Spokane

Browne Family's Spokane room is a confident single-producer tasting experience done right — fair prices, knowledgeable pours, and a genuine case for why Washington State deserves your attention. Send a friend here if they think Washington wine is just an also-ran.

The Blackbird is a genuinely good barbecue tavern that simply doesn't care about wine, and the steep markups on uninspired bottles make that indifference expensive. Come for the smoked meats and a cold beer — if you insist on wine, grab the Milbrandt and move on.

The Melting Pot Spokane isn't a wine destination, and it's not trying to be — but the Washington State anchors on this list are genuinely good, and if you stick to those, you'll drink well enough for the occasion. Come for the fondue experience, order the Ste. Michelle, and save the serious wine night for somewhere else.

1919 won't blow any minds, but for a hotel bar in downtown Spokane it earns genuine respect for keeping Washington State producers front and center. Come for the room, stay for the Beresan — just don't expect any surprises in the pricing.

The Grand Terrace Bar is a great place to drink wine in Spokane — just not necessarily great wine. Come for the skyline, order the Riesling, and save the serious bottle hunting for elsewhere.

Barrister is a genuine Wild Card: a serious urban winery tucked into Spokane's rail district that most wine travelers blow past on their way to Walla Walla. If you're in eastern Washington and you haven't stopped here, you owe yourself a visit.

Pacific to Palouse is doing something genuinely rare in eastern Washington: treating regional wine as a destination rather than an afterthought. If you want to understand what the Pacific Northwest is capable of in a glass, this is a better classroom than most.

Fleur de Sel is a Wild Card in the best sense: a tiny crêperie that quietly built a French-regional wine list that makes total sense and charges you almost nothing for the privilege. Send your friends here — just make sure they order the Muscadet.

Safari Room is a perfectly decent wine stop if you're already there for dinner or a post-conference drink, especially during happy hour when the Washington pours get genuinely affordable. We wouldn't drive across town for the list, but we'd order a second glass without complaint.

The Cedars earns its crowd on the strength of the setting, not the wine list — but the Northwest-focused selections are honest and approachable enough that you won't be reaching for a cocktail instead. Just order the Viognier, watch the lake, and don't look too closely at the per-glass math.

Hogwash is a whiskey bar first and a wine list second, but the local-producer focus and fair pricing make it a genuine Wild Card worth knowing about. Order the Sangiovese, ignore the cocktail menu for one round, and see what Spokane's wine scene is quietly doing.

Masselow's is the rare casino restaurant where the wine list earns its own destination status — a sommelier-driven, Washington-forward program with genuine cult bottles that most restaurants in bigger cities can't touch. The markups are real, but so is the effort, and out here, that counts for a lot.

Mizuna is doing honest, thoughtful work with a Northwest-leaning list in a city that doesn't always demand it — and that counts for something. Watch the markup on the more recognizable labels, anchor your order to L'Ecole or Barnard Griffin, and you'll leave happy.

Française is doing something genuinely rare for Spokane — running a wine list where France and Washington aren't in competition but in conversation. No sommelier on staff, no half-price gimmicks, just a thoughtful list in a good room. Send your friends here.

The Flying Goat isn't a wine destination, but it's a pizza spot that actually thought about wine — and on Wednesday, half-price bottles make it an absurdly good deal. Show up, order the Goat Head Red, eat the D Street, and feel good about your life choices.

P.F. Chang's wine list exists to check a box, not to enhance your dinner. Order the Ste. Michelle Riesling, enjoy your lettuce wraps, and keep your expectations firmly at chain-restaurant level.

Martini's Downtown is a perfectly solid neighborhood Italian spot with a wine list that does its job without any ambition. If you're eating pasta in Spokane and want a fair-priced pour of something local, you won't leave unhappy — just don't come looking for discovery.

The Onion isn't a wine destination, and it doesn't try to be — it's a reliable neighborhood taphouse where the beer list is the star and the wine list is a solid understudy. If you're with a group and someone needs a glass of wine while everyone else drinks craft beer, this works just fine.

Palm Court is a lovely room with a wine list that treats its guests like a captive audience — and on most nights, that's exactly what you are. Come on a Wednesday, grab the Columbia Crest, and spend your saved money on dessert.

Rocco's isn't going to make any best-of wine lists, but the markup fairness alone puts it ahead of restaurants charging twice as much for half the effort. If you're eating in downtown Spokane and want honest Italian food with a glass of wine that won't cost you a therapy session afterward, this is your spot.

Cabernet Steakhouse earns its name — the Washington State selection alone makes it worth a visit, and the Caymus Special Selection markup is genuinely shocking in the best way. Just don't let anyone pour you an Oberon by the glass and call it a night.

Arbor Crest isn't trying to be a wine destination in the conventional sense — it IS the winery, and the restaurant is the excuse to stay longer. If you're into Washington wine and want to drink it somewhere genuinely stunning, this earns its trip.

The Rock is a legitimately fun spot for pizza and beer, and we'd send you there gladly for both. For wine, though, the list is an afterthought dressed up in a menu — come on Wednesday for the half-price bottles, order the Columbia Crest, and put your energy into the pizza.

Luna isn't a destination wine bar, but it's doing more with less than most neighborhood spots in Spokane. If you're eating here anyway, the list gives you real reasons to order a bottle.

The Chandler's Ford is the kind of steakhouse wine list that makes you actually read the whole thing before ordering. No half-price nights, no flashy deals — just a well-stocked, fairly marked cellar run by someone who knows what they're doing. Send a friend here who takes wine seriously.

Martin Cafe isn't a wine destination, but it's doing more than most cafes bother to do — fair markups, a Wednesday half-price program, and the Antinori Peppoli holding things down for anyone paying attention. Send a friend here on a Wednesday with instructions to order the duck and the Chianti, and they'll think you're a genius.

Sapori is a perfectly decent neighborhood Italian spot where the wine list does just enough not to embarrass itself. Send a friend here for the food and the atmosphere — just temper expectations on the wine side and consider ordering by the glass to keep the bill from running away.

Loren is a reliable destination for Washington wine done with real conviction — the producers are legit, the focus is tight, and the setting does the list justice. Just go in knowing you're paying upscale steakhouse prices for the privilege, and order accordingly.

This isn't a wine list — it's a winery that opened a really nice room in Spokane and brought its whole catalog with it. If you're good with that framing, and you should be, this is one of the more satisfying wine experiences in the city.

Spencer's is a dependable hotel steakhouse with a wine list that does its job and not much more — local producers, fair glass count, and markups that range from tolerable to eyebrow-raising. Order the Heritage Cab, skip the Chateau Ste. Michelle at bottle price, and enjoy your steak.