Tempe

Salut Kitchen Bar

· Tempe · Mediterranean / Wine Bar

The Reliable

Salut Kitchen Bar isn't going to make a wine lover's heart race, but it's a perfectly decent place to drink something approachable with Mediterranean food without getting gouged or lectured. Stick to the Naia Verdejo or Yalumba Rosé and you'll leave happy.

Vincitorio's Ristorante

· Tempe · Italian

The Reliable

Vincitorio's has put in real work on this list — 155 labels and 60 by-the-glass options is a serious commitment. It's not a destination wine program, but it's a genuinely solid one that earns your trust more often than it loses it.

Vine Tavern & Eatery

Elliot Road · Tempe · Sports Bar / American

The Lazy List

Vine Tavern is a sports bar first and a wine destination never — the seven-bottle list exists as a checkbox, not a commitment. Order a beer, order a cocktail, or bring your wine expectations somewhere else entirely.

The Hudson Tempe

South Tempe · Tempe · American / Neighborhood Bistro

The Lazy List

The Hudson is a fine place to eat a burger and drink a beer, but the wine list is on autopilot — familiar labels, steep markups outside of Wednesday's deal, and no evidence that anyone on staff is losing sleep over it. Send a friend here for the food, tell them to drink a cocktail.

Eureka! Tempe

Novus / ASU Campus District · Tempe · American Burger & Craft Bar

The Lazy List

Eureka! Tempe is a craft beer bar first, a burger spot second, and a wine destination never. Order a local draft, enjoy your Truffle Cheese Fries, and save the wine for a place that's actually trying.

Blanco Cocina + Cantina

Downtown Tempe / Tempe Marketplace · Tempe · Modern Mexican

The Reliable

Blanco is a tequila bar that serves wine as a courtesy, and the list reflects exactly that level of commitment. Come for the cocktails and the Short Rib Machaca Enchiladas — if you want wine, order the bottle with the lowest markup and don't overthink it.

Top of the Rock

The Buttes / West Tempe · Tempe · Steakhouse-Lean New American

The Reliable

Top of the Rock is a safe, predictable wine list dressed up in a genuinely spectacular setting — you're paying a resort premium for Napa's greatest hits, and the view is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Send a friend here for the scenery and the steak, but tell them to pick their bottle carefully.

Top of the Rock Lounge

The Buttes / West Tempe · Tempe · Lounge / New American

The Reliable

Top of the Rock is a perfectly acceptable place to drink wine if the sunset and the occasion are doing the work — just don't expect the list to surprise you or the prices to be anything but hotel-steep. Order the Brunello or the Penner-Ash, enjoy the view, and let it be what it is.

Filthy Animal

Downtown / Mill Avenue · Tempe · Cocktail Bar

The Wild Card

Filthy Animal is the last place you'd expect to find a real wine list, which is precisely what makes it a Wild Card — the selection punches above the bar's party-school energy, and if you know what to order, you can drink well while everyone else is doing kamikazes. Just don't come here for the value; come for the vibe and the pleasant surprise.

Bar Capri

South Tempe · Tempe · Wine Bar / Mediterranean Small Plates

The Reliable

Bar Capri isn't trying to be a destination wine program — it's trying to be a really good neighborhood wine bar, and it mostly nails that. The Pasta Night deal alone is worth bookmarking, and the Barolo on a short list is the kind of detail that tells you someone cares.

Ghost Ranch: Modern Southwest Cuisine

South Tempe / Warner & Rural · Tempe · Modern Southwestern

The Reliable

Ghost Ranch is a reliable neighborhood option if you're here for the food and want a decent glass of something familiar to go alongside it. Don't come expecting a curated wine program — but don't skip the wine either; just order smart and keep expectations calibrated.

Postino Annex

Downtown / ASU Campus · Tempe · Wine bar serving Italian- and Mediterranean-influenced cafe fare

The Wild Card

Postino Annex isn't where you go to drink seriously — it's where you go to drink smartly, and there's a difference. With Monday-Tuesday bottle deals, markups that border on generous, and a by-the-glass list that earns its breadth, this is the rare casual spot where the wine program actually respects your wallet.

Top of the Rock Restaurant

The Buttes / West Tempe · Tempe · Upscale New American / Southwestern

The Lazy List

Top of the Rock is a place you go for the view and the occasion, not the wine list — and the list knows it. If you're celebrating something and need a bottle, Jordan Cab and the setting will carry you through; just don't expect the wine program to pull its weight.

Society Tempe

Downtown / ASU Campus · Tempe · Italian and Mediterranean-inspired contemporary American

The Reliable

Society Tempe isn't here to change how you think about wine — it's here to make sure you drink well while you eat pasta at 10pm on a Sunday, ideally at half price. Show up on Sunday, order the Chianti, skip the Cakebread, and you'll walk out happy.

Dolce Vita Bistro

Tempe · Tempe · American

The Wild Card

A senior living community in Tempe earning a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and actually backing it up with California classics and legit Arizona producers is the kind of surprise we live for. If you're near ASU and sleeping on this list, wake up.