Los Angeles

Adams Wine Shop & Wine Bar

West Adams · Los Angeles · Wine shop & bar

The Wild Card

Adams is doing something genuinely rare in LA: a community-anchored wine bar with actual conviction behind the list and staff who can back it up. Send your friends here, especially the ones who think they don't like wine.

Augustine Wine Bar

· Los Angeles · Wine Bar

The Wild Card

Augustine is doing the work: a genuinely eclectic 66-bottle list, half of it available by the glass, with pricing that respects what it's selling. If you like exploring wine without having to commit to a full bottle, this is exactly where you want to be.

Buvons

· Los Angeles · Wine Bar

The Wild Card

Buvons is for people who already know what natural wine is and want nine well-chosen pours without a 50-page list getting in the way. If that's you, you'll feel right at home.

Bar Etoile

Los Angeles · Los Angeles · French Bistro / Wine Bar

The Wild Card

Bar Etoile is doing exactly one thing, and it is doing it with conviction — if you want grower Champagne from serious small producers in a French bistro setting, this is your room. If you want options, look elsewhere.

Tabula Rasa Bar

Los Feliz · Los Angeles · Wine Bar

The Wild Card

Tabula Rasa is the kind of wine bar that rewards regulars — the list rotates, the prices are fair, and the room alone is worth the visit. We'd send friends here on a Tuesday without hesitation.

Sushi Note

Los Angeles · Los Angeles · Sushi / Japanese

The Wild Card

Sushi Note is doing something genuinely uncommon: a thirteen-bottle list with no dead weight, fair prices, and the confidence to put Greek orange wine next to bluefin. If you let the list guide you, you'll drink better than you expected.

Citrin

Santa Monica · Los Angeles · French-leaning fine dining

The Wild Card

Citrin isn't trying to be all things to all wine drinkers — it's built a serious Champagne cellar and committed to it. If you're celebrating, curious about prestige cuvée verticals, or just want to drink the good stuff with a great meal, this list rewards you. Come with a budget and a plan.

Seline

· Los Angeles · Fine Dining / Tasting Menu

The Wild Card

Seline is what happens when someone building a fine-dining list actually drinks wine and has opinions about it — the grower Champagne depth alone puts it ahead of most restaurants in Los Angeles, and the by-the-glass program has enough personality to carry you through a full tasting menu without a single boring pour. Send a friend here for wine without hesitation.

Meteora

· Los Angeles · New American / Tasting Menu

The Wild Card

Meteora is doing the opposite of what every other LA restaurant thinks a wine list should be, and it's more interesting for it. If you trust the kitchen to make decisions for you, trust the wine list too.

Electric Bleu

· Los Angeles · Cali-French / Tasting Menu

The Wild Card

Electric Bleu is playing a very specific game with a very short hand, and it mostly works. If you trust the kitchen on a tasting menu, extend that trust to the wine list — someone here is paying attention.

Jon & Vinny's Fairfax

Fairfax · Los Angeles · Italian / Pizza

The Wild Card

Jon & Vinny's is doing something genuinely unusual: a wine list with real curatorial vision at a place where you're also ordering garlic bread. Send your wine-curious friends here and tell them to ignore the price anchors and dig into the $22–$60 range — that's where this list really earns it.

Perch

Downtown Los Angeles · Los Angeles · French-inspired, New American

The Lazy List

Perch is a place people go for the view, the scene, and the Instagram moment — the wine list knows this and doesn't try very hard. Order something simple, enjoy the skyline, and save your serious wine drinking for a restaurant that wants to earn it.

Marino Ristorante

Hollywood · Los Angeles · Upscale Italian, Seafood

The Reliable

Marino is a reliable, well-curated Italian wine list that earns its stripes on selection and staff knowledge, even if the pricing makes you wince on the everyday bottles. Send a friend here for the Guidalberto and the Franciacorta — just steer them away from anything under $60.

L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele

Hollywood · Los Angeles · Neapolitan Italian, Pizza

The Wild Card

Da Michele's wine list is narrow by design and better for it — a focused, fairly priced tour through Southern Italy that most pizza spots in LA wouldn't dare attempt. If you're even mildly curious about Campanian wine, this is one of the better excuses in the city to start learning.

Water Grill

Downtown Los Angeles · Los Angeles · Seafood

The Reliable

Water Grill is a reliable choice for serious wine with serious seafood — the list is deep enough to reward exploration, and the sommelier presence means you can actually ask for help. The markups sting, but this is Downtown LA and you knew that walking in.

Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air

Bel-Air · Los Angeles · Modern Californian with European/Mediterranean influences

The Rager

This is a serious wine list dressed in a garden party — the depth is real, the sommelier is engaged, and if you're willing to pay the Bel-Air premium, the experience delivers. Just go in knowing the bill will reflect the hedge-lined address.

Kassi Club

Beverly Grove / West Hollywood · Los Angeles · Greek / Mediterranean

The Wild Card

Kassi Club is a party restaurant with a wine list that punches above its vibe — if you ignore the markup and order Greek, you're going to drink well. Send a friend here specifically to work through the indigenous varietals; just tell them to skip the Chablis.

DAMA

Fashion District / Downtown LA · Los Angeles · Latin-inspired / Pan-Latin

The Lazy List

DAMA is a great place to drink a cocktail in a beautiful room — and that's genuinely not a bad night. But if you came for wine, the list charges Fashion District prices for grocery store ambition, and that's a deal we can't recommend.

La Pharmacie du Vin

Silver Lake · Los Angeles · Wine Bar

The Wild Card

La Pharmacie du Vin is exactly what Silver Lake deserves: a tight, opinionated natural wine list with real depth and a staff that actually knows what they're pouring. The markups will sting if you've been doing your homework at retail, but for a proper night out in a room that takes wine seriously, it's worth it.

Wife and the Somm

Glassell Park · Los Angeles · Californian / Wine Bar / Farm-to-Table

The Wild Card

Wife and the Somm is exactly the kind of neighborhood wine bar LA needs more of — genuinely curious list, staff who know their stuff, and a vibe that doesn't make you feel like you're being tested. The markups will sting if you're paying attention, but the overall experience earns it.

Mirabelle Wine Bar

Valley Village · Los Angeles · Wine bar with contemporary Californian small plates

The Rager

Mirabelle punches well above its zip code — a sommelier-led list with real depth, fair pricing, and a half-price Wednesday that should be on your weekly rotation. Yes, send your friends here. Send yourself first.

Estiatorio Milos Los Angeles

Mid-City / Beverly Center · Los Angeles · Upscale Greek and Mediterranean Seafood

The Reliable

Milos LA is a reliable destination for Greek wine done with genuine conviction — just go in knowing the markups are as polished as the dining room. If Assyrtiko with whole fish sounds like your night, this is your place; if you're hoping for value-forward discovery, you'll leave a little bruised.

Otium

Downtown LA · Los Angeles · Contemporary American

The Rager

Otium is pulling serious wine weight for a restaurant most people visit for the food, and the combination of an eclectic 300-label list, knowledgeable staff, and a by-the-glass program with genuine personality earns it a Rager without hesitation. Send your wine-curious friends here — just tell them to actually read the list.

The Grill on the Alley

Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Steakhouse

The Reliable

The Grill on the Alley is a dependable wine stop if you're already there for the steak and the scene — just don't come expecting a list that surprises you. Stick to Jordan or Stag's Leap, skip the Caymus markup, and let the room do the rest of the work.

Gjelina

Venice · Los Angeles · California/New American with Italian and Mediterranean influences

The Wild Card

Gjelina's wine list punches well above its Venice-casual exterior — this is a serious, opinionated list built by people who actually drink. The pricing stings, but the selection earns it more often than not.

CUT by Wolfgang Puck

Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Modern American Steakhouse

The Reliable

CUT has the list, the staff, and the cellar to deliver a genuinely great wine experience — but the markup structure means you'll pay a Beverly Hills tax on almost every bottle you touch. Go in with eyes open, lean on the sommelier to find the relative values, and avoid anything you recognize from a supermarket shelf.

Spago Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Modern California Cuisine

The Rager

Spago's wine list is the real deal — a deep, thoughtfully curated program with genuine range and staff who can navigate it. The markups on trophy bottles are steep enough to sting, but if you're willing to explore past the obvious names, there's serious drinking to be done here.

Anajak Thai

Sherman Oaks · Los Angeles · Modern Thai

The Wild Card

Anajak Thai shouldn't have a wine list this good, and that's what makes it one of the most exciting places to drink in Los Angeles right now. Send every wine-curious friend you have — just make sure they actually look at the list before defaulting to a Thai iced tea.

Majordomo

Chinatown / North Industrial DTLA · Los Angeles · Korean / New American

The Wild Card

Majordomo's wine list is the best argument for ignoring your preconceptions about a celebrity chef's LA warehouse restaurant — it's ambitious, well-curated, and staffed by people who actually care. Prices climb quickly, so go in with a budget in mind, but yes, send your wine-loving friends here.

Bestia

Arts District · Los Angeles · Modern Italian

The Rager

Bestia is one of the few restaurants in LA where the wine list is genuinely worth the same attention as the food. Send your friends here — just tell them to ask the sommelier to choose.