A Custom Cuvée and Ocean Views Earn Respect
· Honolulu · Italian-American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · October 3, 2026
RagingWine reviewed 53 By The Sea’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Twenty-one labels, all poured by the glass — that's an unusual call, and it immediately signals that this place is thinking about flexibility over cellar depth. The list reads like someone with genuine taste curated it: Bründlmayer Grüner, a Falanghina from Campania, a Marsannay Pinot — these aren't names you find on your average Honolulu tourist-trap wine list. There's also a house-commissioned Failla Pinot Noir with the restaurant's name on the label, which is either very cool or very marketing-brained, but we'll call it cool.
For a 21-bottle all-by-the-glass program, the geographic reach is genuinely impressive: France (Champagne, Chablis, Burgundy, Provence), Italy (Campania, Chianti Classico), Austria (Kamptal), New Zealand (Marlborough), Australia (McLaren Vale), Spain (Rioja), and a meaningful Oregon throughline with Lingua Franca, Sokol Blosser, Failla, and Wayfarer. The whites are the strongest corner of the list — the Bründlmayer Grüner at $14/glass and the Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina at $12/glass are the kind of picks that make you trust whoever built this. Reds are thinner in count but climb dramatically in prestige, capping at a Château Mouton Rothschild 2019 Pauillac available by the 3oz pour — which is either genius accessibility or a way to charge $125 for a sip of something you can't properly evaluate at that volume. The non-alcoholic Pierre Zéro and the Shirakabegura Mio Sparkling Sake round out a list that's clearly trying to serve a wide room.
The entire list is by the glass, which is the whole point here. Pours span $10 to $125, with a dedicated "Premium (3oz)" tier for the trophy bottles — Mouton Rothschild at $125/glass and Peter Michael Les Pavots at $75/glass. The everyday range between $12–$31 is where the real action is, and there's enough there to spend a whole evening exploring without touching the prestige tier.
The Bottom Line
53 By The Sea plays an interesting game: a short, all-glass list that punches well above its weight in the mid-range, anchored by a custom Failla Pinot and some genuinely thoughtful picks from Austria and southern Italy. Markups lean steep, especially as you climb the tiers, and the absence of bottle service means you're always buying by the glass. But if you stick to the $12–$31 range, this is one of the more curated pours you'll find in Honolulu — and that Grüner alone is worth the visit.
· Honolulu · Steakhouse
The Capital Grille Hawaii's wine list does what the brand does everywhere — it's safe, corporate, and priced to capture resort-market margins. The Champagne selection is genuinely deep and includes some worthwhile picks like the Paul Bara and the Llopart Cava, but markups are steep and there's little here to excite anyone looking beyond the obvious. If you're here for a steak and want bubbles, you'll find something that works — just don't expect the list to dazzle you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikiki · Honolulu · Steakhouse
BLT Steak Waikiki is a competent, crowd-pleasing steakhouse wine list in a setting where you're mostly paying for the view and the popovers. If wine is central to your evening, call ahead and ask what's actually open — the list's documented depth isn't enough to guarantee a great bottle without some homework. Come for the porterhouse, manage your wine expectations.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Hawaii Regional
Mud Hen Water's wine list is small, smart, and priced without the island markup you'd expect. It won't overwhelm you with options, but the options it has are well-chosen — and the ability to glass-pour every single bottle means you can explore freely. If you're eating there, skip the default and work through the whites.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Vietnamese
The Pig and the Lady is running one of the most thoughtful small wine lists in Honolulu, and the fact that it's attached to a Vietnamese restaurant makes it even more interesting. If you show up expecting a standard Southeast Asian wine afterthought and find Domaine Huet Chenin Blanc and a Hungarian pet-nat, you should probably order both. This is the Wild Card badge in its purest form — surprising, intentional, and worth your attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Chinatown · Honolulu · American Brasserie
Livestock Tavern is a genuinely good neighborhood hang with a wine list that supports the food without embarrassing itself. The pricing skews steep for Honolulu (not unusual in Hawaii), and the program won't wow a devoted wine nerd — but if you're going for the smoked prime rib or the tavern burger, there's something on this list that'll do the job. Go for the atmosphere and the kitchen; treat the wine as a reliable co-pilot, not the main event.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Steakhouse
Morton's Honolulu gives you a competent, Cabernet-saturated list that will reliably satisfy the guest who came for a big steak and a big red — just don't expect any surprises, and watch the markup on the entry-level bottles. Send a friend here if they want comfort, not if they want discovery.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Venice · Los Angeles · Italian-American
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.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Branson · Italian-American
Pasghetti's isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list makes that abundantly clear. If you're here for the pasta and the family-friendly Branson vibe, grab a Lambrusco and call it a night — but don't expect the wine program to be part of the reason you come back.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Portsmouth · Italian-American
The Rosa isn't trying to reinvent the wine list — it's trying to serve its room well, and largely succeeds. Twenty-five by-the-glass options with Italian producers mixed alongside California staples makes this one of the more thoughtful pours in Portsmouth. If you're after wine-bar ambition, look elsewhere; if you want a reliable glass with your gnocchi without any drama, The Rosa delivers.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
