Velvet 48

Lorton Avenue in downtown Burlingame runs a few blocks from the Caltrain station, and the stretch has developed a quiet hospitality character that sets it apart from the louder bar corridors closer to the highway. The buildings are modest, the foot traffic is local, and the venues that survive here tend to do so on repeat clientele rather than tourist overflow. Velvet 48 sits inside that logic. Its address at 310 Lorton Ave places it squarely in a neighbourhood where the drinking culture skews toward wine-literate regulars rather than occasion drinkers passing through.

A Wine Program That Earns Recognition

In 2026, Star Wine List awarded Velvet 48 recognition for its wine program, placing it in a select tier of Peninsula and Bay Area venues where curation is taken seriously. Star Wine List evaluates lists on depth, breadth, and the intelligence behind the selection, so the credential says something specific: this is not a bar where wine is an afterthought behind a cocktail program. On the Peninsula, that distinction matters. Most bars in the area treat wine as a secondary category, offering a serviceable by-the-glass range without the sourcing or cellaring commitment that would interest a wine-focused guest. Velvet 48 occupies a different position.

The Star Wine List recognition also places Velvet 48 in the same conversation as Bay Area venues with serious bottle programs. Across the Bay, ABV in San Francisco has built its reputation on spirits depth alongside a considered wine approach; Velvet 48 earns comparable acknowledgment on the Burlingame side of the water.

Curation Over Volume

The bar programs that attract sustained critical attention in American cities tend to share a structural quality: the person making selection decisions has a point of view, and the list reflects actual choices rather than distributor defaults. At venues like Kumiko in Chicago, that means a Japanese-inflected spirits architecture that runs deep into whisky subcategories. At Jewel of the South in New Orleans, it means a historically grounded approach to classic American cocktails. The common thread is that the back bar or the bottle list tells you something about where the program is coming from.

At Velvet 48, the Star Wine List award signals that the wine side of the program carries that kind of intentionality. Whether the emphasis runs toward California producers, European classics, or an eclectic cross-regional selection is not specified. What the award confirms is that the list has been evaluated and found to represent genuine curatorial work. For a guest whose primary interest is finding a bottle or a glass chosen with care rather than assembled for margin, that credential is the operative signal.

Where Velvet 48 Sits Among Its Peers

The bar and wine bar category across American mid-sized cities has split in recent years between high-volume venues built around entertainment programming and smaller, quieter rooms where the drinks themselves are the point. Velvet 48 sits in the latter cohort. Comparable venues in other cities that occupy this more focused tier include Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu, which brings a similarly deliberate approach to its spirits program, and Julep in Houston, where the depth of the American whiskey selection defines the room's identity.

On the Peninsula specifically, the comparison set is small. Most of what exists between San Francisco and San Jose in the bar category operates at a more casual register. Cafe Figaro, also on the Burlingame scene, covers different ground. Velvet 48 fills a gap for the guest who wants a serious list without the full formality of a hotel bar or a destination restaurant's wine program.

Planning a Visit

Velvet 48 is located at 310 Lorton Ave, Burlingame, CA 94010, within walking distance of the Burlingame Caltrain station, which makes it accessible from both San Francisco and San Jose without requiring a car. For guests arriving from San Francisco specifically, the train journey takes roughly 25 to 30 minutes depending on service, making this a viable destination for an evening away from the city's more crowded wine bar options. Hours are Mon to Thu and Sun, 3 to 9 PM; Fri and Sat, 3 to 11 PM. Reservations are recommended. Weekend visits are worth planning ahead.

Superbueno in New York City, Allegory in Washington, D.C., Bar Kaiju in Miami, Bitter and Twisted in Phoenix, and The Parlour in Frankfurt, all of which approach their programs with similar levels of curatorial seriousness.