More and more, I’ve found myself going to wine bars, not only for an evening drink but for my evening meal as well. In the past, whenever I’ve been to a wine bar late in the evening, I’ve frequently noticed their menus and wished I hadn’t yet eaten dinner. Often chock-full of tasty, shareable vegetarian bites, wine bar menus can offer high-quality, reasonably priced meals for a vegetarian in search of something other than pasta.

Consider Riposo 46, one of my favorite wine bars in New York City, conveniently located a couple of blocks away from my apartment in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. In addition to a convivial, friendly atmosphere and several good wines by the glass, Riposo 46 has a delicious, vegetarian-friendly menu. From tiny snacks like marinated olives to sumptuous cheese plates piled high with condiments (grapes, jellies, stewed figs, and much more), I’ve had several enviable meals for reasonable prices there. And I haven’t even yet tackled their creative salads and veggie-topped flatbreads, which are always enticing when I’m there.

On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I found similar success at a wine bar/restaurant called Proof. Wine-friendly bites like a beet and aged goat cheese salad, a shaved asparagus and parmesan salad, salt-studded flatbread, and a generous bowl of mixed olives made for a memorable meal (set off expertly by their tasty wines, of course).

So the next time you’re searching for an inexpensive destination with options for vegetarians and carnivores alike, give a wine bar a try. You might be surprised at what you find there.