Bavel

Lebanese or Israeli Red Blend (by the glass) — $14–$18

The regional red blends from Lebanon and Israel are the sleeper play on this list — wines that most diners won't recognize but that were made to drink alongside exactly the kind of food Bavel is serving. At the lower end of the glass price range, they offer a genuine sense of place that a generic Côtes du Rhône never could.

Orange / Skin-Contact Wine (by the glass)

Most tables at Bavel are ordering whatever the server suggests up front and never getting to the skin-contact section. That's a mistake. These wines — with their texture and grip — are built for the hummus, the charred vegetables, and the lamb neck shawarma in a way that a crisp white simply isn't. The list has genuine depth here; ask about it.

Arnot-Roberts Rosé

This is a great wine — we have no argument with the producer. But at $72 a bottle when retail sits around $35, you're paying a 106% markup for the privilege of drinking something you could take home for dinner for half the price. Order it by the glass if you want a taste, but don't commit to a full bottle.

Skin-Contact / Orange Wine + Lamb Neck Shawarma

The lamb neck shawarma is rich, fatty, and deeply spiced — it needs something with enough structure and grip to hold its own without overwhelming the aromatics. An orange wine, with its tannin and oxidative complexity, does exactly that. It's the kind of pairing that makes you understand why this list was built the way it was.