Pacific Heights hides a serious wine room
Pacific Heights · San Francisco · Californian, Southern American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 11, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Anomaly SF’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Anomaly, you half-expect a neighborhood bistro with a safe, forgettable wine list to match the white tablecloths. Then you actually read the list and realize someone here cares — a lot. Ridge, Kistler, Château Rayas, and a Scholium Project oddball all sharing the same pages is not an accident.
The 150-250 bottle list leans hard into California and France, which tracks with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, but Matthew Didier isn't just stacking Napa Cabs and calling it a day. You've got Flowers Camp Meeting Ridge Pinot sitting next to Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Louis Jadot Burgundy alongside Paul Hobbs Cabernet — there's genuine range here across price points and styles. Château Rayas on any list is a flex, full stop. The presence of Scholium Project signals that the buyer has a personality, which is rarer than it should be.
With 12-20 pours available, the by-the-glass program has enough to actually navigate a full dinner without committing to a bottle. We'd expect rotations to pull from the California and Rhône-heavy backbone of the list, giving you real options rather than the usual unoaked chardonnay and generic Malbec defaults. The Wednesday half-price wine night makes this program genuinely accessible — show up mid-week and drink well for not much.
Faust Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2021 — $76
Faust consistently punches above its Napa entry-level price tag, and at $76 on a restaurant list it's one of the more honest deals here. Solid Oakville fruit, easy to enjoy, and it won't crater your bill the way the Ridge or Paul Hobbs will.
Scholium Project The Prince in His Caves 2020
Most tables at Anomaly are going to reach for the Kistler or the Caymus and never notice this one. Scholium Project is Abe Schoener making wines that don't fit any easy category — The Prince in His Caves is weird, textured, and interesting in ways that $89 rarely delivers. The kind of bottle that turns a dinner into a conversation.
Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is everywhere. It's fine. But when Château Montelena, Ridge, and Paul Hobbs are all on the same list, spending your money on the most over-poured Napa Cab in America feels like ordering a Big Mac at a steakhouse. You came here — go further.
Flowers Pinot Noir Camp Meeting Ridge 2021 + Duck confit with crispy skin and seasonal vegetables
Flowers Camp Meeting Ridge is a cool-climate, coastal Pinot with enough acidity and red fruit tension to cut through duck fat without overpowering the bird. The earthy, briny edge on this wine finds a natural home next to crispy skin and roasted vegetables. Classic combo, done with good ingredients on both sides.
Wednesday — Half-price wine night every Wednesday — applies to bottle selections and makes an already fair list genuinely hard to beat mid-week.
The Bottom Line
Anomaly is punching well above its neighborhood-bistro weight class — a thoughtful list, a sommelier who clearly has opinions, and Wednesday half-price wine night make this one worth planning around. Yes, send your friends here for wine.
Embarcadero · San Francisco · Peruvian Seafood
La Mar is a great dinner — the ceviche alone is worth the trip — but the wine list is along for the ride rather than driving it. Order something crisp and cold, enjoy the view, and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Union Square · San Francisco · American
The Rotunda is a lunch experience first and a wine destination a distant second — the list is safe, the markup is real, and you're largely paying for the address and the atmosphere. Come for the crab salad and the occasion, order something bubbly, and don't go in expecting a serious wine program.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
San Francisco · San Francisco · Wine bar & bottle shop
Bodega SF is what happens when someone actually gives a damn about the list instead of just checking a box. Twenty-six bottles, almost all pourable by the glass, priced fairly, and built around grapes most wine bars wouldn't dare touch — send your adventurous friends here and tell them to skip the safe picks.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
San Francisco · San Francisco · Wine bar
Fig & Thistle is for people who trust a short menu built by someone with a point of view — thirteen bottles, all pouring, all worth talking about. If you need a fallback Cab or a recognizable label to feel safe, this isn't your spot. If you don't, this absolutely is.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
San Francisco · San Francisco · Steakhouse
STK San Francisco has the bones of a wine program and the ambition of a hotel minibar. With only three by-the-glass pours, a list built entirely around safe brand names, and steep markups baked into the concept, this is a place to order a cocktail or splurge on a specific bottle you already know you want.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Francisco · Wine Tavern
Big Finish is doing something genuinely different — an all-glass list built around obscure varietals, serious fortified wine, and pricing that doesn't punish curiosity. Send anyone here who wants to drink something they've never tried before and walk away feeling like they learned something.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
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.
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