Duluth

Sammy's Pizza & Restaurant – Downtown Duluth

Downtown · Duluth · Italian-American and Pizza

The Lazy List

Sammy's is a Duluth institution and the pizza earns its reputation — the wine list is just not the point, and the restaurant isn't pretending otherwise. Order a beer or grab the cheapest glass pour, eat the pizza, and be happy.

Old Chicago Pizza + Taproom – Duluth

Canal Park · Duluth · American, Bar, Pizza

The Reliable

Old Chicago Duluth isn't a wine destination and doesn't pretend to be — it's a reliable fallback for the table member who wants a glass of something decent while everyone else works through the tap list. If you stick to the Ste. Michelle Riesling, you'll leave satisfied; just don't come here expecting anything that will make you put down your pizza.

Grandma's Saloon & Grill – West Duluth

West Duluth · Duluth · American, bar & grill

The Lazy List

Grandma's Saloon is a genuinely fun West Duluth institution, but the wine list is an afterthought and everyone involved knows it. Order a local beer, enjoy the ribs, and save your wine curiosity for somewhere that shares it.

Grandma's Saloon & Grill – Miller Hill

Miller Hill · Duluth · American, bar & grill

The Lazy List

Grandma's Miller Hill is a beloved Duluth institution, but the wine list has never been the reason to show up — and with the location closing in May 2026, it's not getting better. Order a beer, enjoy the nostalgia, and save the wine for somewhere else.

Outback Steakhouse – Duluth

Miller Hill · Duluth · Casual American steakhouse with Australian-themed branding

The Lazy List

Outback Duluth is a perfectly fine place to eat a steak; it is not a place to think about wine. Order the Alamos Malbec, enjoy your sirloin, and save the wine exploration for somewhere that's doing the work.

The Boat Club Restaurant & Bar

Fitger's / Waterfront · Duluth · Upscale American

The Reliable

Boat Club is a reliable wine room for Duluth — a sommelier on staff, a genuinely broad glass pour program, and a Monday half-price bottle deal that should be on every local's calendar. The markups keep it from being a Rager, but if you play the specials and lean into the European selections, you'll drink well with a great view.

Tavern on the Hill

College Area / Mount Royal · Duluth · American Gastropub

The Reliable

Tavern on the Hill is not a destination wine spot, but it's a fair, unpretentious list that earns its keep in a fun room. If you're in the neighborhood and want a decent glass with your pizza, you won't leave disappointed — just don't come in expecting anything beyond the basics.

Bulldog Pizza & Grill

Woodland · Duluth · Pizza, American Grill

The Lazy List

Bulldog Pizza & Grill is a perfectly good neighborhood pizza spot that has no business being evaluated for its wine program, because there isn't really one. Drink the beer, enjoy the pizza, and save your wine curiosity for a different night.

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant – Duluth

Miller Hill · Duluth · Italian

The Lazy List

Come for the never-ending pasta bowl and the breadsticks; the wine program is an afterthought that charges you for the privilege of being ignored. If you want a real glass of wine with dinner, this is not your night.

Green Mill Restaurant & Bar – Duluth

Canal Park · Duluth · Casual Italian / American

The Lazy List

Green Mill is a solid pizza-and-a-beer kind of place, and the wine list knows it — it's not trying to be anything more than a functional afterthought. Send a friend here for deep dish and a cold drink, not for the wine.

Lake Avenue Café at Fitger's

Fitger's Complex · Duluth · Hotel Restaurant / American

The Wild Card

Lake Avenue Café shouldn't have a wine list this interesting — and that's exactly why you should pay attention to it. If you're passing through Duluth or staying at Fitger's, make a Wednesday reservation and work the half-price list.

Thai by Thai

Lincoln Park · Duluth · Thai

The Reliable

Thai by Thai isn't here to impress a wine crowd, and that's completely fine — at $7 a glass and $27 a bottle, this is a no-stress, just-drink-something spot where the food is the reason you came anyway. Order the Kung Fu Girl Riesling, get the Drunken Noodle, and stop overthinking it.

India Palace

Downtown · Duluth · Indian

The Lazy List

India Palace is a genuinely solid spot for Indian food in Duluth, but the wine program is collecting dust. Steep markups, a California-only list that ignores everything that actually works with spiced cuisine, and zero signs of anyone caring enough to change it — order a mango lassi and save the wine for somewhere else.

At Sara's Table Chester Creek Cafe

Chester Park / East Hillside · Duluth · Farm-to-table American, vegetarian-friendly

The Reliable

Sara's Table is a genuinely great neighborhood cafe, and the wine list is perfectly functional — just don't come here hoping to discover something new. If you want wine that won't fight your meal and won't empty your wallet entirely, it does the job; if wine is the point of your evening, you'll want to look elsewhere in Duluth.

Margarita's Bar & Grill

West Duluth · Duluth · Mexican

The Lazy List

Margarita's is a genuinely fun neighborhood spot, but the wine list is an afterthought dressed up as a decision. Come for the fajitas and the cocktails — if you must have wine, grab the Riesling and move on.

Lindo Mexican Restaurant

Downtown / East Superior Street · Duluth · Mexican

The Lazy List

Lindo is a solid casual Mexican spot with lake views and a great cocktail program — just don't come here for wine. Order a margarita, enjoy the view, and save the bottle for somewhere else.

Lake Effect Restaurant

Rice Lake Road / Pike Lake area · Duluth · New American / Supper Club

The Wild Card

Lake Effect is quietly doing something real with wine in a place that could easily get away with a grocery store list. Wednesday half-price night alone is worth a trip.

Restaurant 301 at Sheraton Duluth Hotel

Downtown / East Superior Street · Duluth · Hotel Restaurant / New American

The Lazy List

Restaurant 301 is where wine goes to coast on name recognition and hotel captive-audience pricing. If you're staying at the Sheraton and need a glass of something familiar with dinner, it's fine — but we wouldn't cross the street for this list, let alone plan a night around it.

Pickwick Restaurant & Pub

Downtown Waterfront · Duluth · Steakhouse / Pub Food

The Reliable

Pickwick isn't a wine destination, but it's a reliable, honest list in a landmark room — and with a sommelier on staff, you're in better hands than most places its size in northern Minnesota. Come for the steaks, stay curious about what's on that list.

Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar

Canal Park · Duluth · New American

The Reliable

Lake Avenue is exactly what a neighborhood-adjacent Canal Park restaurant should be on wine — fair, thoughtful enough, and with a Wednesday half-price program that makes it genuinely worth planning around. It's not a wine destination, but it's a reliable companion to a solid meal.

Luciano's Ristorante Italiano

Duluth · Duluth · Italian

The Reliable

Luciano's isn't trying to reinvent the wine list, and it doesn't need to — it's a dependable Italian-focused program with fair pricing and a legitimate Wine Spectator pedigree that holds up in the suburbs. Send your friends here for the Barolo and the Osso Buco; don't expect to be surprised.

Bellisio's Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar

Duluth · Duluth · Italian

The Wild Card

Bellisio's is the kind of wine list that shouldn't exist where it does, and that's exactly why it deserves your attention. If you're passing through Duluth and care about drinking well, this is your stop.

Frankie's The Steakhouse

Duluth · Duluth · Italian, Steakhouse

The Wild Card

Frankie's earned that Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, and the list backs it up — this is serious wine in a setting most people would write off before walking in. No sommelier on the floor is a real gap, but if you know what you're ordering, this list rewards you.