Salt Lake City

Kimi's earns its reputation as one of Salt Lake City's better nights out, and the wine program has real bones — a sommelier, a thoughtful Italian-leaning list, and proper glassware. Just go in knowing the markups are aggressive on the bubbles, anchor yourself to the Riesling if you're watching the spend, and let the room do the rest of the work.

Mazza isn't a wine destination, but it's doing something genuinely interesting by building a list around Lebanese producers that actually belong on the table with this food. If you're in Salt Lake City and want to drink something you won't find anywhere else in town, this is worth a detour.

Takashi is a great restaurant with a wine list that's just along for the ride — functional, safe, and a little overpriced relative to what you get. Go for the sushi, order the Cloudy Bay or the Oregon Pinot, and don't expect the wine program to keep pace with the kitchen.

Market Street Oyster Bar is a reliable spot for wine if you calibrate your expectations accordingly — this is a crowd-pleaser list built for a crowd-pleaser room, and it mostly delivers. Send a friend here for oysters and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, not for a wine education.

Market Street Grill Cottonwood is a dependable neighborhood anchor with a wine list that does exactly what it needs to — nothing more. Send a friend here for the oysters and the Sonoma-Cutrer; just don't send them expecting to discover anything new.

Market Street Grill is a solid, dependable restaurant that deserves a more adventurous wine list — the oyster program alone could support something far more interesting than what's here. Come for the seafood, order the Sonoma-Cutrer, and don't spend too much time staring at the bottle list hoping it changes.

Manoli's wine list is doing something most restaurants in Salt Lake City won't bother trying — it's actually teaching you something about Greek wine without making you feel like you're in a classroom. If you're even mildly curious about Old World grapes beyond the usual suspects, this is worth your time.

Franck's is a lovely room with a wine list that plays it extremely safe and charges you handsomely for the privilege. If you're going for the food and the atmosphere, go — just do your homework on the bottle prices before you point at something and nod.

Caffé Molise is doing something genuinely uncommon in Salt Lake City: building a wine list with an actual point of view. It's not a deep list, but it's an honest one, and the Molise-region nod with Di Majo Norante alone makes it worth a look.

Fleming's SLC is the steakhouse wine program done right within a very specific lane — polished, confident, and priced accordingly. Send a friend here if they want a serious glass of California Cab with a great steak; send them somewhere else if they want to be surprised.

Current Fish & Oyster has the best-curated seafood wine list in Salt Lake City — it's focused, fair, and clearly built by someone who actually eats oysters. Send your fish-loving friends here and tell them to skip the rosé.

Cucina Wine Bar is doing the neighborhood wine bar job correctly — fair prices, a thoughtful enough list, and a room that makes you want to linger over a second glass. It's not a destination, but if you live in the Avenues, it absolutely should be your default.

Log Haven is a Wild Card in the best possible sense: a legitimately serious wine program hiding inside a romantic canyon lodge in a state not exactly famous for its wine culture. If you're in Salt Lake City and you care about what's in your glass, this is worth the drive up the canyon.

Veneto is quietly one of the best Italian wine lists in the mountain west — focused, deep where it counts, and priced with enough fairness that you won't wince at the bill. Send your friends here, and tell them to order the Barolo.

Fireside Dining is a resort wine list that actually tried — the Coravin program alone separates it from the lazy bottles-of-Caymus crowd, and the breadth across France, Italy, and the US gives you real choices. Prices will reflect the zip code, but if you're already paying Deer Valley rates for dinner, the wine program won't feel like an insult.

Grappa is the real deal — a serious Italian wine list in a mountain town that easily could have gotten away with far less effort. The markup on trophy bottles stings, but the depth and curation here earn its Rager status.

Blue Gene's wine list is a grocery run, not a wine program — but at these prices, in this atmosphere, nobody's coming here for the Burgundy. Grab the Kungfu Girl Riesling, get on the karaoke waitlist, and stop overthinking it.

Ruth's Chris Salt Lake City is exactly what it promises — a polished, reliable steakhouse wine list with no surprises and steep prices to match. Send a friend here if they want a safe, high-end night out; steer them elsewhere if they're hoping to discover something new.

Finca is the most thoughtful Iberian wine list you're going to find in Salt Lake City, and it's not particularly close. If you're eating tapas here, drink Spanish wine — the list was built for exactly that.

Veneto is the best Italian wine list in Utah and it's not particularly close — the ambition, depth, and staff knowledge earn that title. The markups are real, but if you're going to spend money on Italian wine in Salt Lake City, this is where to do it.

Avenues Proper is a brewpub that takes its wine list just seriously enough to not embarrass itself, with fair pricing and a sommelier on staff who clearly keeps things from going off the rails. Send a friend here for a low-key dinner — just remind them to order the Montefalco Rosso before the kitchen runs out.

Stanza is doing something genuinely interesting with Italian wine in a market that doesn't always reward the effort. If you're tired of the same Pinot Grigio-and-Chianti circuit, this is your place — just come with questions and curiosity.

The Capital Grille SLC is the wine equivalent of a reliable wingman — won't embarrass you, won't surprise you, and will absolutely help you close out a great steak dinner. Just go in knowing you're paying for consistency and comfort, not discovery.

Tuscany's wine program is quietly ambitious for Salt Lake City — the cellar is real and the Super Tuscan lineup alone is worth a look. Just know you're paying fine-dining markups, so come with a target bottle in mind and a willingness to spend.

Bar à Vin is doing something genuinely unusual for Salt Lake City — a real wine-forward list in a French bistro setting that doesn't feel like an accident. The markups and the Napa crowd-pleasers hold it back from Rager territory, but as a Wild Card in a market not known for wine ambition, it's absolutely worth the detour.

Stoneground isn't trying to be a wine destination, but its Italian regional focus — especially the Alto Adige picks — gives it more credibility than most casual spots in this category. Markups temper the enthusiasm, but if you order smart, there's a genuinely good glass of wine waiting for you above the library.

For Salt Lake City, this list is a genuine overachiever — 200+ wines, fair markups across most of the list, and a Wednesday deal night that should be on your calendar. We'd send a friend here without hesitation.

Eva earns its Wild Card badge — the list is short and the markups are uneven, but the producers they've chosen are doing real work, and Wednesday's half-price bottle night on $50+ retail selections is one of the better wine deals in Salt Lake City. Come on a Wednesday, order the field blend, share some plates.

Table X is the Wild Card Salt Lake City didn't know it needed — a serious, sommelier-driven wine program tucked into a neighborhood fine dining spot with zero of the usual pretension. Markups keep it from being a steal, but the curation and knowledge on the floor make it worth every dollar if wine matters to your night out.

Old Town Wine Cellars is the rare place where ordering local isn't a consolation prize — the oTc wines have the medals to back up the enthusiasm. If you've never taken Utah wine seriously, this is where that changes.