Los Angeles

AOC

· Los Angeles · California small plates

The Lazy List

If this four-wine snapshot is the full extent of AOC's current public-facing wine program, it doesn't come close to living up to the restaurant's wine bar billing. The pricing is fair and the Vinho Verde earns its spot, but four uniform options with no dish context and no visible deeper list is not what you go to a place called AOC expecting. Come for the reputation — just hope the full list is hiding somewhere.

Marea Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Italian Seafood

The Rager

Marea Beverly Hills brings genuine depth and regional curiosity to a wine list that could have easily coasted on crowd-pleasing Pinot Grigio and overpriced Super Tuscans — and it didn't. The markups are high, as expected for this zip code, and without clearer intel on staff knowledge or specials programming, the full experience is harder to guarantee. But the list itself earns serious respect, and if you navigate it well — start with the Strasserhof, finish with the Rossese — you'll drink far better than most tables around you.

Lawry's The Prime Rib

Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Prime rib and steakhouse

The Reliable

Lawry's is a Los Angeles institution and the prime rib is genuinely the point — the wine list exists to support that experience, not steal the show. If you hit the weekday happy hour window between 5 and 6 PM, you might find the value equation improves considerably. Come for the beef, enjoy whatever Cab they pour, and don't expect the list to surprise you.

Bottega Louie West Hollywood

West Hollywood · Los Angeles · Italian and French Café

The Reliable

Bottega Louie West Hollywood is a solid, reliable choice when you want wine that doesn't distract from the occasion — the room, the company, the cannoli. The Sunday half-price glass program is the single most compelling reason to choose this spot specifically for wine, and we'd encourage you to use it. Just don't expect the list to surprise you; this is a place that knows its audience and plays to them without apology.

Cento Pasta Bar

West Adams · Los Angeles · Italian pasta

The Wild Card

Cento is a destination for the pasta first, and the wine list seems to know its supporting role without phoning it in. We'd want a verified menu in hand before steering you toward specific bottles, but the regional focus and the evident care in the room give us real confidence this isn't a place that treats wine as an afterthought. Go for the spicy pomodoro, ask what's pouring by the glass, and let the night unfold.

Mélisse

· Los Angeles · French tasting menu

The Wild Card

Mélisse is a destination for Champagne completists willing to pay fine dining prices for the privilege of choosing between four Philipponnat vintages or three Krug editions in a single sitting. But if you're hoping for a wine list that matches the ambition of a French tasting menu — with depth across regions and styles — the narrowness here will leave you wanting. Come for the bubbles, manage your expectations for everything else.

Bar Chelou

· Los Angeles · New American Wine Bar

The Wild Card

Bar Chelou is the rare LA wine bar that actually commits to a point of view — weird grapes, honest prices, producers you'll Google mid-dinner. The BTG range alone makes it worth a stop, and the bottle list rewards the curious without punishing the budget. If you like knowing exactly what you're getting, go somewhere else. If you like being pleasantly confused, pull up a stool.

Kismet

Los Feliz · Los Angeles · New American and Middle Eastern

The Wild Card

Kismet earns its Wild Card badge because it's doing something genuinely interesting with its wine program inside a casual Los Feliz storefront — Slovenia and natural wine in a room full of freekeh fritters and Persian-style rice is a specific point of view, and we respect it. We can't quote you bottle prices or name specific pours from here, so go in curious, ask the staff what's on, and trust that someone in that room knows what they're talking about.

The Little Door

· Los Angeles · French Mediterranean

The Wild Card

The Little Door is punching above its weight for a 27-bottle list — the Old World focus is genuine, the by-the-glass breadth is impressive, and the pricing mostly plays fair. We'd send a friend here specifically to drink by the glass and work through the more offbeat picks like the Ruche or the Forge Cellars Riesling.

Pizzeria Sei

· Los Angeles · Pizza and Natural Wine

The Wild Card

Pizzeria Sei earns its Wild Card badge because it's doing something genuinely uncommon: running a natural-wine program inside a pizza-obsessed, no-frills room on Pico Blvd without making either the pizza or the wine feel like an afterthought. We can't give you specific bottle recommendations until we get a verified list in hand, but if you trust the kitchen — and most people do — extending that trust to the wine program is a reasonable bet.

Mastro's Steakhouse Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Steakhouse

The Lazy List

What we can document at Mastro's Beverly Hills is a narrow, Napa-centric selection that plays zero risk and offers zero surprise — which is a defensible choice for a power-steakhouse crowd, but not one we can enthusiastically endorse to wine lovers. The seven wines on record are all from a single event page, so the full list is almost certainly broader; but until we have more to work with, our honest advice is to know what you want before you sit down, because the list isn't going to inspire you.

Osteria La Buca

· Los Angeles · Italian

The Wild Card

Osteria La Buca is running one of the more quietly ambitious wine lists in LA — fair prices, genuine Italian depth, and enough natural and obscure producers to keep things interesting across 54 bottles. If you care about what's in your glass and want an Italian restaurant that doesn't treat wine as an afterthought, this is worth your attention.

Ospi

Venice · Los Angeles · Italian-American

The Reliable

Ospi keeps it tight and keeps it fair — 13 wines, honest markups, and enough Italian backbone to match the menu without turning into a wine bar that forgot to serve food. If you're after depth or discovery, you'll outgrow this list quickly, but for a relaxed Venice dinner where you just want something good in your glass without overthinking it, the Cascina Barbera or the Montepeloso will do exactly what you need.

n/naka

Palms · Los Angeles · Japanese Kaiseki

The Wild Card

n/naka earns its Wild Card badge not because the wine list is unconventional in the classic sense, but because finding a Japanese kaiseki restaurant in Los Angeles with a thoughtfully curated Franco-Japanese cellar at this level of dining is genuinely unexpected. The steep markup rating is almost unavoidable at a destination tasting-menu format — you're paying for the experience, full stop. If you've locked in a reservation, trust the wine pairing and don't spend energy trying to optimize it.

Redbird

· Los Angeles · Modern American

The Wild Card

Redbird has made a smart, unusual bet: skip the bottle program entirely and let every guest drink whatever they want, one glass at a time. The list is small but genuinely considered, with fair prices across the board and a few real finds — especially that Châteauneuf-du-Pape at $15 a glass. If you're eating here, drink here.

Felix Trattoria

Venice · Los Angeles · Italian

The Reliable

Felix Trattoria has the bones of a genuinely good wine destination — Italian-focused list, sommelier on staff, and a kitchen full of pasta that begs for a proper Nebbiolo or Vermentino alongside it. Markup reports lean steep for the neighborhood, so budget accordingly. We'd send a friend here for the full experience, but with a reminder to ask questions and not just grab the first recognizable label.

Butchr Bar

Los Angeles · Los Angeles · Wine Bar / Butcher Shop

The Wild Card

Butchr Bar is doing something genuinely different: a tight, weird, well-priced wine list in a space where you'd expect a refrigerator of craft beer. Go for the Arneis, stay for the field blends, and don't overthink it.

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.