Ten years ago, Esters Wine Bar opened its doors with a simple idea: to bring the elegance and charm of a Parisian wine bar to Santa Monica.  Over the past decade, Esters has become a neighborhood staple. 

To celebrate its 10th anniversary,  the bistro has welcomed a new culinary leader, Chef Wesley Barden, whose fresh seafood pedigree will expand the space into Esters Wine Shop and Oyster Bar on Tuesday, July 1, adding an oyster-forward menu featuring chilled seafood towers, crudo, new seasonal dishes, and, of plenty of champagne.  

“Bringing this next chapter of Esters Wine Shop & Oyster Bar to life fills us with so much joy,”  Kathryn Coker, Esters Co-Owner and Wine Director for Rustic Canyon Family, told LA Weekly in a statement. “When we opened in 2015, it was a dream come true to create a neighborhood wine bar and shop. Now, nearly a decade later, this evolution feels like the natural next step—something we’ve envisioned for a long time. We’ve been listening closely to our oceanside community, and we’re truly excited to share new menu offerings, a fresh raw bar, and thoughtfully curated wine pairings that reflect everything that makes Esters so special.”

Coker arrived in  Los Angeles in 2006 and worked as a server at the recently opened Rustic Canyon, under the guidance of founder Josh Loeb and his wife, Zoe Nathan. She soon assumed the roles of sommelier and manager, building a list of more than 500 selections and a rotating list of  30-plus wines by the glass, with a strong focus on small producers whose stories she knew and loved. Her program has since earned Rustic Canyon a spot in Wine Enthusiast’s “100 Best Wine Restaurants” every year since 2015. In 2011, she was part of the opening team at Loeb and Nathan’s neighborhood pizzeria, Milo + Olive, serving as wine director and manager. From there, her role expanded to wine director for the Rustic Canyon group of restaurants that also includes  Birdie G’s.

Wine Bar

Boquerones at Esters Wine Shop and Oyster Bar (Jakob Layman)

New raw bar menu items include:


Petite Plateau: A raw bar sampler with tartare, six oysters, and crudo served with Huck Hot Sauce, horseradish, minonette.

Grand Plateau: A decadent seafood tower with tartare, 12 oysters, crudo, and a daily special

Spot Prawn:  A rotating seafood special, often featuring rare and short-season delicacies like spot prawns or uni.
 

Kampachi Crudo:  Thin slices of kampachi marinated in orange wine, served with tomatoes, leek flowers, lemon, and herbs.
 

Oysters: Daily selection of east coast and west coast raw oysters served with house-made mignonette, lemon, horseradish, and Huck Hot Sauce

 

Boquerones: Vinegar-cured white anchovies dressed in occhipinti olive oil and herbs. A briny bite, traditional in both France and served as tapas in Spain.

 

Scallop Tartare: Finely chopped scallops dressed with saffron aioli, lemon, and fresh tarragon. Served chilled. The saffron in the aioli is sourced from a single-family farm in Northern California.

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Esters Wine Shop And Oyster Bar (Jakob Layman)