Chez Wa

What is Chez Wa? Taking over 617 College Street in Little Italy, Chez Wa is a natural wine and sake bar founded by Tianchen (Tia) Zhang and Kevin Guo following years of acclaimed pop-up dinners. The intimate 30-seat room balances sleek stainless steel countertops with warm walnut millwork, anchored by an open kitchen led by chef Zheng (David) Wei and a prime communal round table overlooking the street. Marked by its playful hand-drawn frog mascot, the room operates as a specialty bottle shop by day before transitioning into an energetic, candlelit evening drinking den.

Chez Wa Menu & What to Order Chef Wei's menu delivers modern coastal Chinese small plates engineered to stand up to low-intervention wines and new-wave sakes. The standout starter is the crispy Laonai smashed potatoes served with house chili oil, dill sour cream, and savory preserved vegetables. Move on to the floral drunken shrimp infused with Shaoxing wine and green Sichuan peppercorn, followed by the Hongsuantang mackerel in a Guizhou fermented tomato-chili broth and the umami-packed mapo tofu campanelle. Finish with the sweet, refreshing sticky rice slush steeped in red wine and macerated berries.

Know Before You Go Tables can be reserved via Resy, though early walk-in diners can easily snag a stool at the bar before the 8 p.m. dinner rush picks up. The 506 Carlton streetcar drops off directly outside along College Street, saving you the headache of scarce street parking. The room operates Wednesday through Sunday from noon until midnight, and remains closed Mondays and Tuesdays.