Lincoln

Art & Soul Kitchen & Wine Bar

· Lincoln · New American / Wine Bar

The Wild Card

Art & Soul is doing something that most restaurants in cities twice Lincoln's size wouldn't attempt: a by-the-glass program anchored by a 1975 Austrian white and a biodynamic Joly Chenin Blanc, at prices that don't make you wince. We don't have enough intel on the food menu or service to give this the full Rager treatment, but if you're in Lincoln and you care about wine, this is the room you want to be in.

Wilderness Ridge

· Lincoln · Steakhouse and Seafood

The Wild Card

Wilderness Ridge is the kind of wine list that surprises you — not because it's perfect, but because it's genuinely curious for its genre and geography. The by-the-glass program alone makes it worth exploring, and the pricing doesn't punish you for doing so. If you're in Lincoln and want something interesting in the glass with your steak, this is a safe bet.

Lincoln Ristorante

· Lincoln · Italian

The Wild Card

Lincoln Ristorante is doing something genuinely unusual: running a wine list in central Nebraska that would hold its own in most major American cities. The Italian focus is deep and well-curated, the by-the-glass program gives you real options, and the pricing — particularly on the reds — is fair enough that you won't feel punished for ordering well. If you're in Lincoln and you care about wine, this is the only room that answers that call.

The Green Gâteau

Lincoln · Lincoln · American

The Reliable

For Lincoln, Nebraska, The Green Gâteau's wine list is legitimately impressive — a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence that feels earned rather than decorative. It's not going to blow the mind of someone flying in from wine country, but it's absolutely worth ordering a bottle and settling in for the evening.