Downtown Little Rock's Most Honest Wine List
Downtown · Little Rock · New American / Contemporary American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 20, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Allsopp & Chapple lands like the restaurant itself — put-together, confident, and not trying too hard. Forty to sixty bottles organized around California, France, and the Pacific Northwest, which tells you exactly who their customer is. No grand ambitions here, but no embarrassments either.
The list leans heavily on reliable California and Willamette Valley producers, with France showing up for the crowd that wants a Bordeaux with their steak frites. Oregon gets a real seat at the table — the Lingua Franca 'Avni' Pinot Noir is a genuine nod to the serious end of the Pacific Northwest, and not every downtown restaurant in Little Rock bothers. Sicily sneaks in with the Terrazze dell'Etna Sparkling Brut Rosé, which suggests whoever builds this list has at least one adventurous instinct. Gaps exist — South America and Spain are largely absent — but for a 40-60 bottle list at this price point, the curation holds up.
Ten to sixteen options by the glass is a healthy pour program for this market, and the range mirrors the bottle list without feeling like leftover afterthoughts. We'd like to see more rotation — the glass list reads like it gets updated seasonally at best, not weekly. Still, having something like the Lingua Franca accessible by the glass would be a genuine win; confirm with your server what's currently pouring.
Lingua Franca 'Avni' Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2021 — $55
At $55 on a restaurant list, this is a legitimate steal. Lingua Franca is Larry Stone's Willamette project and the 'Avni' retails around $35 — so yes, the markup exists, but 57% on a wine this good in downtown Little Rock is fair play. Drinks well above its price and outclasses most bottles around it on the list.
Terrazze dell'Etna Sparkling Brut Rosé NV
A Sicilian sparkling rosé from Etna on a downtown Arkansas wine list is the last thing you'd expect, and most tables will walk right past it. Don't. Volcanic-soil bubbles with grip and character — it's the kind of wine that starts conversations.
Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2020
At $95 with a retail around $70, the markup is actually tame — but Cakebread Cab is the wine equivalent of ordering the well bourbon at a craft cocktail bar. You're paying for a name that peaked in cultural relevance sometime around 2009. The money spends better elsewhere on this list.
Mer Soleil Reserve Pinot Noir 2019 + Seared Duck Breast
This combo already passed a real-world test — Allsopp & Chapple served exactly this pairing at their wine dinner. Mer Soleil's Reserve Pinot brings enough dark fruit and structure to stand up to duck without stomping on it. When a restaurant shows you the answer, trust it.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Allsopp & Chapple isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's doing the work — fair markups, a few genuinely interesting bottles, and a list that respects the food it's sitting next to. Send your friends here for dinner; just steer them toward the Lingua Franca and away from the Cakebread.
Rodney Parham / Northwest Little Rock · Little Rock · Mediterranean (Greek/Middle Eastern-influenced)
The Terrace isn't a wine destination, but it's doing the right things on a modest scale — fair prices, a few genuinely good producers, and a list that mostly fits the food. Send a friend here and point them toward the Greywacke or the Albariño.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Little Rock · Little Rock · Seafood / Steakhouse
Oceans at Arthur's is a reliable wine stop if you know what you're walking into — a greatest-hits California list at upscale-restaurant prices, served in a room that earns the splurge on food. Order the Rombauer, skip the Caymus markup, and let the kitchen do the heavy lifting.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Riverdale · Little Rock · Mexican and Latin American
The Fold is a converted service station serving solid tacos, and somehow it's also pouring El Enemigo Malbec. We'd send a friend here for the food and tell them to skip the margarita — at least once.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Multiple Little Rock locations · Little Rock · Wood-fired pizza, gourmet salads, and gelato
ZAZA is a solid neighborhood spot that treats its wine list like a useful accessory rather than a centerpiece — and at these prices and this vibe, that's the right call. Send a friend here for pizza and a glass of rosé without hesitation; just don't send them here expecting to be surprised.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Little Rock / River Market · Little Rock · Classic American Steakhouse
Riverfront Steakhouse is a dependable, if uninspired, wine destination — the list does exactly what a classic steakhouse list is supposed to do, but it's not going to excite anyone who's eaten at a great wine-forward restaurant. Come for the views and the steak, order Jordan over Caymus, and don't expect to be surprised.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Little Rock · Little Rock · Pizza, Italian-American, Bar Fare
Sauced is a great neighborhood pizza spot that treats wine as an afterthought — and honestly, that's fine, because so will you once the pizza arrives. Order the bubbles, enjoy the pie, and save the serious wine conversation for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Airport Area · Irvine · New American / Contemporary American
Bistango punches well above its airport-adjacent zip code with a list that could hold its own in Beverly Hills — the markup is the price of admission and it stings a little, but the depth and by-the-glass range make it worth the visit. Send a friend here if they're stuck in Irvine for a business dinner and want something worth talking about.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / North Loop · Minneapolis · New American / Contemporary American
112 Eatery's wine list is punching well above its weight for a Minneapolis neighborhood bistro, with a genuinely distinctive Old World focus and producers that belong on serious lists anywhere in the country. The markups sting on a few bottles, but the curation earns enough goodwill to keep us coming back.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.