Firelight, Bay Views, and Serious Bottles
Embarcadero · San Francisco · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Angler’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Angler arrives with the same confidence as the restaurant itself — open hearth blazing, bay glittering outside, and 600-plus bottles staring back at you. This is not a casual flip-through situation. You are being asked to commit.
Burgundy and California dominate the conversation here, and both are handled with real seriousness. Domaine Roumier Chambolle-Musigny sits alongside Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet, while the California bench runs deep with Kistler, Aubert, Marcassin, Peter Michael, and Ridge Monte Bello — names that collectors chase and menus rarely stock. Bordeaux shows up swinging with Château Haut-Brion and Château Pétrus, and the trophy shelf includes Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Screaming Eagle for anyone ready to drop four figures on dinner. The list has earned its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence every year since 2019, and you can feel why — this is a curated, deeply sourced program that treats wine as the main event, not an afterthought.
Eighteen to twenty-eight pours on any given visit is a strong program, with glass prices running $15–$30 — reasonable for this zip code and this level of sourcing. The rotation leans into the same Burgundy and California strengths as the bottle list, so you can actually experience the list's personality without committing to a full bottle.
Kistler Vineyards Chardonnay — $30 (glass estimate)
Kistler is one of California's most sought-after Chardonnay producers and getting it by the glass at Angler — if it's on the pour list — is the kind of access that usually requires buying a full bottle or knowing someone. Worth every cent next to the grilled oysters.
Ridge Monte Bello
Everyone fixates on the DRC and the Screaming Eagle, but Monte Bello is one of California's greatest wines and it's easy to overlook when you're being blinded by the trophy shelf. It has decades of track record, drinks magnificently with the wood-grilled whole fish, and won't require a second mortgage.
Opus One
A fine wine, no argument there — but Opus One is the most-seen name on ambitious restaurant lists, and the markup here won't be kind. With Ridge Monte Bello and Peter Michael on the same list, there's no reason to pay a premium for a label your aunt has also heard of.
Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet + Butter-poached lobster
Puligny-Montrachet and lobster is a classic for a reason — the wine's tension and minerality cut through the richness of the butter while its stone fruit and cream notes mirror the lobster's sweetness. Leflaive does it better than almost anyone, and Angler's version of this dish deserves that kind of wine.
The Bottom Line
Angler is the real deal — a serious, deeply stocked wine program inside a restaurant that also happens to be cooking some of the best seafood in San Francisco. Yes, the markups sting, but the access to producers like Roumier, Leflaive, and Kistler more than justifies the trip.
Nob Hill / Van Ness Corridor · San Francisco · American Steakhouse
House of Prime Rib is one of San Francisco's great dining institutions and the wine list knows its assignment — California Cabs to drink with California beef, no fuss. It won't thrill anyone looking for adventure, but it won't embarrass anyone either, and for a night built around tableside carving and Yorkshire pudding, that's probably enough.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Noe Valley · San Francisco · Sardinian Italian
La Ciccia is the rare neighborhood restaurant where the wine list is genuinely part of the experience, not an afterthought stapled to a food menu. If you care about Italian wine — especially anything off the beaten Tuscany-Piedmont path — you should be making reservations here.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
SoMa · San Francisco · Steakhouse with Japanese influence
Alexander's is a serious wine destination dressed up as a steakhouse — the list is deep, the staff knows it, and the room supports it. Just go in eyes open: this is a splurge-or-go-home situation, and the markups reflect exactly where you are.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Embarcadero · San Francisco · Steakhouse, American
EPIC Steak is a reliable, well-executed steakhouse wine program that earns its stripes with real depth, a sommelier who cares, and a few smart curveballs buried in the list. The markups will sting, but if you know where to look — and now you do — there's genuinely good drinking to be had with that view.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Embarcadero · San Francisco · Seafood, Coastal American
Waterbar is doing the work — a genuinely broad list with smart coastal instincts, fair happy hour pricing, and a dessert wine program that most full-service wine bars would envy. Send your friends here; just make sure they stay through dessert.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Mission District · San Francisco · Californian-Mediterranean
Foreign Cinema is doing something most San Francisco restaurants aren't — pairing a genuinely thoughtful, terroir-driven wine list with an atmosphere that could've easily gotten away with phoning it in. The markups sting a bit, but the selection earns the trip.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Eagle Ranch · Vail · American
The Wild Sage is your dependable neighborhood spot in Eagle Ranch — the wine list won't blow your mind, but it won't embarrass you at dinner either. Watch the markups on the top-shelf Napa bottles and stick to the mid-range, and you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Waterfront · Traverse City · American
Warehouse Kitchen + Cork won't win any awards for depth or ambition, but it plays its hand honestly — fair prices, solid local representation, and a full by-the-glass program that respects your wallet. If you're in Traverse City and want a glass of something local with a water view, this works.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Truckee · Truckee · American
Sunnyside is a casual lodge restaurant wearing a serious wine list under its flannel — the markup is steep and it won't win any awards for staff expertise, but the producer lineup is legitimately impressive for where you're sitting. If you're already at the lake, this is absolutely worth ordering a real bottle.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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