kalbi and Buta are tasty too. The one thing we ordered but didn't love was the wagyu hand roll, it was overrated for the price. Otherwise we've loved everything that we've tried! Definitely recommend making a reservation and stopping by here. I'm looking forward to visiting again and trying more items from their extensive menu :)

My new go-to restaurant in the Fremont area - only wish I lived closer! To be honest, I normally avoid Asian fusion restaurants but was intrigued by the Japanese tapas concept and menu. Glad I overcame my bias! Highlights from the dinner were the sake carpaccio (rich and refreshing at the same time, mushroom risotto (decadent and not overly truffle-y), chicken karaage (huge chunks of chicken), and the red sangria (great balance of wine and sweetness). Also tried a few different handrolls, grilled buta (pork belly), assorted tempura, and basque french fries - everything was solid / above average. This is a great place to come with a group and share plates but would also be great for a date night or even just to grab drinks / apps at the bar. Vinum's website describes the place as an "upscale yet relaxing environment," which is spot on. Interior is spacious and nicely designed, and the service was very attentive. To top it all off, they also provided a nice surprise for my friend's birthday (highly recommend the warm chocolate cake for dessert btw). Thank you Vinum team for an amazing dinner - hope to visit again soon!

No I been wanting to try them for long time. But finally did and I am so glad I did. Pretty reasonable the food was great. The quantity was great. The salmon roll was awesome. love the presentation of food even in delivery. Order bento box with chicken. And one bento box with steak and salmon roll. All hit the spot Will definitely try sit down at restaurant.

Unique selection of omakase, Japanese sake/whiskey, and Japanese fusion foods to try. The sake was smooth and sweet while food cooked beautifully. The flavor wasn't too overpowering. Would love to return to try more from their menu.

Shockingly good food for a wine bar! Highly recommend this place. They have a huge variety of wine and super fresh raw fish options. I would drive back just to eat the lobster udon again, best I've ever had. | IG: Smackinfood

Craving Japanese with good wine or sake? Give Vinum a try in Newark! Vinum serves Japanese fusion food paired with wine and sake. We got to try Moriawase Sashimi, Moriawase Salad, Gyutan Chashu, Garlic Edamame, Takoyaki, Bekom Mochi, Tuna Garlic Handroll, and Tai Carpaccio. We paired this with some awesome drinks like the Mint To Be and Sake Flight. Every single dish was SO GOOD!!! Our favorite was probably the Moriawase Sashimi. It really highlights the quality and freshness of the fish that Vinum serves. But, for real, you can't go wrong with any of their dishes and we highly recommend you to explore the menu!

We made a reservation on a Friday night at 6:30 and surprisingly it wasn't too busy. We ordered 2 hot teas and then they said the tea would be a while since they had to heat the water. (What kind of restaurant doesn't have hot water readily available??) it took over 15 minutes for the tea to come out. The food was good but not amazing and everything took forever. Surprising our sashimi was the last to come out. My guess is they needed their fish to defrost since it tasted as it was almost still frozen. We ordered: gyutan chashu- 5* -really tender unique dish. Salad- 5* the fish and dressing were really good Oysters- 5* fresh. I like the seasoning Sashimi- 4* (toro,sake, tai) all very fresh but a little too cold. The skin on the tai was super tough. Grilled squid- 4.5 * not bad kind of smaller than I expected. Mushroom risotto- 4* a bit on the salty side And could have had more mushrooms. Mint to be/ 5* nice balance of sweet and sour

[Continuation of Kyle's review] My partner had to flag down our server & explained our disappointment + that we know it's not our server's fault that the kitchen is extremely slow, but we'd appreciate if we could just pay for what we'd received à la carte instead of the set menu pricing (since we didn't want to wait for our entrées & dessert any longer). Again, our server was super apologetic & confirmed, yes, they can just bill us for what we received up to that point. Our server did take a while to bring us the "à la carte" check (assuming they had to verify with the owner again + there were only a few servers). After waiting a couple mins to get the check it unfortunately: - wasn't itemized (didn't understand why if they're charging us à la carte?) - STILL showed we were being charged for the 2 set course orders ($59 each plus the up-charges) - showed our total was around $121 (that's already minus the $56 they explained was 'worth' the amount of the 2 entrees + dessert we didn't receive) HUH?! This OBVIOUSLY didn't add up or make sense as it was clear we were being overcharged. We did the math (while referencing their regular menu available online) and everything we received was definitely UNDER $80 (2 drinks, 2 overpriced small salads, 1 trio skewer & 1 trio nigiri). NO WAY should our bill be over $100 at that. Frustrated, we again had to flag over our server & told them our concern about the bill since it didn't add up correctly. We asked if we could get an itemized receipt showing the price of EACH item we received to which they said YES. After waiting patiently for another 10-15 mins, we were fed up. We get it, our server was busy + it was obvious they were understaffed & busier than normal, but rather than wasting more of our time my partner & I decided to walk up to the front of the restaurant & ask for the itemized receipt and pay. After a few minutes (notice a pattern here of us always having to wait a good amount of time after a simple request? lol), our server met us in the front & explained that PER THE OWNER they can't charge us à la carte because of the special menu pricing. WTF?!?! Livid with situation at this point, we explained to our server that if the owner is not willing to do this: 1. We're going to need to speak to him directly 2. This establishment is going to get bad review 3. If they're going to proceed to charge us that ridiculous amount we would dispute the charge anyways We explained we're literally offering to fairly pay what we received due to the circumstances, BUT man... this owner was freaking greedy as hell + had audacity to still significantly have his staff over-charge us! Our server was extremely apologetic throughout the whole process & again, we always reassured them that it wasn't their fault. But it was truly the most stupidest dining situation we've ever been in and the very least accommodating one at that. We asked the server if they could just show us what the total would be if charged à la carte, and they did so easily on their ordering tablet (again, server was being accommodating on their end) and guess what?! The total turned out to be around the amount we calculated earlier! lol. After continuing to explain our frustrations to our server and requesting to escalate the situation to the owner making all these decisions again (which he DID NOT come out ONCE during this whole ordeal), our server (understanding of our side) eventually just decided on their own to bill us what we truly owed (even though it could get them in trouble). We could tell our server really wanted to help us and accommodate our requests from the beginning, but ultimately everything was being decided by "the owner." Super unfortunate they have to work for this establishment and we hope they can find a better and honest place to work for (with a sensible owner lol). We still tipped our server directly as there was no way we were going to tip the establishment. While dealing with this in the front of the restaurant we knew other patrons in line & those already dining could hear our conversation & frustrations. Our server thanked us for being understanding of their side (as they're only following what the owner is telling them). They even mentioned that other parties were complaining as well but we've been the most understanding. Sigh... really unfortunate. We will never be back here. If you're thinking of coming here, don't. Take your money elsewhere. It's really not worth it. My bf didn't even end up touching his 2nd course as well lol. Given the fact that this establishment has changed up their menu so many times... it's clearly trying to be something that it's not and it never will be (especially with its current owner). Not only were our simple requests not accommodated (due to their lack of preparedness), but the owner literally tried to scam us. Should be on Kitchen Nightmares lol. ZERO stars.

I utilize Yelp a lot but never felt the need to write a review until today. Unfortunately, if I could give this place 0 stars I would- and it's all because of the owner. My partner and I (along with family) have frequented Vinum PLENTY of times ever since its opening & have experienced their many menu changes over the years. To be honest, we weren't fond of the switch to a Japanese fusion menu, but because they kept certain items from their old menu we liked, we still would find ourselves going back to this place here & there. Sadly, our experience today (on Valentine's Day of all days) was one of the WORST dining experiences we've ever had. I'll start from the beginning: We made reservations for 2 at 6:00 PM. We've never seen this place relatively busy. In fact, out of the many times we've dined here it's always been pretty slow. But, we knew due to the holiday it would be safer to make a reservation regardless. When we got to our table I noticed their "regular" menu was nowhere to be found. Instead, we noticed they only had a special "Valentine's Day" 4-course set menu on the table, which started at $59... After waiting a couple of mins & trying to get the attention of our server, we asked them for a regular menu and THAT'S when we were informed that they're ONLY doing the special Valentine's Day course menu. Um, ok? It would've been nice to know beforehand right?! We were never ONCE informed by staff during check-in or seating that they were doing this. In fact, if we knew ahead of time we would've chosen to dine somewhere else since this set course menu was NOT WORTH it at all! (Side note: We witnessed a party come in and ask for the regular menu as well. They too, were not informed of the special set menu, but they were smart enough to leave! Wish we did the same from the get-go lol) Anyway, the special menu included limited choices for each course PLUS up-charges for the "better"choices (e.g, a standard appetizer [for course #1] included in the $59 price was the Daikon Salad vs if you wanted to pick any of the other salad options, it would be an additional +$9 up-charge). Ridiculous. It was like this AS WELL for the other courses (except the dessert course, which only had one option btw lol). Our server was really apologetic when they informed us about the set menu, & because we'd already been seated for a while (and hungry of course), we decided to just stay & try it out (bad idea lol). Since we weren't fond of the menu that much we asked if we could order just 1 set course, then order another entrée on the side (that was featured in the special menu). The server said they would have to check with the owner & get back to us... & guess what?! The owner declined the accommodation (3rd red flag at this point lol). But we were like OK, we understand, fine. Our server was again very apologetic (but obviously it's not their fault). We then just decided to order 2 separate set courses (mind you, we even picked the up-charge options for course #1 + course #3). At that point we were just ready to order, eat, & enjoy our drinks. Sadly, we waited about 1 hr JUST for our 1st course & around 1.5 hrs for the 2nd course. They also got my 2nd course order wrong, so we ended up having to wait extra for it (it was just a 3 pc nigiri btw... how does that take over an hour to prepare/serve? lol). While waiting we also noticed other tables who were there BEFORE us still waiting on their food as well. Lots of parties with empty tables/no food. Funny enough, the table sat behind us (which got there after us), received their appetizers BEFORE us lol. The way the kitchen was sending out the orders just didn't make sense! It was OBVIOUS the kitchen was super slow & behind, but not ONCE did any of the staff update us unless we asked/got their attention directly. However, when we did get our server's attention they were always apologetic & we could easily tell that it was the fault of the owner/management/kitchen. Like hello?! If you're running behind then inform your servers to update their tables! But also, how the hell are y'all running behind if you have a limited course menu?! You already LIMITED your menu (prob with the intent of having faster service), but it resulted in the exact opposite! Such a shame. Also, while waiting for our 2nd course we noticed a table (with kids) get an order of fries. This wasn't included in the special menu so we knew they made an accommodation for the kids. Totally understandable since it's for kids of course, but they could've easily accommodated my request for an add-on entrée as well if that's the case. Anyway, we ended up waiting so much longer than expected for my 2nd course. It was already past 1.5 hrs into our reservation at that point and we were OVER it. Tired of waiting, still hungry, but ready to get the hell out lol. There was just noooo way we were getting our entrees any time soon (again, our reservation was for 6 PM lol) [See Noel's review for continuation]

We had the worst experience ever during valentines dinner. We arrived on time , had reservation 2 weeks prior, waited 15 mins before we got seated( we were the only ones waiting at the time). We were served one of 2 appetizer at an hour and 30 mins later!! No joke , servers said they were really busy n backed up? We would have just left if I didn't put my credit card on hold in order to make this reservation. Food was just ok , but that wait was crazy!!!! Dinner was on the expensive side for what was service for v-time menu. I would never go back . We went to grab Macdonald's afterward.

TLDR: Delicious new menu, but service left much to be desired. Vinum has recently rebranded/reopened with a Japanese tapas menu. I loved the old menu and was sad about the change until we checked out the new menu last night. Yum! I really have no complaints about any of the dishes we tried, which included Maguro Avocado (spicy tuna avocado salad with soy sauce and spicy oil), tempura vegetables, hamachi and sake sashimi, grilled pork belly, agedashi tofu, and Horenso (stir fried spinach in garlic butter). Along with a wine flight for me and a couple beers for my partner, it was almost the perfect Friday date night dinner -- except that service was pretty dismal. Once food arrived, no one checked on us again. Eventually, our table was littered with empty plates and glasses, and we finally drew attention to the fact that we wanted more drinks and more food by stacking all our dirty dishes ourselves along the edge of our table. To his credit, our waiter apologized when he finally showed up and we ordered our last 2 dishes. One of these arrived fairly quickly, but then we waited...and waited...and waited...for that last dish. It was stir-fried spinach which should have taken minutes to prepare, so I really think the waiter either forgot to put it in when he should have or the kitchen lost the order. Either way, the service was pretty disappointing, but 4 stars anyway since the food was just that good.

I wish I could remember the rolls I ordered, but I just remembered that everything was pretty good! I was actually very impressed that this wine spot became a Japanese infusion. Located outside of new park mall there's this little gem. We sat outside, which wasn't cold at all. Staff were friendly and attentive. I can tell you my top 4 that you should order. 1) chicken karage: different than any other place I've had & delicious. 2) hand rolls: (uni melts in your mouth & it was pretty good)! 3) sushi rolls: tasted like quality sushi you can get but got a better price. 4) mushroom risotto: another of my favorites. We asked for extra chicken and truffle oil also. Def a spot to try especially after a gym session. (24 fitness is right under).

Amazing service I've been coming here for the last 2 years! Staff is amazing and friendly. Wine and jazz nights every 2nd Saturday! Some of my favorite dishes: Vinum roll, hand rolls, Mushroom risotto, Moriawase salad! Wine: always the Duck Horn - Merlot

Vinum is located near a pretty sad state mall but the foods and service is delicious. I was surprised at how good it was considering I got a Groupon. The fusion style udon pesto pasta with a blast. Speaking about blasts, you have to try the volcano appetizer. We didn't make happy hour but they have weekend happy hours. For example you can get a 2nd sangria for just a buck.

When you think of Newark, you probably don't think of wine. Can't blame you. I've lived here my whole life and I'm still surprised we have a place like Vinum. Great wine? Great food? Great service? This place is amazing and deserves to have larger crowds. Sucks that it's connected to the mall and I'm afraid it won't be around for too long. If you're ever in Newark or Fremont and want some great wine and food please come here.

Starting off 2024 really strong! Took my sister here and we were kindly greeted by our server. Her energy was very inviting and she deserves an A+ for her customer service tonight. Here's what we ordered: Takoyaki: 9.1/10 Very delicious. Crispy on the outside and soft-gooey on the inside w/ a nice piece of octopus. Also, it ain't takoyaki unless the inside of your mouth is burning as soon as you bite into it! Chicken karaage: 9.6/10 Probably the best chicken karaage I ever had. Lightly battered, but enough for it to be crispy. The dark meat was very juicy, and the chef put the right amount of sauce while maintaining its crispy texture. I tasted a hint of potato chip which probably means potato starch was incorporated into the batter but what do I know? I just love fried chicken. Meat skewers: 9.3/10 Another solid dish. The addition of the pickled veggies and grilled onions were very nice. The chicken and beef were cooked and seasoned nicely, but what stood out was that pork belly. Smoky and very tender to where it almost melted in my mouth. Yaki Udon (signature): 9.5/10 This was so good. I see why it's considered the signature dish. I've only had udon in a broth, and this was a very pleasant way to experience it in a different form. The pesto sauce combined with the medley of seafood was amazing. The texture on the octopus, scallops and shrimp were perfect. I appreciate that the udon was cooked aldente. Mushroom risotto w/ scallop: 9.8/10 The star dish was the damn risotto. Holy shit. I never had risotto before, but now my expectations are high for other restaurants just because of what I put in my mouth tonight. The intense umami flavor from the mushrooms hits you like a truck. The rice was cooked perfectly, and the parmesan binds everything together. Chocolate cake w/ vanilla ice cream: 9.2/10 Perfect way to end the meal. Points deducted because I wanted a bigger portion. I loved it. Post-meal thoughts: a carbonara-inspired dish using the udon and smoky pork belly would be a great addition to the menu. Overall, you guys need to try this place out. I will definitely be coming back.