Sicily in Salt Lake, and It Works
Downtown · Salt Lake City · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 2, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The list is lean — somewhere in the 30-60 bottle range — but it lands with intention. Every pour traces back to Sicily or Southern Italy, which in Salt Lake City feels like a genuine point of view rather than a marketing gimmick. Most restaurants here hedge toward California and France; Antica Sicilia doesn't flinch.
The regional focus is tight: Nero d'Avola, Nerello Mascalese, and Etna Rosso anchor the reds, while Grillo holds it down on the white side. That's the volcanic island canon done right, and it's genuinely rare to find this level of Sicilian specificity anywhere in Utah. The list won't impress anyone hunting aged Barolo or obscure Burgundy, but that's not the point — this is a document built to complement the kitchen. Gaps exist beyond Southern Italy, so if your table has a Riesling person, they're ordering cocktails.
Eight to twelve pours by the glass is a solid showing for a room this size, and the emphasis on Sicilian varietals carries through — expect Nero d'Avola and Grillo to be your primary options rather than the usual Cabernet-Pinot-Chardonnay trifecta. We'd like to see more rotation and a few adventurous additions, but what's here is priced fairly and actually fits the food.
Grillo — $12
Grillo is the working white grape of western Sicily — bright acidity, stone fruit, a saline finish — and it's chronically underpriced relative to what it delivers. By the glass here, it punches well above its ask and makes every seafood dish on the menu better.
Nerello Mascalese
Most tables walk right past this one and grab the Nero d'Avola out of name recognition. Don't. Nerello Mascalese from Etna's slopes is lighter, more complex, and has a haunting minerality that reads almost Burgundian at a fraction of the price. It's the sleeper on this list.
Nero d'Avola
Not because it's bad — it isn't — but because it's the obvious default, the bottle everyone defaults to when they see a Sicilian wine list. With Nerello Mascalese and Etna Rosso sitting right next to it, ordering Nero d'Avola here is like going to a great ramen spot and ordering the plain broth.
Etna Rosso + Polipo Don Pino
Octopus wants acidity and earth, not oak and fruit. Etna Rosso — grown on volcanic soil at elevation — brings both, with enough savory grip to stand up to char without trampling the seafood. This is the pairing the kitchen is quietly hoping you'll make.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Antica Sicilia is doing something genuinely unusual for Salt Lake City: a wine list that actually commits to its culinary identity instead of playing it safe with crowd-pleasing imports. If you care about Sicilian varietals even a little, this is worth your time.
Sugar House · Salt Lake City · Steakhouse and Seafood with Scandinavian/European Influences
Kimi's earns its reputation as one of Salt Lake City's better nights out, and the wine program has real bones — a sommelier, a thoughtful Italian-leaning list, and proper glassware. Just go in knowing the markups are aggressive on the bubbles, anchor yourself to the Riesling if you're watching the spend, and let the room do the rest of the work.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
9th & 9th · Salt Lake City · Middle Eastern
Mazza isn't a wine destination, but it's doing something genuinely interesting by building a list around Lebanese producers that actually belong on the table with this food. If you're in Salt Lake City and want to drink something you won't find anywhere else in town, this is worth a detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Salt Lake City · Japanese and Sushi
Takashi is a great restaurant with a wine list that's just along for the ride — functional, safe, and a little overpriced relative to what you get. Go for the sushi, order the Cloudy Bay or the Oregon Pinot, and don't expect the wine program to keep pace with the kitchen.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Salt Lake City · Seafood and Raw Bar
Market Street Oyster Bar is a reliable spot for wine if you calibrate your expectations accordingly — this is a crowd-pleaser list built for a crowd-pleaser room, and it mostly delivers. Send a friend here for oysters and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, not for a wine education.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cottonwood Heights · Salt Lake City · Seafood and Steakhouse
Market Street Grill Cottonwood is a dependable neighborhood anchor with a wine list that does exactly what it needs to — nothing more. Send a friend here for the oysters and the Sonoma-Cutrer; just don't send them expecting to discover anything new.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Salt Lake City · Seafood and Steakhouse
Market Street Grill is a solid, dependable restaurant that deserves a more adventurous wine list — the oyster program alone could support something far more interesting than what's here. Come for the seafood, order the Sonoma-Cutrer, and don't spend too much time staring at the bottle list hoping it changes.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
La Frontera · Round Rock · Italian
Macaroni Grill's wine list is functional in the same way a vending machine is functional — it'll get you a drink, but nobody's excited about it. If wine matters to you even a little, you're better off at almost any independent Italian spot in the area.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Wooster Square · New Haven · Italian
Tre Scalini is the rare neighborhood Italian that backs up a serious room with a serious wine list — 425 bottles, a sommelier, and real Italian depth all say someone's paying attention. Markups run steep on the prestige stuff, but value is absolutely findable if you know where to look.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
The Greene · Dayton · Italian
Bravo is not a wine destination, and it doesn't try to be — but Wednesday nights at the bar with $7 pours of Ruffino Chianti and a pasta dish is genuinely a decent night out in Beavercreek. Skip the wine list the other six nights unless you're okay paying chain markups for supermarket bottles.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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