Ace Hotel's Best Kept Drinking Secret
Midtown South · New York · British-American Gastropub · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 25, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Breslin Bar & Dining Room’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The Breslin's wine list doesn't announce itself — it sits quietly behind a bar scene that would rather you order a beer or a cocktail. But flip past the drinks and you find a focused, Old World-leaning list that actually makes sense with what's coming out of the kitchen.
At 100 to 150 bottles, this isn't a deep cellar situation, but it's curated with some intention. The Rhône Valley gets real attention here, which is the right call when you're serving lamb burgers and pig's foot — those robust, funky dishes want wines with grip and earth, not fruit-forward crowd pleasers. France anchors the list, with the Old World doing most of the heavy lifting throughout. There are gaps — don't come looking for a serious New World selection or much depth below the surface — but what's here fits the room.
Somewhere between 12 and 18 options by the glass, which is respectable for a hotel dining room that functions more as a bar than a destination wine spot. The pour program tracks with the bottle list's Old World sensibility, so you're not stuck choosing between generic Pinot Grigio and generic Cabernet. Rotation feels static rather than dynamic — don't expect a lot of seasonal surprises.
2007 Domaine des Martinelles Crozes-Hermitage — $55
A Northern Rhône Syrah from a solid producer at $55 a bottle is genuinely fair pricing in a Manhattan hotel restaurant. This is the kind of wine that earns its keep at the table — earthy, savory, and built for the meat-heavy menu.
2007 Domaine des Martinelles Crozes-Hermitage
Most people walking into the Breslin are ordering cocktails or reaching for something safe. The Crozes-Hermitage gets overlooked because it's not a famous appellation, but that's exactly why it's priced fairly and drinks above its station — Syrah from this corner of the Rhône plays perfectly against the kitchen's fat-forward, intensely savory cooking.
Generic by-the-glass house pours
With a list that has some real character on the bottle side, the lower-end glass pours feel like an afterthought. If you're not going to commit to a bottle, you're better off leaning into the cocktail program, which is clearly where the bar's energy actually lives.
2007 Domaine des Martinelles Crozes-Hermitage + Lamb Burger
Northern Rhône Syrah and lamb is one of those combinations that exists for a reason. The wine's peppery backbone and earthy depth go toe-to-toe with the lamb's richness without getting steamrolled by it — this is the bottle you order when that burger hits the table.
The Bottom Line
The Breslin isn't a wine destination, but it's smarter about wine than it has any obligation to be given its gastropub identity and hotel-bar foot traffic. If you're eating here — and you should be — the 2007 Crozes-Hermitage is your move.
Midtown · New York · French Brasserie
La Grande Boucherie earns its place as a reliable stop for wine in Midtown, especially if you're leaning French. The glass list is genuinely wide and has some smart picks buried in it — the Fleurie and the Wiemer Riesling both punch above their price points. Markups trend steep as you climb the bottle list, so your money works hardest in the by-the-glass section. If you're here for the brasserie experience, the wine program holds up its end of the deal.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Steakhouse
BLT Prime's wine program is glass-only, which limits your options if you came for a big bottle moment, but the pricing is honest and the selection is more thoughtful than most steakhouses bother with. If you're keeping it casual and ordering by the glass, you can drink well here without feeling taken advantage of — and that's not nothing in this city.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Restaurant
The Palm Midtown is not where you'd expect to find Puzelat and Ruth Lewandowski sitting next to each other on a wine list — which is exactly what makes it worth a second look. Six bottles is a short menu, but all six are defensible picks at prices that don't insult you. If you're in the mood to trust the list and not overthink it, this works.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Murray Hill · New York · Classic American Steakhouse
Wolfgang's is a reliable steakhouse wine experience in the sense that you know exactly what you're getting: a list built around the bottle you already know, priced for the room you're sitting in. If you're here to close a deal over a Porterhouse for Two, the wine list will do its job without embarrassing anyone — but it's not going to surprise you, and it's almost certainly going to cost more than it should. Go in with eyes open and a strong second-choice red in mind.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Mediterranean
Zaytinya's wine list is a rare thing in New York: a focused, regionally coherent program that commits hard to Greek and Eastern Mediterranean varieties without making you feel like you need a flashcard to order. The by-the-glass selection alone — 18 options, all under $18, featuring producers most wine lists wouldn't touch — makes this worth visiting even before the food arrives. If you eat here and order a Cabernet, that's on you.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
SoHo · New York · Italian
A long bottle list with Italian, Burgundy and Champagne sections, fronted by a 22-wine glass page. For a glass, try the Skerk Orange Wine from Friuli at 25/95, and for a bottle on a lighter budget, the Volpaia Vermentino at 60; upstairs in the café, the labeled list pours Palistorti di Valgiano's orange Tuscan blend at Glass $22. Confirm prices before you order, because the site's Upstairs Café dinner menu and the beverage PDF do not match. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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