Monday Nights Just Got a Lot More Interesting
Lincoln Square · Bellevue · New American/Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 1, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The list reads like a greatest hits album of crowd-pleasing American wine — Caymus, Rombauer, Duckhorn, Whispering Angel. You know exactly what you're getting before you sit down, and that's both the comfort and the limitation. It's polished, safe, and built for the hotel-adjacent downtown Bellevue crowd who knows what they like.
Forty-six labels isn't small, but the range feels narrower than the number suggests — Napa Cabernet and California Chardonnay dominate, with a respectful nod to Washington state via the Figgins Estate Red Blend from Walla Walla and a few Columbia Valley pours. The Pacific Northwest representation could be bolder for a Bellevue restaurant, but the Figgins inclusion shows someone on the team is paying at least partial attention. There's a noticeable gap on the Old World side — no Burgundy, no Rhône, no Italian to speak of — and the bottom of the list bottoms out hard with Copper Ridge and Canyon Road as budget anchors. The top end reaches Dom Pérignon at $490, which is a flex, but the middle of the list is where you actually want to spend your money.
Thirty by-the-glass options on a 46-bottle list is an unusually high ratio, which is genuinely useful — you can build a full evening of pours without committing to a bottle. The glass price range of $12–$27 is reasonable for downtown Bellevue, though the $7 house pours (Copper Ridge Cab, Canyon Road Pinot Grigio) are doing the heavy lifting for budget drinkers. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority here — this looks like a set-and-forget BTG program rather than something that evolves seasonally.
Duckhorn Merlot Napa Valley 2022 — $70/bottle
Duckhorn Merlot retails around $40–$45, so this isn't a steal, but at $70 it's the most reasonable markup on a recognizable, reliably delicious bottle on the list. Come on a Monday and you're walking out with it for $35 — that's genuinely hard to beat.
Figgins Estate Red Blend Walla Walla 2020
Most tables at Central are ordering Caymus on autopilot, which means the Figgins Estate from Walla Walla sits quietly underordered. The Figgins family (of Leonetti Cellar fame) makes serious, age-worthy Washington reds, and this estate blend earns its place on any list it's on. If you're in Bellevue and skipping it for another California Cab, you're missing the point.
Caymus Special Selection Cabernet 2019
At $150 a bottle, Caymus Special Selection is roughly 3x retail, and that's before you factor in that this wine is already priced on brand recognition rather than quality relative to its peers. It's everywhere, it's marked up everywhere, and there are better Washington and Napa options on this very list for less money.
Stag's Leap Viognier Napa Valley + Hummus Plate
Viognier's stone fruit and floral aromatics with a touch of richness cut right through the olive oil and tahini in a hummus spread, and the wine's weight holds up to whatever's coming alongside it. It's a smarter opener than reaching for a glass of bubbles, and Stag's Leap makes a clean, well-structured version of the grape.
Monday — Every bottle $100 and under is half price on Monday nights.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Central Bar is the reliable downtown wine stop it needs to be — Monday half-price bottles are a legitimate reason to show up, and the Figgins pour reminds you there's a real wine region right next door. Just don't come here looking to be surprised.
Old Bellevue · Bellevue · Southern Italian
Carmine's is a dependable wine experience in a room that earns it — the Italian backbone is solid, the Marc Hébrart alone proves someone cared when building this list, and 13 by-the-glass options gives you real choices. Just mind the markups and steer away from the California name-drops.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Redmond Town Center · Bellevue · Steakhouse and Seafood
Matts' isn't a wine destination, but it's not pretending to be one either. The Pacific Northwest focus is smart, the by-the-glass picks punch above the room's casual energy, and $9 oyster bar pours during happy hour is a deal worth showing up for.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Bellefield Office Park Area · Bellevue · Upscale American Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Bellevue is a reliable machine for a certain kind of corporate dinner — but the wine list is a profit center dressed up as a wine program, and the markups make that clear. Order the Belle Glos, catch Ruth's Hour if you can, and save the serious wine drinking for somewhere that actually cares.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Bellevue Square · Bellevue · Asian, Chinese-inspired
On a Wednesday, P.F. Chang's Bellevue is legitimately worth pulling up a chair for wine — half-price bottles with recognizable labels is a deal you won't find at most actual wine bars. Any other night, the list is competent but overpriced for what it is, and you'd be better off sticking to the cocktails.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Active Program
Acceptable
Lincoln Square · Bellevue · American, Global/International, Seafood
Earls Bellevue isn't going to wow any wine nerds, but it's a genuinely solid operation for what it is — fair prices, a few legitimately good bottles, and one of the best mid-week deals in Bellevue if you time your visit right. Come on a Tuesday or Wednesday and grab the Lingua Franca at half price; you'll leave happy.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Old Bellevue · Bellevue · Contemporary Vietnamese
Monsoon Bellevue earns its Wild Card status: a focused Pacific Northwest wine list in a Vietnamese restaurant context is a genuinely smart move, and Wednesday half-price bottles make this one of the better midweek wine deals in Old Bellevue. Show up on a Wednesday, order the Pinot, and let the kitchen do the rest.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.