Neighborhood wine hang with uneven markup energy
Kaimukī · Honolulu · Wine Café & Bistro · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 23, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Brix and Stones Cafe @ Kaimukī’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Brix and Stones feels like someone in Kaimukī finally asked the question: why does this neighborhood have to drive to Kaka'ako for a decent glass of wine? The list is compact but clearly curated with some intention — California, France, Italy, New Zealand — hitting the regions most casual wine drinkers actually want to explore. It's a wine café doing the right things in spirit, even if the pricing math doesn't always work in your favor.
The list sits somewhere in the 30-60 bottle range, which for a neighborhood café is respectable — you're not drowning in options, but there's enough here to make a real choice. The regional spread leans toward approachable classics: expect California Cabs and Chardonnays alongside French staples and a nod to Italy and New Zealand. Meinklang Foam White showing up on the list is a genuinely interesting signal — that's an Austrian natural wine that screams intentionality, not a Sysco order. The gaps are real though: no deep dive into Burgundy, no serious Rhône presence, and the list doesn't appear to evolve aggressively.
With 10-20 pours by the glass, this is legitimately one of the stronger BTG programs on the east side of Honolulu. That range gives you enough to taste around without committing to a bottle, which fits the café format perfectly. The Meinklang Foam White by the glass would be a standout if offered that way — it's the kind of pour that makes regulars feel like they've discovered something.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon (carafe) — $58
Caymus retails around $80 a bottle, so getting it by the carafe at $58 is a genuine steal — you're drinking below retail, which almost never happens at a restaurant in Hawaii. Order this before they reconsider their pricing.
Meinklang Foam White
An Austrian natural pét-nat on a Kaimukī wine list is the last thing most people expect, and most diners will scroll right past it for something they recognize. Don't. Meinklang makes some of the most fun, food-friendly fizz in the natural wine world, and finding it here is a minor miracle.
La Marca Prosecco
At $40, you're paying nearly three times retail for a Prosecco you can grab at Costco for $15. It's the most overworked sparkling wine in America and the markup here is hard to justify when there are better pours on this very list.
Meinklang Foam White + Charcuterie board
The Foam White's light effervescence and bright acidity cut through cured meats and soft cheeses without competing with them — it's the kind of pairing that makes a casual café snack feel like an actual wine moment.
The Bottom Line
Brix and Stones is doing something genuinely valuable for Kaimukī — bringing a thoughtful, accessible wine program to a neighborhood that needed one. The Caymus carafe pricing is a bona fide deal and the Meinklang shows real taste, but watch out for the bubbly markups and a list that could use a little more rotation to keep regulars coming back.
Kahala · Honolulu · Italian
Arancino at The Kahala is doing something genuinely unusual for a hotel-adjacent Italian restaurant in Hawaii — it's built a list around obscure Northern Italian producers that most diners won't recognize, and that's exactly the point. Markups are on the steeper side and we can't vouch for glassware or staff knowledge from the available data, but the wine selection itself earns respect. If you know your Nebbiolo from your Barbera, this list rewards attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Seafood
Mina's Fish House isn't building a wine program — it's building a dessert wine moment, and that is a genuinely uncommon thing to find at a restaurant of this profile. If you're eating dinner here, you'll need to source your table wine elsewhere on the menu or order cocktails; this list doesn't cover that ground. But if you want to close out a Four Seasons meal in Honolulu with a glass of 2013 Tokaji Aszú or something out of the Madeira cellar, this is a quietly excellent place to do it.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikiki · Honolulu · Italian
Quiora isn't trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't need to be — it's a 22-label Italian restaurant list on a rooftop in Waikiki with an ocean view doing the heavy lifting. But the list is genuinely considered, the glass-pour selection is deep for the size, and pricing is fair by hotel standards. If you're eating here, drink the Tintero rosato or the Selbach Riesling and enjoy the sunset.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikiki · Honolulu · Italian / Californian Coastal
Botanico is doing something genuinely unusual for Waikiki — building an Italian-forward wine list with real regional depth and mostly fair pricing in a place where restaurants routinely treat wine as an afterthought. The by-the-glass program alone is worth a seat at the bar. If you care at all about what's in your glass, this belongs on your radar.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Hawaii Regional
Moku Nui is a casual Hawaii Regional spot that has no business running a wine list this thoughtful — and we mean that as high praise. Fair glass prices, a sommelier clearly making intentional choices, and enough variety to reward the curious drinker. If you're eating here, skip the default beer order and let someone at the table order the Vouvray.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikiki · Honolulu · Seafood
Azure is a genuinely lovely place to drink wine — the setting does a lot of heavy lifting and the France-Italy-Hawaii focus is a sensible match for the island seafood menu. Just go in knowing resort markup is real, and if the tasting menu with wine pairing is available, that's likely your best shot at getting something memorable poured without having to guess blind from the list.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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