Great Harbor View, Forgettable Wine List
Historic Seaport · Key West · Seafood and Oyster Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 23, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Alonzo's Oyster Bar’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
You're sitting on a dock in Key West watching boats drift past, which is honestly doing most of the heavy lifting here. The wine list shows up and it's basically a greatest hits of grocery store Cabernets — nothing that says 'we thought about this.' For a waterfront oyster bar, the absence of anything coastal or seafood-friendly in the wine program is a real miss.
The list runs about 20-25 wines total and leans hard on California Cabernet Sauvignon — Josh Cellars, William Hill, The Kinker, Stephen Vincent — in a spot where you're eating oysters and shrimp. There's a Chilean Cab from Santa Luz and a Duboeuf French blend to round out the obligatory 'international' slots, but the overall strategy feels like someone printed a default restaurant wine order form and called it a day. White wine and sparkling options exist but aren't called out with the same specificity, which tells you where the list's priorities lie. For a seafood-forward menu, the glaring lack of Muscadet, Albariño, Chablis, or even a decent domestic Pinot Gris is genuinely puzzling.
There are roughly 10-14 pours available by the glass, priced $8–$15, which is fine for Key West. The range skews red and predictable — you're not getting a rotating slate of interesting pours here, just the same bottles that have been on the list since the menu PDF was last updated in 2021. If you want bubbles with your bivalves, you're on your own.
Georges Duboeuf Wild Flower — $8/glass, $26/bottle
It's not a revelation, but Duboeuf's Beaujolais blend is the only Old World option that comes close to matching the food on this menu. At $8 a glass it's an honest pour for casual waterfront drinking, and it's the least egregiously priced bottle on the list.
Santa Luz 'Alba' Cabernet Sauvignon
Nobody comes to Key West looking for Chilean Cab, but at $8 a glass it's a serviceable, inoffensive red that won't hurt you. Most people will reach for the Josh Cellars out of brand recognition — skip that instinct and save yourself five bucks.
Stephen Vincent Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa)
Fifteen dollars a glass for a Napa Cab you can find at Total Wine for under $15 retail is exactly the kind of markup that makes us roll our eyes. You're paying for the zip code on the label, not what's in the glass.
Georges Duboeuf Wild Flower + Fresh Oysters on the Half Shell
It's not an ideal pairing — nothing on this list is — but the Duboeuf's light body and fruit-forward profile is at least low enough in tannin to not actively fight with a plate of raw oysters. It's the best hand you can play with the cards you're dealt.
❌ The Bottom Line
Alonzo's is a legitimately fun spot to drink something cold with a view of the harbor, but the wine list is an afterthought dressed up in Cabernet. Order a beer or a cocktail, enjoy the oysters, and don't let the wine program be the reason you came.
Duval Street / Old Town · Key West · Seafood / New American
Bagatelle is doing more with wine than most restaurants in the Keys bother to attempt, and for a tourist-heavy Duval Street address, that matters. The markups are real and the list skews safe-prestige, but if you're in Key West and want a proper bottle with your lobster, this is where you go.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Fleming Street / Old Town · Key West · Seafood / Raw Bar
Thirsty Mermaid is a Wild Card in the best sense — a no-frills raw bar that somehow sourced a wine list worthy of a much fancier room. The markups on the high-end bottles are steep and there's no wine program energy to speak of, but the Cava-and-oysters combination alone is worth the stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Stock Island / Oceans Edge Resort · Key West · Seafood / Elevated American
Matt's is the wine list equivalent of a reliable vacation — it won't blow your mind, but it won't ruin your evening either. Order the Albariño, watch the boats, and save the wine exploration for somewhere that's actually trying.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Roosevelt Boulevard / Waterfront · Key West · Hotel Bar / American
The Roost is a hotel bar doing more than the minimum — there's real range here and a few genuinely good picks if you know where to look. Just go in expecting to pay for the waterfront zip code, and you'll have a fine time.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Simonton Street / Old Town · Key West · Cafe & Bakery
Moondog isn't a wine destination, and it doesn't pretend to be — but it offers a surprisingly considered little list at prices that don't insult your intelligence, which puts it well ahead of the tourist-trap cafes clustered around it. If you're in Old Town and want a glass with your morning or a light lunch, there are worse decisions you'll make in Key West.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Historic Seaport · Key West · Seafood / Steakhouse
The Commodore is a reliable waterfront pick — the wine list won't surprise you, but it won't embarrass you either. Hit the happy hour if you can, stick to the Champagne or the New Zealand whites, and let the view do the rest.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill · Seafood and Oyster Bar
Squid's isn't a wine destination, but it's a very good seafood restaurant with a list that doesn't get in its own way — and that Tuesday half-price bottle deal makes it a legitimate reason to show up on a weeknight. Come for the oysters, order the Sauvignon Blanc, and enjoy yourself.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Old Town · Fort Collins · Seafood and Oyster Bar
Jax Fort Collins keeps it lean and smart — a short list that respects the food, fair pricing for the format, and enough by-the-glass options to keep things interesting across a whole meal. We'd send a friend here for the oysters and the Cava without hesitation.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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